Resurrection - Chapter 15
Even amongst friends the clash of cultures can sometimes be severe. Coulson has picked a new team member, and he brings unforeseen baggage with him. How difficult will it be for the team to accept a new member, especially one with rather unique tastes?
Chapter 15
Normally a landing at the sandbox was pretty routine. After all, it was hundreds of miles away from any normal commercial air route, and nearly the same distance from any semblance of civilization. Much like the fridge, except for the weather and terrain, it was isolated by design, remote enough to ensure that assault by land was impossible and protected adequately to dissuade any attack from the air. However, like all SHIELD facilities, it had been somewhat vulnerable to attack from within, and even more than two months later, the damage caused by Hydra was visible to even the most casual observer.
Melinda looked around as she steered the bus to a gentle kiss on the runway. Vertical landings were impractical due to the amount of sand and grit that such things threw into the air, and although the landing strip was usually liberally covered with coating of sand a rolling stop was less likely to raise the huge clouds that could obscure even the brightest sun.
The buildings on both sides still showed signs of the battle. One hanger was nothing but open walls reaching to the sky, and another smaller structure was reduced to nothing but a pile of debris. There was evidence of some clean up, but there was still a lot to do, and finding construction workers willing to relocate - even temporarily - wasn’t a priority.
As Melinda taxied towards the headquarters building a small group of agents walked outside to form a welcoming committee. When the ramp came down the whole group lined up, almost as if they were military and the arriving plane was carrying the President.
Skye turned to look at Phil and grinned. “Looks like they’re impressed the Director is here in person.”
Phil laughed. “I doubt I’m that important.”
Skye suddenly stood at attention, turned to face the bottom of the ramp, and then quietly spoke. “Ding Ding! The Director is arriving.” Both Trip and Jemma nearly doubled over laughing. Phil considered the moment, and concluded that his team was once again a real team. I think we’re finally ready to head out into danger once again.
Phil immediately disappeared, escorted inside to meet with the base supervisor. Melinda met with a mechanic who was tasked with dealing with a couple of minor issues with the bus while others refilled the tanks. Trip intended to take a run, but returned early after discovering that it was simply too damn hot outside for serious physical exercise.
Jemma was busy in the lab, but in truth, she was just fiddling around while waiting to see who the mystery addition to the team was to be. Very shortly a truck arrived with a plethora of bags, boxes, and some additional lab equipment. “These need to be refrigerated,” the delivery man noted, pointing at a stack of cartons he had segregated from the others. Jemma glanced over, and then realized there were numerous large cartons.
“What? All of this?” she said to no one in particular. “I really can’t fathom why anyone would need all of this.”
“I need ‘all of this’ because there are times when a gentleman needs a proper banger, Miss Simmons. If anyone should know that it would be you,” a stranger said, walking slowly up the ramp. Simmons turned to look, and immediately recognized the huge Bismarck mustache dancing over the man’s infectious grin.
“Professor Snake!” she screamed, and ran to him, engulfing the man in her hug. As the two of them danced together, the rest of the team gathered, intrigued by her screamed response. Eventually they separated, and Jemma turned to see the rest of the team.
“This is...,” she said, but Phil interrupted to finish her sentence.
“Sir Basil Blackadder, MBE, Nobel laureate, and SHIELD’s foremost expert on Chitauri weaponry.” He turned to face the man. “We try to be relatively informal here on the bus, but,” he added, looking directly at Jemma, “I’m not sure ‘Professor Snake’ is...quite appropriate.”
Sir Basil laughed. “I assure you it’s quite all right with me. Jemma is one of my prized pupils, and I firmly believe it’s a term of endearment.” He looked around, still smiling. “However, I admit, it’s likely not going to work for the rest of you. Basil, or just Baz is fine with me.” Then he turned back to face Phil. “Please introduce me to this wonderful assemblage.”
Phil made the rounds, and the team immediately found their new addition a kindred spirit. Each of them picked up a box and headed up to the kitchen, though there were some pointed comments along the way.
“Spotted Dick?” Trip asked, reading the label on the case he was carrying.
“Certainly, Agent Triplett. “A true delicacy if properly prepared.
“McVitie’s Digestives?” came the question from Skye, wondering if the man had some medical condition of some sort.
“My dear young woman, they are simply delicious. We would term them a biscuit, but I think you’re more likely to think of them as a cookie.” He spoke louder, directing his question to Jemma. “Miss Simmons, don’t you think your friends would covet them too?”
Jemma laughed. “Well, once they got over the name I’m quite certain they would...and will. Perhaps they should be stored in a secure vault.”
As they began to put the various item away in the galley cabinets, Jemma considered something else. Turning to face Basil she said quietly, “So, what would you like for dinner?”
He looked at her for a moment, then glanced at the rest of the team. “Well, if it’s up to me I’d suggest toad in a hole, with neeps and tatties. Do we have everything we’d need on board?”
Jemma grinned. “Oh yes, I’m quite certain we could do that.” She turned to face the group. “In honor of the arrival of our new team member, I shall prepare a proper welcome feast tonight.” Then she looked at Phil and Melinda. “With your permission?”
Phil looked at Melinda, not quite certain which of them was expected to respond. When Melinda just smiled, he turned back. “That will be fine, Jemma.” Then he looked at the rest of the team. “This should be interesting,” he added, somewhat as an aside. Both Skye and Trip just giggled, having no idea what was coming.
Chapter 15
Normally a landing at the sandbox was pretty routine. After all, it was hundreds of miles away from any normal commercial air route, and nearly the same distance from any semblance of civilization. Much like the fridge, except for the weather and terrain, it was isolated by design, remote enough to ensure that assault by land was impossible and protected adequately to dissuade any attack from the air. However, like all SHIELD facilities, it had been somewhat vulnerable to attack from within, and even more than two months later, the damage caused by Hydra was visible to even the most casual observer.
Melinda looked around as she steered the bus to a gentle kiss on the runway. Vertical landings were impractical due to the amount of sand and grit that such things threw into the air, and although the landing strip was usually liberally covered with coating of sand a rolling stop was less likely to raise the huge clouds that could obscure even the brightest sun.
The buildings on both sides still showed signs of the battle. One hanger was nothing but open walls reaching to the sky, and another smaller structure was reduced to nothing but a pile of debris. There was evidence of some clean up, but there was still a lot to do, and finding construction workers willing to relocate - even temporarily - wasn’t a priority.
As Melinda taxied towards the headquarters building a small group of agents walked outside to form a welcoming committee. When the ramp came down the whole group lined up, almost as if they were military and the arriving plane was carrying the President.
Skye turned to look at Phil and grinned. “Looks like they’re impressed the Director is here in person.”
Phil laughed. “I doubt I’m that important.”
Skye suddenly stood at attention, turned to face the bottom of the ramp, and then quietly spoke. “Ding Ding! The Director is arriving.” Both Trip and Jemma nearly doubled over laughing. Phil considered the moment, and concluded that his team was once again a real team. I think we’re finally ready to head out into danger once again.
Phil immediately disappeared, escorted inside to meet with the base supervisor. Melinda met with a mechanic who was tasked with dealing with a couple of minor issues with the bus while others refilled the tanks. Trip intended to take a run, but returned early after discovering that it was simply too damn hot outside for serious physical exercise.
Jemma was busy in the lab, but in truth, she was just fiddling around while waiting to see who the mystery addition to the team was to be. Very shortly a truck arrived with a plethora of bags, boxes, and some additional lab equipment. “These need to be refrigerated,” the delivery man noted, pointing at a stack of cartons he had segregated from the others. Jemma glanced over, and then realized there were numerous large cartons.
“What? All of this?” she said to no one in particular. “I really can’t fathom why anyone would need all of this.”
“I need ‘all of this’ because there are times when a gentleman needs a proper banger, Miss Simmons. If anyone should know that it would be you,” a stranger said, walking slowly up the ramp. Simmons turned to look, and immediately recognized the huge Bismarck mustache dancing over the man’s infectious grin.
“Professor Snake!” she screamed, and ran to him, engulfing the man in her hug. As the two of them danced together, the rest of the team gathered, intrigued by her screamed response. Eventually they separated, and Jemma turned to see the rest of the team.
“This is...,” she said, but Phil interrupted to finish her sentence.
“Sir Basil Blackadder, MBE, Nobel laureate, and SHIELD’s foremost expert on Chitauri weaponry.” He turned to face the man. “We try to be relatively informal here on the bus, but,” he added, looking directly at Jemma, “I’m not sure ‘Professor Snake’ is...quite appropriate.”
Sir Basil laughed. “I assure you it’s quite all right with me. Jemma is one of my prized pupils, and I firmly believe it’s a term of endearment.” He looked around, still smiling. “However, I admit, it’s likely not going to work for the rest of you. Basil, or just Baz is fine with me.” Then he turned back to face Phil. “Please introduce me to this wonderful assemblage.”
Phil made the rounds, and the team immediately found their new addition a kindred spirit. Each of them picked up a box and headed up to the kitchen, though there were some pointed comments along the way.
“Spotted Dick?” Trip asked, reading the label on the case he was carrying.
“Certainly, Agent Triplett. “A true delicacy if properly prepared.
“McVitie’s Digestives?” came the question from Skye, wondering if the man had some medical condition of some sort.
“My dear young woman, they are simply delicious. We would term them a biscuit, but I think you’re more likely to think of them as a cookie.” He spoke louder, directing his question to Jemma. “Miss Simmons, don’t you think your friends would covet them too?”
Jemma laughed. “Well, once they got over the name I’m quite certain they would...and will. Perhaps they should be stored in a secure vault.”
As they began to put the various item away in the galley cabinets, Jemma considered something else. Turning to face Basil she said quietly, “So, what would you like for dinner?”
He looked at her for a moment, then glanced at the rest of the team. “Well, if it’s up to me I’d suggest toad in a hole, with neeps and tatties. Do we have everything we’d need on board?”
Jemma grinned. “Oh yes, I’m quite certain we could do that.” She turned to face the group. “In honor of the arrival of our new team member, I shall prepare a proper welcome feast tonight.” Then she looked at Phil and Melinda. “With your permission?”
Phil looked at Melinda, not quite certain which of them was expected to respond. When Melinda just smiled, he turned back. “That will be fine, Jemma.” Then he looked at the rest of the team. “This should be interesting,” he added, somewhat as an aside. Both Skye and Trip just giggled, having no idea what was coming.