Pieces Solving a Puzzle
Spoilers:All seasons...
Disclaimer: I only own the characters that Marvel doesn't already own.
Six months before the day in question, the men in the underground garage wouldn't have just stood as still and silent as they did. Shutting the door to her car, Daisy Johnson moved past them and walked towards the door at the corner of the garage. The guard beside the door opened it for her and gave her a nod, not batting an eye at her or Lincoln as they moved past and up the stairs. It was only in the stairwell that Lincoln questioned her for what had to be fifteenth time in the hour.
"Daisy this is an insane idea, they're the ones who hunted Inhumans for so long!"
She turned upon reaching a landing and looked into the eyes of her friend and team member. "This isn't the HYDRA of legend, this one is new and besides we need the help. I told you to let me handle this and everything will be fine. We have very little resources and SHIELD is tracking us with an intensity that not even I can cover our tracks." She turned and started up the stairs again, "besides, I've already been talking to them for a while now."
"You've been in communication with HYDRA?" He sighed and followed her, "that's why they let us in and haven't been escorting us with weapons aimed. I thought it was because they knew not to mess with Inhumans."
"A bit of it." Daisy smiled as they reached the floor of interest, opening the door. "Plus if they touch me, they get shot and that comes from the Head of HYDRA."
They walked through hallways and several people nodded to Daisy, a woman quickly caught up to her and started talking. "He is currently in a meeting ma'am but I'll alert him to your arrival."
"He already knows I'm here Regan, my face was scanned by your computers when I drove up."
"Yes ma'am." The woman flipped through the files in her arms before handing Daisy one. "A new habitat was ordered for your team and supplies, all information is in the file."
She flipped through it several times, "I didn't ask for all the medical supplies and the new vehicles. Who put in a quinjet?" Daisy looked up at Regan, "am I assuming the asshole gave me more than I asked for?"
"I can neither confirm nor deny that ma'am." She gulped slightly, "I am sorry if it's not what you requested. I'll run the previous request through once again."
"Don't bother, I'll take it up with him. I'm guessing his meeting is with someone that pissed him off?"
The woman gulped again, "I can neither confirm nor deny that ma'am."
"Right, I know the way." Daisy handed her the file back. "Thank you Regan."
A smile emerged on the blonde's face. "You're welcome Agent Johnson, the director made it clear that I was to treat you as if you were him. Although, I can neither confirm nor deny that you are much more likeable."
Daisy squeezed her arm gently before making her way down the hall, Lincoln behind her. "What was that about?"
"Look," Daisy pulled him into an empty cubicle and stared into his eyes. "He's Inhuman, took a fish pill and woke up with a gift. He trusted me to help him so I did and in return, he doesn't hurt our people. In fact, he's our only ally and while I don't full trust him, he won't lie to me."
"You're saying the Head of HYDRA is Inhuman?" Lincoln looked past her to make sure no one overheard. "Do you know how dangerous that is?"
Daisy sighed, "Lincoln trust me when I say that if I thought for a second there was a danger to our people by being here, then I wouldn't be here. Besides, as I said before, we need the help."
"So you know who he is? The man in charge of an organization that murders without cause, you know who he is? Daisy do you not understand that if he thinks for a moment we're working against him, he'd destroy us all. No matter if you helped him, whoever he is he will kill you."
Looking down she shook her head before looking up. "He'd never harm me or our people, trust me on that."
"In this I don't know if I can, we're walking into the lair of the beast."
A few hallways later and they walked towards double doors, of which a man was being dragged out by several men. He looked on the side of death but a soft vibration let her know his heart was still beating. The men dragging the prisoner merely nodded to her and she paused as they passed to watch them.
"He's waiting on you Johnson, I wouldn't wait long." One of men stated, "this guy here pissed him off by withholding a lot till the last moment."
Daisy nodded, "his crime?"
"Sold HYDRA secrets, he got to keep his life but it was his lucky day. Boss didn't want a lecture so he let him live."
"Clean him up Taylor and let him go, he learned his lesson."
The man, Taylor, nodded with a smirk. "Of course ma'am."
One of the guards at the doors opened the wooden barrier and nodded to her. "You'll have to wait outside." He stated to Lincoln and Daisy turned back to him.
"Wait out here until I come get you, they won't touch you."
The doors shut behind her and Daisy entered the room to see a figure standing by the wide window. A slight reflection from the lights outside gave her half the profile of Grant Ward, she saw him wiping his hands with a cloth. She sidestepped the chair and what she knew was urine, the prisoner had wet himself during the beat down he received. Stopping at the window she looked out at the city of New York, the skyline beautiful at night.
"You let him live, that's not usually your way."
"I didn't feel like a lecture from you on how we're supposed to protect humans not kill them. I got enough of them in the past and I don't think my office can handle another fight like last time." He turned his head to look at her, "scorch marks and cracks still lie under the new paint."
"I didn't ask for a quinjet or the medical supplies."
He threw the rag to the side and walked to his desk, leaning against it. "I have a few extra and it's only a matter of time before your boyfriend is harassing you about low levels of medical supplies. It's to save you the headache before it begins."
"Lincoln isn't my boyfriend."
"Whatever Skye," he moved around the desk to sit in the chair. A few clicks on the computer and he looked up only when she sat on the chair across from him. "I designed the habitat to be impenetrable, even from Lash. If he can't get through then neither can SHIELD, you can train your team in safety."
Daisy folded her arms, "Coulson's team killed two of my potentials. I'll exchange the quinjet for a STRIKE team, I need one because we're down a few arms at the moment. Joey's legs are literally broken, David's in a coma and so it's just Yo-Yo and Lincoln.
"Don't worry about it." He looked up at her with a soft smile. "Pieces solving a puzzle Skye, we'll figure this out together. When Coulson turned on you, any goodwill I had towards the man disappeared. I know you and I don't see eye to eye at times but I told you once I'd never turn my back on you."
She gave a nod, "so it's a deal, the exchange?"
"I'll give you a STRIKE team and Regan, she'll help you manage whatever you need." He stood up and walked around the desk, putting his hands gently on her arms. "I owe you everything, you helped me when no one else could."
"I also shot you four times."
He smirked, "and I betrayed you after I kissed you, we're even."
"You're an asshole."
"Never said I wasn't Sweetheart." He moved away from her, "so, have Regan pack her stuff and she'll take you to the new habitat. Your quinjet is already standing by for you."
"I don't take orders from you anymore." She watched him move to the door and she followed.
Opening the door, Ward looked at her as she passed. "True but we're in this together." He looked past her at Lincoln, who stood wide-eyed at seeing who he was. "She's fine, not a single hair on her head touched." The former SHIELD agent reached out and caught the edge of Daisy's hair, she turned to look at him. "I like the new look, never told you that did I?"
She gave a soft smile, "a compliment and a smile all in one day, I guess you're thankful I didn't sink your building." With that he laughed as he shut the door.
A/N: I saw this AU photo set on Tumblr (the subject of it totally unrelated) and I started this.
Next: We start to learn why Coulson turned on Skye and why she turned to Ward.
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