The Father's Return

A voice in the Dark

She fell down about ten foot into darkness, screaming. She felt the cold air pass through her hair and the dark close in around her. There was a floating sensation then a falling sensation, and then a sudden burst of pain as she crashed onto the cold concrete floor. She cried tears, which merged with the blood that ran from her nose. Trembling she struggled to roll over onto her back, trying to look back up at where she’d come from, but all was pitch black.

“Hello? Hello? Hello...” she coughed; her throat was dry from the dust that lay thick on the ground. She felt lonely and lost, no one was going to find her, she was sure of it. She continued to cry and clung onto her painful thigh. It burned and burned like she’d been shot with fire, way worse than being stunned with an icer. She tried to sit up and ached all over.

“Fitz,” she said through tears, “I’m sorry I’m not sitting by your bedside holding your hand, I’m sorry I left you alone. Now I’m alone and… if there’s a possibility of you hearing me, hear this.” She looked up into the dark and exhaled, “Leo, Fitz, I love you.” A single tear ran down her face and fell into the dusty ground. She sat in fear and loneliness.

“I love you,” she whispered into her knees. There was a silence that she’d never felt before and a soft breeze from behind her.

“Gemma…” a voice floated along with the breeze barely audible. She slowly looked up.

“Gemma, my girl…”

“Fitz?” she whispered back, just as she saw the wormhole spreading light into the darkness. She heard more voices and feet running towards her. The voice became clearer and Jemma breathed out relieved as she saw Coulson run through, and she fell back to the ground.

“Jemma?” he cried looking around in the dark, the light from the portal his only torch. Jemma waved her hand in the air and tried to shout out, but the tears and dust chocked her, she could hardly breathe. He turned and saw her lying there, small and lost. He ran quickly to her side, arms out reaching for her. Everything seemed slow, like the world had stopped spinning and Coulson was just a blur.

“Jemma,” he said as he picked her up in his arms.

“Fitz,” she breathed as she collapsed into his arms, trembling and happy, wondering whether it was Fitz’s voice in the silence.

“Come on,” Coulson smiled as they quickly jumped back through the wormhole.

They all stood outside the wormhole and waited for it to close, but it stayed open, unwelcome and dark. Mike had taken Jemma in his arms, her head rested against his chest. She was half conscious, shivery but still able to feel and hear. She listened to his heart beat as Coulson and the stranger stood before the wormhole.

“It’s weird,” Coulson broke the silence, “Do you think someone is controlling them, or are they just a natural phenomenon? It reminds me of what Director Fury saw when we had a certain unwelcome Asgardian.” Coulson shivered as he remembered the sharp featured face with that eerie grin.

“What happened?” asked the man curiously.

“He said there was a portal that opened in a beam of blue light, and, well, out he came.”

“Who?” There was coughing from the room where the sick agent lay and sudden cries for help.

“May!” Coulson ran into the room to find her on the ground where Mike had left her, rolling on her back.

“Get it off me, get it off me!” she screamed, brushing her hands down her arms and weary body. Coulson skidded to the ground beside, collecting grime on his black suit. Not that he cared.

“May, it’s ok, there’s nothing there-” he placed a hand on her shoulder but she pushed him away.

“Don’t touch me Phil! It’ll be all over you too!” Coulson knew it was getting serious as she continued to cry and wail, rubbing her skin and clothes as if trying to get rid of something.

“She’s hallucinating,” Mike muttered as he watched from the doorway.

“Come one,” Coulson said worriedly and although she was fretting around, he scooped her off the ground and carried her out. She flapped her arms around and elbowed him in the mouth. He tasted blood on his lip and tongue, but didn’t hesitate.

“We need to get out, now,” he said quickly. The stranger stood forward and pointed down the hallway.

“This way,” and they followed the man whom they couldn’t trust and didn’t know, but was their only chance of saving May. At least they hoped it was.