The steady thrum of the Bus was oddly comforting. To most, it was just noise. To me, it was a rhythm — one I could sync with while running through checklists.
Correction, a calm, measured voice slipped into my mind, precise as ever.
"The resonance you're hearing is approximately 56 decibels, agent. Hardly rhythmic."
I smirked faintly, adjusting the restraints on the interrogation chair. You know what I meant.
"I know what you say. Meaning, however, is often another matter."
That was Aegis — the AI lodged in my head like an uninvited butler who refused to leave. I never asked for him, but since waking up in this world, he's been my edge. He processed data faster than any computer S.H.I.E.L.D. had in storage, analyzed combat footage, suggested countermeasures — all with the voice of a middle-aged gentleman who thought sarcasm counted as charm.
"Sarcasm is charm," Aegis corrected. "And you're welcome, by the way. Without me, your combat evaluations would have placed you behind Agent Ward."
I rolled my eyes. That's not something I'll ever admit out loud.
May didn't know. Fitz-Simmons didn't know. No one knew. As far as S.H.I.E.L.D. was concerned, Blaze was just another specialist — albeit one scarred, stubborn, and maybe a little too sharp for his age. The AI was my secret. My golden finger.
The metallic hiss of the door pulled me back as Fitz leaned into the room. "Uh… what are you doing to the console?"
"Adding insurance," I said casually, slotting in a small device. "If she tries to fry the circuits, the backup holds."
"'She?'" Fitz blinked.
Before I could reply, the echo of boots on metal stairs cut through the silence. May's voice followed, clipped and calm: "They're here."
Blaze moved to the observation deck as Coulson and Ward entered, flanking a figure in a black hood. The woman stumbled slightly, guided none too gently by Ward's grip on her arm.
They sat her down, pulling the hood away. Chestnut hair tumbled loose, and Skye blinked rapidly at the harsh lights. Despite the circumstances, her smirk arrived almost instantly.
"Wow. Kidnapped by G-men and shoved in a flying tin can. And here I thought my day couldn't get weirder."
From behind the glass, Blaze tilted his head. She wasn't panicked — her pulse barely spiked. His AI's voice hummed in his ear, dry and precise:
"Analysis: Subject maintains composure under duress. Stalling behavior detected. Possible overconfidence."
Inside, Coulson pulled out a chair. "Relax. Nobody's here to hurt you. We just want to talk."
Skye eyed him, then Ward, then glanced at the mirrored glass — right where Blaze stood watching. Her smirk deepened."Really? Then why the hood? Bit dramatic, don't you think?"
Blaze leaned slightly closer to the glass, murmuring low enough only May could hear at his side:"She's testing boundaries. Give her enough rope, she'll think she's pulling it tight."
May's eyes flicked to him, unreadable, but she didn't argue.
The interrogation rolled on — Coulson soft, Ward sharp — and through it all, Blaze's gaze never left Skye. His AI fed him streams of subtle tells: micro-expressions, breath patterns, minor stress shifts. He filed them away silently.
When the session finally wound down, Ward escorted Skye back toward holding. She threw one last look at the mirrored glass, like she could feel Blaze's eyes on her.
Back in the corridor, May spoke quietly. "You think she's useful?"
Blaze shrugged, adjusting the fingerless gloves over his scarred hands. "Useful? Maybe. Dangerous? Definitely. But danger can be an asset if you aim it right."
May gave him that small, sharp look — the one that weighed more than a hundred words. Not approval, not disapproval. Just calculation.
May didn't linger long after her assessment of Skye. She simply turned on her heel and walked down the corridor, Blaze falling into step beside her.
"You're not sitting around waiting for the next hacker tantrum," she said, handing him a slim mission folder as they walked. "You're going with Fitz and Simmons."
Blaze raised an eyebrow, flipping the file open. Photographs of scorched walls and shattered glass stared back at him, edges of the images blackened from fire. The header read: Lab Explosion .
"Cause?" he asked.
"Unknown. But S.H.I.E.L.D. suspects it wasn't an accident," May replied. Her tone was even, but her eyes gave him a sidelong look — gauging his reaction.
'Doesn't look like a normal blast' Blaze thought inwardly.
"Backup duty, then?" Blaze said lightly, tucking the file under his arm.
"More than that," she answered. "Fitz and Simmons can handle the science. You handle what science can't. And keep them alive."
Aegis chimed in, voice smooth as ever inside his head.
"Statistically, Doctor Fitz has a thirty-seven percent chance of mishandling live equipment under duress. I recommend standing at least two meters away when he begins poking things."
Blaze smirked. Noted.
They stepped into the hangar where Fitz and Simmons were loading their equipment cases. Fitz immediately looked up, suspicious. "Wait, he's coming with us?"
"Orders," May said simply, already moving toward the cockpit.
Simmons tried to hide a smile but failed. "Well… actually, that could be helpful. These incidents aren't exactly safe, and you know how Fitz can be around fire."
Fitz muttered, "One time. One time I overloaded a stabilizer and everyone acts like I nearly burned down the Academy…"
Blaze clapped him on the shoulder with a grin. "Relax. You handle the science, I'll handle anything that tries to bite."
Simmons brightened. "That seems fair."
Fitz still grumbled under his breath, but didn't argue as Blaze helped secure the final case.
As the plane angled toward their destination, Blaze strapped in beside the duo, helmet resting at his feet. The hum of the engines carried him forward, but his mind was elsewhere — on May's look, the kind that reminded him of Bahrain, of how far he'd come since that day.
And in the back of his skull, Aegis spoke again, quieter this time:
"You understand what this is, don't you? A test. She's measuring if you're ready to handle being on this volatile team. She also seems worried."
Blaze tightened his grip on the armrest, eyes flicking to the clouds rushing past the window.
"Then let's make sure I pass," he muttered.