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.
"Yes, but I don't like any of this."
"There'd be something wrong with you if you did."
"I still don't get why I'm in the van. I'm a better shot than Ward," Nina pouted like a child when Coulson locked eyes with her. She didn't like the idea of just watching the exchange and would much rather have a rifle in her hand.
"Love you too, Nina," Ward said over the comms sarcastically and she just rolled her eyes.
"Better shot or not, you almost had your arm cut off. I'm giving you some time to heal because if it were up to you, you wouldn't."
"You already know me so well boss, it's quite unfair. All I know about you is your first name and that you have a weird obsession with Tahiti."
"It's a magical place," Coulson seemed to look confused by his words but before Nina could ask him why, he took off his seatbelt and exited the van.
Simmons and Fitz were outside the van with Mike, applying the odourless tracker into his hand while explaining to him how it worked. Skye was with him for moral support, the pair had known each other the longest and shared a bond. Nina sat in the van, with May, sulking. The cavalry was always amazed by Nina's ability to be such a deadly agent but still throw tantrums like a child.
"I don't like it either," May said, she didn't turn to look at Nina but the tone she used made it clear what she was implying, "but if Coulson wants us here there's a reason. You can hate it all you want but you're going to have to deal with it."
"Yes ma'am," Nina's voice was professional and with the two words, she seemed to shake herself out of her annoyance. The two females sat in silence until the remaining team climbed back into the car and watched Mike and Coulson walk towards the car on the opposite side of the barricade. A woman walked out with one of the Centipede soldiers that they had fought before and went towards Mike and Coulson.
"My team won't let you down," Coulson told Mike.
"It wasn't supposed to go down like this. I'm gonna make this right, I swear," Mike responded.
"Damn it. I don't have a shot," Ward said over the comms when he tried to follow Raina's path with the scope of his gun. Nina bit back a condescending comment, deciding to be the agent May had subtly asked her to be.
The team watched as their agents conversed with Raina and her man. They talked for a while, neither one of them making a move towards the other. Nina couldn't make out Ace and the vehicle's windows were too dark for her to see from where she was.
"Let me know when I can activate comms and the tracker," Fitz spoke up and Nina looked at him before focusing back on the exchange while May just nodded. Nina watched Mike for a moment and noticed a familiar flash of anger in his body.
"He's pissed," Nina stated.
"I would be too if someone kidnapped my son," Simmons shrugged. Nina shook her head and rolled down the window, she pulled her torso out of the van.
"He's about to do something stupid," Nina told them. She pushed herself up onto the roof of the van, hissing and groaning as the strain on her injured arm increased. Once Nina was situated, she watched as Mike acted, lunging forward and grabbing Raina by the throat, "called it, May what do you want me to do?"
"Nothing, Coulson's still calm. He has this," May answered through the comms. Nina nodded and pressed her body flush against the roof, using the dark to keep herself concealed.
Words were shared between Raina and Mike but it stopped when Coulson reached out and touched Mike's shoulder gently. He said something that seemed to disperse the anger within Mike and prompt sadness instead. Mike hesitated and released Raina's neck, Nina went to reach for her gun but stopped when she realised it was an Icer and that she had no lethal weapon on her person.
Raina turned to the car and waved a few of her fingers, another Centipede soldier opened the back door and Ace ran out. Nina could hear him call out to his father from where she lay and Mike picked up Ace, hugging him tightly.
"There's his son," Skye said.
"Oh, thank God. I have no stomach for this," Simmons sighed.
"On my mark activate comms and tracker. Nina, I want you in here," May said.
"Coming down," Nina grabbed the open window and pulled herself back into the van. As she landed in her seat, her body brushed against Fitz and he couldn't help but notice how his heart raced at the slightest touch by her.
While in the van, Nina could no longer see what was going on but only a few seconds later Mike came running towards them holding Ace.
"What happened? They took Coulson. All right, call it in, we need backup," Ward said. As Mike got closer to the SUV, Skye climbed out of the van, "I have a shot."
"Don't take it," Nina immediately said, she knew that simple sentence contradicted everything she believed in.
"Do not engage. They'll kill Coulson. Stand down I'll contact HQ," May told him and Nina exited the van, jogging up to meet Mike and his son.
"Are you okay?" Mike asked his boy.
"I'm fine, Dad," Ace said, he was looking up to his father in admiration.
Mike had handed Ace off to Skye and knelt down to look the boy in the eye, by the time Nina had reached him.
"Ace, I've got to make something right. Daddy loves you so much, okay? Stay with Skye. You remember Skye, right?"
"Mike, you don't have to do this," Nina said. She could see the ultimatum on his face and she knew what he was about to do.
"Yes I do, Agent Ramos. Keep him safe. Take care of my boy!" Mike ran down the bridge toward the car Coulson had been dragged to. When he passed by the cement mixers between the two vehicles both of them went up in a blazing inferno.
"No! Mike!" Skye hugged Ace tight and turned him away from the explosion, watching with horror. Nina didn't say anything, she just stood there frozen as she looked into the fire that had claimed Mike's life.
She pictured his body, unrecognisable, hitting the charred floor and she almost threw up.
"Fitz, Fitz!" Ward called out immediately as he looked at the explosion.
"Y-yes," Fitz responded, not taking his eyes off the burning flames.
"Grab Nina, don't let her watch the fire," he ordered.
"What, why?"
"Just do it!" Fitz ran to Nina and grabbed her. He pulled her gaze away from the flames. She was trembling uncontrollably and muttering a series of phrases.
Fitz could make out names, Tommy and Cyrus, but the most repeated thing she would say was two words, I do. It was enough for him to remember how her teammates had died, how Tobias had died. Fitz held her tight to his chest while she trembled, she didn't cry and just stared straight ahead. It was almost as if her body was reacting to the emotions her mind was trying to stop her from feeling.
"Where's Coulson?" Ward asked. Once the question left his mouth the car Raina had arrived in also blew up. Fitz felt Nina's body tense up even more at the sound and he held her tighter, allowing her to burrow herself into the crook of his neck.
"Oh, my God. Coulson," Skye held Ace to her waist as they all looked at the opening in utter devastation. A helicopter flew above the scene before it focused on Ward's location and started shooting. Sounds from the comms showed that despite the heavy gunfire, Ward hadn't taken a fatal shot. May knew something was seriously wrong when Nina didn't call out to check if her best friend was alright but she didn't dwell on it because Coulson was gone.
And that hurt in a way she didn't understand.
✔️ edited