[video]

[superagent]

[ He's unsure of the network, but in the end, it seems like the smartest way to get what he wants. It's not the most subtle way to communicate, but he doesn't think this situation calls for subtlety and if he's been pulled into this place, there's no telling who else might be here. ]

This is Agent Phil Coulson.

[ Still an agent, even without SHIELD, he can't quite drop that part of himself. If SHIELD is just his team, then so be it. They're still SHIELD. ]

I'm looking for whoever's in charge here or any information anyone can give me that isn't in this handy pamphlet.

[ He pauses, looking around. ]

Or my team. I'm looking for my team.

Comments

[superagent]

[ It's hard to picture a vicious chess game, but he nods anyway. This place seems strange enough that he could believe it capable of quite a lot. ]

It just said they know and now I know what it feels like to be the cute blond girl in a horror movie. I hope I'll never know that joy again.

[widows_kiss]

How cryptic of it.

[Worrisome, because that could mean any number of things. They who? And know what exactly? Although his following comment gets a snicker from her, amusement flashing across her face for a moment as they moved upwards.]

I don't know, I'm sure you could probably pull of damsel in distress with a little effort, Sir. You definitely need to trade in the Dolce for American Eagle, however.

[superagent]

Why not go the whole nine yards and put me in a dress?

[ He chuckles, already running through the checklist of things that their new living spaces are going to have to meet beyond just proximity to each other. They need to be safe and secure and they need to have access to all of their people. They need to be ready. ]

You know if we've all arrived here so close together, that means more people from our world might be on their way.

[widows_kiss]

Careful, Sir. [Her lips are curving into a mischievous smirk.] That could be arranged.

[She nods in agreement, serious again.] Yes, Steve and I have been thinking that. We might have the whole gang together soon if this keeps up. [She still couldn't decide if that was a good thing or a terrible one.]

[superagent]

[ As much as he wants to see Barton now, he's not so sure that this place is really all that safe and because of that, he's not so sure how he feels about his likely arrival, not to mention the fact that throwing Banner into anything involves throwing the Hulk into it, too. It could be... messy. Luckily, it doesn't matter what he thinks, because he has no control over whether it happens or not. ]

It might not just be the other Avengers, too. Pepper and I aren't the only non-Avengers from our world here. We could wind up with other agents, scientists, civilians, even HYDRA agents.

[ Or his team. He tries to picture Skye here or May. ]

[widows_kiss]

Just what we need. Especially since I'm still not sure who was who, other than Pierce. Rumlow and Rollins. Sitwell.

[She adds that last one carefully, because she's not sure how much he's heard and Coulson and Sitwell had worked together quite a bit.]

[superagent]

[ He looks sick for a moment, because that can't be right. Jasper's worked with him for years. He has to catch his breath before he can even say anything. ]

Sitwell was HYDRA? Are you sure?

[widows_kiss]

Yes. [She looks regretful to be the one to tell him.] He was the one we got the information from. He was easier for us to get to than Pierce. He... didn't make it out of DC. I'm sorry.

[She left off the part about kicking him off a roof. And how he actually died.]

[superagent]

I can't believe it.

[ Death is sad. It's always sad, but Sitwell being HYDRA is what he's stuck on, because that is the death of his friend. The man who died in DC wasn't the Sitwell he'd known. That was a HYDRA agent. He shakes his head. ]

Garrett, too. He was HYDRA. I've got agents May, Ward and Triplett on my team along with two scientists and a trainee. I don't know who else I can trust right now.

[widows_kiss]

Garrett?

[Surprise flares across her features. She hadn't really liked the guy, but he'd been a renowned agent in SHIELD. She'd had respect for some of the ops he'd pulled off. He'd had an impressive reputation.

As for the others...]

I'm glad May's with you. She's a good person to have watching your back. [She barely knew Triplett at all, only by name and Ward... Well, she wasn't overly fond of him. The man had a chip on his shoulder and he rubbed her the wrong way, but he had an impressive reputation of his own.]

Garrett was their S.O., wasn't he? I'm sure they took that hard. [Coulson had been hers, hers and Clint's. Possibly because no one else had been stupid enough had the balls to take them on. Clint had problems with authority and she'd sparked terrified and suspicious whispers everywhere for months after joining up, but Coulson had earned their trust. And their respect. And much more.]

[superagent]

He was. Things haven't exactly settled yet, but at least they're not alone when they do get time to process.

[ He knows the kind of relationship that working together in that capacity can build and he knows that they must feel betrayed. He feels guilty enough for keeping his own life a secret from his people, but it's not like he's betrayed everything he's ever taught them. That's a whole other level.

His people matter to him. He could never do something like that. For whatever faults he might have or whatever difficult orders he's been handed, he practices what he preaches and when he sends them into dangerous situations, he does it because he believes in what they do and he hopes that they believe in it, too. ]

May is, uh--[ His face falters. He has to forgive her. ] She's a good agent.

[widows_kiss]

[Her gaze narrows slightly at that stumble of speech.]

I know that look, Sir. What did you do?

[superagent]

Why do you assume I did something?

[ He raises an eyebrow, but he's not really planning to pursue a line of distraction when he owes her better than that. ]

It's... It's not a big deal. It was personal.

[widows_kiss]

You have your guilty face on.

[She shrugs as she says it casually, even though his expression barely flickered at all. He has his tells, though, and she knows him well enough after all this time. Then again, she'd paid especially close attention to him at first. He was the man watching her back on missions, giving her her orders. She'd spent a lot of time figuring him out, figuring out if she could rely on him. Trust was not something she gave easily. He had it, all the same.]

Mm-hmm. If you say so. [She sounds totally convinced, Coulson.

They've reached the seventh floor and she motions to the hall they've taken up residence.] And here we are. Temporary headquarters of the Avengers, Wonderland Branch. Steve's got that room there. I'm across the hall from him, in here. The others are still filtering in.

[superagent]

[ He gives her a look that says the conversation is over, even though it's a look that doesn't really work with her unless she wants it to. He's long-since accepted that she's one of the people who can push back when most people are scared to. ]

Anyone in there yet?

[ He motions to the door next to hers. ]

[widows_kiss]

You should be nice to May. I like her. If Clint and I can't be there keeping you out of trouble, I don't mind her as a second choice.

[It's not exactly a push, but it's as close to one as she'll venture for the moment. And it's a big admission for her. Clint and her were well known to be a little possessive of their favorite handler. Before New York, they rarely went on ops without him overseeing it personally and both specialists had preferred it that way. There weren't many other other handlers in SHIELD who understood how they worked as well as Coulson had. It had been a problem, a time or two.

Besides, he gives her looks like that and it's like he's just asking for her to push, honestly, Coulson.]

Nope. It's still empty as far as I know. Darcy Lewis claimed the one on the other side, I think, but this one's still empty. Sorry, if I'd known you showing up would be a thing I would have saved you a spot beside the Captain.

[Okay now she's just outright teasing him.]

[superagent]

Ha ha.

[ He nudges her arm with his elbow, but really he doesn't mind the teasing from her. It's good to see her joking and he's missed this. ]

Next to you sounds fine. I mean... you'll do.

[ There's just a hint of a grin on his face. ]

Although I'm not sure that you've ever kept me out of trouble. You or Barton.

[ And he wouldn't have it any other way, but in the grand scheme of things, the two of them have caused so much paperwork and more than a few headaches. They're lucky that they're worth the trouble they get him in. ]

[widows_kiss]

Well, at least you could never claim we didn't keep you on your toes, sir. We know how you hate being bored.

[Her smile is fully mischievous now as she nudges him in return, walking him to the door beside hers.]

Did anyone tell you how these work?

[superagent]

[ He sends her a look, but it's far too fond to really be annoyed. They do keep him on his toes and he can't say that ever really makes him angry. He loves his new team, but that doesn't mean he can't miss working with Barton and Romanoff, too. ]

I can't say they have.

[ He touches the doorknob cautiously. ]

[widows_kiss]

[Phil just gets a grin in response to his look. Her temper with Fury aside, it's too good to have Coulson back, to have this familiar comfort once more, something she's been sorely missing since New York. She's fond of her new team, she is, but the days of ops with the three of them is something she cherished.

She leans against the wall beside the door, her arms crossed casually over her chest.]

Crazy magic aside, apparently the place is a mind-reader. You picture a place you want to see, a room you want to have, and then open the door. It seems pretty adept at cloning it perfectly. The closets work similarly with objects although not always quite so precise. The kitchen and dining room work the same, depending on if you want to cook or a ready-made meal. Try it out. Where do you want to stay, Coulson?

[Steve's was his apartment in DC and her own mirrored a flat she had tucked away as a safehouse in New York and she'd seen Pepper turn one of the rooms into her office at SI. She was a little curious as to what would come to Phil's mind the strongest.]

[superagent]

[ Phil's pretty sure that that's insane and he tries his best not to think about anything specific just to see what it will give him. Maybe it will just be empty or generic or maybe it will be his childhood room. That would be... a little embarrassing, actually, but Natasha's seen worse with him.

He pushes the door open, not sure what he's going to get, but what he gets is Audrey's bedroom in Portland, exactly the way he remembers it from the last time he was there.

Freezing in the doorway, his breath catches and he can't seem to remember how to breath. ]

[widows_kiss]

[She'd stepped away from the wall as he opened the door, coming to stand behind him, but she stopped short when he froze, surprised by his reaction. Had it been the magic that unnerved him so? That didn't seem likely, so she peered around his shoulder into the room he'd made.

It wasn't familiar and there was something decidedly... feminine about it. Which had her suspecting where and what this was, though she didn't outright say it. Instead she flicked her gaze to his face, careful and tentative.]

Sir?

[superagent]

It's Audrey's room.

[ There's no point in lying when he's sure that she's already picked up enough clues to take a good guess. He slams the door closed and takes a step back, knocking into her. ]

That's really not what I wanted to see.

[ Closing his eyes, he takes a deep breath, trying to stay calm and get his composure back. He doesn't like feeling this ragged and he definitely doesn't like feeling like this in front of someone that he still thinks he has to stay strong in front of. Friends or not, he falls into the role of handler with a little too much ease. ]

[widows_kiss]

[He's her handler, yes, but he's also her friend and just like he slips them into that role so easily, she slides them back out of it, putting herself between him and the door, as if her presence alone could be a protective barrier for how that hurt him. One hand comes to rest on his arm, light, understanding. She knew how he'd felt about Audrey. She and Clint had secretly started a wager over whether or not he was going to pop the question, and when.

With her other hand, she reaches behind her for the doorknob.]

Let me, Phil.

[She knows what his room at HQ looks like, but she doesn't call that up. It's too stark and bare, holding only the bare essentials to be comfortable. That hadn't been home to him, just a place for him to sleep when necessary.

Instead, she reaches back farther, a room she knows he'l recognize. A safehouse the three of them had taken shelter in for several weeks while a renegade military faction with a personal vendetta were being weeded out of hiding by SHIELD. She could recall the room he'd claimed there with as much clarity as she could her own, and this one would be easier for him to face than what his own subconscious had pulled up for him. Their time at the safehouse had been the closest thing they'd gotten to a vacation in years.

She pushed the door open behind her, walking backwards with it until she could step into the room and clear the way for him, relieved to see that it had worked.]

You can change it as many times as you wish, to anywhere you want to stay. Although it's probably best to have a place in mind before you open the door.

[superagent]

[ It's funny how easily she can ground him and even before she's opening the door, he already does feel more steady. Maybe none of it erases his pain, but it hurts less when he focuses on the fact that he's not alone, even if he is lonely and hurting.

He follows her into the room and at first he can't quite put his finger on how he knows it, but it's not painful.

The moment the memory hits him, he laughs, somewhat humorless. It's sort of sad that he'd rather be in an old safehouse room than anywhere else, isn't it? But she really has hit the nail on the head with this room. It's perfect for now. ]

Thanks. I like it.

[ He moves over to the little desk, pulling the drawer open to find a half-chewed up legal pad. ]