[1] Take the Shot | Leo Fitz

35

One thing Nina had been completely sure about was that the traitor was not one of her teammates. When she received the message from Natasha and lied to May it wasn't because she suspected her but because that was the protocol installed in her. She didn't believe that the people she'd learnt to love as a family had been lying to her... that was until Ward killed Nash.

Nina's mind had been sent into overload as she replayed the gunshot over and over again and suddenly more names were added to her list of suspects. That's exactly why when the team returned to the Bus, Nina immediately shut herself off from everyone by disappearing into her bunk.

However, Nina knew Fitz couldn't possibly be the traitor, especially because Tony had sent her a 30-page document the day after she left home, detailing everything he found after a deep dive of his name. She had scolded him for ignoring Fitz's right to privacy but she was thankful for the intrusion now.

"Tony Stark here, who are you and how have I ruined your life today?" was the first thing Nina heard as the call she'd dialled out was answered. Tony's response brought a slight smile to her face, the man was always able to break her out of her worse mental states.

"Surprisingly you haven't today, but should I bring up my first kiss and how you destroyed a potential relationship?" Nina quipped back and she heard a deep sigh on Tony's end.

"You were both 12! Her mouth shouldn't have been anywhere near yours," Tony responded, grimacing slightly at the thought while Nina just chuckled.

"But did you have to run around calling on your mother's spirit?"

"I had to get your tongue outta her mouth somehow," Tony continued to defend himself and the two shared a good laugh at the memory that had ended in Nina not talking to him for a week, "anyway... what's up?"

"Must something be up for me to call you?" Nina asked, there was a slight smile on her face that had seemed impossible before she heard Tony's voice.

"You called yesterday, you usually call fortnightly," Tony stated, reminding Nina of the pattern she'd developed over the years, "so calling twice in 2 days means something must be up. So what's wrong?"

"I sometimes forgot you're actually an intelligent man."

"It's the face, throws people off," Tony joked before his voice turned serious, "talk to me, bear, what's going on?"

"I need you to run a few names for me,"

"You know how to run names," Tony stated vividly remembering an 11-year-old Nina picking up the skill behind his back.

"I don't want to use my laptop, SHIELD monitors everything I type," Nina knew Tony wouldn't be surprised by that especially because after killing 113 people, he knew that her loyalties were questioned.

"Okay sure, let me grab a pen," Nina heard rustling on Tony's end before coming to a stop, "alright, the names?"

"Melinda May, Jemma Simmons, Grant Ward and Skye... just Skye, she doesn't have a last name but she was associated with the Rising Tides and spent her childhood in the system. That should help you."

"Simmons, Ward?" Tony asked, the names standing out to him, "isn't Simmons the Brit I spoke to over the phone?"

"Mhm," Nina hummed her answer.

"And Ward? Your best friend Ward?" when Nina just hummed back, Tony set down his pen and sighed, "Nina this is your team, why do you want me to run them?"

"I just do, okay. Someone's lying and I need to know who,"

"Bear, first you call me freaking out about Natasha and now you're asking me to violate the privacy of SHIELD agents. The very thing that you've asked me not to do for 8 years because it could get you fired or court marshalled," Tony stated he paused for a second before speaking again, "...are you hurt? Just say yes, I'll assess your tracker and be there as soon as possible."