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Post by Snowglobe18 on Mar 2, 2017 12:50:35 GMT -7
"Does anyone know who is on patrol tonight?" Emily asked after a moment. Oh god, coffee. It felt good to drink the stuff. She had been dying for a coffee when she walked in this morning but she was sure that most of it had been used up, leaving only a bit of it for Barton to drink from a little bit ago.
"Well my guess is Barton because he was heading in the direction of Teresa, he looked like a man on a mission" Alex said and then raised an eyebrow. "Or an idiot if he was going to talk to Teresa about some damage she's done"
Emily tilted her head as she looked over at Alex. Teresa's feelings were usually felt in the odd tremble of the building and the ground around them but sometimes it was hard to keep everything in. She trained herself way before SHIELD to not show any emotion but that had failed when she had got involved in a bigger plan than she ever expected. "She saw someone she cared about die, it's going to affect her, everyone is different" she shrugged a shoulder. It was true, people acted different on everything and seeing someone die was one of those thing that people acted differently on. "I might go and see Nat and sign me up for that patrol, I need to get out of here" she admitted.
"Has anyone seen Tripp?" Jemma asked after a moment.
"He's the pilot on the missions and he's probably getting as much sleep as he can before heading back out tonight" Emily drank as much coffee as she could before heading out. She was a woman on a mission too. She headed in the direction of the elevator and pressed the button for it, waiting a moment before she headed in.
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Post by Ray on Mar 2, 2017 13:33:52 GMT -7
"The prince of Wakanda."
"Yes."
"Wants to come here."
"Yes."
"To make sure we're not the bad guys."
"Yes, Barton." Nat sighs out.
"Jesus," Barton mutters, massaging the bridge of his nose with forefinger and thumb. "We should talk to the whole group about this." He says after a moment, knowing there was no way around that. If this operation, whatever this operation was, had any real chances of being something better and more stable than SHIELD, they couldn't hide details behind subterfuge and red tape. Inviting someone onto the base, after so much effort to keep this base a secret, is not something they can idly accept without anyone else's knowing. It could be putting them all in danger. Or it could be giving them the public backing and funding they desperately need.
"I know," Nat replies, tucking her straight red hair behind her ear, "But that's not a conversation that's going to go well."
"Speaking of conversations not going well," Barton changes the subject, seeing the in he needs. He clears his throat and shifts his weight from one foot to the other. "I want to take Asya on patrol tonight." Nat glances up with a quizzical look in her eye, something between surprise and amused interest.
"Asya?" She says after a moment.
"Don't make me say it again."
"I thought after the train fiasco, you were done helping Russian youth." Nat says, and the amusement has now far outweighed the surprise. Her smile is smug.
Barton's first interaction with Asya wasn't the pinnacle of a blossoming friendship. She almost shoved his head through a train window thinking he was a Hydra agent, and when actual Hydra agents made an appearance, she very quickly -- and very effectively -- disconnected their train car from the rest of the line, and sent them flipping off the tracks. He still has a small scar right over his left temple from the whole ordeal.
"I would be, but Sam made the point that Asya that letting her get restless might be a worse option."
"Fine." Nat shrugs. "Take her. But don't leave before I get a few pictures of your first big date."
"Har har, you're hilarious."
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Post by Snowglobe18 on Mar 2, 2017 13:53:01 GMT -7
Emily found herself outside the door of the office and just had the image of standing outside of Fury's office so many times that it just felt hard to think of the fact that it wasn't him on the other side of that door. She lifted her hand to knock and thought about turning away and heading back downstairs. But the thought of going on patrol sounded so tempting.
There was restlessness around the base, there was anger around it too. Too much anger that sometimes even she got overwhelmed by it. But they couldn't just sit around here and do nothing, they had been Agents of SHIELD for god sake. Doing something was wired into their blood. But at the moment they needed to keep their safety a factor. There were people out there that were gunning for heads of agents that survived SHIELD. Wanting to make sure that they paid any price they could hand down to them. Some more than others, so maybe people like Black Widow, Barton and even Falcon were on top of that list. But she couldn't just sit around because of the fact that there was a world out there and shit was going down all the time, with no Avengers out there there wasn't anyone protecting it and Hydra was more determined to actually destroy it. They needed to act.
That gave the courage to knock on the door and when she heard a sound on the other side of the door for her to go in, she walked into the room. Seeing two of the people that she had just been thinking about. "Sorry to interrupt" she said with a soft smile before she turned to Nat.
"I was wondering if I could get in on the patrol tonight, I know it's probably short notice but I was hoping that you would squeeze me in on the patrol" he dark eyes watching the red head. Plus it gave her a chance to see Tripp, she hadn't seen him for a while. He would be sleeping during the day so that he could take the nightly patrols out. He didn't seem to complain, he was probably just as happy to get out of the base. It was their safe haven yes, it kept them undetected but it was like a powder keg in here and it was pretty much ready to blow.
When it did, she really hoped that no one would be standing in the way.
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Post by Ray on Mar 2, 2017 14:28:01 GMT -7
The door opens behind Barton after a short knock, and both he and Nat turn their heads to glance at the newcomer.
Unlike Fury, Natalia never kept the office door locked. Closed, yes, because Natalia has always liked a decent amount of privacy surrounding her at all times, a habit of a former KGB spy with a plethora of secrets -- even if those secrets are now spreading like wildfire across the internet. But never locked. There's no reason to keep everything behind a sealed door when the truth is laid bare to everyone whether they like it or not.
Emily steps through, leaking SHIELD formality as if Nat really was Fury, and requesting something neither one of them expected. Least of all, Barton. Natalia glances briefly towards Barton, gauging his reaction, but all Barton can do is let his mouth open a little bit in dreaded surprise. As soon as the words leave Emily's mouth, he knows that this is not going to end well.
Asya isn't known for playing well with others. Barton knows that for a damned fact.
"Done." Nat says, and Barton whips his head to look back at her incredulously. Before he can say anything, his mouth opening like a drowning fish, she continues, "I'm calling a meeting in twenty minutes to discuss some present...issues. If you stay afterwards I can debrief you and the others on the parameters of tonight's patrol." He says, giving a small crooked smile to Emily and a nod. Barton pulls in a sharp breath and rubs kneads the heel of his palm into his eye.
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Post by Snowglobe18 on Mar 2, 2017 15:03:38 GMT -7
Emily is actually happy that she would be able to go on the patrol tonight. Too many nights she had felt like she wasn't doing her fair share, sure everyone was entitled to their safety and at the moment that's what they all needed but she didn't want to sit around and do nothing. Too much thinking had been done that way, thinking and using the firing range downstairs. She nodded when Nat said about the fact that he would be calling a meeting. "Not sure everyone will be there though" she admitted but Emily was going to make sure that Teresa came out of her safety bubble and actually participated in something.
If she was honest it was hard not to treat Nat like Fury. She was pretty much the one in charge right now even if she didn't seem to really like it. She was the one who had invited them to come to the base. She was the one keeping everything going. So really seeing as her anything else but Fury-type was surprisingly hard. No amount of trying to get her mind around the fact that she wasn't Fury was going to change that. Emily smiled at them both before she went to walk away then turned to Barton.
"You managed to leave the gym in one piece, that is an achievement for Teresa" she said before nodding and moving back towards the door. She left the office and headed towards the science and tech part of the floor, using her key card she got into the room and called to Fitz. "Meeting in twenty Fitz" she smiled. He looked at her and then said.
"Is it.." he then tried to think of the word and couldn't even come up with it. No amount of trying to figure out the word could bring it to his mind, so he set his eyes back on Emily hoping that she would find the word.
"Mandatory?"
"Yes, that" he said.
"No but Nat wants to talk about the present issues, probably about Poe's smelly shoes" she said in a soft joke. There was a soft smile from Fitz too.
"His shoes do smell" he said with a slight nod before looking down at the table. He wasn't getting anything done by staying here so he might as well head down to the meeting. "I'll be right there"
Emily gave him another smile before she left him and went back to the elevator. She pressed the button and then waited before heading in, pressing the button for the next level. She headed in the direction of the gym and used her key card for that too and saw Teresa using the punchbag, at this rate there wasn't going to be anything left of it. "Meeting, twenty minutes, yes it's mandatory, so get a shake on." she then realised what she had said before grimacing. Her dark eyes looking at her once more. "Just make sure you're there"
"Yes mom" Teresa said sarcastically.
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Post by Ray on Mar 2, 2017 15:38:11 GMT -7
"You're joking, right?" Barton deadpans, turning his gaze back on Nat once Emily leaves the room, pleased with the answer she'd received unlike Barton.
"Asya isn't the only one getting restless on this base. I have ten other agents who are used to being on their own two feet now stuck underground. Saying no to an agent who is bored enough to actually ask to face the outside world would only create more tension and more problems than we need." Nat reminds him, picking up a pencil from her desk to mark Emily's name down on a pad of paper for that night's patrol. "Besides, two experienced agents keeping an eye on a powder keg is better than just one with a grudge." She eyes with him a knowing look, one manicured red brow arched upwards. Barton crosses his arms over his chest a little defiantly.
"I don't have a grudge. I'm the one who invited her along, remember." He grunts.
"You wouldn't stop calling Asya it for a week."
"Fine, I don't have a grudge anymore. But I still don't think this is a good idea." Barton relents with a roll of his eyes, forcing his attention elsewhere. After releasing a short breath from his lungs, resigned to letting this happen, he says, "Emily doesn't know what she's getting into."
"She's a big girl." Nat replies, standing straight. "She can handle herself."
By the time Barton works the idea around in his head enough times to accept the inevitability of it, most of the agents lingering around the base have gathered in the oval room where the command console sits, talking idly among themselves. He slips into the open room, but remains at the back, leaning against the glass wall and watching the crowd from where he stands. Sam spots him and walks over to join him at his side.
"Bad news?" He asks, quietly.
"Is there any other kind?"
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Post by Snowglobe18 on Mar 2, 2017 16:01:20 GMT -7
Teresa knew it was mandatory but the last thing she wanted to do was end up in a meeting room with the others. In fact she was purposely late. Mostly because of the fact that she wasn't sure if she would attend. Emily told her she had no choice to attend because Nat wanted to speak to them but that didn't mean she wanted to actually be there. Her heart was pounding hard in her chest and her palms felt sweaty but she guessed that was more from the workout than anything else.
She took a deep breath and then headed into the room. Teresa glanced in the direction of the people standing at the back and saw Barton and Sam and she gave them both a smile, even if it was a very soft one. She looked around the room and saw that even Fitz was there. He looked just as uncomfortable as she did. He was sat apart from Simmons who actually looked as if she would cry on the spot. The sooner she got out this room the better.
Teresa had to admit that she never felt like this before, not even when her mother died. But that was probably down to the fact that she didn't have anything running through her veins that could make the base come down on them. She didn't have this vibration manipulation thing going on. She didn't have the constant bruise thing happening. She needed to learn how to control her abilities but at the moment she couldn't even think about that, thinking about that would mean that she would have to put the thought of Steve on hold. Even if that's really what she needed right now.
She needed to control her anger and put it into something productive but that was out of the question right now. Teresa just wanted to get through this meeting and then head back towards the gym or even to her room so that she could get changed. She found a spot that wasn't anywhere near the others even if that was hard because everywhere she looked there was agents.
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Post by Ray on Mar 2, 2017 16:31:52 GMT -7
Barton catches sight of Teresa trying her best to slip into the room undetected, a little surprised that she'd pull herself out of her oath of solitude even for this. She smiles, and he gives a faint one back. Movement at the front draws his attention, and Barton shifts a little uncomfortably as he looks to Nat who's appeared in front of the screen.
If he felt strange offering patrol duties to Teresa and Asya, he can't imagine how Natalia feels. Her whole career has been based in remaining in the shadows, silent and watchful. In all the years they've worked together, Barton can't remember a single moment where it's been Nat in front of a crowd of people, ready to hand out orders or information. Her job has always been to complete the mission, not start it. But somehow she looks right at the head of the room, straight backed and at ease. They'd all thought that Fury had been grooming Maria for SHIELD command, but now Barton is starting to doubt that.
"I'm going to be short and to the point," Nat says without any formal introductions. Barton can't help but let a slight smile tug at one corner of his mouth. "I've been attempting to negotiate with the United Nations for full pardon of our involvement with SHIELD." She admits, holding back no punches. "Some of us, more than others," and Barton can tell by the slight uncomfortable squaring of Nat's shoulders that she means herself when she speaks next, "have a lot of red on our ledgers which makes us viable targets as scapegoats as the CIA and FBI try to determine who to blame for the Fall. So far, the UN has responded positively, but...they have their own requests."
Movement out of the corner of Barton's eye draws his gaze just over his shoulder. Through the glass wall, he watches as Asya - long hair back down around her shoulders and a black jacket covering the tattoos on her arms and back - stands just out of sight in the hallway, one shoulder pressed into a door frame.
"King T'chaka of Wakanda wants us to allow a full tour of our facilities to his son to ensure the same mistakes made with SHIELD aren't made again."
"Jesus, you weren't kidding." Sam murmurs next to Barton.
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Post by Snowglobe18 on Mar 2, 2017 17:03:57 GMT -7
Teresa looks towards the front when Nat gets straight to the point. Her eyes widened at the thought that someone wanted to come onto the base. She looked around when a murmur went around the room. This was definitely something that she didn't want to miss, but knowing didn't make her feel any better. Just more worried about the fact that someone would be coming onto the base.
"And if we say no?" Teresa asked after a moment, she felt eyes on her but she kept her eyes on Nat. "I mean I guess we are allowed to put our opinion in, right?" she crossed her arms over her chest. If not then she really had spoken out of turn but it was their safety that was at stake if someone came onto the base. The base that was meant to be kept a secret for that very reason.
Like Nat said, some of them had more red on their ledgers than the others but they were all entitled to their safety when it came to the fact that nearly everyone in this country, and maybe some others, would want to get their hands on the remaining agents that were in this room and then there was the whole part about Buck who they still haven't managed to locate right now. But there was still time to do that. Teresa wasn't completely sure that she wasn't thinking on the fact that the more people on this base would mean more damage if anything ever happened.
Emily bit on her lip and then looked over at Nat once more. "If we say no then we're not going to be able to last much longer, are we?" she asked and put her hands into the pockets of her jeans. If it was hard now with the amount of stuff they did have, if they said no to the visit then they were pretty much signing the end of this base. It was a hard thing to think over because it was their safety at stake with this guy coming to see them.
Teresa looked over towards Emily and bit down on her lip before moving her eyes over to look at Nat once more.
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Post by Ray on Mar 2, 2017 17:38:42 GMT -7
"We say no," Nat replies, looking first towards Emily who'd caught on to the catch quickly and then to Teresa, "And we're on our own. No resources, no legal backing, no telling when the United States government comes knocking on our door with handcuffs and prison sentences."
"So we're screwed, is what you're saying." Poe comments from a seat in the middle of the room, his body slouched in a chair. "Give up our location or give up our freedom."
Nat says nothing, but the answer is plain on her face. Agents like Poe might face minor charges for minor crimes, but being a Marine veteran with only a SHIELD ranking staining his file, he'd end up fine in the end. Agents like Natalia, agents like Clint ... he knows they'd be lucky to see a life sentence, but the death penalty would be more likely. Nat's trial would be the worst of all of them. They already read off her crimes on Fox News as an example of the atrocities SHIELD has committed, never really distinguishing SHIELD missions from the missions handed to her by force from the KGB. Assassinations, espionage sometimes within their own government, the orphanage... she speaks of red ledgers but Barton is the first to know that hers is dripping.
His is no worse, but certainly no better. He was SHIELD's top agent for a time for a reason.
"That's why I'm telling you this. I can't give up your safety without your consent." Nat continues, remaining stoic despite the death sentence hanging over her head.
"And we have no other option." Sam speaks up, furrowing his brows. "No other possible gestures of solidarity."
"This is what they want."
"Not even Valkyrie."
The name falls out of Sam's mouth like a gut punch, and it's felt throughout the entire room.
Nat presses her mouth flat, something unreadable flickering across her gaze, something close to hurt. It was no secret who they kept locked in an impenetrable glass cell on the third floor, no secret who's blood resided on her hands. During the chaos that ensued on March 1st, Valkyrie had been the one asset they'd retrieved from Hydra's hands. She had come willingly, hands bound, a dark shadow lurking beneath their feet. Sam had argued against it, loudly, but they'd come to the conclusion albeit reluctantly that Valkyrie in their hands was safer than Valkyrie in anyone else's.
Of anyone on this base, of all the agents and red ledgers and abilities, Raya Asimov is the most dangerous of them all.
"That isn't an option." Nat says, and her tone has shifted to something a little more precarious.
"She's the reason we're here. She's the reason--" Sam cuts himself off, looking momentarily towards Teresa, rethinking his next words. His eyes shift back to Natalia. "Handing her over not only gives the UN the person responsible for a long list of crimes, but shows that our only intention is to continue bringing people to justice."
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Post by Snowglobe18 on Mar 2, 2017 18:07:40 GMT -7
Teresa and Emily really didn't like the options coming out of this. If they didn't give up their location then they could,eventually, kiss goodbye to their freedom. Didn't they really kiss goodbye to their freedom when they signed up for SHIELD anyway? But this, this, was so much more worse than saying goodbye to freedom under SHIELD.
Teresa was going to speak but then Sam started talking and she over towards him and then felt the name like a punch in the gut. She gritted her teeth together, that is the one person she never wanted to hear about again. If it was down to her then she would've wanted her to fall to her death or some sort of other bad way of causing pain rather than have her sitting underneath them right now.
Sam went on anyway and then the next thing she heard and felt was his eyes on her as he went to say the reason why they really were here, Teresa knew the reason why they were here without hearing it from the mouths of the agents that she shared the base with. Sometimes it felt like they were actually being careful with her. Was she really that unstable? Or was it down to the fact that every bit of anger she felt she would send any room trembling? If she was honest, knowing that... she was downstairs, what stopped Teresa from going down there and asking her why she actually done it? But at the same time she didn't want to come face to face with... Well with the reason why they were here at all.
It was hard enough seeing everything when she tried to sleep but to have the person who done it living a floor underneath them. Teresa could feel her hand shaking and she felt the room give a slight shake. It definitely wasn't as bad as it has sometimes been but that might be down to the fact that she was trying to control what happened.
"You're not getting my consent" Teresa said and looked over at Nat before she moved towards the door. "As for the prisoner downstairs," she turned and looked at Nat once more "She should be dead, not living a floor underneath us" she turned away and walked out the room.
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Post by Ray on Mar 2, 2017 19:11:21 GMT -7
"I second that motion." Poe says, raising a hand slightly in the air to agree with Sam's alternative. Barton clamps his mouth shut, knowing this is not how Nat wanted this meeting to go. He's tempted to elbow Sam in the ribs, get him to knock it off, but the worst part of it all is... he agrees with him. Valkyrie hasn't been a problem so far, kept locked in her cage, but god knows when she figures her way out. She's dangerous, a murderer, and a good token of peace. A viable trade for all of their lives.
Nat looks to him for some sort of support, but Barton just looks down to his feet.
A slow roll of a tremor just barely felt under the soles of his shoes moves across the room, followed by lashing Teresa's outburst. Barton's gaze follows her as she storms out, carrying all of her fury and death wishes with her.
For a moment, the room is quiet.
And then Sam speaks once more, voice lower and more controlled this time. "Nat, you have to consider this as an option. What good is it keeping Valkyrie here when all she is is another ticking time bomb waiting to spell our end. She worked for Hydra, the very organization we're trying to end. She killed Steve. Only days after he put enough trust in her to find out the root of all the shit that's been plaguing us for months-"
"This is ridiculous." A voice interrupts, but it's not Nat who speaks this time. Following the voice, Barton's eyes find Caesar, standing to the side, his arms crossed and his trademark smile missing entirely from his face as he stares straight at Sam. "We all worked for Hydra." He reminds him, words sharp. "One way or another we're all to blame for furthering their goal. So laying everything on a woman who was clearly tortured, clearly used is just as bad as the media leading a witch-hunt after the Winter Soldier. Or are you all forgetting how well that turned out."
"It's not the same-"
"It is." Caesar cuts him off with finality. "I didn't know Rogers personally, but I guarantee he'd be the last person to suggest trading someone else's life to save our own skin." Barton clears his throat quietly, diverting his gaze back down once more. "I vote to let Wakanda through the doors." Caesar concludes, looking to Nat. "Their country is one of the most prosperous and peaceful nations in Africa. If they're abandoning their own isolation to ensure the good and safety of the rest of the world, then I'm more than willing to put my future in their hands."
There's another beat of silence before Poe raises his hand once more. "Never mind, I second that motion."
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Post by Snowglobe18 on Mar 2, 2017 19:34:56 GMT -7
Emily watched after Teresa, well there she goes back into isolation, this definitely wasn't what she had wanted for her. Maybe getting her back into the room with the others might make her feel a little better, a little in control. But then the talk turned in a direction that had set her off. But at the moment they have other things to worry about like trying to decide on what Nat had said.
She listened to both sides, a part of her did agree with Teresa, Valkyrie shouldn't be sitting in their basement. She also agreed with Sam that maybe handing her over to the UN is best but that didn't mean that they would get the freedom that they wanted. There was a lot of people on this base, that would be a lot to agree too. But it was Valkyrie after all. Emily hadn't guessed that Steve was her first kill.
Staying quiet didn't mean that she didn't agree with Caesar but there was just so many reasons why letting Wakanda into the base would be a bad idea. She bit on her lip and then was about to say something but Jemma spoke up first.
"I agree with Caesar, I don't agree about Valkyrie though but I think letting Wakanda in to the base would be the best idea, who knows maybe we will get something out of this. Lord knows we need some more gear" she smiled softly before looking over to Fitz who was looking at Nat but wasn't sure what to say. She moved her eyes away and then looked over at Nat once more.
Emily looked between Caesar and Sam and then back towards Nat. "I agree with Jemma, maybe we will get something out of this. I mean we do need a lot of stuff but If it helps us get backing from the UN or someone then I think letting Wakanda in to the base is a good idea" She just hoped to god that she wasn't wrong because it would be seriously bad on all of them if it turned out that Wakanda was only coming in to get them arrested or something. She looked over at Caesar and gave him a soft smile before moving her brown eyes back to Nat.
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Post by Ray on Mar 2, 2017 19:49:31 GMT -7
"Then that's four for Wakanda." Nat says, fixing her eyes on Sam and Barton. "Well?" She asks, and even half deaf Clint can hear the lingering traces of venom in her voice.
"Wakanda." He finally replies, giving her a slow blink.
Sam rolls his jaw, clearly not happy with the whole situation, but knows when he's losing. His brown eyes momentarily flicker towards Caesar before he sets his attention entirely on Nat. "Wakanda," he relents with a nod, "But don't ever compare Valkyrie to Bucky again." His final words are directed at Caesar as Sam leaves the room, arms uncrossing and shoulders stiff with latent rage. But Caesar doesn't even bat an eye, his own expression unchanging and opinion on the matter unwavering.
Barton can't help but think how much this felt like old times.
"Unless there's anyone else who objects, I think Wakanda has the majority." Nat concludes, glancing around the room, her mouth set in a flat line as she waits for any other flaring opinions.
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OVERWATCH
Mar 2, 2017 20:08:34 GMT -7
via mobile
Post by Snowglobe18 on Mar 2, 2017 20:08:34 GMT -7
Emily looked around the room and actually found that Alex wasn't here and neither was Tripp but the latter was probably still asleep and no one had woken him up to get him to the meeting. Tripp might seem like a schoolboy sometimes, all smiles and happiness but when you woke him up he was like a bear so no one ever disturbed him. If they needed anything from him then they would just get it later.
Fitz looked around too and watched as Sam left the room pretty much like Teresa did only with less flair if that was possible. Nat asked if anyone else had opinions and he spoke. "Yeah, I do" he finally said. "I don't think Wakanda should be coming here, I know what Simmons is saying, we do need more... more.." he then tried to think of the word and this is why he didn't speak most of the time but is opinion mattered too.
"I think Sam is right, hand the prisoner over to the UN" he said and then nodded once. It wouldn't probably be liked but if they wanted the truth then he was going to tell it. "So I'm going to say no to them coming here, but really if they do come here. I hope you know what you're doing" he said looking straight at Nat before he too headed to the door and out of the room.
Emily looked after Fitz and pushed her eyebrows together. "So that's two against" she said and looked back at Nat.
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