#macks diner

[mackachu1212]

Reblog for larger sample size please!

[macksdiner-mm-official]

[heartstringsbloom]

Au where McQueen was created (a la the replica program from Kingdom Hearts) for racing and this can go either way, but for the purposes of this story we’ll focus on humanized!Cars

When he wakes up he’s blank. He can perceive everything, see the white walls around him, feel the baggy white jumpsuit he’s wearing. But he doesn’t really associate with anything, rather he just perceives

A man in a lab coat walks in and tells him that he’s a racer. What does that mean?

He learns that it means to go fast, to loop around a track over a hundred times for a trophy. That trophy means he’s the best. The person they hand him off to—Harv—tells him that he’ll be the best

People cheer for him and scream his name from the stands. All he has to do is make first place in that little red car they give him

They also tell him that his name is Lightning. Because he’s fast, there and around the track in a flash. Lightning McQueen.

Royalty? Not yet, Harv tells him. Not until he wins the Piston Cup

But McQueen gets lost on the way. It was supposed to be a tie-breaker, but Mack—and Mack is so nice, always makes Lightning smile—leaves him behind at some diner while McQueen was signing autographs. Strange little mementos that people like to ask of him.

Lightning doesn’t think he meant to. He had been told that the race was too important to miss. Maybe Mack didn’t realize he had even left the trailer

McQueen wanders. It’s nighttime, and the stars are bright and decorate the sky. McQueen wonders why the cars passing have headlights when his doesn’t

(The track is always lit. Is too much light a bad thing? Is he a bad thing?)

One of the cars slows next to him, and McQueen sees the window roll down. Someone with a hat and a badge

Sheriff of . . . Well the man doesn’t say, but he asks Lightning if everything is alright. Lightning thinks it is, except he doesn’t know how to get to California.

It’s a long way, Sheriff tells him. Guess McQueen has a long walk

Sheriff scoffs and asks if he needs a place for the night. Lightning doesn’t think so. He only needs to get to California. But Sheriff shakes his head and mutters something Lightning can’t make out, sorry.

He offers Lightning a ride

Can Sheriff get him to California?

What is with you, kid? You need some rest.

Okay.

Sheriff takes him to a bright orange motel with a sigh that reads “Cozy Cone,” and it makes Lightning smile. It reminds him of the track. Nothing else

Inside is someone with hair bluer than the sky, Lightning thinks. She has to be made of the sky, or the ocean, or maybe both. He asks

She blinks at him and her face gets pink, making her ocean eyes all the more vibrant. Wow.

Sheriff calls her Sally. Lightning forever associates her with everything blue and beautiful

She shows him to a room, and he tilts his head in the tiny but warm space. It’s smaller than his trailer

Is it? Sally asks. He nods, clutches his trailer key in his pocket. He wonders how Mack is doing

Sally asks if he’s hungry, and Lightning hasn’t thought about it. He’s . . . Never been hungry, has he? Should he be?

“Should I be?”

Sally blinks and her eyes get softer, and she looks him up and down as if she’s seeing him for the first time. Lightning mimics her, smiles because she’s so lovely and he wonders how the stars would scatter across her waves of hair

She says to stay put, and leaves. Lightning falters, saddened by her absence, and falls to sit on the floor, folding his legs in a crisscross

He lights up when she returns, carrying a bag of something that smells amazing.

She sets it on a small table next to the bed, beckons him over and starts talking about burgers and fries and a tiny salad, whatever those are

But he eats, seeing how she smiles when he does, and it makes him want to do everything in his power to keep that on her face

Sally bids him goodnight and leaves, and it’s a little sad because she’s so wonderful, but the food tastes amazing so Lightning doesn’t feel as sad

He stares at the empty takeout carton when he’s finished. Thinks about Sally and the stars and burgers and the bed. It’s a soft, neatly made and fresh-smelling. He lays down slowly, finding it an interesting alternative to the seat in his car

He doesn’t think of California that night, too swayed by the sky and the ocean and stars.

[merrock]

event: Hallo-Week

location: all around Merrock

date & time: October 25 - November 3

ooc duration: same dates

It's time… to get your spook on! We know how much this town loves Halloween, so we've rounded up as many Merrockites as possible to get fun things happening in town, whether it be movies, spooky fun activities, party nights, or anything that your haunted little hearts desire.

Please note: for the kids, trick-or-treat will still be happening on Halloween (October 31st), so make sure that you have candy ready to go, to treat them right! Or else… you might find yourself getting a trick. You can go door to door, do the trunk-or-treat, or head to the nursing home to get candy!

Dive under the cut for a complete list of things happening in and around Merrock from October 25th until November 3rd, and have fun!

DOWNTOWN

bookends -- book sale on all horror novels

brownstone inne -- ghost stories in the hotel lobby (& refreshments)

cityview park -- pumpkin carving & painting contests, various craft stations set up (for adults and kids)

cobblestone cafe -- pumpkin spice everything

the holiday shoppe -- 50-75% off all Halloween decor

mack's -- special seasonal pumpkin menu

merrock railway -- haunted train ride

the mirage -- spooky karaoke in the speakeasy (come in costume!)

mods -- flash tattoos & face painting for kids

stubs -- nightly Halloween movies (see below!)

touchback -- spooky cocktails & drinks

town hall -- Halloween safety demonstrations

vibrations -- monster mash party night all week-long (come in costume!)

STUBS:

All movies will be available on the Stubs app, as well, for you to watch at home! There is a small charge for each film, but the money goes straight to the theater. Early films will play at 6PM, late at 9PM.

October 25 -- Casper, Friday the 13th.

October 26 -- Beetlejuice, Pet Sematary.

October 27 -- Addams Family, Nightmare on Elm Street.

October 28 -- Scooby Doo on Zombie Island, Psycho.

October 29 -- Nightmare Before Christmas, Scream.

October 30 -- It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, Carrie.

October 31 -- Hocus Pocus, Halloween.

November 1 -- Coraline, Child's Play.

November 2 -- The Haunted Mansion, The Exorcist.

November 3 -- Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Craft.

ALSO AVAILABLE: Monster House, Halloweentown, Goosebumps, Practical Magic, Sleepy Hollow, What We Do in the Shadows, Ernest Scared Stupid, Scared Shrekless, The Witches, Death Becomes Her, Poltergeist, Happy Death Day, Jennifer's Body, The Crow, The Lost Boys, Rosemary's Baby, The Conjuring, The Invisible Man, Trick 'r Treat, Totally Killer + more.

COASTAL AREA

anchors away -- seasonal drinks and pumpkin beer

breathe in -- yoga & pilates with the Sanderson Sisters (come in costume!)

cassidy's candies -- mega discount on all Halloween candy

from brush to canvas -- autumn/Halloween paintings exhibited

the lighthouse -- ghost stories at the top of the lighthouse

the marina -- haunted boat rides (murder mystery style)

mawk tales -- seasonal spooky mocktails all week

sea breeze -- special Halloween flavors available

SUBURBS

aster playground -- pumpkin painting, various kids games set up

benny's -- massive Halloween decor & costume sale

children's museum -- various halloween-themed activities

community center -- costume closet open for takers

the creamery -- black & blue milks available, halloween ice creams

cul-de-sac diner -- halloween-themed meals (& specials for kids)

flour co. -- decorate your own pumpkin cookies

the fun spot -- horror skate nights (come in costume!)

the great escape -- horror escape rooms

memorial library -- spooky story reads, horror book displays

pinecrest cemetery -- cemetery tours (not haunted; respectful)

treasure chest -- 50% off all fall and Halloween decor

COUNTRYSIDE

the barn at lake malory -- haunted houses; family friendly (for kids & easily scared adults who want to take it easy), supernatural/fantasy (medium), slasher (scary).

handpick'd -- specials on seasonal wines

harmony ranch -- haunted hay ride & corn maze

hideaway market -- trunk or treat sponsored by takato's (come in costume!)

lavender lane -- pumpkin, mums & fall favorites on deep discount

little chapel -- ghost stories (with surprise haunting)

north shore -- trick-or-treating with senior citizens (come in costume!)

paradise gardens -- seasonal fall/halloween displays

pet haven -- free treat to all pets that show up in costumes

pine grove gardens -- true merrock horror / scary stories

state park -- spooky walks along the trails (very kid friendly)

the wheel -- 50% off all halloween related items

ADMIN NOTES: have at it! If you want to post costumes, they can be done any time through the week, whether you're partying at Evolution, dressing up to work at your business, or just want to get spiffed up for actual Halloween. Please tag them with #merrockfashion. Socials can be tagged with #merrocksocial, as well. Please do remember to tag anything with trigger warnings if it veers into triggering things, such as excessive blood! You can do other things for Hallo-Week, like having a slumber party and watching movies at home with your bestie, roasting pumpkin seeds, going out to toilet paper someone's house (please have permission), this is the perfect time to just have fun with anything that has to do with Halloween! <3

[mackachu1212]

OMG ITS JESSIEEEEE!!!!!

Thank you so much :O)

I’ll get you next year >:O))))

Last Attacks I did this year! Rosa and Donte - @mrboogerlip Astro - Faebies Jessie - @mackachu1212 Hoshi - @girlinthebrownhoodie Dr. Jay Nordan - @lethal-highway

[stevesbipanic]

B!!!!!! congrats on 5k omg that's amazing and so well deserved!!! 🎉💕 for your fabulous celebration event, i am pitching a fluffy number 6 please and thank you!! 🥰

Mack! tyyyyyy <3 enjoy ya fluff

6. "Sorry, it's just that I get very nervous when someone else is driving."

Steve hadn't truly thought things through when he agreed to drive Eddie to Indianapolis to pick up his replacement guitar that weekend. If he was honest with himself he'd gotten distracted making goo-goo eyes at Eddie when he had started talking, only really picking up "drive" "me" and "weekend" and Steve wasn't going to pass up an opportunity for more time with the metalhead.

Originally when he'd realised what he had agreed to it didn't seem that bad, he'd taken trips to Indy before, maybe he and Eddie could get lunch at a diner somewhere in the city together, maybe Steve could pretend it was a date. Steve had even looked forward to their adventure into the city as they started their journey. What Steve hadn't counted on was the owner of the music store going on lunch break right before they arrived and not returned for three hours, at least Steve got his little diner lunch.

The problem now was that Steve was exhausted, having planned on being back at Hawkins by nightfall they now weren't leaving the city until the sun had started to set. Normally, this wouldn't be an issue but Steve had pulled two doubles in the last couple of days knowing he couldn't work this weekend. They were barely out of the city when he started to yawn.

"You alright Stevie?"

"Hmm? Oh yeah, Eds I'm fine just a bit tired don't worry."

"Do you want me to drive? I don't mind."

Steve didn't want to say yes but his eyes were heavy and the two hour journey ahead of him seemed like an eternity.

"Ok, but just for a little bit, really I'm not that tired."

"Whatever you say, sweetheart," Eddie said as they pulled over to swap seats.

Steve bit his lip as they began driving again, depite his exhaustion his anxiety was now making him side awake. It didn't take Eddie long to notice.

"Are you ok there, Stevie? You're gripping that door pretty hard."

Steve glanced down to see how white his knuckles hard turned on the edge of the door.

"Sorry, it's just that I get very nervous when someone else is driving."

Eddie smiled softly, "Ever the babysitter, how about you hold my hand, angel, I'll make sure nothing bad happens."

If Steve had been of sane mind maybe he'd have thought about how Eddie only having one hand on the wheel was decidedly less safe, but Eddie's fingers were wrapping themselves around his and Steve could feel how worn and warm they were. With a deep sigh he relaxed back into his chair.

Steve hadn't even noticed he had fallen asleep until they were home, comforted by the steady weight of Eddie's hand, the slight glide of Eddie's thumb along his knuckles, and the soft tunes on the radio.

[running-on-a-broken-record]

Egos with reader who is obsessed with true crime

<3

YES! Criminology nerd over here is going crazy

The Detective: - I was kind of 50/50 with him liking it because he can tell you about his cases, and disliking it because he sees it all day at work, and even more at home with you - Honestly I think I'm leaning more towards him enjoying it because when he needs to rant about a bad case, he can tell you everything and not spare any of the gruesome details because you just don't care - If you were to ask him about anything true crime-related, he'd be happy to answer! Especially if it's something you're particularly interested in

MadPat: - Do I even have to say it? - He LOVES this about you! - True crime fan x serial killer may be my new favorite trope now? Like just imagine it - If you know about him being all 🔪 🔪 🔪 he may come home covered in blood and tell you all about his recent kill, obsessed with how intently you listen to each and every gruesome detail

Mack: - Both Head Engineer and Dictator wouldn't mind. I think it'd be really easy to get them both into true crime as well, to be honest. If you nudge them in the right direction, they can very well be just as well-informed as you

The Hermit: - Honestly it probably interests him too, just to a lesser extent. For him, it's more like... "wow, I didn't know the human body could do that" - Or the fact that he's not used to murder (being in isolation and all) so hearing about it makes him curious

WarfPat: - Hehe I have an evil thought for this one - Him waking up in the middle of the night, drowsy, to see you wide awake at like 3AM, the light from your phone illuminating your face as you watch/listen to a true crime podcast/documentary - Being absolutely terrified that you're about to murder him - You will likely receive a gift with a note saying something like "I don't know what I did but I'm sorry"

DarkPat: - Like the Detective, another one that I have mixed feelings on. Though overall, I think he wouldn't mind it - If you're one of those people that listens to true crime podcasts to go to sleep, he may have a similar reaction to WarfPat, though with less fear of him dying, and more of a worry you’ll murder some random stranger - "Oh my significant other might turn into a murderer" - And he'd still love you even if you were, so...

Ness: - Given the movie LOOOORE (I am so sorry) for fun, we're going to say you have a special interest in the Missing Children Incident - He tells you almost everyday that you should be a detective with how closely you follow the case, even though it's a cold case - He gets concerned for you sometimes, but when you get too into it, he is always there to pull you back and force you to take breaks - For example, getting you to visit him at the diner. Or taking you out on a date

[mackachu1212]

Yall ready for the Mack’s Diner poster drop?

[mackachu1212]

Car crash omg Fritz from Mack’s Diner ref!

I care Hero pls hes really cool to me pls don't car crash him :[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[

ok but then he'd get to see his cool girlfriend

[ladylooch]

remember how lio ignored his daddy after he broke his arm? does that ever happen to nico with one of the girlies?

Ope… wanna hurt? Okay let’s go.

Lucie Hischier stands in the middle of an applauding room at the first recital of her short ballerina career. Her brown eyes squint against the bright stage lights, trying to look through the beams and sea of people for her daddy. He said he would be here. 

But when the lights fade and Lucie finally finds her family, she doesn’t see her daddy standing next to her mama. Lucie frowns even as her mom waves excitedly back to her with Sophie in her arms. Lucie’s eyes continue to scan. She sees her Auntie Em, but no Uncle T. She frowns harder. Her dad is out of town. He said he wouldn’t be. Lucie’s eyes move back to her mom and her little face scrunches up into a scowl. Then, she stomps her pink slippers off to the side stage where her teacher is holding up her hand to give her a high-five.

“Lucie, your solo was wonderful! All your handwork paid off!”

No it didn’t. Daddy wasn’t here.

When Lucie gets to her family afterwards, she is sullen as she accepts flowers from Lio. They share a loose hug.

“Luc! Great job today!” Auntie Em says, giving her back a rub as they embrace.

“Thanks.” Lucie mumbles.

“You worked so hard on your solo, baby. It showed today. I’m so proud of you.” Lexi murmurs as she kneels down to give her daughter a hug. Mack is holding flowers for her older sister and excitedly thrusts them at Lucie. 

“Thanks.” Lucie says glumly. Lexi purses her lips.

“Hey, daddy is going to FaceTime us when we get home from dinner.” Lucie scrunches her face then shakes her head no.

“He didn’t come.”

“Yeah, baby he is on the road.”

“He told me he would be here.”

Emma and Lexi share a concerned look. The Devils originally were supposed to leave tomorrow, but a winter storm created travel concerns and they decided on leaving a day earlier. Lexi bites her lip. Nico must not have had the conversation she recommended he have at bedtime last night. Lexi had found him asleep in Mack’s bed. She assumed he had made it to Lucie before falling asleep. Clearly not. 

“Daddy’s schedule changed last minute. I know that is disappointing. He wanted to be here though.” Lexi tries to soothe as much as she can. 

“Did you video it for him?”

“Yes, me and auntie Em.�� 

“Okay.” Lucie sighs. Lexi helps Lucie put her winter coat and boots on, then with the whole family, they head to a diner for burgers, malts, and fries to celebrate.

Lucie is in bed after her bath that night when Lexi comes in with her phone. She sees it in Lucie’s lap, then leaves the room, down the hall to one of her sisters who is crying.

“Hi sweets.” Lucie looks down, seeing her dad on the screen. “I am so sorry I missed your recital today.” He says. “I know I told you I would be there. That was the plan. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out that way.” Lucie nods. Silence fills the room as Nico waits for her to say something. She refuses. “I know you’re hurt, sweets. But when I get home, can we watch the video together?” Tears form in Lucie’s eyes. She nods as they track down her cheeks.

1,000 miles away, Nico's heart breaks into that many pieces.

[steadypet101]

If Sonic Movie 3 would have a cameo in the film, I can't help but pray that Roger Craig Smith would appear in the movie like a Mean Bean customer or a bystander.

Maybe like a waiter at a small diner like in the FNAF movie. Anybody agree?

(Edit: However, I was thinking either Ryan Drummond, Deven Mack, or Jason Griffith would be a perfect cameo)

[mackmontgomery]

closed for: @peterbasara

where: all nighter diner

"Ah, Petey B. Hello," Mack greets with a cheek kiss, instantly regretting it once he had.

( Too mafia boss, or worse, what if DJ Steal-Your-Girl-Who's-Not-Your-Girl thought he was feeling him? )

"Can I sit here?" He asks as he slides into the other side of the diner booth before he can even respond, leaving little room for a no given he was on a fact-finding mission, "Too late. I'm sitting here. Sup homie?"

[packagecfgirlyevil]

"No." It was an automatic reaction - she'd changed a lot to distance her from that life, the one he probably knew her from. Acknowledging who she was - the real her, beneath the fake name and dyed hair and phony smile - was dangerous. "I wouldn't think so, at least. I just have one of those faces. What are you looking for tonight, coffee or a burger?"

@packagecfgirlyevil // kirk + gemma

"Don't I know you from somewhere?"

[bigtreefest]

Im currently dying of unknown illness so I need comfort (and snacks).

How do you think the different babes would take care of their sick partner?

Mack! I’m so sorry to hear you’re a little sicky!!🥺🤧 comfort and snacks are pinnacle. And maybe a hot lemonade? That’s my moms old remedy. I think the babes would take great care of you:

Jake: this poor baby probably got sick before you, and then you caught it while trying to nurse him back to health. After two days of him in bed with a little red nose, suddenly he wakes up just fine and you feel like you’re dying. He feels so bad, and looks at you so 🥺🥺, apologizing for passing the illness on to you. But luckily, now that his immune system’s kicked in, you can get all the cuddles and kisses you want. He’s got soup ready for whenever you want it and a little basket of snackies by the bed so you can sit and watch tv all day together as he holds you.

Steve: Pulls out all the home remedies he can think of. Old ones from his ma, new ones he’s heard about from coworkers, or researching online. Some are so odd, but worth a shot because he wants to fix this for you. You’ve had Vick’s rubbed on your chest, you’ve eaten spicy food, and hung upside down off the side of the bed. None of it works, until he takes you for a hot shower and dresses you in some nice, comfy clothes that smell like him. And then you realize that your nose has opened up. He brings you a glass of ice water as you sit on the couch wrapped in a blanket, and he makes note of your true remedy.

Curtis: You’ve been throwing up all day and it pains him so much to see you like this, knowing there’s not anything he can do. Earlier this morning, he thought pancakes might be nice, but those came back up, too. He felt terrible. So now, he’s putting on a pot of rice and boiling chicken on the stove so you have a bland meal that should hopefully settle your tummy. As you’re still hunched over in the bathroom, he settles in behind you and brushes your hair, throwing it into a simple braid like you showed him one time. He’s doing his best to support you, and getting your hair out of your face is one step of many, followed by soothing rubs of his big hands over your back.

Ransom: he is…at a loss. You texted him how terrible you felt and he was almost speechless on the phone. Any time when he was sick when he was younger, his parents just let the maids give him soup and some weird remedy, so he tries to look up that weird tea recipe his old nanny made. When he walks into your place and makes his way to your room, he has no idea what to do, which manifests as a head pat and you’re not sure whether to laugh or cry. There’s a period of time where he disappears from your room, saying he left some things in your kitchen that he’ll bring back to you in bed. He returns with a spiced tea and a To-go container of soup he forced the 24 hour diner to give him this early in the morning. It’s not in a bowl, but that’s alright. You drink the hot, nasty tea, and he doesn’t fail to notice the shiver that runs through you. He’s just been sitting on the edge of your bed thus far, but lets out a soft grumble about you only being in a tank top as you cold sweat right in front of him. He takes the sweater off his back and slips it on over your head, pulling up the covers and shuffling in next to you and a smile grows on your face at his silent comfort.

[kim-ruzek]

Review of 11x3

Yes, I am finally doing a review, and it's for the third episode of the season rip to the first two I guess? Also it has taken me all week to write this out despite having notes on it and having it half done ages ago.

First, I'll talk about the Burzek of all it because I'm nothing if not on brand:

I adore their house so much, it's so them.

Their routine 'dance' is so cute. "Stop we're in this together" oh my heart they've grown so much I love it

Burzek texting is so, so cute.

When Adam and Kim was standing so close and cute I nearly died, they're actual cutie pies.

I so so enjoyed and loved Adam looking after Kim. It's such married behaviour. Him trying to encourage her to take a break. And when Adam touched Kim's back oh my heart!

Adam having buddies everywhere helping, I love it so much.

Starting the episode in the kitchen and ending it in it is so good.

When she left through that way she went from mom and family and wife kim to cop kim, and coming back through, after having a rough couple of days, she's once again allowing herself to stop being cop kim and just be in her comfortable family home.

Notable moment being the lunchbox and then her smile at her sleeping family. Adam's smile, Kim telling him to sleep, Adam wanting to hear everything. Adam picking up Mack. All of that.

Now for my general comments on the whole thing:

I love Kim being a spanish speaker. I love hearing her speak it, her voice sounds so so good.

I also liked that Kim did not like the desk sargent's attitude.

I enjoyed the foreshadowing on the green card.

Alvarado going to the toilet right before the shooting happens - something very convenient that I didn't realise at the time.

I loved that Kim immediately clocked the car, then the gun.

I also loved how empathetic Kim was this whole episode.

I do wonder if they're grooming Kim to be the 'main detective' esque character after Hailey leaves.

Kim running point, I love it. She's such a good detective, she deserves to actually be one. She leads the team truly like a true leader. Even clocking when Alvarado is looking up on the computer. And then again talking him down.

Alvarado's frustration - even more clear with that he so wanted him to be the fall guy. He really tried to cover his tracks. If it wasn't for Kim's instincts honestly he would've gotten away with it.

The search for Gabriela is so anxiety inducing, especially when Alvarado shows up.

Talking of which, I love how names are used in this. He is 'Danny' when they see him as one of them, Alvarado when they know he was the perpetrator and I really liked that.

I loved Kim's reaction to the tourniquet being applied wrong, Kim's face at that. The way she said "it wasn't a bystander".

Kim is such a badass. She really has got such confidence, especially in the face of injustice. "You seem to think that would bother me". I loved that line.

I also really love learning about Kim's past.

RE: Kim getting the fake papers, I love how determined to a point of craziness Kim gets, especially on cases she runs/hits close to home.

Sort of off topic but Kim is so pretty <3

Also I loved my protective Kev, the burgwater friendship is so dear to me.

I have to give a special mention to Voight because of this scene: "You been home? You been asleep?" I don't like voight too much, but this season he has really been shining through honestly. That alongside the team knows they can trust Voight, as their Sarge, to bring up their concerns. Also how he checked with her about Alvardo in the first place, he trusts his unit's judgement.

The confrontation scene is one of my favourites. Kim clocking the gun. How she stands. How she lets him talk all while knowing that she's going to arrest him.

And when he tries to turn the table onto her. But when she talks about the diner footage, I love it. Her expression, calm and collected. The way he truly thought she'd let him take the easy way out. "If you make me work for it".

Overall, I really loved this episode. I found it really cohesive and Kim properly shined in it. I still have an issue with the character centricness of these episodes, especially as it's gotten worse again from last season, but Kim definitely did shine.

I do have two issues: although I liked the episode, and the story itself is pretty powerful, it is definitely a Choice to have the latino man be the bad guy. It's a story that needs to be told, but I don't know if this is the place for it when this will be the only immigrant storyline told? Like if they did more on the topic, okay, fine, but yeah, as just the only thing? Not great.

Also the second issue being I would've really loved to see Torres in this episode, and see him and Kim work together or talk about this. And it's just reminded me I really want to see Kim and Torres working together in general, and we should've gotten him in this episode.

Notable Quotes:

"rising tides"

"It's vintage like you"

"THIRD TIME'S A CHARM" - both times

"Got an eye for it"

"i know one [a cop family]"

"nothing" just because i love how Kim says this.

"Kim, you're kinda a walking miracle"

"Adam I used my own money, OUR own money"

"Some cases you'll do whatever you can"

"We bled for it, Kim".

"That feel good?" "Perfect"

[random-writerings]

Touch Me (Til I Find Myself) ~ Chapter 1

Word Count: 7.9k

Masterlist // AO3

Kris sat in the diner, lost in thought. The team – her friends – were all chatting away, enjoying these last few moments together before they were arrested. They were all fresh out of the Framework, and the fight with Aida had taken its toll on everyone. 

Fitz still couldn't look Kris in the eye.

Daisy bumped Kris’ arm gently, causing her to instinctively recoil from the contact. 

“You know you're able to touch people now,” Daisy joked softly.

“I know. I'm sorry. Old habits and all that,” she replied, her voice low.

“Don't apologise. I was just worried about you. You're awfully quiet.”

“Thanks. I'm fine, though.”

Daisy raised one eyebrow but left it alone. Kris turned back to stare at her half-eaten burger. As she reached for it, the cuff of her sleeve moved slightly, exposing the smooth skin on her inner wrist. 

She still wasn’t used to seeing her body without scars. In the Framework, Aida had tortured her in an attempt to steal her Inhuman abilities. Although, once she had found out that taking Kris’ abilities meant not being able to touch someone without causing them pain, she was furious. Aida had wanted Kris’ powers but had also wanted to live as a normal human, but she couldn’t have both. So she had sent the Doctor to experiment on Kris and find a way to change her abilities. 

And it seems he had succeeded. Whatever he did to her in the Framework had changed her powers in the real world too. And yet, there was no physical evidence. Her Framework body had been littered with scars but her real body remained uninjured. It was almost as if it had never happened.

Almost. 

Kris was pulled from her thoughts when the lights suddenly went out. Armed men ran into the diner, lining up behind them. Kris could feel the guns trained on their backs without having to turn around. She raised her hands slowly like the others while Coulson talked to a man behind him. 

The next thing she knew, she was facing a tall white stone with three red stripes carved into it. Her ears rang as she gasped for air. Were they drugged? 

“Is everyone alright?” Coulson asked.

“Yeah, I think so,” Mack replied. 

Kris turned to Jemma whose gaze was fixated on the stone. Before she could ask if she was alright, the stone began to melt into liquid. It splashed towards them, swallowing up the team. Panic swept over Kris as the wave of liquid stone rushed across the floor towards her. It was a monolith, like the one that had abducted Jemma to an alien planet for six months (and brought an ancient, murderous Inhuman to Earth who later enslaved Daisy).

Before she had time to run, the white wave gripped her feet and pulled her under.

~~~

She woke up on a cold hard floor. Cautiously testing out movement in her limbs, she turned her head to the side. She came face to face with what appeared to be a very dehydrated dead body. Kris jumped back, rolling away before standing up. Her eyes widened as she took in the pile of bodies against the wall. Her head swam after standing up so quickly so she placed a hand on the wall to steady herself. She closed her eyes and took some deep breaths, running her free hand over her face. They had just escaped the Framework and now they were probably in space, surrounded by dead bodies.

Great, that was just what they needed. More sci-fi horror movie nonsense.

Something clattered across the room. Kris stood up straighter and headed carefully towards the noise. She paused next to some boxes, listening to the sound of someone or something rummaging around. Sitting on top of a nearby box was a thick metal crowbar. She slowly picked it up, her heart beating loudly in her ears. She took another deep breath, steadying herself, before turning the corner with her crowbar raised. 

The person, who was crouched on the ground, whipped around to face her. Kris sighed in relief and lowered the crowbar.

“Jemma. You scared the shit out of me.”

“Yeah, well you scared me too,” the other woman countered. “Here put this on. Quickly. We don’t know if this air is breathable.”

She held out a gas mask and Kris raised her eyebrow.

“It seems fine to me.” 

“Well, just in case.” Jemma wiggled the mask urgently in front of her face.

Kris thought about it for a moment then took it. After all, Jemma usually knew best. 

As they adjusted the masks, they heard another noise from where Kris had been earlier. Kris picked up her makeshift weapon again and they headed back across the room. 

Luckily it was only Yo-Yo, who seemed to have just arrived. Jemma reached out for her, but Yo-Yo turned, grabbing Jemma’s arm.

“Wait! Yo-Yo –” Jemma was cut off by Yo-Yo kicking her in the stomach. She fell backwards as Yo-Yo searched the room for a weapon.

“Yo-Yo, stop it’s us.” Kris held up her hands. But Yo-Yo didn’t seem to hear her as she grabbed something off a counter and lunged at Jemma again.

“No, no. Yo-Yo, wait! It’s me,” Jemma tried again breathlessly.

Yo-Yo paused. “Simmons?”

“What on earth? I'm lucky there were no knives.” Jemma took off her mask and Kris followed her lead.

“Kris,” Yo-Yo sighed, relieved to see another friendly face.

“Hey.” Kris nodded. Yo-Yo turned back to Jemma.

“What the hell were you doing with those masks? Trying to give me a heart attack?”

“Well, I wasn't sure the air was safe in here.” Jemma gestured to the pile of bodies behind them. “They were trying to get out. I thought maybe it was for air when I saw these masks on the ground, but I guess not.”

“And you?” Yo-Yo asked Kris.

“I don’t know.” Kris shrugged. “Jemma is the scientist, I just do what she says. If she says the air is potentially not safe, then, yeah, I'll put on a creepy gas mask. It's better than dying.” 

Yo-Yo made a face as if to say ‘fair enough’ as Jemma walked back over the bodies and pulled one out towards her by the ankles. 

“Ugh, Jemma, no. Please don’t.” Kris turned away, disgusted.

“Do you really –” Yo-Yo started. “Is that the smartest thing?”

“They're already dead, there's nothing to be scared of,” Jemma stated matter-of-factly.

“No. Of course not.” Yo-Yo walked over for a closer inspection. Kris shook her head.

“Yeah, no. I’m staying over here thanks.”

“Oh, don't be silly. It's only a dead body, Kris,” Jemma sighed as she lifted the person’s shirt up.

“‘It's only a dead body, Kris,’” Kris mocked her friend. “Yeah, well, I woke up right next to it. I think I've inspected it closely enough.”

Jemma rolled her eyes and continued working.

“Wow, that looks like Momia Junita from the Incan –”

“The Incan mummies, yeah,” Jemma finished Yo-Yo’s sentence. “These people have been dead for a long while, but their bodies seem absent of all interstitial fluid. It's completely dehydrated them, preserving them.”

“Oh, great,” Kris mumbled under her breath, sarcastically.

“Dehydrated how? Frozen?” Yo-Yo asked, ignoring her.

“No.” Jemma looked up from the body. “Drained.” 

“Oh. ‘They're already dead. There's nothing to be scared of’. Really?” Yo-Yo asked. “What sucks a human dry?”

“Aliens.” Mack’s voice replied from behind them. They turned to see him and Coulson dragging a man’s body into the room, where they dropped it on the floor with a heavy thump.

“Mack.” Yo-Yo smiled and ran towards him. Mack closed the metal door behind them and pulled Yo-Yo into a hug. “Gracias adios.”

“I'm happy to see you, too. But I’m not happy you're here.”

“Aliens?” Jemma and Kris asked simultaneously.

“Yep. Coulson’s ninety-nine percent sure we’re in space.”

Jemma sighed and closed her eyes. “Not again.”

“Hey, quick question. Is he, like, alive?” Kris asked, pointing to the man on the floor. It seemed that Coulson was checking his wrist for a pulse.

“Hopefully.” Coulson looked up.

“Alright.” Jemma continued. “Any idea which part of space we’re in?”

“Uh, outer?” Coulson shrugged, getting up.

“And you saw an alien?” Yo-Yo asked, raising her eyebrow.

“Well, we saw what they can do.”

“Sir, we have no idea what kind of creature these people were trying to get away from,” Jemma informed him.

“Question I’m asking is, who locked them in?” Coulson replied.

“Great, just great. A creature that can drain a whole human being and something else that is intelligent enough to lock doors and is probably also dangerous.” Kris shook her head. “I’m so retiring after this.”

“You’re too young to retire,” Coulson chuckled.

“Don't care. I'm gonna do it anyway.”

~~~ 

Mack and Coulson hauled the man onto a chair. They had spotted a table in the other corner of the room and figured it was better than leaving the guy on the floor. 

“It's stupid. Just stupid,” Mack grumbled.

“Alright. I get it.” Coulson sounded exasperated.

“Look, I’m just saying,” Mack continued, “what good is it having a state-of-the-art robotic hand if you don't have it on you when you’re kidnapped by Martians?”

Coulson ignored him and clicked his fingers in front of the guy’s face. His head was hanging low and Kris was still unconvinced that he was alive.

“Looks like he's got both hands to me,” Yo-Yo interjected.

“Ah, that's his civvy hand. It's just a prosthetic without all the cool doodads.” Mack began walking away but stopped and turned around again. “It should have been a hook. At least you can stab things with a hook.”

“Thought I was gonna be arrested,” Coulson retorted.

“So wait, that one,” Yo-Yo pointed at Coulson’s hand, “doesn’t have the blowtorch or the laser gun or anything?” 

“First of all, I’m not Inspector Gadget. And second of all, the authorities would’ve confiscated it. Prison’s bad enough without being down an appendage.”

“First rule of Boy Scouts is always come prepared.” Mack waved his hands around in frustration.

“How were we supposed to prepare for this, Mack?” Jemma looked up from the dead body which she was still examining. Even she sounded annoyed by this point. 

“I don't know,” Mack retorted. “We got to be prepared for everything, apparently. Look, not a day ago, I was trapped inside a – a computer-generated mind prison, and now –” he cut himself off.

Kris shuddered and wrapped her arms around her torso. 

“Don't remind me.” It was a quiet request but Mack heard it. Guilt flashed over his face.

“You know what? You know what, Coulson?” Mack threw his hands in the air. He still sounded tense but it was more reserved than before. Kris wished she hadn't spoken at all. She hadn't meant to make Mack feel guilty; he deserved to rant and get annoyed at the situation. “I agree with Kris. I’m out. I’m out. We get through this, I am packing it in.”

“Sorry, Mack. You already quit years ago,” Coulson replied.

“Yeah, well I didn't quit hard enough. Look, I am not comfortable with the pace at which we deal with new trials and tribulations.”

“Believe it or not, Mack,” Jemma finally stood up and walked away from the dead body, “this isn't new for me. I’ve been hurled through space by a monolith before. The best we can do is keep our heads and apply the scientific method.”

“That's right,” Coulson agreed. “Learn what we can about our circumstances. So, are these people human?”

“Humanoid, at least. Means we aren't the first ones here. That's good.”

“Is it?” Coulson and Kris asked at the same time.

“We don't exactly want to follow in their footsteps,” Coulson continued.

“They've got no I.D.s.” Jemma mused. “Fury never said anything about deep space outposts being developed, did he?”

“There was nothing like this in his black box.”

“So, wait. S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn’t have a space division called S.P.E.A.R. or something?” Yo-Yo asked, looking at Coulson. He shook his head. “Really? I always thought you guys had people hiding on the moon.”

“I always thought they had an ISS type space station.” Kris shrugged. “Guess not.” 

“Hey! Wake up!” Coulson had returned to the unconscious man. “Geez, Mack, how hard did you hit him?”

“What do you mean?” Mack asked, confused. “As hard as I possibly could. Look, I don’t half-hit people. It's a punch. That's why it's called a punch.”

“Are you sure you didn’t kill him? He's been out for a while.” Kris joined Coulson next to the man, crouching down to get a good look at him.

“No, I didn’t kill him.” Mack sounded offended.

“Okay, well, I’m just asking.” Kris held up her hands. “I wouldn’t blame you if you did. It's been a rough couple of weeks and you see a stranger harassing your boss –”

“I did not kill him,” Mack cut her off. “I know how to punch properly.”

Kris shrugged and mumbled an apology. 

“What did he say before you knocked him unconscious?” Jemma sighed. 

“He said that we were coming here to serve a purpose,” Coulson replied while rummaging through the guy’s jacket.

“As food?” Yo-Yo joked.

“No. He said we were here to save them.” Coulson inspected something he had found. He handed it to Jemma. “Any idea what that is?”

She inspected it, turning it over in her hands. “No.”

Kris watched as Mack picked up a wrench, weighing it in his hand. Coulson went back to rummaging in the guy's pockets.

“Uh, are you sure you should be doing that?” Kris asked.

“I'll give back anything we find once he wakes up. Right now we need answers and he's not conscious enough to give them. Ah, here we go.” He held opened up a folded piece of paper in his hands. “Well, looks like he’s from Earth.” He handed the paper to Yo-Yo.

“Or he ate someone from Earth,” she replied.

“So it is a human outpost.” Jemma sounded hopeful. 

“Yeah, and of course it's being overrun by creatures that suck out your innards.” Mack sighed. “I should’ve been a fireman.” He walked past Jemma and threw the wrench on the table with a clang.

Kris winced at the loud noise. The tension in the air was thick and the silence deafening. 

“Okay so,” Kris tried to focus everyone's attention. “Working theory is … what exactly? Space vampires?” Coulson raised his eyebrow at her. “What? It's a very reasonable conclusion!”

“Is it? How?” He sounded amused.

“Bodies drained and locked in a room.” She gestured to the pile of bodies in the corner. “I assumed that the thing that killed them and whoever left them in here were different beings. But we haven’t seen another living being except each other since we arrived. So maybe whatever killed them and whatever left them here are the same. So, vampires are bloodthirsty and intelligent and we’re in space – therefore, space vampires.”

“I'm not convinced. About the vampire thing. But the killer being the one who locked the bodies in here is something we should keep in mind,” Coulson agreed.

Suddenly the man let out a small groan and began to stir. 

“Hey,” he mumbled. “Hey. Uh … how long have I been out? We can’t – we can’t linger here.”

“Yeah, sorry,” Coulson said. “Mack thought you were an imminent threat.”

The man looked up at Mack and gasped.

“Alphonso ‘Mack’ Mackenzie. Oh, it's good to meet you.” 

Mack looked at the others, surprised that the man knew his name. “How do you know me?”

The man stood up. “Oh, I know all of you.” He caught sight of Yo-Yo behind him. “Yo-Yo Rodriguez. Is it okay if I call you Yo-Yo?”

“No.” She took a small step away from him.

“Okay.” The man sounded disappointed. He turned again. “Jemma Simmons, biochemistry. I’m sorry Fitz didn’t get to make the trip, but he is thinking of you.” The man placed a hand over his heart.

“What do you mean Fitz didn’t make the trip?” Kris asked, unnerved. “Where is he? Is he alright?” The more the man said, the more he freaked her out. He turned to face her, looking at her the same way he looked at the others – like they were famous celebrities.

“Kris Fletcher. Nomad. Your powers are incredible.” He smiled at her, awestruck.

“My powers … what?” She frowned, too stunned to speak. How did he know about her powers? How could anyone think they were incredible? All she ever did was hurt people and yet he seemed amazed. She felt even more uneasy and shrank away from him slightly. Mack noticed her discomfort and yelled at the man.

“Hey! How do you know us?”

“I’ve been studying you for years, your history. I mean, I always believed. I mean, I had moments, but they – they tried to take that last bit away from me, but I always believed the stories were true.”

“What stories?” Jemma asked angrily. 

The man looked between them all again. “Well, this one. That you would … you would come.”

“To save you, Virgil?” Coulson cut in. “From those aliens that were attacking?”

“No, those … no. The Roaches are an anomaly, a glitch in the plan. Don't be crazy. You're not here to save me.”

“Who, then?”

“Uh … humanity.” Virgil lost some of his enthusiasm. The team looked around at each other. Virgil stuttered, “W-w– I’m sorry. This is a lot to dump on your plate, but how do you eat an elephant, right?” He chuckled at his own joke, expecting them to laugh along. They didn't. “This will make a lot more sense once I show you –”

He was cut off by something being stabbed through his head from behind. They all jumped back as a loud screech echoed around the room. Virgil’s body was pulled back into the darkness and the team ran for the door. Coulson stood still, staring in shock at the empty space where Virgil had just been standing. Mack grabbed his arm and pulled him from the room.

“Couldn't let that guy finish his sentence,” Coulson mumbled.

They ran into a corridor, trying to put as much distance between themselves and the room as possible. They heard another shriek and the sound of the door crashing open. Kris dared a quick glance back and saw a blue, spiky, four-legged creature tumble into the corridor. She turned her head forward and ran faster.

“Go, go.” Yo-Yo encouraged them. She slowed down and turned to face the thing. She shot some sort of laser gun at it and it shrieked again. She kept shooting but it dodged easily.

Kris’ heart was beating rapidly as panic and fear coursed through her. She did not sign up for this.

Coulson grunted and slammed his hand against the wall as they came to a dead end. Yo-Yo’s gun jammed as she tried desperately to fire again. Mack stepped in front of her, raising his wrench. 

For the briefest moment, Kris considered running towards the alien. If she could get to it before it got to the team … If she could just touch it …

But fear gripped her, freezing her in place. The creature was faster than her; she knew she wouldn’t make it. Instead, she followed Mack’s lead, holding up her crowbar that she had only just managed to grab before fleeing the room. 

The creature jumped at them but suddenly exploded in midair. Behind it stood Daisy, her arm outstretched. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

“Right?” Daisy asked.

“Yes, that was right, and not the only one,” Coulson replied as the rest caught their breath.

~~~

As the group walked through the now-empty corridor, Daisy spoke up.

“So, is there anything you want to fill us in on, Coulson? Cause now’s the time.”

“You know what I know.” He looked confused.

“This doesn’t have anything to do with the little bargain that you made with the Ghost Rider?”

With all that had happened recently, Kris had completely forgotten about that.

“Yeah, that thing doesn’t ride for free. There has to be some price,” Mack added. 

“Nope. This is all new to me. Sorry. It's – that's just the reality.”

“Well, maybe this isn’t reality,” Yo-Yo chimed in. The team looked at each other in confusion. “Maybe someone put us back in the Framework, and this is a simulation.”

As soon as she mentioned the word ‘Framework’, a chill went down Kris’ spine. 

“Please god, no,” she whispered but it was drowned out by everyone talking all once.

“Please, we have to shut up about that,” Daisy said.

“Oh my god, if I even think about that my brain will explode,” Coulson groaned.

“Again, let's not just postulate.” Jemma got their attention. “Let’s apply scientific principles and consider the evidence we have.”

“Look, this is magic, okay?” Mack replied. “Can we all agree there’s some magic at play?”

“Magic is just science we don’t understand yet,” Jemma retorted, exasperated.

“Ah, please. We just got zapped through space by Stonehenge, and we’re trying to rule out the involvement of a flame-headed demon from east L.A.? Science, my ass.”

“He's got a point,” Kris interjected. “This is insane.”

Jemma rolled her eyes at Kris, and Mack turned to Yo-Yo.

“Now, let me see that gun. Maybe I can try to get it working.” 

“Fitz would agree, but, apparently he didn't get taken.” Jemma turned to Daisy.

“No. At least, he wasn’t in the room with the monolith,” Daisy replied. “I was the last to go through. I saw it all.”

“Well, that's some relief. He’s safe from this, better off than we are.”

“Yeah. You okay?”

“Fine. What, do you think he isn’t better off? He has to be.” Kris could hear the panic rising in Jemma’s voice.

“No, that's not what I'm saying.”

“Jemma, I’m sure he’s fine.” Kris tried to calm her down. But Jemma ignored them both and continued talking.

“Or that he did something drastic? He wouldn’t do that. He was right there with us at the diner,” Jemma began speaking faster as she panicked more.

“No, I'm not saying any of that. It's just that you guys are constantly torn apart,” Daisy said. 

“Cursed, as he would say.” Jemma rolled her eyes. “Well, I'm not afraid that he isn’t here. I'm thrilled. He’s no doubt working this problem, probably trying to get a message to us right now. Better for everyone he isn’t here.”

“Right. We still need one member of the team on Earth to get us home,” Kris reasoned. “Good thing it’s Fitz, too. He’s the only one who knows how to build the stuff we need to get back.”

“Yeah, you're probably right.” Jemma didn’t sound too convinced but Kris was just glad her friend wasn’t panicking anymore.

“Yeah, well, May did get pulled through,” Daisy addressed everyone. “I saw it. So we should find her.”

“We should split up,” Coulson suggested.

“Aw, hell no. No, no,” Mack said. 

“Yeah, let’s not do that,” Yo-Yo added.

“We are sticking together, one hundred percent. Haven't you ever seen an alien movie?” Mack asked. 

“Mack, it's the best way to cover the most ground,” Daisy advised.

“Okay, you see, you see. That’s exactly what they say before they get picked off one by one. And you know who the first one will be.”

“I’m with Mack on this one. All I know is that this place is dark and creepy and I don’t want to be wandering around a dark and creepy place by myself,” Kris cut in. “Plus we don’t have proper weapons. We’d be helpless if more of those things found us.” 

Coulson looked to Daisy for more support.

“It’s your call, Boss.” She shrugged. 

“Alright, fine. We stick together.”

The team moved closer and began walking through the corridor in a tight-knit group. They crouched a little, poised to fight, with Daisy leading them in case another alien showed up. Kris gripped her crowbar, eyes darting from one wall to the other.

“This has to be the coolest we’ve ever looked,” Coulson said sarcastically.

~~~

They rounded a corner and Daisy turned to Yo-Yo.

“Yo-Yo, want to scout up ahead?”

Yo-Yo readied herself. She moved forward slightly before returning to her spot with a gust of wind.

“All clear for now.” 

The team continued walking. They had spaced out a bit after encountering empty corridor after empty corridor. Daisy and Yo-Yo had stayed at the front, leading the team, while Coulson and Jemma hung at the back of the group, discussing how and possibly when the place had been built. Mack walked alongside Kris and bumped her gently with his shoulder. She side-stepped away from the contact and turned to look at him.

“You okay, Trouble?” he asked quietly.

“Yeah, I'm fine,” she replied automatically. He tilted his head and gave her a look that told her he knew she was lying. She sighed. “I – I'm sorry. About freezing up back there, in the dead end. I was going to use my powers on the alien, but I was scared that if I tried to touch it, it would kill me before I got the chance. I forgot I could just … that I could use my powers without touching it.”

“Hey, no need to apologise. Your powers work differently now and you’re still getting used to it. No one is expecting you to be an expert right away. And besides, you didn’t freeze up. You stepped up ready to fight that thing with a crowbar. That's pretty badass.” He smiled at her and she couldn’t help but smile back, her mood lifting for a moment. Until she remembered the danger they had been in.

“I should get a handle on it soon though. If Daisy didn’t show up, we could have died.”

“Kris –” he started, but he was cut off by Yo-Yo calling for them. They rushed further ahead to see a flare lying on the floor. Mack hurried back to get Jemma and Coulson. 

They stood staring at it, unsure about what to do. The flare died as the others caught up with them. Mack approached the nearby door and everyone moved behind him. He got a confirmation nod from Coulson before kicking the door open. They barged inside only to find an empty room. 

Well, not completely empty. A couple of bodies were lying on the floor, seemingly killed the same way as the ones in the other room.

“Nothing,” Daisy sighed.

“Nothing alive,” Yo-Yo corrected her.

As they looked around, Coulson caught their attention. He walked across the room, eyes fixed on the floor. As Kris got closer, she saw what he was looking at. A trail of blood leading further into the room. He picked up a jacket on the floor next to the blood. 

May’s jacket.

“They didn’t get to her, did they?” Yo-Yo asked, worried.

“May would’ve put up a fight. And they left the other bodies here.” Coulson looked behind them at the bodies on the floor. As Daisy turned to follow his gaze, she bumped into a console against the wall.

“‘Water Reclamation’,” she read aloud.

Coulson walked over to the console. “You were right, Jemma.”

“I figured it out using magic,” she joked, sending Mack a pointed look. Kris chuckled at her friend. Daisy started pressing buttons and the console lit up. 

“We can try and find a layout and track May.” 

They all watched Daisy pull up a map of what appeared to be space.

“It’s in English,” Jemma observed. “They're tracking debris fields called ‘frozen oceans’. They’re collecting water from ice in space. This is a colony.” She and Daisy turned back to the others.

“Which means unless they all came through a monolith –” Coulson was cut off by Daisy.

“Then we’re close enough to Earth for people to travel here.”

“And we can get home,” Mack added.

“Oh thank god for that. At least, there's one piece of good news today,” Kris sighed.

“I wouldn't be too hasty. We still don’t have any means of transportation,” Coulson reminded her.

“Yes, but collecting ice means they have a spacecraft,” Jemma offered. “And if they have a spacecraft, they must have a laser-based rapid-transmission system. If we can find the ship and fly above the debris field –”

“We can send a message,” Coulson interjected.

“We can send a message to Fitz back on Earth,” Jemma finished.

“Okay, okay, so if I can find a layout, find a ship, find May, it's a start.” Daisy looked back at the console. “This interface looks similar to –”

She was cut off by the monitor beeping. A message flashed up on the screen saying in large capital letters: 

HUMAN ACCESS DENIED

Underneath that was writing in a language Kris had never seen before. Daisy looked down at a pad with a hand-shaped outline. It had similar writing on it.

“Coulson, do you recognise this language?” she asked.

He approached the monitor and took a look.

“No. I don’t think humans are running this place after all.”

Then there was a thud on a door next to them. They all turned to look at the source of the noise. The doors burst open and three tall blue aliens entered the room. One of them raised a gun while another slammed a staff into Yo-Yo. She fell back and Mack stepped forward, punching the alien in the face. His head whipped to the side but he seemed mostly unaffected as he turned back to Mack. The one with the gun raised it in the air, and a pulse of light shot out of it, knocking them all out. 

~~~

Kris began to stir, feeling the cold hard floor under her for the second time today.

Someone grabbed her leg, and she shot up. The blue alien holding her ankle snarled at her and she kicked him. The hard sole of her combat boot connected with his skull with a sickening crunch. But his grip on her only tightened.

She glanced quickly around the room and realised no one else was awake. She felt panic rising in her chest and her throat closing, making it hard to breathe. In a brief moment of clarity, she realised she could use her panic to strengthen her powers. The alien holding her suddenly let go, growling as pain shot through his arm. She scrambled to her feet as fast as she could, fighting the lightheadedness.

The other two aliens advanced towards her. Kris searched the room again, looking for her crowbar this time. It had rolled away under a table but as she tried to move towards it, the one with the staff grabbed her arm so hard she was certain it would bruise. He raised the weapon above his head, ready to bring it down on her. She sent a wave of pain through his hand and up his arm. He recoiled and cried out in pain, letting go of her. 

The other reached out for her, grabbing her ponytail. He yanked her head backwards painfully, causing her to yelp. She elbowed him in the face, blue blood spattering out of his nose. His grip loosened just enough for her to slip away but he continued advancing towards her. She decided to use her new non-touch-related abilities against him. It was less controlled than the other attacks, causing him so much pain that he crumpled to the ground in agony. 

She used this chance to escape, dodging the first alien who had recovered. She pulled the door open and fled into the corridor. He stalked out after her but she kept running. 

She rounded a corner but didn't hear any heavy footsteps following her. She stood against the wall, listening and breathing heavily. She heard one of the aliens in the room call out to the one in the corridor. She didn’t hear him move immediately but eventually, he retreated back into the room. 

She could just about make out more talking and it was definitely a different language. Probably the one on the console. She dared to peek around the corner and saw them dragging her friends from the room. They went in the opposite direction she did, turning left at the end of the corridor. She followed them at a safe distance, always making sure they were out of sight before she rounded a corner. 

Eventually, they stopped, waiting outside some large doors. The doors opened and they stepped inside a room. Kris could hear a mechanical humming and realised it must be a lift. She listened, waiting to hear how far down they went. The noise stopped shortly after the aliens entered, so they must only be one floor down. 

When she heard the faint sound of the doors closing, she called the lift back up. Of course, this could be a trap. The aliens could be waiting for her when the doors opened, either in the lift or on the floor below. But she didn’t have a choice, she couldn’t lose track of her friends.

Thankfully, the lift was empty and, when she arrived at the lower floor, she hid next to the doors as they opened. After a cautious glance outside revealed no aliens, she stepped into the corridor. Of course, it was identical to the one above – grey walls that all looked exactly the same. She heard movement up ahead and went to check it out.

Peering round the corner, she saw the aliens, still holding her friends. Another one had joined them, and they were talking in low voices. Then they split off; two of them took Daisy, Coulson and Jemma, and the other two took Yo-Yo and Mack. 

Shit. What was she supposed to do now?

She shifted position against the wall, and her jeans caught on something. She looked down and noticed a loose panel in the wall beside her. Opening it as quietly as possible, she realised it was a vent system. It seemed to lead off to the right, the way Daisy, Coulson, and Jemma were taken. So Kris decided to follow them. 

She crept along the vents as quietly as she could. They were dirty and dusty, making it difficult to breathe, so she pulled her shirt over her mouth and nose. But at least she hadn’t seen any rats yet, so she supposed that was a bonus. She watched through a small grate as the aliens (were they Kree? Despite being an Inhuman, Kris had never seen a Kree before but Daisy did say they were tall and blue) put her friends in a cell. Then they shut the door with a loud bang and stood guard outside. They began talking to each other quietly and Kris guessed they were discussing what to do with their prisoners. 

She needed to get them out of there. But rescuing them on her own was off the table; she had barely escaped three Kree, so there was no way she would be able to properly take down two of them by herself. Not without making a lot of noise and potentially alerting the other two, who she guessed were nearby. She considered going to find May but remembered the trail of blood they saw. May was probably injured, who knows how badly, so she wouldn’t be able to fight either. Besides, how would they find their way back to this cell? All these corridors looked the same.

As she tried to decide what to do, she heard Daisy’s voice. 

“Hey.” Kris heard Daisy smack the door. “What are you gonna do with our friends?”

“Whatever we want,” one of the guards replied, in English this time. “Experiment. They knew the rule and they broke it.”

“They're not gonna make it easy for you.”

The guard approached the door. “No. They’ll beg for their lives, as you humans always do. I've done twenty-two rotations, and I have never observed anything else.”

Kris could hear her friends continuing their conversation inside the cell but their voices were too muffled to make out what they were saying. She moved further back to get a better view of the door. With the others awake, maybe they could take out the guards together. She would just need to get the door open first …

Then she caught sight of May making her way down the corridor towards the guards. She was leaning heavily against a man in a brown leather jacket and they were moving slowly. Her leg looked to be injured. 

The man spoke quietly to one of the guards, who regarded him with disdain before opening the cell door. The man rushed inside and May followed. Kris craned her neck to get a better look, but she couldn’t see inside the room.

“Buddy!” he called out loudly. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you guys. Man, what a mess back there, huh?” Kris thought he sounded far too cheerful given the situation they were in. 

“These poor suckers.” He seemed to be addressing the guards now. “Virgil – you know, from R&R? He was trying to scam these guys out of some tokens. This one came running to me begging for help, the poor thing.” Was he talking about May? Oh, she was not going to like that. “When I get my hands on that no-good louse, he’s gonna have some explaining to do. So where is Virgil anyway?”

Kris heard Coulson reply, but couldn’t make out what he said. His voice was quieter than the other man’s, making it hard to hear. Knowing Coulson, he probably told the truth – that Virgil was dead.

“Good.” The other man’s voice was still loud, but he seemed less cheerful now. “Good. Got what he deserved then, didn’t he? For trying to drag these poor transfers up from processing into the wet works just to steal their Metrics.” 

What the hell was he talking about? How big was this place? What was a Metric and why would someone want to steal it?

“So, he’s just Roach food then, huh?” The man continued. “One more vacancy, right?” He sounded as though he was trying to put a positive spin on the situation but Kris didn’t buy it. Perhaps Virgil was a friend of his.

She heard Coulson mumble something that sounded like agreement. 

“Guys, what did I say about trusting Virgil, huh? We went over this. What did I say?” 

Jemma and Daisy replied but Kris didn’t bother trying to hear exactly what. They were probably playing along by now.

“God, you repeated it back to me, and we said back – it was like a pass-and-catch thing.” The man’s voice began to get quieter. Maybe he was wrapping up this little act. He stepped outside the cell, back into Kris’ view, and spoke to the guards. “Look, I really appreciate your help with these guys, but I can take them off your hands.”

She saw the man lean in towards the guard and whisper something to him. The guard seemed unconvinced. The man leaned closer, still talking in a hushed voice. The guard seemed to consider whatever offer the man made him before stepping aside and allowing everyone to leave with the stranger. 

The man turned back into the cell. “All good, gang. So, single file.” He walked back into the corridor, leading them away from the cell.

Suspicious of this newcomer, Kris followed them, waiting until they were in an empty corridor to kick out the vent covering. The team turned around, ready to fight, but relaxed when they saw her. 

“What the hell?” Daisy exclaimed. “Where have you been?”

“I managed to escape before they dragged us away.” Kris brushed her hands over her clothes, trying to get rid of the dust and dirt clinging to her.

“How?” 

“They thought it would be a good idea to touch me,” Kris smirked and Daisy returned it.

“So, it works on non-humans?” Jemma inquired. Kris shrugged.

“Apparently.”

“Good to know. Could be useful,” Daisy murmured.

“Speaking of non-humans,” Kris added, “those were definitely Kree, right? Tall, blue, want to experiment on humans?”

“Yep, definitely Kree,” Daisy answered. 

Kris smiled ruefully. “Oh, great. As if this couldn’t get any worse.” 

The new guy gave Kris a strange look and then turned to Coulson. “What the hell happened to Virgil? The Roaches get him?” 

“Sorry to say. Was he a friend?”

“Acquaintance. He owed me a ton of tokens for this job.”

“Job?” Jemma asked.

“All he said was that he wanted to hide some people. That's not unheard of. So I was hired to supply the Metrics and swap them out.” 

Kris turned around to face him. She hadn't been paying much attention to what he was saying, she was too busy looking out for more Kree guards. But there was that word again. 

“But you guys don't even have Metrics,” he continued. “Which means that you don't have the tokens to cover Virgil’s end, so have fun.” Then he turned his gaze to Kris, their eyes meeting for the first time. “What about you? I don't suppose you have a Metric?”

“No, I don’t. I don’t even know what it is.”

“Fine. See ya.” The man turned away, ready to walk off down the corridor.

“Hey, wait, wait.” Daisy stopped him. “We need your help. We need to find our friends.”

“Your friends?” He stepped towards her. “Your friends attacked a Kreeper. They’re as good as gone. Those blues are bred to kill, so you just – you make your peace with it.” He said that last part through gritted teeth. Kris had a feeling he was speaking from personal experience. 

“We’ll take our chances,” Coulson said. “Listen, if you could just help us find them and then get to the spacecraft –”

“You mean the Trawler?” The man interrupted. “To do what? The only pilot I knew was Virgil. May he rest in peace, apparently. So best of luck to all you guys, but mine’s running out.” He seemed ready to leave again but Coulson stopped him.

“You got a name?”

The man hesitated. “Deke.” 

“Well, Deke, we just wanted pie. And now we don’t know where we are or what’s going on, and we finally found someone who does, so you’re not walking away.”

Out of nowhere, a scream echoed down the corridor. It was Yo-Yo. May grabbed Deke while he was distracted and attached something to his torso. It lifted him off the ground, pulling him back until he slammed into the wall. 

“Where’s the Trawler?” Jemma asked, angrily. Deke sighed.

“Take a lift down to Level Nine. You can’t miss it.”

They all turned to Coulson. 

“May, take Simmons,” he ordered. “Get that spacecraft in the air. Send out the signal.” He pressed a button on a control panel on the wall. The lift doors opened and Jemma and May stepped inside. “Daisy and I will find Mack and Yo-Yo. Kris, stay with him.” He nodded at Deke. “If he moves, hurt him.”

“Yes, sir,” she replied, crossing her arms and turning her attention to the man on the wall.

The man, Deke, looked her up and down, assessing her. He gave her an arrogant look, suggesting he had come to the conclusion that she wasn’t a threat to him. She raised her eyebrow at him then tilted her chin up, silently daring him to try something. 

“No, no, wait.” Daisy grabbed Coulson’s arm. “You stay here.”

“What?” 

“I’ve got two good fighters down there once I get their restraints off. I’ll be fine. We can’t lose our leader again.” She paused. “We need answers.”

“Want me to stay here and grill this guy?” Coulson asked. “Kris can do that on her own.”

“We shouldn’t leave anyone on their own,” Daisy said, looking to Kris for support. Kris thought about it and then nodded in agreement. “Find out where the hell and what the hell … sir,” she added as an afterthought. 

Coulson nodded and joined Kris as Daisy ran off to search for Mack and Yo-Yo.

“Good plan,” Deke said sarcastically.

“You got a better one?” Kris retorted.

“Yeah, don’t piss off the Kree.”

“Sorry, that’s not our style.”

“What do the Kree want with us, Deke?” Coulson crossed his arms.

“All they ever want,” Deke replied ominously. “Submission.”

“Well, that doesn’t sound good,” Kris mumbled to Coulson.

“No,” he replied. “It does not.”

They heard a buzzer drone loudly. Coulson released the device on Deke’s chest and he dropped to the ground. The three of them walked quickly away from the lift. 

Coulson grabbed Deke, turning him to face them.

“What do you mean ‘submission’? Are the Kree planning some sort of attack?”

“Attack on whom, exactly?” Deke asked bitterly.

“Humans,” Coulson said at the same time as Kris said, “Earth.”  

Deke frowned. “Why would they do that?”

“Because, historically, that’s what they always do,” Kris said sharply. “They never come in peace.”

“So, then why did the Kree build this place?” Coulson asked.

“They didn’t build the bunker. Humans did. Why don’t you know all these things?” Deke looked between them, still frowning. “Even in waste processing, they know the history …” He stopped suddenly, looking them over properly. “You’re not from processing, are you?”

“No,” Coulson retorted angrily. “I was enjoying a meal, and then I was taken and zapped to this place. I’m from Earth.”

“Yeah, well, that would be the one thing that I do know, wingnut.” Deke was getting more annoyed by the second. Kris watched their back and forth, ready to step in case it escalated. They didn’t know this Deke – he could get violent with them. “But from where? What area?”

“Manitowoc, Wisconsin.”

Deke scoffed and looked at Kris as if to say ‘Get a load of this guy’. She didn’t like that look.

“Sheffield, England,” she added coldly.

The derisive smile faded from Deke’s face. He leaned closer, inspecting their faces.

“Are you high on something? Can I have some?”

“This is ridiculous,” Kris snapped. “We’re not getting anywhere with him.”

Coulson didn’t reply, deep in thought.

“I’m ridiculous?” Deke scoffed again. She was starting to hate that. And him. And his attitude. But mostly him. “You’re the ones being deliberately dense. I mean, this stuff is common knowledge.”

Kris rolled her eyes at him when Coulson spoke up.

“That doesn’t make sense.” He sounded agitated. “How long ago did they build this place, and when did you first come here?”

“I don’t know.” Deke looked around anxiously. “They built it ninety-some-odd years ago, minimum. But I – what do you mean ‘come here’? I was born here.”

“You were what?” Kris was astonished.

“Ninety years ago? That – that’s impossible,” Coulson continued. “The tech in here couldn’t have been developed in the ‘20s.”

“Yeah, humans didn't even venture into space until the ‘60s. What the hell are you talking about?” Kris asked, bewildered.

“Space? What are you … Wait,” Deke hesitated, shaking his head. “No Metrics, no scars. Wisconsin, England, pie.” He looked between them, clearly putting something together. Kris did not like the look on his face. It made her uneasy. “Tell me again about when you were taken.”

“We were – we were sitting in our favourite diner just off Columbus Drive –” Coulson started.

“No, not – not where,” Deke cut him off. “When?”

There was a pause. Then it hit her. Kris understood what Deke was getting at. She didn’t want to but … Virgil had said he studied them for years, studied their history, but Kris only became a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent recently … there was no way … this couldn’t be happening.

“What year?” Deke pressed.

“That monolith was different, wasn’t it?” Coulson realised. “We didn’t travel through space …”

“We travelled through time,” Kris breathed out.

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