Renegade Rising || Leo Fitz Book Two

Chapter Sixteen

Good morning everyone!! I know this one is short, I'm sorry 😭 been a busy week :/. Let me know what you think! I love reading all your comments ❤️

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Director Coulson had a secret. A secret that was almost as dangerous as the act itself. He was carving. Carving the same symbols as Garrett had been carving when he went crazy. Carving the same symbols that were on the Obelisk, the 084 that had killed Hartley earlier that year, the same 084 HYDRA was using to develop weapons like the Splinter Bomb that had been used in the HYDRA attack on the U.N. It was a dark secret, and very few people on the base knew. Only May, who had in turn instructed Skye and Asia on the matter. They were in charge of watching him when she was gone.

As Asia had feared, Ward had escaped his brother's custody. May, Trip, Hunter, and Bobbi were all out on a mission to capture him, leaving the rest of them at the base. And if things couldn't possibly get any worse, they had stumbled upon a ritualistic killing using the same symbols Coulson was carving on the wall. Only this time, they had been carved into flesh. And apparently, she was a SHIELD agent, though all records stated she had died over five years ago, of terminal cancer. Nothing was lining up.

"Asia, can you assist with the autopsy?" Jemma asked calmly, nodding towards another lab coat and set of protective glasses hanging on the wall. "A second set of capable hands would be appreciated."

"Of course," Asia nodded, sliding past Fitz and Skye to grab the coat and glasses, putting them on over her current outfit and moving to stand beside Jemma. "Let's get started then," she said, looking down at the grey body in front of them. Poor girl. Carved like the wall upstairs. No one deserved that.

"Right, let's," Jemma said briskly. "If anyone is feeling squeamish, now would be the time to make your exit." Her words were like magic. Their entire team had vanished. Sighing, Jemma turned to Asia. "Let's make this quick." And they did. It was grim work, but it was necessary. They took samples, analyzed them, and organized the results into charts and images.

"Alright," Jemma said finally, "That should be sufficient." The two removed the coats and washed their hands. Asia felt like she was scrubbing hers raw to make sure there was no trace of body left on her skin. It was tome to brief the others.

"The cuts were very deep, but very precise," Jemma explained once Skye and Coulson had joined them in the Lab once more, indicating to a photo in front of them. "Something very common in this sort of ritualistic murder."

Skye's mouth dropped open, and she blinked a few times before speaking. "You think this was performed in a ritual?"

"Yes." Jemma replied with a nod. "Given the data, I would say so. The killer continued to carve into her long after she was deceased, giving the idea that he or she had something to finish or complete. I don't think this is his first time. Or his last. Also, these carvings. We've seen them before. They're the same ones from the painting in the church fire, the same on the 084. The same ones Garrett was carving, correct?"

Coulson nodded, but didn't speak. He looked at the data Jemma was handing them, his glance flicking over to Asia momentarily. He knew she knew.

"To make things worse, if that's possible," Jemma continued. "We collected tissue samples from underneath her fingernails. She fought back. When analyzed, we found a similarity between the two DNA samples. Both contained GH-325. The same formula both of you have previously been injected with."

"They're all TAHITI patients," Coulson said softly, his brow furrowing. "That means these killings...they're my responsibility. And now it's ours. You three, follow me," he spun on his heels and exited the Lab, marching briskly down the hall with intense purpose. The three girls exchanged a look, Skye shrugging. Off they went, walking behind him, entirely unsure of where they were going. He led them around the Playground until they stopped in front of a seemingly blank wall. "I don't know how they're finding these patients. I don't know who it is. But I do know how we can find out." He looked at the three of them grimly.

"How so?" Jemma asked quizzically. She didn't see any logical answer to magicing up the answers to their questions. Perhaps Coulson was hiding some secret here on the base, files buried from TAHITI that no one knew still existed. That could only be the answer.

Coulson sighed, and pulled a brick out of the wall, revealing a secret number pad. He typed in a number, the replaced the brick, as the wall slid away, revealing a small, tube chamber. They had seen it before. They had all seen it before. The memory machine. The torture chamber. Coulson looked grimly back at the three agents. "You're going to strap me in. You're going to have to torture it out of me."

The three other agents in the hallway stared, in stunned silence, turning and looking at each other in horror.

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Asia leaned against the cool, contrite wall of one of the Lab's treatment rooms. They had wheeled the chamber into their, so that Jemma could set up monitors to keep and eye on Coulson's vitals. There was no way they were going to let him climb into that contraption without close, vigilant eyes on his systems.

"I still think this is a very bad idea," Skye said, hooking up some wires to Coulson as he sat in the bed. "A very, very bad idea. If May were here—"

"May isn't director," Coulson cut her off. "I'm Director, this is my call. And, frankly, the bad idea was bringing dead agents back to life in the first place. Aside from the idea to eat brains, I'm essentially a zombie. And so are all the other TAHITI patients, who are now being hunted down. It's my responsibility to stop this."

Jemma sighed and flicked her gaze over to Asia. "Asia, can you go grab our other assistants please?"

The brunette nodded, pushing herself off the wall and exiting out the sliding glass door, stopping in front of Mack and Fitz, who were waiting just outside. "Mack," she said flatly, "Can you please follow me? We need you in the room, just in case."

"Just in case?" He asked her, raising one thick eyebrow. This whole thing sounded like a whole lot of bad news.

"Just in case he starts screaming and I can't hold him down myself," Asia explained, her gaze dancing momentarily over to Fitz. He was looking right back at her, finger tapping against his lips as if he were deep in thought, sweater sleeve pulled up high over his palm. She tried to convey with her gaze that she was Justin as worried about this as the rest of them. She just couldn't let it show, not now. She looked back up at Mack, and turned on her heel, heading back into the room. The sound of his heavy steps behind her signaled his following. It was time to get this show on the road.

When she reentered, Coulson was now laying down, and Skye was walking him through the process. The agent who had been found murdered, she was going to be their focal point. They were going to figure out who's the other patients were, and use process of elimination.

"Alright Jemma, we're ready," Skye said, looking up and giving her the smallest nod. Jemma nodded back, then took a deep breath, hitting a small, green button. Instantly, Coulson's eyes flickered shut. Asia took a deep breath, holding it in tightly. This was the moment of truth.

And it seemed to be working. Skye walked Coulson through his memories, regardless of the pain his body seemed to be in. Still, it made Asia's skin crawl. Something didn't feel right. She clenched tightly onto her own arms, wishing she had a hand to tightly squeeze. Suddenly, when he started screaming, Asia bolted out of the room, finding the nearest trash can and throwing up the entire contents of her stomach. It was hard for her to witness stuff like this. This torture. It brought her back to what she had endured not all too long ago. The memories were still tender, still bleeding.

She took a shaky breath, arms wobbling as she propped herself up on the sides of the can. She would have to get through this, for the sake of the the team. But no one ever said it would be easy.