You Called, I Answered (Salvatore Shield)

1.30 | Mole

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The door to the briefing room swings open again, making all eyes turn in that direction as Hope steps back into the room with Josie by her side. Her expression is unreadable, but she glances at the brunette, who gives her an encouraging nod.

Then, she sets her eyes back on the man that seems to be in charge, Coulson.

"What's the mission?"

A subtle smile grows on Coulson's lips, and he gestures for Hope to rejoin them at the table. So Hope heads toward the opposite head of the table, with Josie right behind her, and Agent Romanoff wears a grin as her eyes bounce between the two.

Once Hope and Josie are seated, Coulson exchanges a glance with the other agents before addressing Hope directly. "As you already know from your time in New Mexico, Dr. Selvig has a colleague here in Virginia who specializes in gamma radiation. While he was working on his latest gamma bomb, the bomb was detonated, and he was hit by the blast. He didn't die, but his body absorbed the radiation."

"What does that mean, exactly?" Lizzie asks what everyone was thinking.

Coulson pauses, his expression more serious suddenly. "It means that Dr. Banner needs our help, before he hurts someone else, or himself. Our intel confirms that Dr. Banner can now transform into a massive, incredibly strong creature, which he calls the Hulk. The problem is that when he transforms, he loses control and becomes a danger to everything and everyone around him."

Hope listened intently, her mind processing all of the information being thrown at them. "This sounds like a science problem. What makes you think we can help with this?"

Coulson nods, "The Hulk is unlike anything I've ever encountered, and believe me, I have encountered a lot of unnatural things in my work. Traditional methods of containment won't work, and brute force seems to make things worse. We believe that with your help, with your understanding of the supernatural, you might be able to help us neutralize the threat without hurting anyone, including Dr. Banner."

Hope lets out a small sigh, glancing at Alaric and Caroline. Alaric tells her, "It's your decision, Hope."

MG nods, "We've got your back no matter what."

While the entire team seems to be in agreement, Hope turns to Josie, who senses her hesitation. Josie meets her gaze, her eyes silently communicating a thousand words and thoughts at once.

Some of the agents share a knowing glance, including some of Coulson's agents, while Hope takes a deep breath.

This is what Shield was made for. To help supernaturals who can't control their power.

After a prolonged moment of silence, she turns back to Coulson.

She releases a breath and nods a single time. "We'll do it."

A subtle wave of relief washes over Coulson's face as he nods. He slides a file folder across the table to Hope, "Here is all the information we have on this case."

Hope nods, taking the file folder, while Agent Carter begins to ask, "Should I go make you some copies–"

Suddenly, Hope casts a spell, making the file duplicate several times.

Kaleb points at the Tribrid, "I think she's got it covered."

Agent Barton glances between the Shield agents, "So what exactly are your powers?"

MG points between himself, Kaleb, and Roman, "We're vampires."

Jed gestures between himself and Raf, "Werewolves."

Penelope ushers her head toward the twins, "We're witches."

Lizzie suddenly speaks up, "Actually, Josie and I are siphon witches, meaning we have to steal magic from other sources."

"And you?" Natasha looks at Hope.

Hope shifts slightly in her seat, her eyes narrowing a bit.

MG answers for her excitedly, "She's the Tribrid. Part vampire, part werewolf, and part witch."

Natasha tilts her head in interest, "A triple threat."

"Something like that," Hope replies, her tone guarded from an entire lifetime of being considered a threat.

Coulson nods, "If anyone can help Banner, it's them." He stands from his seat, buttoning his suit jacket, "That will conclude our meeting for now. You should all get familiar with the information in that file, and we can meet back here in a few hours to discuss next steps."

"Vision will show you to where you will be staying in the meantime," Hope tells the other agents.

Agent Barton looks around, confused, "Who's Vision?"

"Right this way," the robot suddenly swings open the door, gesturing with his metallic arm for the agents to follow him. A few awkward glances are exchanged between Coulson's agents, but they do as they were told.

As all of the agents are filing out of the room, Josie spots Agent Sharon Carter focusing intently on a computer terminal. Josie turns to her side, asking Natasha quietly, "What's she doing?"

Natasha follows her gaze and leans in slightly, her tone low. "We received an anonymous tip that led us to you and Hope. That tip was traced back to a computer here at Shield. Agent Carter is trying to figure out who the mole is. Whoever they are, they can't be trusted."

Josie furrows her eyebrows, "And the tip came from that computer?"

Natasha only nods in confirmation.

Josie's heart skips a beat, and a wave of anger quickly follows.

'You've got to be fucking kidding me.'

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