Chapter 7
Xavier sat there grimly as Fury, Fitz and Jemma was loaded onto the Quinjet. The two young brits looked at the older man with contempt.
“Coming along to see us locked away?” Fitz asked
“I have business to attend to at our shared destination, they’re dropping me off.” The bald man said “again, I wish I could have done more for you.”
“Save it.” Fury said to Fitz “This isn’t over, not by a long shot.”
The jet took off and turned out to have only been a short flight, their destination having been right below them.
“The Raft?” Jemma asked as the structure came into view.
“Unfortunately.” Fury said as they began to land. “Good news is theirs just floats out here, it doesn’t submerge.”
“Bad news is we’ll never leave…” Fitz said.
“Daisy and the others will come for us” Jemma said, having faith in her best friend.
Fitz just sighed. He wished he could share his wife’s optimism.
The Jet touched down and the door opened, with a large group of guards taking the three off the plane and down a long hallway.
“Fells like the Lemurian Star all over again…” Jemma said, remembering the alternate version of the ship they’d been on.
The came to a door and the guard shoved them inside. The room was sparse, with just three bunks hung on the wall. Not even a table.
“Welcome to your new home.” One of them said before sealing the door.
Fitz flopped on the bunk and let out another sigh.
“Well, not like I’m not used to this…” he said
“I wouldn’t sit there if I were you.” Fury said.
“Why not?” Jemma asked.
Fury clapped his hands and the wall the bunks were attached to started to rise.
“That’s why.” He said as Fitz scrambled off the bunk.
On the other side was a large room, full of equipment, and in the center, a table three people playing cards.
“Three of kind” One said, a woman.
“You’ve got 8s, I’ve got Jacks.” A second, a man said.
“Read’em and weep.” The third said, tossing his cards down “Full house.”
“You cheated.” The other man said.
“I’m just smarter than you two. And look out, we’ve got company.” He said, noticed the new comers.
“Fitz, Simmons.” Fury said, “Might I present to you, Captain Steve Rodgers, Captain Carol Danvers and Dr. Bruce Banner. Or, if you’d prefer, Athos, Porthos and Aramis…”
“Director?” Rogers asked, “What’s going on?”
“I think we’ve finally got a breakthrough.” Fury said, stepping into the larger room “These two are SHIELD agents from another universe… One where the box doesn’t exist. One where the walls never happened. These are Jemma Simmons and Leo Fitz.”
“How are they supposed to help.” Danvers asked, standing up.
“Well, I’ve been told these two are some of the biggest brains SHIELD has on their earth. And as best as I can figure, they’re going to be our key.”
Fitz and Simmons looked at each other in realization before looking at the man with the eyepatch.
“Sorry for confusing you two” the Director said, “My other self and I figured this was quick way to get you two to safety and to work.”
“So you two switched places?” Fitz asked.
The director nodded before turning to the other three.
“Where’s d’Artagnan?” Fury asked.
“Where is he ever?” Danvers asked. “Down in his room, doing his usual thing. If he didn’t come up to get his meals and use the bathroom, I’d almost forget he’s here…”
Banner came over and looked at FitzSimons.
“So, what’s your skill sets?”
“I’m an engineer, she’s Bio-chem.” Fitz said in awe, “And we’ve gotten a bit good at fighting over the years.”
“Yes, finally,” Banner said “someone intelligent to talk to who isn’t off their rocker…”
“Carol and I are soldiers, Bruce… We might not be geniuses, but we’re not idiots.”
“At least the two of you can talk shop and go outside. I’m stuck in here.”
“Folks, please…” The director said “Maybe we can get the two of them to downsize the suppressor. From what I understand, their tech is a lot more compact than ours.”
Banner looked over at the two newcomers. “Do you guys know anything about DNA stabilization?”
“Well, we are working on a device for a friend of ours to control his powers.” Jemma answered.
“Does he turn into a uncontrollable monster?”
“No, but… on our world… a lot of people like the Hulk.”
“The what?”
“The Hulk, it’s what they call your… other… self.” Jemma said.
“That big green thing has a name?” Banner asked, confused.
“Well, yes.”
“This friend… What’s his problem” Banner asked, sitting in front of a computer.
“He’s an Inhuman with a power mimicry ability that he has no control over.” Jemma explained “Inhibiting them we can do… but the hulk… That might be beyond even us…”
“But you’ll at least try… right?” He asked.
“Never said we wouldn’t” Fitz said