Chapter Text
“Fitzsimmons, please come to my office", Coulson's voice announced through the speakers. Fitz and Simmons exchanged a curious look. Then they left their lab and went upstairs.
"Come on in," Coulson answered to Fitz' knock.
"You wanted to see us, Sir? " asked Jemma.
"Yes, I need you two. I need you to go on a mission." At the mention of a mission Fitzsimmons looked at each other excitedly.
"It will probably be the most dangerous, difficult and important mission of your lives. I know you're not exactly field agents but this is about science and I trust no one but you with this." While Coulson explained, Fitz and Simmons listened carefully. They hoped Coulson would finally come to a point.
"Fitzsimmons, your mission is to work undercover inside Hydra."
"Seriously, Sir?" was Fitz' first reaction.
"We have never really been undercover, " added Simmons. Although, she had to admit, she had always wanted to.
"I know but there is no other way." Coulson sighed. He really didn't look happy to send his best scientists away.
"So here is the plan: You apply for jobs inside Hydra's labs. You tell them that you changed sides because the Shield you worked in no longer exists and that you want to achieve something great. Flatter them as much as possible and make it clear that you're more interested in scientific progress than anything else. When you're inside, collect information about their projects. We have to know what they are working on. You will be there under your real names because you're known geniuses. But I altered some facts in your biographies. No one should know that you are part of my team. Here you go: these folders contain all the information I could gather. Read them carefully."
Fitzsimmons nodded and left Coulson's office.
"Our own flat!" Fitz said enthusiastically and looked around. The flat wasn't really much but compared to their personal space at the Bus, it was huge. Jemma and Leo each had their own bedroom and shared a bathroom and a living room with a small kitchen attached.
“Yes, but at what cost? If Hydra is as hard working for world domination as Shield is for the world's security, we will hardly see this place,” Jemma said. Still, she couldn't help but smile when Fitz jumped onto his bed, looking like he was in a luxury hotel.
The alarm woke Jemma up at half past six. She was used to the sound of it. But she wasn't used to what surrounded her when she opened her eyes. Right, she was in a flat because she was working undercover with Fitz. She had to get into the Hydra facility and start her work there. But first, breakfast. And before breakfast she had to get dressed. Standing in front of the closet she wondered what she should put on, this was Hydra after all. But then she decided to stick with the usual, skinny jeans and a dark blue blouse with tiny white dots on it. She didn't want any more change.
Fitz looked very much asleep when she entered the kitchen. He could barely hold his cup of tea.
“You look like you haven't slept all that much,” Jemma remarked and helped herself to some tea and a toast.
“You know, I always need some time to adjust to... new living conditions. But I'll be fine.”
“Are you nervous? This is our first day. What if they notice something?”
“We'll be fine, Jemma,” Fitz reassured her, “Just stick to the plan. We go in there and do the work we are told to do and collect as much information as possible. It will be science. Not the usual stuff we do and it will be for a totally different aim. But after all, it's still science.”
“I'm good at science,” Jemma answered.
“Yes, you are. You are brilliant,” Fitz said.
“But what about the lying part? Fitz, you know I'm a terrible liar!”
“Yes, I know. But then, don't lie. Just don't tell them the truth.”
“Right, as if that really makes it easier.”
After they had finished breakfast – neither of them had eaten much, they were just too nervous- they pulled on the Hydra jackets they had been given the day before and made their way to their new workplace.
On the outside, the lab looked like any lab. But up close, there was a huge difference. Hydra created chaos and death along its path, so their research was all about how to kill or control as many people as possible. Shield's purpose on the other hand was to protect people from the things they couldn't comprehend. A shiver went down Jemma's spine as she thought about the deathly weapons that were to be created in this lab.
“This is all yours. We read your Shield Academy files and it soon became clear that you two work best together. Just the two of you, right?” Agent Powell, the Hydra agent who showed them around asked.
Fitz and Simmons nodded in unison.
“Good,” Powell said, “Your first task would be to analyse these samples, Agent Simmons.” She pointed to some test tubes filled with a dark green liquid on the table.
“We need to know what chemicals are in there and what effect they have if injected into a human being.”
“All right,” Simmons replied and moved closer to examine the project.
“Agent Fitz,” Powell continued, “your job is it to look at this injection syringe and create a more efficient one.”
“What do you mean “more efficient”? This one looks all right to me.”
“That's right, it's all right but we need a faster method to inject people and from a larger distance, too. Understood?”
Fitz nodded. He wanted to know what they were going to inject but thought it might be wiser not to ask too many questions on their first day.
Agent Powell left their lab and both Fitz and Simmons exhaled in relief.
“I didn't think we would have a lab to ourselves,” Fitz said. He sounded pleased.
“Yes, it helps a lot. But I knew they would check our Academy records,” and any records of us, she wanted to add but she didn't. This lab was certainly monitored. She exchanged a look with Fitz and she knew he thought the same thing.
“Let's get our work done, shall we?” he suggested.
Fitzsimmons worked on their assigned projects for two days and just these two days were enough to give them a certain feeling about this place. There were laboratories all along the corridors in their part of the building and behind closed doors scientists from all over the world worked on projects to strengthen Hydra. Every few hours a supervising officer would come in and check on their progress. This was new. In Shield Academy they had time to finish their projects in peace, only occasionally they had to report in and then usually a quick update via text message had been enough. Shield had urged them to do their best because they believed in what they were capable of. Hydra, on the other hand, used another method to motivate them: fear.
“Done,” Simmons exclaimed, delighted. She had just discovered what chemical the last of the twenty substances in her sample was.
“What is it?” Fitz asked.
“It's a poison. That really shouldn't surprise me but what does surprise me that it works to activate those parts of our brain that are responsible for fear. This injects fear.” Jemma looked at the results with a mixture of hatred and, yes, fear.
“And this will help inject it,” Fitz said, holding up the syringe he had created. They shared a horrified look. Jemma fought for a neutral expression and stated: “Fear is their strongest ally. Of course, they want to spread it faster.”
“We want to spread fear faster, Jemma,” Fitz corrected her. He remembered that they were being watched.