Becoming Legion

Chapter Nine

Rose arrived in Fury's office with about fifteen seconds to spare on his deadline. She gave a hug to Gemma and Fitz and waved at Agents Ward, May, and Coulson. Wait, that's not right.

"Either I'm seeing things, or Phil Coulson is alive," states a wary Rose, her eyes looking at Coulson with confusion.

"I am very much alive Agent Carter," Coulson smiles, "I understand it can be a little confusing and concerning, but I'm very much alive."

It didn't take much more convincing than that, Rose rushing over to give the man a hug.

"Agent Carter, this team needs your help," states Fury, rounding the corner to look at them all, "A few days ago, they were presented with evidence that the original 0-8-4 is being sold, after disappearing from a SHIELD facility last year."

"Wait, like the silver thing that damn near killed me?" questioned Rose, "How the hell does that go missing for a year, and I wasn't informed."
"Because, before today, you weren't a Level Nine," responds Fury, handing the girl her new badge, "Congratulations."

Rose followed the group out of the building to a quinjet, which docked onto a floating fortress of a plane. She began to marvel at all the equipment in the lab, before being brought upstairs to look at the report on the mission.

"Two days ago, we were intercepting the sale of the 0-8-4, when a third party intercepted the sale, taking the information and the object with them," reports Ward.

"Wait, wait, was the object out in the open?" asked Rose, "did he touch it with his bare hands?"
"Yes, I don't understand what that has anything to do with the situation," retorts Ward. He had never liked Rose Carter, she was given everything on a silver platter after she had been woken up in his eyes. The rest of them, besides Skye, had to fight their way up through SHIELD.

"Because the last time someone touched that thing," smirks Rose, flicking fire into her hand, "they walked away able to do this."

The group all stared at her, some in shock, some in fear. But Ward had a different look like he knew this would happen.

"Skye was the one to make contact for the purchase, and she had been able to pick up these shards that broke off the man who took the 0-8-4," adds Gemma, pulling up pictures of the shards.

"However, when we were looking at them, the shards turned into blood about three hours later," adds Fitz, "We're assuming this man has the ability to turn himself into certain substances."

"If he turns into that Obelisk, we're all screwed," says Rose, "Where is he now?"
"With Hydra," responds Ward.

Once everyone was off the quinjet and loaded into the plane, Rose was given her room and put her stuff down.

"So how are you linked to this 0-8-4 thing?" asked Skye, standing in the doorway. Rose knew the girl wasn't technically SHIELD yet, but she indulged her curiosity.

"The 0-8-4 was found in a Hydra camp in 1945 by Peggy Carter and the Howling Commandos," states Rose, "I, was found with it."

"Wait 1945? How are you still alive?" asked Skye, "Wait, I'm sorry, that was rude."
"Don't stress, it's not every day you find someone born in 1923 who is still 25," laughs Rose, "I went on the ice in 1946. Hydra was after me, and I didn't want to risk any more lives than we had already lost."

Rose touches the dog tag around her neck, a smile of remembrance falling on her face.

"I'm guessing he was special?"

"Very," responds Rose, still in her far off land, "But going under messed with my memories, and apparently Hydra had too. So I was in touch with Fitz-Simmons at the beginning of the year, to put a chip in my head to fix it. And that was less than pleasant."
"I heard, Simmons couldn't stop going on about helping the Rose Carter," laughed Skye, "But I'm glad you could remember. I have a question slash favor to ask."
"Shoot"

"When we find this 0-8-4, if we find it, can you figure out its origin story?" asked Skye, looking at Rose with hope in her eyes.

"I can certainly try, but I make no promises," answers Rose, "Why do you care? If you don't mind my asking."
"Because you're not the only one linked to an 0-8-4 story here, and I think this was in mine."

"So what's the play?" asks Rose, joining the meeting of agents in the conference room. Conversation stops when she walks in like she wasn't supposed to know.

"Seriously? No one's going to say anything?" she continues to question, "Why was I brought here then?"

"As a consultant," smirks Ward, all too happy to be putting the blonde in her place.

"Great, well, I can certainly do that from DC, so I'll be heading back then," responds Rose, already tired of this group, "You can get my belongings back to the Triskelion I presume Agent Coulson?"

"Please excuse Agent Ward, Rose," stammers Coulson, "if it wasn't obvious, he isn't your biggest fan."

"Sorry, not overly fond of having ex-Hydra on this mission," responds Ward, crossing his arms. How did he know that? Rose's prior situations were classified to level nine and higher. She paused to look at him, but just shook it off. She knew information still leaked out over time.

"Oh yes, I apologize for being captured by the regime, then experimented on like a lab rat for a number of months," turns Rose, fed up with his antics, "You would do good to remember that I know outrank you, Ward, so you best step back in line before I do something you won't like."

After that interaction, Rose excused herself from the group and down to the lab. Between Ward, May, Coulson, and Skye they could easily come up with a plan to track down the shifting man with the Obelisk.
"Gem, do these computers have access to all of SHIELD's database?" asked Rose as she entered the lab.

"Unfortunately they don't I'm afraid," responds Simmons, "I can get you the link to one of the officers back at one of the bases."
"No that's alright, thanks," says Rose.

I guess I'll just call Tony and have him hack in for me, thinks Rose to herself.

"Yeah, wouldn't recommend having Stark go in either," says Fitz, not looking up from his work. Gemma and Rose both look at each other, confused as to how he heard the girl.

"Fitz, did you just read my mind?" asked Rose, turning to face him and take the machinery out of his hands.

"No, but you said that clear as day," answers Fitz, confused by the sudden change in conversation, "Right?"
"No, I thought that," says Rose, turning back to Simmons, "Gem, did you hear me too?"

The nod of Gemma's head confirms Rose's theory. For a few weeks, she thought she had been hearing Steve or Natasha tell her something, only to turn around and then not be there.

"Okay, now I'm definitely getting back to DC."

Rose pulled Coulson and May into Coulson's office, along with Gemma, to discuss what had just happened. Seeing as Rose was required to report any new power developments to Fury, she had to be sent home. She agreed to continue with support for their mission while looking into old SSR files on Hydra that she now had access to. Rose hoped she could find answers to her ghost story, as well as Skye's. With that, the crew touched down in the quinjet at SHIELD Headquarters in New York and allowed a farewell to be said all around. Rose didn't bother to say goodbye to Ward, because she was all too glad to be out of his life. He gave her the creeps.

Once in New York, Rose received a phone call from Tony.

"I know your location must be wrong because you wouldn't be in New York without saying hello to me," said Tony on the phone before Rose could even get in a 'hello'.

"Well seeing as I last knew you were in Malibu, and I got here all of thirty minutes ago," laughs Rose, "But hello Tones, I would be more than happy to stop by. You still in that big, ugly building?"
"You're so funny. Yes, I'm still in the Stark Building," responds Tony, "Except now it's the Avengers Tower, but you wouldn't know that because you left."
"Alright, hostility and sarcasm noted, I'll be there in twenty."