A Friend

Gar watched his Mecury Speeder disappear down the road. Once they hit the open road Maverick would take it into the sky. He sighed and returned to the house. He looked back again, "I've got a bad feeling about this." 

Inside the Mercury, Maverick was talking with R3, "You mean repulsors are even used in spaceships? But, repulsors are only for keeping the vehicle floating, right?"

R3 tweedled happily giving Maverick a lot of information on how repulsor worked. Maverick's questions were innocent. As an avid fan of anything that flew he couldn't help.

Coulson recorded as much information as possible. He was having fun and appreciated Gar's willingness to let them use his vehicle. As an agent, Coulson couldn't help but dream of SHIELD incorporating technology from another galaxy into their technology. Not only was Coulson dreaming about blasters and vehicles, but he was extremely interested in droids. 

Barton played with the targeting computer and flipped it from manual to autotarget. Hill was more interested in the screens and individual instrument panels. She had a notepad and wrote meticulous notes about everything. 

Seeing Hill, Coulson started investigating the various controls in his section. He realized the central position was limited as a firing position, but it was more of the central hub of the speeder. You could run communications, powerful scanner technologies, and set mission targets. The central position was more like the commander's post. What was Gar thinking when he designed this thing? This was more than a convenient way to get to battles. 

"He's a genius," Coulson said suddenly.

"Who?" Barton asked absently. He was more interested in mastering the gunnery.

"Oh, this thing has shields!" Maverick yelled from the front.

"Shields? What do you mean?" Coulson did his best to turn around and look at their pilot. 

"This speeder has energy shields, apparently Gar has never used them because we were always using this for transportation. R3 tells me that the original pilot, Sol, used the SHIELDS to crash into a Widows nest," Maverick related the information he received from R3.

"I wonder how tough the shields are," Phil commented. Maverick relayed the question to R3 and tweedled an approximate explanation. 

"According to R3, the shields can handle anti-armor tank missiles like raindrops," Maverick answered. 

"We have got to get one of these from Gar," Hill said.

"Seems like you could help us with that," Barton said.

Hill scowled and then looked at Barton, "What does that mean?"

"The kid seems to be interested in you. Maybe a little flirty, flirty and you could get us a few things," Barton said without much thought. 

He didn't notice how dark Hill's face became, "First off, I'm not some candy trap. I don't sell myself out for treats or perks. I'm not working my way to the top one bed at a time, you understand Barton?" 

Barton, caught off guard looked at her and realized what he said, "Sorry, I wasn't thinking."

"Second. Neither Gar nor I are doing anything but flirting. If either of us is interested in doing something more that's between the two of us. Third, I would never treat a friend much less a love interest in such a cheap fashion," Hill angrily spat.

"Unless it's for a mission," Barton defended himself. They were spies after all.

"How many women have you seduced over the years for the sake of a mission, Barton? Your job is to shoot your arrows, no one expects you to use your questionable looks to improve logistics," Hill berated Barton. 

She heard Maverick snicker and then lay into him, "What are you laughing about? Do you think you're any better than Barton? You have zero preference in what you'll --"

"Enough Hill! Barton, apologize to Hill, you can't make those kinds of jokes. Maverick, there's nothing funny about this," Coulson needed to settle the agents down. Hill was as cool as they came, except when it came to questions of her ability as a woman. Coulson didn't think a bullet would ever put Barton down, but a sexual harassment suit from HR might retire their best marksman. 

Hill stopped talking, but she wasn't happy. "Chicks in combat, this is why you girls shouldn't be in the field," Maverick began. "Maverick!" Coulson jumped on him again. The agent gig had two types of agents men and women. Although both sexes brought value to the job, they had different reasons for doing the job. Many female agents were self-conscious about how male agents viewed them.

In the office, the battle of the sexes was easier to manage, but in the field when the adrenaline pumped and the aggressive jokes appeared, it got a lot harder to handle. If you asked Maverick or Barton they would be as much of a feminist as anyone else. That's in the office, but in the field, testosterone intensifies basic male instincts. That's especially true for combat-orientated agents like Barton and Hunt. 

"Back on mission, how long until we get to the target's position?" The best way to end the nonsense was to get the agents back to thinking about the mission. 

"We'll be there in a couple of minutes," Maverick answered. 

The Mercury arrived at a CIA sub-office, "Sitwell is working with the CIA team looking for an enhanced. We don't know if Sitwell is guilty of anything. He's a friend of mine, I'm not going to assume a friend is an enemy. Think about it like this, if one of you were accused of being a double agent how would you want to be treated? Hunt has been through this, so I'm sure you can appreciate that we want to find the truth. That doesn't mean we should treat him like he's already guilty."

Barton didn't look satisfied, "I understand, but I'm not lowering my guard to someone who might be an enemy."

"I think what Agent Coulson is saying is for us to give him the respect he's done for all the good work he's done for SHIELD. That doesn't mean to be an idiot," Hill tried to give perspective to Coulson's words.

"Right, thank you Hill, don't be a brute but don't be an idiot either," Coulson encouraged his team. 

"R3, leave the engine running. We won't be long," Maverick said. 

With Coulson in the lead, the four-man team walked into the CIA office, which was a small building.

Coulson approached the front desk, "Hello, can you let Jasper Sitwell know that Phil Coulson is here with his team?" The receptionist nodded and smiled. She called his office and explained the situation.

A few minutes later, Jasper Sitwell exited an elevator. He saw Coulson and the agents, "Phil! Hey, how are you?" 

"Hey, Jasper." Phil smiled and gave his friend a handshake and then a hug. 

"What brings you here?" Jasper asked his old friend. He noticed the other three agents and nodded at them. He could tell they were unsettled.

"I need your help, it's Rumlow," Coulson said.

"What's wrong with Broc? Did he get hurt?" Sitwell was friendly with Rumlow, so it wasn't strange to hear him refer to him as Broc. 

"During a mission, we found evidence that he might be compromised. You're one of the best investigators I know. Plus you know him, I don't want to accuse a comrade without giving them a chance, can you help us?" Coulson asked.

Sitwell's demeanor changed and he looked serious as death. He adjusted his glasses and passed his hand over his bald head, "Let's go." 

"Barton, drive Jasper's vehicle back, I want to show him something cool," Coulson changed the atmosphere. 

"Something cool, is that really appropriate?" Sitwell asked.

"It's not appropriate, but this thing with Rumlow hit us hard. He's part of our team," Coulson said as he looked mournfully at his friend. 

"I didn't know you were so close to him. He and I are friends, but I'm not as worked up as you are," Sitwell said. 

"Working in the field with someone forms bonds. Even if you don't like him, he's a brother, you know?" Coulson responded as Sitwell nodded his head. 

When they came to the speeder, Sitwell was shocked by the inside of the vehicle as the canopy opened. Maverick climbed into the pilot's spot. Coulson placed Sitwell in the middle while he and Hill took up the port and starboard gunner spots. 

"Alright, Maverick, take us back," Coulson commanded and explained to Sitwell about the strange vehicle and their latest asset. All of this hid the anxiousness that all of the agents felt. It made Coulson more comfortable as he talked to Sitwell like the old friend he was. Even if this was the last time they would talk like this, he enjoyed the experience for everything it was worth.