Somewhere Only We Know

The Empty House

Daisy had gotten the team back together with little problem. Now, she was sitting back at home with them around the booth with a file and some drinks. Coulson and May were out for the night, citing a 'date night', whatever that meant. It usually ranged from a secret mission to them actually going out and enjoying themselves.

"Okay, so what day is best for everyone?" Daisy asked as they all sat down. "I'm free at the end of December 'cause that's during break."

Everyone muttered a variation of 'same'. They all went to the same university; it was a SHIELD campus where the communications cadets did their degrees. Mack, as a double major, chose to spend his time there. Fitzsimmons were there because they ran a lab and were basically professors who gave a lecture every other day. Yo-Yo was an asset, but given she went to the Academy, she was allowed into the university and did her degree there after she graduated.

"December 20th? We can do some recon and then spend Christmas together?" Fitz suggested, scratching his neck. "That is- unless you all had other plans."

"My plans were having dinner with my parents, but I'm sure they'd be okay with me skipping one," Daisy said, shrugging.

"My cousins don't do anything for Christmas," Yo-Yo added. "And Mack's brother's spending it out of town as well so there's nothing on his family."

Mack nodded, looking to Simmons.

"Oh, I don't go home much for the holidays," she said, flushing. "I've been spending all of them with Fitz and you all."

"It's settled, then?" Daisy asked. "December 20th?" There were murmurs of consent around the table and she opened the thin file in front of her. "Okay. Let's see. Our assignment is to do some recon on an old SHIELD base from the seventies. That's day one. If it's all clear, then we take a look inside and do a check from there."

Mack exchanged a glance with Yo-Yo, slightly disgruntled. "This sounds like the start of a horror movie," he muttered. "But go on."

Daisy gave him a knowing smile. "We'll be safe enough. If the check is all clear, then we stay the night and see how the conditions are."

"What weapons are we allowed?" Simmons asked. "Just so I know what to make Fitz pack."

"Anything we deem necessary," Daisy said. "No restrictions, but obviously it's implied that we don't bring WMDs and stuff. Now that we're done with that, who wants some turkey?"

"I'll take the stuffing!" Fitz called, running after the girl.

-

Daisy piloted their jet to Lake Ontario, careful to keep the shields up like Fitz taught her to. The jet they had taken was one of the prototypes of Fitz and Mack's designs, called a Quinjet. It was a little bulky, but it had adequate space for a five person team, and there was a little AI co-pilot to keep track of the flight course named Diana, courtesy of Simmons.

They landed in an empty clearing inland before taking the walk to where the SHIELD base was supposed to be.

"It's... a lighthouse?" Daisy asked, tilting her head at the tall building by the water.

Fitz squinted and peered over her shoulder to look at the file. "Maybe it's under the lighthouse? Or invisible?"

"Maybe it's just underground and the lighthouse is the entrance?" Simmons guessed.

"I'm gonna go find out," Yo-Yo said. She sped away and came back a split second later. "It's abandoned."

Mack sighed and hovered his hand over his holster. "Why's it always gotta be abandoned creepy buildings," he muttered, following Daisy as she led them over. "Have these old SHIELD people never watched a horror movie?"

"It's quite possible, yes," Fitz replied. "Seeing as this was built... I would say late 60's to early 70's."

Daisy surged ahead and went to the door of the smaller building attached to see that it was locked. A very complicated lock, for some reason, for a lighthouse, but she picked it anyway and got everyone inside before closing it.

"Let's clear the building before trying anything," she told them quietly. "Comms check?"

"All clear," Fitz replied. "We're good to go."

"Okay, let's split up. Yo-Yo, you're with me. We can go upstairs first. The rest of you can explore this level and anything underneath. Check back every five minutes." Daisy glanced around at all their faces and nodded. "Let's go."

The lighthouse and the building itself was a dusty shell of nothing. It was empty to the point that there weren't any footprints in the dust except their own. The top made a fantastic watchtower, though.

"Daisy, Yo-Yo, come in," Simmons said in their ears. "I think we found something."

They met up at the base of the lighthouse where Fitzsimmons and Mack were huddled around the floor. "You've got to take a look at this," Fitz said, a little DWARF buzzing around his head.

Daisy looked. "Ooh, a trapdoor."

Mack lifted it with his foot.

Daisy grinned. "Ooh. A trapdoor covering a semi-futuristic other trapdoor!" She stared at it. "Now what?" Just then, her phone rang. "Director?"

"Cadet May," Peggy's voice said urgently. "I have a pressing issue I need you to cover. I recognize that you are on a reconnaissance assignment but seeing as I'm supervising that assignment, I feel I can pull your team out from it."

Daisy blinked. "Of course, Director. What do you need?"

"My grandson, another cadet, he's on his final mission before he graduates, which I'm also supervising. Unfortunately, it's a no-contact mission, and I can't reach him. He's near you, in Vermont. He's on a train, and he's being tailed by some suspicious peoples that I think are going to murder him."

"Got it." Daisy mimed a notepad to Fitz, who handed her a tablet. "Daniel Sousa, Vermont train?"

"That's the one."

"I'll get him back in one piece, Director." Daisy tapped Mack to get his attention and told him to go to the jet. "If not, then at least alive. I promise."

"Thank you, cadet. You're one of the only people I know to trust."

Daisy smiled inwardly. "I'll be in touch. Thank you." She heard the call hang up and said to Fitzsimmons and Yo-Yo, who remained. "Director Carter called, her grandson is in danger of being murdered so Mack and I are going to get him and try and fight off some of the assailants. You three can try and open the door. We'll be back by five-ish."

The three nodded and Daisy raced off to the jet. The lighthouse would just have to wait a little.