2013 ― Peru

Coulson had invited Skye to be part of their team officially. When he shared this information with May, Audrey, and Grant, it didn't go over well. "Skye? That girl is not qualified to be a S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent." Grant said.

"As much as it pains me to say this, Ward is right. She has no qualifications or training." Audrey said.

"And I agree with both of you. That's why I've invited her on as a consultant. S.H.I.E.L.D. does it all the time. Technically, Stark is a consultant." Coulson said.

"And Tony is also an Avenger... that still puts him way above Skye in the rankings," Audrey said.

"That, and technically Skye is a member of the Rising Tide. She hacked our R.S.A. Implementation." Grant said.

"Twice. From a laptop. Imagine what she'll do with our resources." Coulson said.

"Which you're giving her direct access to," Audrey commented.

"That's exactly what I imagine during this frown. You brought us on for risk assessment. She's a risk. She doesn't think like us." Grant said, and Coulson nodded his head.

"Exactly," Coulson said.

"We have two kids on this bus who aren't cleared for combat. You're adding a third." May said.

"At least Fitz-Simmons are trained S.H.I.E.L.D. scientists. But Skye? You said this was a select team. Assembled to work new cases, to protect people. I don't see how letting some hacker tag along...-" Coulson cut Audrey off.

"...-I'm looking for an objection I haven't already anticipated. I'm calling this, but your disagreement will be on the record," Coulson said. Audrey rolled her eyes. She knew that Coulson had higher clearance than her, and this is technically his team, but she is the Director's daughter. Sometimes that has allowed her to know information she technically isn't allowed to know at her level of clearance.

"We've been called in to investigate an 0-8-4. We all know what that means." Grant said.

"Yes, we do. It means we don't know what that means."

⇎⇎⇎⇎⇎⇎

Audrey and Grant were leaving Coulson's office and walking through the central part of the bus. Skye was coming oppositely, and her eyes lit up when she saw them. "Hey... I know we didn't really...-" Skye cut off when Grant handed her a pamphlet. May said they were about to take off in two minutes.

"...-You might want to read that. This isn't like other planes." Grant said, and the two continued to walk. Skye watched as they walked off. She was curious about them. She got Grant to admit a little bit of their relationship dynamic when he was injected with the truth serum, but watching them together was fascinating.

"I still think this might blow up in our faces," Audrey said once she and Grant were alone, and he rolled his eyes.

"I agree... but we aren't in charge here, so what can we do?" He asked, and Audrey shrugged.

"Fall in line and do our jobs," Audrey said, and Grant nodded.

"You could always pull the name rank," Grant said, and Audrey rolled her eyes.

"If I didn't do it in the Academy, I'm definitely not going to do it now," Audrey said.

"Whatever you say, princess," Grant said, and Audrey rolled her eyes before they set into a glare.

"We are not bringing that nickname back," Audrey said.

Grant only smirked in response.

⇎⇎⇎⇎⇎⇎

May brought the team to Peru, where the 0-8-4 was reported. After they landed, the local police escorted them to the incident site. Coulson rode with the local police while May drove the rest of the team in the S.H.I.E.L.D. truck. "Tire tracks 40 meters back. Rey and I will check them against the site's trucks and make sure we're alone." Grant said, and Audrey nodded her head.

"Too much exposure here. I'm gonna find a place to park." May said as she hopped back into the truck and backed out of the community. Audrey and Grant started walking in the direction of the tire tracks.

"Always volunteering me to do things with you." Audrey teased.

"Isn't that what partners do? And it's either me or Skye." Grant said, and Audrey laughed while rolling her eyes.

"Well, when you put it like that..." She trailed off, and Grant laughed. The two of them checked the tire tracks to ensure they were a match, and when they saw that they were, she looked up. "Tires are a match; come on." She said.

Grant nodded his head, and they circled back to where the rest of the team was. They looked like pyramid ruins to Audrey, and May was standing at the entrance. "The tires match the professor's truck," Grant said, noticing May had no weapons. "Where's your sidearm?" He asked.

"If I need a gun, I'll take one," May said.

"Right. I forgot we were working with The Cavalry." Grant said. May's features immediately hardened, and she stopped walking.

"Don't ever call me that," May said. Her tone was so firm that Audrey knew this was a subject she shouldn't be pushed on. They've all heard the stories, they didn't know how much of it was true; but Audrey knew it was something that May didn't like to talk about. She changed after whatever mission that was. Audrey was a little younger but remembered seeing the change in May.

"Apologies... I've heard the stories... what went down in Bahrain, about you in action. You know, it was smart of Coulson to pull you out of retirement." Grant said as he backed up toward the trees. Audrey knew he had clocked a hostile. "It's nice to have a trusted friend who has your back." He said as he grabbed the hostile out of the trees and threw him on the ground.

Audrey turned around just in time to see a gun pointed at her. She quickly grabbed his wrist and twisted it back, making him drop the weapon, and then she flipped him onto the ground. A second guard came at her, and she grabbed his gun before turning herself around and elbowing him in the chest, and then she flipped him over onto the ground. She had both of their guns pointed back at them as they were on the ground. Grant had a gun pointed at the man he took down, and May also had two guns pointed at the men she took down.

More hostels came and had their guns pointed at Grant, Audrey, and May.

Grant was holding one of the shooters in a chokehold while he had his gun pointed at one that just pulled up on them, and he looked over at May. "Should've taken more guns." He said as the guards started to shout in Spanish. Then a woman got out of the car and started to approach them.

"Sir," Grant said in the comms.

"Go," Coulson responded.

"We have a situation," Grant said.

"I'm on my way," Coulson said. A few seconds later, he was walking out of the cave's entrance. "Buenos Dias. Soy Agente Coulson. Estamos aquí por un asunto de la seguridad internacional." He said, and then the woman stepped forward, and they looked at each other in shock.

"Phillip?" She asked.

"Camilla?" He asked, and then he gestured to her men. "Do you mind?" He asked.

"After you." She said. Coulson looked at Grant and Audrey and nodded his head. Grant let go of the man she was holding, and Audrey lowered the guns and let them get off the ground. Once they did that, Camilla told her men to back off, and she approached Coulson.

"Agent Melinda May, Agent Audrey Fury, Agent Grant Ward, this is Comandante Camilla Reyes. She's with the Policia Militar Del Peru. We used to work together back in the day." Coulson said without taking his eyes off Camilla. Grant and Audrey exchanged the same look because they knew working together probably meant sleeping together as well. "Let the team know everything's okay." He said.

The three of them nodded their heads. Audrey and Grant went inside the cave while May stayed outside.

⇎⇎⇎⇎⇎⇎

Meanwhile, Skye was about to leave the cave, and she turned to Fitz-Simmons. "I'm gonna go check on Coulson," Skye said as Audrey and Grant approached.

"We've got company," Grant said.

"National police," Audrey said.

"What?" Simmons asked.

"Why are they here?" Fitz asked.

"They heard about this object. They're probably here to protect it. This area has a lot of rebel uprisings." Grant said.

"Yeah, people are fighting back against the government's mining policies. It's pretty kick-ass." Skye said, and Audrey raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, it's kick-ass. All the violence and innocent people dying. Totally." Audrey spat sarcastically.

"That's not what I'm saying," Skye said.

"I know, but it's what you're typing, alone, in your van, where it's safe," Audrey said. Skye's eyes lowered to the ground, and Audrey shrugged her shoulders.

"How much longer?" Grant asked Fitz-Simmons.

"What's the hurry?" Simmons asked.

"Are we in danger?" Fitz asked.

"Not if everyone does their job," Grant said, and Audrey turned back to Skye.

"And what is yours exactly?" She asked. Skye never got a chance to answer before the cave started to shake. The rebels had come, and they were beginning to fire at everyone around them.

"Sounds like they're engaging with rebels. Let's go." Grant said.

"The rebels, they're coming for it," Fitz said.

"Guys, we gotta move, come on," Audrey said. She and Grant had their guns drawn since the other three people they were with were not cleared for combat.

"We need a containment case for the 0-8-4," Simmons said.

"Yeah, there's no time," Grant said.

"But it has a fluctuating power core...-frequency way above ten exahertz," Fitz said. Another explosion went off, which shook the cave again.

"Sorry, science class is over," Grant said as he walked over to the wall and pulled the device out.

"Whoa! Whoa, whoa, whoa! You did not just pull that out of the wall." Fitz said.

"It's looking like that's exactly what he did," Audrey said.

"What is the matter with you!? Do you realize we do not know the number of photon emissions coming out of this...-" Grant cut Fitz off by forcefully making him turn around and walk toward the exit. "...-Okay. We don't know what will happen if it gets excited," He said.

"Stay close," Grant said.

"Fitz, come on!" Simmons exclaimed.

Audrey and Grant exited the tunnel firing their guns at the hostiles. Skye and Fitz-Simmons followed them out, but Audrey pushed them back and kept them in the entryway. "Get back!" She exclaimed. She noticed a small metal rod that Grant pulled out, and she knew what he was about to do. Camilla told her men to get down as Grant went out to the middle of the clearing and planted the rod. It shot off a sonic explosion that sent all the rebels back, and then Grant turned around.

"Rey, come on!" He exclaimed. Audrey turned around and nodded for Skye and Fitz-Simmons to follow her out. A rebel stepped in front of them and was about to fire his gun, but May ran him over with the S.H.I.E.L.D. truck. "Get in!" Grant exclaimed as he opened the back door. Audrey let Skye and Fitz-Simmons get in first, and then she got in after. The four of them squeezed back there was not comfortable. Grant got in the front, and May peeled off back toward the bus with Coulson and Camilla following behind them.

"Coulson's secure in P.M.P.'s truck. Take the south route to the airfield." Grant said.

"Gotcha," May responded.

"Slow down!" Fitz exclaimed.

"You're joking, right?" Audrey asked.

"Ward, listen! We have to be careful. There's a binding energy structure that could overheat!" Fitz exclaimed.

"I could roll down a window," Simmons said.

"I wouldn't recommend it," Audrey said. As she spoke, the rebels started shooting at their car, but the bullets ricocheted off since the car was bulletproof. "Told you."

"Just stay quiet and keep your heads down," Grant said to the rest of them. He could see how annoyed Audrey was and how cramped she was, so he wanted to get back to The Bus quickly. He turned back to May. "Head left. The ravine empties." He said.

"But Ward!" Fitz exclaimed.

"Quiet!" Grant, Audrey, and May all snapped at the same time. May opened up the back of The Bus from the car, and Audrey leaned forward.

"May, how fast can you get wheels up?" She asked.

"Fast." She said as everyone piled out of the car and onto the bus. "Ramp." She said.

"On it," Grant responded as he walked over to the panel that controlled the ramp.

"What are you doing? Coulson is still out there!" Skye said. Audrey grabbed her and roughly pulled her away from the ramp.

"Get off the ramp; you're in the line of fire," Audrey said. Then she grabbed her gun and helped Grant and some of Camilla's men shoot at the rebels so Coulson and Camilla could get on the bus. Once they were safely on, Grant closed the ramp and looked at Coulson.

"Cutting it pretty close, sir," Grant said.

"Didn't want to leave anyone behind," Coulson said.

"I gotta say it. I miss my van." Skye said. Then Grant looked at Fitz, who was on the ground with the 0-8-4.

"Now, what's the problem?" Grant asked.

"As I said before, this device has a high-frequence, fluctuating sub-material compression...-" Audrey cut him off.

"...-Fitz, in English for the rest of us, please?" Audrey asked.

"The 0-8-4 is fueled by Tesseract technology. HYDRA, World War II, Captain America. It's full of lethal amounts of gamma radiation." Fitz said, and Audrey's eyes widened. Since she had seen tesseract-fueled weapons up close, she was very wary of anything fueled by their energy.

"Gamma? You're saying it's nuclear?" Grant asked.

"No... he's saying it's much worse," Coulson said. Fitz had set the bag with the 0-8-4 in the middle of the circle they all formed with each other. Everyone took one look at the bag.

Then they all took a step back.

⇎⇎⇎⇎⇎⇎

Audrey was in the lab with Simmons and Skye when the doors opened up; Fitz's Scottish accent was yelling at Grant Ward as they entered the lab. "Are you mental? I did explain in great detail exactly what I meant, using the Queen's bloody English!" Fitz yelled.

"I use normal English. Words like 'duck,' 'run,' and 'might blow us to pieces." Grant responded.

"Oh, wow. Well, congratulations Agent Ward. You managed to string three words together in a sentence." Fitz said. Audrey turned her head to the side and bit down on her lip so she didn't laugh. What Fitz said is something she would definitely say to Grant, and she thought it was hilarious. The two continued to go back and forth until the lab doors opened again, and Coulson walked in. Then they fell quiet.

"Do we have a problem here?" Coulson asked.

"No, sir... just working on our communication," Grant said. Audrey slipped out a laugh and quickly lowered her head so she could recover. "Not everyone was prepared for a firefight." Grant continued.

"We got out. Didn't lose anyone, saved a few of theirs. I'd say we did alright." Coulson said, and then he looked around. "Anything else?" He asked. Audrey rolled her eyes when she noticed that Skye had raised her hand.

"This isn't a classroom; just speak," Audrey said.

"I have a small question. Because I've been feeling like the tagalong hayseed rookie, but now I get the sense that Ward doesn't know who one is Simmons and which one is Fitz, and they've seen even less gunfire than me. I'm not a rocket scientist, but is this your first mission together?" Skye asked as she looked around the group.

"No... of course not. It's our second." Simmons said.

"I was your first? That's sweet." Skye said, and Audrey rolled her eyes.

"Don't flatter yourself. Are you seriously amused right now?" Audrey asked.

"No, I'm terrified. I am in way over my head, but I have been on this team just as long as any of you. I might as well be team captain." Skye said, and Audrey scoffed.

"You may have been on this 'team' for as long as we have, but don't think that means you belong here. Unlike you, the rest of us are trained S.H.I.E.L.D. agents; you're barely qualified. The only reason you're still here is that Coulson is much nicer than the rest of us." Audrey said, and Coulson shot her a sharp look.

"That's enough, Agent Fury," Coulson said. Audrey took a deep breath. She knew Coulson was serious because he referred to her formally.

"I was joking, but maybe that's not a bad idea because these guys do not like each other much. It seems Ward and Audrey are the only ones who like each other." Skye said.

"He's tolerable, I suppose," Audrey said, and Grant gave her a look.

"This isn't about that. Audrey and I are specialists. Today, we would have eliminated the enemy threat ourselves if we were working alone." Grant said. By alone, he meant the two of them. They've been field partners for the last three years since they returned from Switzerland, and they always get their missions done.

"He's right, but instead, we had non-combat-ready agents...-" Fitz cut her off.

"...-Whoa, whoa, wait. You work alone? Look, I get that you're the Director's daughter...-" Audrey cut back in.

"...-You really wanna finish that sentence, Fitz?" She asked.

"It's so typical. Who do you think designs your equipment?" Simmons asked.

"Or the polymers for your weaponry," Fitz added as he pointed to himself and Simmons. "People like us do it." He said.

"Try going into the field with just your bare bum," Simmons said.

"You see them proving the point I just made?" Audrey heard Skye whisper to Coulson.

"You're not wrong. We still need to iron out the kinks." Coulson said.

"That doesn't mean you're in charge of anything either," Audrey said directly to Skye.

"Ward, you can speak six languages. Audrey, you can speak eight. Simmons, you have two PhDs in fields I can't pronounce, and Fitz, you are a rocket scientist. So work it out." Coulson said, and then he walked out of the room.

"I...-I'm good at stuff too," Skye said. Fitz turned to Audrey.

"You can speak eight languages?" He asked, and Audrey shrugged her shoulders.

"When you're one of the top spies in the agency, you work to be the best at everything."

⇎⇎⇎⇎⇎⇎

Grant and Audrey were sitting out in the main room of The Bus on the couch together. They were both reading books, and Audrey had her legs spread across Grant's lap, which he didn't mind. It wasn't the first time they'd sat in this exact position. "Hunger Games?" The pair looked up when they heard Skye's voice.

"Matterhorn. I'm just getting around to one of the hundred books my S.O. gave me." Grant said.

"I'm just reading Stephen King. Promised a friend." Audrey said as she put her bookmark in the book. After Caleb's funeral, his parents gave his books to Audrey because Caleb had mentioned to them how he and Audrey loved to read together, so they thought she might like to have them. Audrey appreciated it tremendously and made her own promise to Caleb that she would finish all the books in his collection. He had a lot of fiction and non-fiction, and she would read it all.

However, Grant noticed the confusion on Skye's face when he said S.O. "S.O. Supervising Officer." He explained to her, and she nodded.

"Oh, got it. Hackers have lingo too, but I'll pick yours up. I feel like I got off on the wrong foot with the two of you. Can I... buy you a drink?" She asked as she shook the bottle that was in her hand. Grant looked at Audrey, and Audrey shrugged her shoulders. Grant gestured for Skye to sit down, and once she did, she looked at Audrey. "What I said before... When I said, the uprising was... whatever I said, a good thing. I don't want you to think I'm oblivious." Skye said.

"So, what do you want me to think?" Audrey asked.

"What I was talking about was the tweets." She said.

"Tweets? Are you trying to make things better or worse?" Audrey asked, and Grant laughed a little.

"Peruvians have organized for the first time in decades. Thousands of suffering people who have never met uniting over a common idea? It's mind-blowing. And I don't want to bring it up because I don't want to see either of your hate faces, but... that's what The Rising tide is all about." Skye said. Audrey and Grant shared a look before he turned back to Skye.

"Okay..." He trailed off as he waited for her to explain further.

"Usually, one person doesn't have the solution. But 100 people with 1% of the solution, that'll get it done. I think that's beautiful... pieces solving a puzzle." Skye said.

"You see the world differently from us, that's all," Grant said.

"You see things too optimistically. We see things from a spy's point of view." Audrey said.

"Well, I've never been in a war zone during a war until today. That was crazy. I take it the two of you have seen that a lot?" Skye asked. Neither Grant nor Audrey answered; they just finished their drinks. As the liquor burned down her throat, she momentarily thought about Caleb and Switzerland. She would consider those two "war zones" her op in London was a bit calmer than that.

When Grant leaned forward to put his cup down, Audrey noticed specks of red on his shirt. "Wait, Grant... Did you get shot?" She asked. He was wearing a white t-shirt, and she hadn't noticed those bloodstains before.

"Skin deep. Nothing to worry about, Rey." Grant said as he looked over at her.

"Grant, you got shot." She said. Grant caught her eyes and made her continue looking at him, gesturing for her to take a deep breath.

"And I'm still right here. It's okay." He said. Audrey took a deep breath and nodded her head. After everything that happened with Caleb, she gets nervous whenever someone close to her gets hurt.

"Did that happen while protecting us?" Skye asked.

"Look, I said don't worry about it. It's fine." Grant said, and Skye sighed.

"Well, no wonder you were so pissed," Skye said, and Grant shook his head.

"I wasn't pissed. I was trained to be the whole solution... to eliminate variables. And today, they kept adding up." Grant said, and Audrey nodded her head. Camilla and her crew being along for the ride was the most annoying part for Audrey.

"We're turning," Skye commented as she felt the plane shift.

"We've entered restricted airspace, so we have to follow certain flight paths... regulation," Grant said.

"This plane is capable of fully automated flight, but May has to be on the stick herself tonight," Audrey said.

"You've got S.O.s. May's gotta be on the stick. Lots of good lingo on this plane." Skye said with a smile. Grant and Audrey didn't find it as entertaining.

"Yeah... but we still can't seem to understand each other," Grant said, and Skye shook her head.

"I don't know... the two of you seem to understand each other pretty well," Skye said. Grant and Audrey shared a look. They knew Skye was right, they do understand each other well, probably better than anyone else understands them. Grant was the first one to break eye contact, and he turned back to Skye.

"We've known each other for nearly eleven years now. We went through the Academy together, we trained together, and we've been on missions together. We've officially been field partners for the last three years. I know you hear me give him a lot of shit and vice versa but... Grant is one of the few people I trust with my life." Audrey said as she shrugged her shoulders.

"Wow, princess... that is the nicest thing you've ever said to me," Grant said, and Audrey rolled her eyes.

"And of course, he just ruined it." She said. 'Princess' was the nickname he snarkily called her in the Academy before they were friends. Now he says it because he knows it annoys her, and Grant's favorite thing to do is annoy Audrey.

"But she's right... when you've been through what we've been through, seen the things we've seen, done the missions we've done together... It has a way of bonding you for life. Audrey is also one of the few I trust with my life." Grant said, and Audrey smiled at him.

"Oh, come on... it's so obvious. I saw it in the interrogation room, and even more now. How long have you two been together?" Skye asked. Grant and Audrey shared another look, knowing that their romantic relationship history was a bit complicated.

"Rey and I have an interesting history... and we have an agreement that we'd have a conversation about everything when the time is right," Grant said, and Audrey nodded her head.

"And the time isn't right yet," Audrey said.

"The time will never be right. If the two of you always look for excuses not to be together, you're always going to find them, that's just my piece." Skye said as she shrugged her shoulders. Audrey and Grant looked at each other, and they knew she was right. If they kept looking for excuses, they would always find them. There would never be a 'right' time to talk about things, it was just their excuse not to have to deal with the situation at the moment. Audrey nodded her head, and Grant nodded too, they knew what it meant.

They were going to talk.

Audrey sat back against the couch, and she noticed Camilla's men. The atmosphere felt weird with them around. She noticed their glasses were full and untouched, and they seemed to be playing card games with each other. She slowly moved her legs off of Grant's lap and silently gestured over to them.

"Skye, hand me the bottle," Grant said.

"Okay, turbo... but you're still nursing the one you got," Skye said as she handed the bottle over to him.

"I'm not the only one." He said, and then he looked at Audrey. "Go left." He said. Audrey nodded her head and moved Skye out of the way right as Camilla's men attacked. Grant smashed the bottle against a soldier's head which knocked him backward while Audrey dodged a punch from the other one.

When he rushed to punch her again, Audrey grabbed his wrist and twisted his arm around before flipping his body onto the ground. Ward punched down another guard as Camilla and Coulson came running down the stairs. They saw on camera, one of Camilla's men was holding Fitz with a sharp object pointed at his neck. Another guard came up behind Audrey and grabbed her. She quickly threw her head back, which caught the soldier off guard and he fell off of her.

"I hate when people touch me."

⇎⇎⇎⇎⇎⇎

Fitz-Simmons, Grant Ward, Audrey Fury, and Skye had their hands tied behind their backs, and they were seated in a straight line against the wall in the cargo hold, where the cars were. May was on the ground unconscious next to Audrey. "This is my fault. I should've learned Kung-Fu." Fitz said.

"Oh, yeah, but I shouldn't have pushed you into the field in the first place. You weren't ready." Simmons said.

"It was my job to make a proper threat assessment," Grant said, and Audrey groaned.

"Okay, everybody, shut up! Playing the blame game does not help anything, and honestly, it doesn't matter. We got bested, it happens. The question is, what are we going to do now?" Audrey asked.

"If Agent May wouldn't have been on the stick, she would've busted out her ninja know-how," Skye said.

"Agent May? No, no, no. She transferred from administration." Fitz said, and Audrey laughed a little.

"Well, I've seen her destroy a guy so..." Skye trailed off. Fitz-Simmons looked at Audrey and Grant. One, because Audrey laughed when Fitz said she transferred from administration, and they knew that if anyone knew about May's skills, it would be Audrey and Grant.

"You've heard of the Cavalry?" Grant asked. Fitz-Simmons nodded their heads.

"Yeah." They said at the same time.

"Everyone at the academy talks about the story...-" Fitz cut off as he and Simmons came to the realization and their eyes widened.

"She's the Cavalry?" They asked.

"I told you never to call me that," May said as she started to wake up.

"I can't believe it. Oh, we're sure to get out of here now." Simmons said as she looked at May. "Um... how do we get out of here?" She asked.

"Can't go through the doors. They're bolted, tied to the pressurization lines. You two geniuses have nothing?" May asked.

"Yeah, well... It's hard to concentrate in these intense situations." Fitz said.

"Hey, don't freeze up. Take a breath. You don't need to come up with the whole solution. Just part of it, right?" Grant said as he looked down at Skye since he was recalling the words she said earlier. Skye nodded her head.

"Yeah, pieces solving a puzzle."

⇎⇎⇎⇎⇎⇎

"Well, that's literally the worst idea we've heard yet," Audrey said after Skye told everyone her plan that could help them get out of their predicament.

"But it could work," Skye pointed out.

"Reyes is going to kill us the minute we land, regardless, and blame it on the rebels. This way, we have a fighting chance. I'll take it. What's first?" Grant asked.

"We can't get upstairs without going into the lab," Fitz said.

"And the only way to release the lab doors is from upstairs," Simmons said.

"The first thing is, we're tied to the cargo door, so unless you can...-" Skye cut off when they all heard a loud crack.

"What the hell was that?" Fitz asked.

"Her wrist," Audrey responded. May broke her wrist in order to get out of her bindings. She took out the guard that was watching them, and then she popped her wrist back into place.

"What's next?"

⇎⇎⇎⇎⇎⇎

May untied Audrey first, and Audrey untied Grant, and then they each untied Fitz-Simmons and Skye. Then Skye looked around at everyone as they re-established their plan. "Okay, we're sure, right? Everyone is sure?" Skye asked.

"We're all on board," Simmons said.

"Yeah, let's do this fast," Fitz said.

"No turning back, no freezing up," Grant said.

"And try not to die," Audrey added in.

"Alright," Grant said.

"You guys talk a lot," May said as she started the truck. Audrey moved everyone out of the way, and then Grant grabbed Audrey and moved her behind him as May crashed the car into the lab doors. Audrey and Grant had ropes and chains and tied them around everyone's waists to connect them for the next part of the plan. Then they all lined up against the wall.

"Simmons..." Grant said.

"Forget what I said before... this is the moment that we'll regret," Fitz said to Simmons. He had sent a drone into the main room and made it blow a small explosion by the side door. Then the door dinged as the green light came on.

"It worked!" Skye exclaimed.

"The drop in cabin pressure released the doors," Simmons said.

"Audrey and I will take care of the soldiers. You guys get the 0-8-4. And Coulson? Let's hope he can handle himself." Grant said. He opened the doors that led into the main cabin, and since they were all tied together to keep themselves inside, they all moved as one unit.

"Get back!" Audrey exclaimed as one of the soldiers started shooting. She and Grant ducked out of the way while Skye went back through the door. The soldier came over to where Grant and Audrey were crouched. Grant stood up and slammed the soldier's head down on the wooden backboard from the couch in front of them and knocked him out.

Audrey released the rope and chains from around her and jumped over the couch to kick the chest of the next soldier that was coming at Grant. A third one came from a different angle, and Grant strapped him down to the couch by the seatbelts. Then he turned to Skye and Fitz-Simmons.

"Go, now! Find the 0-8-4!" He exclaimed.

Grant and Audrey were still fighting off the soldiers while Skye looked at the pamphlet of the plane Grant had given her earlier, and she had an idea. A soldier had latched onto Fitz-Simmons chain, and when Fitz released him, he knocked into Grant which knocked them closer to the open hole in the plane, and Audrey's eyes widened.

"Grant!" She yelled as she reached out for his hand. She had herself stabilized on one of the poles. Grant grabbed onto her hand, but he also had the soldier pulling at him. The soldier's shirt ripped, and he went flying out of The Bus while Grant remained.

"Rey, I'm slipping," Grant said. He could feel his hand getting loose in hers.

"No, just hold on!" Audrey said as she tried to grip him tighter. Skye had fully blown up the emergency raft, and she sent it in the direction of the hole, right as Grant's hand slipped from Audrey's. "Grant!" She screamed. Then Audrey noticed he got caught by the raft and she breathed a breath of relief. "Oh my god." She said as she walked over to him and held her hand out.

Grant smirked as he placed his hand in hers and allowed her to pull him off the ground. "You know I wouldn't leave you that easily," Grant said, and Audrey rolled her eyes as she hit his chest. Then they noticed Coulson approaching them.

"No other way in, huh? I was just starting to warm up to this place." Coulson said.

"Don't worry, I can sweet talk my dad into fixing it up," Audrey said, and Coulson smiled at her.

"The 0-8-4 is cooling and stable. But, we should call H.Q. and get it to the slingshot as soon as possible." Fitz said. Everyone nodded their heads, but they were still reeling from what happened, and Audrey cleared her throat.

"I need a drink."

⇎⇎⇎⇎⇎⇎

Grant found Audrey packing up her weapons. She did talk to her dad, and he was going to have The Bus fixed, so they had to temporarily move off of it while it got repaired. "Looks like Skye might end up as more than just a consultant, despite our reservations." He said. Audrey looked up to acknowledge his presence and then she shrugged her shoulders. "She could turn into a solid asset with some serious work."

"Are you serious?" Audrey asked without looking at him.

"What do you have against her, Rey?" Grant asked. Audrey rolled her eyes as she looked at Grant.

"What do you have for her, Ward?" Audrey asked, and Grant smirked.

"Oh, don't tell me... Is Audrey Fury jealous?" Grant asked, and then he leaned in close to her ear. "You already know I'm yours, Rey... you just have to officially say the words." He whispered as she stepped back. Audrey gave him a look, but she was a little stuck by his words. He was right, the reason they weren't together was because she was holding back, and not because she didn't want to be with him. She didn't know why.

"Don't make me kick your ass. I don't get jealous." Audrey said, and Grant laughed as Audrey rolled her eyes again. Sometimes she couldn't believe how far she and Grant had come since their days at the Academy. Being separated for nearly three years after they graduated, he came back when she needed him the most, and then he stayed and became her partner.

"Well..." The pair looked up and saw May approaching them. "If Skye wants to be a field agent, she'll need a supervising officer. Someone disciplined, someone good." May said.

"Okay, I'll do it," Grant said, and May remained quiet, so Grant cleared his throat. "Just to clarify... you were, uh, talking about me, right?" He asked.

"Sure... if you wanted me to be," May said as she walked away and Audrey looked at Grant.

"She was clearly talking about me. Natasha Romanoff was my S.O. best of the best." Audrey said as she shrugged her shoulders.

"Okay, then do you want to be her S.O.?" Grant asked and Audrey shrugged.

"Job is all yours, Ward. As long as you're still my partner." She said, and Grant laughed as he nudged her shoulder.

"I'll always be your partner." He said. The two smiled at each other and Audrey decided maybe she should stop running from her feelings and just let herself feel.

"Grant...-" She was cut off by Fitz calling out for them.

"...-Hey, you guys don't want to miss this." He said. He had a cooler of beers, and the sun was starting to set. Before they walked over, Grant looked at Audrey.

"What's up, Rey?" He asked, and she shook her head.

"We can talk about it later." She said, and he nodded his head. The two of them joined the rest of the team in the cargo hold. The door was open, and they were all sitting on the edge. Grant passed Audrey a beer, and she smiled.

"How many of those have you guys had?" Skye asked.

"Skye... Skye... It's important when in the field to unwind from time to time." Simmons slightly slurred.

"Yeah, yeah, especially after a hard day of everyone almost dying," Fitz said, and Audrey laughed.

"Which doesn't happen every day, right?" Simmons asked as Coulson joined them. "It's an anomaly...-an irregularity. Not... the norm." She said.

"Speaking of 'not the norm,' whose idea was it to blow a hole in the plane?" Coulson asked.

"May said that the doors were tied to the pressurization, so I thought...-" Simmons cut Skye off.

"...-So we thought it was the only way to release them," Simmons said.

"It was everyone's idea, sir," Grant said.

"Yes, quite genius actually," Fitz said.

"Hell, it even impressed me... and you know I'm very hard to impress," Audrey said, and Coulson nodded his head.

"Nice work," Coulson said.

"All clear for lift-off."

"Oh, time for a blastoff." As they watched the rocket launch, Grant hit Fitz on the back of his head the way Fitz would slap him on the back which made Audrey laugh as they watched it go down. Then they all sat there, enjoying the sunrise and watching the rocket launch. Audrey looked around at everyone with a smile on her face.

They finally felt like a team.

⇎⇎⇎⇎⇎⇎

"Hey, Dad. Coulson said you wanted to see me before you left." Audrey said when she walked onto The Bus as it was currently under construction. She always gave her dad updates on what was happening, so when she told him about The Bus, he told her he'd have it fixed immediately.

"How did it take six days for this plane to get destroyed? Not even a full week." Fury said, and Audrey laughed as she shrugged her shoulders.

"Shit happens on missions, I guess. Did you really want to talk to me about The Bus?" She asked, and he shook his head.

"I wanted to see how you were adjusting. I know you're not used to working with more than one person at a time." Fury said, and Audrey shrugged her shoulders again.

"Honestly, once we worked out some of the kinks, it wasn't too bad. I think we're gonna be alright." Audrey said, and Fury nodded his head.

"What about this new girl that Coulson brought in?" He asked.

"I don't agree with the decision, but he still outranks me, so I can't do anything about it," Audrey said.

"You could've been higher clearance." Fury said, and Audrey rolled her eyes.

"I know, and as I've said to you for the last ten years, I will not use the fact that I am your daughter to rise through the ranks. I should be treated like every other agent. Plus, fair treatment and hard work has gotten me to level 7. I can keep going higher." Audrey said.

"I never had any doubt about that. I know Coulson is the man in charge, and I trust him. But you are my daughter, and I trust you more. So keep an eye out, okay? And if you need me to come pull rank, you know how to contact me." Fury said, and Audrey nodded her head.

"Yes, sir." She said.

"And stop flirting with that Ward boy; you're too good for him. I've been telling you that for years." Fury said, and Audrey laughed.

"Well, Steve did tell me that he was sticking around S.H.I.E.L.D. you could always reassign me to Washington, and I'll flirt with him instead." Audrey teased, and Fury shook his head as he walked over to his daughter and kissed her forehead.

"I'll be in touch soon, and please do not blow another hole into this plane." He said, and Audrey laughed.

"No promises, Dad." She said, and Fury shook his head.

"I love you, Audrey." He said, and Audrey smiled.

"I love you too."

⇎⇎⇎⇎⇎⇎

so audrey and skye aren't close now,
but that will change around the time
the big reveal happens.

don't forget to vote/comment.

xoxo.