[2] An Executioner's Requiem | Leo Fitz

36

"Seriously?" Simmons asked, surprised by the audacity.

"Agent Mackenzie's injuries have stabilized but I need you to take a look, see if we missed anything," as Weaver spoke Nina felt a wave of nausea hit her, "there are few whose opinions I value more, and we could use your expertise."

She watched Simmons look to Fitz before standing up and walking towards the room where Mack was. She passed Nina, and despite the groggy state the specialist was still in when Simmons subtly passed the knife she'd given to her earlier back, Nina slid it into her pocket without raising suspicion.

Weaver followed after Simmons, dismissing Fitz with a small smile and not sparing Nina a second glance. Once she was out of sight, Nina inhaled sharply at the painful buzzing beneath her skin and the haziness of her mind. Getting drugged was never pleasant but she was quick to realise the way she felt now wasn't because of the substance forced into her bloodstream but the thick silver bracelets that had been locked onto her wrists.

"Agent Ramos," a guard called out to her. Nina didn't turn to face them as they spoke, only walking towards Fitz, "Commander Gonzalez is waiting for you in Agent Coulson's office."

"At that concerns me, why?" Nina asked as she crouched down in front of Fitz. He had worry written on his face, clearly noting that something was off.

"Agent Coulson is in there with him," the guard stated and Nina tensed, she clicked her tongue before holding her wrists up and allowing Fitz to see the bracelets.

"These," she started, "they control vibrations right, the kind of frequencies created?"

"They could," Fitz said, he reached out and touch one, pulling back when he felt the cool metal vibrate under his fingertips, "they do."

"That's what I thought," Nina sighed, her voice dropping down into a whisper as she continued, "when you found out Skye had an effect on me, did you make a digital record of it."

"Yes, everything's on file."

"Who has access to it?"

"To this specific file? Me, Coulson, Simmons and... Mack," Fitz frowned and Nina sighed, hating being right for this one time as she gritted her teeth at the ache that surged up her arms, "the bracelets are most likely counteracting with your body's natural frequency. Can you still feel the shadows or Agent Kline?"

"I can't feel Melody at all," Nina sighed as she shook her head, "the shadows I can feel very faintly but I can't reach out to them-"

"Agent Ramos, Commander Gonzalez is waiting for you," the guard from before repeated and Nina rolled her eyes, still not turning to face him.

"Does it hurt?" Fitz asked, taking Nina's dismissal of the man behind her as an invitation to continue speaking.

"Feels like I'm being ripped apart from the inside out," Nina stated with a pained smile before standing up straight.

"I asked for his help..." Fitz muttered softly and Nina shrugged nonchalantly.

"Not your fault, Leo. You didn't know what he was doing, none of us did," she told him with a soft smile before turning to the guard and allowing her lips to take on a patronising grin, "well then, be a gentleman and lead the way."

The guard scoffed but still turned around and made a move towards the door, Nina following close behind him but not before facing Fitz one more time and giving him the most genuine smile she could muster, just to ease the guilt he was most likely feeling.

Both parties, completely unaware of the pain she was about to feel and the decision that would come of it.

*