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✧·ﾟ:CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT*:·ﾟ✧

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✧·ﾟ: *✧·ﾟ:* laws of nature *:·ﾟ✧*:·ﾟ✧
date: November 27th, 2015
location: Seattle, Washington

    ━━He ran as fast as he could.

    Through the Seattle streets, his feet pounded against the pavement. Breathless, he glanced back where his apartment was in ruins━a large, gaping hole in the side he had created. It had melted from his hands, cascading down into the streets below with screams and cries. He had just taken fish-oil pills, he swears! And then suddenly he was cocooned up in rock and ash━

    The wind blew against him, making him stumble. Looking up, he saw helicopters━at least five of them━all caving in on his location. With a jolt to his stomach, he tried to run faster. Pushing past a parked car, he let out a shout when the hood melted and the engine exploded right out. Screams echoed around him as everyone ducked for cover from the red-hot flames. Holding his arms over his head, he pushed past, hearing gunshots from above.

    Catching his breath as another car exploded from the helicopter's fire up above, he stepped back to see the pole his hands had touched melt right down. The homeless person not far away who had begged for shelter in the coffee shop pointed at him and shouted, "Did you see what he did?!"

    Stumbling away, he held his hands out towards the man, pleading apologies. He didn't know what was happening━what was happening to him?! A car screeched to a halt, barely stopping before it would have run him over. "HEY!" shouted the guy in the drivers seat. "GET OFF THE ROAD!"

    "I━I'm sorry!" he tried to say, rushing back to the pavement. There was a stitch in his side, he could hear the helicopters beating against the wind above. He was just trying to get to the hospital! "I'm so sorry!"

    Breathless, he leaned against a construction scaffold, only to bounce away in fear of the metal dripping like water onto the sidewalk. Holding his hands out, he stared at his fingers. He did that━he did that!

    The scaffold creaked. Looking up, he shouted for people to get away as the levels of metal casing fell down onto the ground. SMASH! It landed on a parked car, sending the windows shattering out to the road. More screams, more panic, more running━running from him!

    "I━I'm sorry!" he pleaded, keeping his hands close and away from anything. Stepping back out onto the road, he looked around for somewhere to run and hide. "I'm so sorry! I don't know what's happening to me! I'm just tryihng to get to the hospital! Please!"

    Screech! Around the corner, five or six black SUV's skidded to a stop before him. He screamed, holding a hand out, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, STOP!"

    The doors opened, and out stepped men in full combat gear and guns brandished. One man, bald, skin dry and scar-filled pointed to him and shouted, "Hands in the air! Now!"

    He had no other choice but to throw his hands up. It was hard not to fall back as he stumbled away, eying the barrels of guns pointed right at his head and chest. The same man pulled out his radio and in a gruff voice, said, "We have the alien threat surrounded. Fitfh; between Pike and Union. He's in our signs, ma'am."

    Wait, alien threat? He wasn't alien. He was just him. Plain, old━a little gay, but that was normal, he came out, he was happy━him. He was as human as a human can be. And yet these men hunted him down, and had him surrounded, had guns pointed at him. He was perfectly human! At least ... at least, until today.

    Over the radio, he heard a distant female voice: "Contain the subject. Use lethal force if necessary."

    "Lethal force?" he trembled back, terrified. "I'm not trying to do this! I need help!"

    One of the men━African American━brandished his gun and cried out a scared, "Stay right there, damn it! Hands up!"

    "O━Okay!" he replied back, his hands shaking above his hand. "Okay!"

    "Now turn around, hands on the hood, real slow!"

    "I'll do whatever you say!" he sobbed, stepping back towards the nearest car. "B━but please don't hurt me! H━honestly, I━I don't know━" he turned towards the car, doing as the men told him to, "━I don't know what's━what's━what's ..." as soon as his fingertips touched the hood, a high pitch ringing echoed in his ears. Out of the hood, steam billowed up into the air, and the metal melted right before him. Scrambling back, he saw the guns the men had in their hands began to drop into liquid right at their feet. "... Happening to me ..."

    He ran just as the engine exploded. The heat seared his arms, and at the BOOM! he fell forward to the tar. Hitting the road, he caught himself with a smack of his hands. Glancing back, he saw the scary men in dark combat gear struggle to reorganise themselves. Taking this advantage, he pushed himself to his feet and ran.

    Bang! Bang!

    Yelping, he covered his head as gunshots ricocheted off the brick walls of the building beside him. Desperate, he flung himself around the corner and down a dirty alleyway. Skidding to a stop, he felt his whole chest drop to see it was a dead end. Catching sight of some crates to the side, he dropped down behind them. His chest heaved, his whole body shook, he could hear his heart in his ears. His whole body was burning, and he wasn't sure whether it was because of the stich, or because he felt like every molecule in his stomach, his arms, his legs, was hitting temperatures beyond imaginable.

    Peaking out from behind his hiding place, he saw the men shuffle around the entrance to the alleyway. One glanced over, and saw him. "Hey!" he shouled. "I spot him in the alley!"

    Cowering, he had no where to go. This was it. This was the end.

    The ground shook. Behind him, the bins rattled. An earthquake? Why would there be an earthquake━Woosh! One of the men screamed. Looking back, he saw him up in the air, flying backwards and hitting the road with a painful tumble. Those that had been hurting him, were now focused on something else. Two more went flying back, and then CRASH! they were followed by a car.

    Stepping into view, he saw two women. Both strikingly different. One held her hand out, with dark, brown hair chopped to her jaw━thin faced, mono-lidded ... the other girl stopped and glance over towards him. She was short━no, he's serious, like short. She looked out of place, in a pretty dress, cardigan and heeled boots. Her strawberry blonde hair was long, pulled back into a braid down her back, but framed her round and pale face like rose petals.

    His legs quaking beneath him, he slowly stood up, eyes wide. The shorter of the two approached him, her green eyes flickering with a sweet kindness. Yeah, definitely out of place.

    Behind her, three others appeared. All men. One pale, short but muscular, the second, of average height, one could say, strawberry blond hair like the girl (maybe they were siblings?), and a chaotic look about him that was just a bit worrying, and the third━he might as well be an NBA champion he was so big and tall.

    "Hey!" said the girl, smiling brightly. Her voice was soft, articulated. She was English, and sounded like she was brought up quite well. "What's your name?"

    The big man placed something on the ground, and out of it, emitted thick smoke. It made him fall back. Seeing this, the girl carefully stepped closer, "Hey, hey, it's okay. We're not going to hurt you. What's your name?"

    "J━Joey."

    "Joey, hey!" smiled the girl, looking rather calm despite everything going around them. The other girl came up behind her, looking over her shoulder and taking in Joey with a narrowed gaze. He tried not to focus on that, it was rather intimidating. "Okay, my name's Clara and this━" she pointed back to the girl hovering behind her, "━is my partner, Daisy. We're with S.H.I.E.L.D. We're here for your protection."

    "There's more on the way," said the strawberry-blond man━he was also english; but rougher than the girl's. He had a gun raised. "Either the first unit's down or off somewhere pissing themselves. That SUV got the point across."

    Joey glanced around, watching the shorter guy pass him and place some sort of device on the ground. It whirred, glowing red. Seeing this, the first girl━Clara━tried to grab his attention. "Joey, Joey," he met her gaze. Once again, she sent him a calming smile. "You have to stay with me, okay? I know you're scared and your whole world's being turned upside down. But believe it or not, Daisy, Leith━" she pointed to the British guy, "━and I━we've been through this, okay? We can help. We'll get you out of here."

    Joey then realised. It was them. The ones that made the ground shake. "I━It was you━" he pointed a shaky finger at them, stepping back, "━you made the car, the people, a━and the thing━"

    A hand pushed him forward by the shoulder, and the shorter man spoke up also in an English accent━like liquor. Another one? "You're gonna want to stand well clear of that, mate."

    There was a sound Joey could describe like he would imagine a rocket. He's never seen or heard a rocket, only just from movies. The paper from old newspapers and trash rolled around the road like tumbleweeds. Looking over his shoulder, his eyes wide, he saw a small, white room land on the ground with a great big exhale of air that pushed his jacket and hair back. The doors automatically opened with a swoosh.

    The big guy glanced at the girls. He finally spoke, quipping in an American accent, "Didn't I tell you?"

    Clara rolled her eyes, and the other girl━Daisy━stepped forward. "Clara, I'm done with the gentle," she was American, too. "Joey, I know it's a lot to take in, but right now, you have very few options and zero time, so, please, just go with it," she pushed him into the room. Following him inside, was Clara. Joey was slightly glad she was coming.

    As the doors closed, locking him inside, Leith told him, "We'll be right there with you."

    "It's okay," said Clara. "I'm right here, it's okay. Not like this day can get any crazier, right?" she smirked, a little happy with her joke, and Joey replied with a weak: right?

    With that said, the small room lifted off and up into the air. Joey fell back to the walls, letting out a big yell. Seeing the sky blur blue and white through the windows, he told Clara, "I take that back!"

    She just grinned at him, letting out a laugh. "It's okay! This is a containment pod, it's meant to contain anything━I know, I helped build it myself! You're fine!"

    Oh, glad she's enjoying this!

    Over the radio, Joey heard the big man's voice scratch through. "How you guys holding up in there?"

    "We're okay, Mack," said Clara. "Joey's a little shaken, but he'll soon enjoy the ride."

    Joey frowned and gave a fearful glance out through the windows. Seattle expanded out below; a sea of buildings that made him feel sick. "I really hope this is going somewhere other than higher!"

    Clara sent him another happy grin as Mack said, "Rest easy. We're almost there."

    "Oh, you're going to absolutely love this part!" said Clara. "Ever watched James Bond?"

    He nodded weakly.

    This made her happy. "Well, I'm Roy. Clarissa Roy," she said, and Joey managed a slight roll of his eyes. "And you're about to be transported to the secret world of Zephyr One."

    The windows turned dark. Joey jumped, scared, but seeing the smile on Clarissa Roy's face, he realised that they weren't in danger. She looked out through those windows as if she was home, and Joey actually felt safe.

✧·ﾟ: *✧·ﾟ:* laws of nature *:·ﾟ✧*:·ﾟ✧
date: November 27th, 2015
location: The Playground, Classified

    ━━"Coulson has been suspecting you're doing more than just finding me new matierals for the past week," Agent Roy held her phone in between her ear and shoulder as she shuffled through files, walking down the hallway amongst the containment rooms━or rather, on her way to Joey's.

    "Yeah, well, we kinda figured he would," answered Fitz and Roy pursed her lips.

    Turning the corner, she murmured, "I wish I was there with you ... But I'm stuck here with all the new Inhumans we're trying to find before this other group."

    "Keeps you busy, though," said Fitz, and she heard the sound of a door opening and closing on the other end.

    "Yeah, but I wish I was busy with doing something productive, rather than fly around looking for Inhumans that are always taken before we get there," Roy closed her last file angrily. Sighing, she closed her eyes and came to a stop in the hallway. Making sure no one was around, she stepped closer towards the wall and set her head on the cold brick; it seemed to calm her down.

    "Hey, hey," it was as if Fitz knew she was stressing out right then and there, even on the phone. "We'll find her," he told her. "We'll bring her back."

    "Yeah..." she echoed, not sure who she was trying to reassure━herself or Fitz. Clara wanted to cry━she always wanted to cry recently, but she controlled herself. She had to stay strong━for Fitz, but also for Simmons ... whereever she was ... if she was even alive.

    (No. No, she was alive. Roy had to believe that, or she knows she'll lose it).

    "We'll find her," nodded Roy. "Of course, we'll find her. I━I'll try connecting the Monolith's pattern with astrological maps again, see whether that will help us. Or━or just check to see whether something has returned. If we know Simmons at all, she would be trying to send a message. A━and I'll ask Leith to search for her in dreams again ... yeah ... yeah, I'll do that ..."

    "Yeah," replied Fitz, "and if this lead gets us anywhere, we might finally get to know what the Monolith is."

    Roy nodded, and stepped away from the wall. "Just ... be careful, all right? And let me know when you get back."

    "Yeah, 'course━and━er━thanks for the sandwhich before I left," Clara managed a small smile through her tears. "It was very nice, as always."

    "Well, your very welcome," she replied. "I'll see you soon. Be careful, Fitz."

    "You, too."

    Ending the call, Roy held the phone close to her heart. Hanging her head, she took a deep breath and forced a smile on her face. Six months ... Simmons has been missing for six months; the Monolith took her, keeping her prisoner somewhere for six months. Roy wanted to be out there, searching every avenue with Fitz to get their best friend back, but she was needed here for Daisy's Inhuman team. But everyone could tell just how miserable Clara was without Jemma, even though she didn't say anything, or tried not to show it. But she wanted her best friend back. She needed her back. Clara has spent ten years with Jemma at her side: Fitz-Roy-Simmons ... Simmons couldn't be gone. It would be empty ... be wrong.

    She had tried everything she could on her side. Roy tried to match the irregular patterns of the shift between solid and liquid of the Monolith, but that was what it was; irregular. If it matched something━like currents, or tides, or hours, it wasn't from their Earth, and that terrified her. Simmons was out there ... alone ... and they weren't there with her to help her figure it out; together, like always.

    (When Fitz-Roy-Simmons were separated, something bad always happened, didn't it?).

    And that wasn't the only problem. It was the most apparent on her mind, but not the only problem. Like she had told Fitz, nearly every Inhuman they got notice of fresh out of transformation had disappeared before they got there━swept off by this other group who seemed aggressive towards this situation, rather than passive. Coulson managed to snap a picture of the head of whichever company this was today━a woman, with many different identities, but at the moment, was Miss Rosalind Price. Peircing beauty, with a sharp jaw and a sharp black haircut to match it.

    With a deep breath, Roy fixed her hold of her folders and continued the trek to Joey's room. She met Daisy and Mack waiting for outside, and she gave them a small smile in greeting. Mack opened the door to the room, and Joey was already up and waiting.

    Glancing around at the entrance, Clara pushed through everything she felt and gave him her warmest smile. "Hey, Joey! May we come in?"

    "You're in," he replied, and Roy's brows jumped amused.

    Gesturing to Mack, Daisy introduced him. "This is my partner, Mack. We're just gonna talk."

    Joey nodded, taking in Mack and easily recognising him. Turning to Clara, he asked, "Is he your partner, too?"

    She shook her head, "No, I'm the friendly resident medical doctor━"

    "She means residential genius," corrected Daisy.

    "Impressive," said Joey. "So, let me guess," he gestured between the three of them, "You two━" he pointed to Roy and Daisy, "━are the greeting party and you're the muscle, huh?"

    Mack arched a brow, realising he was talking about him. "Oh, no," he shook his head. "Believe me, Daisy's the muscle."

    Daisy smiled slightly at that, and Roy chuckled. "He looks big and intimidating," she told Joey. "But he's really a big Hufflepuff teddy-bear softy. Gives great hugs."

    "Yay," said Joey, and Roy's smile faltered, realising he wasn't in the mood for jokes.

    Daisy pursed her lips, "How are you feeling?"

    Joey sighed, and shook his hands out. "Like a stranger in my own body who I hate. Nice of you to ask."

    Roy wasn't too sure whether those words were sarcastic or not━and she was British, she was a master at sarcasm. Daisy shared a glance with her, before saying, "So, as we said, this phenomenon is mostly━"

    He cut her off, shaking his head. Joey indicated to his body. "You know what? Just lay it on me. You don't have to soften the blows anymore. Thanks."

    Daisy arched a brow "All right."

    She turned to Roy, asking for help, and so the scientist stepped forward with her scientific explanation. "So, Joey━you see━there exists a miniscule percentage of the population with a dormant alien gene mixed into their DNA," Joey crossed his arms, listening. "There is a chemical compound that activates this gene, giving them unnatural abilities."

    "Okay," he nodded.

    "This chemical compound is called Terrigen," she then continued, "which was recently released into our ecosystem. You, Joey, are one of the first people with this gene to come into contact with it."

    He frowned, taking this in. "So ..." he finally said. "I'm an alien?"

    Daisy nodded, "Part alien," gesturing to her and her scientist friend, she tried to lighten up the air a bit. "Welcome to the club. We call ourselves Inhumans."

    There was silence, and then, suddenly, Joey began to laugh. While Daisy and Mack found this completely out of the blue, and slightly awkward, Roy wasn't surprised. Laughter out of disbelief, whether it be denial or an nervous acceptance to try and push it off as humourous, was a normal reaction to something life changing━at least, so research says. Roy waited for Joey to finish, patient.

    "All right," said Joey through his chuckles. "At least it's, uh━it's a good drinking story," Passing it off as humourous, Roy narrowed it down. Joey took a seat on the white bed, still laughing. "I can't wait to tell my friends."

    Roy could see him normalising the situation━trying to make it fit in with his normal routine. Deep down, he knew that wouldn't be the case, but he was happy to think that it was at the moment. It was important for him to realise, but it still made Clara feel bad at Mack's words:

    "Unfortunately, you're gonna have to wait."

    The smile fell from Joey's face. "What does that mean?"

    Roy sighed, knowing that she was going to be the one that would have to break it down for him━being the doctor, and all ... "We can't let you leave before we know you have control over your abilities," she said softly. "I'm sorry, Joey, but it's a necessity. Even after that, you can leave only if we decide you're stable enough not to use them unless absolutely neccessary. And even then, we ..." she pursed her lips, "... we can't let you go back to your old life, Joe..."

    She could see the shock and anger rising, "What?"

    "I'm so sorry," said Daisy, coming to stand next to Roy. "It's just the reality."

    "Wait, wait," Joey shook his head, and Roy could see every emotion wash over him like a million tsunami's. She knew that moment. That moment when you realise nothing will ever be the same again. "You're not saying I can't go and have a beer anytime soon. You're saying I can't go back to my life, ever?"

    "Not in the foreseeable future," said Mack.

    Joey looked down to his hands. Roy could see the panic, and she tried to calm him down. "Hey, hey, look, Daisy and I━we've been in this situation. The first step is control, and then after that S.H.I.E.L.D. can set you up with a new identity━"

    Joey stood up, stepping away from her with an explosive, "But I like━I like my life!" she stopped, and pursed her lips. He sighed, distressed. "It has taken me a long time to get here, to build a life where I'm actually comfortable, much less happy. I'm not about to toss it! As a matter of fact, now that I think about it━" he reached down to grab his jacket, "━I'd like to get back to it right now."

    With a sigh, Daisy glanced at Mack who turned the television on for Joey to see the news. Hearing the lady speak, Joey watched, and his whole face fell. "... Are unsure what to call this, whether it was a calculated alien attack or an experiment gone wrong━" Mack switched the channel to a withness being interviewed. Joey's hands flew to his hand. "━I didn't get too close, but, uh, he was a latino guy. Normal. Uh he had this crazy look in his eyes━" the next, "━A manhunt is under way. Authorities are asking witnesses to come forward with any information that could lead to the capture━"

    Mack turned it off with a subtle look from Roy. He had seen enough; she hated the look on his face. He was terrified━more than terrified. "Since Sokovia fell out of the sky, the world's been a little twitchy and wary."

   Daisy nodded, "Right now, your apartment is being torn apart, and your relatives are being questioned━"

    This only set him off more, "So I need to get to them before━"

    Mack cut him off before he could move an inch, "Your best-case scenario out there is that black-ops group kills you quick before you bring a building down on someone."

    "S.H.I.E.L.D.," said Daisy, "is your best option."

    He shook his head, "No, no━" he was starting to get distressed to the point Roy was afraid he might do some harm. "No, let me the hell out of here!"

    Roy stepped forward, her hands up carefully, "Calm down━"

    "Let me out!"

    "Joey, you will lose control if you down calm down━" behind her, Mack dropped his clipboard as it started to melt out of his fingers. In his anger, fear and frustration, Joey grabbed Roy by the shoulders to scream at her to let him out. Roy gasped, trying to calm him down. In the end, Daisy had had enough.

    "Now, Joey! Stop!" she threw her hand out, and he flew away from Roy. Hitting the wall, Joey slumped to the ground, unconscious.

   Seeing him, Roy was furious. Checking whether he was okay, she left the room with a sharp glare at Daisy and Mack. Leading up the stairs to brief with their Director, they found him in the kitchen. Sitting at the briefing table, they turned on the footage of Joey.

    "He's going nuts," told Daisy to Coulson. Roy had a heavy heart, seeing Joey tug at his hair and slam his hand against the walls in frustration. "Joey's having a tough time."

    "Yeah," muttered Roy. "I tried talking him down but Daisy blew it in there."

    "Hey," her friend snapped at her, crossing her arms. "He was getting aggresive."

    "I could have handled myself."

    "Oh, yeah, sure," scoffed Daisy. "Him shaking you back and forth like a ragdoll is definitely handling yourself━"

    "He will never trust us now!" seethed Roy. "You hurt him, I'm associated with it and Mack is not exactly coming off as a teddy bear," she gestured angrily to the mechanic.

    "You just told the guy I'm a teddy bear," he replied and Roy snapped:

    "Yeah, and then you told him the best-case scenario was his head blown off!"

    Daisy grew frustrated, "Just because you're frustrated over everything with Simmons does not mean━"

    "Don't pull that card on me!" Roy told her. Coulson stayed silent through this whole ordeal, pouring himself his coffee and taking a long sip. "Don't you even bloody dare! This is about none of us knowing how to handle this!"

    Daisy clenched her fists, but decided not to argue any longer. "We need help. And there's one person who's better at than than anyone."

    "Lincoln?" Coulson frowned at her. "You really want to go there again?" as he walked away, they followed.

    "He could help with intake," said Daisy. "Plus, he understands the physical change. He's a doctor, whereas we don't even know what medical treatments to give."

    Clara pursed her lips, and turned to her Director. "It might be good to have him help me understand Inhuman biology better."

    They came out into the hallway, "Last time you━" Coulson nodded at Daisy, "━and Leith tried to sell him on it, he wasn't exactly buying."

    "I'd like to try again."

    Coulson sighed. Glancing back at the big guy, he said, "Mack, what's your take?"

    "I voiced my feelings about letting Lincoln roam free," he said as they came to a halt in the corridor outside the lab. "I'd gladly drag him in here where he can't hurt anyone. But if Daisy or Leith can takl him in ... he might actually do some good."

    This seemed to give Coulson a final reassurace. He nodded. "You, Daisy and Leith go," he told them. "Requisition a flight team and a quinjet. Clara, with me."

    Daisy and Mack nodded, before setting off. Roy followed Couslon, having a feeling she already knew what this conversation was about as they entered the lab.

    "Do we have any new readings on the Monolith?"

    Clara pursed her lips, and fiddled with the rings on her fingers. She took a deep breath and said, "No new readings━nothing new on the Monolith in months. Fitz and I have stopped sending the D.W.A.R.V.E.S. into the room ... no one's stepped foot in there since ..." her throat grew tight, and she glanced over at Simmons's desk where nothing━not even her post-it notes━had been moved. Coulson didn't need her to finish, he understood.

    "So, Joey, was it fish oil again?"

    Roy sighed as they reached her desk. She set her files on it amongst the others and her separate research on the Monolith. "Yes, sadly. We pulled the product off the shelves, but we can't track down every bottle sold. But there is some good news ... I guess ... the deadly metallic elements from the Obelisks sank to the bottom, so the chemical containing the sea life isn't deadly to humans, just life-changing for Inhumans. But, there is some bad news: it's not just in the fish oil. With ocean currents, it most likely dispersed into the ecosystem affecting other sea life."

    Coulson pursed his lips, not liking this news━much like the rest of them. "I need to know how wide a range we're talking."

    Clara crossed her arms, "Fitz and I have most of the team working on a computer simulation with Bobbi's help ... it's not going as fast as I would like, but, Simmons is the biologist more than I ever was ..."

    Stop it, she told herself. Stop making yourself remember. But it was so lonely ... so empty without Simmons and Fitz at her side.

    Coulson then pulled out a ziplock bag. Roy took it in her fingers, examining the hand-gun inside. "Have Fitz look into this, too," he said. "If we can figure out where it came from━"

    "We could narrow the search on this mystery girl, yeah ..." she turned the gun in her fingers.

    "I'm sure she'd prefer mystery woman━oh, and by the way," Coulson frowned at her; here it comes ... she thought, "where is he?"

    Clara tried to play dumb, leaning against her desk and crossing her arms. She raised her brows, "Where's who?"

    He saw right through her. "Fitz. He requested yesterday to do some research at S.H.I.E.L.D. Archives, but I haven't seen him all day."

    Roy scoffed, shaking her head, "And ... why do you think I would know where the bloody hell he is. Honestly, Fitz is a dork, I don't understand half the things he gets himself into━" Coulson just gave her a look, and she fell away with the lying act. Clearing her throat, she said, "I'll call him in."

    "Thank you."

    Coulson left, and Clara sighed. She set the gun down on her desk and reached for her phone. Opening it up, she saw her screensaver, a picture of her, Fitz and Simmons back in their Academy days ... gosh, it was so long ago, now.

    WIth another deep breath, she unlocked it and tapped Fitz's number. He picked up almost immediately.

    "Roy, what's up?"

    Hand on hip, Clara pursed her lips and looked up at the ceiling. "You need to come in. Coulson has some weaponry he wants you to examine. It's quite pressing."

    "You can handle that, though, yeah?" he replied, and Roy pinched the bridge of her nose. "For a doctor, you're pretty good with forensics. You'd get that done in a jiffy, no troubles. I believe in you."

    Sighing, she sat down on her chair and poked the gun in the zip-lock bag with her fingers. "Yeah ... but ... you know this stuff better than I do ..." and I'm lonely, she didn't add.

    "Oh, come off it, you're the one who got top in Olleara's class back in the Academy."

    "Fitz..." Roy murmured, hating how the lump in her throat grew. She wanted her best friend here, the one that wasn't taken by the Monolith. The one she still had. The one she could hold onto and know was still with her. She wished she was out there with him. To just feel him next to her, to know he was okay, and to help bring Simmons back so they could all be together again.

    She heard him sigh on the other end, too. "I'll head back there in a minute, okay? I just need to check out one last thing━like I said, this will be the answer. We'll figure this out."

    "Okay," said Clara. "Together."

    "Always. Call me if you hit a snag. Which I'm sure you won't."

    With Bobbi's help, Clara figured out the weapon, and found the target━they mystery woman. Well, Clara was perfectly fine in figuring it out herself, Fitz was right, for a doctor, she was very good with forensics. But she just didn't want to sit at her desk alone. She wanted to have someone to bounce off from ... it wasn't the same; Bobbi wasn't Fitz or Simmons, but it made her feel better, less alone. Once they got the information, they tracked Coulson down to inform him, catching him in the hallway outside of the lab.

    "Hey, hey, Coulson, Coulson━" Clara rushed over with Bobbi trailing behind (it wasn't until she reached Coulson that she realised she had been a bit insensitive, rushing forward while Bobbi had to limp behind), "━we got her. So, weapon is a Darpa prototype━" she gestured for him to follow them back into the lab (which Bobbi sighed, annoyed, and made the trek back. Sorry, Clara told her in her head). Roy pointed to her monitor, and Coulson frowned at it. "We tapped surveillance at multiple Darpa facilities, got a hit━"

    "The D.C Branch office," continued Bobbi, nodding at the picture of their mystery woman. "She visits every few days."

    "A routine," nodded Coulson. "Tell me there's a window where we can get to her."

    "It's a small one," said Clara. "Every night she visits, she leaves at approximately nine p.m. With a small security detail."

    "They're all three dropped at the metro station on 12th," went on Bobbi, "half an hour later. Her escorts buy her a coffee on the walk to the platform. But the boards the nine-thirty-five train alone. Sits in the middle, drinks her coffee, and answers emails. It's the only time she's alone all day."

    Coulson nodded, satisifed. "Copy that. I'll take Hunter with me, let me know if Fitz returns," he added pointedly to the two of them. Bobbi nodded while Clara pursed her lips, scratching the back of her ear.

✧·ﾟ: *✧·ﾟ:* laws of nature *:·ﾟ✧*:·ﾟ✧
date: November 27th, 2015
location: Cincinnati Memorial Hospital

    ━━Leith is annoyed with May. Yes, sure, spend time with your ex-husband, rekindle that and whatever, then break it off (as the rumours suggest). But why take on another student when you know you're going to leave at least a month into the training? Not cool, Melinda May. Not cool. Lucky there was Daisy and Mack, because Leith would not be at the point he was now if it weren't for them. Yeah, sure, he wasn't the best ninja there was, but he was pretty close.

    (That's a lie, he had a while to go. Blame his scrawny figure that his father gave him━not to speak ill of the dead ... that is ...).

    Daisy decided it would be a great idea to pose as a patient. Being led to a room, she sat down on the bed and waited for her specifically requested Doctor Campbell to check up on her. Leith and Mack waited amongst the curtains, out of sight, ready for him to arrive and close the door. When he did, Leith frowned. Lincoln looked much the same, except a lot more stressed and with a blue gaze much less kind than the one Leith was used to. Sure, they didn't always get along━Leith was a bit immature for Lincoln's taste, which was just bullshit. Leith wasn't immature, he just had a sense of humour, there's a difference. (And he's British, so, immediately he's better). Dressed in scrubs, Lincoln pulled open the curtain and faltered at the sight of Daisy. Mack closed the door, locking them in.

    Lincoln sighed, "What are you doing here?" he told them━more specifically Daisy who stood up with a solemn look upon her pretty face. "I said to leave me alone."

    "I wouldn't be here if it wasn't important," she said.

    "We need your help," added Leith, and he glanced back at him and Mack.

    "I told you," said Lincoln, "I don't know anything about that damn rock. I'm sorry, what happened to your friend, but all I heard was that it's lethal."

    "It's not the Monolith," said Daisy. "We found a new Inhuman." Lincoln scoffed and looked away. Daisy quickly went on, "And he's not the first, and you know there will be more. No one is better at helping these people transition than you. You taught me that it's a gift."

    "I was wrong."

    Leith tried to hide the startled feel in his stomach at those words; how his stomach dropped. It felt weird to hear Lincoln say that━someone who was so into the philisophical side of things. It honestly made Leith feel down. If Lincoln had lost belief, then what hope was there for the rest of them? "I was regurgitating a lie they shoved down my throat. It's a curse. You of all people should know that."

    "Look," Daisy looked like she wanted to cry, "I get that you're trying to build a life here━"

    "Yes," he cut her off, "a normal life, so stay out of it, please."

    "But our heritage━"

     "Let it die."

    He went to walk out, but Mack grabbed his arm to stop him. Lincoln glared up at the mechanic, not at all scared. "You're not walking about of here 'till my partner has said her piece."

    "I think I made it pretty clear," replied Lincoln in a dark tone. "I'm not taking orders from anyone anymore."

    Mack didn't move, and so Lincoln shoved his way out of his grip. "Get your hand off me!"

    "You better watch your tone," he snapped in reply. "You're lucky we haven't dragged you in for that crap you pulled on the aircraft carrier."

    "Mack━" Leith warned, but he ignored him.

    "I saw the men you took down. They barely recovered."

    "Then you know what I'm capable of," said Lincoln, not at all fazed.

    "I'm not scared of you."

    "You should be."

    Leith tensed at the brownout around them. The lights flickered. All of them looked up, confused. Daisy frowned, "Lincoln, cool down."

    But he just shook his head, his face ashen. "This isn't me."

    Stepping outside and down the hall to the lobby, they heard a woman scream. They broke out into a run, skidding to a stop as they saw a hand reach out to a security guard. Leith stared, aghast to see blue mist━like vines━wrap around the man's chest and pull him up. He choked, gurgling. A distorted voice echoed from the large figure in the hall: "Now tell me where to find the Inhuman!"

    "I don't know!" cried the guard.

    Flash! he fell to the ground. Leith's eyes widened to see the gaping hole in his chest. Burnt flesh, and a burnt heart.

   And then, out of the shadows, stepped forward a monster. Leith was frozen; feet rooted to the ground. He was at least seven feet tall━at least, he think it was a him━having to duck under the open door. He was masked in the dark, but Leith saw matted black hair protuding out of his scalp like thorns all the way down his deck and back. He glanced at them, and Leith saw his face. Even in the dark, he could tell this monster was luminesce in dark blue. His face━the bones of his jaw, his cheeks ... they were disfigured. Sharp and cracked. His eyes, small and beady, narrowed in on Lincoln. The monster bared his teeth━sharp and crooked. "Never mind," it said.

    He advanced.

    Running to Lincoln, he was met halfway with a column of electricity. It made the monster stumble, but he was strong. Daisy followed, throwing her hand out and sending the monster skidding back with a wave of tremors. Leith raised his gun with Mack, both of them watching with racing hearts at whether Daisy and Lincoln could beat it. But the monster just came back.

    Mack and Leith fired each shot in their mags. The monster stumbled, doubling over with each shot to his chest. When they ran out, the monster waved his hand in a circular motion, and the wall beside him was cut out in a flash of blue. He jumped through, disappearing.

    Daisy turned to Lincoln, checking whether he was okay. "We have to hit this thing with everything we've got."

    Mack loaded his gun with fresh bullets. Leith followed, wishing he had some quake powers, too. All he could do was prance around in people's dreams. He could travel into the Separate Dimension, focus on the energy around him to attack this guy without him noticing ... but Leith had a terrible feeling that he would be able to see him, and that was scary━like really scary. "And I need a bigger gun, I guess," said Mack. "Or my axe. Or maybe a shotgun-axe combination of some sort." Daisy ignored him and just passed through the massive hole. Mack sighed. "Oh, we going in here? Yeah, that makes sense."

    "Scared, big-guy?" joked Leith, ducking in after her.

    Mack muttered some incoherent insults, but he and Lincoln followed. Together, the four of them stalked through the dark hospital corridors. Gun raised, Leith ignored the chill down his spine━that monster looked like the bogies in everyone's nightmares (and trust him, he knows).

    They heard the monster before they saw him. Turning around, Leith shouted Mack's name to warn him, but he was too late. The monster blasted him through the open door. Leith fired his gun, but it was little use. On either side of him, Lincoln and Daisy joined to aid with their powers, doing their best to hold the monster back. When Leith was out of bullets, he watched his Inhuman friends take on the monster, a bit envious, if he were to say himself.

    But it wasn't working. The monster pushed through, walking towards them despite their powers. Leith stepped back. Okay, if he wasn't scared before, he definitely was now!

    Noticing this was getting nowhere, Daisy directed her quake to the floor at the monsters feet. With a rumble, the tiles broke away and he fell down through multiple stories. Daisy let go, and the tremors subsided. The three of them shared a breath, before they started a run to the stairs.

    Heading down, they found where the monster had landed. The roof above was a mess of plaster, cables, shattered tiles and insulation foam. Right beneath it, was a hole big enough to fit in a spangled monster. Except, it was empty. At the end of the corridor, an oval exit cut through the wall told them he had escaped outside.

    Sirens blared, wailing.

    "He's gone!" stated Mack.

    In the distance, they heard the scratch of someone on the radio: "Contain the alien threat at all costs. Use lethal force if necessary."

    Lincoln heaved, looking around them for an escape. Daisy stepped in front of him, breathless herself. "Come with us," she tried. "We'll keep you safe. Your life is in danger."

    He shook his head at her. "My life is in ruins."

    Pushing past her at a run, Daisy called after him. Trying to follow, Leith stopped her, pulling her back. "He's on his own!" Mack told her. "We got to get you two out of here. They're hunting you, too."

    He was right━no matter how much Daisy might hate it. And so, they ran away, too, in the opposite direction of Lincoln's fleeing figure.

✧·ﾟ: *✧·ﾟ:* laws of nature *:·ﾟ✧*:·ﾟ✧
date: November 28th, 2015
location: The Playground, Classified

    ━━As soon as Fitz stepped through the door of the lab, Roy was on her feet. Clara's legs moved before she could even tell them to, rushing forward and pulling him into her arms. His white shirt was dusty-yellow with sand, and he smelt like he had just run a marathon, but she didn't care━he was safe, he was okay. She still had one best friend with her.

    "Hey," Fitz slipped one arm around her waist to return the hug. "Didn't expect you to stay up."

    "Are you kidding? Of course, I'd stay up!" Roy pulled away, and checked him for any injuries. She saw a bruise forming on his forehead, and a small cut on his cheek. She gave him a look. "What happened? What did you do?"

    The situation between them ... it was complicated. Over the six months, it was like they had grown closer, but apart at the same time. Fitz and Roy only had each other in their determination to find their best friend, and with Simmons gone, they only grew more protective of the other, feeling a must to have them around to just make sure they weren't gone through that Monolith, too. Roy knew there was something there━there had always been something there, but it wasn't the right time. (It was never the right time).

    But she still gently brushed her thumb over the cut on his cheek, and Fitz took her hand away, giving it a squeeze. "I found it," he told her.

    Clara's chest lifted. "Y━you did?"

    She stepped away, and Fitz threw his blazer onto his desk. Out of his pocket, he pulled out an old, dusty scroll━no bigger than Clara's hand. He handed it over to her, and she took it gingerly in her fingers. Her breath hitched, feeling the rough parchment with a churn of her gut. This could be it, she thought. This could be the answer. They could finally find her...

    Roy's hands trembled, and she had to carry it quickly to her desk with Fitz at her side, scared she'd drop it and shatter the answer. Fitz hovered over her shoulder, just as nervous. He rolled up his sleeves, and for a second, the two friends just stared at it, scared that once again ... they had hit a dead end.

    Her fingers itched to the scroll, only to stop at the sound of a voice: "I've been waiting for a while."

    Fitz and Roy looked over to see Coulson watching them, a frown on his face. He wasn't wearing his prostetic, and Clara felt her breath hitch in seeing him without it. She had been the one to perform surgery, but it still was unsettling in the way that she forgot. She was so use to Coulson wearing a glove that she sometimes didn't realise it was because it was cybernetic, and not flesh and bone.

    Fitz took a step back as he approached them, "Had to be done," he said. "It's our last shot."

    "What's supposed to be in there?" the Director pointed to the scroll.

    "The answer," answered Roy. Coulson met her gaze, and she knew what this chat was going to be about. She knew, and it made her whole chest drop back down, weighing her forward, leaning on the desk herself and staring at the scroll.

    "You've thought you've had the answers before," Coulson told them gently as Fitz searched his desk for his toolkit. "I think you've considered every possible answer ... except the obvious one━"

    Fitz slammed the drawer of his desk closed. Roy clenched her jaw, and continued to stare at the scroll. She knew if she met Coulson's gaze for just a second, she'd break. She'd break knowing that deep down, she knew he was right.

    Fitz returned to her side, dropping his equipment on her desk next to the scroll. She could hear his heavy breaths of frustration, or perhaps trying to keep himself composed. Either way, it only made her feel worse.

    "You thought Simmons was trapped inside the Monolith," went on Coulson, "but every instrument scan showed the stone was solid all the way through." Clara stepped to the side, and watched Fitz lean over the scroll with his knife, trying to pick apart the seal. "After hearing about the Pym Technologies disaster, you even thought she'd been recuded to a microscopic level. But no evidence supported that. And now━"

    Slam! the blade hit the table and bounced off onto the floor. "And now we think━we know━" Fitz scowled at Coulson, "━it's a Black Hole."

    "Yes!" added Roy, determined to agree, but she hated the purse of Coulson's lips. It's a Black Hole! It had to be. It had to be ... "We believe it's dark matter made solid that can warp Space-Time. It━" in her frustration, finally letting it all out, Clara snatched the scroll with her shaking fingers, "━either way, okay, this is going to tell us the truth so, just━"

    Surprising even herself, Clara brought the scroll down hard onto the table, smashing the casing with a thud! Pulling it out with trembling fingers, her breath was hitched in her throat. Fitz hovered right behind her, holding the other end of the parchment with his fore-finger and thumb, breaths quivering just as much as hers.

    And their hearts dropped at what it read.

    Coulson's words behind them were barely audible. They buzzed in Roy's ears like a bunch of annoying bees. All she could do was stare at the scroll. All that work━all that searching...

    "Should we scan it? See if the computer can decipher what the━?"

    "It's Hebrew," Fitz cut him off. "It's just one word."

    Carefully, Coulson approached the scientists. "What does it mean?"

    Fitz met his gaze, "Death ..."

    Clara took a deep breath to try and keep in her tears, but it came out more of a whimper. There had to be more━there had to be something more. Clara turned the parchment over, and resisted the urge to rip it to pieces when she saw it was blank. "Fitz, Roy," Coulson tried, seeing the tears that began to form in both of their eyes that they realised that once again, they had hit a dead end. "I'm going to make the trip to Sheffield. Jemma's family deserve to know that she's M.I.A."

    "N━no," Clara shook her head and stepped away. Walking away from her desk, she placed her hands to her temples, pressing against them hard. Keep it together! Fitz wasn't much better. Hands propped on his hips, he looked up at the ceiling, trying to keep his breaths steady.

    "No, Fitz, Roy," Coulson pushed through. "They need to be able to move on. And so do we━" Fitz turned away, tugging at his hair. Roy shook her head, no, no, no, no ... "The two of you have shown so much heart, never giving up on Simmons, and I will always respect you for it. But look around. We need you━the both of you. We need your big brains and your hearts here. We need Fitz-Roy. Okay?"

    Clara glanced back, tearful. Fitz-Roy ... is that all they were now? No, they couldn't be. It was wrong. It was empty. It wasn't right. Coulson walked up to them, and as the scientists stood close together, he looked like he wanted to place a hand on each of their shoulders, only to falter to realise he only had one. "I miss her, too, okay? And I'm having a hard time accepting it━all of it. I━I'm on my third hand!" he brandished his amputated arm. "But nothing feels normal because nothing will feel normal. May took off on vacation and never came back, so I lost my right hand, too. We have got to accept it, to say goodbye. We need to say goodbye. Jemma would want us to do that."

    Roy stared at the floor. Those words━everything Coulson said━seemed to just. hit her in waves. She was gone. Simmons was gone. Just like her father. Just like Trip. Just like her mother ... everyone around Clara just died, didn't they? And now ... it was Simmons. A tear traced her cheek, and she took a deep breath. From beside her, Fitz murmured, "Okay ..." barely louder than a whisper.

    Coulson nodded. He gave each of them a tight squeeze on the shoulder, before walking away. Clara didn't watch. Her eyes flickered down to the parchment in her hands. Useless━she let it drop from her fingers, hitting the ground and rolling away ever-so-slightly from her feet.

    Turning around, Roy tried to stifle her sob, letting her head hit Fitz's chest. She slipped her arms around his torso, and held on so tight, she could feel the tension of his shoulders as he held her back, just as tight. She felt his head bury itself into her shoulder, and she heard him cry, too.

✧·ﾟ: *✧·ﾟ:*         *:·ﾟ✧*:·ﾟ✧

    a/n: i miss season one fitz-roy-simmons. i miss them. i MISS it. 

    AND OMG FIRST EPISODE OF SEASON THREE FINAL PART OF BOOK ONE I CANTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT━wasn't it like yesterday I procrastonated studying for my hsc to publish the prologue? *sobs in old*