Equipped with determination, strategy, and a slight lack of professionalism, Sophia Marshall is by no means the exemplary S.H.I.E.L.D Agent. Whilst past experiences continue to threaten the Agent's job, her loyalty to Coulson's newfound specialised...
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FROM COULSON'S ENTRANCE to Fitz's hand ghosting over her shoulder in an attempt to haul her up, nothing had felt real to Sophia. She'd snapped out of it pretty quickly though, the daze loosening as professionalism finally set back in, but she knew that it was really just a flimsy coping mechanism. Everyone else seemed to be feeling the same.
The team had boarded the Bus with Skye in a cryogenic chamber, in which her core temperature was being kept low enough to sustain her life. Despite that, they didn't have much time at all.
They couldn't lose Skye. They couldn't.
Jemma was the first to leave, muttering a monotone "excuse me" before heading towards the plane's main compartment, and a dulled wave of anger washed over Sophia. Jemma was a biochemist, not a medical doctor, and she needed to start being treated as such before she blamed herself for something that wasn't even within her job role. As the team briefly watched her go, Ward caught Sophia's eye. There was a dead-set glare sent her way, but she looked back with nothing but a straight face. Tension was building as the blame she placed on herself was obviously not only placed there by her, and she briefly considered following Jemma. Fitz went instead though -naturally- and the team quietly dispersed.
Ward paced around the hangar, his hands balling into fists as his jaw clenched with every step. Sophia, however, stayed with Coulson as May finally followed the specialist agent, trying desperately not to flinch each time his foot hit the ground. The tension rose with every intrusive noise, and Sophia knew it was only a matter of time before he lost it. May briefly shot her a glance as she realised that the two partners were silently growing more and more pissed off with each other, and she went to press the doors shut but it was too late- Ward's fist smacked against one of the S.H.I.E.L.D vehicles with a resounding thud.
"She never should have gone in there." His voice was calm at first but rapidly rose into a shout. "Why was she in there?!"
He spun on his heel to face Sophia, closing the distance between them as May ordered him to calm down. It was no use.
"What was it, huh?" He spat, "A terrible misjudgment or a complete, selfish, lack of care?"
Sophia snapped, colliding with his chest as she shoved him against the wall, and they found themselves fighting for the first time. Deep down they knew that the other wasn't actually the root of their guilt or fear, but it was much easier to confront someone else than face the emotional truth of the situation. There wasn't a chance for either of them to do any proper damage though, as May hauled Sophia off him and Coulson barked at them to grow up. Upon his further orders, Sophia was sent to check on the scientists and Ward was confined to May's company as he cooled off- Coulson didn't trust either of them alone, knowing that they could easily be found at each other's throats once again.
Sophia didn't waste any time arguing, and she distractedly trudged towards the rear end of the ship. The blood that stained her hands and clothes was suddenly captivating her, as if she'd only just been alerted of its gruesome presence.
