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

Chapter Seventeen: Turn, Turn, Turn

"Drop the weapon!" Coulson ordered.

May winced. "Coulson—"

"Drop the damn weapon and kick it over to the stairs, May, now!" She did so, and he moved closer, stopping at the top of the spiral staircase. "Now back the hell up! Over there!"

May moved closer to Genevieve, very aware of the two guns still aimed at her head. As Coulson came down the stairs, picking up May's I.C.E.R., Genevieve spoke. "Talk. Tell us where you rerouted the plane."

"I didn't set this new course, I swear!" May tried.

"Don't lie to us!" Coulson snapped.

"The plane just turned around, for God's sake!" Fitz pointed out.

"How is this happening, then?" Skye demanded.

"HQ can override automated control of the avionics, take us anywhere they want," May explained tensely. "Let me check the instrument panel, and I'll be able to—"

"No way!" Fitz exclaimed.

"You're not going anywhere until you explain what—"

"It's not me!" May protested.

Coulson was undeterred. "Why did you have an encrypted hard line?"

"And try to shoot us when we found it?!" Skye added.

May hesitated. "Let's take a breath, huh?"

Genevieve stepped closer, moving her gun to within inches of May's face. "Let's not!"

"It was a dedicated channel to Director Fury," May said, swallowing. "That's the truth."

"Director Fury?" Coulson echoed. "I haven't been able to get him on the line for weeks."

"You were reporting to him?" Genevieve assumed.

"That's all I can tell you."

"Oh, just come out with it!" Skye exclaimed.

"That's all you can tell us?!" Coulson repeated angrily.

"I'm under orders!" May stressed. "Fury will tell you."

"What? Was this an order?" Fitz asked, pointing to the I.C.E.R. rounds embedded in the doors to the lab. "To shoot me in the bloody head?"

"Hold on," Coulson said. "We're not headed to Fury anymore."

"I don't know where we're headed," May said. "And I can't get Fury on the line because Fitz cut the line!" She shot him a look.

"Gen told us to!" Skye insisted.

"Someone was talking to the Clairvoyant, the real Clairvoyant," Genevieve said, her aim not wavering.

"You were in the walls, Fitz," May accused. "You want to explain why you were tampering with the plane's sat cable?"

"Sure, because that's relevant!" Fitz scoffed. "Don't try and turn this around on me!"

Coulson turned to look at him, keeping his gun trained on May. "Fitz."

Fit hesitated. "I was trying to speak to Simmons at the Hub."

"And you needed an encrypted line? What's so secret that you—?"

"Well, you tell me!" Fitz shot back. "Simmons and I know you two have been whispering, keeping things from us about the drug that saved your lives. Simmons is just trying to figure out how the whole thing works!"

"Fitz, who is she talking to?" Genevieve asked, not turning around.

Coulson glanced across at her, then lowered his gun, going over to the lab doors. "Fitz, open the door."