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

Chapter Twenty-Two: Beginning of the End

"Anything we can do about the lighting situation?" Genevieve asked, clicking the safeties off her handguns. In the dark, it was hard to tell how close the Centipede soldiers were, and worse, where the brick pillars holding the ceiling up were. The last thing she needed was for a shot to rebound and hit one of their own.

"Got it," Trip said from somewhere to her right. Relying on their cover, he delved into his rucksack, pulling out a large device. He hit a button on it, making it light up, then threw it into the centre of the room to illuminate the soldiers. They all just stood there, staring menacingly—presumably waiting for orders.

"So," Coulson said, raising an eyebrow. "Who do we talk to about getting a haircut?"

Suddenly, Trip started firing, his gunfire tearing apart the uneasy silence and the more uneasy peace. The Centipede soldiers returned fire in full force, and as a bullet caught Trip in the shoulder, sending him crashing to the ground, Genevieve stood in front of him as a human shield, firing continuously. Coulson was, as ever, at her side, and as Skye rushed into the computer room behind them all, May confronted the soldier with the Berserker staff.

He smirked, leering at her. "Well, if it isn't the Cavalry."

She grabbed the staff and hit him in the face with it quickly, knocking him out with one blow. In her hands, the staff glowed orange, and she sighed, getting used to the now familiar feeling of rage. "Don't ever call me that," she told the unconscious soldier, even as more of his colleagues rushed her. She struck at them hard, taking them out. One of the brick support pillars gave out, collapsing as part of the ceiling crumbled after it.

Coulson nodded to her. "Bring the house down."

Beside him, Genevieve cursed as she ran out of bullets in her handguns. She holstered them, pulling out her assault rifle instead. "Time to go, people!" She sprayed the Centipede soldiers with bullets, making them stagger backwards.

Skye removed her flash drive, pocketing it. Then she ran out, joining Coulson and Trip as they sheltered behind Genevieve's line of fire. May destroyed another support pillar as Coulson helped Trip to his feet. "Come on. Let's go. Let's go." They all headed for the stairwell, Genevieve maintaining gunfire to cover them.

"Come on, May!" she called, as soon as they were the only ones left. May threw the Berserker staff at the final support beam, taking it out, and the ceiling collapsed in to bury the Centipede soldiers as she and Genevieve made their escape.

***

In the cargo hold of the Bus, Garrett was listening on his cellphone as Zeller—the man controlling all of the Centipede supersoldiers—gave his report on the Havana barber shop attack. Ward and Mike were there too, waiting and listening.

"Our men are still digging themselves out," Zeller was saying, "but it looks like Coulson and the others got away. Do you want to—"

Garrett hung up and threw the phone over his shoulder, seeming totally unconcerned by the unsuccessful attempt to cross off Coulson, Genevieve and the rest of the team. "Doesn't matter." He walked over to the lab door, looking it over contemplatively. Then he grabbed it with both hands, tearing it out of its frame.

Ward stared. "Uh... are you alright?"

"What does it look like?" Garrett asked cheerfully, smiling as he leaned the door up against the side of the cargo hold. "Never better, son." He looked at it, thinking, then turned and yelled into the lab. "I need a nail! Get me a nail! A big one!

From inside the lab, far enough away that he couldn't hear them talk, Quinn and Raina were watching curiously.

"What the hell is he doing?" Quinn asked, frowning.