Chapter Text
The next couple of hours were a blur, partly from the shock of the team's new situation.
Glowy portals began opening up for everyone, and the scattered agents began leaving. The agents that had blipped back were picked up by family members and the news outlets were going haywire. The politicians blipped back were not given back their original spots of power because they had no idea what the economy or the state of their nation looked like at all, but a majority of civilians maintained their jobs, somehow.
The economy fluctuated and stock prices were insane for a bit, then stabilized some. The demand for essentials rose again as twice as many people than there were a couple of hours ago began to need housing and food.
The six of them remained in the silent compound, after almost everybody had left. They had been sitting on the second floor, staring at the news as it reported various new developments in the world, when Piper finally came up to them.
“We don’t have anywhere for you to stay on base," she explained. "Your bunks were given to other agents."
They exchanged glances.
Fitz spoke up. “Okay. Is there a hotel-”
Piper lifted a hand to hush him. “Of course not. Daisy reached out. She’s busy at our main compound in New York and will be for a little while, but she wants you guys to stay with us. We have plenty of space.”
Main compound... So they moved their base of operations.
“Us?” Phil echoed.
Piper gave them all a little smile and then lifted her hand to show the smooth, silver band on her hand. “Us.” she confirmed.
Melinda let a grin escape as she stared at the ring.
Jemma squealed, ran past Melinda, and crushed Piper into a hug. Melinda looked at Phil, who had a dopey, but sad, smile on. As always, they exchanged sentences with eye contact. She took his hand and he squeezed it.
We missed her wedding, he said silently.
I know.
“Congrats, tremors!” Mack said quietly, as if to Daisy (wherever she was), then hugged Piper as well. Melinda squeezed her shoulder with a smile.
“Okay. Um," Piper grinned, bewildered, as if she hadn't expected the positive feedback. "Like I was saying, we have plenty of guest bedrooms for you guys to sleep in. Dais will probably be in New York for the next day or so.”
“Are you sure?” May asked.
“Course. We wouldn’t have it any other way. You guys also need your clothes and stuff, which we have.”
“Thank you.” Phil told her.
“It’s nothing. Uh, ready? Everyone else cleared out.”
They shrugged and followed her out to the balcony surrounding the garage, which housed- holy crap.
“That’s gotta be at least 50 quinjets.” Mack remarked. The garage, which to them had held only 10 vehicles total just a day ago, now held about 40 to 50 of each a van, quinjets, bikes, and had 3 sleek zephyr-looking planes.
“Where’d you get the money for this?” Phil asked as Piper led them down the stairs to the ground floor.
“Taxes.”
“Taxes?” Jemma echoed, then cocked her head. “You’re government-run now?”
Piper laughed. “We are the government. Part of it, at least. After Thanos, everyone was begging for an agency to protect them from the aliens. We were here. The Director built the agency up from 200 agents to 90,000. Well. More now, now that so many are back from the snap- which we're calling the snap that brought everybody back the blip.”
“I- Uh- what ?” Fitz stopped and stared at her, causing Jemma to run into him. "Sorry, love," he murmured.
Piper turned around and addressed them all. “We have fourteen SHIELD academies around the globe and 289 bases, not including Avengers bases. We’re working on 3 more SHIELD-issued ones right now.”
Melinda glanced at Phil.
SHIELD academies. We’ve always dreamt of starting them up again, she said with a pointed look.
That’s amazing, Phil replied through his smile.
May grabbed his hand, squeezing it tight. “Who’s this Director that managed all of this?” Melinda asked, though she had a sneaking suspicion exactly who would’ve been able to accomplish all of this.
“Oh.” Piper gave her a funny look. “I thought you guys knew? It’s Daisy. She took charge almost immediately after the Snap.”
They looked at her, then at each other- and then all started talking at the same time.
“Damn, Tremors.”
“That’s amazing! I always knew she could do it!”
“How- That- Wow,”
“I knew it would happen one day. She’s just so... Daisy.”
“I’m not surprised.”
Piper turned to Mack, her face turning a little wary. “Are you going to want to take that position back?”
They all looked at him.
“What? No, uh, no. Not if she wants it.” Mack shrugged uncertainly, unsure about what he was supposed to say in his position. Elena put a hand on his arm.
Piper sighed. “Alright, good. She’s worked so hard to make a place in the world for SHIELD.”
“Evidently.” Jemma gave a tiny giggle. “That’s insane! Government agency SHIELD! It was barely that even back with Fury!”
Piper turned around with a small smile and led them across the quiet garage to a sleeker quinjet near the back. It was sharp and a dark black, and looked almost like a small, private plane. “Hey, Jay,” Piper said to the air, hitting the side of the jet with her hand twice. “Open up.”
As the door opened automatically and shot out some mechanical stairs, Piper motioned towards the jet with her head. "Stark's AI, Jarvis, has been integrated into the quinjet."
"Hello, agents," a polite british voice came out of seemingly thin air.
They all boarded as Fitz began peppering Piper with questions about how they’d managed to put an AI that required literal tons of code and hardware on a small plane. She shrugged and climbed the stairs last, the door closing automatically behind her.
The inside of the jet was different than any of the jets they’d gone on for missions. It was like a mini Bus or Zephyr, with comfy seats surrounding a table facing the cockpit. Bunk beds were folded into the walls and a mini kitchen area was comfortably set into the side.
“Alright, Jay,” Piper said once they’d all gotten situated; Melinda sitting close to Phil and resting her head on his shoulder. “Take us home.”
May barely felt it as the plane lifted off and the hanger doors opened. As the plane smoothly exited the compound and flew off into the dark night sky, she grabbed Phil’s hand again and he squeezed comfortingly in response.
You’re not alone anymore, Daisy.
We’ve got you.