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

Chapter 8: Party Crashers

Skye looked around at the foreign scene around her. This wasn't the first time she was sent into the field to get information, but this time she wasn't on her own nor was she the one getting the information.

The whole scene looked almost like a tame night club. LED lights were accents to the more natural looking lights. There was a bar in addition to the champagne being provided by staff.

She watched as Agent North spoke with a group of rich arms dealers. He made it look so natural. North spoke, laughed, and flattered with very dangerous men. There was something admiral about his act.

The young woman was startled by a hand touching her arm. It was a young man "Do you care to dance?"

Skye paused for a moment. Before she could answer, North stepped in. "I'm sorry, but she's taken."

"I see," the man said. He stretched out his hand. "I don't think I've seen you before. Who exactly are you?"

North didn't return the gesture. "The name's Nathan Turner. I'm sure you've heard of me, Joshua Summers."

"I've heard whispers." Summers said, seeming suddenly uncomfortable. "Not much is known about you."

"And I prefer to keep it that way." North looked down on summers. "Have you heard anything about a new competitor planning to crash this event?"

"A tip for you Mr. Turner," Summers looked North in the eye. A bead of sweat dropped down the side of his temple. "If you want to make a bigger name for yourself, don't buy into every rumor that gets passed around. That's an easy way to end up in a shallow grave.

"Noted. Now if you excuse me, I promised my date a dance." He took Skye's hand. "Let's talk shop another type."

He didn't wait for another word from Summers before whisking Skye away to the dance floor. She wasn't very graceful, but North led well.

"You're doing well." North lied. He leaned closer toward her ear. "I think it's time that we slip away to somewhere more private."

"You're doing well." North lied. He leaned closer toward her ear. "I think it's time that we slip away to somewhere more private."

"Excuse me?"

"We have to see if the weapons are here."

North grabbed Skye's hand and guided her away. They snuck through the halls of the facility. North's charismatic attitude faded. His charming smile turned to a focused stare. In the maze of nearly identical hallways, they finally came up to a locked storage room.

Without further instruction, Skye went to work with the digital lock. Within seconds the lock clicked and the door was unlocked.

What North and Skye walked into was a whole armory. Assault rifles, machine guns, explosives, and sniper rifles. There was enough to arm a small army. North quickly moved to a case of handguns and grabbed two along with several magazines. He handed one to Skye.

Her eyes glanced down at the gun and back at North. "Hang on to this. You might need it." She took it from him and followed him out of the room.

North stopped her just before she reached the door. She craned her neck over his shoulder to see men in tactical gear. Their faces were covered, but she noticed an unmistakable purple glow coming from their weapons. Gunshots were coming from the dining hall.

"We need to get out of here, now." North said. He went back into the armory, grabbed an assault rifle and a couple spare magazines. "Let's go."

North swept the hall as they went around the corner. A man with a glowing gun opened fire. A blast of purple energy exploded as it made contact with the wall next to North. He ducked behind the corner to avoid the blast. He whipped back around and pulled the trigger. A three round burst ripped through the man. North moved swiftly and grabbed their attacker's weapon and slung it over his shoulder. Fitz was going to have a hay day.

A gunshot rang out from behind him. Another assailant kneeled on the ground with a bullet in his leg. Skye still had her pistol aimed in his direction. The hostile raised his weapon to get a shot off, but North beat him to it. Another bullet bored into his shoulder. North grabbed her wrist and pulled her further down the hall.

It felt like forever, but Skye and North made it out of the building through an emergency stairwell. People were running from the building. The two sped away into the night.

North flashed Skye a smile. "Onto phase two."