Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel's Agents of SHIELD. I only own Alex and any other characters I may come with while writing.

A/N: Hello everyone. Here is the latest chapter. Since this is a short chapter, I'll have the next one up to you a few days after I go through for mistakes and such.

Not much to say about this chapter, but that is a filler chapter before the action in the next one happens. I am not completely happy with the next chapter and I tried reworking it, but in the end decided to leave it as is. You can decide how it is when I post maybe on Saturday.

I don't ask you all things very often, but I need your opinion on something that I have been struggling with since the idea for the story arc after this one is done. I won't go into too much detail because not everything is set in stone, but a few things that are, that Natasha, Maria and Clint (aka Hawkeye) are involved as well. What I realized while brainstorming for those chapters is that I never made it clear wether or not, like in the show and Avengers movie, if everyone was told Phil was dead. Since Natasha is part of the Avengers, would have been told that he died, but in the previous chapter she was in the call with Maria. So, my struggle is if they told everyone that he died and that after the Battle of New York told them he is alive or do what they did in the show and only a few know he is alive. It's a struggle for me because I have decided to write in the background a Phil/Clint relationship, have read some stories and liked them together. Since I want Clint to be in future chapters, I'm having difficulty writing if when the next arc comes around if he knows that Phil is alive already or he doesn't know and brings tension to mission they rope Phil's team into helping. I have a few idea's for either, but I would like your thoughts. I'm scolding myself for not thinking this through more before writing, but that's not really how I work when writing. I just go where the words take me. If you made any sense out of what I just wrote, then your opinion on the matter will be very very much appreciated.

I also don't do this and I'm sorry for putting you on the spot, but your comment must be acknowledged.

mika-faberryluver4395: Your comment about how Hill and Romanov are Alex's pseudo overprotective parents, has sprung a few ideas on that matter that I think you will (and maybe others) like. So, thank you for your comment. My writing muse took it popped out fluffy, funny and cute ideas. Keep your eyes peeled for hints in future chapters ;)

With that, I will let you enjoy the chapter. Again I'll have chapter 8 posted on Saturday after I have checked it for mistakes and stuff.

Enjoy!

The Hacker, The Biochemist and The Beast

Chapter 7

In the Lab and Painful Truth Revealed

Jemma's POV

"Alright, Alex. Just lay on here and I'll start the scan." I tell her after we have entered the lab. Fitz heads for the back to get whatever he made for Alex. I set up the scan as Alex slowly gets up on the table. As we were walking down to the lab, I had notice she was walking slower then normal. "Do your legs hurt?" I ask her as she lays back on the table.

"Not really, they are a bit stiff." She answers, shifting on the table a bit.

"The pills I gave you should have kicked in by now." I say with a small frown.

"They have." She assures me with a smile.

"Alright, lay still as the scan runs. Should take a few seconds." I tell her and she nods her head. I press the start button and the scan begins. After five seconds I have a complete scan of Alex's body. "Your done." I say once the all clear is given. Alex sits up and gets up off the table, just as Fitz comes back from the back.

"Finished the scan?" He asks walking over to his work station with the jacket he made for Alex. He had told me about it yesterday and I thought it was a very good idea.

"Yes, it's done. When did you finish the jacket?" I ask, watching to see the finished product, have only seen the designs.

"While Alex was unconscious." Fitz answers while looking over the jacket to make sure there are no flaws.

"You made me a jacket?" Alex asks from where she still stands by the table. I look over at her and she has a confused expression on her face. She's cute when she is confused. I think and instantly blush at the thought. Alex tilts her head to the side, most likely catching my blush and wondering at the cause.

"Yes, I made you a jacket." Fitz answers Alex's question, turning in his chair to face her. He holds up the jacket for her to see. "The whole jacket is made of a kevlar like material. I haven't tested it fully, but it should protect you from bullets. For now it should keep you from getting scratched, like you did at the park yesterday. The other good thing about the jacket is it doesn't restrict your mobility. Or it shouldn't to much. Thats why I wanted you to try it on." He explains, getting up and approaching Alex with the jacket.

Alex takes the jacket from Fitz when he is close enough. She looks the jacket over before putting it on. Once it's zipped up, Alex starts to moving around in the jacket to test how much the jacket will restrict her mobility. After a few minutes of her moving around in the jacket, she stops and gives Fitz a smile.

"I can move around just fine in this." She tells him while unzipping the jacket. "You didn't have to do this, though." Taking it off and handing it back Fitz for the time being.

"I know that I didn't have too, but I just thought you should have a little protection while your out there." Fitz says, holding up the jacket. "From the pictures I saw of the victims, this Yuri guy can do serious damage with just his hands. It's not much, but it should prevent you from getting serious scratched up if you face off with him. Give you a leg up on him." He explains with a small smile at the end.

"Thanks, I appreciate it." Alex says sincerely, her hands twitching at her side as if she wants pat Fitz on the shoulder.

"It's also my little thanks for saving Jemma in the park yesterday." Fitz says, hugging the jacket to his chest as he remembers my near attack in the park.

"I was just doing as I was told." Alex says with a shrug. I look at her closely and she truly believes that what she did yesterday was nothing. To me, it was everything. If Alex hadn't of been with us yesterday, I shutter to think what would have happened to me. Fitz nods his head, still hugging the jacket to his chest, before turning back to his work station. Alex startles a bit when the table she is leaning on beeps and looks up at me wide eyed, as if she is afraid she did something.

"It's a notification that the scan I ran on you is finished rendering into a 3D imagine." I inform her as I walk back over to the holo-table. "Now I can see if there was any internal damage done." Bringing up the 3D imagine.

"That's cool and creepy at the same time." Alex mutters as I look over her internal organs for any sign of damage. I frown as look over her scan to see healed fractures on many of her bones. What the bloody hell was done to you. I think, look over at Alex standing next to me looking at the scan of her body with mixture of awe at the technology and disgust at seeing the inner workings of her body.

"Do I have the all clear?" She asks looking down at me when she notices me staring at her. Her looking down at me like she is makes me realize for the first time the height difference between us.

"Yes, your all clear." I say brightly, shaking myself from my thoughts. "Out of curiosity, how tall are you?" Turning to face her completely. She goes to answer but Fitz beats her to it.

"5'11", quit tall for a female." Fitz answers distractedly from behind me.

"Thank you, Alex." I say sarcastically, turning to Fitz ticketing with something at his desk. I hear Alex lightly laugh behind me and I find myself quit enjoying the sound.

"I'm sure he read that in my file." Alex says with amusement in her voice and dancing in her eyes. "But he is right, I'm 5'11"."

"Alex, can you come up to the briefing room." Coulson's voice comes over the intercom system.

"Guess they found something." Alex says unhappily, shoulders slumping a bit. "It was nice spending time with you two, see you both later." Giving me a bright smile as she says that. I give her a bright smile in return before she turns and heads back to the upper level. I sigh as she disappears from my sight and turn back around to the 3D projection of Alex's body. It's clear that her body has been through a lot, if the scar tissue and healed fractures are any indication. What did you go through. I think sadly as I go over the scan another time, cataloguing everything that I can see.

Skye's POV

I look sadly the crime scene photos that just came in twenty minutes ago. Alex will not like this. I think, looking over at Coulson and we share a sad look. I really was hoping there wouldn't be another body, at least for Alex's sake. She was hoping another body wouldn't turn up for her to be able to track down Yuri, but unfortunately it's not the case.

"What did you find?" I jump slightly at the sudden appearance of Alex behind me, my back turned to where she was coming from.

"That's twice." I grumble at her, as she comes to stand on my right. She gives me an apologetic smile, before turning her attention to the large screen in front of her. The expression on her face says everything.

The picture up on the screen is of a late thirties male. His throat his torn to shreds, like an animal got it. He is propped up against a brick wall in a sitting position, arms resting in his lap. What makes the whole thing more creepy then it is, are the words above his head written in blood. 'You could never beat me' are written in messing writing, drops of blood dripping from some of the letters. Like a horror movie.

"Do the words mean anything to you?" Coulson asks breaking the silence we have been in since Alex started looking at the pictures on screen. Alex doesn't answer straight away, her focus still on the screen in front of her. I can see the mix of emotions pass through her eyes. The only way to describe the look on her face is haunted. Her jaw tightens and hand she has resting on the table balls into a fist, turning her knuckles white. I look into her eyes again and notice the far away look in her eyes now. She must be going through a memory. I think, slowly reaching out my right hand to rest gently on the one she has on the table.

"Alex." I whisper, knowing she will be able to hear me. She doesn't immediately show that she hears me, still off where ever she is. "Alex." I whisper her name more forcefully and giving her hand a squeeze this time. She takes a shaky breath before turning her gaze to me. I resist the sudden urge to pull her into a hug at the look I see in her eyes.

"He is taunting me." She finally answers the question Coulson asked of her, not taking her eyes off me.

"Taunting you?" May questions in an uncharacteristic gently tone.

"Yeah." Is all Alex says, turning her gaze away from me and back to the screen.

"What does he mean by 'You could never beat me'?." Coulson questions also in a gently tone. Alex shakes her head, running her free hand through her hair.

"I.." Alex chokes out, but stops after she does. She takes a deep breath before continuing, looking up at the ceiling to mull over what she wants to say. She lets her breath out and looks back down, looking at the screen instead of directly at any of us. "At the Facility to test what we were capable of, they made us fight one other. I didn't fight very often, because they were afraid I would get killed by the later versions. Every once in a while I would have to fight, to see if there was a difference between me and them. I went up against Yuri a few times and he beat me every time. He probably would have killed me, but they stopped him before he could. I didn't really want to fight, not wanting to really tap into that part of me. I got the crap beat out of me most times. It's what he means by the writing. I could never beat him, but at the time I wasn't really trying." She explains in a detached voice.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing and from the look on Coulson's face neither can he. The urge to hug her comes back, but stronger then before. I fight it though, not sure how Alex would react. I settle for tighten the grip on the hand under my own.

"You never said anything about that before." Coulson says in a tone I have never her from him before.

"No one ever asked." Alex states simply in a monotone voice. "What's the plan, now? We going to the crime scene?" She asks, changing the topic back to the pictures.

"I'm not sure, yet." Coulson replies, clearly thrown by Alex change in demeanour.

"Do you think because he is taunting you, that it could be a trap?" May asks in her all business tone. Alex removes her hand from under mine to cross her arms and studies the pictures.

"Where was the body discovered?" She asks, turning her head to look at May.

"By an abandoned warehouse, near the train tracks." May answers, bringing up a picture of outside of the building. Alex studies the picture like she did with one of the body.

"I have an idea and it will require everyone's input to work." Alex says after a few minutes. "Your probably not going to like it, Coulson, but hear me out." Turning her gaze to Coulson, who frowns. "It might be our only chance to get Yuri before the body count grows."

"I'll hear you out and make my decision after." Coulson replies with an unhappy look.

With that he calls for the others to join us in the briefing room. I take this time to look at Alex and I frown. Her expression is unreadable and her eyes devoid of any emotion. She is closing herself off. I think, as I hear the chatter of Jemma and Fitz coming towards us. Just when we were getting somewhere. I sadly think, as Jemma comes to stand beside me. Ward enters the briefing room and stands beside Coulson.

"Alright, Alex. Tell us your plan." Coulson says and Alex takes a deep breath before launching into her plan to get Yuri off the streets of Denver.

A/N2: Hope you enjoyed and see you all again Saturday.