Episode 17: Turn, Turn, Turn
Part One

With his feet up on the console, Garrett read through a book while nursing a cup of coffee. As beeping started through the cockpit, Garrett glanced over his book at the radar. Taking his feet off the console, he set aside his coffee and book to pick up the radio.
"Tower, his is S.H.I.E.L.D. Echo 3. I got a pair of UAVs on my six. These friendlies? Over."

There was no reply and he hit talk again.
"They're gonna hit my jet wash they get any closer." He put his earpiece up to the radio and heard nothing but static.
"What is that?" he muttered.

The two UAVs opened fire on the plane, and he sat up straight, pulling hard on the controls to make the plane shoot right up as the missiles turn to follow. He turned and dove down, spinning the plane as he did, the missiles still behind him turning to follow. The two missiles ran into each other just behind the plane. He smiled to himself before looking to his right. He saw another S.H.I.E.L.D. plane appear from under the clouds.

Coulson yelled at May, holding his gun steady.
"Drop the weapon!"
"Coulson—" May tried to soothe.
"Drop the damn weapon and kick it over to the stairs, May, now!" For a moment May seemed to sigh, but she dropped the gun to the floor and kicked it away. "Now back the hell up!" Coulson ordered, moving towards the stairs. "Over there!"

Skye walked a little closer to May, still pointing her gun at her. Coulson rushed down the stairs, picking up the gun May discarded.
"Talk! Tell us where you rerouted the plane."
"I didn't set this new course. I swear!"
"Don't lie to me!"
"Yeah, well, the plane just turned around, for God's sake!"
"How is this happening, then?" Skye questioned.
"H.Q. can override automated control of the avionics, take us anywhere they want. Let me check the instrument panel, and I'll be able to—"
"No way!" Fitz shouted from inside the med bay.

Scoffing, Coulson tightened his grip on his weapon.
"You're not going anywhere until you explain what—"
"It's not me!" "Why did you have an encrypted hard line?" Coulson thundered.
"And try to shoot me when we found it?" Fitz added.
"Let's all take a breath, huh?"
"Let's not!" Coulson stalked closer to May, anger filling him as he pointed the gun higher to her face.

Rattled, May took a small uneven breath.
"It was a dedicated channel… to Director Fury. That's the truth."
Coulson looked shocked, "Director Fury? I haven't been able to get him on the line for weeks."
"You were reporting to him?" Skye asked.
"That's all I can tell you."
"Oh, just come out with it!" Fitz cried.
"That's all you can tell us?" Coulson repeated.
"I'm under orders! Fury will tell you!"
"What? Was this an order?" Fitz asked.

The scientist gesturing to the broken glass of the lab doors where she had tried to fire I.C.E.R. rounds at him.
"To shoot me in the bloody head?"
"Hold on. We're not headed to Fury anymore," Coulson said.
"I don't know where we're headed. And I can't get Fury on the line because Fitz cut the line!"
"Skye told me too!" Fitz shouted.
"Someone was talking to The Clairvoyant, the real Clairvoyant," Skye tried to defend herself.
"You were in the walls, Fitz," May said. "You want to explain why you were tampering with the plane's sat cable?"
"Sure, because that's relevant!" Fitz cried.

Keeping his gun pointed at May, Coulson glanced over at Fitz.
"Fitz..." Fitz glared at May for a moment before speaking.
"I was trying to speak to Simmons at The Hub."
"And you needed an encrypted line? What's so secret that you—"
"Well, you tell me! Simmons and I know you two have been whispering—" Fitz gestured between Coulson and Skye with a single finger.
"You been keeping things from us, about the drug that saved your life. Simmons is just trying to figure out how the whole things works!"
"Fitz, who is she talking too?" May demanded.

Coulson walked closer to the lab doors.
"Fitz, open the door."
"No way, not until we sort this out. I'm not opening anything."
"Open the door! We can't get anything sorted until you open the damn door!"

He focused back on May again, but he addressed Skye.
"Skye, get your laptop hooked up to our system. See if you can pull up any S.H.I.E.L.D. communications. I want to know where this plane is headed and why."
"Coulson—" May tried to say, lifting her hand pleadingly. Coulson responded by lifting his gun higher.
"You stay put!"

Skye lowered her gun, moving closer to the front of the closed lab doors. She lifted her arms to Fitz, wondering if he was going to open the door. He did it, begrudgingly, and she entered. Coulson turned his head to look at Fitz.
"Now, tell me who Simmons is talking too. Because if it isn't someone we trust, she and Sara are in danger."

Simmons peered down into a microscope, scribbling something into her notebook. Sara sat across from her with a redheaded young woman. Emerson Azeri had been stationed at The Hub for the past several weeks and had been elated when she found out that Sara was coming for a visit. They had been close friends, going on several missions together before Emerson resigned from S.H.I.E.L.D. to work for a nearby hospital until after the Battle of New York when she took another S.H.I.E.L.D. job, with a contract that would reassessed yearly. Sometimes Sara wished she had taken a contracted job instead of throwing herself entirely to S.H.I.E.L.D.

Now that the two women were back together (because Sara had called for her help), Simmons could understand why two of them made a good team. They didn't have to speak to understand each other, and they moved seamlessly around each other, much like Simmons herself did with Fitz.

All three of the women in the lab looked up as Trip knocked on the door before entering.
"Agent Simmons, Fitz-Reyes, Azeri."
"Agent Triplet," Emerson said the two of them shared teasing smirks as Sara and Simmons tried to hide their work.
"I was wondering where you three snuck off too," Trip continued. "You guys busy?"
"Yes," Simmons said. "But that's okay."
"It's noisy here today," Trip remarked. "A lot of guys in action mode."
"I asked around," Sara shrugged. "Guess it's a Level 8 operation of some sort. One that I'm not privy too."
"Ah, was wondering why we had this room to ourselves," Emerson murmured. Trip nodded, walking over to Simmons.
"So, what are you working on?"

As he walked around the corner of the table, Sara reached over and shut off Simmons' monitor. She gave Trip a warning look when his eyebrows scrunched together.
"Wow," he whistled. "Coulson's team is awfully secretive, even for this organization, aren't they, Agent Azeri? Are you hiding something, Agent Reyes-Fitz?"
"No," Sara lied smoothly despite Simmons becoming antsy beside her. "It's nothing important."
"I truly hope not," Trip said. "Because I happen to remember us tracking down a drug that brought a girl back from the brink and that was really important."
"Yes, I know."
"Come to think of it… I don't remember seeing it in the dispatches, or you mentioning it when Agent Blake got his ribs caved in."
"We weren't in a position—" Simmons tried to defend.
"Because," Trip continued. "If you had the means and you didn't use them, that blood is all over your hands."
"We know," Sara jumped in. "Stop questioning, Agent Triplet."
"Why—"
"Trip," Emerson said, placing a gentle hand on the man's shoulder. "Stop questioning Agent Reyes-Fitz."

There was a long, awkward pause between the four of them before Simmons sighed, moving to close the lab doors.
"Look," she began. "Men died to keep this secret and we don't understand why so we wanted to keep our research in-house for safety." Sara threw her hands in the air, a look of disbelief on her face. Simmons had just dragged two of agents into their mess and probably endangered them. Sometimes she wondered why she tried.
"Research?" Emmerson questioned.
"That's hit a dead end," Simmons sighed.

She looked at the machines on the table before looking back up at Trip.
"I'm uploading Skye's blood scans. I would like to contact Agent Weaver at S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy covertly."
"For a little help," Trip nodded slowly.
"But we must keep this between the four of us," Simmons said urgently. "I don't want any… trouble."

Sara crossed her arms, a strange look appearing on her face.
"What level are you Trip?"
"Six," he shrugged. "Then you can get access to the Holobox, secure line."
"Yeah, but so can you."
Sara rolled her eyes, "The moment I leave this lab I'm watched by Hand like a hawk."
"S.H.I.E.L.D.'s princess," Emerson smirked.
"Exactly, but Trip here can get the Holobox in here. Hand seems to be keeping everyone busy. We'll be good."

A small smirk appeared on Trip's face as he nodded in understanding. He started to the doors, stopped when his hand rested on the table.
"Simmons," he said quietly, turning back to her. "Let Sara handle the questions that might get asked, yeah? You're a surprisingly bad liar."
"I know," Simmons muttered as the doors closed behind him.
"But you're getting better," Sara encouraged lightly as Emerson opened her laptop.

Everyone was scattered in the lab, Coulson's gun still pointed at May. Skye was on her laptop, complaining about the noise.
"What do you mean, 'noise'?" Coulson asked.
"I mean literal noise," Skye answered. "Everyone's S.H.I.E.L.D. communication channel."

The noise was almost like feedback you'd get sending a fax or even an old school dial-up.
"Some sort of blanket signal."
"Encoded data, maybe?" Fitz offered.
"I think so," Skye said. Coulson looked at May.
"You want to fill us in? We root you out, a mole, suddenly our plane shuts down, our communications jammed."

May's teeth were gritted with her response.
"I don't know what's happening. I wish I did. You have to believe me."
"No, I don't." May was stopped from snapping back when through the static, a voice came through.
"Do you read?" it asked. "Do you read 6-1-6?"
"Where's that coming from?" Fitz asked. Skye hit a few keys on her laptop.
"Close."
"Enemy aircraft on my tail! Over!"
"Garrett?" Coulson sputtered.
"Coulson, I'm under attack. Drones. Repeat, S.H.I.E.L.D. drones are on my ass. We're not getting along. Do you copy?"
"Copy. What's happening? We've lost control of our aircraft."
"Hell, if I know. Tell me you got guns on that thing. I'm coming to you."

Coulson looked down at the ground for a moment then back up at May. He fired his gun and she let out a groan as the bullet hit her shoulder, sending her down to the ground. Skye and Fitz stared at Coulson with large eyes, saying nothing.
"Fitz, can you manually wire guns to weapons control, bypass our system?" Fitz kept staring at May as he answered.
"If I have cables long enough, yeah."
"Skye, decode the signal. We need to get ahead of this. I don't want any more surprises today."

Ward looked up from the table in the holding cell as Coulson came walking in backwards, holding May with Fitz' holding her feet.
"What happened?" he asked.
"She's a sleeper," Coulson answered. He set her down, glancing at her handcuffed hands. "I mean, the other kind of sleeper."
"Wait, what are you saying?"
"She's been reporting on us this whole time," Coulson said. "And guess what, Ward?"
"What?"
"Sara isn't gonna hear about it from me." Ward's brows furled as he looked down at May.

Fitz stood in the cockpit flipping switches.
"Controls are live, sir," Fitz said. Coulson entered, sitting in front of a bank of monitors.
"Garrett, what's your 20?"
"I'll be on top of you in a second, at your 10:00. Guns hot?"
"Warming up."

On top of The Bus, the guns started raising from the roof. Fitz was growing nervous in the cockpit, watching Garret.
"He needs to pull up, sir," he said. "Hey. Hey! Garrett, pull up!"
"He knows what he's doing," Coulson muttered.

As Garrett pulled up, Coulson fired at the drones. He hit one, but the other was still on Garrett's tail.
"Damn it!" Coulson snapped.
"That's Joanie," Garrett said. "Any thoughts on Chachi? Now it knows you're here."
"Want to roll over, play dead?" Coulson suggested. Garrett's laugh cut through the cockpit.
"Okay, Phil, but you better make it quick. I'm running on fumes. I'll pull up to your six… Better not miss."
"Copy that."

Beside Coulson, Fitz was watching out the window with wide eyes, unsure about what was going on.
"Play dead," he repeated. "What does that mean?"
"It means… I better not miss." Coulson fired two shots directly behind The Bus as at the last possible second, Garrett pulled up, the shots hitting the drone.

Inside The Hub, people watched as the second drone was destroyed One of the agents turned to look at Agent Hand.
"The drones are down. Agent Garrett's alive and docking with S.H.I.E.L.D. 6-1-6."
"I suggest we send more men, shoot that airplane out of the sky," another Agent said.
"No," Hand disagreed. "We couldn't seize automated control of Garret's jet, so I wrote it off as a loss. But now that he's with Coulson, we can cross him off with the rest when they land. Preserve the aircraft."

There were several uncomfortable looks as the agents looked away from Hand. She noticed and focused on one of the soldiers.
"You got something to say, Agent Shaw?"
"Apologies ma'am," Shaw said. "I'm just having a hard time killing the people we once called friends."

The woman stepped up in front of him, a firm look on her face.
"Once that encoded transmission went out, everything changed. You understand that don't you?" He nodded once and she turned and addressed the rest of the people in the room. "We swore allegiance to each other. And today, that loyalty will be tested. If you wavier, you die."

Skye stood in the Command Center as Fitz and Coulson came rushing in.
"It's a simple message repeated," she began. "Semantic encoding. I needed to find the mnemonic key. It should only take me a minute more to decipher."

As Skye spoke, Garrett walked into the room.
"Can I ask the obvious question: What the hell?"
"We don't know," Coulson responded. "We don't even know where our plane is headed."
"Oh, I saw your trajectory. You're being tractor-beamed straight to The Hub. Those drones were launched out of there for sure."

Lost in thought, a name popped into Coulson's head.
"Victoria Hand."
"Hand?" Fitz asked, voice laced with disbelief. "Can't be."
"Can't be what, now?" Garrett asked.
"The Clairvoyant," Skye answered.
"I thought Ward capped that guy."
"I don't believe the man Ward killed was The Clairvoyant," Coulson said. "I think he was an unwitting decoy meant to end our investigation."
"That's a lot of trouble to go through for a red herring, don't you think?"
"Because The Clairvoyant is a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent."

Coulson's words piqued Garrett's interest, his arms crossing over his chest as Coulson continued.
"Using high-level clearance to stay ahead of us, make it seem like she's got psychic abilities." "She? You think Victoria Hand is The Clairvoyant?"

The man scoffed as Coulson's eyebrow raised.
"I don't mean to pee in the punchbowl, but that doesn't make a lot of sense. I was stationed with Vic in Lisbon. She's a hard-ass and a buzzkill at parties, I grant you, but do you really think she's capable of that?"
"Excuse me, didn't she just try to blow you out of the sky?"
"Don't get me wrong, she's gone nuts, but her actions prove she's not The Clairvoyant, right? I mean if she's been hiding in plain sight all this time… why reveal herself now?"

From behind them, Skye's voice made them turn around to face the monitor.
"Guys…" The decryption she had been running hit a jackpot, a message appearing.

OUT OF THE SHADOWS INTO THE LIGHT

Coulson repeated the words as another one appeared.

HYDRA

A small whistle came out of Garrett.
"Well, I'll be." Fitz blinked rapidly. "I thought Hydra was defeated after World War II—"
"It was. S.H.I.E.L.D. was founded in the wake of that victory."
"And now they're back?"
"Hydra always comes back," Garrett muttered.
"Cut off the head, two more will take its place," Coulson quoted.
"Uh… is it a head? I thought it was a limb."

Shaking his head, Fitz tried to correct Garrett.
"No, no, no. "Cut off a head.""
"Cut off a limb—"
"It's a head," Coulson said firmly. Skye injected herself into the conversations, steering it away from the argument.
"But it was sent from a S.H.I.E.L.D. source. It's got to be some sort of activation signal, to Hydra members within S.H.I.E.L.D."
"Hand must be one of them," Coulson said.

A nervous look appeared on Fitz' face.
"Okay, stop. Stop. W-what does that mean? In S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
"Targeting Level 8 agents, seizing power," Garrett mused.
"Wonder how deep it goes."
"Well, the signal is everywhere so it must go deep," Skye said.
"You know what this means," Coulson asked Garrett.
"Yeah, we're screwed."
"We can't change course, and we have no idea what's waiting for us at The Hub."

Fitz looked down at the ground, a terrible thought coming to him.
"The Hub."
"I say we blow a hole in the side of this puppy and parachute out," Garrett said. "Live to fight another day."
"We can't," Coulson disagreed.
"It's a cherry ride, I'll give you that, but let's not just hand over the keys."

The young scientist's head shot up.
"Simmons and Sara are at The Hub. We have to save them." Coulson nodded at him as Garrett cursed.
"Trip's there too." He looked at Coulson. "We should let your specialists out of their cage. We can use every weapon we can get." Skye nodded in agreement.
"We've got to save them."
"So, we'll fly in there, face the music… even if it is the Hydra theme song."

Soldiers in riot gear led people down the hallways, many of them beaten, their hands tied behind their backs. Hand watched them through the glass doors of her Command Center.
"We have four agents unaccounted for, ma'am," an agent informed her.
"Whom?"
"Triplett, Simmons, Azeri, and Reyes-Fitz."

Shaw stepped forward.
"Searches are underway. They don't have anywhere to do."
"Don't underestimate Coulson's people," Hand snapped. "Especially Reyes-Fitz." She practically spat the name as she turned away from the two men. "Tie up those loose ends."

Sara opened a large case that Trip set on the table.
"You're positive this line is secure?" Simmons asked.
"Yeah," Sara nodded. "We just have to be quick. Nothing looks more guilty than sneaking around."

A laser-based keyboard was projected onto the tabletop and Simmons started typing.
"Well, I sent her a request. She must not have—" Her words were cut off as a 3D image of Weaver appeared on the table.
"Agent Weaver, thank you for joining us," Simmons sighed in relief. "We've been hoping—"

The older woman cut her off.
"Jemma, Sara, thank God you're still alive." She looked around nervously as Sara stepped closer to the projection.
"What's wrong?"
"Is The Hub still secure?" Weaver asked urgently. "Are you with your team? Get somewhere safe and lock the door."
"Agent Weaver, what's happening?" Sara asked with a bit more force.
"Sara, report that the Academy is under siege."

Sara jolted back in surprise as the transmission started to break up.
"Don't know how long Hydra's been inside S.H.I.E.L.D. but they are taking control!" There was gunfire in the back of the transmission.
"Hydra? What? Where?" Emerson asked, shock in her voice.
"Everywhere! Among us! If you survive, you know where to find me. Don't trust anyone!"

The transmission began to cut out and there was an explosion, forcing the transmission to end. Simmons exhaled sharply as Sara and Emerson rested their hands on their weapons. Simmons jumped as Trip locked the door.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"What the lady said to do, locking the door."
"Let me out!"

Shaking her head, Sara set her empty hand on Simmons' shoulder.
"Jemma, if we're really in danger, they won't come this way for a while. We're better off here." Simmons stepped back, staring at Emerson and Trip.
"Well, how do we… know that we can trust them?"
"Because I'm trustworthy," Trip answered with a roll of his eyes.
"I trust them," Sara said, but she hesitated a bit.

It all happened in a spilt second and suddenly everyone except Simmons was holding a weapon at each other. Emerson and Sara had their guns aimed at each other's head, though doubt clouded their eyes and Trip held a knife.
"You two are the ones who work for the zombie robot back from the dead," Trip snapped at Simmons' questioning look.

With a small grunt, Sara lowered her gun as Trip held his knife out to Simmons.
"Take it," he said. "If you try to kill me with it, I'll know I can't trust you." She let out a deep sigh and took the knife from him. Emerson and Sara exchanged a look before nodding and putting down their guns.
"Lets see if we can get Coulson or someone online," Sara suggested.
"Can't wait to tell them the good news," Trip muttered.

Inside the holding cell, May gasping, sitting up. She found her hands in handcuffs and she muttered under her breath when she found them secure. Her vision was slightly blurry when she looked to Ward.
"Coulson said you're an informant," he said. "Want to elaborate on that?" May grunted, sitting with her back against the wall.
"No, I don't… Damn I.C.E.R." She sighed, "My head is killing me."
"Did Sara know?"
She shook her head, "No and I can't tell you anymore until Fury gives the go-ahead."

Ward scoffed, "You're good. I mean, I always heard you were good. But man… playing us this whole time, conning me, Coulson, Sara."
"I wasn't playing anyone. I had your backs."
"And reported on us behind them. You know, you always said to keep my emotions in check. But this, is some next level—"
"You should've listened," she told him. "You killed a man in cold blood, let your emotions get the best of you."
"It was to protect our team from a monster!"
"No, it was because he said something you didn't like!" Her words make his head drop slightly. "Which would be okay, if you hadn't shot the wrong guy."

His head shot back up, eyebrows drawing together in confusion. The door shot open, Coulson looking down at May.
"Fitz repaired your direct line. If you have the ability to make this right, now's the time. You can't make it worse."

Coulson led May, still handcuffed, into the cockpit. She went to the panel where the phone was. She looked back at him.
"I have orders not to do this with anyone else present." There was a sound of electricity as the plane was lowered into The Hub. They were tossed around for a moment, and she sighed as she they got back their footing.
"They're taking out our guns," Coulson snapped. "Get Director Fury on the line or I'll march you out there first." She stared at him for a moment then picked up the handset.

Having been freed also, Ward walked to where Garrett, Skye, and Fitz stood just outside the cockpit.
"Sir, what's going on?" he asked.
"A whole lot."
"Who's shooting at us?" Taking Ward by the arm, Garrett pulled him off to the side.
"Come here, let me catch you up." They stopped beside Ward's bunk, Ward leaning against the door.
"Apparently, Agent Hand is The Clairvoyant, so chew on that first."

May spoke into the phone was Coulson watched.
"Agent Melinda May. Voice command: emergency protocol one. Emergency protocol one." There was a beep and then a ringtone. By the second ring, may looked confused and suspicious. On the third ring, a man picked up.
"Hello?"
"This is an X10 straight connection to Director Fury's personal line. Where is he?" she demanded.
"Director Fury is dead."

Eyes wide with shock, May made eye contact with Coulson as a shot came through the window of the cockpit, striking her. Coulson grabbed her, lowering her down behind the seats. Everyone scrambled to take cover and Coulson cradled May against him, waiting it out.

When it was over, Coulson let May out of the cockpit as she cradled her arm, hand covered in blood. Fitz went to a locker, fiddling with the lock as Skye pulled down a large black bag.
"Can that be true about Fury?" Ward asked Garrett quietly.
"Man was my S.O., Coulson's too. Proved himself more than once to be a hard man to kill."

There was a dragging noise outside of The Bus and they all looked up.
"That sound doesn't bode well, though." He began to walk away before pausing, looking back at Ward.
"Is there anything on this plane you don't want them to get their hands on?"
"Not on this plane."