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random-writerings · 3 months

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Touch Me (Til I Find Myself) ~ Chapter 9

Word Count: 4.6k

Masterlist // AO3

The team gathered in the containment pod, waiting for Enoch to release it from the Zephyr.

“Are you sure this thing is safe?” Deke asked.

“We’ll be fine,” Jemma assured him. “It’s been through worse.”

Once they were separated from Z-One, Fitz navigated the pod towards the Lighthouse, docking outside one of Kasius’ levels. The doors opened, revealing the corridor in almost complete darkness, lit only by red lights. This level was nicer than the human levels – there were no exposed pipes or uneven floors. Instead, this corridor was much cleaner, with smooth white walls that didn’t have a mark on them.

And it was silent. The human levels had been overcrowded and noisy, but this corridor was deserted. The Lighthouse had been ominous before but this made Kris feel even more uneasy.

Everyone exited cautiously, using their torches to scan the surrounding area.

“All clear,” Daisy announced as Deke closed the containment pod doors.

“Hopefully we can say the same for Enoch,” Fitz added.

Enoch had stayed behind on the Zephyr in order to power up the machine to send them home. He had hidden himself in the lab after ensuring the team’s escape, suspecting that the Kree would search the ship.

Just then, Coulson’s radio crackled.

“The diversion seems to have worked,” Enoch’s robotic voice came through. “They’re still searching the ship.”

“Good,” Coulson replied. “You’re secure?”

“Yes. The machine will be online by the time Flint builds the monolith.”

“Easier said than done.” Coulson sighed.

They continued down the corridor, carefully checking around corners for any Kree. Fitz held one half of the shard tightly in his hand.

“So, one more time,” Deke said. “The machine uses the little piece to trigger the bigger piece through space?”

“Yeah, or time,” Fitz replied shortly.

“It mirrors the harmonic resonant frequency of photons which can exist out of space-time,” Jemma explained more thoroughly.

“Yeah, I hear you saying words, but what–what do they –” Deke stuttered, only to be interrupted by Daisy.

“If Flint can’t construct the monolith, none of this matters.”

“Robin said he can,” May insisted, “so I believe it.”

“He’s just a kid, May,” Kris reminded her. “He only got his powers recently. He might not have the right amount of control or the strength to build something out of nothing.”

“We’ll talk him through it once we meet them,” Jemma reassured.

“You two get that thing to Flint,” Coulson addressed Fitzsimmons. “We’ll worry about survivors –”

“And kill Kasius,” Deke added.

“– Get them to safety.”

“And then we kill Kasius?” Deke insisted. “When does that happen? Because some of us aren’t getting out of here on a magic rock.”

All of the horrible things Kris had heard about Kasius flashed through her mind – enslaving people and removing their hearing, breeding Inhumans and making them fight each other, then selling them to the highest bidder, buying the Roaches to keep the humans under control, sending people to the surface to die, public executions, the Renewals, the bombs in the oxygen supply that Mack had told them about … the list went on and on. They had to take him out to ensure humanity’s survival.

“He’s right,” Kris chimed in. “We can’t leave while Kasius is still alive.”

“We won’t leave until humanity is in control of its future,” Coulson promised. “But, in the meantime, everyone do your job. Then meet at the rendezvous point.”

Fitzsimmons nodded and left, going to meet Mack, Yo-Yo, and Flint. The rest of them went down another corridor, determined to free the Inhumans Kasius had imprisoned.

~~~

Four Kree guards marched down the corridor, surrounding a group of young Inhumans. The team hid, waiting to ambush them. As the group approached, Coulson nodded to Deke, who rounded the corner and shot the guard at the front in the chest.

May appeared from behind, stabbing another guard in the back. Coulson shot another guard with an ICER Fitz had given him, while Daisy ducked an axe swing from another.

The guard Deke had shot stayed standing, charging at him. Kris darted out from behind Deke, tackling the alien and causing him to stumble back a few steps. Kris yanked the massive gun from his hands and beat him over the head with it. While the Kree was knocked off balance, she aimed the gun at him and shot him again. He crumpled to the ground, collapsing in a heap. Behind her, Daisy violently bashed her opponent’s head against the wall while Coulson encouraged the Inhumans to escape.

“Let’s go! Go, go, go!” He waved his hand, urging the Inhumans to follow him. “Get the Inhumans to the Trawler!”

May ushered the Inhumans in the right direction, joining Deke and Kris at the back of the group. Kris dropped the Kree gun, letting it clatter beside the guard's body. It was too heavy to carry around and too bulky to work with her fighting style.

“Guns, man!” Deke’s voice was filled with excitement. “It’s like cheating! They shouldn’t give these to anyone that’s not a really, really good person.”

“You think there’d be a law,” May muttered sarcastically, making Kris chuckle.

The three of them followed the Inhumans. Kris heard Coulson shout for Daisy, his tone urgent. She turned to see Coulson raising his gun at some guy charging at Daisy. May grabbed her arm, pulling her forward.

“He’s human. They can handle it,” she reminded Kris.

They made their way through the Lighthouse, Deke leading the group with Kris just behind him, and May bringing up the rear. Deke had his gun out, clearly trying to copy the way the agents held their guns. But he was waving it around a little bit too wildly for Kris’ taste.

“Alright, give me that.” She snatched it from his grasp.

“Hey, come on,” he protested.

“Remember what I said about caution and restraint? You are far too trigger-happy and definitely not practising proper gun safety.”

“So, you’re leaving me defenceless against the Kree? You know, the aliens that are bigger and stronger than the average human?”

“Oh don’t be so dramatic.” Kris rolled her eyes. “As tempting as that may seem, no. You’ll get it back if we run into danger. Until then, it’s confiscated so you don’t accidentally kill someone.”

“‘Tempting’? You’re tempted to leave me at the mercy of the Kreepers?” Deke pretended to be offended. “How heartless. And after all the good times we’ve shared together.”

Kris’ head whipped around to glare at him. May was close behind them and could have overheard him. And if he was referring to what she thought he was …

He saw her expression and sighed. “Joking,” he said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Whatever,” she muttered. “Just watch it.” The threat in her voice was unmistakable.

Eventually, they reached the docking station where another Trawler was waiting for them. May and Kris helped the Inhumans on board, assuring them they were safe now.

When Kris noticed Deke was no longer with them, she turned to see him standing with … Tess? Kris’ eyes widened – it couldn’t be her. Surely not.

“I heard you were dead,” Deke breathed, astounded. Tess nervously played with her hands, avoiding looking at him. “You look good for … dead. I mean … You don’t look great, but you – I mean, you’ve been through something, but –” Deke stumbled over his words, trying to reassure Tess.

“It’s good to see you too, Deke,” Tess cut him off, smiling slightly.

Deke smiled back. They stared at each other for a moment, unsure of what to say next. Deke gave her a small nod and then joined the team by the ladder. Kris saw Coulson talking to Tess. Of course he would. If anyone understood what she was going through, it was him. Being brought back from the dead wasn’t a pleasant experience, or so she had heard.

Deke kept glancing back at Tess, as if unsure she was really there.

“You don’t have to come to the rendezvous point with us, you know,” Kris reminded him. “You can stay here, leave with them.” She gestured down the ladder to the people in the Trawler.

Deke glanced down as one of Kasius’ servants descended. There was a hint of longing in his eyes, as if he was considering it. But then it was gone, replaced with resolve.

“No. My dad died making sure you guys got here. I have to make sure you get back. Finish what he started.”

Kris admired his determination, but she wasn't comfortable with Deke putting himself in harm's way to help them – there was always the chance he might not make it out, and she really didn't need that on her conscience. Kris opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted.

“Okay, the Trawler’s almost ready,” Daisy announced as she left the hangar. “We should get to the rendezvous.”

“You okay flying them up to the human levels?” May asked Tess.

“I’ve been watching enough to manage on my own,” Tess said confidently. “I’ll be back for Flint, and anyone else coming up.” Her eyes darted behind Coulson to Deke.

“Good.” Coulson smiled. “Now get out of here.”

Tess smiled back then hopped up into the hangar. As Coulson was about to close the doors, she turned to him.

“You were right. We can fight back.”

Kris was glad Tess was back, even if her resurrection had been unpleasant. She would make a good leader – organised, cool-headed, and authoritative when she needed to be. Humanity would be in safe hands with Tess and Flint.

~~~

They made it to the rendezvous point but Fitzsimmons, Mack, Yo-Yo, and Flint hadn’t arrived yet. The room was silent, the air thick with tension as they waited.

Suddenly, the radio crackled to life.

“Hello again,” Enoch’s calm voice echoed in the quiet room. “They have located me. Repeat, they have located me.”

Coulson picked up the radio. “We copy. You sure they found you?”

“The evidence is highly suggestive.” Enoch’s voice remained emotionless, completely unbothered by the fact that their whole plan was on the brink of ruin. Kris was starting to hate him more and more.

“We never should have left him alone.” Coulson sighed.

“We’re here forever if he loses control of that machine,” May stated.

“Goddamn it,” Kris muttered defeatedly, pinching the bridge of her nose.

“Enoch, how long can you hold out?” Coulson asked, panic seeping into his voice.

There was a pause before Enoch replied. “I calculate twelve minutes.”

May shook her head and sighed.

“What?” Daisy asked disbelievingly. “That is not enough time. That machine activates a monolith we haven’t even built yet.”

“We have to go secure the Zephyr,” May suggested.

“It’s too far away,” Kris chimed in. “We won’t make it there and back in time.”

“Oh, damn it. Really?” Deke groaned. “We had to leave the machine in the hands of some automaton?”

Kris and Daisy crossed their arms and frowned at him.

“Hey, none of us were exactly thrilled at the idea,” Kris retorted. “You were the one who told us the Kree can scan for lifeforms onboard. He was the only one who could be left behind and not be detected.”

“Yeah, well, this whole thing was a shitty idea! I knew the moment that I laid eyes on all of you that this was going to spell my downfall.” He paced around, sighing.

“Hey, no one asked you to stick around,” Kris reminded him harshly. “In fact, we made it pretty clear we wanted you to get lost.”

“You were the ones following me around!” Deke gestured at her and Daisy.

“Because we didn’t trust you to keep your mouth shut,” Kris countered.

“God, I hate you,” he mumbled, rolling his eyes. “Look, I’ll go.” He held out his hand towards Kris, palm up. “But I’d rather not walk in there unarmed.”

Kris hesitated, unsure if he was serious. He raised his eyebrows at her impatiently and she relented. She pulled out the gun that she had stashed in her belt and, turning it to face her, handed it over grip first. He took it while the others watched, stunned.

“I’ll secure the machine and … save the weird robot.” He sounded defeated.

Coulson and Daisy exchanged a glance.

“Well, I’ll come,” Daisy offered. “It’d be better if we take the plane together.”

“Yeah. No duh!” Deke said sarcastically. “But, as Kris said, none of the time-travellers can go because you all need to be at the rendezvous when it’s turned on. So, do the math.”

“You’re one guy against the Kree,” Coulson interjected. “You’ll be massively out-gunned.”

Deke opened his arms wide. “Kinda trying to do the whole hero thing here, man. Is that your pep talk?”

Kris almost smiled at his sarcasm. Deke had a point – it was a pretty shit pep talk.

Deke sighed. “You guys get killed, and who saves the world then? I told my parents not to believe in this Roach-crap fairy tale, and they went and they died for it anyway. And I’m probably next in line.” His voice was strained, holding back his emotions. “But there is no way in hell that I am gonna let some blue Kreeper destroy that machine before I get to see whether or not that damn thing was worth any of this!”

Deke tried to walk off but Daisy stopped him. “Look, I’m sure you put up a good fight. But if my ride home depends on that machine, I’m gonna secure it myself.”

“You-you drive me out of my skull,” Deke said through gritted teeth. “This part of you – this impetuous, bull-headed, squabbling –” “I was offering backup, genius,” Daisy yelled.

“No, when the other side of you is a friggin’ hero who can’t help herself but do good, then be great. The world needs that person to make it home.” There was a pause as Deke’s words sunk in. Kris thought that was the first time he had ever complimented Daisy. “Just try not to destroy it when you get there.” And the Deke they knew was back.

“Deke’s right,” Kris cut in. “I can’t believe I keep saying that, but he is. You’re Quake, you’re a hero. You’re a symbol people can get behind and the world needs that. You have to go back. I don’t.”

“Hang on, what?” Daisy asked incredulously.

“And besides,” Kris continued, ignoring her. “Kasius wants you – you’d be walking straight into a trap. However, he doesn’t know or care about me so I’m the best option to provide Deke with backup. Because let’s be honest, he’s really going to need it.”

“Rude.” Deke made a face at her.

“Kris, if you don’t make it back to the monolith –” May started, but Kris interrupted.

“Who cares? If I’m being honest, this is maybe a bit of a selfish decision. I have a better chance of survival if I stay here.” She avoided Daisy’s gaze as she said that, knowing it would hurt her friend’s feelings. “And there are untrained Inhumans here. S.H.I.E.L.D. tried every method of controlling Inhuman powers with me, so I could help them. And I have the knowledge of the way things were before the apocalypse, so I can help humanity find its future.” She turned to Coulson with pleading eyes. “I can do some good.”

“What about the good you can do back home?” he asked. “What about the people you can save there?”

“Sir, I might not survive –”

“We won’t let that happen,” Coulson promised her. “We need to stick together. It’s the only way we’ll be able to fix this.”

Kris opened her mouth to argue but Deke spoke up first.

“Yeah, no offence, but I kinda want the glory of a heroic self-sacrifice all to myself.” He grinned at her. “Besides, I can’t wait to be rid of you. You’ve been hanging around me from the moment we met so, just this once, leave me the hell alone.”

Just like in Grill’s, even though he was coming across as arrogant and selfish, Kris recognised that he was trying to help her. She debated with herself for a moment – she didn’t want to stay in this post-apocalyptic future but she still thought it was the best course of action. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught May and Coulson glancing at each other. She knew that look – they weren’t going to let her go back to the Zephyr.

She sighed, giving in. “Fine, go and get yourself killed. See if I care.”

Deke rolled his eyes and scoffed. “Thank god you’re leaving. You’re insufferable, all of you.”

“It was almost nice knowing you,” Daisy retorted as Deke walked away.

“Can’t wait to never see you again,” Kris called after him.

“This has been the worst experience of my life,” he shouted over his shoulder. “So, good riddance.”

“God, you are still the most infuriating person I’ve ever met.”

He turned to give her one last playfully exasperated look. “And you’re still a giant pain in my ass.”

Then he rounded the corner and he was gone. Hopefully for good this time.

There was a small part of her, though, that thought she might actually miss him. A very, very small part.

No, he had done nothing but annoy her since they met, she reminded herself. She was glad to see the back of him.

~~~

May, Coulson, and Kris stood guard as Daisy fixed the elevator panel. It was eerily silent and they were all on edge. They had left the rendezvous when the others hadn’t shown up, and decided to head straight to Kasius’ suites where Flint would build the monolith. They just hoped the others were there already.

“How we looking?” Coulson asked.

“Almost done,” Daisy replied, her face screwed up in concentration.

The panel beeped faintly and the screen which Daisy had removed lit up. She tapped a few buttons and the elevator doors opened.

“All set,” she announced. “Express train to the bottom of the Lighthouse, no stops.”

“Right to the belly of the beast,” May added.

They walked inside, unsure of what to expect but preparing for a fight.

But Daisy hesitated.

“Daisy,” Coulson addressed her, “can’t waste time.”

Daisy glanced between them all, then back at Coulson with a determined look in her eyes.

“I’m not coming,” she stated simply.

Coulson exchanged a glance with May then stepped towards Daisy. “I know you’re scared about going home –”

“No, I’m terrified. Look around. Billions of people, gone. If there’s a chance I’m the cause … I can’t go.” Her voice was quiet as she shook her head.

May stepped forward. “We can get through this together. You don’t even have your powers anymore.”

“It’s only a matter of time,” Daisy argued, “and you know it. If there’s an emergency or if one of you is in danger, I will need them, and we will find a way. If I go through that portal, you know it’s the beginning of the end.” She avoided looking at Kris as she said that.

“I don’t,” Coulson countered. “We don’t even know you did this.”

“I was right in the epicentre.”

“Coulson’s right,” Kris interjected. “We don’t know for sure that you did this.” Daisy opened her mouth to argue but Kris carried on. “There was someone else, remember? In that news report, they mentioned another powered person. It could have been them –”

“You don’t actually believe that? Like Deke said, who else could have done this except me?”

“You can’t stay here,” Kris insisted. “You have to come back with us.”

“You, of all people, should want to stay as far away from me as possible!” Daisy exclaimed.

“Well, I don’t,” Kris retorted. “You’re my friend, Daisy. And I am not leaving you behind.”

“None of us are,” Coulson added. “I won’t let you sacrifice yourself because you’re scared of what’s to come.”

“What’s to come is the end of everything!” Daisy replied harshly.

“If you can change the future here, you can change it from back home,” May insisted.

“But we know this solution works,” Daisy argued, almost pleading with them. “We can stop this today.”

“No, it’s not about today,” Coulson said. “It’s about tomorrow. Even if we solve this problem, the world is never safe. The job goes on. We go on.” There was a pause as he stared at Daisy, his eyes desperate for her to change her mind. “Please.”

But Daisy was not backing down “Maybe I don’t go with you. You know it's the right move. Coulson, as an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., you trained me to fight. Now I’m making my stand … here.”

“May trained you to fight,” Coulson replied, turning away. Then he suddenly turned around again. “I need you to lead.”

Coulson shot Daisy with the ICER. She thudded to the floor while May and Kris stared, frozen in shock.

Coulson walked over to Daisy, put his gun away then picked her up gently, carrying her into the elevator with them. He looked between May and Kris like he was daring them to say something. Neither of them did.

Kris tapped the panel on the wall and the doors closed, sending them down further into Kasius’ levels.

~~~

They entered Kasius’ suites where Mack, Jemma, Fitz, and Flint were already waiting for them. Another girl was with them, dressed in the light blue robes of Kasius’ servants.

“What happened?” Jemma asked, concerned for Daisy.

“He ICE’d her,” May replied coldly. “She didn’t want to come.”

“I’m not leaving anyone behind,” Coulson insisted as he laid Daisy down on a table.

“Where’s Yo-Yo?” Mack asked. “She didn’t find you?”

Kris shook her head. “We haven’t seen her.”

“She’s not with you?” Coulson asked.

“No, she was picking up some survivors. She should be back by now.”

The team shot each other worried glances.

“She’ll make it back,” Coulson assured them all. “She’s strong.”

Mack picked up his shotgun axe and started towards the corridor.

“Hurry,” Coulson urged him. “Who knows when that portal’s gonna open.”

May headed over to Flint while Jemma stayed by Daisy’s side.

“You’re Flint?” May asked him.

He turned around to face her and nodded. “Yes.”

May smiled at him. “You’re going to get us home.”

He smiled back at her. “Yes. I am.”

“Good.” The smile dropped off her face and she was back to being serious May. “What are you waiting for?”

She stepped away and Flint turned back to stare at the monolith shard in his hands. Kris felt for him – this was a lot to put on his shoulders so soon after he received his powers. She watched him shut his eyes and take a deep breath. For a moment, nothing happened. Then the shard floated out of his hand, coming to a stop a few feet in front of him. It hovered there, above a pile of rocks, waiting.

The rest of the team looked up, intrigued by what was happening. The rocks also began to float, moving closer to the shard. White limestone was removed from the walls, the thin clouds of dust flowing through the air towards the shard. The rocks connected with each other seamlessly, slowly building up the monolith they had seen before.

Once it was complete, they all stared in awe. Kris walked up to Flint, patting him on the shoulder.

“Nice work, kid. You’re a natural.”

“Thanks.” Flint smiled, almost surprised at himself.

Coulson grabbed the radio. “Deke, come in.”

“Yeah, we’re here,” came Deke’s reply.

“We got the monolith built,” Coulson informed him. “I think it might work. How’s the machine coming?”

There was a pause, then Deke answered him. “It’s great. We found a fix for the machine.” His tone was upbeat but something didn’t feel right.

“Good. You were right about taking the Zephyr.”

“Just make sure everyone’s in place the second we get it powered on, alright? We’re only gonna get one shot at this.”

“Right.” Coulson’s voice was low. “You know, your parents would be proud of you.”

Another long pause. “Well, we’re about to give them a hell of a show.”

Kris thought that was a weird thing to say until she realised what he meant. Her eyes widened.

“Thanks. We’ll have everyone in place.” Coulson turned away from the monolith to face the team, turning off the radio. “That machine’s gonna explode. It’s not safe down here.” He spoke to Flint and the girl in particular.

“What?” Flint looked around at them.

“You’re welcome to come back with us, but if not, you got to leave now,” Coulson told him. “Meet Tess at the Trawler.”

“Where? Which one?” the girl asked, panic seeping into her voice.

“But Mack, Yo-Yo … they’re not back yet,” Flint worried. He looked around them like he was hoping they had a plan. But they didn’t. Either Mack and Yo-Yo made it back in time or they didn’t. There wasn’t much else they could do.

Flint sighed then looked up at Coulson. “Tell them I had more work to do.”

Coulson nodded and Flint took the girl’s hand, leading her away to rejoin the rest of humanity.

“Come on. I know the way.”

The girl thanked them before they hurried off. Then Jemma approached Coulson.

“Coulson, what’s happening?” she asked.

“Where are they?” he asked in return, referring to Mack and Yo-Yo. If anyone knew, it would be Jemma – she had spent the most time down here.

Jemma thought for a moment, then it suddenly occurred to her. “I know where they are.”

“Go.” Coulson nodded.

Jemma ran off and Kris started to follow her but Coulson stopped her.

“Not you.”

“Sir –”

“Too many of us are missing. I’m trying to keep as many here as possible.”

Kris relented, but she wasn’t happy about it.

“What about Deke?” she asked. “We can’t leave him in the Zephyr. He’ll die.” Coulson didn’t say anything. “We have to wait as long as possible before firing up the machine. He deserves a chance to escape with everyone else.”

“He might not make it to the Trawler in time,” Coulson said. “We can’t delay their take off for one person.”

“And none of us can rescue him without being left behind or, worse, killed in the explosion,” May chimed in.

“We can’t just let him die without trying to help him. That’s not how we do things.” Kris frowned.

“It sounds like he knows what’s going to happen,” Coulson said quietly. “He’s made his choice and we should respect that.”

“Guys, we got a problem,” Deke’s voice crackled on the radio.

Coulson picked it up. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m using Enoch to power the machine, but I’m losing him. You gotta launch now.”

“What?” Fitz snatched the radio from Coulson. “No, Deke, it’s too early. The team isn’t back yet.” He paused. “Enoch. Enoch, buddy, hang on. I know that you’ve done so much already, but please, please just hang on.”

“Guys, I’m buying as much time as I can here!” Deke sounded panicked.

“The rock’s gonna open,” May radioed Jemma. “Get here now!”

“I always knew that working with you guys was gonna blow up in my face!” Deke yelled. “But it’s about to get literal!”

Coulson picked up Daisy and the team gathered in front of the rock, anxiously checking the door behind them for any sign of the others.

“You know she’ll never forgive you, right?” May asked Coulson.

He glanced down at Daisy, still unconscious. “I have to hope.”

“We’re losing him! I’m out of time!”

The rock began to shake. Then a bright light blinded them as the monolith turned to white liquid. Kris threw her arm over her eyes to shield them as she felt the liquid wash over her ankles, dragging her under.

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random-writerings · 4 months

Text

Touch Me (Til I Find Myself) ~ Chapter 8

Word Count: 4.1k

Masterlist // AO3

Kris picked up another box of supplies, carrying it to the cargo bay door. She was helping the surviving Believers evacuate to a nearby system of caves so they could wait out the coming gravity storm.

The rest of the team were fixing up the command centre, trying to get Zephyr One airborne again. Kris was not a technical person, and so she opted for evac duty. Deke was helping her as well, having been told by May to ‘make himself useful’.

Kris opened another crate, checking inside to see it was full of medical supplies. As she was about to close it up again, she hesitated. She pulled out one of the boxes and called over to Deke.

“Hey, take this. For your head.”

She tossed him the box, and he caught it clumsily.

“Thanks.”

One of the True Believers approached her, pulling down her head covering.

“We need tools. Wrenches, hammers, that sort of stuff.”

“Okay, where would I find that?” Kris asked.

“In the old supply room, by the cells.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Kris saw Deke freeze. “Yeah, alright. I’ll go grab them.”

The woman nodded and picked up the medical crate. Kris turned and made her way through the Zephyr, trying her best to avoid the people rushing about.

The old supply room was quiet. It had pretty much been cleaned out, save for a few boxes. She began searching for one containing tools, pointedly ignoring Voss.

“Did you find what you were looking for?” Voss asked. “In the footage, I mean.”

Kris’ hands stilled. She had been keeping herself busy with the evacuation, trying to forget about what she had seen. She took a breath then continued on searching, still ignoring him.

“Come on, you not even gonna talk to me?” he taunted her.

“Shut up,” Kris replied, not looking away from her task. “I don’t talk to traitors.”

“I’m no traitor, sweetheart.” The nickname made her skin crawl. “I was just tryna defend myself. Owen was distracted, too wrapped up in the prophecy nonsense. He forgot the real mission: kicking those Blues off our planet.”

“So that justifies killing him?” Kris snapped, spinning around to face him. “You have no right to call yourself a True Believer in S.H.I.E.L.D.; you have no right to align yourself with us. You betrayed everything S.H.I.E.L.D. stands for. You killed one of your own, a teammate, a friend. Not only that, you took away the last of Deke’s family. You’re despicable.” She glared at him.

“You have no idea what it was like.” Voss stood up, his voice getting louder as he towered over her on the other side of the cage. “Living in the Lighthouse. It sucks out your soul. Of course people lost faith in S.H.I.E.L.D. and decided to take matters into their own hands. We had to defend ourselves.”

“I do know what it’s like,” Kris snarled. “I know what it’s like to be completely helpless, to be entirely at someone else’s mercy while they hurt you – torture you. I never gave up hope. I knew S.H.I.E.L.D. would come for me because that’s what they do. What we do. We help people in need and we never, ever abandon our teammates. That’s what separates us from our enemies; that’s what makes us the good guys. You’ve lost sight of that.” She shook her head. “Anyone who turns on their own is a coward. You’re a coward.”

She angrily picked up the box she had been looking for and stormed out, not seeing Deke lurking in the shadows nearby.

~~~

She gave the box of tools to the Believers, her blood still boiling. She ran a hand through her hair, wincing slightly when her fingers pulled on the knots.

She wandered over to the door, poking her head outside. The gravity storm was getting worse.

She passed some crates of rations out to the Believers, then headed up to the command centre.

Coulson looked up from the main console as she walked in.

“All good, sir. Most of the Believers have evacuated, and all the supplies they need are safe in the caves. Now, they’re just removing extras, in case of an emergency.”

“Good work,” Coulson praised her.

The Zephyr shook violently as something fell from the sky, debris colliding with the hull. The team were thrown off balance, steadying themselves on anything they could reach.

“I think that was a hospital,” Daisy commented.

“Is this your first time having a building dropped on you?” Enoch asked indifferently.

“No,” May snapped.

Jeffery Mace’s face swam before Kris’ eyes. No, she really didn’t need to be reminded of that right now. Luckily, she was distracted by the main control panel powering up. Coulson and Daisy rushed over, examining the screens.

“Yes, that’s what I’m talking about,” Daisy mumbled.

Kris heard footsteps approaching and turned to see Deke striding into the room. Apparently, after Kris had left the cargo bay, Coulson had given Deke a gun and left it up to him to decide what to do with Voss.

“You were gone a long time,” Coulson noted. “Is Voss still among us?”

“He knows stuff we don’t. I thought … we might still need him,” Deke replied. “Besides, I’m not going to sink to his level. People don’t turn on their own at S.H.I.E.L.D., right?” His gaze flickered to Kris for a brief moment, and she wondered if he had overheard her speaking to Voss. She didn’t have time to think it over as May’s voice caught her attention.

“Ha! Yes!”

Kris turned to see the cockpit lit up. Okay, it seemed like they were making progress.

Fitzsimmons ran in, drawing everyone’s attention.

“Are the engines good to go?” Coulson asked.

“In theory,” Jemma replied. “But, sir, we found something.”

“Zephyr One’s been upgraded significantly,” Fitz continued.

Another piece of debris hit the plane, throwing everyone around the room again. Deke and Kris crashed into a pile of hard plastic crates. Kris hissed as her arm connected with one of the sharp corners, rubbing it as she regained her balance.

“Will those upgrades help us take off?” Coulson asked.

“Uh, well, no –” Fitz stuttered, but he was interrupted by Coulson.

“Because it’s time to fly. May!” Coulson walked over to the cockpit.

“Okay. Once we have ignition, be ready to lift the ground anchors.” May settled into the pilot’s seat, flipping switches above her head. Coulson took up his position by the anchors button, and May nodded. “Here we go.”

The engines whirred to life as the team gathered around the main console, holding on tight. Without warning, electricity crackled, and sparks flew down from above them. Kris jumped back to avoid them, bumping into Deke as she did.

“Oh, come on.” Fitz sighed.

“Talk to me, Fitz,” Coulson called.

“Well, the engines just blew out, so we can’t take off.” Fitz hung his head, eyes screwed shut.

“As was previously advised, we should now evacuate to the caves,” Enoch spoke up. “I’ll go first.” He unbuckled his seatbelt and made to stand up, but the Zephyr was rocked by yet another collision.

“Shut up!” Kris yelled at him. “You’re not helping.”

“Maybe he’s right,” Fitz suggested. “With the engines gone, we can’t fly to the Lighthouse.”

“Kris,” Coulson addressed her. “Finish off the evacuation. We’ll see what we can do here.”

“Sir,” Kris acknowledged, nodding. She left the command centre, heading back to the cargo bay. She noticed Deke following her and turned her head to him, raising a questioning eyebrow.

“I’m not going to be much help up there.” He shrugged.

It was a bumpy journey to the cargo bay, but they made it. Kris ordered the Believers around, urging them to get to safety. She and Deke packed bags with whatever supplies they could find, shoving them at people as they left the Zephyr.

“Fletcher!” someone called over the noise.

Both Kris and a Believer turned their heads to the man who shouted. They exchanged a surprised glance.

“Can I help you?” the other guy asked her.

Kris frowned. “Sorry, I thought he was talking to me.”

“Why would he …?” The man trailed off, looking her up and down. “Kris Fletcher?”

Kris sighed, exasperated. “Okay, you’re the fourth person I’ve met who knows who I am. It’s getting a bit weird now.”

“Yeah, I can imagine. Coming to the future where you’re famous for dying … I get how that can be weird.”

Kris didn’t really know how to reply to that. “Thanks?”

The man, the other Fletcher, was about to leave with his friend when he turned back to Kris. “We’re not related, by the way. Just in case you were wondering.”

“I wasn’t. But, good to know.”

Kris furrowed her brow and kept working. She wasn’t surprised that they weren't related – he did have an American accent, after all. And anyway, it wasn’t like S.H.I.E.L.D. was a Fletcher family business; she doubted any of her relatives had even heard of it before the Avengers had saved New York.

“Strange coincidence, huh?” Deke commented.

Kris shrugged. “Fletcher is a fairly common surname.”

“Would be crazy if you guys had living relatives though. I mean, some of you survived the end of the world, so it’s not impossible. But, still, the chances are incredibly small –”

Deke was cut off by the Zephyr shaking again. Kris stumbled back, grabbing the heap of bundled blankets they were using as a makeshift table to avoid falling down.

“Alright, time’s up,” Deke announced, giving another bag to someone. “Move out.”

“Go on, go,” Kris urged them, holding the door open for them against the harsh winds outside. Daisy appeared from around a corner, securing some sacks to the wall.

“Finally starting to get a hang of this whole good-guy thing,” she addressed Deke.

“Yeah, just in time for the sky to fall and kill us all,” Deke panted, packing another bag. “Perfect timing, Deke.”

Kris tossed Daisy a bag, and she got to work too.

“What makes you say that?” Deke asked Daisy after a pause.

“Voss,” Daisy replied simply. “You let him live.”

Deke sighed. “Doesn’t mean I’m good. Maybe I’m just spineless.”

“Killing is never the better option,” Daisy advised.

“If it can prevent more pain, maybe.” Deke shrugged.

“That’s not a road you want to go down,” Kris interjected. “Too many tragedies have been allowed to happen because of that kind of mindset.”

“Come on, I’m sure you’ve done it.” Deke glanced between them.

“We try not to,” Kris replied while Daisy stayed silent. Deke grabbed a blanket from on top of a pile of bags and stumbled back to the makeshift table.

“My dad could be very violent, but only when he needed to be,” Deke explained. “You learn that in the Lighthouse. A life spent, a life earned.”

Kris shuddered. “That’s a horrible phrase.”

“Never a life saved?” Daisy asked.

“That’s my point,” Deke continued. “Shouldn’t I be able to pull the trigger if I think that person could do more harm?”

“Not necessarily,” Kris protested. “That’s what prison is for. We capture, not kill. If someone is capable of doing more harm, we keep them away from other people. Killing is not the go-to.”

“Besides,” Daisy added, “I don’t think Voss is a threat to anyone but me.”

Deke glanced between them again, considering. “Right. No, you’re right.”

Then he walked away, a couple of bags in hand. Kris followed him, both of them handing out bags to the people evacuating.

“Look, it’s not that I disagree with you, exactly,” Kris admitted. “Pulling the trigger definitely has a time and a place. But it should never be the first option; imprisonment should come first. Only if that doesn’t work, then maybe a more permanent solution should be considered. But, if you have the power of life and death over others, you need to exercise caution and restraint.”

Deke shot her a curious look. “Never thought you’d actually agree with me about something.”

“That’s just my opinion.” Kris shrugged. “Ask anyone on the team, and they’ll give you a different one. It is a rather controversial topic.”

“So, even S.H.I.E.L.D. agents have disagreements. Good to know.” Deke turned to address the survivors. “Get as far into the caves as possible. We’re right behind you.”

They moved away from the door, letting people leave. Over the sound of the wind, they could make out Voss talking to Coulson. Kris approached them, wary of Coulson being alone with Voss.

“... You seem to be just fine with the continents you’ll let die,” Voss spat. His gaze moved behind Kris, where Deke was standing.

“What makes you certain that we cause it?” Coulson asked.

“History,” Voss replied, his eyes not leaving Deke. “There was a light from the sky. Aliens is what I heard. S.H.I.E.L.D. tried to stop it but failed. Brought hell to Earth.”

“Yeah right,” Kris scoffed. “Where’d you hear that, a shitty sci-fi movie?”

“As cryptic prophecies go, you’d give Robin a run for her money,” Coulson added sarcastically.

Voss stepped closer to Coulson. “That was from her.” Kris felt her stomach twist. “She said that was the start, and then your girl finished it. Sadly, you’ll see for yourself.” Voss smiled smugly.

The Zephyr was hit again, the metal hull creaking.

“We need to go!” Deke yelled, grabbing Voss and leading him away.

Kris and Coulson stared at each other.

“Would have been helpful if he told us that sooner,” Kris muttered. “I didn’t see anything about a light from the sky in the archive files.”

“So he could be lying,” Coulson mused. “We’ll keep it in mind, just in case.”

Kris nodded and they rejoined Deke as he shoved Voss towards the door.

“Now’s the time, Deke,” Coulson said. “You should go too.”

Kris picked up a forgotten bag and offered it to him. “The storm’s getting worse. Go while you still can.”

He stared at the bag, then at the open door. He looked back at the bag, then up at Kris. “No, I’ve come this far. I need to see it through.”

~~~

They made it back to the command centre, the wind howling outside. It was getting harder to stay standing with the amount of debris shaking the aircraft.

“Almost everyone else is gone!” Coulson announced to the others. “Let’s move!”

May picked up a bag from the cockpit, almost dropping the wooden robin that had belonged to Robin Hinton. Time seemed to slow down as the robin stayed suspended in the air. Kris had forgotten this wasn’t a regular storm – this was a gravity storm. She wasn’t exactly clear on what that meant, but obviously it caused the strength of gravity to change. The robin dropped to the ground. Then Jemma spoke up.

“Cut the anchors.”

Everyone stared at her in disbelief.

“Did she hit her head?” Deke asked, holding on to a pile of crates for support.

“Cut the ground anchors,” Jemma repeated. “Let a gravity wave take us. That’s how we get in the air.”

“We can’t fly without engines!” May protested.

“Maybe we don’t have to.” Jemma was smiling now, clearly coming up with some plan the others didn’t understand.

“Simmons!” Coulson called to her, wanting an explanation.

“The upgrades … Zephyr One has Reaction Control System thrusters, meaning capable of manoeuvring in space.” Jemma spoke so quickly she was almost tripping over her words.

“If we could get high enough,” Fitz added, catching on to Jemma’s train of thought, “we could break through Earth’s diminished gravity. We could fly in space straight to the Lighthouse.”

“Yeah,” Jemma confirmed, still smiling.

“No, right?” Deke shouted over the noise. “That’s a bad idea, right? Could that actually work?”

Fitzsimmons turned to each other.

“Assuming we don’t get crushed by debris …” Fitz said.

“Slammed back into the ground …” Jemma continued.

“Or our thrusters don’t run out of power …”

“It’s back to the void …” They fistbumped. “We’re in!”

“Same,” Daisy agreed with them.

“I used to be really good at self-preservation,” Deke groaned.

Kris grinned at him. “Welcome to S.H.I.E.L.D.”

“May, can you pilot us through a gravity storm?” Coulson called to her.

She didn’t reply, just gave him a withering look. Daisy smirked.

“Another mom face,” she joked.

“You can do this,” Coulson assured May. “We can do this.”

“Yeah,” Jemma affirmed.

Fitzsimmons ordered the team around, telling them how to make the preparations for the flight. The Zephyr was now shaking constantly, making it difficult to do anything. A piece of a wall panel broke off, smacking Coulson on the head. He grunted in pain and Daisy rushed over to him.

“Woah, yikes,” Deke commented. “That is definitely gonna get infected.”

Daisy and Coulson shot exasperated looks at him.

“You okay?” Daisy asked Coulson, ignoring Deke’s comment completely.

“I’ve been worse,” Coulson replied, clutching his head. “But I’ve been better too.”

“As the gravitational forces accelerate, our chances of implosion are rapidly increased,” Enoch said casually.

Coulson sat down next to him, buckling his seatbelt.

“Tell me your primary function again,” May demanded as she passed by.

“To observe and record the evolution of your species,” Enoch answered her.

“More observing, less sharing,” May ordered him. Kris smirked – May had said it much more politely than she would have.

“Thrusters and artificial gravity are ready!” Fitz called out as he and Jemma sat down. “We’ll have about ten minutes of power to both!”

“Don’t fire the thrusters until we’re at the very edge of the atmosphere or we will certainly die!” Jemma added.

Deke, Daisy, and Kris rushed to their seats, hurriedly securing their seatbelts.

“Well that’s comforting,” Deke mumbled.

“Great!” May sighed. “Everybody buckle in!”

Kris finished with the complicated buckles on her belt and sat back, preparing for the inevitably bumpy take-off.

A panel in the cockpit beeped. May slammed her hand against it.

“No! The anchors won’t release!”

“What?” Coulson asked.

“The anchors are stuck. We can’t lift off.”

“I’m on it!” Daisy yelled, unbuckling her belt.

She hurried off, back down to the cargo bay to manually release the anchors. Suddenly, Deke slipped out of his seatbelt too, following her.

“Hey, wait a minute!” Kris tried to grab his arm but he was just out of reach. She started to remove her own seatbelt but the Zephyr shook violently again. She gripped her seatbelt tightly as a wave of nausea washed over her. Kris decided to stay where she was – Daisy could handle this.

A few minutes later, Kris’ stomach lurched as the Zephyr was lifted off the ground and hurled into the air. The aircraft spun around wildly, rising and falling rapidly as the powerful winds buffeted it around.

Things around the command centre started floating around. Kris could feel her own body becoming weightless, the only thing keeping her in place was her seatbelt.

Sparks flew next to Fitzsimmons as the room rumbled. Kris’ stomach churned and she fought the urge to vomit.

“May!” Fitz shouted. “Hit the gravity!”

May flipped a switch and everything dropped to the ground again. The weightless feeling disappeared and Kris felt slightly less sick. Only slightly.

Thunder rumbled deeply around them and lightning flashed across the sky. Turning on the artificial gravity hadn’t made the turbulence any better.

“If I had a stomach, the vomiting would begin now,” Enoch commented.

“I’m really trying not to think about it,” Kris replied.

“Thrusters?” Coulson yelled. “Talk to me, Fitz!”

More sparks rained on them. “We’re not high enough yet!” Fitz answered.

The team grunted as more strong turbulence threw them about.

“This was a terrible idea! I’m sorry!” Jemma shouted.

“Well, no going back now!” Kris yelled back. “Just hold on!”

The Zephyr was launched further into the air. But now, it wasn’t grey clouds and tornadoes outside the window, it was inky blackness dotted with stars.

“Now?” May asked.

“Now!” Fitz confirmed.

May flipped a few switches and the thrusters began to fire, turning the Zephyr upright again. The rumbling and shaking stopped. The team looked around, apprehensive of this sudden calmness. When the stability seemed to be lasting, they all breathed sighs of relief.

“A sound plan, indeed,” Enoch said. If Kris didn’t know any better, she would say he sounded impressed.

Coulson unbuckled his seatbelt and stood up. He exchanged a glance with May, smiling at her. There was a softness in his eyes that Kris hadn’t seen before. Well, that wasn’t quite true – she had seen it before, but it only appeared when he looked at May.

Kris, her stomach now settled, stood up and joined May in the cockpit. They stared at the stars together, grateful that they survived.

“Thank you,” Kris whispered.

“I didn’t do much,” May brushed her off.

“You got us out of there safely. You saved our lives. Thank you.” Kris smiled at her former S.O.

Daisy and Deke returned, drawing their attention away from the front window.

“You took a while,” Coulson said.

“You’ll never guess who snuck onboard.” Daisy put her hands on her hips, panting slightly. “Sinara.”

“Shit,” Kris mumbled. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. She won’t be bothering us anymore.” There was a finality in Daisy’s voice, suggesting Sinara was gone for good. Kris didn’t rejoice in anyone’s death but it was a relief to know Sinara wasn’t hunting them anymore.

Daisy joined Kris and May in the cockpit and reached for the radio.

“Mack, Yo-Yo, do you copy?”

But all she got was static. She tried again as Coulson joined them. Kris caught Fitzsimmons frantically whispering amongst themselves and walked over to them.

“What’s up?”

“This piece of the monolith isn’t enough to get us home,” Jemma explained.

“It looks like we’ll have to break it,” Fitz added.

“Woah, woah, woah,” Deke blurted out. “You can’t do that. I – I won’t let you do that.”

He snatched the monolith shard from them, holding it close to his chest protectively.

“It's just a rock.” Kris frowned. “What’s it to you?”

“Oh, nothing.” Deke shrugged. “Apart from the only family heirloom I have. You’re not breaking this. End of discussion.”

“What do you mean?” Jemma asked.

“The Believers who kept this thing safe over the years were my parents,” Deke explained. “It originally belonged to my mom, given to her by her parents. My dad never let it out of his sight after she was killed. That’s how I knew Voss had killed him.”

“So, your dad built the machine and your mum’s family protected the monolith?” Kris exchanged a glance with Fitzsimmons. “Sounds like they were important to the cause.”

Deke shrugged. “I dunno. I mean, I guess. Everyone knew them, but then again, everybody knows everybody in the Lighthouse.”

“Look, we still need to break it. Otherwise, we don’t get home and all this will have been for nothing,” Fitz said.

Deke was still hesitant. Kris put her hand on his arm. “I know it’s important to you, but at the end of the day, it comes down to saving the shard or saving the world.”

Deke sighed a long-suffering sigh. “Well, when you put it like that.” He paused. “At least let me be the one to do it.”

The three of them nodded.

As Daisy continued to try and reach Mack and Yo-Yo, Deke hovered a hammer over a metal wedge. He almost brought it down a number of times but stopped before striking the tool.

“Really?” he asked, grimacing. “It is a family heirloom.”

“That we need in two places at once,” Jemma explained again. Kris was unsure how she was staying so patient with Deke. Patience seemed to be Jemma’s superpower.

Fitz, on the other hand, was visibly losing his cool. He silently directed Deke’s hand back onto the rock, obviously biting back some sarcastic comment. As Deke was about to hit the shard, they heard Mack’s voice over the radio.

“Tremors? Thank god! You all still in one piece?”

The whole team turned their attention to the radio. Kris sighed in relief, smiling, glad that he was okay.

“More or less,” Daisy replied. “It’s good to hear your voice.”

Daisy passed the radio to Coulson.

“Mack, we’re on our way to you. Do you have Flint?”

“Yes, we do. You got a plan?”

Daisy and Coulson exchanged a glance. Coulson raised the radio again and began to explain their plan.

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random-writerings · 4 months

Text

Touch Me (Til I Find Myself) ~ Chapter 7

Word Count: 5.9k

Masterlist // AO3

The ship kept heading straight for the surface, even as Coulson tried to slow its descent.

The ride was rough, throwing them about mercilessly. Jemma and Fitz had taken the only available seats so Deke and Kris were left to hang on to the ladder. They crouched at the base of it, bracing themselves against the floor as they gripped the rungs, their knuckles turning white.

A large piece of debris hit the side of the Trawler, jolting them again. Deke’s hands slipped from the ladder, sending him falling backward. Kris caught him, pulling him back toward the ladder and securing his hands with her own.

Another bad bump sent Kris lurching forward, her head narrowly missing the metal rungs. Deke’s arm shot out, grasping her shoulder and holding her steady. Kris vaguely registered the fact that this action put him in more danger as he wasn’t able to hold on with both hands. But she didn’t have time to dwell on it because she could see the surface rapidly approaching outside the front windows.

~~~

The next thing she knew, she was lying on the floor. She blinked, trying to clear her bleary vision, her head pounding. She could just about make out the voices of her teammates through the ringing in her ears.

Then she felt a hand shaking her shoulder gently. She shrank away from the touch and sat up, black spots appearing at the edge of her vision as she took in her surroundings.

They had crashed. The Trawler was wrecked but they were all alive. Coulson and Daisy had pried the door open and were standing on top of the ship. Jemma was helping Fitz up the ladder, subtly rubbing her arm and wincing.

Deke was kneeling next to Kris. “You okay?” he asked, concerned eyes darting to her forehead.

“Yeah, I think.” Kris raised her hand, fingers brushing her hairline. She hissed as pain shot through her, her fingertips coming away bloody. “Okay, well, that’s not good.”

Deke offered her his hand and she took it. He helped her to her feet slowly and she leaned against the ladder, light-headed.

After Jemma joined the others, Deke motioned for Kris to start climbing. When she made it out, a fierce wind was whipping around them. Her hair blew into her face, obscuring her vision, so she gathered it up and tucked it inside her jacket. Not that it made much difference.

The surface was misty, with dust swirling around in the strong gusts. Kris lifted her hand to cover her eyes.

“So, what do we do now?” she shouted over the wind as Deke emerged from the Trawler.

Before anyone could answer, Daisy pointed over Kris’ shoulder. “Watch out!”

Figures emerged from the fog. Daisy and Kris stood protectively in front of the others. They could see the mysterious figures had weapons so they prepared for a fight.

But the figure at the forefront of the group, presumably their leader, held their hands up. They beckoned the team over, holding up a small patch.

It was a S.H.I.E.L.D. logo.

Daisy and Kris turned to Coulson, unsure what to do next. Coulson moved past them, slowly approaching the leader. They talked, but it was hard to hear what they were saying over the sound of the wind. Then Coulson gestured for the others to come forward.

The other people in the group tossed the team large jackets, head coverings, goggles, and masks. They put them on wordlessly and followed the figures back the way they had come.

~~~

“Holy shit,” Kris muttered.

Buried in the ground was the Zephyr. It looked badly beat up but it was a welcome sight. At least something familiar had survived.

One of the people leading them opened the door, ushering them inside. Kris removed her head covering and goggles, breathing a sigh of relief.

“It’s good to be home.”

“No, you don't understand,” Deke was arguing with Fitzsimmons, “they're not just dead. As far as everyone in the Lighthouse was concerned, everybody that came up here was torn to scraps. But they're all still alive and living in an actual airplane.” He looked around in awe, like he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

“This is just the cargo bay,” Kris told him, smiling. “Wait ‘til you see the command centre upstairs. I thought I had been transported aboard the Enterprise the first time I saw it.”

Deke finally stopped looking around the room to frown at her. “What’s the Enterprise?”

“Fitz, your design really withstood the test of time,” Jemma complimented before Kris could reply to Deke.

Deke turned to face Fitzsimmons. “Woah, you designed this? Damn.” The amazement in his voice made Jemma smile proudly at Fitz. “Can’t imagine what it must’ve been like to fly.”

Fitz shook his head. “Technically, I'm the engineer, not the pilot.” He chuckled.

“Oh. Yeah, well, that’s still cool, I guess.” Deke got distracted examining something on the ceiling. Kris didn’t miss Fitz’s slightly offended expression.

“Holy hell,” a voice came from above. Kris looked up to see a man coming down the stairs. “Is that Deke Shaw? Ha! I’ll be damned! Thought I was looking at your old man twenty years ago! Welcome.” He briefly acknowledged Kris and Fitzsimmons before rushing over to Deke, who was smiling widely.

“Oh my god, Voss!” Deke hugged the man, both of them laughing. “I should’ve known even the Roaches wouldn’t touch you.”

“Ha!” Voss exclaimed. “Never thought I’d see you tagging along with these folks.”

“It’s a long story.” Deke’s eyes flitted over to Kris briefly.

“Well, let’s hear all about it, huh?” Voss put his arm around Deke’s shoulders, leading him past Kris and Fitzsimmons. “You can tell me whether these guys are the real deal or not.”

Although his tone was joking, almost friendly, Kris didn’t like the look Voss gave them as he passed by. It wasn’t malicious or threatening, just … off.

Voss kept talking as he and Deke walked away. “I’m surprised you’re the only one of ours to make the trip. And Virgil …?” His voice trailed off as they moved out of earshot.

“Well, he seems … nice,” Kris said, hoping it didn’t sound too much like a question.

Jemma hummed and pursed her lips, still watching where the two men had disappeared. Her head whipped around when Fitz groaned softly, leaning against a stack of boxes for support. “Let’s get you patched up properly. You too.” She nodded at Kris. “I want to get a look at your head, make sure you don’t have a concussion.”

“Yes, doc.” Kris followed them as Jemma helped Fitz to medical.

~~~

Once Jemma had attended to Fitz’s, Kris’, and Daisy’s wounds, May and Coulson joined them.

“May.” Kris sighed in relief. “I’m glad you’re alright.”

“I’m glad you’re okay too. What happened? They didn’t take you to the Crater, did they?”

“No, I managed to escape. Deke was helping me hide from the Kree.”

“Deke?” May raised her eyebrow.

“Yeah. Apparently he really is on our side now.” Kris shrugged.

“Huh, who’d have thought?” Coulson muttered.

May turned to Fitz. “Robin’s asking for you.”

“Robin? She’s still alive?” Fitz was astonished.

“Sorry, who’s Robin?” Kris asked, confused.

“She’s the daughter of Charles Hinton, an Inhuman we encountered,” Daisy explained. “He was able to foresee an impending death every time he touched another person.”

Kris’ heart ached. She knew exactly what he must have gone through. To suddenly never be able to touch anyone without causing suffering was a special kind of hell.

“Yeah, and Robin accidentally went through Terrigenesis too,” Fitz continued. “She was just a child when I last saw her, drawing pictures of the end of the world.”

“Apparently gaining her abilities at such a young age has fractured her mind,” May added. “She can’t tell the difference between the past, present, and future anymore.”

“God, that’s awful,” Kris whispered.

Fitz stood up carefully and May pointed him in the direction of the command centre. He walked off with Jemma’s help and May and Coulson followed, talking quietly about Robin.

Kris stared off into space, silently contemplating this information about the Hintons. Being around Daisy and Yo-Yo, who were comfortable and happy with their powers, sometimes made her forget that she wasn’t the only Inhuman who was struggling. On the one hand, it was nice to know she wasn’t alone; but on the other, it was depressing how many people had had their lives ruined by the Inhuman Outbreak.

“Kris?” Daisy asked gently, her voice sounding so loud in the quiet of the medical bay.

“I still don’t understand how some people can think Terrigenesis is a gift.” Kris shook her head, her voice quiet and bitter, and left before Daisy could argue.

~~~

Kris wandered around the Zephyr, taking it all in. She ran her fingers along the wall as she walked, leaving trails in the grime that had collected there over time. The Zephyr was a lot messier than normal – large boxes and crates full of supplies were piled high everywhere she looked. It was when she rounded one of those piles that she bumped into Deke. Literally.

“Oh, hey,” she greeted him. Then she caught sight of the giant metal claw in his hands. “The hell is that thing?”

“They use it for anchoring during gravity storms.” Deke tossed it between his hands absently. “I think my dad came up with design.”

“No offence, but it’s very Freddy Kruger.” Deke gave her a confused look. “Nevermind, it’ll take too long to explain.”

“Hmm.” Deke stared at the claw, distracted. Then his head shot up, like something had pulled him from his thoughts. “So, this place, huh? Pretty amazing, right?”

“I guess so.” Kris shrugged. “Never really thought about it, but … yeah. It’s amazing it survived this long. I’m glad something did.”

“Is it the same as you remember it?”

“Mostly. There’s a lot more stuff in here now. And it stinks.” She scrunched her nose, making Deke chuckle. Until his gaze drifted off again. Kris bit her lip, debating whether or not to ask him about it.

“Something on your mind?” she asked softly.

Deke shrugged and sat down on a nearby crate, putting the claw aside. “My dad. I – ugh, I dunno. I’m just nervous about seeing him again, I guess.”

Kris sat down across from him, silently indicating for him to continue.

“It’s just – I always blamed him for getting my mom killed. She wanted to be more careful, you know. Not talk about the prophecy when the Kree could hear. But, he convinced her to keep spreading the word. ‘Keep the hope alive’, as he put it. The Kree caught her and killed her, along with most of the other True Believers. Just like Tess.” He swallowed hard, avoiding her gaze. But now that he started talking, he couldn’t seem to stop. “I was nine. Hated my dad ever since and didn’t try to hide it. Though, I suppose it was partially my fault too. She was telling me bedtime stories about S.H.I.E.L.D. when the Kree came. Dragged her right out of our bunk. Sometimes I wonder if I hadn’t asked … anyway then my dad and the rest of the surviving Believers got sent to the surface about ten years ago. Figured that was the end of it. But now, all of this is happening.” He gestured aimlessly around. “And you lot actually show up, and these people are all still alive. It’s – it’s just a lot to take in.”

“I can imagine.”

“Yeah, now I’m here, I can see the bigger picture. I can see what they were fighting for all this time. Everything that happened in the Lighthouse, everything I did, seems so short-sighted now. Selfish, even.”

“There was no way you could have known about all this,” Kris reminded him. “You did what you had to to survive. No one can fault you for that.”

Deke raised an eyebrow at her. “Your friends certainly can. You did,” he pointed out. Then he sighed, running his hand through his hair. “And I could have known. Virgil knew. About my dad, about all this. I could have asked him – should have asked him. Though he probably wouldn’t have told me anything.” Deke laughed bitterly. “He couldn’t trust me. But if I had been trustworthy, if I had been a better friend … he would have shared all this information years ago. And now I’m playing catch up and I worry my dad won’t forgive me.”

Kris’ automatic response was to reassure him. Of course his dad would forgive him, they were family after all. But it stuck in her throat. She thought about her own dad, about if he would forgive her for what she had done.

But this wasn’t her family – it was Deke’s.

“I’m sure he will.” She smiled reassuringly. “I overheard Voss telling Fitzsimmons that your dad built the machine that brought us here. Perhaps it was fate that we ran into you when we arrived. Perhaps the two of you are meant to be reunited.”

“I don’t put much stock in fate. It always seems to find a way to screw you over.” He paused, then abruptly blurted out, “What about your family? Will you be reuniting with them when you get back to your time?”

Kris tensed. “No. Both of my parents are dead.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.” He sounded genuinely apologetic.

“It’s fine.” She shrugged it off, but he pressed further.

“I know that tone of voice. I’ve used it myself. What happened?”

Her eyes flickered over his face, looking for any sign of disinterest. But he seemed like he wasn’t just asking to be polite; he actually wanted to know. Kris sighed and leaned back, too tired to bother fighting off his questions.

“My mum died about three years ago. Cancer. It was hellish. My dad worked himself to the bone caring for her, and after she was gone, he just kinda checked out. The whole thing really took a toll on his health, especially his heart. Then he suddenly shifted his attention to me, started making my health the priority. He made me take supplements and vitamins, anything and everything he could find. He was really adamant about the fish oil pills, said they improved heart health. That was how I became Inhuman. Terrigen spread across the world in fish and the water supply. No one had any idea. One minute, you’re normal, and the next you’re …” She paused before continuing. She hated thinking about the next part. “When I emerged from the cocoon, the first thing my dad did was hug me. He was so afraid that he’d lost me too. I didn’t feel any different. I didn’t know –” Her eyes burned with tears but she blinked them away, clearing her throat. “He suffered a sudden, unexpected heart attack. With his pre-existing heart problems, well, I just made it worse. And I didn’t even know I was causing it. I called an ambulance and held his hand the whole time. He died on the way to the hospital.”

“Kris … that’s …” Deke trailed off, not able to find a word to describe it.

“Yeah, I know. But once I realised what I had done, what had happened to me, I called Jemma. She introduced me to S.H.I.E.L.D. and they’ve been helping me ever since. That was about a year and a half ago and they, the team, are my family now. I don’t know what I’d do without them.” She smiled fondly. “I’m glad you still have some family too.”

“Guess we have more in common than we thought.” He gave her a small smile.

“Suppose we do,” she agreed. After a pause, she continued. “I still don’t trust you, though. I don’t even like you.” But there was no venom in it.

He chuckled. “Took the words right out my mouth.”

~~~

Kris entered the command centre, looking around at the mess that had accumulated over the years.

“Wow, the bridge looks worse than I remember.”

“For the last time,” Coulson sighed, “we're not calling it the bridge.”

“Well, you’re not. But I am. Because I’m not boring,” Kris teased.

Coulson rolled his eyes at her but he was smiling. Although, that smile quickly faded when May approached them, having just spoken with Robin.

“Hey, how’s it going?” Kris asked, nodding towards Robin.

“Not great. She’s not saying much,” May replied.

“We might have to return to the Lighthouse ourselves, no prophecy help,” Coulson added. “Mack and Yo-Yo need us.”

“You storming the Lighthouse?” Voss appeared behind Kris. “Sounds like a great plan. Been meaning to give those Blues a taste of their own medicine for a while.”

“Hang on, is that smart?” Kris interjected. “I want to help Mack and Yo-Yo as much as anyone else. But attacking a fortified building where there are more of them than us seems reckless.”

“What do you mean?” Voss argued. “There are way more humans than Kree. We can easily take them on.”

“Except the people of the Lighthouse have made it clear that they won’t fight with us. They don’t know how. And we don’t have enough weapons for everyone –”

“So, we steal Kree weapons,” Voss suggested.

“Even still, we don’t have the people on our side. It would be a massacre.”

“You’re starting to sound like Deke,” Coulson told her. Kris pulled a face at him, offended. “Look, all we can do is hope that Mack and Yo-Yo have convinced them to fight back. Even if they haven’t, we still can’t leave without helping these people. So gear up.”

“I’ve got some weapons stashed,” Voss informed them. “Follow me.”

May and Coulson turned to leave with him, but Kris stayed in the command centre. She then noticed a bald man walking around, checking some of the drawings and glancing at a little notebook.

“Hey, who are you?” she asked.

The man looked up. “Hello. My name is Enoch. I am a sentient Chronicom from a planet which revolves around a star in the constellation you know as Cygnus.”

“You’re an alien?” She raised a questioning eyebrow. His voice sounded familiar but she couldn’t quite place it.

“I suppose, to you, yes, I am. I was sent to Earth 30,000 years ago to observe and record the evolution of your species. I am what you would call an anthropologist.”

“Riiiight.”

“Although many of your species assume me to be a robot, not an alien as you would imagine one, upon first meeting me,” he continued.

Kris paused. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I do not have the typical organic biology that humans associate with sentient, intelligent life. Chronicoms are created using a combination of plastic alloy and a metal native to our home planet. We are not ‘born’ in the same sense as humans and other species are.”

Kris blinked at him, processing this information. “Great, more bloody robots,” she muttered, walking off.

~~~

Kris entered the lab, where Fitzsimmons were examining Daisy’s inhibitor. Deke was watching, hands splayed on the table.

“You met the new robot onboard yet?” she asked them all sourly.

Jemma froze.

“The what?” Daisy crossed her arms.

“He is not –” Fitz started but Kris cut him off.

“Oh, spare me, Fitz. I don’t care what he says he is – he’s a robot.”

“So, you met Enoch?” May entered with Coulson in tow. “Did he tell you he’s the one who kidnapped us from the diner?”

“He’s –” Kris cut herself off with a heavy sigh, running her hand through her hair. “Of course. Of course, he is. That’s – that’s – that’s just wonderful. That’s just great!” She threw her hands up, exasperated.

“Yeah, well, he also helped me get to the future, so can we cut him a little slack?” Fitz interjected.

“Of course you’d be on the robot’s side,” Kris muttered bitterly. She hadn’t meant to say it aloud; it just slipped out.

“Kris, that’s not fair,” Jemma rebuked her.

“Alright, everyone calm down,” Coulson stepped in. “You need to see this.” He pulled a white stone with a thick red line from his pocket. “We found a literal piece of the puzzle.”

“The monolith.” Jemma moved forward, taking it from Coulson and examining it. “It’s been fractured.”

“Where’d you find that?” Deke’s voice was low, his eyes darting between the rock and Coulson.

“Voss had it in his locker,” May explained.

Deke’s gaze returned to the rock, an unreadable expression appearing on his face. Kris watched him, concerned.

“The survivors who believed in the prophecy held on to it for years,” Coulson continued, unaware of Deke’s change in behaviour.

Fitz walked back to the massive machine on the wall, pointing at the centre. “Here.”

They all turned to face it.

“What are we looking at?” Daisy asked.

“The shard fits into the machine right here,” Fitz said.

“Maybe that’s how it was able to target the monolith across time,” Jemma theorised. “This could be our way home.”

“Yeah, but the shard alone isn’t enough. We need the whole monolith.” Fitz turned to Coulson for guidance.

“It’d be great if Robin could help us fill in the blanks here,” Coulson said. “Daisy, you knew her first. Maybe you can get through to her.”

“I can try.”

“If she helps us get home, maybe none of this ever happens,” May added.

Kris’ mind brought up the image of the news report that Deke showed her. She suppressed a shudder. “Let’s hope so.”

~~~

“Kris.” Coulson caught up to her as she left the lab. She waited for him until he fell into step with her. “What were you able to find in the Lighthouse? Do we know the whole story?”

“Some of it,” she replied. “I have bits and pieces, but I’m not sure how they all fit together.”

“Now that we might have a real chance of getting home, we’ll need every bit of information we can get if we’re going to stop this.”

“I know.” She sighed, unsure where she was going to get more information. Then it hit her. “I can try the Zephyr archives. This thing survived the end of the world and has a massive memory capacity. Surely it’ll have something we can use.”

“That could work. Find Voss, he’ll get you access. Good work.” Coulson patted her shoulder, smiling.

She smiled back, partially because of the praise and partially because she didn’t flinch at the contact.

After wandering around for a bit, she found Voss. He was inspecting an old shotgun, and cleaning out the barrels.

“Hey, Voss,” she greeted him. “Coulson was wondering if there’s any footage from the apocalypse stored in the Zephyr.”

He looked up at her, properly taking in her appearance this time. “You’re Kris Fletcher, ain’t ya?”

“Yes,” she replied hesitantly.

He made a non-commital humming noise, seemingly thinking something over. Then he reached behind him, grabbing a busted-up laptop from a shelf.

“This contains all of what we could recover. I hope you’ll find it useful.”

“I’m sure I will. Thank you.” Kris took the laptop and left. The uneasy feeling she had when she first met Voss was still there but she didn’t want to dwell on it. He was helping them after all.

She went back to the lab, knocking gently on the door. Fitzsimmons looked up from where they were pouring over the machine, muttering to each other.

“Hey, sorry to disrupt your science-ing but I need a quiet place to look over this footage. Is it alright if I stay here?”

“Yes, of course.” Jemma smiled brightly.

Kris smiled back then turned her gaze to Fitz. “I’m sorry about what I said earlier. Really, I am. This is just – it’s been pretty stressful and I took it out on you. I shouldn’t have done that.”

“Yeah, no, I get it. It’s a lot to deal with. People are going to disagree and snap at each other. It happens.” Fitz shrugged. Although he was trying to brush it off, his tone of voice suggested that there was something else on his mind. Kris couldn’t tell if he was just focused on figuring out the machine or if he wasn’t being honest about his feelings regarding what she said.

“So, what kind of footage are you looking at?” Jemma asked.

“Anything really.” Kris settled down on a disused bench and opened the laptop. “Anything from before or during the end of the world. I mean, I’ve already seen some stuff but I would like to confirm it.”

“What did you see? I thought Kasius destroyed the archives.”

“He did. But Deke managed to uncover some news reports when he was rebuilding the Framework.” She spoke without thinking, forgetting that neither of them knew about that.

Metal clanged as Fitz dropped a tool on the floor, swearing, while Jemma just stood there, staring at her as if she must have misheard.

“He what?” Fitz asked.

“Yeah, okay, don’t panic.” She saw the astounded expressions on their faces and shrugged. “I know, easier said than done. But it’s not fully rebuilt and he says it’s completely safe. Look, I don’t really believe him either but nothing bad happened so …”

“You were in there?” Jemma asked quietly.

“Yep. Me and Daisy. It wasn’t exactly pleasant but at least he didn’t make us forget the real world while we were in there. Look, it doesn’t matter. My point is, he saved some archive footage in there so the Kree wouldn’t find it. But because I don’t trust the Framework, I don’t trust the footage. So I need to confirm it with this.” She gestured to the laptop.

“Right, yeah, one problem at a time,” Fitz muttered.

“Exactly, getting home and saving the world is priority number one,” Kris agreed. “We’ll deal with that mess another time.”

The three of them got to work. Fitz and Jemma talked amongst themselves, rapidly exchanging theories and ideas. Kris tuned them out, focussing on her task. She was used to this; whenever they had new ideas or really wanted to figure out a problem, it was like they were the only two people in the world. Sure, it annoyed everyone else, but Kris thought it was sweet.

She opened a folder and pulled up some videos. They were mostly grainy CCTV footage showing everything shaking then a large crack snaking across the ground. But one video was different. It was higher quality than the others and seemed to be from before the earthquake.

It showed the quinjet parked in the street, the back door open. Then Daisy stormed out, yelling and gesturing aggressively at someone inside. As she ran off, Kris followed her, calling out to her.

Kris frowned and tapped the keyboard, searching for an audio to accompany the video. But, like the others, there was no audio. However, she did find a report attached to the footage. She opened the report, unsure of what she would find.

The report was official, the S.H.I.E.L.D. logo at the top confirmed that much. It was fairly short, not going into a lot of detail. The basic details were there: the city – Chicago – was being evacuated by S.H.I.E.L.D., this exchange happened, then there was a major earthquake – 12.8 on the Richter scale. But what really stood out to her was one line at the end of the report:

‘This is the last time Agent Johnson (a.k.a. Quake) and Agent Fletcher (a.k.a. Nomad) were seen alive.’

Kris’ stomach dropped. But curiosity got the better of her, and she pressed on. Attached to the report were her and Daisy’s S.H.I.E.L.D. service records. She opened Daisy’s, hoping for answers. But, apart from a large red M.I.A. stamp across the top of the page, nothing was particularly noteworthy.

Kris took a deep breath, her heart pounding, as she opened her own service record. No red M.I.A. stamp. But the information listed under her I.D. photo had changed:

FULL NAME: Fletcher, Kristina Louise

ALIAS: Nomad

DATE OF BIRTH: 23 / 11 / 1987

STATUS: Inactive, Killed In Action

DATE OF DEATH: 05 / 2018 (exact date unknown)

CAUSE OF DEATH: The quake that destroyed Earth

Kris sucked in a harsh breath, eyes darting away from the screen. Deke’s archive footage had been real after all. Her stomach twisted nauseatingly.

“Everything alright?” She heard Jemma’s concerned voice over her shoulder. Kris scrolled away quickly, hoping her friend hadn’t seen the file, only to be confronted with an attached picture of her dead body.

Kris gasped in shock, pushing the laptop away. She shut her eyes, and lowered her head. She heard Jemma inhale sharply and Fitz curse under his breath. Tears burned her eyes, welling up behind her eyelids. Kris covered her mouth, trying to breathe normally.

She felt Jemma’s hand reach out tentatively towards her but Kris leaned away from her. Hot tears fell down her cheeks as she let out a quiet sob. Emotions spun around rapidly inside of her; if she couldn’t keep those in control, Kris worried she wouldn’t be able to keep her powers under control. And accidently hurting Jemma would just make this worse.

Jemma stood next to her helplessly, not knowing what to do. Fitz kept his distance, unsure if Kris wanted him near her. He stared at the laptop, unable to tear his eyes away from the broken, bloody body of his friend.

Once Kris recovered from the initial shock, she raised her head again. She wiped her tears away, still sniffling, and forced herself to look at the photo.

Kris wasn’t a doctor but it was clear she had several broken bones. Her brown eyes, wide open and lifeless, were bloodshot. The skin that was visible, mostly her face, neck and hands, were covered in blood and dark purple bruises. The reporter’s words rang in her ears: “severe internal injuries … crushed to death”.

“Hey, maybe we should get some air,” Jemma suggested gently, closing the laptop.

“Good idea,” Fitz agreed. “Nothing good ever comes from overworking yourself.”

A vague semblance of a sarcastic comment formed in Kris’ mind. Something about Fitz needing to take his own advice more often. But she was too tired to say it aloud.

Fitz tried the door, but it didn’t open.

“Jemma, did you lock the door?” he asked.

“No,” she answered, frowning.

Fitz turned to Kris but she just shook her head. Fitz tried the door again, rattling the handle but it still didn’t budge. He banged against it, the sudden loud noise filling the room made Kris jump.

“Coulson?” Fitz called out, banging again. “Hey! Hey!” His voice got more desperate. “Coulson? Coulson? Coulson, we’re stuck in here!”

Kris and Jemma joined Fitz by the door, trying to make as much noise as possible to draw some attention. They heard voices outside then the sounds of a fight. Moments later, May opened the door. Behind her, lying on the floor, were the unconscious bodies of two men.

“They were guarding the door?” Jemma guessed.

“Whoever locked you in really didn’t want you to get out,” May replied tensely. “Come on, Daisy needs our help.”

The four of them rushed to the command centre, getting closer to the sounds of more fighting. By the time they arrived, Daisy was pinning Voss to the wall, a knife to his throat. Coulson grabbed Voss’ arm, restraining him.

May hurried over to the cockpit, pulling the curtains aside.

“Oh, no. Robin.” May sank to her knees, pressing her hand to the stab wound in Robin’s stomach.

The team watched as May talked with Robin, holding her close as she died. May leaned down as Robin whispered something in her ear. Voss turned to Daisy.

“When you destroy the world, you remember this moment. Remember I tried to stop you.”

Daisy glared at him and, still holding his hands behind his back, led him away. Kris turned back to see Robin’s body now limp in May’s arms, her eyes closed. She looked peaceful, like she was merely sleeping.

May looked up at Coulson, tears in her eyes. “This is what she meant. The day it all ends.” Her voice broke. Kris had never seen May so vulnerable before.

They retreated away from the cockpit, giving May the space she needed to mourn. Fitz and Jemma sat down together on a makeshift bed. Meanwhile, Enoch continued to study Robin’s drawings and make notes in his notebook, seemingly unaffected by what had just taken place. Coulson stayed standing, watching May with sorrow in his eyes.

Kris sat down too, apart from the others. She pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. She felt a bit silly, childish even, but she couldn’t help it. She felt so overwhelmed by everything and this brought her some brief comfort.

A while later, Daisy came back, with Deke in tow.

“To me, Robin was a little girl only days ago,” Fitz whispered.

“We’re not meant to see a life like this – at its beginning and end,” Jemma added. “It’s too much.”

“Maybe it makes us appreciate how short life really is,” Coulson interjected. Then he gestured to Deke’s head, where Kris could just about make out blood glistening in his dark hair. “What happened to you?”

“Voss,” Deke replied shortly. “Apparently he killed my dad and didn’t like it when I asked why.”

Kris sighed. Well, this was just getting worse and worse. Coulson was obviously thinking the same thing.

“So we’ve lost Robin and your dad, the only two people left who might have had answers.”

“Yeah, sorry ‘bout that.” Deke’s gaze landed on Kris, flitting up and down as he took in her appearance. “What happened?”

Kris met his gaze, her eyes still red-rimmed. “You were right,” she admitted, her voice quiet and hoarse. “Your archive footage was real. I’m sorry for not believing you.”

Her eyes shifted to the laptop next to Fitzsimmons. They had taken it from the lab and updated Coulson on the situation. Then she turned back to Deke.

“I know you’re dying to say ‘I told you so’. So, go on. This day can’t get any worse.” She sniffed, rubbing her nose with the back of her hand.

He hesitated, a sympathetic look in his eyes. “Y’know, I’m not really in the mood. And you don’t have to apologise – I wouldn’t have believed me either.”

She shot a suspicious look at him. “How hard did Voss hit you?”

He gave her a rueful smile in return. “Probably a little too hard.”

“So, what now?” Daisy asked, sighing.

“We live on this crashed airplane until the Kree or – or the Roaches or the gravity storms finish us off.” Deke sounded hopeless. It was understandable, given the situation.

“I think we can do better than that,” Coulson argued.

“Yeah, but at least that way, I don’t go back in time and quake the world apart. Oh, and let’s not forget, I kill Kris in the process,” Daisy said, resigned.

Kris swallowed hard, her arms tightening around her legs slightly. She wanted to go home more than anything, but when Daisy put it like that … maybe staying here wasn’t such a bad idea.

“We do go back,” May interrupted, emerging from the cockpit. “Robin told me how. We can save everyone. Just one question, though – who’s Flint?”

Taglist: @ocappreciationtag // @arrthurpendragon // @mischiefmanaged71

(If you want to be added to or removed from my taglist, feel free to send me a message)

#my ocs #agents of shield #agents of shield fanfic #deke shaw #deke shaw fanfic #deke shaw x oc #oc: kris fletcher #fic: touch me (til i find myself)

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random-writerings · 4 months

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OC New Years Challenge - Day Six: In With The New

↳ Introducing: Becca Johnson, Grace Merino, Rhea Li

I have a lot of new OCs this year so, to keep the list short, here are just a few:

Becca Johnson - Back to the Future

Grace Merino and Rhea Li - The Hunger Games

#onyc2023 #onyc23 #oc new years challenge 2023 #ocappreciation #my ocs #oc: becca johnson #oc: grace merino #oc: rhea li

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random-writerings · 4 months

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Full Name: Rhea Li

Face Claim: Jessica Henwick

Age: 15 (68th HG); 22 (75th HG)

District: 10

Family: Brandon (brother)

Occupation: Tribute; Victor; Mentor; Rebel

Skills: Horse-riding; Weapons Training; Hand-to-Hand Combat

victoria aut mors series // Playlist // Cover

#my ocs #the hunger games #the hunger games fanfic #johanna mason #johanna mason fanfic #johanna mason x oc #oc: rhea li #fic: victoria aut mors series

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random-writerings · 4 months

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Full Name: Grace Merino

Nickname: Gracie (only by Haymitch)

Face Claim: Rosario Dawson

Age: 18 (52nd HG); 41 (75th HG)

District: 10

Family: Parents (deceased)

Occupation: Tribute; Victor; Mentor; Rebel

Skills: Sheep-herding; Dog Training; Survival Skills; Basic Weapons Handling; Cunning

victoria aut mors series // Playlist // Cover

#my ocs #the hunger games #the hunger game fanfic #haymitch abernathy #haymitch abernathy fanfic #haymitch abernathy x oc #oc: grace merino #fic: victoria aut mors series

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random-writerings · 4 months

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Full Name: Rebecca ‘Becca’ Johnson

Nickname: Becs (by Marty)

Face Claim: Brooke Shields

Age: 17

Nationality: American

Birthplace: Hill Valley, California

Family: Ricky (father); Carol (mother); Andy (brother); Owen (brother); Julia (sister); Kathy Stewart (maternal aunt); Peter Stewart (maternal grandfather); Darla Stewart (maternal grandmother)

Skills/Hobbies: Artist

Back In Time // Playlist // Cover

#my ocs #back to the future #back to the future fanfic #marty mcfly #marty mcfly fanfic #marty mcfly x oc #oc: becca johnson #fic: back in time

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random-writerings · 4 months

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OC New Years Challenge - Day Five: Don't You Forget About Me

↳ Jayla Clark and Flora Baggins

Quite a few of my OCs have been neglected this year (oops). I came up with some AUs to reignite my love for them, but never got round to actually writing anything (double oops). Here's two of those AUs: a regency AU for Jay and a bookshop AU for Flora.

#onyc2023 #onyc23 #oc new years challenge 2023 #ocappreciation #my ocs #oc: jayla clark #oc: flora baggins

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random-writerings · 4 months

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OC New Years Challenge - Day Four: Everything New

↳ Connie Winter, Kris Fletcher, Becca Johnson, Thea Belacqua, Grace Merino, Rhea Li

Seeing as Barbie was released this year, here are some edits inspired by the movie posters.

#onyc2023 #onyc23 #oc new years challenge 2023 #ocappreciation #my ocs #oc: connie winter #oc: kris fletcher #oc: becca johnson #oc: thea belacqua #oc: grace merino #oc: rhea li

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random-writerings · 4 months

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OC New Years Challenge - Day Three: In My _ Era

↳ Connie Winter

Thanks to being a super soldier, Connie lives a very long life and has many different eras. In WWII, she is a nurse out on the frontlines. Once the war is over, she is held prisoner by Hydra and forced to monitor the Winter Soldier. When she finally escapes, she joins SHIELD, only to realise Hydra has infiltrated the organisation. After SHIELD falls, Connie finds Bucky and goes on the run with him. They think they have found peace, only for him to be arrested for bombing the UN. Finally, they live a quiet life in Wakanda until Steve asks for their help to fight Thanos.

#onyc2023 #onyc23 #oc new years challenge 2023 #ocappreciation #my ocs #oc: connie winter

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random-writerings · 4 months

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Touch Me (Til I Find Myself) ~ Chapter 6

Word Count: 4.4k

Masterlist // AO3

Deke and Kris searched the entire level for the rest of the team but there was no sign of them. They expanded their search to other levels, but still nothing.

They walked mostly in silence. Kris couldn’t tell if it was because of post-hookup awkwardness or because of the shock surrounding Tess’ death. It was probably both.

It wasn’t like there was much to talk about anyway. And they couldn’t risk someone overhearing them discuss Inhuman powers or time travel or S.H.I.E.L.D. or whatever. So, they stayed silent.

One thing that was hard to ignore was the increase of Kree patrols on all levels. All the guards were armed with multiple weapons, most notably the massive guns they carried in front of them. They were clearly hunting for someone, grabbing random people and aggressively questioning them. Kris and Deke overheard them asking about the Destroyer of Worlds and one of Kasius’ servants who had escaped and deduced that that must be Daisy and Jemma.

But it didn’t matter whether the Kree’s prey was Kris or Flint or Jemma and Daisy, the chance of getting caught had increased significantly. And it made them both uneasy.

Eventually, Deke had had enough. He led Kris back to the elevator and punched in a number for a lower level.

“Maintenance level,” he explained. “If so many Blues are patrolling up here, there won’t be any waiting for us down there. You should hide in there until I find your friends.”

He put his helmet on as the doors opened. The corridor was pitch black and stank of something foul. Kris wrinkled her nose and pulled her scarf tighter around her face.

Soon, they found a small boiler room where Kris could hide. But as Deke turned to leave, they heard the sound of nearby gunfire. They ducked into a narrow hiding spot, crouching behind some hot pipes. A door banged closed across the room and they heard hushed voices.

Deke brought his finger to his lips (or where his lips would be behind his mask) and slowly crept out to investigate. Kris started to follow him, but he held out his hand, indicating that she should stay where she was. She watched him disappear around a corner, holding her breath.

She heard what sounded like a scuffle between two people.

“Good thing I’m wearing a helmet,” she heard Deke say.

“You.” That was Daisy’s voice. “You come to collect the bounty?”

Kris left the hiding spot and went the same way as Deke.

“No, I came to save your ass.” Deke motioned to Kris as she turned the corner. She took in the scene before her. Daisy was confronting Deke while Jemma was crouched on the floor with someone else.

“Daisy, Jemma, thank god.” Kris’ eyes landed on the other person sitting on the floor. “Fitz? How the hell – You know what, it doesn’t matter. I’m just glad you’re here.” She smiled at him, but he still couldn’t meet her gaze.

Deke tried to move away from the shelves Daisy had him pinned against, but she slammed him back harder this time.

“I should kill you right now,” she said angrily.

“Who the hell is this guy?” Fitz asked.

“He works for Kasius,” Daisy answered.

“I don’t work for – I mean, sometimes I do, technically,” Deke tried to defend himself. “But right now, I’m Team S.H.I.E.L.D. alright?” He mock-saluted Daisy.

Kris moved past Deke and Daisy as they started to argue. She knelt next to Fitz, taking off her scarf to dab at the blood leaking from a wound in his side. He must have been caught in that earlier gunfire.

“Well, it’s convenient, you showing up right now.” Daisy did not sound convinced.

“Convenient, no; it’s mind-blowing that I managed to escape the medical bunk after Coulson welded the door shut. I mean, if Kris hadn’t shown up, who knows how long I would have been stuck in there.”

Daisy turned to Kris, giving her a questioning look. Kris shrugged.

“Believe it or not, he actually is Team S.H.I.E.L.D. now.”

“You know that for certain?” Daisy raised an eyebrow. “You sure he’s not lying to you?”

Kris looked at Deke and remembered the look on his face when he heard his father’s voice. That look … that wasn’t something you could make up.

“He’s not lying,” she confirmed. Then she turned a steely gaze on Deke. “At least, he better not be.”

“So you just let him out?” Daisy asked. “If Coulson locked him up, he must have had a good reason. Why help him escape?”

“We were working out our differences, alright?” Deke spoke before Kris could. “I don’t have time to get into this.”

“Can we discuss this after we’re out of the line of fire?” Fitz asked, exasperated.

“Yes, thank you … this guy.” Deke gestured at Fitz aimlessly. “Now please follow me. We go up the service shafts. It’ll lead us right onto the Trawler.”

Deke began to walk away, but Daisy grabbed the front of his jacket and pulled him back.

“No, no, no, no. This is the guy that sold me to Kasius.”

“Oh. Kill him. He’s a snake,” Jemma said.

“I’m gonna cut his throat open.” Fitz tried to stand but cried out in pain. Jemma and Kris reached out to steady him.

“I’m a pragmatist, alright?” Deke once again defended his actions then turned to Daisy. “Just – just listen. I told you that I would lead you to your friend. There she is. And I stopped you from doing something drastic that would have gotten people killed in the process.” He paused and looked back at Fitz. “Though you don’t look great.”

“Thank you,” Fitz replied dryly, his hand pressed against his wound.

“Deke’s right,” Kris chimed in and the others looked at her, shocked. “Look, I don’t like it either but you have no idea what it’s like out there. The Kree are killing innocent people to get to us. Tess is dead.” There was a silence as Daisy and Jemma processed that information. Then Kris continued. “If Deke hadn’t told Kasius who you are – who they think you are – he would have killed you on sight and had another, bloodier Renewal to teach people a lesson. Like I said, I don’t like it, but how can S.H.I.E.L.D. save what’s left of humanity if our actions get them all killed?” She shot a pointed stare at Daisy. “We can’t be reckless.”

As Daisy opened her mouth to argue, Jemma spoke up. “And now you just happen to stumble upon us?”

“All the channels are buzzing with news of your escape,” Deke said.

“Which means more Kree roaming about,” Kris continued. “We’re down here because Deke was protecting me. The Kree were looking for more Inhumans for Kasius and I could have been caught. Deke’s been helping me avoid the patrols. He was about to go find Coulson and the others when we ran into you.”

Daisy gave them a disbelieving look. “You can’t be serious.”

There was a loud pounding on the door.

“We are out of time!” Deke hissed, turning away. Jemma and Kris helped Fitz to his feet.

“How do we know you’re not going to lead us into another trap?” Daisy questioned.

“You don’t.” Deke disappeared back the way they came in. Kris followed him immediately, but the others hesitated. After exchanging glances with each other as the pounding continued, they followed too.

~~~

As they made their way through the service shafts, Fitz began to explain what happened after the team was kidnapped. Apparently he had been imprisoned for six months before Hunter had broken him out. Then someone named Enoch had helped him remain in cryostasis in order to get to the future. Oh, and there was some Inhuman kid who could draw the future. As if their lives couldn’t get any weirder.

“By the way, Kris,” Fitz addressed her. “Hunter said to tell you ‘hi’. And that Liverpool beat Arsenal in the Premiership.”

The fond smile that Kris had had at the mention of Hunter vanished. She rolled her eyes.

“That smug bastard. No ‘hey Kris, how are you getting on in the scary dystopian future’? The only thing he has to say to me is to rub it in my face that, in the last ever Premiership before the world is destroyed, Liverpool beats Arsenal. What a tosser.” She chuckled and Fitz did too.

“How do you know so many people?” Deke asked incredulously.

Kris shrugged. “That just sort of happens when you live on a planet with 7 and a half billion people.”

“7 and a half billion? Damn, I had no idea the number was that high,” Deke mumbled.

~~~

Once out of the service shafts, they snuck through the corridors. The whole level was eerily empty. Kris and Jemma helped Fitz, who was struggling to walk, while Daisy scouted ahead. Deke trailed behind them, watching their backs.

They eventually made it to Grill’s Salvage. Daisy banged on the door. But there was no response. She banged again, looking around nervously to make sure the noise hadn’t drawn unwanted attention.

“I thought they’d be here.” She sighed.

“Daisy?” Coulson’s voice could be heard on the other side. The doors opened and Kris saw the look of relief on Coulson’s face. “How did you escape?”

“Clumsily,” Daisy replied. “Hey.”

She hugged Coulson then moved further into the room, greeting Mack and Yo-Yo. Kris and Jemma practically carried Fitz inside.

Coulson and Mack were just as surprised as Kris had been to see Fitz.

“Fitz!”

“Turbo! Man, it’s good to see you.”

They stepped forward, engulfing them in a group hug. It dawned on Kris that this was the first group hug she had ever had with the team. It was nice.

But there was no time to enjoy it as Fitz needed urgent medical attention.

“How the hell did you get in the future?” Mack asked.

“Uh, the long way.” Fitz looked back at him as Jemma helped him over to the stairs to sit down.

“He needs medical attention. Story time can wait,” Jemma stated firmly.

“Well, not when those stories include time travel,” Mack replied incredulously.

The doors shut behind them and Coulson whipped around, aiming his gun. Thankfully, it was just Deke who followed them inside.

“This guy?” Mack was apprehensive. “The hell you doing here? And how’d you get out of your cage?”

“Kris let him out,” Daisy informed them. Everyone’s gaze turned on her and she opened her mouth to defend herself, but Deke got there first.

“Well, I let myself out, but thanks very much for your concern,” Deke snarked. “Kris didn’t actually help that much.”

Well that wasn’t true at all; Deke had been helpless without her. It seemed he was back to his usual arrogant, lying self, Kris thought. But then she caught the furious glares Coulson and Mack were sending Deke’s way. Was Deke trying to protect her from their anger?

“Well, the gang’s all here except May,” Yo-Yo interjected.

“Except May,” Coulson spoke in time with her. “She was taken to the surface?” he asked Fitz.

Fitz looked down, delaying before replying. “Yeah.”

“That’s a good thing.”

“Is it?” Daisy asked incredulously.

“We need alcohol for his wound,” Jemma interrupted, clearly not listening to the conversation.

“I’ll see if Flint can find something.” Mack pushed Deke out of the way roughly and walked off.

“Flint?” Kris asked Coulson. “You found him?”

“Yeah, he’s been hiding here with us.”

Kris breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank god he’s safe.”

“Oh no,” Mack’s voice echoed through the room as he came back. “He’s gone.”

“Shit,” Kris cursed as she headed straight for the doors. “Come on, let’s go find him.”

Mack followed behind her but they were stopped by Daisy.

“Wait, let’s think about this. Fitz is injured, we need people to stay while he gets patched up.”

“So?” Kris prompted.

“Mack and I will go,” Daisy suggested. “Small team, less noticeable.”

“Two of you against who knows how many Kree? Not happening,” Kris responded.

“Exactly,” Coulson agreed. “I’ll go too.”

“But, sir –”

“He’s right,” Fitz cut her off. “We can’t afford you or Yo-Yo getting caught and also losing your powers.”

“Wait, what?” Kris, Yo-Yo, and Coulson asked simultaneously.

Daisy pulled back her hair, revealing something on – no, in her neck.

“Kasius put this implant in me,” she explained. “Only the person with the remote can turn my powers on again.”

As horrifying as it was, for the briefest moment Kris thought about how nice that would be. Being able to turn off your powers and not worry about losing control. She was almost jealous.

Almost. Having no powers didn’t help them right now. In fact, it put them at a disadvantage.

Daisy, Coulson, and Mack left to look for Flint. The others waited in tense silence until they heard distant gunshots. Deke rushed to lock the second pair of doors so they wouldn’t be taken by surprise. Moments later, the others ran through the main door. Mack shut it behind him.

“Everyone here?” he checked in.

“Yeah, we’re all accounted for.” Coulson scanned the room.

“Well, most of me anyway,” Fitz joked.

“Mr and Mrs Boba Fett will be here any minute,” Daisy stated.

“So what do we do now?” Jemma asked, looking to Coulson.

“We escape via the Trawler,” he said.

“Escape to where?” Deke interrupted loudly.

“The surface. All signs have been pointing us there. The Kree won’t follow us there, and you don’t have to follow us there either.” Coulson jabbed a finger in Deke’s direction.

“Hey man,” Deke stepped forward, “I already told you that I’m in, to go out with you.”

“No one’s getting out of here if they catch us first,” Yo-Yo reminded them.

There was a loud thud as a large rock flew across the room, blocking the door. Everyone fell silent and turned to Flint, who had his arm outstretched. The kid had really gotten the hang of controlling his new powers.

“Less arguing, more figuring out what the hell we’re going to do,” he demanded.

~~~

More rocks thudded against the door, piled high now. They heard someone throwing their weight against the other side of the door. Coulson gave the blockade an approving look.

“That ought to buy us some time.” Suddenly, a hole was blown in the wall, surprising everyone. “Or not.”

Another hole was created, making everyone jump. Debris scattered across the floor as the holes continued to appear. Mack pulled Flint aside.

“I thought I told you not to go out there,” he scolded the kid.

“You told me to use my powers to protect people!” Flint argued.

“This isn’t your problem to fix.”

“It is my problem. They’re after me!”

“And me,” Daisy, Jemma, and Kris added at the same time.

“I don’t think they’re going to be picky about who they kill,” Yo-Yo interjected.

“We can’t leave with this place surrounded,” Daisy said.

“Come on,” Coulson looked around, “a room full of secret agents, scientists, and superheroes. Someone give me something.”

“We stand our ground and fight,” Yo-Yo suggested.

“Sounds good to me,” Kris agreed.

“Yeah, with what?” Fitz asked, leaning against the wall. “Rocks and rubbish?”

A particularly loud blast caused Kris to flinch. The noise was getting on her nerves.

“I can fight with rocks.” Flint shrugged.

“How else do you propose to get out of here?” Yo-Yo challenged.

“We don’t go out. We go up,” Deke chimed in.

“There’s no elevators here.” Coulson spread his arms out.

Deke took off his belt buckle and held it up. “Then we make our own elevator with this.”

Another loud bang made Coulson glance over his shoulder. There were a lot of holes now.

“A belt buckle?” Fitz asked, unconvinced.

“It’s an anti-gravity device,” Jemma explained.

Deke walked over to the chimney where the rocks were stacked and the others followed. The blasts were getting louder and the wall was crumbling away fast.

“This chute leads directly to the drop bay under the Trawler,” Deke pointed out. “We can get to the airlock from there.”

“We use the device to create a gravity well,” Jemma concluded.

“Will it work?” Mack asked.

“Yeah it’ll work.” Deke ducked his head into the chute, checking out the height.

Coulson shrugged. “It’s our best option at this point.”

“I’ll go first,” Deke offered. “I’ll show you how it works. And then I’ll drop the puck down, the next person can come up.”

He moved into position but was stopped by Coulson.

“No, no, no, no, no,” he and Daisy yelled at the same time as they shoved him away from the chute.

“No. Not a chance,” Daisy continued as she stole the puck from him. “I’m not gonna let you use us as bait while you make your grand escape. Fitzsimmons, you’re up.” She handed the device to them then glared at Deke. “You’re last.”

Deke glanced around, realising nobody was going to take his side. His gaze fell on Kris and she just shrugged. He looked … almost hurt by her indifference. But she didn’t really care. Just because they had hooked up doesn’t mean she trusted him.

“Once more unto the breach.” Fitz stepped inside the chute as another hole was blasted through the wall.

“Allons-y,” Jemma joked, referencing Doctor Who.

She stepped inside too and wrapped her arms around Fitz. She turned the device on and floated up the chute. Flint jumped as another loud bang echoed through the room. Mack squeezed his shoulder, reassuring him.

Coulson caught the puck and offered it to Yo-Yo. “Alright Yo-Yo, you’re up next. Let’s keep it moving.”

“Sir, do you still have that gun?” Kris asked.

“Yeah, why?” Coulson turned to her as Yo-Yo disappeared up.

“We don’t know how many are waiting for us out there. I might be able to take a few of them out before they get inside.”

“Shooting through the holes?” Coulson raised an eyebrow.

Kris shrugged. “I’m a good shot.”

“Alright.” Coulson held out the gun. “But don’t injure them, it’ll just antagonise them. If you’re going to shoot, shoot to kill.”

Kris hesitated, staring at the gun. But as another hole appeared, she grabbed it and stalked toward the wall. “Yes, sir.”

She went to one of the first holes and peeked through. The Kree had made their way across the wall, damaging it as they went and getting closer to the door. She crept along, drawing near where they were standing. A Kree with black paint over his eyes lifted a gun and held it against the wall, making another hole. Behind him stood the woman, Sinara, watching coldly. They were standing too close to the wall so Kris was at the wrong angle to aim for them.

Mack and Flint headed up next. Another bang, another hole.

Kris placed the barrel of the gun at the hole next to the one she was looking through. She aimed it at one of the Kree guards standing behind Sinara. She took the shot.

Blue blood splattered across the wall behind the guards. The Kree slumped to the floor, a bloody hole in his forehead.

Without hesitation, Kris turned the gun on the other guard, shooting him in the head too. Sinara snarled while the Kree with the gun aimed at her.

Kris jumped out of the way, the piece of wall where her chest had been crumbled away. She risked another quick glance into the corridor. Three more guards arrived from around the corner and Kris swore. The Kree with the gun kept shooting at her so she rushed back to the others.

Daisy went up next. Kris handed the gun back to Coulson.

“Two down. Two very angry. And three on the way.”

“You want to deal with them?”

“Can’t get the right angle.” She caught the look Coulson gave her. “Oh, you meant that. Sure.”

“No. No way. Bad idea,” Deke interrupted swiftly.

“As long as don’t see me –”

“Absolutely not. Do you have a death wish?” he hissed.

Coulson caught the device. “Kris, you’re up.”

“No, you first. If they break through, I can handle them. Go,” she urged.

He hesitated but stepped inside. Kris turned to face the damaged wall, watching in case it fell away. Deke waited for the puck to be thrown down.

As he was handing the puck to her, he froze, eyes darting to the wall. Then Kris heard it – a faint beeping. Realising the wall was about to blow up, Kris grabbed Deke and dragged him into the chute with her. She wrapped her arms around his torso, holding him close, and activated the device.

They floated up together, and Coulson helped them climb out. Below them, they heard an explosion. Deke quickly closed the door to the chute.

“I’m the last one,” he announced to the group. “You satisfied?”

“You sure they can’t follow us?” Jemma asked, glancing behind her nervously.

“No, they can definitely follow us. But it’s gonna take ‘em a while.”

“Alright,” Coulson called their attention, “so, you ready to take this thing out?”

They all turned to Deke. He looked around, surprised.

“What? Me?” He pointed at himself. “I’m not a pilot.”

“What? You don’t know how to fly this thing?” Daisy put her hands on her hips.

“I never said I did.” Deke scoffed. Then he hopped inside the hangar and began climbing down the bright yellow ladder while everyone stared in silence.

“Oh, wonderful,” Kris mumbled sarcastically.

“Okay. What about you, Flint?” Coulson asked. “Wasn’t Virgil giving you flying lessons?”

“Well, yeah,” the boy replied. “And I'm not bad, but … uh … I’m not leaving with you guys.”

“What do you mean you’re not leaving with us?” Mack asked, shocked. “You have to. This whole station will kill you on sight.”

“He’s right, kid,” Kris added. “This place isn’t safe for you anymore.”

“Was it ever?” Flint scoffed, then turned back to Mack. “Look, you told me to use my powers to protect people, right? They’re in this mess because of me. I can’t just abandon them. I’m gonna figure out a way to get them out of it.”

The earnestness in his voice made Kris’ heart ache. The kid had a good heart and admirable goals, but it was going to get him killed. And she knew that look in his eyes – a look that told her there was nothing they could say to dissuade him.

Mack and Yo-Yo exchanged a glance, silently coming to the same decision.

“Okay,” Mack said gently. “Well, I guess we’re gonna have to come up with a plan, then, don’t we?”

“‘We’?” Flint frowned.

“Yeah, we. Remember what I told you? I’m here if you need me. I got you.”

“Me too,” Yo-Yo added, smiling.

“Wait, Mack.” Coulson hopped out of the hangar. “What about never splitting up?”

“Yeah, I know, sir. But I'm not leaving him behind.” Mack paused briefly. “Look, we’ll handle things here. You get to the surface and figure out what the hell all this is about.”

Coulson considered it for a moment. Then he clapped Mack on the shoulder. “Be safe.”

“I’ll see you soon,” Mack replied.

Daisy hugged Yo-Yo then patted Mack’s arm, smiling at Flint. The others got into the Trawler but Kris hesitated. She stepped forward and hugged Mack tightly. He had always been there for her, always had her back no matter what. She understood why he was staying behind – it was who he was. But she had never had a chance to hug him before, to show him how much she cared about him. And, after the initial surprise, he hugged her back.

When she pulled away, she smiled. “You really do give the best hugs.” Mack chuckled at that. “Please be careful,” she continued, more serious.

“You know I will be.” Mack ruffled her hair. “You stay safe too, Trouble.”

Kris nodded, then turned to Yo-Yo. She hugged her too. Although they didn’t always see eye to eye, Kris cared about Yo-Yo as well. They had been through a lot together, and had bonded over the experience and consequences of Terrigenesis.

“I’ll look after him.” Yo-Yo smirked.

“Look after yourself, too.”

They turned away, going their separate ways. Fitz stopped Mack and Yo-Yo before they left, wanting one last word with them.

Kris climbed down into the Trawler while Daisy and Coulson took their seats in the cockpit.

“So, taking off is easy enough,” Coulson narrated, flipping switches. “Docking is the hard part, and landings – that’s impossible on account of these ships weren’t built with landing gear.”

Kris, Deke, Jemma, and Fitz (who had now joined them) hunched over, watching him, holding on to the wall of the ship for support. They all exchanged worried glances.

“So, you have no idea what you’re doing,” Daisy concluded.

“I got a flying car. How different can it be?” Coulson smiled.

“Great,” Daisy mumbled.

“Wait, you have a flying car?” Kris asked incredulously. “How did I not know this!”

“Oops, must have forgotten to mention it.” Coulson shrugged, still smiling cheerfully.

Okay, he sounded far too blasé about this whole situation. More concerned looks were thrown about before the others moved away to find their own seats. They stumbled as the take off was a bit bumpy.

“Hold on,” Coulson advised them as they exited the hangar.

~~~

The flight over the surface was relatively smooth. As Jemma and Fitz strapped into the available seats, Kris and Deke stayed standing, holding on to the backs of the pilots’ seats to steady themselves.

Kris looked out the window at the surface of the planet. It was brown and barren, nothing but jagged hills rising from the plane and deep canyons snaking across the flat areas. Sparse grey clouds floated between the planet and their ship, while they avoided the rocky debris flying past them.

It shocked her. Seeing the view of the whole planet from afar in Deke’s bar was one thing, but seeing it up close was something else. The weight of how much had been lost hit her again. Her eyebrows knitted together somberly, too preoccupied to notice Deke staring at her again.

Without warning, the lights flickered and the ship was thrown forcefully to the side. Kris collided with the wall of the cockpit, hitting her shoulder badly. She gripped the back of Daisy’s seat tighter.

“Okay, so not exactly like a flying car,” Coulson yelled.

“Ya think!?” Deke yelled back. “We are so stupid!”

He ducked and grabbed Kris’ arm, pulling her away from the cockpit.

“So much for smooth sailing,” Daisy added.

“Hang on!” Coulson shouted over his shoulder as the ship descended into the clouds.