One Sketch At A Time

Chapter 1: Melinda

      Melinda stormed into Coulson's office. She drew herself to her full height, and asked, "Where are you going without me?"

      "I didn't know if it was best for you to come." He answered.

      "Why?" May was shocked.

      "A fourteen year old inhuman girl, is being pursued by H.Y.D.R.A." Coulson explained.

      "You don't have to shelter me." She told him, yet she understood he was worried about memories of Bahrain.

      "I didn't know if..." He started.

      "Send me in." May commanded.

      "But May, won't it remind you of..." Coulson paused. "I don't want to cause you more pain." He confessed.

       "I'm first approach." Melinda insisted, speaking to him as an equal.

       "If you say so." Coulson smiled at her fierceness.

       "This time, I'm bringing her out safe."

       "I got your back, Mel." Coulson promised, and Melinda smiled a little at his old nick-name for her.

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     May woke up breathless. She sat up, as the images of her dream swirled in her vision. Bahrain... again. Only this time it was worse. Instead of squadrons of possessed agents and soldiers, she was taking out her friends. Memories of the reoccurring dream haunted her every day, ever present in the back of her head. Everything reminding her of the awful day that changed her permanently.

     Looking around, Melinda remembered where she was, the pilot's chair in the cockpit of the Zepher. Alone as usual, but she liked the solitude. May was exhausted and needed more rest than she would admit. The jet's engines rummbled softly, calling her to doze back off.  May flipped off the auto-pilot and sat up straight in the pilot's chair. She noticed that there was only twenty minutes til landing in the airfield of a medium sized town. They were on a mission, well operation really, to pick up a young inhuman named Amelia Tanz.

    She flew the plane into a smooth banking turn and called over the loud speaker, "We will be landing in twenty minutes."

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    ''Amelia Tanz is a thirteen-almost-fourteen-year-old inhuman who is on the run after slapping and causing permanent harm to a teacher in her school. The reasons for her striking the teacher are unknown, but this will not stop S.H.I.E.L.D. from extracting her to prevent any more damage. Agent Coulson has decided to send in Agent May as a 'first approach' to the possibly dangerous inhuman. Agent Coulson's entire team has been briefed that Amelia Tanz has some self-defense training, and if she were to incorporate her powers into a fight, it could be dangerous. We know police and H.Y.D.R.A. are tracking her. We discovered Amelia when a message between two H.Y.D.R.A. agents was intercepted.''

     May read Daisy's briefing summary one more time. She landed the jet then stood at the door waiting impatiently as Jemma and Daisy retrieved a communication device for May. Jemma handed her the device and said, "May, I overheard Coulson say that he didn't want to send you out on your own."

      "I can handle this quite easily, Simmons." She answered coldly.

      "I just thought you would want to know." Jemma grumbled.

      "Well, that explains why he brought all these people along." Daisy added.

      "He said something about him not wanting you to back out. Something about bad memories." Jemma whispered the last part, and instantly regretted it. May's intimidating glare told Jemma that her comment was badly chosen.