Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D: Arms Race

Chapter 4: The Bus

"So, who is this guy that Coulson is bringing in again?" Skye said, sitting at the lab's holotable.

Fitz and Simmons were busy working on their own projects in the lab. Fitz was tinkering on one of his gadgets. Simmons was checking inventory before they took off from the airfield.

Simmons looked up from her tablet with a bright smile. "Oh Agent North! He's such a great guy."

"You know this guy?" Skye asked.

"He came by a few times. Tested out some of our inventions." Fitz said, still working on his "night-night" pistol. "Usually the ones that went boom."

Skye couldn't help but laugh. "Boom? You mean he volunteered to test explosives."

Fitz froze. "Well– not necessarily."

Simmons interrupted with her nervous smile. "Most of the things that exploded weren't supposed to do that."

It all made sense now. "You're saying that this guy blew up your stuff? How did he manage that?"

"Probably because he's a loose cannon." Ward said, his face was stern. His arms were crossed as he leaned against the door frame.

"No, he thinks outside the box." Fitz argued. "He put most our equipment to the test variables that we never even considered calculating."

"Which makes him a liability. Pulling stuff like that on a mission gets people killed. Something always seems to go wrong with him." Ward pinched the bridge of his nose.

Skye rested her jaw on her hand as she watched Ward and Fitz argue. She couldn't help but smile as the two men bickered back and forth on whether or not it was a good idea to bring on Agent North.

"What's all the fighting about?" A man interrupted as he walked in.

The man wore a black suit. His red hair was slightly disheveled. So was his suit. A wide, confident smile was spread across his face. He looked cocky, but there was a subtle gentleness to his stance. His weight was shifted to his left.

"Agent North!" Simmons greeted him with a warm hug.

"Hey Simmons," North replied. He stepped out of the embrace. Moving his attention to Fitz. "How you doing, Fitz?"

Fitz didn't say anything, but grabbed his pistol from the table. "I'm doing alright, but," he handed North the night-night pistol, "what do you think of this?"

North felt the weight, spun it in his hand, and pointed it at the wall. "The weight is fine," Fitz gave Ward a defiant grin, "but it's way too bulky. Makes it harder to conceal." Fitz's shoulders drooped. "Don't worry, bud. You'll figure it out with that big brain of yours."

He turned to Ward with an outstretched hand. "Agent Ward, good to see you."

Ward only nodded. His arms were crossed and his jaw locked. The two agents stood face to face, making unbroken eye contact. The tension in the room suddenly thickened in a matter of seconds.

"Agent Ward," May said, standing just outside the lab, "Coulson wants to see you in his office."

Ward nodded, not breaking eye contact with North. A beat and he turned to follow May up the spiral stairs to the lounge.

North snickered. "He's as delightful as ever. So anyways what have-" He paused having just realized that Fitz and Simmons weren't the only ones in the lab. He raised his eyebrows as he stared at the young woman sitting at the table. "Hello."

"Hey," Skye returned with a smirk. There was an awkward silence as the two studied each other.

"Agent North, this is Skye." Simmons chimed. "Skye this is–"

"Agent North." North interrupted, reaching out his hand.

"Yeah, I know." Skye teased.

North nodded "Right, because you were here when Simmons said it. Got it."

More silence. North let out a deep breath and clapped his hands together. "So... where am I staying?"

Simmons opened her mouth, but Skye interrupted. "I'll show you. Right this way, Agent North." She said in a teasing tone.

As soon as the two left Simmons shot a look at Fitz who took a second to realize she was staring intensely at him. "What?" Simmons gestured to the direction that Skye and North just left. "Wha– Jemma, no."

"Yes!" Her eyes widened. "When have you ever seen him at a loss for words?"

Fitz shook his head and continued to work on the night-night pistol. "I don't see it."

Simmons stood over his shoulder. "Twenty dollars says he and Skye will be completely head over heels for each other by the time this assignment is over."

Fitz quickly raised his head and looked at Simmons with an eager look. "Fifty dollars and you're on."

***

"So, this is your room." Skye pointed to a small cubicle with a twin sized bed against the wall. His stuff was already placed on the mattress.

North eyed the small space. "Cozy." He glanced over to the closed quarters next to his new home. "Please tell me that's not Agent Ward's."

"No, that's mine." Skye corrected, her arms crossed. She was fidgeting.

North raised his eyebrows. "Well, that's convenient." He stated, nodding to Skye's space.

"Really?" Skye said, returning to her teasing tone. She took a step towards him. "And why is it convenient?"

"You're a hacker. Your skills come in handy. Now I know where you are if I need you."

"Oh." She said, her confident tone dropped.

This job was different. The plane wasn't at all what he expected it to be. It was more homey than he thought. The team wasn't quite what he expected either.

"So Skye, how long have you been in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s dog house?" Skye's mouth dropped open. "I'd recognize that bracelet anywhere. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s more humane version of a shock collar."

Skye walked past him and plopped herself down on the couch in the lounge. She kicked her feet up and sat reclined across the length of the couch. "You sound like you've had personal experience with these." She said, shaking her wrist in the air.

North shrugged and leaned up against the wall. "Yeah, well when you manage to wander into a level 7 security as a consultant, they don't just give you a slap on the wrists. Luckily, I was more useful on a team with a wrist monitor than in a cell."

"Wait, seriously?" Skye exclaimed in disbelief. "Is that why Ward hates your guts?"

"That among other things."

"Which will have to wait for a later time." Coulson interrupted. "Agent North, are you ready to begin the briefing?"

A confident smile spread across North's face. "Ready when you are, boss."