[1] Take the Shot | Leo Fitz

15

Nina had taken a shower once Simmons had cleaned and closed up her wound then changed into a dark blue outfit that mirrored her uniform. She had to ditch her SHIELD issued clothing for the time being as most of it was soaked in blood. 

Once she was presentable, she met the team in the common area of the Bus and noticed how worried Mike looked with the way his hands wrung together in his lap.

"They want to trade. Ace for his father. They've set a time and place," Coulson said, Nina asked Ward who Ace was and he informed her that it was Mike's son.

"Bloody savages," Fitz shot at their distasteful act.

"They want to experiment on him, determine how he still has his abilities," Simmons explained.

"And we're gonna let them? We've fought these guys before," Ward said.

"We can't," Nina didn't like how her gut was telling her the only way to save Ace was to sacrifice Mike.

"We don't have a choice. The instructions they gave Mr Peterson were very specific. I called HQ, told them to stand down."

"Stand down?" May questioned their leader.

"So we take them alone," Ward clarified.

"We should at least have a hostage rescue unit in support of this," May tried to counter. It had been a while since Nina had strategised an extraction style mission so she decided to stay out of it.

"They said they would murder my son. If we make one wrong move," Mike's words caused everyone to fall silent, the idea of the death of this boy weighed heavy on them.

"Any electronics, any comms, any sign of surveillance and they'll terminate the arrangement," Coulson said.

"I'll give myself up, no problem, get him back. I can figure it out from there."

"You're still recovering. We can't just hand you over to them like that, can we?" Skye tried to reason with Mike.

"FitzSimmons have a non-electronic method of tracking him."

"Simmons has fabricated an odourless scent. I have an instrument which can detect it. Works like a bloodhound, can track someone from over 50 kilometres," Fitz explained, sometimes Nina forgot how incredibly talented Fitz was but moments like this where he mentioned things he'd created reminded her that he was amazing.

"After we make the trade we'll be able to follow Mr Peterson. Buy him some time to get his strength back. We'll find him," Coulson said.

"I don't care what happens to me. As long as my boy is..." Mike's selfless father demonstration made Nina wonder about her own dad and whether they would have had a similar bond if he had been given more time.

"I promise you, we're gonna get your son back," Nina hissed at Coulson's words. Rule number one in this business was to never make promises, whether it was to your teammates or victims. The moment promises were made, the mission was doomed to fail, Nina just wasn't expecting the situation that would occur in a few hours.

*

Everyone was piled in a SHIELD SUV which May drove to a construction area and parked by a barricade. Nina was sat directly behind Coulson and hadn't stopped moving since they left the Bus. Coulson had made her leave all her knives behind so she felt bare with only an Icer in her holster.

"At least let me escort him out for the exchange," May said.

"Mr Peterson requested me. I'm comfortable with that, and if things go south, I need you back here taking point on the team. Is Ward in position?" Coulson said calmly, he had gotten really good at handling specialists who didn't like doing nothing.