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✧·ﾟ:CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN*:·ﾟ✧

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✧·ﾟ: *✧·ﾟ:* what they become *:·ﾟ✧*:·ﾟ✧
date: March 30th, 2015
location: Old San Juan, Puerto Rico

    ━━The Bus met up with them bearing terrible news. HYDRA had Raina and Skye, and the one who came down to grab them was the very person Clara had been hoping she'd never have to see again. Grant Ward had Skye in his grasps once again, and this knowledge made Roy frown. He had told her that he planned on fulfilling his promise to Skye before helping her ... Roy knew this would happen. She knew this would happen. She could've stopped it. She should have told Coulson ... Hurrying up the cargo ramp and into the large plane, Roy was a mix of emotions; like a child splattered paint on a blank canvas and called it done━that's how she felt right now. Ward has Skye again, and it might've been her fault. She had seen Mack die━he had fallen to his death. She had heard the thump of at least one hundred feet that surely would have cracked his spine at the very least.

    "Let me know as soon as you can get us down into the tunnels safely," Coulson told Fitz, Roy and Simmons, and they all nodded.

    Before Roy could pass, however, Coulson held her back with a gentle grip of her arm. Meeting his gaze, she saw the softness in them that he had always held back when her father had died. "We'll find her, and we'll find Ward, okay? I promise."

    "I know..." Clara murmured, not sure on what else to say before following after Fitz and Simmons.

    Heading up the stairs, Roy caught a glimpse of the conversation between May and Coulson back down in the cargo hold: "Whitehall's demand was for Raina. He said nothing about Skye."

    "So Ward called an audible when he saw her on the plane."

    "Or had his own agenda the whole time. He told Skye he was keeping his promise. He had asked for Clara, wondering where she was."

    Roy calmed her breathing and continued on. She couldn't focus on Ward at the moment. Skye can handle herself perfectly fine. She couldn't worry about what he had said about her father, or mother━Dearest Clarissa━no. She had to worry about finding a way to get back down and hopefully save Mack. She was sure he was still alive. Maybe it was her hoping for far too much. But they don't know what they're dealing with here. Alien biology has infinite possibilities.

    Fitz, Roy and Smmons all made their way to the Cage to discuss possible ways of getting down the shaft without being affected by whatever had affected Mack. Roy paced the room, finding that doing something always helped her think. Simmons watched her walk around with her own thoughtful frown on her face. Fitz tapped his fingers against the table, trying hard not to think about Mack and instead focus on what was right before them━the problem is, he has trouble focusing at the moment.

    Roy played with the rings on her fingers. Looking up at the ceiling, she let out a long sigh, "Getting into the city and moving safely about doesn't seem nearly as hard as finding a way to save Mack."

    Fitz glanced up at her, "You don't have to say things about Mack being alive just because he was my friend, Clara."

    She gave him a look, "Fitz, we're dealing with alien tech and alien biology. We have absolutely no idea what might have happened to Mack down there."

    "That's a good point, actually," said Fitz, shuffling awkwardly in the chair. "I apologise."

    A small silence settled between the three friends. Simmons crossed her arms, her eyes solemn as they stared at the ground. They've spent days like this, talking and chatting to try and figure out a problem, but it was different this time around. They weren't bouncing back and forth off each other, there was hesiation. Clara was hesitant to explore ideas with Fitz, and he, her. Simmons was stuck between the two of them, unsure on what to do herself. She didn't want to pick sides, she tried to fix the chasm between them, but no matter what she did, it wasn't working. And now Fitz was leaving the lab entirely to stay away from Clara. No one wondered how Simmons was doing through this. Her friends spoke with her, yes, but they weren't speaking together. She missed them being a group, not separated, forcing to be together like it they were treading deep waters, wanting to get out and to safety as quick as they could. It stressed her out; it made her upset. She cried her first few nights back at S.H.I.E.L.D., wanting to help her friends, but having no idea how to do it. Everyone was different from last year. She hid it well, but even Jemma Simmons didn't know how to deal with it.

    Fitz pursed his lips, looking down at his tablet. His brows knitted together, creasing his skin. "It's just ... I've been thinking about self defence."

    Clara's shoulders slumped, meeting his gaze with a churn in her gut. Is he seriously worried about that right now? She wanted to be angry, or perhaps upset, but she knew that wouldn't end well. So, she tried to be gentle. Pulling back the seat opposite, she sat down and murmured, "Hey, I know you might still have hurt feelings but, Fitz, we need to concentrate━"

    Immediately, he stood up from the table, pushing his chair back. "Oh, no, no━" Clara's gaze fell, hurt once again. She thought that maybe they were slowly getting better after they all stood in a line and were Fitz-Roy-Simmons like the used to be, but now, she knew that wasn't the case. "Um, I'm not━I'm not talking about myself. I'm━I'm speaking about the━"

    "The city," realised Simmons, and Fitz turned to her, happy. Clara hated the burst of jealousy in her stomach. Stop it, she told herself. Be happy that he still has Simmons. But she couldn't help but think: what had she done differently to her? Why were Fitz-Simmons okay? But not Fitz-Roy?

    (No, she needs to focus on the task at hand).

    "Yeah," he said, nodding. "What if it reacts when it senses a threat? I mean, it's the same way the Obelisk would when somebody touches it. I mean, we━we all know that alien materials react negatively to human biology."

    Simmons nodded, her mind racing. She came and stood next to Roy, her hand settled on her shoulder from where she sat. "The way white blood cells fight off bacteria or a virus."

    "Yeah," Fitz's eyes flickered down, glum. "Which is why I'm afraid that Mack's ... most likely dead."

    "But ... there are always other possibilities, right?" piped up Roy, feeling excluded━which shouldn't be the way this was. They were Fitz-Roy-Simmons. Not Fitz-Simmons. Or Fitz-Roy. Or Roy-Simmons. "What if ..." she tried to think of some explanation. She didn't like seeing Fitz so upset, and she also didn't want Mack to be dead━no matter how much he doesn't like her. Then something hit her, and she gasped. She snapped her fingers at her two friends, eyes lightening up as she came up with a theory. "What if the city didn't kill Mack but instead co-opted him, made him a part of it?"

    Fitz and Simmons turned to her, their eyes wide. The engineer propped his hands on his hips, and Roy couldn't help but smile that the flicker of hope on his face. "Like zombie ants?"

    "Yes!" she nodded, her words flowing out in a rush. "Maybe it's like the fungus Ophiocordyceps━" she turned to Simmons for confirmation, and she nodded, saying she was correct. "It━It possesses and transforms ants into creatures that do it's bidding. Maybe the city didn't kill Mack, it's just controlling him. Think about it; when Mack was brought up, he was like a soldier━attacking us because we weren't meant to be down there━" he didn't attack me, Roy ignored that part, "━and like you said, the Obelisk is all about self defence. It's a city, and a city needs guards and soldiers. To get rid of those not meant to be there, and lead those who have the Obelisk..."

    As she spoke, Fitz slowly sat down back in the seat opposite her. Simmons had a grin on her face as well, happy for some hope for their team member. "If Mack's alive," went on Roy, "then there's still hope we can save him!"

    Simmons clasped her hands together, "Let's do this!"

    They worked together for the rest of the morning━like old times. Like old times. Clara knew she shouldn't be happy with Mack's life on the line, but she couldn't help it. She missed this━she had missed this so much. Fitz-Roy-Simmons managed to come up with a plan by the end of the morning, and everyone began to get ready for the trip back down. They were still planning to blow it up, and hearing those words out of Trip's mouth, Roy's breath hitched. She shook her head.

    "No. We can't do that with Mack still down there," she told him. "We have to get him out first."

    Trip pursed his lips, "We will try our best, Clara," he placed a hand on her shoulder. "If Mack's down there, I will do everything in my power to get him back up."

    She nodded, believing him. If anyone could save Mack, it would be Trip. So, she turned back to Fitz and Simmons and continued to help them pack all the needed equipment. Grabbing a hazmat suit, she passed it over to Simmons who, as she folded it up and placed it into the bag, said: "It's been a frustrating morning considering how little data we have but Fitz, Roy and I believe that if we wear protective hazmat suits it shouldn't be able to sense us."

    May nodded, satisfied. "Director Coulson, Agent Triplett and myself will place the bombs. Fitz-Roy-Simmons will runt hings from up top."

    With a grim smile, Simmons picked up the bag and slung it over her shoulder. Roy met Trip's gaze, and he gave her a firm nod. She took a deep breath. We can do this, she told herself. We can get Mack back and destroy that temple for good.

    Roy nerves skyrocketed, however, when Coulson recieved a call from Bobbi and Hunter on Skye's location. On Skye's and Ward's. Her breath was forever hitched in the back of her throat as she listened to the conversation, scared at if she even breathed, she'd miss something important. Their talk before he was transferred and escape replayed over in her mind like a record on repeat━a loop she couldn't get out of. She couldn't help but wonder if this was her fault. If she had told Coulson about the call, would have they'd been able to stop this? She knew that they probably wouldn't have━most likely, actually. But her mind couldn't help but torment her with that possibility. Like it tormented her with the fact that if she had just let him die on the Bus last year, none of this would have happened. And then she'd go back into that loop of self-blame and guilt how she risked S.H.I.E.L.D. intel over a traitor's life because she was weak.

    Clara watched Agent Sam Koenig pinpont Theatre Ponce De Leon onto the map. Her ears were piqued as she picked up her own bag. "Why there?" murmured Coulson, frowning. He turned to Koenig. "Can you superimpose the alien city over the map?"

    Koenig obliged, and the large circle locating the temple matched up right underneath. Agent Roy felt her stomach twist━this wasn't goo. "They're practically over it," sighed Coulson, and he looked as though he had suddenly just aged ten years.

    "Yeah, but they can't get to it," said Koenig. "We know that. There's a couple hundred feet of volcanic rock on top of it."

    "But S.H.I.E.L.D. had tech that can drill right through it," Roy spoke up, dread filling her chest and making it hard to breathe. Coulson met her gaze, and she shared his worry. "That means HYDRA has it."

    "Yeah," added Fitz, arms crossed as he eyed the monitor, "plasma drill. That would make light work of it."

    Coulson let out another sigh and spoke to Bobbi on his phone, "Any evidence of Ward or Skye?" the answer was not what he wanted; Roy could see the fall of his face. He glanced cautiously at her, and she clenched her fists. How could Ward get away? Again? "Sit tight," he then said. "We'll be there soon."

    Adressing the others, the Director took a deep breath: "Change of plans. HYDRA's trying to shortcut into the chamber. May and I need to help Hunter and Morse stop them."

✧·ﾟ: *✧·ﾟ:* what they become *:·ﾟ✧*:·ﾟ✧
date: March 30th, 2015
location: Old San Juan, Puerto Rico

    ━━"I still think one of you should ait up here in case something goes wrong."

    At Trip's words, all three scientists shook their heads immediately. Back down in the garrison before the dark shaft, Roy found herself sweating in her hazmat suit. They were meant to head down, activate the bombs, and run as fast as they could ot ge tback to the surface before it all blew beneath them. Trip wanted to go just by himself, not wanting the others to be in danger, but they weren't having it━at all.

    "Absolutely not━", "━No way━", "━Yeah. We already talked about this."

    Simmons added onto Fitz's comment, "We've got no comms, no flashlights, or GPS," Simmons looked up from the blueprints in her hands. "The four of us have a higher probability rate of success if we work together."

    "Hey, don't get me wrong," Trip placed the bombs gently onto the ground. "I love having the company. All right, timers are good. We just need to get them to the right spots, insert the detonators, get the hell out."

    "What do we do if Mack's down there?" wondered Roy.

    Trip sighed, "I told you we'd do everything in our power to get him back up. But if he's not there, Clara, it's not Mack," pulling out his gun, he checked the ammunition with a furrowed brow. "We'll be doing him a favour."

    Clara glanced over at Fitz to see him watch Trip put the gun away in his holster anxiously. She pursed her lips and looked down the dark shaft. Fiddling with the hazmat gloves, she took a deep breath. It's going to be okay, she told herself.

    With a sigh, she fixed the helmet over her head and grabbed one of the torches━no electronics, so they were going old fashion with flame and gas.

    Carefully, each of them were dropped down into the shaft. Roy couldn't see past her feet━there was nothing but pitch blackness, as if someone had coloured it all in with charcoal. As her feet touched the ground, Trip was there to light up her torch, and she held it out. Looking down, she saw familiar carvings underneath sand and dust━the same from the Obelisk. Taking a full three-sixty turn, she tried to find Mack, or any footsteps that could lead them to his whereabouts. But there was nothing. Instead, Roy felt a brush of wind coming from the left. It made chills crawl up her spine. It sounded like a voice, but she couldn't quite pinpoint it.

    "Did you hear that?" she asked Trip, pointing her torch in the direction of the whispers.

    Trip frowned at her, "Hear what?"

    "The whispers━like wind, just brushing though."

    "No wind down here, Clara," Trip told her, and Roy's brows furrowed, confused. She had heard something. She was sure of it.

    Once everyone was together, they set off down the dark corridor. Roy's nose ithed with dirt, dust and the manky smell of soggy mud. She held her torch out in front of her, lighting up only a small crevice before them. Stuck between Simmons and trip, she looked up at the ceilings and the walls, wondering how something so beautiful (and yet dangerous) could have been built by aliens and yet not one single soul has stepped foot down here before them. It was fascinating.

    "These tunnels are older than the pyramids," Simmons breathed, but her voice echoed out. "Yet, we may be the first humans to ever set foot in them."

    Trip glanced at her, "I'm much more invested in us being the last."

    Simmons pursed her lips, and lokoed down at her map. "Left at this intersection."

    "Copy that."

    As quick as they could, they travelled through the long, winding tunnels, following the map in Simmons hands to the marked crosses where they were to set the bombs. Roy didn't may much attention to that, instead, she gazed off down the many corridors of the labyrinth city. She heard those whispers again, and her breath hitched. They were coming from the left, begging for her to follow. Clara felt obligated to go after them. She wanted to. Her legs wanted to move; they itched to go down the dark corridor. But she couldn't.

    I'm just imagining things, she told herself. Yes, that's it.

    Trip stood up with a grunt of pain from his shoulder. looking down at the bomb he just placed, already ticking, Simmosn nodded. "Two down, two to go."

    Roy could see the worried look on Trip's face as he took the torch she held out for him. "What's wrong?" she asked him.

    "This is taking a little longer than I'd hoped," he replied.

    "We'll have to move quickly, then," said Simmons.

    "We should split up," suggested Fitz, and everyone shook their heads.

    "No━", "━Not a chance━", "━Bad Idea."

    "No," Fitz glanced between them. "It's a good idea! We're running out of time. I'm familiar with the explosives. I have a map. I'll see you three at the garrison."

    He started off, but Roy called him back. He frowned at her. "Just trust me on this, Clara. I'm not afraid. I can do it━" he went to go again, and she sighed.

    "Fitz!"

    He realised. "Yeah, other direction."

    Roy was reluctant to leave Fitz, but she had to remind herself that he can handle himself. He has always been able to handle himself, and sometimes she got so worried that she forgot that. They left the way that they came, walking through the corridors of the undergound city with a breath of nervous air. Roy had fallen back, glancing over her shoulder and hoping that Fitz was okay. They turned a corner, when the whispers returned. Clara gazed down the same hallway she had before, feeling her feet step towards it without even realising.

    "Hey," she snapped out of it at Trip's voice. "Clara, what are you doing?"

    She met his gaze, a little dazed. "I ... the whispers. Don't you hear them?"

    Simmons frowned, "Clara, there are no whispers."

    "I think Mack is down this way," murmured Roy. "I'll be back━we have enough time. I'll meet you up in the garrison."

    With that said, she took off running down the corridor. She heard Simmons and Trip shout her name in distress, but they couldn't follow her. As soon as they tried, it was like the corridor she ran down had never existed. The rock closed over, and she was gone.

    Clara Roy continued to run through the dark, the fire of her torch lighting the way. "Mack?!" she called down the hallway. "Mack━it's me! It's Clara! I'm here to get you out━I know you won't hurt me. You had the chance before and you didn't. Mack?! Mack, where are you?!"

    She sprinted around another corner, and then another, dashing down a long hallway until she reached a large opening with four entrances on each side. Standing in front of them, was Mack.

    "Mack!" Roy let out a breath of relief. "Mack━there you are!"

    Not thinking, she rushed forward and reached out for his arm, but he didn't glance back. Roy frowned and tugged, "Mack!" she shouted. "Mack━wake up!"

    He spun around, and Roy skidded back. His eyes were still the same dark and colourless fog that stared back at her. But he hadn't attacked her. He hadn't even raised a finger. Roy waved her torch near his face, hoping the heat would snap him out of this trance the city had put him in, but it didn't work. "Okay ... okay ..." she tried to think on her feet. "Come on━" Roy grabbed his arm to pull, but he wouldn't budge. "Come on, Mack! We have to get out of here! This place is going to blow!"

    No matter how much Clara tugged, Mack stayed still like the roots of a tree. "Mack! Mack!"

    "Clara?"

    Roy gasped in hearing Skye's voice. Her whole body froze━if not stiller than Macks━as she gazed through the stone doors. "Skye?" she breathed out, confused. "Skye, what are you doing here?"

    Leaving Mack, the whispers came back again━wind in her ears, swirling and swirling. They got louder and louder as she approached the opening of light. There, on the ground, were blue and green lights━ones that needed no electrical power to spark. Roy frowned, before rushing forward into the large pillared room. Cautiously, Roy peeked around a large square column to see Raina and Skye standing by the podium, the Obelisk in Raina's hands. At the sight of Clara, she smiled.

    "Look who it is..." she breathed, taunting. "You felt it calling to you, didn't you?"

    Clara frowned, "Skye ..." she turned to her friend as she stepped further into the room. "What's happening?"

    "Something wonderful," grinned Raina. "Clara, your whole life━our whole lives━have been leading to this moment!"

    Roy felt like she walked in on a terrible moment━a dangerous moment. She shuffled closer to Skye, hoping the gun she held pointed straight at the Girl In The Flower Dress will protect her. "Sorry," said Skye. "I don't buy this whole 'this is your destiny' thing. I'm taking the Obelisk and we're leaving. There's too many lives at stake!"

    Clara followed Skye as they rounded the podium; a single podium bathed in light from above. "You've got it all wrong," said Raina. "Whitehall, everyone has got it all wrong. This doesn't destroy, it gives life━new life. We finally get to find out what we become!"

    Roy's legs jerked, telling her to run, but she couldn't. She grew transfixed as the Obelisk glowed in Raina's hands. Patterns and circles lit up in an orange light, like something inside was just waiting to be released, to be free, like a chicken breaking out of the shell of its egg.

    "Make it stop!" shouted Skye, pushing Clara further back behind her. She brandished the gun dangerously, her eyes wideneing in fear of what would happen.

    Raina let out a joyful laugh and raised her hand, following the movement of the Obelisk as it started to drift out of her fingers. "I can't━" she let it go, and it hovered its way towards the podium. Roy took a shaky breath, staring at it. "None of us can now."

    "Skye ..." Clara let out weakly. "What's going on?"

    She didn't answer, and Roy wondered whether Skye was just as transfixed as she was, the aim of her gun dropping down. The Obelisk landed on the podium, and Clara heard the whispers again. Whispers of wind, brushing through her right ear and out of the other. An ancient language, one she didn't understand.

    The chamber shook. Roy spun around at the doors as each of them slowly started to close. Raina grinned, seeing the fear on Roy's face. "If you want to leave, Clara, now's your chance," she told her. "But don't you want to find out what your mother has wanted for you your entire life?" at the mention of her mother, Clara's gaze returned to Raina's, her stomach lurching. She tried to speak, but she couldn't━her words were stuck in the back of her throat. "I got to admit, I'm just the tiniest bit nervous."

    Slam! One door grated close. Slam! So did the next. Raina watched the temple shut around them with wonder, excitement━a grin on her face while Clara and Skye's hearts trembled. They were in here, alone. Together, but very much alone.

    A light━a torch light━lit up. It wasn't Clara's. Fire against stone darkness. Roy and Skye spun around, screaming out a, "No!" as Trip just made it inside as the last door closed. "Trip!"

    He hurried over to them, makigs ure they were okay. Roy winced at the sight of blood seeping through his shirt from his wounds. The stitches had reopened. "What are you doing here?!" she let out, breathless.

    Trip stared at her. "Are y'all crazy? I came to get you! You just ran off talking about whispers, and then I got the call from May saying Skye and Coulson were down here too?! And to hell was I going to let Fitz go down here━you would kill me if I did!"

    "We still might kill you!" Skye slapped his good shoulder. "Trip━why?!"

    "This whole place was about to blow! I was not going to let you girls die in here!"

    Roy had to ignore the wave of emotion that washed over her when the Obelisk opened. Splitting apart like doors to a column━much like the chamber they were in. It unwrapped to show a spike of glistening light blue crystals. They extended out, like arms━further and further. Raina breathed a smile, her eyes blinking with tears of awe.

    Trip stared, terrified. "How do we stop it?"

    Clara shuffled closer to Skye, hypnotised. "I ... I don't think we can," she muttered. The crystals stopped moving, and Skye swallowed hard.

    "What's supposed to happen?" asked Trip.

    Raina tilted her chin up, ready, "Something beautiful━"

    Something exploded from the Obelisk. Clara couldn't tell much of what it was━it felt like mist. It passed through her like smoke, but with such a force that it threw her back. But ... that was it. Once it dissipated, Clara glanced around confused. Trip met her gaze, an equal look of what the hell across his face.

    Then, Clara felt something crawl up her arm. Glancing down, she dropped her torch in surprise, stumbling back to see black rock cover her━it slid up her arm, wrapping around her limbs like vines. Clara couldn't move. It snaked up her legs, around her chest, up her arms and towards her neck. Beside her, Skye was beeing cocooned the same, and across, Raina had already been fuly covered. Clara stared at it rising up her body, unable to move, unable to do anything. Her eyes turned to Trip, pleading. "Help!" she cried. Skye followed. "Help! HELP ME! TRIP!"

    She reached her hand out towards him, the only thing she could still move. Clara continued to scream until she couldn't anymore. The black covered her face, and there was nothing but darkness. Something screamed inside her━in her ears, through her veins. It burned, rushing up and down her; bubbling and boiling. She felt thirsty━her throat scratching as if filled with the rock that covered her body. And then, it slowly began to crack away.

    The first thing she could feel again were her fingers. As soon as she could move them, Clara forced her arm out of its cocoon, feeling fresh air hit her. It sent cracks all up her neck and her face. The rock chipped away around her eyes, and Clara saw the horror she had caused.

    Trip━she couldn't call his name. She saw him, reachihng out for her and Skye against the wall. Still, frozen━covered in chipped ash and rock. No, she wanted to scream. NO! The whole room trembled, and beside Clara, Skye exploded out of the rock that held her prisoner. Clara felt tears in her eyes, and she wanted to get out━she wanted to get out━her whole cocoon glowed. All of it, the rock, the ash, it glowed and burnt off her skin━melting and running like a waterfall of gold. She stared at what they had done. Up above, the ceiling chipped away as it shook. Clara found it hard to stay steady on her feet. Something was happening, but she didn't understand it. All she could see was Trip.

    "No━" she managed out with a hoarse throat. Clara watched Trip fall apart, chipping away like nothing. He hadn't broken out of a cocoon. There was nothing waiting behind the ash and rock. It was nothing━just nothing. Trip fell apart, drifting down to the ground, in fragments.

    No.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

   a/n: excuse me while i cry over trip's death for the thousandth time.

   also, not me publishing this like a day after cos i got excited, nope. i don't know what you're talking about.

   and, btw, mack is here being mean to clara for the whole fitz situation and she STILL is like I wILL fIND yOU. clara deserves some love for this!!!!! queen shit!

   and yes, SHE'S INHUMAN OMG OMG OMG!!!!!!!!! what are y'all predictions on powers??? hehehehehe, i bet y'all you won't guess it.