Chapter Text
?????
?????
“Mrs. Tanner, are you certain you saw her eyes?” The name struck somewhere in Bombshell’s brain. Anger burned. Whatever it was, it was important but she was far too tired to care. She really just wanted the voice to shut up.
“Yes! Yes, I swear she opened her eyes and looked right at me!” This voice was new but familiar. It made Bombshell want to cry for some reason.
“Well, so far I’m getting nothing. Is it possible you imagin.-..” The voices weren't going to shut up were they. She opened her eyes to see what dumbasses were bothering her. Her eyelids felt like lead as she peeled them back to reveal bright fluorescent lights, blinding her.
“Look! Look!”
“Will someone get that damned light out of my face?” Bombshell growed or tried to. Her mouth was dry. When was the last time she drank something? She couldn’t remember.
“Phyllis? Phyllis, honey? It’s mom." Her eyes adjusted to the light and two figures came into view. One was a strange man with glasses and a beard. She could just make out a lab coat. The other one ….
“She prefers to answer to “Bombshell” Lab coat guy said.
“Don’t tell me what my daughter ‘prefers’ Doctor".
Bombshell sucked in a breath, “M-Mom? Jeez. How long have I been out?”
“Phyllis, Lets take one thing at a ti-”
“How long?”
Her mother bit her lip, there was something almost sad in her eyes, “Fifteen years, This past April.” With that one line something clicked in Phyliss’s Bombshell’s brain and she was fully awake. She messily kicked the sheets of the bed.
“I dunno what kind of trick this is..”
“It’s no trick Honey” Her mom The imposter tried to reassure.
“Bombshell you shouldn’t get out of bed…” lab coat guy, a doctor presumably ordered. Bombshell ignored him to focus on the imposter.
“It is a trick! My mother wouldn’t be here or my father!”
“He’s on his way here from work. I called him and told him you-”
Bombshell swung at whoever this was wearing her mothers face as she launched herself out of the bed, “They hate me! They threw me out!”
“Honey it was a long time ago, I’m so-” The imposter almost sounded like she truly felt bad.
“No it wasn’t!” Bombshell cut her fake apology off “I ..ouff”. Something tripped her and she feel to the ground.
“What’s wrong with me?! Why won’t my legs work?! ” Had she been drugged? Paralyzed? In the background she could hear the doctor yelling for orderlies, more people were coming into the room “Honey, you haven't used any of your muscles in years! I did physical therapy with you so they wouldn’t atrophy, but..”
“Where’s Spyboy? Where's Prime Number” If this really was a hospital where was Alex? Where was her boss? , “Get away from me! Where am I?!
“A military hospital dear. It’s-” Whatever the imposter was going to say was cut off as the orderlies rushed in. Bombshell didn’t wait and threw herself at them as well as she could.
“Restrain her.” The doctor barked as the orderlies grabbed her and began to lift her back towards the bed.
“Get your hands off of me!” Bombshell thrashed and kicked.
“Phyllis… “ The fake mother began.
“Itt’s Bombshell! I haven't been Phyllis since you threw me out!” Bombshell knew it was irrational to blame that on this fake but she was done with rational. She was quickly pinned to the bed by the orderlies. “You’re all Dead! All you imposters!”
The fake mom let out a sigh, “I was hoping to put off this moment” she reached into her handbag.
Bombshell paid her no attention, “Fifteen years? What do you take me for an idiot?! I’m going to bring this place down around your ears! I’m-”
She is suddenly cut off as the fake mom pushes whatever she grabbed from her purse in front of her face. Brown eyes meet brown eyes as she's greeted with the image of a woman in her thirties.
“I’m-” The moth moves in tandem with hers. The shock freezes her for a moment. It’s not a photo. It’s a makeup compact. It's a mirror.“I’m … old?” She could see the shock in her own eyes, as well as the soft wrinkles that now lay around her eyes. Her face is more filled out, no longer young and sharp. Her short blond pixie cut is replaced with long flowing hair with uneven ends.
"Thrity two is hardly ancient honey" Her mom cut in.
“That .. that can’t be me” She stuttered out, “but ..the mouths moving when I talk..” That wasn’t the only thing. Tears welled up in the corners of the reflections eyes where Bombshell could feel wetness in her own.
“You’ve been in a coma, dear. Someone will come and explain it to you. The important thing is, you’re on the road to recovery.” The imposter her Mom explained.
“I’m old…” Tears fully streamed down her face now, eyes still locked on her new reflection. “I.. I never thought I’d live past twenty… I’m… I’m so old… M-mom?”
This time when her mom approached, Bombshell didn’t shy away, in fact she leaned into her touch.
“Yes honey yes.. There's so much to tell you. I-” Her mom is cut off as the door to the room slammed open. Bombshell watched as her dad burst in running. He stopped in front of the bed.
“Oh my God…. My dear God. After all this time… I…I..” He fell to her side hugging her. Bombshell threw her arm around her dad and pulled her mom closer. The three embraced each other tears running down all of their faces. Phyliss hadn’t been hugged in so long. Even longer now, she realized. Her parents were here. They’d been here by her side for 15 years. They loved her.
“Dad.. Mom” Her parents said nothing in response they just squeezed her tighter
“Well, now” A deep voice snapped Bombshell back to reality. “Isn’t this just darling? Just so sweet..” The voice was smooth, confident. It carried a level of authority that only Prime Number’s did. Yet it wasn’t him. She’d never heard this voice before yet something about it was unmistakably familiar, scratching at her brain demanding recognition. Her eyes scanned the room for the voice finding a man just in the doorway.“But you know what Phyllis? I’m into sweet, I am,” The man continued, not bothering to introduce himself. He stood tall, at least 6 ft and wore a dark blue suit accented with a gold tie. The suit was well kept looking as if it had never so much as thought of wrinkling. He was the image of a spy: imposing, assertive, dangerous, alert. His left hand was holding a cigarette to his mouth as dark smoke poured out. Bombshell was pretty sure that you weren't allowed to smoke in a hospital, but no one seemed eager to correct him. His right hand was a prosthetic, shiny and more advanced than any Bombshell had ever seen. The right side of his face and neck were badly burned in a way that didn’t look recent. The burn narrowly missed his eye enveloping most of his forehead, eyebrow and part of his cheek. Not much hair grew on the left side of his head, the scalp being too burned but short blue hair grew on the other, having an official, proper sort of cut to it. His eyes were an even deeper blue. Behind the neutral set of his face, Bombshell could make out a spark of relief and joy in his eyes as if he was happy to see her. It was the eyes that really made something click. Even older, even devoid of their usual levity, those eyes were the same. The eyes, the hair, the voice, it was deeper but still his. It all fit but it couldn’t be it just couldn’t be .]
“Butch?...”
“Awfully informal there, agent. My designation’s Prime Number these days. Not bad for a guy you figured didn’t have what it took to be a spy, huh?” There was an amused smugness in Butch’s voice as he spoke. Bombshell was lost for words. Taking Butch in he seemed so different from the twerpy kid who followed Alex and her around like a dog. How come Butch was in charge of S.H.I.R.T.S? Where was the original Prime Number? Where was Alex? Questions flew through Bombshell's head but she felt frozen. As much as she wanted to ask, her mouth wouldn’t move.
Butch took his cigarette out blowing it out as smoke dramatically billowed out past a no smoking sign, “you haven't seen your folks in nearly two decades. That’s fine. You reconnect have some family time. Do some physical therapy. And as soon as you’re ready…”. He dropped the cigarette to the floor, crushing under his foot extinguishing the remaining sparks, “I’m going to send you to kill the one who put you in here.”