All of Me - Agent's of S.H.I.E.L.D

Chapter Fifty One

“So … how are alive?” Tony finally asked the older man. “You were dead. We saw your cold body,” he expressed, swallowing hard. “Pepper wouldn't believe that you were dead, so I called Fury and told him that we needed to see you. He allowed it. He allowed all of the ‘Avengers’ to say goodbye to you because of your sacrifice. Barton took it the worse,” he revealed. “Blamed himself for helping Loki, even if he was being mind controlled. The two assassins then disappeared for a few months as we all went separate ways for a while.” 

Phil hadn’t known that Clint had blamed himself. His little brother hadn’t said anything to him about that, but then he wouldn’t either. Phil turned his head to the side when he felt Melinda’s hand press down on his shoulder. She was looking at him with empathy. He lifted a hand, placing it on top of her’s.

“I was dead,” he confessed with a heavy sigh, not seeing the point in hiding it anymore. Tony would dig until he found the answer anyway and this way he wouldn't cause unwanted attention. “For days until Fury assembled a top secret S.H.I.E.L.D team of scientists and doctors to bring me back to life. I don’t know and understand the full details of how it is possible, but some miracle drug made from alien DNA was used which managed to heal or the internal damage and restart my heart and brain activity. They then changed some of my memories with this weird machine … I have flashes of being in an operating room and begging to die,” he confessed with sorrow.

Melinda felt a bout of emotion wash over her, but she swallowed it down. She refused to break down in front of company. She squeezed his shoulder once again.

Tony and Pepper were gobsmacked at what they had heard. It was unbelievable, but Phil was leaving proof that a miracle had occurred.

A couple of minutes of silence passed before the billionaire spoke again. “How uh, did the pirate explain your ressaraction to S.H.I.E.L.D?” he questioned, trying to wrap his mind around what they had been told.

Phil knew that the genius was having a hard time processing the information. Hell, so did he. “Fury sent out a memo to every level seven operatives and above that my death was faked to motivate the avengers in taking Loki and the Chitauri down and to defend New York and earth. After the ‘Battle of New York’ was over, they were informed that I was then sent to Tahiti to recover from my surgery,” he added, thickly. “But those memories were implanted into my mind so I didn’t remember the truth. I only recently discovered it,” he supplied with a heavy heart. “Every agent under Level seven still thinks I’m dead. That’s why I was given this bus and a team. So I can remain ‘under the radar’ within in S.H.I.E.L.D.”

Tony didn’t know what to say. He knew it would take time for him to properly process all of this. A moment passed before he spoke. “Does Spidey and the Bird know that you’re alive?” he questioned. “They’ve never mentioned anything, but S.H.I.E.L.D does like secrets and they are spies.”

Phil nodded his head. “They only found out a few weeks ago when our paths cross during a mission,” he revealed. “They now know the full truth, but were ordered not to tell anyone. You cannot tell anyone that I am alive either, Stark. Skye doesn’t even know the truth. She was told the Tahiti story with everyone else.”

“You secret is safe with us, Phil,” Pepper assured him. “I don’t think anyone would believe us if I told them anyway,” she admitted.

Phil offered a nod of the head.

 

Lab

Skye and Grant were leaning against one of the steel benches with their shoulders touching and arm folded as Skye gushed about Tony Stark being on their plane which seemed to annoy her S.O to no end.