X marks the spot

Many Heads, One Tale

Rebecca Sitwell turned the shower on. She let the water drench over herself and let it clense off the dirt, and some of the sweat on her body just became one with shower water.

Christ, what a mess this whole thing was. From Lash being Andrew, to Lincoln coming back. It was just – it was a lot to cope with.

Plus, May was pissed when she and Bobbi returned. It just sent Rebecca's head spinning more. This shower was meant to help with it. How, she wasn't sure. She just wanted it to help. Or, at least, to do something for herself.

It was a trick she learnt in the old days, before meeting this team, before making the friends she had; before her father was a traitor.

Back when the Sitwell name held some sort of positive connotation.

This shower was not helping. It was not helping at all. It was just water bouncing off her body before going down to a drain. A swirl of shit leaving her body and going underground.

Once she was done, she left the shower and bathroom, going and sitting on her bed. She saw the board on the wall. One that now told a pretty complete story. It was one that she both wanted and didn't want to have fully told.

It would've killed any notion in her mind of a sort of a happy ending, but also give her the tools she'd need to give it that.

It was a contradiction, just as most people were, even if they wouldn't want to admit it.

"You in there, love?" Hunter's voice asked from the other side of the door as a knock occurred. Rebecca looked away from the board and to the door. She then looked down at her body, having only a towel over it to cover herself.

Quickly, she remedied that issue, throwing on some clothes that were SHIELD issue – not like she had any that she picked for herself, mind you, she didn't – and went to the door.

"Shower break?" Hunter was always one to loosen the tense atmosphere, it was one of the many things Rebecca appreciated about the man.

"Yeah. Just, thought I – you know, with everything going on." She started to explain, but Hunter rose his hand up.

"Say no more, darlin', I get it. Things have definitely been in a place of full gas instead of the usual half...or quatre. But, as I like to say, better out than in." His words of affirmation caused a smile on her face.

"I guess you could say that, yeah." Her tone was softer, voice quieter.

Hunter allowed the moment of sweetness and levity to stay for a moment longer, before he gave the news he came here to give, "Coulson needs us. Group meeting, for once."

And, they were back to it. Back to war.

Coulson made his grand entrance, going down the stairs in the dramatic fashion. As soon as the agents saw him, all chatter ended. They all looked to their leader, "Today, we're launching Operation Spotlight. The objective, to peer into every shadowy corner of the ATCU. The last few days have been hard. What happened to Dr Garner is tragic, and we've lost one of our own to the enemy, but one of these things has actually come with a positive, a window of an opportunity for us. The ATCU brought Dr Garner's containment module into their research facility. SHIELD is going to use that as a way to gain access. Going in on the ground will be Bobbi, Hunter, and Rebecca," Bobbi and Hunter shared a look, while Rebecca just kept her eyes on Coulson.

"Quarterbacking from Zephyr One will be Daisy and Mack. Handling extraction will be May and –" May stopped Coulson in his pick for whoever her partner was going to be.

"Him." Him was Lincoln. The man even looked shocked at himself being picked. Fair reaction, given how May was at this moment, and how she seemed or rather acted to be in general.