The earth’s atmosphere was brilliant and stunning to look upon from space, especially at night. The swirling nimbus clouds layered between the troposphere and stratosphere created mesmerizing patterns mixed with the blue hues of the planet’s surface. From a different angle, the sun seemed to give halos to the satellites that dotted the thermosphere, which is where the spacecraft orbited. Tonight marked four months to the day that the agents had been aboard the battle carrier that loomed several thousand miles above the earth’s surface.
Normally, Jemma Simmons would fall asleep counting all of the stars that fit inside her window. She would identify them, and then give them pet names. Phecda and Merak became Dalek and Rose, and the Leo constellation received Narnia monikers.
But tonight, the darkness wasn’t the same. Now, a savagely bright gash spread across the universe above her as far as she could see. It was as if God took the fabric of space and ripped it in half. Instead of stars, Jemma stared at the flashes of blue in the distance as they streaked across star groups she has never seen. The more she stared, the heavier her heart felt. Sleep was impossible, and she wasn’t even sure why May sent her to bed. She should be up, working and calculating the physics that started this phenomenon. Her mind raced just imagining the quantum and sub-quantum levels of science this involved. She started thinking about her current research with Particle M067, a mysterious new element they found after the Event. She wouldn’t have any research if it wasn’t for Fitz, and she owed her discovery to her team. But she didn’t want to think about them now, especially Fitz.
The image of his blue eyes and the way they accompanied his smile filled her mind. A wave of grief crashed upon her as she remembered the last time she saw him. He was as brilliant as he was awkward, and he was her closest friend. She just wanted him to be alive. She wanted all of them to be alive. Jemma missed the rest of her team, and she was thankful for the privacy of her room. There, she didn’t have to channel her agony into motivation. No one knew what happened to Fitz, Coulson, Skye, and Ward. But she knew they were in danger, and she could not rest with the impending doom on the horizon.
Jemma let herself laugh at the use of the word ‘doom’ in her thoughts. Ever since the sky was torn, all she heard was about doom. Doctor Doom, to be exact. Some villain from another universe did this. Agent Hill showed her the catalog. He came from Earth-616, and she apparently lived in Earth-199999. She wondered how many more earths and universes stretched beyond the blue streaks above her.
Her thoughts were distracted by a knock on the door.
“Come in,” she said, and Agent May entered. The only light in the room came from the window, but even in that, Jemma could see her tired eyes and ever-hollowing cheekbones.
“Have you slept at all?” Jemma swung her legs over the side of the bed and faced her.
“Have you slept at all?” May countered.
“No, of course not,” Jemma sighed. They sat in silence for a moment. The glaring light from the window loudly spoke the troubles they both were thinking.
“Did you need something?” Jemma asked finally.
“I wanted to let you know that Agent 13 and Agent Hand will be here at 2200.”
“Zulu?”
May nodded. Jemma closed her eyes for a moment to calculate the time.
“It’s hard to adjust to GMT, isn’t it? I’m still having trouble with it, even though we’ve been on this aircraft for almost four months now,” she said with a smile.
May nodded again.
“Was there anything else you needed?” Jemma asked.
“No,” she turned to leave.
“Melinda..”
Agent May stopped at the use of her first name.
“I know we aren’t exactly friends, but we are still on the same team. And right now, we are the only ones from our team. I don’t like being alone right now either. In fact, it makes everything worse because I just can’t stop thinking about Fitz and Skye when I get a spare moment. So I understand,” Jemma folded her hands in her lap, resisting the urge to get up and hug her.
May set her jaw and sighed.
“We could use your help on the research deck,” she said and then closed the door behind her.
Jemma let a few tears fall as she sat in the vicious beam of light.
Down the hall, Melinda stood leaning against the cool metal wall in the darkness. Her body sagged beneath the stress and worry she felt. The burden appeared the moment Coulson disappeared, and all she was left with was the empty noise of a dead communication line. She relentlessly wrestled with her decision to leave in the middle of that op. If she hadn’t, she would be lost with them. At least she would be with him. With all this nonsense of parallel universes, perhaps somewhere she was with Coulson. Or better yet, maybe there was a place where they were together longer than just a mission.
She balled her hand into a fist and slammed it against the wall behind her. The metal vibrated, but she didn’t feel anything. She couldn’t waste time on wistful thinking. She had to think of Agent Simmons, and Agent Hill needed her now. SHIELD needed all remaining agents. With that, May squared her shoulders and walked down the corridor to the main deck.
“—and this is where the new coordinates are,” Maria Hill pointed to the holographic map in front of her. She marked it with a red dot, accompanying a dozen other dots scattered across the projection. The research team surrounding the table all nodded and scribbled on their notepads like science robots. They gathered information with the commitment of worker bees, but it seemed like the more information they obtained, the less they dispatched. Hill really liked the Simmons girl for her willingness to participate. She knew Agent Simmons was motivated by the loss of her team, but strength must be drawn from somewhere.
“Agent Hill.”
Maria looked up and was instantly relieved to see Agent May standing in the doorway.
“I talked to Simmons and she will be joining us shortly. Has there been any progress?” May crossed the room and stood beside the table.
Hill shook her head. “No, but we are currently waiting for Pepper and Romanoff to send their ground report.”
“I’m glad to hear they are finally working together.”
“Yes, it’s amazing how an intergalactic crisis can bring people together.”
Hill noticed that the researchers had turned from their notepad scribbles and were looking at her. She raised an eyebrow.
“Do you need a direct order to get back to work, or is the imminent threat at hand not enough incentive?” she snapped. The team scurried out the door, stammering yes ma’am’s and apologies as they scrambled to their desks. As the deck cleared, Agent Simmons squeezed her way past the fleeing scientists.
“Simmons, I’m so glad you joined us,” Maria smiled.
“Couldn’t sleep, ma’am,” Jemma shrugged. “Plus, I would much rather be working.”
“Well, I appreciate your help,” she turned back to the map on the table. “Especially since you are one of the few who are helping.”
“I’m sure the other researchers are doing the best they can,” Jemma defended her fellow scientists.
“I’m sure they are,” Maria muttered under her breath as she pulled up a keyboard.
Just then, a technician ran up the short stair case from the lower deck.
“Agent Hill, Ms. Potts and Agent Romanoff are sending a transmission. Grant data transfer request?”
“Yes,” Hill typed quickly, and the map was replaced with a screen. The spinning SHIELD logo in the center disappeared as the video connected, and Pepper Potts materialized.
“Maria, it’s good to see you are well. Who are the agents with you?” Pepper began. White letters on the wall behind her proudly spelled out Stark Industries. The pen behind Pepper’s blonde hair jostled as she adjusted the files on her desk.
“Same to you, Pepper. This is Agent Simmons and Agent May,” she gestured to them. “They are from Coulson’s team.”
“I take it they are the only ones remaining,” Natalia Romanoff’s red hair bounced as she sat down next to Pepper.
May clenched her jaw at the notion of Coulson being pulseless.
Hill cleared her throat. “Yes, that seems to be the case. “
“But we have every reason to believe the rest of their team is alive.”
Everyone turned to see Agent Victoria Hand standing on deck.
“I’m glad to see I didn’t miss what appears to be an important meeting,” she continued as she approached the table. Simmons took a step back as Hand walked briskly past her.
“It’s always nice to see you, Victoria,” Maria nodded as she stood next to her. “Did Agent 13 join you?”
“Yes, I’m right here,” Agent 13 had quietly entered, letting her counterpart interrupt and take the room’s attention. She planted herself next to Jemma and stayed there. Jemma tried to make herself as small as possible, given all the high level agents in the room. She shifted on her feet as Agent 13 stationed herself beside her. Agent 13 noticed her anxiety and gave her a quick smile.
“Don’t worry, I don’t bite,” Agent 13 whispered. “And I don’t tattle.” She winked. Jemma smiled back.
“Glad you both made it,” Maria turned back to the screen. “Let’s get back to work. Pepper, what does it look like down there on Earth?”
“Well, as you know, it’s been four months to the day since the event. Local and international news call it ‘The Rift’. People around Stark Industries call it ‘The Bridge’. Last time we spoke, we confirmed that our universe is, in fact, connected to at least fifteen other parallel universes,” Pepper sighed. “At least, that’s fifteen we know of. Did you receive the catalog?”
“Yes, I reviewed it last night,” Maria replied.
“So far, we haven’t had contact with anyone from other—.”
“That’s what I came in to tell you,” Natalia interrupted.
“What?” Pepper’s eyes widened. Hill looked down at the floor and took a deep breath. This was the moment they were dreading.
“Agent May, do you remember when you worked with an Asgardian named Lady Sif?” Natalia asked. Melinda stepped forward to the table.
“Yes, she assisted with stopping another Asgardian, Lorelei. Why?”
“Well, she just left the Triskelion and she’s on her way to your battle-carrier. She has a guest with her.”
“Who!?” Victoria’s husky voice went up an octave.
“She calls herself ‘Diana’. And I think she’s taller than you, Hand,” Natalia smirked.
“What is their shuttle location?” Maria interjected.
Pepper leaned over to her computer and typed rapidly to pull up the information. “They are three hours away from your coordinates,” she answered finally.
“Is this Diana woman Asgardian as well?” Melinda asked.
“No, but she and Sif seemed to get along. I’m confident she’s on our side,” Natalia replied.
“So, Pepper, what now? Does this new intel change any of your briefing?” Maria returned to the main topic.
“Yes and no. I retract my statement about contact from other universes. If we have someone visiting from another galaxy who brought along someone from another universe, we have a whole new set of potential problems. But, as for the situation on earth, Stark Industries, in association with SHIELD, has yet to find anything unusual,” Pepper stated.
“Aside from all the crazy civilians trying to contact aliens,” Maria added.
“Yes, well, let’s not even talk about the people who are convinced it’s the End of Days,” Pepper shuffled the papers in front of her. “But to continue, we all are hard at work trying to figure out the exact source of the Bridge. We know Doctor Doom is behind it, but it’s not the same one that the Fantastic Four defeated several years ago. We are currently investigating him though to see if there is any connection.”
“SHIELD is sending another squadron of battle-carriers into space tomorrow. We are preparing for the worst,” Natalia added.
“Well, let’s hope we can handle the worst,” Maria sighed. She had seen forces from other galaxies, but the idea of forces from another universe gave her chills.
“I’ll be sending you all of our updated research on the phenomena. The best we can do at this point is study it. Study and wait,” Pepper said.
“I bet Tony is having a field day,” Natalia rolled her eyes.
“Yay science,” Pepper smiled stiffly.
“We have pinpointed other locations of Particle M067. I’ll send you recent coordinates. Maybe SHIELD can send another ground team to investigate,” Maria reported.
“I have a team ready to dispatch tomorrow, once they get the location,” Victoria mentioned.
“May I add something?”
Everyone looked at Jemma, having quite forgotten she was there. No one objected to her speaking.
“I think it should be clear that we don’t know what Particle M067 is,” she began. “We don’t know if the radar is picking up a person or simply the particle’s signature.”
“What do you mean, Simmons?” Pepper implored.
“Well, think of it as a lightening bolt. When the event happened, there is a chance that the signatures we are reading are just places where lightening struck. I mean, it is important to gather samples. But, there is also the possibility that these are places where others are,” she paused on the word.
“But either way, our sensors for Particle M067 will pick it up,” Maria conceded.
“Exactly,” Jemma continued. “Think of it as searching for pixie dust. You are either going to find a fairy or the trail of a fairy.”
“Thank-you, Agent. That is very helpful,” Pepper said as she wrote on a notepad.
“I’ll be sure to let the team know,” Victoria nodded.
Jemma stepped back, and Agent 13 gave her a pat on the back.
“I think that concludes this call, Maria,” Pepper said.
“Yes, we both have our work cut out for us,” Maria agreed.
“When this is all over, we should take a vacation.” Pepper proposed.
“Only if Tony’s paying.” Maria smiled.
Pepper chuckled.
“One more thing,” Natalia started. “You should know that Fury sent Barton out with a team of agents two weeks ago. They were headed to Coulson’s last known location. We haven’t stopped looking. I will let you know as soon as there is news.”
“Thank-you, Natalia,” Maria responded.
“See you in a month,” Pepper reached forward and flipped off the video.
The spinning SHIELD eagle appeared on the screen and it was quiet on deck.
“Do you think he will find anything?” May asked finally.
Hill sighed deeply and looked at the ground.
“I hope they don’t call him ‘Hawkeye’ for nothing,” Hand adjusted her glasses.
“We need to prepare for Sif and her guest,” Hill changed the subject. She began giving orders and told the flight crew about the incoming shuttle. She didn’t want to think about Coulson and his broken team. There was nothing she could do to help them now except to do her job, and do it well.
“Thanks,” Jemma said. She stood with Agent 13 at a computer.
“No problem. You should share what you know more often. We need more people with minds like yours. Especially in this situation,” Agent 13 gave her another pat on the back.
During the briefing, Agent 13 and Jemma were able to talk some. It was Agent 13 who encouraged her to mention the information about Particle M067. Agent 13 listened to what she had to say, and Jemma appreciated that. She was easily jaded by the higher level agents. She had never worked with anyone else on the battle carrier, except May. But even May was distant. It was nice to finally feel like she had a friend. She glanced over at the agent who leaned against the wall. Her blonde hair cascaded down her shoulders, blending in with her white SHIELD uniform, as her blue eyes scanned the lab.
“So why are you a number?” Jemma promptly.
“Because I prefer it,” Agent 13 replied nonchalantly.
Jemma nodded, although she wanted to inquire further. Agent 13 sensed this and chuckled.
“My last name has a lot of weight around SHIELD, so I just prefer not to use it,” she continued.
“Are you a Fury?” Jemma guessed. Agent 13 smiled.
“No, I’m a Carter.”
Jemma’s eyes widened and she gasped.
“See? Now you understand why I use a number.”
“Sorry,” Jemma gathered herself. “How are you—“
“Related? Peggy Carter was my aunt.”
“That’s quite amazing, you know,” Jemma stated.
“Yes, I know,” Agent 13 agreed. “So tell me more about this Particle M067.”
“Well, it’s a new element that appeared on our planet after the Event. Its atomic make-up is very similar to gravitonium, but its behavior mimics the way light waves move. It’s like a colloidal emulsion of light and iron,” Jemma explained. She moved the to the table in the center of the lab and pulled up a holographic image.
“I’ve never seen anything like it before. Our earth certainly couldn’t produce such an element naturally,” Jemma continued. “When Fitz first sent me a picture of the substance, it looked like yellow tree pollen. So, that made me wonder if our atmosphere – specifically the troposphere, since it contains more water vapor – affects its natural form.”
“So does it?” Agent 13 inquired.
“Yes,” Jemma zoomed in on the molecule with her fingers. “After Fitz sent the sample, I was able to observe the particle here. When they meet a damp environment, the atoms dry out, so to speak. Which is why it became more dusty instead of the gelatin-like substance that we see her.”
She moved to the counter on the left side of the room and pulled out the small sample tube.
“Fitz said it reminded him of the pesto and mayonnaise I use on his favorite sandwich,” Jemma sighed. “But this sample is all I have left for now. I wasn’t able to get anymore after—well, I’m still waiting for more.”
Agent 13 watched the young scientist put away the sample and return to her lab work on the hologram. The way Jemma channeled her pain into her work impressed Agent 13. A sign of a good agent is putting the mission first. She felt sympathetic to Jemma, and also responsible for her. Agent 13 wondered if this was where she could truly be useful. Right now, there was no need for her skills as a specialist, but her days at the Human Resources desk could finally prove their worth. Maybe investing in Jemma and mentoring her was the best thing for both of them.
“So is there anything I can help you with?” Agent 13 walked to Jemma’s side at the table.
“Sure,” Jemma smiled and handed her a pile of lab work.