"The Agents protected you till you were brought back to the U.S. They were hunted and killed one by one. Eventually the last two agents built a workaround, an official Level Eight clearance operation that erased your trail. That's why you can't find anything. On paper, you don't exist."
Skye's voice cracked. "They… they were protecting me."
"Possibly," James said. "Even when you were moved from family to family, S.H.I.E.L.D. kept eyes on you."
He reached over with his right hand and took her hand in his to give a silent reassurance while he drove with only one hand.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When they reached Los Angeles, Skye's mood improved.
For the first time, she finally knew more about herself and where to go and the most important part: proof she hadn't lived twenty-plus years of her life alone.
Unknown people had been fighting for her, protecting her from harm.
S.H.I.E.L.D. had been in her shadow since the day she was born.
It hardened her resolve to become a field agent.
Skye even found herself thinking about the Wall of Honor, those names carved into history since S.H.I.E.L.D. was founded. Some of them had died because of her. That made her tied to them in a way she couldn't ignore.
Los Angeles didn't need a description. The city was a massive advertisement to the world of what it holds.
James stayed with Skye the entire day. By evening, they settled in. A candlelight dinner, quiet time, and the distance between them getting oh so closer.
—
The morning sun came soft and warm.
In the presidential suite, white sheer curtains glowed as sunlight poured through. Skye's hair was scattered across James's chest, her breathing slow with her face relaxed and smiling as she sleeps.
James opened his eyes, feeling her in his embrace, remembering the night they had, he looked at her for a moment, that goofy smile she has as drool flows out of her lips and onto his chest. He giggled at her childish look then kissed her forehead.
He wiped her drool and just stayed in bed as he let the warmth sit on his skin and pretended the world could wait.
The phone rang, making James groan as reached over the bedside table and answered.
"James," Coulson said immediately. "I need you to return to base."
James sat up, flipping Skye off him. "What happened?"
"The Director was attacked," Coulson said. "He's being treated."
That removed all the warmth in the room and gaved him chill.
'Hydra.' James smashed his teeth in anger. "Understood. I'm coming."
He ended the call.
Skye was still foggy and didn't understand the call as she wiped her eyes and sat up. "What was it?"
"Something big happened," James said, already out of bed. "Get dressed, we're going back."
They moved quickly getting themselves ready, not even getting to properly clean themselves or eat as the situation was urgent.
—
In the car, James kept it brief. "Fury was attacked and is now being treated. Hydra likely made their move early. Not sure what triggered them."
Skye's voice turned sharp with fear. "Is he going to die? What do we do?"
"If they've started," James said, eyes locked on the road, "Then it's time to make our own move. I'll coordinate with Coulson and pull our people into position."
He stepped on the accelerator as they got on the freeway. The SUV surged forward like it wanted to lift off the asphalt.
—
Back on the Helicarrier, Coulson's team was already assembled and tearing through the first wave of reports when James arrived with Skye.
Coulson's face was grave.
"We just received word," Coulson said, teeth clenched, "the Director is dead."
The room went cold.
Fury personally brought him to S.H.I.E.L.D. and trained him to become S.H.I.E.L.D.'s best agent. James understood the weight of his burden: a teacher and father-figure wrapped into one.
But James didn't buy it.
"It's too early to decide that," James said bluntly. "Even if he died, he could be revived, and I suspect he faked it."
Everyone stared at him gobsmacked.
"What?" multiple voices hit at once.
"S.H.I.E.L.D. tech isn't that mediocre," James said. "If they told you he 'died' that fast, I'm more willing to believe he staged it."
He turned. "Is Maria Hill on scene?"
"Yes," Coulson said. "She arrived immediately when it happened. The report came from her."
James pulled his phone out and called Hill directly.
"Maria," he said when she picked up. "You good to talk?"
"Yeah," Hill replied. "You calling about the Director?"
"Yeah." James's voice stayed steady. "He's alive?"
"He is," Hill confirmed. "Is your team secure?"
That wasn't a small talk, that was a verification.
James didn't hesitate. "Absolutely."
"Good," Hill said. "He's still under, the drug's effect hasn't cleared. He's in a coma right now. I'm moving him to a safe location."
James nodded even though she couldn't see him.
Hill continued, "I'm working to contact Captain Rogers and Romanoff. Barton's already out on a secret mission and he's still out of touch. Can you reach Stark and Banner?"
"I can," James said. "But I don't want Banner on this. Hulk is too destructive and unstable, this isn't his kind of battlefield. I want Stark to stay with him and keep Hydra from poking that bear."
Hill didn't argue. "Alright, we'll message you once we're clear. I'll be waiting for you."
"Copy that."
James ended the call.
Everyone in the room was staring at him.
James immediately briefed them of what's going on. "Fury's alive and in a coma. Hill's moving him to a safe place. I need everyone to gear up. Get your weapons ready cause we're hitting HQ."
Coulson released a huge breath his been holding, relief flooding him.
Then his face hardened again. "What about the other branches? Only New York is clean. We don't know who's compromised elsewhere. If we make our move now, casualties could be massive."
"Relax," James said. He smiled with confidence. "I'll make sure the branches don't get wiped."
May squinted her eyes at him. "Allies?"
Coulson's eyes also narrowed, already making his guess. "You mean… Asgard?"
"But how do you contact them?" someone asked, confused.
James didn't bother being subtle. "I'm a knight. I can simply call Heimdall. I have Odin's grant."
That wasn't just a ceremony. It was an access, a permission to use the Bifrost unless it was sealed or destroyed.
Coulson's demeanor changed immediately, like the room got a dose of oxygen again. "Then let's suit up."
Their team's stockpile went up on the table: cryo pistols, cryo SMGs, stun grenades and all sorts of stuff. They hadn't reported their mass production to HQ for this purpose.
Headquarters was Hydra-infested and they'd need volumes of ammunition. A lot of Hydra agents lived in that building.
James and the others began loading up on gear, with everyone wearing their combat suits. Even Fitz and Simmons had a suit. This time they might have to fight too, because James intended to fly the BUS back to headquarters.
Someone needed to hit the underground factory. Since a direct outside assault was too difficult, they would return under the cover of "reporting back to headquarters." The hidden hangar was closest to the factory, which meant the fastest entry.
They were few, but their combat power wasn't low. James could deploy the Umbra Sentinel and punch through any blockade.
Skye, Fitz, and Simmons were tense. This was their first real large-scale operation. Training helped, but live combat was different. Coulson and May ran them through formations and contingencies on the BUS to burn the nervous energy into usable muscle memory.
James was preparing to meet Fury and coordinate the opening strike. New York Division's combat units would need about three hours to reach headquarters. That meant James's team had to enter first. Whether HQ escalated into a full blown firefight immediately was unknown.
Beep A text came in.
James checked it, it was an address from Maria Hill.
He made his way into the training room and found Coulson.
"I'm going to see the Director," James said. "Keep up with the training, I trust that the rookies will survive this war. I'll lead the breach, just keep your people alive."
Coulson nodded. "Don't worry, give the Director my regards."
Then he frowned. "But how are you getting there? If Hydra is watching, moving openly is risky."
"Don't worry. I got my ways" James smiled.
On the BUS' lower deck, he summoned the Space Stone. The blue gem floated in front of him.
Skye, Fitz, and Simmons stared stunned as they came to see him off.
James opened a portal and stepped through.
The doorway vanished behind leaving everyone just staring.
Fitz exhaled. "What was that?"
Coulson answered them calmly. "The Space Stone, it's what the Tesseract contained. An Infinity Stone and the Tesseract was just its containment vessel. When it recognizes a master, it gets released to be wielded in full power."
Simmons blinked. "You mean… it's conscious?"
Coulson shook his head slightly. "I don't know. Even James isn't sure. The Infinity Stones are older than our understanding. But he's learned to use parts of it."
—
James reappeared roughly fifty kilometers from the base, then opened another portal. His destination was a dam on the outskirts of Washington. He needed to cross the country fast.
It took him about twenty minutes.
He didn't summon the Umbra Sentinel in case it gets spotted by radar. He walked to the dam until he found an iron door, set into the structure. It wasn't chained, just closed.
He pulled it open as a long corridor stretched inward. It was dim with narrow walls.
James stepped in.
At the end of the corridor, he saw Nick Fury lay weakly in a hospital bed behind thick, clear plastic sheeting. Monitors were beeping as they kept the Director alive. A doctor was moving with urgency, doing what he can to save the Director.
James's footsteps made the doctor snap around, raising his pistols at the intruder.
James stopped and raised both hands.
Recognition hit the doctor as he lowered the weapon, feeling relieved.
"The Director looks rough," James said, stepping closer.
Fury's voice was thin, but understandable. "You're here, that's good, and yeah, I feel like shit. Worst hit I've taken in my life."
"How did they go after you this fast?" James asked.
"I pushed them too far," Fury said. "I hired pirates to hit a S.H.I.E.L.D. ship. Sent Captain America and Romanoff to extract hostages. Then I copied and moved a piece of information, made it random on the surface."
James knew the play, then came the opener.
Fury continued. "Then I filed to terminate Project Insight."
James narrowed his eyes. "Why? The three new Helicarriers aren't even configured with heavy weapons. Even if it's finished, that shouldn't matter."
Fury gave him a look. "No main guns. But they're staged to carry the newest F-35s and F-22s. The Quinjet hangar is small."
"And?" James pressed.
Fury's voice went colder. "What if those jets carry tactical nukes?"
James paused, that changes everything. He could survive, but the civilians can't.
"Where could they even get enough to load all those jets?" James asked. "I know S.H.I.E.L.D. has some, but not enough to load every bird. You're saying they're actually outfitting all of them?"
Fury nodded once. "Hydra didn't just penetrate S.H.I.E.L.D. They're in other government agencies too. My intel shows a large batch of tactical nuclear devices got moved into the underground factory at HQ."
James grew anxious. "So that's why they agreed to outfit fewer weapons to the Helicarriers; they're putting the kill-switch in the air wing. They're out of their minds."
Fury said. "That's why we need to stop them. Hill went to retrieve Captain America and Romanoff, they'll be here soon. Just sit tight, we'll form a plan once they arrive."
James stepped out of the medical room and sat nearby. Supplies were ready: food, comms, and spare gear. Fury had many more hidden sites than people could fathom.
James in a rare moment took out a cigar and had a drag as he began thinking.
His concern wasn't the in coming fight. It was what came after. Captain America had ideas about dismantling S.H.I.E.L.D, but James wouldn't let that happen. Not with Hydra on the board.
He had leverage: Asgard, Coulson's team, and New York's strike force. If Captain America walked away, James could still win the war.
Footsteps could be heard approaching.
The doctor moved to the corridor entrance.
Maria Hill came in with her people. Romanoff was visibly injured, but she ignored it and continued to walk straight to the medical partition to see Fury's condition.