The Well

London was probably Mick's least favorite place in the world. It was as bad as being cooped up in New York or New Orleans. Thousands of tourist, always some type of criminal happenings some in plain sight. Now though, tourist weren't just here for your typical tourist sights. Both New York and London now had battleground sights that featured one or more of the Avengers. No one would be forgetting the Battle for New York anytime soon, now with Thor's reappearance, parts of London were ripped apart by some crazy space ship looking thing, which meant all hands on deck for a SHIELD clean sweep. Unfortunately that also included Coulson's secret team as well. There awas, however, one member of the team that was super excited to be here, Skye. She was leaping for joy at the thought of meeting Thor up close!

"I hate to break it to you, but Thor doesn't stick around for cleanup," Mick teased as Skye turned and glared at him from the passenger seat of the jeep.

"Don't ruin this for me!" She growled.

"He's right though," Ward smirked, glancing in the rear view. "First New Mexico, then New York. It's not a good track record."

"You two are just jealous of how dreamy he is," Skye snapped, clearly imagining something to do with Thor.

"Yeah, let me tell you," Ward rolled his eyes.

"I totally wish I knew what kind of products he used in his hair," Mick's sarcasm only had a hint of truth, as his own hair needed some stylist attention.

"Why, yes, Thor, I would love to feel your muscles," Skye swooned, lost in her imagination.

"I should've offered to drive Fitz and Simmons," Ward groaned.

"This is probably why Coulson and May claimed them," Mick chuckled.

They drove through the heavy traffic, parts of the large city completely walled off to the public where the damage was worse. Mick was blown away with just how much damage was done, even though it was minuscule compared to New York. There were several dozen SHIELD vehicles lining the streets, very few agents that Mick recognized, although one he was sure he recognized.

"Think we can pull over for a sec?" Mick reached up tapping Ward's shoulder.

"Coulson was clear, he wanted us to meet him on campus," Ward said solemnly.

"Oh come on, Mick probably just wants a rock for a souvenir," Skye teased as she poked at Ward.

"I just thought I saw someone I knew," Mick said as Ward eased on the breaks.

"Wait you'll stop for him but not when I asked to stop at the gas station for a snack?" Skye grumbled.

"If it's going to cause a problem," Mick sighed, only for Ward to pull over in the first open spot.

"Stopping for a fellow agent is one thing, stopping for a gas station burrito is another," Ward said firmly causing Skye to fold her arms and pout.

"Want to come in and meet them?" Mick asked as Skye glared, then reluctantly opened the door.

"You owe me a snack," she growled. "Or a delicious hunk of a man if I miss out on Thor."

"If the guy is still around, these guys would know," Mick smirked as Skye's face flashed amusement, only briefly.

They walked into the large building as Mick lead the way. "Is Agent Brent or Hale here?" He asked the clearly much lower ranking agent.

"Boss is in the library," the agent nodded, then pointed up the stairs.

"Thanks," Mick smiled politely.

He stood outside the large glass door seeing the massive tear through the building, and the char marks which meant Thor had in fact fought fairly close. He smiled as he watched Patten, Millie, and Davis instructing low ranking agents as they cleaned up the debris, placing it all in specially labeled boxes. "Get you tail in gear Agent Hale!" Mick teased as he opened the door, causing Davis to whip around frantically until he realized it was Mick.

"What the heck are you doing here?" Davis asked, beaming with excitement.

"Cadets, give a salute! We've got Agent Recluse here with us!" Patten said firmly as the agents quickly stood at attention, clearly unsure as to why.

"No need for all that," Mick shook his head as the agents went back to cleaning.

"I'm surprised they brought you out here for this cleanup," Millie said as her and Ward shared a look, clearly they had met in the past.

"Yeah, they meant it when they said all hands," Ward rolled his eyes.

"Sorry! This is Grant Ward," Mick said as Ward shook hands with the two men. "And this is agent in training, Skye."

"So this is the," Davis' words were muffled as Mick webbed his mouth before he finished.

"Skye, Ward, meet my friends, Patten Brent, his wife Millie, and Davis Hale," Mick smirked as Davis carefully pulled the webbing from his mouth.

"I wish we could stick around longer, but we have orders too," Ward said as Mick nodded with a sigh.

"Maybe we can get drinks once we get the all clear?" Davis asked as Mick shrugged. "I mean, we'll find a nice pub restaurant combo for you with your no drinking rule."

"He drinks!" Skye called out as both Patten and Davis stared at her curiously.

"Causally, mostly when we have extremely rough missions," Ward corrected as Patten glanced at Mick skeptically, then followed Mick's as he glanced between Skye and Ward.

"Well, this one shouldn't be too bad, so we can grab some drinks and burgers! I'm sure Fitz will love this little Irish pub we found downtown last time Millie and I were on assignment here," Patten smiled as Mick nodded in appreciation.

"Take care out there," Millie smiled politely as she hugged Mick. "Don't be a stranger."

"Take care of him," Davis said with a wink as he shook hands with Skye, who only stared at him curiously.

"I'm only a call away," Patten smiled as he and Mick shook hands.

"They were nice," Skye said as she turned back to Mick, who had a smile on his face as he climbed into the jeep. "Maybe that Davis guy is a little too nice."

"They're the other half to my high school friends. You met Jerren back when we were in LA," Mick said.

"He's the really nerdy one?" Skye asked as Ward tried to hide a smile.

"Yeah," Mick chuckled. "He's the one working for Mr. Stark."

"I remember that meeting," Skye huffed. "I thought you said Tony Stark would be there, then you just bring his assistant."

"I've told you a thousand times, I've never met Mr.Stark, so I can't introduce you," Mick groaned as Skye shook her head.

"I can't believe we're stuck on clean up!" Simmons fussed as she rummaged through the debris in the large classroom with shattered windows and random charred marks.

"Could be worse," Mick said as he rummaged through a few burned books, tossing them into a large trash bag. Simmons' phone began to ring for the fourth time since they'd arrived, only for her to roll her eyes. then silence it. "Everything okay?"

Simmons shook her head as Ward set a box down in front of Fitz, who had a strange scanning device in his hands.

"She's avoiding her parents," Fitz said blandly as Jemma glared.

"Why?" Mick asked as Fitz swung his hands in front of his throat.

"Don't say I didn't give you anything," Ward pressed an empty box into Mick's chest causing him to gasp slightly.

"Yeah, thanks," Mick glared only for Ward to smirk. "I still don't understand why we're all hands on deck for this. They didn't make us go all in for Stark's huge armor destroying Christmas party."

"Agreed," Ward said as Fitz looked up from his scanner. "But, Stark doesn't have alien tech that could be miles ahead of anything we can produce," Fitz sighed as he continued scanning everything.

"Oh yeah, because getting hands on pieces of an Iron Man armor couldn't possibly be world ending!" Fitz said in a snarky manner.

"I doubt someone could've accidentally reassemble any of those armors," Jemma interjected. "Now alien tech could very well," she paused as her phone began ringing once more, only to be silenced once again. "Don't look at me like that!" She fussed as Mick and Fitz both shook their heads, trying not to laugh.

"I guess I see your point," Mick sighed. "Which is more of a reason you should talk to your parents and let them know you're okay!"

"Mick Bellouve!" Jemma fussed as he smirked playfully. "You mind your business! It's not like you'd call your family to check in!"

"Jemma!" Fitz called out in shock, causing Jemma to realize just what implied to Mick, who tragically lost his parents and sisters years ago.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to," she began to ramble as Mick sighed.

"I know," Mick frowned as Ward stared at the trio curiously. "That's exactly why I'm saying you should talk to them."

"Fine, think you three can manage while I call them?" Jemma asked as Mick nodded with a smile.

"This mess is so easy a monkey could do it," Fitz rolled his eyes.

"You're our little monkey," Ward smirked much to Fitz's annoyance.

"Oh laugh it up," Fitz grumbled barely loud enough for Mick hear, causing him to smile.

Simmons returned to see Mick and Fitz staring at a charred and mangled piece of metal, which had caused the scanner to go wild with beeping. The two looked around as Mick smiled mischievously. "Think we can pocket a piece?"

"Not a chance," Ward's voice caused Mick to flinch. He then took the metal from them, spraying it with an aerosol can before dropping it into a bag.

"Oh come on! Imagine what Fitzsimmons could build if we could replicate this stuff!" Mick exclaimed only to Ward's disapproval.

"Out of sight, out of mind," Ward groaned causing Mick to huff in frustration.

"Killjoy," Mick grunted.

"You remember how bad things went last time we played with alien tech," Simmons snapped as Mick frowned, then rubbed his head ashamed. Of course he remembered how close they came to losing Jemma.

"I guess you're right," Mick admitted as Fitz gave a sheepish grin.

"You almost finished in here?" Coulson asked as he saw the piles of bags and boxes marked for pickup.

"Finally," Fitz grunted.

"Good, we're wheels up. Something about a deranged woman with a silver stick and super strength," Coulson said as Mick and Ward perked up.

"How interesting! I wonder if she's an 0-8-4 too?" Simmons' interest was peaked.

"That's what we're going to find out," Coulson smirked. "Unless you all want to stay here and play with rocks."

"No!" Ward, Mick, Jemma, and Fitz cried out in unison.

A quick ride on the Bus, and the were gone from the confines of the UK, and finding themselves in Norway; in route to Trillemarka Nature Reserve. The walk was refreshing opposed to the confines of the library, thankfully this place had been spared from the massive battle. After being guided by the park's rangers the man paused and turned to Coulson. "You sure about this?"

"This is what our team does," he replied cooly as the agent shrugged.

"You're a braver man than I am," the man shook his head after looking towards the downed tree, and clearly shaken up individual being consoled then leaving Coulson and his team in the now roped off area.

"You guys get a look around, I'm going to debrief the guy who was attacked," Coulson turned to Ward, who only nodded as he walked with Mick and Simmons farther down the path.

"My scanner is picking up readings, but I don't see anything," Mick muttered walking beside the downed tree.

"Maybe it's in the tree?" Ward suggested, seeing a large hunk of bark perched in branches way out of reach.

"But how would there be anything way out here?" Mick asked as Jemma pondered momentarily.

"You think this is connected to London?" She asked as Mick shrugged.

"From the reports we had, they had portals," Mick started.

"Wormholes," Fitz interjected over the Comms.

"Wormholes," Mick rolled his eyes. "Point is, they jumped from one place to another, maybe that's what we're picking up here?" Ward chuckled at Mick's annoyance.

"Portals and Wormholes are completely different," Fitz said only for Mick to roll his eyes.

"How odd that it's so high up," Jemma glanced at the clearly cut spot on the tree.

"What's the matter Simmons?" Ward asked as she looked up at the tree and the potential of falling. "Are you scared?"

"Not the biggest fan of heights after well, you know," Jemma said with a sigh.

"I'll climb it for you," Ward offered. "You just have to walk me through the doodads."

Jemma stared at Ward trying not to laugh. "Here," Mick grabbed her hand. "We'll go up together, and if anything happens, I've got webs to catch us." Jemma smiled nervously at Mick.

"That'll work, I guess," Jemma's voice trembled.

"Fear will consume you if you let it," Ward said in his typical stoic fashion. "Why not focus on things you enjoy while you walk up?"

"Like not falling?" Jemma said, taking a few steps, clearly out of balance, resulting in Mick putting his arms around her.

"No, like your research stuff!" Ward said as Jemma smirked.

"And working with my doodads," she teased with a giggle.

Ward followed them on the ground as Fitz confirmed he had set up his laptop to receive the data from the scanner in Jemma's hands. Ward seemed quite amused by how close Jemma and Mick were. Mick only noticed when's Jemma would pause to recompose herself.

"Let's say this isn't from London, how would an object end up in a tree?" Ward asked as Jemma reached the large cut out in the tree.

"That would depend of if it were placed here before the tree sprouted or after," Jemma called out as she looked down at the strange burned out stick indention in the tree. "Do you believe this?" She looked back at Mick who was quite surprised.

"Not really sure what to make of it to be honest," Mick replied as Jemma grabbed his hands to balance herself as she leaned down.

"So the tree could've grown around whatever was in it?" Ward asked as Jemma pondered the thought.

"I mean, I guess," Jemma said slightly unsure. "Radiocarbon fourteen dating puts some of these trees at nine thousand years old. However I could check dendrochronology to know for sure."

"Have fun," Ward called out. "I'll be down here to catch you if you fall."

"Thanks," Mick replied as a joke.

"Not you," Ward joked back.

"Awe, but that would be funny to see," Jemma teased as she eased over the markings scanning them with the rather sophisticated scanning device.

"Oh yeah so funny," Mick shook the tree causing Jemma to instinctively grab his arms then quickly slap him. Ward clearly found it amusing as Mick did.

"Fitz are you getting this?" Jemma called out, clearly impressed by what she was seeing. "It's not Chitauri is it?"

"No," he quickly replied. "Don't worry, it seems to be completely different. Probably not a viral threat at all." Jemma tensed up at the thought. "Mick, can you get a little closer? Cause that spectrographic reading is a little wonky."

"How so?" Mick eased passed Jemma to lean closer to the cylindrical indention.

"It seems to match that of Thor's hammer," Fitz said as Mick and Jemma looked at each other curiously.

"So you think it's Asgardian?" Jemma asked.

"So it is connected?" Mick smirked only for Jemma to roll her eyes.

"It appears to have been. Try to get me a 3D scan," Fitz said as Jemma nodded as if he were there with her. She then pulled a small camera looking device off her belt, pressed a few buttons until a red laser emitted. It then split off into several smaller beams that completely traced the indention from one end to the other.

"Did that work?" She asked keeping the device in hand in case she needed it again.

"Perfectly," Fitz replied. "Seems to be part of something, like a staff or a rod. It was very well made, engraved even!"

"So now what?" Mick asked.

"I'll convert it over and print a full 3D model," Fitz seemed quite pleased.

"So we're done up here?" Jemma asked looking up at Mick, eager to climb down.

"Guess so," Mick smiled mischievously.

"Don't you dare," Jemma threatened. "Mick!" She screamed as he grabbed her with one arm the other planting a line of web. They swung down much to Jemma's disapproval, seeing Coulson standing beside Ward with a very serious expression. Jemma then punched Mick's shoulder when he released her.

"Looks like we've got another mess to clean up," Coulson said showing Mick and Jemma the news feed coming from Oslo, Norway with writing burning in the streets reading 'We are gods.'

They rejoined the team on the Bus, Ward leading Mick and Simmons into the lab to meet with Fitz and Skye. Skye already had facial recognition up for the two marks, a male, long brown hair, light facial hair, with brown eyes named Jakob Nystrom. A blonde woman with green eyes, Petra Larsen.

"Perfect, saved me some time, Rookie," Ward smirked as Skye smiled. "So this is what we know?"

"Thanks to the internet and SHIELD's database, yes," Skye replied.

"Leaders of a Norse Paganist hate group, that's interesting," Ward scoffed.

"That's not all, they're gaining serious traction thanks to the new coverage and how quickly it spread online," she said with a huff. "Score one for the internet." The sarcasm in her tone couldn't be missed.

"Norse Paganist?" Jemma asked slightly confused.

"Obsessed with anything Norse related," Skye replied.

"Legends of Thor and the likes have been around for years, heck, I used to play a game centered around Norse mythology called Valkyrie Profile," Mick said as Fitz seemed amused, however no one else did.

"No time for being a nerd," Skye teased as Mick frowned.

"So this is what you got from the scan?" Ward picked up the white semi-cylinder with very nice engravings.

"Yes," Fitz said as Ward handed it off to Jemma, who clearly noticed a few things. "Unfortunately I couldn't get both sides."

"Look at the ends," she pointed out. "They have similar break patterns!"

"So there's more than one of these?" Mick asked as Ward sighed.

"At least two," Fitz replied.

"So Bonnie and Clyde are probably looking to for them?" Mick said as Ward smirked.

"What about the markings?" Ward asked as he rubbed his hand along the model.

"Asgardian," Coulson answered as he entered the lab. "It's hard to translate with the limited image and knowledge."

"Why not give our Asgadian hunk a call?" Skye smiled at the thought. "I mean, he draws his power from the hammer, this may be the nail!"

"Considered that," Coulson said. "Director Fury said Thor is off the grid, and if he does have a phone, we don't have the number. It's now on us to find the other pieces before anyone else."

"So they have a clear advantage over us?" Ward asked only for Skye to huff. "I mean, they found this thing in a Norwegian forest, and we had no clue of its existence."

"Maybe they had magic?" Skye said slyly, only for May, Simmons, and Fitz to stare at her skeptically. "I'm serious, what if it called out to them?"

"That a bit of a stretch there," Mick replied as Skye rolled her eyes.

"We don't know the rules of Asgardian toys!" Skye pointed out to the dismay of everyone.

"Just because we don't understand something yet doesn't mean we should regress back to the dark ages, talking of magic and fairy tales," Jemma replied, Fitz nodding in agreement.

"But that's exactly what we're going to do," Coulson said with his casual grin.

"Excuse me?" Jemma questioned.

"When we first found the hammer in New Mexico I consulted one of the world's leading experts on Norse mythology. Elliot Randolph, a professor at a University in Seville. We'll leave immediately. Maybe he can tell us more about these markings," Coulson said as May nodded, quickly leaving the lab, Coulson right behind her.

"Guess that settles that," Skye shrugged. "I think I'll keep an eye on the news feeds so we can track our new friends."

"Sounds great," Ward said leaving without another word, Skye right behind him.

"Do you really think Thor's hammer is magic?" Jemma asked looking at Fitz.

"I've only seen pictures, I don't have a clue," Fitz replied, then the two looked at Mick.

"I never saw it up close, just in passing, and that was two years ago," Mick said as they smiled.

Mick walked out of the small washroom, met by Ward. "So you and Simmons seemed close back there," his tones seemed quite accusatory.

"We're just friends," Mick replied as Ward shrugged.

"So are you and Skye," Ward raised his brow. "But you never get that close to her."

"It's not like that with Jemma," Mick said, ignoring the bit about Skye.

"Hey, it's your business what you do in your free time," Ward said with a smirk. "Just watch it around Fitz. He's pretty protective of her." Ward then walked off toward his bunk, leaving Mick with a slight bit of confusion. Did Ward know how Mick felt about Skye? Even more so, did he think that Mick and Jemma were a thing? Oddly enough it wouldn't be the first time someone assumed there was more to Mick and Jemma, but she had always been like a best friend to him since their time together at the academy, and that's all ever it was.

Mick watched as Coulson left with Fitz and Simmons to find the professor. Ward stayed in the hanger, training as usual, while Mick set off in search of Skye. He found her in the briefing room working on the holocom. "Having any luck?"

"Nothing of note," Skye frowned. Mick watched her, the intensity behind her searches, her clear passion for what she was doing. He watched her eyes dancing across the screen taking in everything she was reading, her fingers as they gracefully skipped across the virtual keys. His heart slammed against his chest with longing to tell her his deepest secret. "You okay over there?"

"Huh?" Mick snapped out of his trance, then shook his head with embarrassment. "Yeah, it's amusing to watch you work."

"Really? I would think that it's pretty boring to watch someone reading post," Skye said with a smirk.

"I got used to being the watcher growing up," Mick shrugged. "Jerren was always player one when we'd play games, and it was his house so I didn't argue."

"You're going all nerd on me," Skye said returning to her work.

"Basically, I was stuck watching never playing, so I developed an appreciation for it," Mick said as Skye nodded.

"Gotcha, so you're not going to help, just watch me?" She seemed rather perturbed by that.

"Nah, scoot over," Mick stepped beside her as she slid a massive message board page in front of him.

"Skim through that one, see if you can find anything useful," she said as Mick nodded.

Things stayed quiet for a bit while, Mick reading through the post which were full of hate and intolerance as well as anarchism. "These people are nuts!" Mick grunted as Skye laughed.

"No kidding! You should've seen some of the old conspiracy forums I used to visit to track SHIELD," Skye said with a smirk.

"I remember you posting things back when I was the Black Coat hero if I'm not mistaken," Mick teased with the realization of just how far off those memories actually were. Skye looked up and smiled then turned to Mick with a skeptic glance.

"You knew about that?" Skye smirked.

"Not until we started meeting at that diner for our weekly conspiracy theory talks," Mick smiled.

"Those were much simpler times weren't they?" Skye reminisced.

"Eh, I like having a team instead of being alone."

"I bet you do," Skye teased. "You and Simmons getting all close and stuff."

"Seriously? You're on that too?"

"I heard Ward and Coulson talking about it, back in Norway," Skye smiled slyly.

"It was nothing," Mick shook his head.

"Uh huh," Mick rolled his eyes as Skye kept her witty grin, and returned to reading.

"If you want to know the truth," Mick sighed. "Jemma reminds me of my sister, Andy. So having her around is almost like having my sister back, so of course I stay close to her."

"Oh," Skye looked up at Mick sympathetically. "I'm sorry, I won't tease you about that anymore."

"It's not a big deal," Mick said as Skye raised a brow. "And like I told you before, I'm pretty sure Jemma wouldn't have those feelings for me."

"What do you have for us?" Coulson asked walking into the briefing room with Ward on his heels.

"Nystorm's deep web forum is blazing with psycho's, and the guy has practically vanished from public eyes," Mick said as he continued to glance at the constant flow of new posts.

"They believe they can become gods of destruction and death," Skye huffed. "These people suck, Sir."

"Really, that's your take on all of this?" Ward snapped.

"They do," Mick agreed as Skye shot a told you so look at Ward.

"There's also some talk about them going underground possibly to amass an army, but I don't fully understand it," Mick added as Coulson raised a brow.

"They could just be going incognito," Ward suggested.

"Or looking for another piece of the staff," Coulson said.

"Randolph said to check Viking routes, maybe that will help?" Ward suggested as Skye quickly searched the web, then flipped everything to the mission screen.

"There's some sites along the Volga River in Russia, some in Kiev, and weirdly, here," she pointed at the map, and the pin on Seville, Spain.

"Really?" Coulson seemed quite shocked.

"I mean, it's a long shot, but it looks like the Vikings were frequent in sacking this place," Mick said as he pulled up a historical site to the mission screen.

"Do we have any possible hot spots?" Coulson asked, only for May to walk in the room with a tablet in hand, clearly keeping up with what's been searched. "I found promising locations with Viking relics, El Divino Nino. A church built on the ruins of an 8th century crypt built on Roman ruins from 206 B.C."

"That would be east of a river," Ward shrugged.

"And lots of bones," Coulson added, only for Mick and Skye to stare at them blankly. "Let's see what we can dig up," Coulson chuckled to himself. "See what I did there?" Mick chuckled at the goofy joke as did Skye.

Before long Mick, Skye, and Ward were diving into the catacombs beneath El Divino Nino. The place was humid, dark, and full of spider webs and who knows what other creepy crawlers. The trio split up with Skye searching inside the church, while Mick and Ward went into the depths. Unfortunately the path split, each taking their own way.

"Are you seeing anything?" Mick asked over the comms.

"Low ceilings and tons of cobwebs, you?" Ward replied.

"Just seems like it was ripped straight from a dungeon. Place gives me the creeps," Mick said as Skye laughed.

"Glad it's you two down there instead of me," she teased. "At least I'm not stuck inhaling all the dust I'm surrounded by."

"Lucky you," Mick said pushing moldy cobwebs aside as he pressed through the narrow corridors, holding out his spectrograph, only for no readings to pop. Mick walked into a room that clearly was a mortuary and shuddered at the broken down crates and the thought of dead bodies being so near.

"Ward, your spectrograph is picking something up nearby!" Fitz's voice came over the comms.

"I don't see anything," Ward said calmly as Mick turned back toward the tunnel.

"Well," Fitz groaned. "It's right in front of you! Check northwest!"

"Dang it! I just had a visual!" Ward called out, causing Mick to quickly race down the narrow halls to hopefully aid his friend.

"Ward, turn left!" Fitz's voice came over the comms.

"Mick, get there!" Coulson ordered.

"I'm on it!" Mick replied sprinting as fast as he could ducking down into the more tunnel like path that Ward was on.

"His signal went dead," Fitz said somberly.

"How far, Fitz?" Mick demanded as he passed by a branching path. "It's like the freaking Labyrinth down here!"

"Uh," Fitz was clearly flustered. "Take a left here and another left once you get to the end!"

"Do I need to come down there?" Skye interjected.

"No! You stay up there!" Mick barked as his spectrograph began beeping.

"Ignore it, find Ward!" Coulson demanded as Mick followed orders.

He reached the end of a corridor seeing something staggering around. "Ward?" Mick asked, shining his light at the figure. His eyes glistened momentarily, followed by a loud roar of pain, then Ward charged out him.

"What's going on Bellouve?" Coulson asked frantically.

"Something's wrong with Ward!" Mick called out, dodging the swings from Ward, who seemed to be in a rage filled trance. "Ward snap out of it! I don't want to fight you!"

"The voices! Make it stop!" Ward roared as Mick slammed into the wall at the impact of blocking Ward's punch.

"What voices?" Mick asked as Ward's assault continued, his fist shattering the concrete wall where Mick once was.

"I hear their voices! Make it stop!" Ward growled as Mick tried webbing his arms to the wall frantically.

"Forgive me for this!" Mick winced at what he was about to do. He quickly brandished his saber, squeezing the trigger as it flashed to life, then slammed it into the side of Ward's head as Ward began to break free. Ward let out a groan before falling to the ground unconscious due to the amount of electricity that just hit him.

Mick slid down against the wall beside Ward panting as his blade flickered off. "I'm gonna need some help getting him out of here."

"Fitz, guide me down," Skye responded as Mick stared at Ward, hoping he wouldn't wake up and attack once again. "Are you both okay?"

"Yeah, Ward's just been sedated momentarily," Mick huffed. "Hopefully when he wakes up he'll be Ward again and not the screaming lunatic that attacked me. Sorry that I missed the target too."

"Don't apologize for that. We prioritize the team before anything," Coulson said firmly. "We'll be ready for extraction when you get top side."

It wasn't long before Skye reached them, but much to Mick's surprise, Ward's eyes sprung open as soon as she touched him. He frantically backed away from them, almost as if he had no idea where he was. "Hey, it's okay, we're here!" Skye said in a soothing manner, reaching out for Ward. He continued to back himself into a corner, almost in a panic. "Grant, we're not going to hurt you."

Ward shook his head in attempt to recompose himself, then took in deep breath. "The staff," Ward started. "He has it."

"He who?" Mick asked as he and Skye glanced between themselves and Ward.

"Professor Randall," Ward said harshly.

"Did you get that?" Skye asked touching her comm.

"Yeah, we got it. Now we just need to see if we can find him before he escapes," Coulson replied. "Fitz will be parked in front of the church. I'm going to find Randall."

"Right," Mick replied, reaching out to help Ward.

"I don't need help," he barked as he stood up on his own.

"Sorry about the shock," Mick said as Ward brushed his face were a clear bruise was forming.

"Lucky shot," Ward snapped.

"Extra shot of brooding, great," Skye moaned as she led the way out of the tunnels.

After resurfacing, Coulson had already caught Elliot Randall and cuffed him. The unfortunate part was he stuck next to Mick and Ward while Skye rode in the very back. He didn't budge until they reached the Bus. "Take Ward to the lab to get him checked out by Simmons, I'll deal with Randall," Coulson said as Mick nodded.

Ward was completely reluctant to everything. His attitude was harsh, every expression was full of rage, even his tone to answering simple questions.

"This is stupid!" He finally barked leaning on the exam table, his shirt balled tightly in his fists while Jemma had sensors placed on his neck, chest, and abdomen.

"Not even!" Skye barked back. "You took a serious blow to the head, and then woke up all crazy!"

"Again, sorry," Mick said as Ward scowled.

"Coulson wants you to be fully evaluated, therefore that's what I'm going to do," Jemma stated as Ward glared. "What is the last thing you remember before attacking Mick? Were you feeing claustrophobic or-"

"Why?" Ward growled as he turned towards Fitz and Simmons. Fitz steadily backed away as Jemma stood her ground.

"She's trying to rule out a panic attack," Fitz stammered.

"I don't panic," Ward stated bluntly. "Ever."

"There we go, that's ruled out then. What about now, headache, nausea, dizziness, ringing of your ears?" Jemma questioned only for Ward to grow angrier.

"I'm fine!" He barked.

"Touching that staff did this, right?" Skye asked as Ward turned to her slowly, then semi-nodded.

"What about residual effects? Like extra strength?" Jemma asked as Ward turned to Mick glaring furiously, with his bruise prominently in view.

"Why don't we go another round and find out?" Ward challenged as Mick looked at the ground and frowned.

"Why don't we not do that?" Skye stepped in, easing close to Ward, who kept his eyes glued on Mick.

"What voices were you hearing after you touched the staff?" Mick asked only for Ward to pull his arm out of the cuff and slam his fists into the table.

"This is a waste of time! We need to find the staff!" Ward roared.

"We may be able to help you if you tell us what you heard," Fitz said timidly.

"I heard voices I haven't heard in years. Now let it go!" Ward snapped causing Fitz to shrink back against the wall.

"We're just trying to help," Simmons said softly.

"No need to get so angry," Fitz added.

"Quiet!" Ward barked, as he turned his focus to the large screen hanging on the wall that showed Coulson interrogating Professor Randall. Ward then reached out turning the nob so that he could hear better.

"Two of my agents are hurt, the staff is gone," Coulson stated plainly.

"I didn't want any of that," Randall said calmly.

"Then what exactly did you want?" Coulson asked. "Was it the allure of power? Selling the staff on the black market?"

"Nothing like that Agent Coulson," Randall said then took a deep breath. "You know, I just wanted to be the first to study it. To prove that the Berserkers were actually here, a part of history. You think about that."

"Oh, I'm thinking about it," Coulson said with a frown.

The screen then went black, causing Ward to breath in furiously. "What do you think you're doing?" He turned to see Jemma with the tablet controller.

"Your heart rate is rising and adrenaline is spiking," she said calmly. "You need to calm down, not get more worked up."

Ward leaned down on the table, took in a few deep breaths, closing his eyes as if trying to relax. Skye then leaned toward him with a sincere look in her eyes.

"Those voices, they're your brothers', aren't they?" She asked as Ward's eyes snapped open, now glaring furiously at her.

"Drop it," he growled.

"I'm here for you, if you want to talk," Skye urged as Ward began to twist his head around, seething in rage.

"Right, I can talk to you!" He barked. "All you ever do is talk!" Mick quickly stepped in separating him from Skye, only to be shoved backwards with incredible force. "You really want to try that again? I bet you couldn't hack it without your precious toy!"

"Ward!" Skye yelled as he turned back to her.

"Don't you ever get tired of hearing yourself?" He snapped.

"Ward, calm down!" Fitz urged, only to have Ward's fury directed at himself.

"Well! This makes more sense!" Jemma exclaimed as Ward glanced toward her with a raised brow. "Ward, what you're experiencing, this feeling, it's chemistry."

"Oh it's something," Skye interjected.

"Spikes in his adrenocorticotropic hormone," Simmons began to explain. "It's like those stories you hear when a mother is able to lift a car to save her baby. An adrenaline surge can create a massive –"

"Shut up!" Ward had paced around a few moments while Jemma spoke, but had clearly had enough. "Stop talking and just fix it!" He bowed up against Jemma and Fitz, only for Mick to get between them ready for Ward to make a move this time.

"I wish I could. We can relieve some of the symptoms. I can give you 10cc of Benzodiazepine," Jemma said sympathetically.

"Chill pill, sounds great," Skye said snarkily.

"A sedative? Not gonna happen," Ward said furiously.

"Maybe you should consider it based on your over reactions," Mick said firmly, only for Ward to inch closer to Mick in a threatening manner.

"And what? Leave all the fighting to you?" Ward's voice had gone dark. "Do you think your little webs and stick are going to be able to handle a whole mob of them?" He shoved Mick backwards, seeing that Mick had bruises from the skirmish as well. "Looks like you barely handled me, how are you going to fight against an army?"

Mick simply took in a deep breath, refusing to back down, but biting his tongue as to not make matters worse. Ward the smiled darkly, the stormed out of the lab without another word.

"That was just a biochemical reaction. He didn't mean all that," Jemma walked up placing her hand on Mick's tense shoulder, as he tried to calm himself down.

"No, I know that," Skye said somberly.

"No explanation necessary," Fitz stammered nervously. "Just glad that was you and not me," he patted Mick's shoulders.

"Yeah," was the only word to leave Mick's mouth. He wanted so badly to knock Ward out, his muscles twitched with anticipation, but he knew that was the wrong move.

"That was pretty brave of you," Jemma wiped a few tears from her eyes. "Shows you've really grown up from that hot headed teenager."

"I don't know how you did it," Skye smirked. "If I had powers, I'd have probably hit him for being in my face."

"One fight was enough," Mick sighed as his muscles continued twitching.

"Do you think Coulson is going to be able to crack the professor?" Fitz asked as Jemma shrugged.

"No idea, but I suppose we can head upstairs and see," Simmons said as she saw Ward slamming his fist into the punching bag that occupied the hanger.

"Yeah, let's give him space," Fitz said as Skye looked at Ward remorseful, then followed everyone out of the lab.

Mick left them in the planning room as he made his way to his bunk. He took his collapsed blade from it's hilt then plugged in a small charger. His mind jumped back to the fight with Ward. He thought about the screams, the fierce anger in his eyes, the raw power behind every punch. He then looked at his stomach, arms, and shoulders in the small mirror on his door, seeing bruises. Fighting Ward like that brought back memories of fighting against Jake Carson when he had succumb to the power of the cursed Shadowblade combined with the Darkhold. Mick shook off the vivid memories of those grim fights, only to see Ward heading upstairs. He wondered what Ward was planning, then decided it would be best to let it be. He thought maybe it would be best to rest just in case he had to face off against Ward again, or worse, an army of super strength nutcases like Ward suggested.

"Up and at 'em! We're wheels up in five!" Skye banged on Mick's door, jarring him from his restless nap.

"Alright, coming," Mick groaned as he put his black coat on, and slid his saber into it's sheath. He then grabbed the prototype nightnight gun Fitz made for him, just in case he needed it.

He walked down to the cargo hold, where everyone, including Randall was being loaded into the pair of SUV's. He noticed Ward climbing in, then a sickening feeling crept through his stomach. He made his way over to Skye and Coulson.

"You sure Ward should be out with us?" He heard Skye asking, much to his surprise.

"Let me guess, you're unsure too?" Coulson turned to Mick as he nodded. "Don't be. Ward knows he's not okay, and he's determined not to let it hurt the team."

"That didn't seem so clear earlier," Mick stated.

"He told me about what happened in the lab," Coulson said. "Don't let your emotions cloud your judgement."

"That's not always easy, Boss," Mick said as Skye nodded in agreement.

"What about you?" Skye asked as May started by them.

"I'm with Coulson," she said with a half grin.

"See, it'll be fine," Coulson smiled as Mick still seemed unsure.

Mick was glad the ride to the monastery was quiet, especially being in the same vehicle as Ward. They all climbed out, with Randall leading them inside. "Ah, it's been quite a while since I have been here!" Randall said fondly, walking into the large wooden cathedral. "I wonder if that book is still here?" He walked over to a large pedestal with a thick book full of hand drawn and painted images.

"We don't have time for this," Ward moaned as Mick nodded in agreement.

"Awe, the nose isn't quite right, but it still looks good," Randall ignored Ward, as he fixated on the picture that bore a remarkable resemblance to himself holding the completed staff.

"That's you?" Fitz asked leaning in to see the image.

"That venerated me as a saint," Randall seemed quite pleased with himself.

"Idiots," Ward growled.

"Really? Is this the normal work or crazy berserker one, I can't really tell," Skye teased as Ward scoffed.

"It's upstairs," Randall said as he walked toward the staircase on the right side of the cathedral. He lead them to a balcony room overlooking the cathedral, then reached down under a desk, pulling a few boards away, seeming to be confused as to why he can't find what he's looking for.

"It's quiet," May said as she glanced between the members of the team, who also seemed suspicious.

"Yes," Randall said gleefully. "It's that vow of silence that allowed me to trust them with my secret."

"Heh," everyone turned to see Jakob walking down another set of stairs with the third piece of the staff in hand. "They're only quiet until you make them squeal."

He moved quickly, slamming the staff into Randall's chest before anyone could react. "I've learned if you wish to be a god, you must defeat one!" He then pulled another piece of the staff from behind his back, pointing it at Coulson and his team.

"Get back!" Ward yelled, ripping the piece from Randall's chest, the lunging at Jakob, sending them both crashing through the rails of the balcony to the ground below.

"We have to help him!" Skye yelled as she sprinted toward the stairs.

"On it!" Mick brandished his blade, then a quick flick of the wrist a web hit the ceiling, and he leapt off the balcony. He landed as Jakob threw Ward effortlessly into one of the pillars underneath the balcony, and Ward bouncing off with a crack.

"You want to die too?" Jakobs thick accent was punctuated by the darkness in his eyes.

"Mick, protect the others!" Ward barked as Mick shook his head defiantly.

"I'd love to see you try," Mick held out his blade, it crackled with power. Jakob lunged at Mick with the piece of the staff, slamming it into Mick's blade with unbelievable force, causing Mick to slide backwards, as he used both hands to steady his blade. His grit his teeth, and used every ounce of strength to shove Jakob backward, then attempt to stab at him. Jakob must've seen this obvious move, as he sidestepped, then swept the back of Mick's leg, then kicked him square him the back, sending him crashing over several pews before hitting the wall. Ward then grabbed Jakob before he could stab Mick, the two exchanging blows frivolously.

Mick then pulled himself up, shooting a web into Jakob's eyes, causing him to slam is fist into Ward, sending him crashing into a wall near the staircase. "You okay?" Mick called out as Ward stood, panting heavily.

"Let go of the staff!" Skye called out as she sprinted toward Ward.

"No! Stay back!" Ward growled, as Skye paused only because May caught her.

Jakob smirked darkly as he began making his way toward Skye and May. Both Mick and Ward jumped into action. Mick quickly shot Jakob with webs once again, while Ward let out a roar, then slammed Jakob across the face with the staff. A sickening crack echoed in the cathedral as well as the bloody mist from Jakob, which was followed by Jakob crumbling to the ground, a pool of blood appearing underneath.

Skye quickly ran to his side much to Ward's protest. "Get away from me," Ward growled barely audible.

"This isn't you," Skye pressed closer, May reluctant to follow. Just as Ward seemed to be willing to release the staff, the doors burst open, and followers of Jakob's cult poured in. Ward was quick to get to his feet, rushing to Jakob's lifeless body, grabbing the other piece of the staff. He let out a pain filled scream as the pieces began to glow. Mick then rushed to his side, tapping his shoulder so he knew that he was there. With a reluctant nod, Ward and Mick began fighting their way into the crowd.

Mick flipped and kicked combining webs with electric streaks following every swing of his blade, while Ward's brute strength would send his foes flying. Both Mick and Ward barely standing, bloodied, bruised, and completely exhausted, while their foes lay completely unconscious before them.

"Oh my God, are you two okay?" Skye asked as she and May rushed toward Mick and Ward who shared a triumphant smile. Ward then fell over on Skye dropping the two pieces of the staff, while Mick fell onto May.

The door opened once more, this time Petra, holding the third piece of the staff walked in, horrified at her entire army, as well as Jakob unconscious before her.

"You've got to be kidding me," Skye groaned.

"You think you're up for one more?" Mick panted.

"If you are," Ward replied wearily.

"I'll handle this one," May said stoically, as Skye attempted to take May's place, bracing both Mick and Ward on her shoulders.

"Be careful," Ward warned as May smirked, then nudged for Skye to leave. May then picked up the staff, almost unfazed by its orange glow. Petra let's out a ear piercing scream after examining Jakob's lifeless body, then charges at May, her eyes black with rage.

Mick watched, barely holding himself up on the railing of the stairs while Skye led Ward up with intent to return for him, as May effortlessly blocked every attack Petra threw at her, until she finally knocked the piece of the staff out of Petra's hand, effectively disarming her. The staff began to shake in May's hand as the piece Petra dropped almost magnetically shot onto the piece in May's right hand. May then looked at the other piece, slamming it onto the other end, causing the staff to flash in a brilliant orange before returning to its silver color. May then twirled the complete staff, as Petra charged her. May effortlessly slammed Petra's face sending her flipping to the ground, unconscious.

"Man, she's good," Skye smiled as she held out her hand for Mick.

"Yeah, she is," Mick smiled.

Once they reached the top, Skye set Mick beside Ward, who seemed to barely be hanging on to consciousness himself, then ran off to check on Coulson and the others.

"Hanging in there?" Ward asked as Mick struggled to turn his head toward him.

"I'll be alright," Mick weakly smiled.

"Thanks for that," Ward weakly smiled in return.

"Couldn't let you have all the fun," Mick panted.

"Gotta make yourself look tough if you're going to win the girl," Ward teased motioning toward Skye or possibly Jemma who stood beside Fitz and Coulson as they spoke with Randall, who somehow recovered from his fatal looking wounds.

"I told you," Mick panted heavily. "We're just friends."

"You say that, but I see how you look at her," Ward said. Mick raised his brow as Ward glanced between Mick and one of the girls, which only annoyed Mick because he couldn't tell who Ward was implying. "Don't worry, your secret is safe with me."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Mick sighed, only for Ward to wink.

"Guess we'll see then," he smiled leaning his head back against the wall with a thump.

"Guess so," Mick followed suit.