Blood of the Covenant |1| The Dark Waters Series (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.)

Chapter Four: Eye Spy

Several weeks later, the Bus was en route to a train station in Sweden, where the authorities had reported a series of baffling diamond thefts. May was in the pilot's seat, overseeing the flight, when the door opened behind her. Immediately, she rolled her eyes, knowing precisely who it would be.

And sure enough, Coulson came up behind her, resting his arms on the back of the co-pilot's seat. For a moment, he just looked out the windshield, marvelling at the sunlight over the clouds. Then he sighed. "Maybe I should learn to fly. It's not too late, right? I could learn." Beside him, May sighed, exasperated. "What do you like best?" he asked her. "The freedom? The view?"

"The solitude," she said pointedly, keeping her eyes fixed on the clouds.

Coulson nodded, a smile curving up the corners of his mouth. "Got it. See you in Sweden." He patted the back of her chair and headed out of the cockpit. Alone again, May smiled.

***

Meanwhile, Ward was examining a small vial of blue liquid in the lab, with Fitz standing next to him eagerly. "I only get one shot," Ward reminded him. "And it has to knock a person back, as well as out."

"Which is why we're perfecting this little beauty," Fitz assured him, pulling out a prototype model of a gun. ".45 calibre cartridges, semi-automatic. Each mag contains eight therapeutic rounds of dendrotoxin."

"In case you miss," Simmons added helpfully, working on something else on the other side of the room. Ward shot her a pointed look, and she winced. "... or have multiple assailants?"

Ward reached for the gun, and Fitz held it close to his chest protectively. "Yeah, we're going to have this new night-night pistol working in no time. Okay?"

"Great," Ward nodded. "One thing, we're not calling it that."

Simmons shot Fitz a victorious grin. "Ah, told you!"

Fitz's eyes widened. "Yes, we—yes, we are."

Ward left, shaking his head, and as Genevieve came down the spiral staircase, she called down to him. "Have you seen Skye?"

"Not since weapons training," he replied.

"She stopped saying 'bang' when she pulls the trigger yet?"

"Mostly," Ward nodded, heading for the stairs. "Now, if she could just learn the difference between the safety release and the magazine release, we'll be making real progress."

Genevieve snorted, turning away. Her eyes landed on the SUV and she walked over to knock on the glass. The window rolled down to reveal Skye, sitting in the dark with her laptop on her knees. "What's up, Genevieve?"

"You know you can call me Gen, right?"

Skye shrugged. "Okay, you're the boss, Gen. Just missing my van a little bit, taking a little me time."

"I want your help with something," Genevieve told her.

"Hit me with it."

"You ever rob a bank?"

Skye blinked. "No."

"An armoured car?"

"Nope."

"How about a casino?"

"Uh..." Skye made a face. "Should I be offended?"

"Somebody's stealing millions of dollars in diamonds," Genevieve explained. "They've found a way to crack the security systems. I want you to figure out their exploit."

***

Later, she, Skye, May and Coulson were heading to the scene of the robbery—a train carriage in Sweden—while Coulson explained the situation.