The flight back to the Lighthouse was nerve wrecking; Mick and Daisy holding Coulson until Mack, Patten, and Jemma arrived with a stretcher. It was harder seeing Coulson lying there than anyone could've guessed. He looked lifeless, his skin pale and his body limp. Everything was a blur once they arrived at the Lighthouse. Mick was sure Mack tried to debrief them about Talbot and the true threat he posed, but all of it fell on deaf ears. Mick's prime concern was Coulson. He wasn't ready to let him go. None of them were. It was now on Jemma and Patten's medical abilities to preform a miracle.
Everyone stood outside the medical wing, no one knowing exactly what to say, or if they even should. They weren't even sure how much time passed, nor did they care. Mack could be seen holding his hand over his heart as he sat on the floor with Yo-yo standing behind him, Mick sure he was praying fervently. Daisy stood with her head buried on Mick's shoulder. May stood a little way off with her head buried in her hands. Deke was the only one missing from the group, but Mick assumed he volunteered to sit with Ruby while Patten and Fitz helped Jemma. Jemma opened the door, Patten and Fitz following behind her, each with a somber expression marring their faces.
"He's not going to die," Jemma said grimly. "At least not yet. His condition is worsening though. The degradation has sped up, and unfortunately it's become hours, perhaps days."
"Unfortunately, the cure isn't ready yet. It's close, it's just going to take time," Fitz said as you could feel the air leave the room.
"What about Talbot?" Mack asked as Patten sighed.
"That's the hard part," Patten stated. "The cure we have isn't really a cure, but rather, lethal."
"If we could secure another dose of the Centipede serum, we could mix it with the Remorath odium and completely degrade the gravitonium," Fitz stepped in. "But it'll also degrade any other cells it touches."
"That's not possible," Daisy stood up shaking her head.
"Sure it is, we ran tests based on Ruby's blood," Patten said as Mick shook his head too.
"That's not what she means. There is no more Centipede serum," Mick stated. "The vial we gave you, that's it."
No one spoke, the only sound in the room was the beeping from the heart monitor on Coulson. The finality in the air could be cut by a knife. "So we either save Coulson," May broke the silence.
"Or we save the world," Yo-yo and May said harmoniously.
"Is it really a question?" May asked as Mick and Daisy shook their heads.
"We have to be rational about this," Patten said Yo-yo nodded in agreement.
"We save Coulson," Mick stated firmly.
"So we let the world be destroyed, and all of you die anyway?" Yo-yo snapped furiously. "We have to take down Talbot!"
"We can't just let Coulson die!" Daisy yelled.
"We have to if we're going to save the world! That's what the future me said! That's what she kept repeating!" Yo-yo argued fiercely.
"No! There's got to be another way!" May stepped forward.
Coulson's heart rate began to climb, prompting Mack to stand up. "We can't argue like this while the man is resting. Let's just take some time and think it over."
Daisy slammed her fist into the wall in frustration, then stormed out of the room. All eyes shot to Mick to see if he was going to follow. "Mack's right, we all need clearly need to think this over." May was clearly a little distraught, but nodded walking over toward the door, looking over at Coulson through the small circular window. Jemma, and Fitz returned to the room to monitor Coulson. Mack sat back down and Yo-yo placed her hands on his shoulders. Mick then left, leaning against the cool concrete wall, clenching his fists as he slumped to the ground.
"You know that no one else wants to see Coulson die again, right?" Patten sat down next to Mick.
"It doesn't feel that way," Mick said somberly.
"I can only imagine how exciting it was to learn he wasn't dead back then. But you know that he would want us to stop Talbot instead of saving him," Patten said as Mick shook his head.
"Honestly," Mick huffed. "I don't care what he wants. I'll be the first to tell you I'm being selfish. I am not going to just let him go. I lost one family, and I'm so scared if we lose him, this family is going to fall apart too."
Patten simply placed his arm on Mick as the tears poured out. Mick couldn't fight anymore, he didn't care, and he knew Patten wouldn't either. It only took a few minutes and Mick began to regain his composure. "So what actually happened with Millie?"
Patten shook his head, as he took in a deep breath. "Hale," Patten said bitterly. "Katherine Hale happened. Not long after Talbot went into the hospital she began raiding SHIELD facilities, we suspected she was looking for your team because we all heard Daisy shot Talbot and you guys were atop the most wanted list. It wasn't long before Hale tracked us down because we were connected to you. Millie was point blank, told her we hadn't heard from you since 2015, and that even if we did, she wouldn't tell her. I basically told her the same thing when she tracked me down, and so her punishment for me was to kill Millie. She staged a major car accident, Millie died on the scene. Coroner told me Millie was pregnant, but the baby didn't make it either. I lost my mind. I went hunting after Hale, took out several of her agents and fled to Morocco, where I ran into Lance who was on a merc mission using the code name Red Jay. Stupid name, considering the bird is called a cardinal." Patten was clearly deflecting his true emotions.
"Patten, I'm so sorry," Mick embraced his friend. "This is why I pushed you guys away."
"I know," Patten said somberly. "We all knew why you did it, and we respected you for it. But we also knew being part of SHIELD or Damage Control for that matter, what the risks were," Patten said as he stood up, helping Mick up after.
"What about this new thing with Ruby?" Mick asked as Patten chuckled.
"She's nice to talk to, that's it," Patten said with a smile. "She's really a nice girl once you get passed her walls. Kind of like your girl Daisy."
"Maybe once this is all over, we can cure her of the Gravitonium, and hang out properly," Mick said as Patten nodded.
"She'd probably like that," Patten smirked. "She really does admire Quake quite a bit."
Mick walked to Daisy's bunk to see her pacing the floor frantically. He didn't know how to console her, or if he even could. He knew she felt the same way about Coulson as he did, it was something they were both willing to fight for. With a hesitant knock, Daisy turned to him with fury on her face, and puffy red eyes.
"You don't want to be in here right now," Daisy said with her voice cracking.
"I need to be," Mick said as Daisy shook her head.
"How can they keep arguing against saving Coulson?" Daisy asked slamming her hands into her dresser.
"I don't like it either," Mick said as Daisy's lips quivered. "I understand what they're trying to say, it's the same thing he's been trying to say. But, I'm too selfish to let him go through with it."
"You're not the only one," Daisy said as Mick reached out for her hand. "How can we go on without him? How can we be SHIELD without Coulson?"
"I definitely understand that," Mick said as Daisy took his hand. "It's why I left when they told me he died."
"You told me that," Daisy said with a smile. "It's the reason you came out to LA."
"Yeah," Mick said returning the smile. "And against all odds, I found out Coulson was alive and joined this new family. Sure we've had ups and downs, but I know we can save him and save the day."
"I agree. I wouldn't trade these bonds for anything. I'm not about to let them go now. Even if I have to use this acting Director title to make it happen," Daisy's eyes seemed to flicker with a new spark of hope. "Hopefully it won't come to that."
"If it does, you have my support, and I'm sure May will stand with us too," Mick said confidently.
"Then let's go end this argument," Daisy said firmly as she held Mick's hand as they set off toward medical.
Everyone had already regathered, save Deke and Patten, when Mick and Daisy walked in. "We're running out of time. Have you started working on the cure?" Daisy asked looking directly at Fitz and Jemma.
"Which one?" Fitz asked cautiously.
"The one for Coulson, the other one is irrelevant," Daisy said firmly.
"No! You don't get to make that call!" Yo-yo barked.
"Not on your own you don't," Mack followed up, putting his arm on Yo-yo.
"Coulson wants me in charge when he can't be, so I can make any call I want," Daisy said firmly. "And If you don't support me, you can leave."
"That's not how this works," Mack stated plainly.
"We don't have time for doing this how it would work!" Mick bellowed. "Coulson isn't getting any better, his clock is running out, and if we don't act soon, he could die."
"And if we do this, millions of people will die," Yo-yo stated. "You didn't see that future, you don't know what it was like watching the last remnants of humanity being slaughtered by the Kree!"
"You're right, I don't know," Mick growled. "And I don't plan on finding out how that future goes. We're forging a new future, and we're forcing Coulson to come with us."
"You act like I'm thrilled with the idea of letting Coulson die!" Yo-yo snapped. "I hate this idea just as much as the rest of you! But the only way to break the loop is to let him die! Why am I the only one concerned about our true mission? Why aren't any of you concerned about saving the world?"
"I'm tired of hearing about the stupid loop!" Daisy yelled. "We don't even know if we're in a loop!"
"We're mostly certain, especially since Deke exists," Fitz stated as Daisy shot a glare at him.
"Guys!" Mack bellowed over the arguing, as everyone turned to him quietly. "We can't do anything like this. We have to focus on what Coulson would do, how would he want us to move forward?"
"He wouldn't give up!" Mick growled.
"He would fight for Talbot, he wouldn't want to kill him!" Daisy said harshly. "Coulson would talk him down! Talbot listens to him! Robin even said Coulson would put the pieces together! You argue about fixed future, how do you argue with that?"
"You're only hearing what you want to hear!" Yo-yo yelled. "That girl speaks in broken riddles, for all we know, putting the pieces together meant bringing this team together!"
"Now she does have a point," Fitz said with a sigh.
"He can put the pieces together," May began to mutter to herself, almost as if she were in her own world.
"Why would she say something that's already happened?" Mick asked skeptically. "I thought she predicts the future, not repeats the past."
"Coulson is the only one who can do this. I'm making this call, Fitz, Simmons, get the serum ready," Daisy started toward the centipede serum, only for Yo-yo to speed over, grabbing it before Daisy could.
"What do you think you're doing?" Daisy growled as Mack jumped in between them.
"No, we don't need to do this!" Mack said trying hard to deescalate the situation. "Yo-yo, think about what you're doing."
"I am," Yo-yo said, almost on the verge of tears. "You guys are making me the bad guy, you're pushing me to do this! He's just one man, we have to let him go."
"Yo-yo, hand over the vial," Mick said trying to keep himself calm.
"No! You guys just won't listen! I'm trying so hard to show you the only way out of this nightmare! I'm screaming as loud as I can, but none of you hear me!" Tears started falling down Yo-yo's face.
"We hear you," Jemma said anxiously.
"But you're not listening!" Yo-yo responded, her voice cracking under her distress. "I'm stuck in this fight, all alone. None of you will help me, none of you. Even you don't believe in me." Her gaze turned to Mack, who seemed taken back by such a harsh statement.
"You're not alone," Mack said calmly. "We have to stand strong, we have to hold it together."
"There is no together," Yo-yo wept. "We've completely broken apart!"
"No," Mack said firmly. "We're held together by hope. We're hoping to change the future, we're hoping that we can save Coulson. We have hope that we'll see tomorrow. Once we lose hope, that's when we fall apart."
No one could argue that, Mack was right. Hope was the one thing that could bring the team back together. Make them strong enough to save both Coulson and Talbot. Mack's words seemed to echo in the room, until the shattering of glass broke through the sentiment.
"Why?" Yo-yo stared at the black liquid amidst the glass at May's feet. "You've doomed us all!" Yo-yo dropped to the ground sobbing.
"I'm sorry," May said as she eased down, pulling the centipede vial from Yo-yo's hands. "You can call me the bad guy now." May then stood up as Mack attempted to console Yo-yo who simply pushed him away as she wept. "Get to work." May handed the serum to Fitz as he nodded.
"Simmons and I will prepare the remedy," Fitz said somberly. "Everyone else needs to prepare for the end of the world."
Mick and Daisy walked out to Mission Control to see the monitor flashing. They quickly ran to check things out, only to find a message from a Bobbi and Lance. Daisy wasted no time opening it, only to be mortified by the image. Bobbi was bloodied and bruised, Lance unconscious beside her. "Talbot took the Hintons then left on an alien ship. He wanted us to deliver a message. Stay out of his way, or all of you will suffer. He's going to save the world from Thanos, neither SHIELD nor the Avengers are going to stand in his way." Bobbi panted as her hand slipped, and whatever camera she was holding fell down. "You guys have to stop him. Don't worry about us, I've already called for backup. Don't let this lunatic win." The transmission ended with those words.
"Go tell the others, I'm getting a team to prep the Zephyr. We can't let him get his hurt Robin, much less get his hands on any more Gravitonium," Daisy looked at Mick with all seriousness in her tone.
"We don't have a clue as to where he's going," Mick said as Daisy shrugged.
"I'm sure people will be posting about a random ship flying through the sky, we'll find him pretty easily," Mick couldn't argue that one. He then nodded and ran to tell Mack and the others.
Mick explained everything to May, who then set off to help Daisy prep. His next stop was Fitz and Jemma, after explaining everything to them, Mack, and Yo-yo he set off to tell Patten. Patten however, met him with tablet in hand. "I think I know how the world gets destroyed," Patten said firmly. "It's not Daisy that destroys the world, it's Talbot."
"What?" Mick watched as Patten played back the make shift scenario, where Talbot and Daisy blast their powers at each other, the clash of the two forces then begin to produce seismic activity, cracking the ground under Talbot's feet. He then unleashes a powerful seismic blast that shattered the ground underneath him, penetrating down to the earth's core, rupturing and cracking it, ultimately causing it to eventually explode within a few days. "Have you told anyone else this yet?"
"No," Patten said anxiously.
"Don't," Mick said as Patten looked at him curiously "I'll personally make sure it doesn't come to that, even if it cost me my life."
"Mick, you can't," Patten said firmly. "If Fitz and my calculations are right, Talbot didn't just absorb Creel because his body became Gravitonium. He now has Creel's powers. You're not going to be able to stop him."
"I know Coulson can talk him down, and if it doesn't work, I'll figure something out, I won't let Daisy and Talbot do that. I promise," Mick said firmly as Patten shook his head. Patten knew Mick wasn't about to listen to reason, in this moment, his only focus was on protecting Daisy from Talbot.
Mick then walked back to medical seeing the odium still on the floor. Fitz walked out, just in time to see Mick knelt down looking at the black liquid. "I wouldn't touch that if I were you," Fitz said as Mick looked up at him. "It'll give you a heck of a power boost, but it'll kill you just as quick."
"What if a power boost is all I need to stop Talbot?" Mick asked as Fitz shook his head.
"I can't promise it would be," Fitz said as Mick pulled out his saber, extending the blade over the black liquid. "You know that blade won't pierce skin. We made sure of that when we designed it."
"But you said touching it would be enough," Mick said as Fitz frowned.
"For anyone who can't control what their skin is made of, it is," Fitz said as Mick rolled his eyes. "I don't think Talbot will have his guard down in a fight against you with your weapons drawn. I don't think he'd even let you get close to him with your weapons drawn. May told us how he crushed Katherine Hale into oblivion, I don't think he'd hesitate to do that to any of us."
Mick sighed heavily. Fitz was right, the only way they're getting close is by diplomatic means, which meant, they needed Coulson. "How's he doing in there?" Mick pointed toward Coulson's room.
"He's waking up, weak as paper, but awake," Fitz said as Mick stood up.
"And the serum?" Mick asked as Fitz grimaced.
"It's almost ready," Fitz said with exasperation.
"We have a location," May's voice came over the intercom. "I need all available to report to the Zephyr. We're wheels up in ten. We have a world to save."
"Sounds like it needs to be ready now," Mick said as Fitz grumbled. "Hey, this is our moment. It's time to save the world."
"Or see it shatter and break apart," Fitz murmured.
"At least we managed to get what we wanted before it all ends then, right?" Mick asked as Fitz didn't seem nearly as hopeful. "You got Jemma, and I got Daisy. That's what we've been fighting for, right?"
"Does it really matter now? Do you think knowing billions of people dying while we hide in the Lighthouse is really a happy ending?" Fitz asked harshly as Mick took the words to heart. He then wondered, if in the future where the world ended, did he survive this inevitable fight with Talbot? Did Daisy? If Deke is anything to go off of, Jemma and Fitz survive, Yo-yo claims she saw herself somehow, but did anyone else? Would today be the day they all died?
"Hope, remember?" Mick asked as Fitz rolled his eyes.
"I'm going too," Coulson said from his room. "But I'm going to need some help."
"Right," Mick said as he and Fitz moved to assist him.
Everything was all hands on deck once the Zephyr took Flight. Patten stayed behind to man the Lighthouse, and protect Ruby in case Talbot came after her. Jemma was busy trying to keep Coulson stable. Mack had a small crew of new members he was briefing on his evacuation plans, while Fitz agreed and warned about unstable buildings, especially the one Talbot crashed the remains of Qovas' ship into. Mick, May, and Deke stood by, listening to Mack's plan when Yo-yo decided to join them as well as Jemma. Daisy then stepped away from checking the monitors, where she had been pulling as much data from the video feeds to get an idea of how bad things were in Chicago.
"You wanted to talk to me?" Yo-yo asked as Daisy nodded.
"I really wanted to talk to all of you," Daisy looked over the group as they all turned around to hear what she had to say. "I'm sorry about earlier. I let my emotions get the best of me. I know that's not something a good leader should do, and I'm sure some of you are convinced I shouldn't be trusted to lead us because of it." Daisy glanced at Yo-yo, then looked over the rest of the team. "Honestly, I agree with you. I shouldn't be leading the team. If Coulson wants me to call the shots in his absence, then here's my call. Mack should lead the team. He's got the biggest heart of all of us, and he never loses sight of the important things. He's always full of hope in the darkest of moments, and right now, we need that. He's the kind of guy we can all rally behind," Daisy said with a smile. "Anyone who agree's with me, raise your hand."
Mick looked around as everyone, barring Mack, raised their hands. Mack simply looked baffled at the turn of events. "I couldn't have said it better myself," Coulson stepped into the room as everyone gasped, grateful to see him up and walking. "You're probably going to need these," Coulson handed Daisy her gauntlets. "Alright boss," Coulson then turned to Mack. "Tell us what you want us to do."
Mack's eyes glanced across the command center as all eyes were on him. He then took in a deep breath. "We save lives."
"We're close to the DZ-1," Agent Davis called out.
"Rodger," Mack responded. "Daisy, can you get a signal out to any and everyone down there. We need them to know that we're here for them."
"That I can do," Daisy smirked as she turned to the computer behind her. "Just give me a few seconds, and they'll all be able to hear you loud and clear."
"Great," Mack said. "Everyone else, get ready. There's a lot of people down there, and we need to save as many of them as we can."
"Yes sir," everyone said in unison.
"Three, two, one," Daisy then pointed as Mack as she pressed a button, even their devices began to ping.
"Police, EMT's, Firefighters, First Responders, and people of Chicago; This is SHIELD, we're here to help," Mack said boldly. "We're bringing down a vehicle to evacuate anyone trapped in the center of the city, when you see it, get them there. We'll work on cleaning the buildings in the impacted area. And most importantly, do not engage the enemy. I repeat, do not engage the enemy. We will handle it."
"Nice speech," Coulson said as Mack shrugged. "Sounded very official."
"I learned from the best," Mack said with a nod to Coulson.
"How do you want to handle Talbot?" Mick asked as Mack turned to Coulson.
"If we can, talk him down, but if we can't," Mack said with a touch of remorse for the thought. "We do what is necessary to save lives."
"So do you want me to go hand to hand with him?" Daisy asked sliding on her gauntlets.
"You're not doing that alone," Mick said as Mack nodded.
"Agreed," Mack said firmly. "Talbot is far too strong, and if things go south, I want you both to get out of there, we can regroup if necessary."
"Yes sir," Mick and Daisy said harmoniously.
"I'll have a quinjet take you down as close as we can get," Mack said.
"I'll give them a good pep talk while we're at it," Coulson said as he looked at Mick and Daisy.
"Sounds good," Mack patted Mick and Daisy's shoulder, before shaking Coulson's hand. "Be safe out there."
Coulson stumbled several times as they headed up to the quinjet with the Damage Control pilot. Once they were inside, Coulson grabbed the ride bar to stabilize himself. "New guy's driving is a little rough, huh?" Daisy smirked as Coulson nodded with a Cheshire smile. They weren't in the air long before the jet landed. "So we'll go in, I'll hit Talbot hard, Mick can restrain him, and you can walk right up and talk him down."
"I'm not going," Coulson panted as he continued to hold the bar tightly.
"Why not?" Mick asked seeing the sweat dripping down Coulson's face.
"Because I can barely stand," Coulson replied as Mick and Daisy both gasped.
"You didn't take it," Daisy said softly.
"No," Coulson panted. "It just didn't feel right, like, it's just not the way it's supposed to go."
Daisy's emotions began to show, her frustration and concern clear in her eyes. "How could you just not take it, after everything we've done to get it for you?" Mick's emotions began to flair as well.
"Why would you lead us on like that? You're the only one who can reach Talbot!" Daisy said bitterly.
"That's just not true," Coulson said weakly. "And, I think we may be beyond that option."
"This is crazy, we can't do it without you," Mick said as Coulson frowned.
"You can," Coulson said as Daisy began to pace. "You both can. Try to appeal to him as a soldier. He took an oath to protect this country, use that. And if that doesn't work, remind him he's not the only one with powers."
"No, we need you," Daisy said as Coulson grabbed her hand, and motioned for Mick to join them.
"I know you can do this," Coulson said. "You two make a good team, you balance each other. I believe you can handle this. And if he refuses to listen to reason," Coulson looked eye to eye with Daisy. "Then find the strength in your arms to beat him senseless." The jet shook as another giant pillar crashed to the ground. "We don't have a lot of time."
"You better take the serum!" Mick said as he reluctantly walked to the back hatch, opening it.
"You better fly back to the Zephyr and take it!" Daisy ordered as she walked down the ramp with Mick. "We fought for you! We fought each other for you! You have to take it!"
Mick turned to see the hatch closing and Coulson watching them as the quinjet took off. "If we do this quickly, then we can make him take it once we get back."
"Race you," Daisy said as she started running.
"You're on," Mick started running right behind her only to stumble as the ground began to shake. "He's pulling more out of the ground!"
"Then we need to get there before it comes out!" Daisy called back.
"A step ahead of you!" Mick began using his webs to swing across the buildings, launching himself through the air, passing Daisy with ease.
"Cheater!" Daisy called out, using her quake ability to launch herself over a hole. Then she quickly used her powers to propel herself forward, slamming into Talbot, both of them crashing into the ground a block down the street.
"And you called me a cheater," Mick said landing on the ground, hand on his blade standing between Daisy and Talbot as Talbot stood up.
"You have to stop," Daisy said as Talbot looked at the two of them with disgust. "People are dying."
"People you swore to protect," Mick added as Talbot turned his head a spit.
"What don't you get about war?" Talbot asked, fury and disregard in his tone. "There's always casualties in war."
"From the enemy, not from the ones that are supposed to protect us from them," Mick said.
"Son, have you ever really fought in a war?" Talbot asked as his eyes flickered with determination.
"I've fought enough to know when a hero become an enemy," Mick said as Talbot clenched his fists.
"What about your son?" Daisy asked drawing the furious glare of Talbot. "They told me he was scared of you when you attacked, that he called you the bad guy."
"I'm doing this for my son!" Talbot bellowed. "I'm saving the world so Thanos doesn't kill him! I'll become the most powerful being in the universe!"
"Only villains talk like that," Mick sneered. "And trust me, I've seen enough of them."
"The ends justify the means right? Once I become a hero, they'll all respect me," Talbot said as Daisy shook her head.
"You already were one," Daisy replied. "Your son looked up to you before all of this. You were his hero. Look around you, anyone who's volunteering to save lives at the cost of their own, that's what makes you a hero."
"We don't want to fight against you Glenn," Mick said as Talbot looked around at the officers and first responders guiding people through the wreckage of the city. "We want you on our side, we want to join forces, save people."
Talbot smiled and let out a small chuckle. "What a sentiment," he said coldly. "Did you know, Katherine gave me the same speech before she tortured me?" Mick and Daisy looked between each other as Talbot's smile faded. "Coulson used that line every time he stabbed me in the back. Why should I trust that his lapdogs won't do the same? It's only a matter of time before Thanos arrives to destroy all of humanity! But you're right," Talbot stared at Mick and Daisy. "We should join forces." Talbot then lifted his hand pulling Daisy close to him as he snarled.
Mick then wasted no time shooting webs in Talbot's face, brandishing his saber and jumping to protected Daisy. Talbot ripped the webs off and held a hand out, catching Mick mid air. Mick then flew through the air, crashing hard into a police car. The impact not only dented the car severely, but flipped it as well. Mick pulled himself up, his mind in a bit of a haze from the blow. His body begged him not to go back into the fight, but his spirit screamed keep fighting. He used webs and began making his way back as something slammed into the ground, sending a shockwave shattering all the windows in a three block radius. The only thing Mick could think was this was the moment; Talbot and Daisy were going to clash, his powers against hers, both unwavering, both using everything they've got and the earth was going to shatter. Mick forced himself forward, webbing his way across the crumbling buildings to the crater that was where Daisy and Talbot were. He landed to see Daisy unconscious, then rushed to her side.
"Hey, come on, you've got to get up," Mick brushed her face, then out of the corner of his eyes Talbot stood up. "I'm not going to let you do this. You have to stop, Glenn. Please stop."
"It's funny, the last few times I've seen you, you always try to protect SHIELD from me. Now you're not the only one with powers, and you're begging me to spare you," Talbot said lifting his hand, the incredible power wrapping around Mick lifting him into the air.
"Glenn," Mick struggled to speak. "Please." Mick then fell to the ground as Talbot slammed into the wall of the crater he created, dropping Mick.
"You ok?" Daisy asked quaking Talbot as Mick doubled over, panting as he nodded. "We have to stop him before this gets worse, Coulson was right. He's too far gone."
"But how?" Mick asked as Talbot seemed to be resisting Daisy's quake power somehow and pulling himself back to his feet.
"Well, distracting him seemed to break you free," Daisy shrugged as Talbot unleashed a pulse of power knocking both Mick and Daisy to the ground.
"I will admit, I admire your fighting spirit," Talbot said as he lifted Daisy with his powers. "But, with your powers, I can easily rip the Gravitonium from the ground."
"You're not getting her," Mick brandished his blade once more as Talbot chuckled.
"After everything SHIELD has put me through, I think I'll make you suffer!" Talbot shoved Mick backwards with incredible force as he drew Daisy closer, his hands turning into liquid Gravitonium that began swirling around them. "They always did say, ladies first, right?"
Mick struggled to break free of Talbots hold when he noticed a shimmer as Talbot and Daisy floated into the air, the gravitonium pulling her closer to him, wrapping around her like tendrils. The power released Mick as Talbot and Daisy went higher. He webbed the shimmering object and his heart sank. It was the serum. Coulson didn't just refuse to take it, he gave it to Daisy to use as a weapon. Mick looked at her, if he didn't act soon Talbot was going to absorb her. He didn't care that a power surge from Daisy could end the world, he didn't even care if It would kill both himself and Talbot. He had to save Daisy from being absorbed, by this mad man.
He wasted no time setting up a sling shot of webbing and launched himself into the air. He slammed into Talbot using all of his strength to slam his sabers spiked hilt into Talbot's back, loosening his hold on Daisy. "I didn't think you'd be so eager to die!" Talbot growled as Mick clutched his sabers, struggling against the incredible push of gravity to hold on.
"Whatever it takes to stop you!" Mick yelled as he struggled to climb up Talbot to reach Daisy as they began to fall.
"You're an annoying little bug!" Talbot growled as Mick spotted a break in his hold on Daisy.
"Spiders tend to be that way!" Mick said as he jumped off Talbot slamming the syringe into Daisy's arm, only to then be slammed to the ground by a heavy gravitonium tendril. The air left Mick's lungs immediately, and was extremely hard to catch another breath as the tendril slammed down on him again. He felt several cracks in his chest, and his breathing because even more difficult.
"You can watch her die knowing that you couldn't save her before you die yourself!" Talbot bellowed as Mick's eyes fluttered. His hand trembled as he reached out for Daisy as she landed in front of him, free of Talbots grip.
"I'm sorry," he said weakly, his eyes closing.
A surge of power coursed throughout Daisy's body, she felt rejuvenated, even stronger than she felt in her life. She used this new power to blast the gravitonium tendrils off of her, stunning herself and Talbot with the amazing force. What had Mick injected her with? "Don't lose that fire when I take your powers!" Talbot screamed as his fingers turned into tendrils, and launched at her.
She drew her arms in, with a deep breath, she unleashed every ounce of strength she had in her body into this blast. Talbot flew like a comet, almost invisible to the naked eye, straight into the sky with no signs of slowing down. She didn't release the blast until she felt no resistance. It was over, she could feel it in her bones. Talbot had to be dead from that blast. She sighed, both relieved and distraught. She then turned to see Mick, blood on his lips, shallow breathing.
"No!" Daisy rushed to his side. She began frantically brushing his cheeks trying to awaken him. "You can't leave me too," Daisy felt the tears falling. "You're supposed to stay with me."
She looked and saw the vial on the ground, realizing just what Mick injected her with. Her eyes widened as she saw the smallest bit left in it. "I'm not losing you too," she then slammed the needle into his neck vein, injecting the last bit of serum.
She panted as her body trembled from fatigue. She then laid her head on Mick's arm, pulling his hand into hers to feel his pulse in his fingers. "Please stay with me, I don't want to be alone."
"I'm here," Mick grunted as he coughed. "I hurt everywhere that can hurt, but I'm here."
"I'll get us an evac, you just keep breathing," Daisy tapped her emergency button her her gauntlets.
"I'll try," Mick said weakly as he tried to tighten his grip on Daisy's hand.
Mick's eyes didn't open again until Jemma finished patching him up. He had creaked broken ribs, one scratched his right lung, which astounded Jemma that it didn't pierce it. She called him a miracle, based on the bruising the internal damage should've been much worse, and yet his condition seemed to be rapidly recovering. She then explained how Deke sacrificed himself to save Fitz from a collapsing ceiling, but they never could find his body in the rubble. She then went on about Fitz's theory on the timeline and how Deke didn't really sacrifice himself because he blinked out of existence when the future changed. It was all so much to take in, his mind was overwhelmed. The more confusing part, how did he survive being crushed like that?
He kept trying to figure out how he felt so much better if only hours passed. Even with his natural healing, this was something else. It was even more confusing when they entered the cargo hold to see most of the team. "Glad to see you're awake," Coulson said as May stood beside him. "I was hoping you'd be able to join our celebration of life."
Mick looked around at the somber expressions, wondering what was going on. "It doesn't look like much of a celebration," Mick replied as Fitz and Daisy walked over handing Mick and Jemma a drink.
"Remember how good it good it felt when we first walked on this jet?" Mack asked as everyone nodded.
"I have to say, I still miss the Bus," May said as Fitz, Mick, Jemma, and Daisy nodded.
"I wish I could've know you guys back then," Yo-yo said with a half smile.
"We've grown up so much since those days," Jemma said as she hugged Fitz.
"It feels like it was an eternity ago," Mick said as Daisy rustled his hair.
"A lot of good times, and great memories," Coulson said with a grin. "Met quite a few heroes on this big adventure, lost a few good ones too."
"Trip, Lincoln, and Deke, and Davis to name a few," Mick said lifting his glass as the others lifted theirs as well.
"Davis Hale isn't gone though, he's just in space, and we can get him back," Fitz said as Mick and the others nodded.
"That guy was pretty awesome, there wasn't a sacrifice he wasn't willing to make to get us back home," Mack said respectfully.
"Deke, as annoying as he came off, had such a good heart too," Jemma said remorsefully.
"Yeah," Fitz admitted. "He wasn't completely terrible."
"He was rough around the edges," Mack said with a hint of sadness. "But, at least we know we can make a good future for him."
"Whoa, no, no, no," Fitz shook his head as Jemma smiled at him. "One step at a time."
"That's right," Coulson smiled. "You guys are taking that honeymoon to England aren't you?"
"Unless something comes up," Fitz said with a nod.
"If something does come up, we'll handle it, you guys need this," Yo-yo said as she leaned on Mack.
"Honestly you all need a break," Coulson said as Mack nodded. "I don't think I've seen a greater group of heroes, and I've fought along side the Avengers. You risked your lives, knowing that the world could end, any of us could die at any moment. I'm so honored to have been a part of a team willing to do that. We signed up for this, knowing we might lose each other, and we suffered losses, but we keep fighting, we keep moving forward. We accept our losses and we carry the torch."
"Don't say it like that," Mick said as Coulson looked at him curiously.
"Even if you're not with us physically, you'll always be the banner of SHIELD," Mack said as he hung his head. "That's why we're putting up your badge in the cockpit."
"With all due respect sir," Jemma started. "We are only the way we are because you taught us to hold on to the memory of those we fight for, the ones who we protect, and the ones we couldn't. We hold those memories close to us and use them to press on in the darkest of times, and visit from time to time."
"Absolutely," Coulson agreed. "I'm so proud of each one of you, more than I could ever put into words. It makes me leaving both easier and harder. I know I'm leaving SHIELD, no, the world, in good hands. I'm just sad I'm not going to get to see what you do with it."
"Something great, that's for sure," Mick said as a tear fell down his face.
"I never thought in a million years that we'd be here, saying goodbye like this," Daisy said with a raspy voice.
"I wouldn't have it any other way," Coulson said as he raised his glass. "To this team, who's like us?" Everyone then raised their glasses, drinking after Coulson. Then one by one he made his rounds, hugging the team, saying a heart felt goodbye to each one. He paused when he reached Mick and Daisy smiling at them. "I wrote you letters, put them in your bunks. It's really just something sappy, telling you more about how proud I am of you."
"Thanks," Mick said, his voice cracking as he tried to contain his emotions while Coulson shook his hand. "Thanks for always being there for me. Stepping in and being the best father figure a guy can ask for." Coulson leaned down and hugged him, then stood up to see the tears streaming down Daisy's face.
"Thanks for believing in me, and never giving up," she wept as Coulson embraced her. "I love you."
"I love you too," Coulson said clearing his throat as he stepped back from Daisy.
"Thanks for the spaceship too," Daisy said as she locked hands with Mick.
"Don't mention it," Coulson smiled as he turned toward the ramp and May grabbed his hand. "I guess this is it then. I hope it's as magical as they say."
"I'm sure it will be," Mick said as he watched the hatch open, revealing a beautiful beach. He then felt Daisy clutching his hand as Coulson and May walked down the ramp. "Tahiti?"
"It was his idea," Daisy replied. "It was perfectly fitting."
"Yeah," Mick said with a tearful smile. "It looks like a magical place."