[best laid plans: season 5, episode 9]
*.·:·.✧ ✦ ✧.·:·.*
"So what are you gonna do?" Rose asked Deke, as they made their way to Voss' cell. "I mean, Coulson left this up to you, so it must be important."
Deke bit his lip, "I don't know," he said shortly.
"Oh, right, right," Rose said shaking her head. "I'm talking too much in this situation. I'm sorry, this is a family matter." She clapped her hands together awkwardly. "I will go find Daisy and help her with the repairs-"
Deke placed a hand on her shoulder, "No, Rosie, don't go. You're basically my family. I want you here."
Rose felt the tiniest bit of heat rise in her cheeks as she nodded, "Okay. If that's what you want. I'll stay," she answered. She gulped, trying to swallow the lump in her throat, she could see the outline of the weapon in his pocket. She knew what was gonna come next. "You're gonna kill him aren't you?" she asked in a low whisper as if saying the words quieter would make them less impactful.
"I don't know," Deke repeated. "I really don't know, Rosie."
She took a deep breath, as his hand slipped off of her shoulder, "I'll support what decision you make," Rose whispered as they approached the cell. She let him move closer to the cell, while she lingered behind.
Voss instantly took note of the weapon that Deke had in his hand, "You're upset. I don't blame you," he rambled. "Think about what you're doing here."
"You killed him," Deke stated a blank expression on his face.
"Me and Owen were lockstep in almost everything," Voss said. "Always agreed to pull these people out of the past, but once they got here, we never saw eye-to-eye on that. He thought they'd come with some grand solution. I thought killing them was the solution. You know how stubborn your old man could be."
Deke blinked, "You were his best friend."
"Yeah," Voss said sourly. "Up until the day he tried to end that argument for good," he explained, getting as close to the walls of the cell as he could. "Came at me with a knife, and the knife ended up in his throat. You know he was capable of it. Not how I wanted it to go down, but I did what I had to do."
Deke held the gun up to Voss' forehead. Rose gasped lightly but tried to maintain her composure. "It was all for nothing. You haven't done a damn thing!" Deke cried.
"We survived a decade in this hellscape! You have no idea what we went through, what we sacrificed for this," Voss said, practically pleading for his life. "And now the people responsible are upstairs. We could finish it, but you want to kill me? In front of her, of all people." Voss pointed a shaky finger at Rose.
Deke looked back at Rose, she could see the tears gathered at his waterline. She shook her head, "It's not about me. Do what you think is right. I told you already I'd back whatever play you make."
Deke lowered the gun, switching his gaze back to Voss. "You're no killer," Voss reminded him. "It's fine. Like your dad used to say, play the long game. "Kasius thinks that Quake's his ticket out of here. Let him have her. What's the worst that could happen. She goes back in time, you already know what will," he said, an eerie cadence to his words.
"Deke, let's leave," Rose said, glaring at Voss from the safety of her side of the fence. "He'll say anything to stay alive."
Voss chuckled, "I know Deke's not a killer. What about you, little miss Valia? You have the power to pull the trigger?"
"I should be the one asking you that question, seeing as you couldn't kill two people who are significantly younger than you," Rose pointed out. "Seems like you lost your touch."
"Maybe I was wrong about you," Voss said, backing away from the cell wall. "You're not just his little sidekick."
"You're right Rosie, we should go," Deke said, making his way over to the door. Rose sent Voss one final glare before she followed Deke out of the room, back into the narrow hallways of the Zephyr. It was a lot quieter now that Voss and his crew had been taken out. Turns out none of his men had faith in the agents, they all wanted them dead. Rose had figured that most of the true believers had died before they had it to the Zephyr, and the last of the hope probably withered away once Owen went missing. She just hoped that wasn't the case with Deke.
Deke glanced down at the girl, he was unsure of what to say. "You know I don't see you as my sidekick, Rosie. You're so much more than that to me."
"I know that," Rose answered. "You can't turn Daisy into Kasius again," she expressed.
"I know that too," Deke replied.
Rose sighed, sticking her hands into her pocket. "But you're thinking about it, right?"
"Of course, I'm thinking about it," he admitted, running a hand through the mess that was his hair. "It seems like the best solution to our problem. If Quake doesn't go back in time, she never destroys the world and this whole lighthouse fiasco never happens."
"I mean, maybe, but we still can't do it. You can't do it," she said, correcting herself. "On both a moral and logical standpoint, it doesn't make any sort of sense. Morally, it's not right to sell Daisy out again, when we don't even know if she did it."
"But the video-" he started.
"We don't know if that'll ever come to pass now, since the agents are here in the future. Maybe seeing their future events now, will get them to change the past, and then this future will never happen, and then we will be fine, and earth will be-"
Deke gave a short laugh, "Rosie, you're not making any sense right now."
Rose bit her lip carefully, fiddling with the shelves of her jumpsuit. "What I'm trying to say is that I know you're a good person, and I care for you a lot more than I-" she stopped talking, taking a moment to collect her thoughts. "Just please don't make the same mistake twice."
The two had reached the main bit of the Zephyr. "You were gonna a long time," Coulson commented, eyeing Deke suspiciously. "Is Voss still among us?"
"He knows stuff we don't," Deke said simply. "I thought we might still need him."
Coulson didn't push the subject further, although Rose thought he looked like he wanted to. "Ha!" May exclaimed flipping one of the overhead lights on. The Zephyr had acquired power once more, Rose honestly had no idea it was out, but the sooner they could get off the surface, the better.
"Yes!" Coulson said, smiling at FitzSimmons walked into the main port. "Are the engines good to go?" he asked the scientists.
Jemma nodded, carrying a small tablet in her hand, "In theory, but, sir, we found something," she started.
"Zephyr One's been upgraded significantly," Fitz finished.
"Will those upgrades help us take off?" Coulson asked.
"Well, no, but..."
"Cause it's time to fly," Coulson said, disregarding anything Fitz was about to say. "May!"
May nodded, situating herself in the pilot's seat. "Okay. Once we have ignition, be ready to lift the ground anchors." Coulson pressed a small button on the pilot's desk. "Here we go," she said.
"I'm gonna seat down for this," Rose said quickly, taking a seat next to some bald man. Rose couldn't exactly remember his name, or how he came to the lighthouse, but he seemed like the only smart one there because he was seated. The place engines began to rumble as the wind of the gravity storm whipped against the wings of the Zephyr.
Rose gave a small yelp as a shower of sparks rained down above her head. "Oh come on!" Fitz claimed, slamming his fist down onto the control panel.
"The fuck is that?" Rose said, looking back at the rest of the engines.
"Well, the engines just blew out," Fitz explained. "So we can't take off."
"As was previously advised, we should now evacuate to the caves," the bald man said in a monotone voice, standing up in a movement that Rose could only describe as robotic. "I'll go first."
---
Rose opted to stay in the main port of the Zephyr, as everyone else gathered supplies for the rest of the survivors, they were going to take the bald man's advice. Rose had just found out his name was Enoch, and he was a Chronicon, which Rose just pretended she knew what that was to avoid a whole explanation from FitzSimmons that she probably wouldn't have understood.
Coulson looked down at Rose as she sat in the middle of the Zephyr floor, "I need your help," he told her, offering to lift her off of the ground.
Rose raised her eyebrow, accepting his offer. "Why?" she asked.
"Voss," Coulson answered gesturing for her to follow him out of the port.
"You don't need my help with Voss, he's not a very tricky fellow," Rose said, tilting her head.
"Well, I wanted one of you lighthouse folks with me, in case he gives us any trouble," Coulson explained, grabbing a pair of handcuffs off of the table before walking into the hallway.
"Voss doesn't give you trouble unless he had a reason to," Rose explained. "Well, I guess Deke and I didn't give him much trouble, but maybe just us being alive was trouble for him. I don't really know the exact reason. I try not to get in his head much. Well not really get in his head, but like think about what he would think about. You probably know what I mean, being a secret agent in all. Which is a pretty cool occupation by the way."
Coulson blinked, "Eh I mean I died once, and then I lost my hand. It could probably be better."
"You died?" Rose asked, absolutely flabbergasted. "I would ask how, but I feel like I would get even more confused."
"Probably," he responded as they approached Voss' cell.
"You here to waste me for good?" Voss asked as Coulson unlocked his cell.
Coulson shook his head, "That's not how I roll," he responded, pulling a gun on Voss as he walked out of the cell.
"How come I didn't get a gun?" Rose asked.
"You know how to use one?" Coulson questioned.
"Well, not exactly but I'm a fast learner-"
"That's why," Coulson replied. "You're going into the cave," he told Voss. "Turn around."
Voss obeyed the older man, turning to face the opposite wall. "That's why you fail. Cause you're not willing to do what has to be done."
"Clearly you haven't read my file," Coulson said, tightening the handcuffs around Voss' wrist. "We're not in the habit of killing unarmed people."
"You think that was easy?" Voss asked. "She was a friend. You seem to be just with the continent you'll let die," he continued, as Deke walked into the room.
"What makes you certain that we cause it?" Coulson asked.
"History," Voss said simply. "There was a light from the sky. Aliens is what I heard. S.H.I.E.L.D tried to stop it and failed, brought hell to Earth."
Rose nodded, "Morbid, but that's what we were all taught," she confirmed.
Coulson gave a small snort, "As cryptic prophecies go, you'd give Robin a run for her money," he told Voss.
"That was from her," Voss retorted. "She said that was the start, and then your girl finished it. Sadly you'll see for yourself."
A loud bang was heard over the group head as the Zephyr began to shake again. "We need to go!" Deke said, grabbing Voss' shoulders harshly, dragging him out of the room.
"You should go with them," Coulson told Rose as they watched the pair rush out of the room.
"Hell no," Rose responded quickly. "When I start something I see it through to the end."
Coulson looked up to see that Deke had rejoined the two of them, "I assumed you're coming with as well then?" he asked.
"You assumed correctly," Deke answered, sending Rose a big smile.
"You stuck around," she whispered in his ear.
Deke laughed lightly, his cheeks turning a light shade of pink, although Rose was oblivious to this fact. "You thought I would leave with them?" he asked.
"No," she answered honestly, looking straight ahead of her. "I'm just glad you stayed."
---
The rumbling of the Zephyr was not getting any better, it was starting to make Rose feel a little queasy, she ended up having to lean on Deke for extra support. She didn't want to pass out in the middle of the hallway.
"Almost everyone else is gone!" Coulson called as soon as the three of them entered the pit. "Let's move."
Rose let go of Deke's shoulder and retook her seat next to Enoch. "Cut the anchors!" Jemma said suddenly.
"She hit her head?" Deke asked, holding onto the control panel to prevent himself from falling over from the force of the wave.
"Cut the ground anchors!" Jemma repeated. "Let a gravity wave take us. That's how were get in the air."
"We can't fly without engines!" May objected.
Jemma looked at her, a twinkle in her eye. "Maybe we don't have to!"
"Simmons?" Coulson asked.
"The upgrades," Jemma started. "Zephyr One had Reaction Control System thrusters, meaning capable of maneuvering in space."
"If we could get high enough, we could break through Earth's diminished gravity," Fitz finished. "We could fly in space straight to the Lighthouse."
Deke opened his mouth, "Yeah, no right?!" he asked. "That's a bad idea, right?! Could that actually work?"
"Assuming we don't get crushed by debris," Fitz started.
"Slammed back into the ground," Jemma continued.
"Our thrusters don't run out of power-"
"and spin out into the void-"
"We're in!" FitzSimmons finished at the same time, fist-bumping each other.
Deke sighed, "I used to be really good at self-preservation!" he exclaimed.
"Trust me, I know!" Rose shot back at him.
"May, can you pilot use through a gravity storm?" Coulson asked.
May shot them a face of discontent. "Another mom face!" Daisy pointed out.
"You can do this!" Coulson told May. "We can do this!"
"Yeah!" Jemma said.
Rose took a deep breath, "Flying through a gravity storm. Never thought I'd do that," she whispered to herself, bracing for a bumpy flight.
The wind around them began to get faster, and Rose wasn't sure if the Zephyr could take it or not. A panel fell down from the ceiling of the pit, hitting Coulson square in the face.
"Coulson!" Daisy cried, rushing up to him.
"Woah. Yikes," Deke commented wincing at Coulson's injury. "That is definitely gonna get infected."
Daisy sent a glare his way before turning back to her friend. "Are you okay?" she asked.
Coulson shrugged, "I've been worse, but I've been better too," he said vaguely.
"As the gravitational forces accelerate, our chance of implosion are rapidly increased," Enoch stated from beside Rose.
"Oh," Rose sounded, trying her best to stay calm. "Intriguing, very interesting."
May looked over at Enoch, "Tell me what your primary function is gonna?" she asked, stumbling over to where he was sitting.
"To observe and record the evolution of your species," Enoch said, without a care in the world.
"More observing, less sharing," May threatened as Coulson took a seat across from Rose and Enoch.
"Thrusters and artificial gravity are ready!" Fitz called from the other side of the pit. "We'll have about 10 minutes of power to both!"
"Don't fire the thrusters until we're at the very edge of the atmosphere or we will certainly die!" Jemma added.
Rose gulped, trying not to look worried, but her attempt was most definitely failing. "Do you guys always get yourselves into situations like this?" she asked, leaning over to look at Coulson.
"Almost every week," he responded nonchalantly.
"Hmm, eventful," Rose said staring straight ahead of her once more, gripping the edge of her seatbelt as tight as she could.
"Everybody! Buckle in!" May called. May tried to flip a switch, but the panel beeped, flashing a bright green color. "No! No!" May said loudly. "The anchors won't release!"
Coulson whipped his head around to face the pilot, "What?" he asked.
"The anchors are stuck," May repeated. "We can't lift off!"
"I'm on it!" Daisy called getting up from her seat and rushing off to who knows where. Rose tried to crane her neck to see where she was going, but she wasn't about to see around Enoch's head.
Rose felt a huge lurch in her stomach as the ship launched up into the air. She felt as if she was gonna turn inside out and all her organs would spill out onto the ground. "Oh shit, shit, shit, shit," she whispered, watching as unsecured objects began to float into the air. "Shit, shit!"
"You appear to be distressed," Enoch pointed out, although he remained as calm as ever.
"You think?" Rose snapped, as her stomach did another backflip.
"May! Hit the gravity!" Rose heard Fitz call.
May grunted, reaching for a small red switch on the control panel. She pushed it down as hard as she could, and the objects fell back onto the ground with a crash. The Zephyr was not getting any better with the storm, electricity shocks were flying everywhere. Rose had never seen anything like it before, probably because she hadn't stepped off of the Lighthouse until the agents showed up. Still, Rose was incredibly frightened.
"If I had a stomach the vomiting would begin now," Enoch stated, as the group was thrown around in their seats.
"Why would you say that!" Rose exclaimed as she was getting thrown from side to side in her seat.
"I really don't see anything wrong with that sentence-" Enoch started.
Rose placed a hand over her stomach, "I know you're a robot and all, but you are really not good at detecting human emotions," she cried, trying not to throw up.
"I'm not a robot," Enoch stated simply. "I am a chronicon."
"Thrusters?! Talk to me, Fitz!" Coulson yelled.
Another shower of sparks rained down on the group, "Aah!" Jemma cried.
"We're not high enough yet!" Fitz warned.
"This was a terrible idea, I'm sorry!" Jemma yelled.
The Zephyr continued to rise into the air, and Rose could feel every single movement it made. Every thrust, lurch, and buckle, everyone inside the pit could feel. "Now?" May asked Fitz after thirty more seconds of the Zephry being at the mercy of the gravity storm.
"Now!" Fitz yelled.
Rose heard the thrusters turn on, causing the Zephyr to glide safely throughout the stars. The rumbling had stopped, and everyone in the pit began to look around as it returned to the calm state it was in on the surface.
"A sound plan indeed," Enoch sounded, tilting his head at everyone in the room.
"We didn't die," Rose said, taking a deep breath of air. "I call that a win in my books, even though I almost puked on this guy," she said, pointing to Enoch.
loving you's the anecdote,
golden ☼
Grace talks ig: Why are Rose and Enoch already turning into one of my favorite duos? They've only had like two interactions and they are both in this chapter. I could've added the little bit of the end of the episode here but I was watching it and couldn't really think of where Rose would fit it, so I didn't do it. Also, fun fact, I almost put a Shalia kiss in this chapter, but I didn't end up doing it because I have a very specific vision for their first kiss and I didn't want to ruin it, so we just got cute moments in general, sorry. Anyways next chapter is the last chapter of act one, and the last chapter before we get back to the present time (or past for Rose and Deke lol). I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! BYEEE <3