Episode 13: T.R.A.C.K.S.
Part Two
As the train sped down the track, wheel smoking, May tracked the Mancini through the train with her glasses picking up his footprints. He nodded at two other men in the car, and they all started moving.
"Ward, you're up." She heard nothing but static and she frowned. "Ward?"
She watched the man pick up the package and walk away. "Something's wrong, Cybertek's leaving the dining car." She stood, following them.
"Ward? Coul—" A gunshot went off and she fell to her knees. She looked up and saw a man between two of the cars, shooting at her. She pulled the parachute strapped to her back and landed on the ground.
Disconnecting the chute, she removed her glasses.
"Fitz? Sara? Skye? Can anyone read me?" She let out a deep sigh then spotted something, hurrying over to it. She found Coulson and Ward, both appearing to be out cold. There were blue liens running from their eyes. It almost looked like the effect of the night-night gun. May kneeled beside Coulson, checking his pulse, then closed her eyes in relief and smiled.
While she watched the blue lines on his face, she went over to Ward, who appeared to be frozen in a position of moving to stand up. She checked for a reaction out of him but got none and stood.
"I've got to get you guys somewhere safe," she murmured. She looked around, throwing her sunglasses to the ground, then ran towards the orchard.
She spotted a truck, opening the door, and she looked for the keys. She closed the door and looked around thinking. After a moment, she started hotwiring the truck. It sputtered to life, she moved to get behind the wheel. However, Russo appeared behind her, aiming the gun at the back of her head.
"We've been looking for you, Agent May."
The woman looked up to see two SUV's pulling up. She rolled her eyes then turned towards Russo, putting up her hands. He pulled his gun hand back and smacked her across the face.
She awoke sputtering as water was thrown on her. She was being held in the air; her wrists bound above her head. She shook off the water and focused on Russo right in front of her.
"Get your bearing, sweetheart," Russo said. "Get your bearings… There you go. There you go." Her breathing slowed, but she looked at him with rage in her eyes. "I realize you're confused. But I'm here to help. You see, I make sure Cybertek products move across Italy without incident, and they make sure I'm well taken care of. They'll take care of you, too. All you have to do is tell me where Agent Coulson and Ward are. That's it."
Smiling, May chuckled.
"Why are you smiling?" Russo asked.
"You called me 'sweetheart'." He sighed, "Fine, have it your way." He removed his glasses as he turned around.
Using the moment, May looked around where she was being held. It looked like an old barn. There were three other guard inside the room beside Russo.
"Just remember, your boss asked to be part of this op," Russo said. He turned back to her, holding a knife. "I warned him against it. So, if you're looking for someone to blame, look at him."
He stabbed May in her left upper shoulder. She continued to smile despite the pain of him grinding the knife against the bone.
"That's just wanted I needed," she told him. He left the knife in her shoulder as he turned and addressed the other guards in Italian.
Lifting herself a bit higher, she took the blade out of her shoulder and used it to cut the rope holding her up. She slashed Russo across the face, causing a gash and started fighting against the other guards. Quickly, she took the other guards out and she could hear the sound of an engine started and tires squealing.
"Russo!" she yelled. She got to her feet and rushed out after him.
Reaching The Bus, May threw her knife into Russo's back as he spoke to Coulson and Ward. The man's body went stiff, falling forward onto his face. Coulson and Ward stared at her in shock.
"Wheel's up in five," she said angrily, marching into the plane.
"You okay?" Ward asked as he bent down to check Russo. "You were on the train when it disappeared."
"May, Russo was—" Coulson started. She walked right past him, saying nothing. "Explain yourself, please."
She turned to face him, wearing an angrier version of her stoic expression.
"The train didn't disappear. Russo sold us out. Get the plane ready, I need a shower." Spinning on her heel, she walked deeper into the plane, Ward following close behind.
"You're hurt. Let me stitch you up." May nearly growled at him when she spoke.
"I said get the plane ready."
Sitting in the lab, she attempted to dress the wound on her shoulder. She picked up a pair of tweezers, holding a needle and thread, and prepared to stitch herself. "Let me help," Coulson said, walking into the room. He went to a cabinet behind her, opening it and pulling out swabs.
"You know… we have this stuff for a reason."
He showed her the medical supplies he gathered and put a hand to her uninjured shoulder. She jumped up onto a table, sitting down with a grunt.
"S.H.I.E.L.D. found the train," he informed her. "Turns out it switched tracks shortly after we got there." He rubbed some ointment onto the wound and May hissed. "That grenade must have released some type of toxin. Made us believe no time had passed."
"I saw you guys frozen on the field," she said, giving him a tiny grin. "You looked ridiculous."
Sighing, Coulson looked over May at a framed picture Simmons had on her desk. It was her, Fitz, and Sara smiling cheerfully in Egypt.
"It wasn't supposed to be a combat op." May shook her head.
"They'll be fine. They can handle themselves and Sara is there."
Pressing a bandage to the wound, Coulson pulled up the strap of May's shirt, putting them over the bandage to keep it in place.
"Thank you," May said.
"Did he get you anywhere else?" She scoffed, giving him a grin.
Ward walked into the lab, arms crossed over his chest.
"We need to reroute the plane. We just got word from S.H.I.E.L.D. that the train stopped suddenly in the Italian countryside."
"What? Why?"
"We'll find out soon. I'll set the coordinates. Touchdown in ten."
"I'll come help," May offered.
"Nah, I got it," he said, briskly marching out of the lab.
People were mingling around the stopped train as Ward walked away from a passenger to Coulson and May.
"Parked her 15 minutes ago. Agents on the ground have no idea why."
"Any signs of Fitz-Simmons, Sara, or Skye?" Coulson asked. "No," Ward shook his head.
Looking around, Coulson spotted a window with what looked like the smeared handprint on it. He hurried to get on the train with the others close behind. Ward opened the door and led the way inside with his gun drawn. They paused at the gear on the table, looking for some sign of their team. The laptops were riddled with bullet holes.
There was a clatter from deeper in the car and they all turned towards the sound. Simmons popped up, yelling bloody murder.
"Everybody, get down!" She began to fire the night-night gun widely and randomly, causing the others to take cover.
"Simmons! Stop!" Coulson shouted.
She breathed heavily, looking around wild and confused. Coulson walked towards her with one hand up in a calming manner. Simmons looked at him confused then to May and Ward.
"What? Where are the others?"
Earlier that day...
Sitting across from Fitz and Skye, Sara looked through some maps of the area.
"Are you nervous?" she heard Fitz ask Skye.
"Just… ready for all this to be over. I'm ready to get Quinn."
"Me, too," Fitz agreed.
Lowering her maps, Sara asked a question that she had been thinking about.
"Are we British or American?"
"Does it matter?" Skye asked.
"Well, we're traveling together," Fitz shrugged. "We should at least all be from the same country. How's your Scottish accent?"
"I dunno know," Skye mocked.
Sara visibly winched at Skye's accent. It was really, really bad. It almost sounded Australian.
"You tell me how great it is, Laddie."
"American, then," Fitz slipped easily into an American accent. "That's a better idea."
A huge smile appeared on Skye's face.
"Oh, that was really good. What about you, Sara?"
"Just keep a level head, Skye," Sara sighed. Her accent was nearly flawless, not a hit of Scottish or English twang.
"We used to watch a lot of American TV growing up," Fitz said, reverting back to his normal voice. "Some of it's quite good. Lots of nice teeth."
"Oh, here we go," Sara said, eyeing the conductor that came closer. "Follow my lead."
As the man stopped in front of them, Sara picked up her map.
"Excuse me, do you speak English?"
The conductor smiled, "Of course. How may I be of service?"
"Can you recommend a restaurant in downtown Zagreb?" Fitz jumped in. "Something affordable with big portions."
"You are looking for someone romantic?" the conductor questioned.
"Yes, please," Skye said. She kissed Fitz' cheek, causing the young scientist to flush. "We're celebrating our six-month anniversary with a whirlwind trip all over Europe. Well, technically, we met six months ago, but he didn't ask me out 'till last month, so our official one-month anniversary isn't until next—"
"Saturday," Sara cut in. "I have lived in Italy for nearly three years; however, I've never been to Zagreb and don't know where to take them."
Slowly, she reached forward, unclipping the keys from the conductor's belt.
"Young love," the conductor said. "So… confusing."
"Yes, it is," Sara agreed, shooting them a look.
The conductor showed them a place on the map, not that Sara was paying much attention before walking away. She stood with a stretch, she pocked the keys, leading her group towards the luggage car.
As they walked, Skye looked over at Fitz.
"You, uh, got a little flustered back there," she mentioned. His voice went back to normal as he rolled his eyes.
"What, when you kissed me on the cheek like my grandmother? Good going. Really selling our relationship there."
"Was kinda awkward," Sara tossed in.
"Whatever, I thought I did good," Skye muttered.
Pushing the door to the luggage car, Sara leaned against a shelf, keeping an eye out.
"I have a device that could've done all those things," Fitz told her. "I mean, broken eh lock and stuff, instead of you needing to get the key."
"You did?" Skye asked. "Why didn't you say anything?"
"I'm always the gadget guy. Maybe sometimes I want to do something with my bare hands."
Skye rolled her eyes.
"You build gadgets with your bare hands."
"Just allow me the rare moments of self-pity, okay." Sara chuckled quietly.
"It doesn't matter, Fitz. I like going old school every once in a while."
"Well, at least agree with me Sara, but Skye is the least supportive pretend girlfriend I've ever had." Sara laughed as Skye taped a key on her coms. "Comms are live… Simmons? Coulson? You in position?" "Yes," Coulson answered. "Just waiting on May's signal."
A few minutes later May's glasses were activated, and her feed appeared on Skye's laptop.
"Great. May, we see what you see."
Leaning back in her seat, Skye let Fitz get closer to the screen.
"All right, May," Fitz said. "Cybertek cases are usually lined with tungsten polymer to prevent scanning. It should appear black on your infrared." They watched as the screen focused on a dark black case sitting on a table. "Bingo!" Fitz cheered. He sobered quickly. "Uh, eye's on the package, fourth seat from the back."
Sara glanced around as she heard an announcement go through the train car.
"As we round the bend, the passengers on the north side of the train can take in the views of the famous Tre Cime Di Lavaredo. Isn't it a wonder?"
She sighed, "I wish we had more time to take in the scenery. Three peaks of Lavaredo, supposed to be stunning."
"Maybe Ward will take you when we're done," Skye suggested.
"Maybe," Sara said wistfully.
Looking to the screen, Skye stared at the package.
"Any chance what's in there could be an 0-8-4?" Sara shook her head.
"We might not know what it is, but we do know it came from Cybertek."
"Right, unknown origin. And the one we found in Peru was a machine, but they don't always have to be right?" Fitz shook his head.
"No. No, I've read about all the kinds—weapons, spacecrafts, energy sources. I suppose the only thing they really do have in common is that they're dangerous." Skye slowly nodded.
"Right."
Gently, Sara put a hand on Skye's shoulder.
"Hey, whatever this package turns out to be, we'll deal with it, like we always do. We've faced worse and make it through."
"Have you guys ever heard of an 0-8-4 being a person?"
"No. Although, I suppose it's possible."
"Hate the meet the guy," Fitz muttered.
Suddenly, Skye's laptop started making a loud static noise. Fitz looked at the computer and reads, everything scrambled.
"May's goggles are offline. When did that happen?" Fitz asked. Sara put a finger to her comms.
"May, do you copy?" She waited a bit before lowering her hand. "All comms are dead. Someone's using some sort of an electric scrambler."
"Cybertek knows we're here," Fitz realized.
"We have to warn the team!" Skye said.
They jumped out of their chairs, following Sara towards the door. The door got kicked in before they could reach it, Sara pulling her gun as a guy rushed in.
"Skye, Fitz, get down!" she yelled. The two ducked behind shelves holding luggage as Sara ducked behind a large trunk.
Fumbling with the night-night gun, Fitz blindly fired it around the corner of the shelves, distracting the man for a second. Sara used the shooter's distraction to lunge at the man, punching him across the face.
They fought, falling back next to the others. He managed to get the upper hand and she fell to the ground; breath being knocked out of her. Fitz jumped from his hiding place, pushing the guy off of Sara. The man punched Fitz and Skye grabbed the night-night gun, holding it to the man's face. The man held up a grenade, causing them to freeze.
At that moment, Simmons ran into the luggage car.
"We've been made!" she cried. She stopped in her tracks as the man turned, letting her see the grenade. "Oh, bloody hell!" She threw herself at the man, holding him back from the others.
"Jemma!" Fitz shouted. She didn't let go, hugging herself to the man as the grenade went off. They both fell to the floor.
"Oh, my God," Skye exclaimed.
Sara hurried to Simmons, checking her neck for a pulse. There were blood lines from out of the scientist's eyes. Sara let out a tense breath.
"She's okay," she said. Fitz was breathing heavily, bent at the waist in relief.
"Okay. Hold her up," he said. He brought over a couple of big bags. "There we go."
With Sara's help, Fitz propped her head up on the bag as the lines on her eyes started to fade. Picking up the grenade, Sara examined it thoughtfully.
"I think this is some form of dendrotoxin."
"The same stuff that's in the night-night gun?" Skye asked.
"Yeah. It's clearly evolved though. I think they made it airborne."
"Is that why their eyes are open?"
"I suppose if they were in some sort of black sleep that would make sense," Fitz said. He reached out, closing Simmons' eyes.
"We've got to get out of here," Sara said. "Find the others and figure out what to do next."
"Yeah," Sara said. "But help me move her first. Can't just leave her like this."
Fitz watched as the two women hid Simmons behind a shelf.
"Look at her little face, she'd be so embarrassed." He got to his feet, brushing off his pants. "We should leave her with something to protect herself, just in case." Sara nodded, pulling a spare gun from her waistband.
"I have a spare."
"You carry a gun and a night-night gun?" Skye asked. Sara nodded, loading the night-night gun for Simmons.
"Well, I've been in enough situations where I've wanted two guns, Skye. You'll get there one day." She gently tucked it into Simmons' hand.
"What about him?" Skye asked.
Angrily, Fitz helped Sara dump the man's body into a chest barely big enough to hold him as Skye went to look for the rest of the team. He fired his night-night gun twice into the guy's chest. "
That's for Simmons," he snapped. He closed the box lid as the train squeaked, coming to a stop. "Train's stopping," he exclaimed.
"I know," Skye said, walking back into the luggage car. "I've looked everywhere. May, Ward, and Coulson are gone."
"What about Cybertek?" Sara asked.
The trio turned at the sound of something outside. They crept to the window and Sara wiped it clean to get a look out of it. They saw two men and a woman walking towards a waiting SUV.
"They have the package, Sara," Skye said.
"What do we do?" Fitz wondered. "We're the only ones left."
"Do you have an extra tracker?"
"Of course."
"Then we follow them."
Sara spun on her heel.
"Excuse me?" she asked.
"We should follow them," Skye said. "We need to follow them!"
"And why is that?" Sara asked. "The last I checked, I'm the highest-ranking agent out of us, and I say no."
"You're just gonna let them walk away? We could get to Quinn!" Sara put a hand on her hip, blinking rapidly as the thought.
"Fine, we'll follow them, but we stay hidden."
The group moved among the trees, getting close to a fancy looking house.
"Hey, look!" Skye said. They watched as a car pulled up, Quinn getting out.
"Coulson was right," Fitz mused. "Cybertek led us to Quinn." Quinn turned, shaking the hand of Mancini.
"Activate the tracker," Skye commanded. "Let them know we're here."
"What?" Sara asked. "You want to go in?"
"We can't let Quinn get away again!" Skye said. "If Coulson was here, he wouldn't let that happen. He wouldn't want us to let that happen."
"He wouldn't want us to get hurt and besides, we don't have any backup. You're not ready and Fitz isn't supposed to be in action."
"But Sara," Fitz said, taking off his backpack. "She's right. Let's do it."
She stared dumbfounded at her brother.
"Excuse me?"
"We have to do it, Sara." She crossed her arms as Skye focused on one of the men that stayed behind with the others entered the house.
"Can you disable their cars?" she asked.
"With my bare hands," Fitz joked. He held up a little deice, throwing it into the air and catching it again while Skye smiled.
Reaching into his bag, he pulled out the night-night gun, handing it to Skye.
"Take this."
"You'll need it out here," Skye argued. "Just take it." With a sigh, she took the pistol as Sara turned to Fitz.
"This isn't smart. Someone is gonna get hurt."
"Must you always be the reasonable one?" Fitz joked. She ran a hand through her hair, and he gave her a grim smile. "Be careful, okay?"
"You too," she mumbled, throwing her arms around him.
"Love you, Fitz."
"Right back at you, Fitz." She let out a small chuckle at their childhood joke before turning to Skye.
"Let's go."
The girls stuck close to the side of the house, moving towards the door. Sara turned and saw a man on the porch. She surprised him, giving Skye the chance to shoot him with the night-night gun. The first shot didn't do much, but her second shot hit him in the head, knocking him out before he could sound the alarm or could get his gun out. They hurried up the stairs, past his body, and into the house.
A guard stood leaning against of the cars, looking down at his phone. He heard a rustling noise and looked over then stood, moving in the direction. He past one of the cars and underneath, Fitz took a quiet breath, trying to keep silent. After a moment, the guard moved away, and Fitz continued working on the underside of the car.
Walking slowly down a hallway, the girls heard voices talking and moved towards it. A door further down opened, and Sara pulled Skye inside a doorway.
"Find Mr. Quinn," a woman said. "Tell him his purchase is downstairs."
"Sì," the man said. They turned down the hallway and the girls came out of their hiding spot.
Skye walked over to the open door and looked inside. There were a set of stairs heading down.
"Come on," she whispered. Sara followed her down the stairs and Skye opened another door. She carefully entered the room. Sara glanced at the walls. They were inside some sort of wine cellar. The package was sitting on a table, and she frowned, seeing a hyperbaric chamber set off to the side.
Sara walked over to it, looking into the window. Skye startled as the agent jerked back in shock. Skye looked into the window, her eyes widening. Inside was Mike Peterson asleep. She put her hand on the glass looking down at him.
"Mike."
"Hello," said Quinn from beside her. She gasped as Sara pulled her gun. Another man grabbed Sara's gun, smacking her across the face so that she fell to the ground. Her head hit something on the way down, knocking her out.
Skye pulled the night-night gun, but the man grabbed it, pointing it at her head as he grabbed her throat.
"Skye. The Clairvoyant told me to expect you," Quinn said. The guard examined the night-night gun.
"Signor Quinn, this is the same gun as the specs that you gave us."
"Yeah," Quinn nodded. "You guys have been looking at us while we've been looking at you." He tapped the gun, making his point. "And we found a handful of particularly interesting things."
He walked over to the head of the chamber and twisted the lock. The train guy released Skye with a shove and stood near Quinn. The air hissed as Quinn opened the chamber then pulled Mike out. As soon as the table slid open, Mike awoke, and Skye moved closer to him.
"Mike."
Mike grunted a bit as he sat up.
"Oh, God. You're alive."
Quinn smiled, "That's right, you two know each other." He clapped Mike on the shoulder."Hey, do you know who I am?" Mike nodded his head."And you have your orders?" Mike nodded again, looking down. "Good, because I purchased something that's gonna help you complete them."
Walking over to his guard, Quinn took the night-night gun, pointing it at Skye while the other man went over to the package. Skye looked at Mike, confused.
"Orders? Mike, what's happening here?" Mike looked over at her but said nothing. "Mike?"
The guard opened the package and inside was a sort of big bowl like device which he pulled out. There were lines of blue energy running along the inside. Mike looked down as the man placed the device on the stump of his missing leg. The man twisted the device, and they heard a whirring sound. He then backed away.
"Stand, please."
Mike stood on his leg, using his arm on the table to steady himself. The other man punched a bunch of buttons inside the package and Mike let out a yell of pain as the whirling increased. The "bowl" suddenly spread out along this thigh, going up his hip. It started to grow from below, giving Mike a newly completed leg. During the process, Mike had been yelling and groaning, now that it was finished, he let out a deep breath and panted.
Quinn smiled, "Mancini, thank you." He handed the night-night gun back to Mancini. "You will be receiving your payment shortly." Mike looked down at his new leg as Mancini left. Quinn walked up to Mike and tapped the leg. "That is the best money can buy, my friend. Every piece of technology in you is top-of-the-line. I just wonder if I'm getting my money's worth. I know you get your orders from the Clairvoyant, so that means you're not allowed to hurt me, right?"
Saying nothing, Mike's expression showed that he would love too, but he wouldn't.
"No." Quinn picked up Sara's gun.
"What if I tried to hurt you?" He cocked the gun and pointed it at Mike. "Would you stop me?" Mike looked at the gun then up to Quinn.
"No, I would not." Skye looked at Mike, her eyes worried.
"Mike, listen. I don't' know what they're doing to you, but we have to get out of here. Now."
He looked at her, but his face was blank. Quinn picked up Mike's hand and put the gun in it.
"And… if I wanted you to – to hurt her…" He pulled Mike's arm up, pointing the gun at Skye as she sucked in a scared breath. "You know, kill… will you? I mean, what would hurt Agent Coulson more than to lose his pet project?" "Those aren't my orders," Mike said.
Quinn looked at him sharply as Mike lowered the gun and pressed it against Quinn's chest.
"She's not who I'm supposed to kill." He walked out of the room and Skye went after him.
"Wait. Wait. Wait!" He went out the door and she stopped the doorway before turning and looking at Quinn. "What the hell did you do to him?"
A gunshot went off and Skye clutched her abdomen in shock. Quinn stood just looking at her, pointing the gun. She looked up at him, gasping a bit. He walked in closer to her, wrapping his arm around her as she started to fall.
"Shh, shh." Skye gasped a big and a second gunshot went off. Her eyes went big, and she took a shuddering breath. He gently cradled her head and lowered her to the ground. She fought for breath as blood filled her mouth. "I'm sorry," Quinn said. He took a handkerchief out of his pocket and wiped down the gun. "But I have my orders, too."
He startled as Sara attacked him from behind. She wrestled for the gun, and she heard it go off thrice more, but didn't know where they went. Quinn managed to his feet and rushed out of the room. She went to go after him but stopped when she saw Skye. She cursed, dropping to her knees.
"Skye, stay with me," she said, pressing her hands to Skye's stomach. "Help!" she cried. "Help!" She grunted in pain, looking down to see blood seeping through her shirt. She blinked back tears, trying to focus on Skye instead of on the building pain in chest.
Mike walked upstairs. He entered a room where people were waiting, among them Mancini.
"Where's Quinn?" a woman asked. All the men in the room started gathering around Mike.
"Where's the money?" Mancini asked.
"There is no money. You failed," Mike said.
"It looks like it's working for me," Mancini said.
The woman spoke sharply to Mancini and Mike threw her a glare.
"Apparently there's been a misunderstanding. We delivered the package as promised." Mike looked back at Mancini."If we can just speak to Mr. Quinn –" The woman was cut off as Mike's arm shot out and grabbed her by the throat. Immediately, the men in the room drew their guns.
"The Clairvoyant isn't happy. You led S.H.I.E.L.D. right to us."
"Let her go, "Mancini demanded. She made a choking noise as Mike glared at Mancini.
Fitz, under a car, heard glass shatter and the car above him bounced as something heavy landed on it. The body of Mancini fell to the ground next to Fitz, dead. Fitz climbed out from under the car and heard shouting and gunshots. He flinched as they became louder.
"Skye. Sara."
Hurrying towards the house, the guard who had been with the cars, caught sight of him and lifted his gun. Fitz turned as the guard as hit with a bold from the night-night gun and fell to the ground. The rest of the team was standing behind him, Ward holding the gun. Coulson, May, and Simmons crowded around Fitz.
"Where's Skye?" Coulson asked.
"And Sara," May added. Fitz pointed inside the house.
"S-S-Skye didn't want to let Quinn get away."
Nodding to Ward, Coulson started into the house while Ward went around. Ward burst through the back door, holding a night-night gun in each hand, and started shooting the moment he opened the door. Quinn was walking nonchalantly walked out of the room when he found a gun, held by Coulson, against his head.
Mike picked up one of the men in the room by his neck, then twisted his head, cracking the man's neck. He looked at the destruction, his eyes stopping on the dead woman. A message from the Clairvoyant scrolled across his vision:
DO NOT ENGAGE S.H.I.E.L.D.
Mike closed his eyes for a moment then opened them.
Coulson kicked at Quinn. He shoved him against a table and noticed his blood splattered hand. He picked him back up and placed the barrel of the gun under Quinn's chin.
"Where's Skye and Sara?"
"You know, Agent Coulson, it's dangerous… to keep sending them in like that, all alone… when they both mean so much to you." He had a grin on his face, which Coulson hit away with the butt of his gun. Ward shoved Quinn back on the table.
"Search the house," Coulson ordered. "Find them! Now!" Fitz-Simmons hurried up the stairs as Coulson and Ward went in separate directions. May stayed behind with Quinn and handcuffed him.
Opening the door to the wine cellar, Coulson saw Skye, looking very pale, and Sara hovering above her, putting pressure against the younger girl's stomach.
"Oh. No. Oh, no," he said, getting to his knees. "Simmons! Get down here." He moved Skye slightly, cradling her body against his as he looked her over. "Oh. Oh, God. Hang on. Just hang on, okay?"
Sara looked up as Ward entered the room, followed by Fitz-Simmons. Simmons hurried around to the other side of Skye.
"She's been shot, twice," Sara said.
Simmons nodded sharply, "Keep her upright, sir."
"I've got no pulse," Coulson said.
"Uh… she's lost too much blood. I don't…"
"Simmons!" Sara exclaimed. "We gotta put her in there."
Simmons turned her head, seeing the chamber.
"Yes, put her in there."
Ward frowned, "Do you even know what that thing is?" Sara looked up at him.
"It's a hyperbaric chamber, and we said put her in there, now!"
May appeared, "Okay. Calm down." Coulson, Fitz, and Ward lifted up Skye.
"All right, come on." Sara hurried to the controls as Simmons directed the others. "All right, gentle."
As they laid Skye down inside, Simmons glanced at Sara.
"I need to get her temperature down."
"Yeah, I got it, I got it." Simmons slid the table in as Sara worked at the controls. The others sealed the chamber shut as Simmons joined Sara. They all waited, watching with large eyes as Sara inputted directions to the terminal on the chamber.
"Temperature's dropping," she said.
"Pressure's stabilizing," Simmons added.
Hurrying to the window, Simmons looked inside.
"Is it working?" May asked. There appeared to be on change in Skye as they looked at her.
"Is it working?" Coulson demanded answers. Suddenly, her lips parted, and she took a breath.
"For now," Simmons said relieved.
"Don't take her out," Sara mumbled, gripping the side of the table. "Swear it, Jemma."
"Why would I…"
"Swear it!"
"I swear."
"Good."
Pushing away from the table, Sara took a few steps before collapsing before anyone could catch her.
"Oh god," Fitz said, scrambling to his sister's side. He pulled up a bit of her shirt, hands sticky and warm. "Oh god," he repeated. "Sara, Sara!" Ward dropped to his knees, trying to help Fitz. He pressed onto her stomach, trying to keep pressure.
"We gotta get them on The Bus," May said. Ward nodded, scooping Sara into his arms.
May stood off to the side in the lab as Fitz-Simmons fussed over Sara. Ward was pacing outside, having been banned from the lab. He looked up as Simmons walked out.
"I don't have the right equipment," she told him. "The best we can do is keep her stable, but she's gonna continue to lose blood." He nodded and she gave him a tense comforting smile before going over to stand by Coulson. She peered into the chamber down at Skye. "Her core temperature is hovering around forty-four degrees Fahrenheit," she told him. "If we don't bring her back up to temp in the next few hours, she could sustain permanent brain damage. And unless Sara stops losing blood, it won't be long for her either. We need to get them to a medical facility and fast. Until then, I'll do everything I can to keep both of them alive."
Walking into a small storage area, Simmons frantically looked through a drawer for a vial of something to slow Sara's blood flow. She rifled things around and shoved it all back in before going to another drawer. She opened a package, attempting to rip something inside.
Her face crumbled as her hands went around the tiny vial. Her fingers left blood traces over everything. Someone touched her shoulder and she turned to find Fitz. She began to sob, collapsing into his embrace.
Ward's thumb grazed over Sara's wrist, feeling her ever slowing pulse. He pressed a kiss to her palm before leaving the lab. From her corner, May watched him go and she followed him into the cargo bay, shutting the doors behind her.
With a small yell, Ward punched the hood of the SUV. He pulled back instantly, shaking out his wrist.
"It's not your fault," May said. He shook his head a few times. "They should have never gone in there alone." "Blaming yourself won't help her."
"I'm not blaming myself," Ward snapped. Realization dawned on May as she looked away.
Mike stood in the trees, looking at a playground as the Clairvoyant watched through his eye. Mike pulled out a pen and small pad of paper and began to write. Once the message was finished, he held it up in front of his eyes.
CAN I PLEASE SEE MY SON?
He looked back up at the children playing as the response came:
NOT YET.
Ripping off the piece of paper and wading it up, Mike's hand dropped to his new leg.
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