Volià the next chapter, this time a bit longer!
Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel!

Chapter 28: Hello from the Other Side

The next morning, her voice had still not returned, which was what probably disturbed her the most about the whole alien-transformation-thing. Also, the stupidly huge amounts of food she now needed would maybe raise suspicion at some point. For that reason she was very glad that her kit for the next few days included lots of protein bars and other food which would keep her if not full, then at least going. Still wearing her jeans and a vaguely boring hoodie under a longer coat, she had two sets of clothing in her bag in addition to makeup and some other essentials such as a first-aid kit. For security reasons it was time to swap the car again, unless S.H.I.E.L.D. was already tracking the new car (which they most likely weren't, even Coulson was not THAT good), she should come quite far with it without raising suspicion. Then she also received a new set of knives and additional ammunition.

"I trust you still know how to shoot," the man huffed, while handing her the extra ammunition.

Xandra just grinned.

Due to her new stamina, it would probably been possible to make the drive to the retreat in one go, but they decided not to risk it. There was no way to say what she would find there, the satellite coverage showed no activity, but this was not the time to be reckless. A sleep-deprived agent was not a good agent, so it was decided that she should stop at a safehouse and meet another agent there.

"Now you only need another identity. Not gonna lie, your passport is really really good though. Oh well - I had the passport ordered as soon as you notified me," he told her, "it is an American one, might be less flashy in everyday business. I am aware that you usually go with names that in some way echo your given name, but in this case we decided to stray a bit from it. Your alias will be Gina Caffrey."

The woman nodded.

What's their name? The agent's?

She scribbled on a piece of paper.

"Calvin Peyton. He does not know you are coming since we do not want Coulson to get into our signals. However, he must be there, he is not meant to move on from this safehouse for the next couple of days. You will have to knock on the door in morse code, the password is CIRCUS. You will also have to explain that you can't speak, because obviously that seems suspicious. Generally, they will ask you for the weather in Miami. The correct answer is 'cloudy with some spells of rain'. We will record the answer on a tape so you can at least get in and then start explaining. Understood?"

The whole endavour seemed straight forward enough, even without voice, she appreciated that. Despite all of her resolve to stay calm, she caved, hugging her S.O. before heading out. After all, he had been one of the leading figures in her life so far, so that attachement could be forgiven, hopefully. The new car was alright, still not as nice as her own ones, she had to find out. Not that she had expected that. At least the radio worked and she made good time on the interstate as she drove out of that cosy town, following the directions she had been given. It was a long drive - again - and despite all the trouble she was in, Xandra started to feel bad about the environmental impact all of that driving had. Certainly, it was not the most eco-friendly way to travel. But she also could not really afford to hitchhike or take the train right now, so there was that. Driving alone was so boring and to her own surprise she found she would have loved a companion for the way. Preferably Hunter and his chatter and their easy companionship - but no. She was alone, something she had become bloody good at. Not for the first time she wondered what her life would have been like with a mum around. Someone actually interested in her achievements for her own sake, someone who gave hugs freely, and protected her from the monsters under her bed instead of beating her so hard that the fear of the belt became bigger than the one of the monsters. That would have been nice. Truly.

Xandra thought about what the others were doing at this moment. Were they okay? Was Skye locked up? How was Fitz' memory, was he in trouble with Simmons yet? What about Hunter and May? They must despise her for simply running, and she could not blame them. Maybe some of the teammembers could understand her position at least a little bit. She would really hope that. After all, she did not particularly want to hurt these people. It was necessary collateral damage.

The woman had lived in cities all her life, so that was where she felt more comfortable in. However, instead of driving to Las Vegas, she remained in a more rural area. It was sensible, she supposed, less cameras, but also less fun. Not that there was time for fun right now. After hours, she passed the state boarder in the northern direction, driving again through a small town that looked a bit sleepy and unassuming. Xandra got a bit more alert, even though she had been driving for hours. No, a safehouse here really did not make sense. This was a town where people talked when you stayed away for too long or when you brought home too many guests. But Fury had given her the directions ... and she had a good memory, and he had no advantage in selling her out. So, she would be careful but still drive to the destination, 31 Midcove Street. The house in question seemed just as unassuming as the one she had just come from. Probably two rooms downstairs and the kitchen and two or three rooms upstairs, a good-sized garden in the back, maybe even a swimming pool. The picture perfect picket white fencey place. With a white fence, mind were no flowers in the front yard, but the lawn had been mowed not long ago. It all looked evry neat and very suburban.

Sighing, she parked the car across the road, taking the backpack and dufflebag from the passenger seat. Just in case, she positioned the ICER in the back of her jeans, hidden by her jacket. Then she put on the baseball cap, but no sunglasses. The neighbours should not think she was going to rob the place! On the way across the street, she kept looking around, but there was no movement behind the curtains. A car (SUV) was parked on the side, so there really was someone home, but unfortunately she had no means to run the number plate. Walking aroud to the back seemed like the best option, hopefully she would be safe from prying eyes there. And hopefully the agent would not be too trigger-happy. There was certainly a CCTV-camera somewhere around there, but it was well covered, definitely not to bee seen without explicitly searching for it. Nevertheless, Xandra made sure to move her head so the agent might get a glimpse of her if he was watching, she wanted to meet him, not fight or spook him, after all. There really was a nice garden in the back, a hedge on two parts of the property, and a wooden fence on the other. Oh and indeed, there was the swimming pool! Right next to two not very neat flower beds and a tree that really should have been cut back in spring. The house had a beautiful porch that looked quite new, constructed out of light brown wood. Curtains made it quite impossible to look inside the glass french doors. These curtains were only a little bit sheer and checkered in yellow and orange, brighter and friendlier than she had expected for a safe house. When Xandra got closer to the doors, she could hear music from the inside. Bohemian Rhapsody, definitely, though something sounded off about it. She just could not say what it was.

Not having a voice was a really shitty situation - she would have to get close to the door to get into contact, could not even call out. So, after looking around for another time, she walked closer, knocking at the door. There was shuffling inside, maybe someone had to come into what she guessed to be the sitting room from the kitchen? Whoever they were, they were light on their feet. She could feel the clumsy recorder in her pocket. The agent came to a stop, she could vaguely see the outlines on the other side of the doors, she thought she might almost hear them breathing.

"What is the weather like in Miami?" the agent asked, and her brain went blank for a moment.

She knew that voice, certainly, and it did not belong to a Mr Peyton. Fury had played her and she would have his head the next time she saw him. Xandra took a deep breath, playing the recording. The voice did sound fairly realsitic, Fury still had good gadgets after all. Maybe, if she was lucky, the agent had not seen her yet, giving her some advantage. Every muscle in her body tensed when she heard the curtain being pulled aside and then they were staring at each other, him more wide-eyed than her - or at least that's what she told herself.

"What was the one thing we always wanted to watch but never did?" he suddenly asked. His voice was darker than usual through the glass, but still very clearly audible. How safe was this safe house exactly?

She had to give it to him, he was thorough, checking her identity despite the obvious clues. No wonder he was still alive.

Love Island

She typed in her phone, showing it to him.

And my voice is gone, stuff went full-on Arielle on me. We watched that one

He only raised an eyebrow, finally opening the door to let her in. Giving the circumstances (the address, the agent, every little detail her enhanced senses recognized about him, down to his cologne) she did not have to verify his identity, it was a no-brainer. She dumped her bags on the floor, turning around to face him while he closed the door and pulled the curtains shut again. HE seemed a bit lost, overwhelmed even.

"Well, not gonna lie I am happy to see you," he started, "but Alice, what the hell happened to you?"

She sighed, then went over to the coffee table where he had left a couple of pens and paper.

Contact with alien DNA led to amutation + loss of voice. Currently on the run from remains of SHIELD and HYDRA, Fury told me to meet an agent Calvein Peyton here. Now I meet you?!

She raised an eyebrow.

"Right, because you did not want to meet me."

Not necessarily.

He nodded in understanding. "We really fucked this up, did we?" he looked pained. Then he frowned. "How long have you been lying to me about your whereabouts?"

Not excessively. Couple of times

"But why?" now he sounded more angry.

Not ur bsuiness - my life

He seemed on the brink to say something more but then thought better of it.

"So you are hiding and you want my help, is that right?" he asked. Before she could answer, he went on. "Of course I will help you, because apparently I am stupid and naiv and - "he stopped himself, "anyway, I will help you. But only if you tell me what is going on. And don't lie to me!"

She nodded. Telling him about all this might not have been her favourite option, but she knew he would be helpful. Steve Rogers, the posterboy for scout's honour would certainly not let her down. So, over the next hour, sitting on the big grey IKEA couch she spent time recounting what had happened. When she mentioned Coulson, he got visibly upset, understandably so. Selling out her boss had not been on her bucket list, but it was probably fair at this point. However, she decided not to mention her own newly-revealed family background. This was still too new, even for herself. When she had finished they just stared at each other, the silence becoming thicker and thicker. Suddenly he pulled her into a hug, making her feel small and safe at the same time. Say what you will about his priorities in life and some other questionable decisions, but Steve had always given great hugs. Before she knew it she was crying, her body wrecked with sobs while no sound was coming out. He just held her until she slumped against him, wrapping both of them into a throw blankett. Xandra knew she had to get on with her mission as soon as possible, but for the moment, this was really a good place to be.