[2] An Executioner's Requiem | Leo Fitz

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It had been a while since May had been on one of SHIELD's ships. She was convinced they'd all been destroyed or stolen during Hydra's resurrection, which was why she was a little surprised to see that Gonzalez had taken her to one.

She was in a conference room on the ship, leaning against one of the large tables when Gonzalez walked in. The gun in his hand was the first thing she noticed, at the sight of it caused her to shift her weight back to her feet, more than prepared to fight.

"This belonged to my father," is what he said as he look down at the gun, moving past her and stopping at the opposite end of the table, "he used it to kill over a hundred Nazis. He said it always had a way of finding the right target at the right time."

May didn't react to anything he said, simply watching as he cocked the gun, set it on the table and pushed it toward her. It slid across the polished table and came to a stop directly in front of her.

"If you think I'm a traitor now's your chance to do something about it. Pick it up. Pull the trigger. Let's end this right now. Or you can hear me out. It's come to my attention that I'm not handling you properly."

May looked down at the gun for a moment before raising her gaze to Gonzalez. He had his back to her now, walking over to a little table in the corner to pour himself a glass of water. She could grab the weapon and unload a bullet into his head before he managed to turn around but May knew there was something he wanted. She wouldn't kill him until she knew what that was.

"And since I must accept the recommendations of others when I'm outvoted, here we stand," he turned back around, taking his glass to the table that May was at and set it down, "assuming you decide not to shoot me, I would like to offer you a seat on our board."

An eyebrow rose at that because the last thing May was expecting was an invitation, "what's the catch?"

"No catch. We're gonna bring Coulson in with or without your help. And when we do, he should have a strong advocate on the board."

"And then what?"

"That's for us to decide. But right now he's acting like a fugitive and a threat. We do not take any threat against SHIELD lightly."

"Neither do I," May said as she grabbed the weapon and aimed it at Gonzalez.

The gun was stable in her grip as she contemplated pulling the trigger. She knew Nina would, Nina would've pulled it the moment the weapon was set on the table. She wouldn't have batted an eye at the loud sound of the gunshot, nor would she have been phased by the hole she's created in his head. She might have even marvelled over the harsh pigments in the red blood that oozed out of it.

Nina would have pulled the trigger because she was bred a killer, and doing so was what she was taught to do.

Such a thought is exactly why May set the gun back down and pushed it over to Gonzalez. She would never be able to change what she and Nina were, but maybe the Cavalry giving up a shot could teach the Executioner that where their past was unchangeable, there didn't need to be nearly as much bloodshed in their future.

"I appreciate the theatrics," May said, "but even you're not stupid enough to hand me a loaded gun."

Gonzalez proved her statement wrong by grabbing the gun and ejecting the single round in the chamber. May grinned at that, acknowledging his move, a single round barely affected the weight of a gun and commonly gave off the illusion of the weapon being empty.

"This is not about Coulson. It's not about me. It's not about anyone on this ship. It's about SHIELD. We cannot afford to be enemies to each other when there are new threats out there waiting for the moment we are at our weakest," unknowingly to Gonzalez and May, as he spoke Fitz was walking out of the Playground. A duffle bag and a backpack on his person, along with the real Toolbox tucked beside a very special sandwich, "a house built on shifting sand will fall and without a strong and united foundation SHIELD will fall again. I'm asking you to help us defend her, Agent May. Take a seat on our board."