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Daisy's breath caught in her throat as she gazed at the sleeping bundle of blankets. Lincoln. She padded softly towards him, hope fluttering in her heart. Entranced by the unmoving figure, she bumped into the side of the bed, banging her shins on the frame. The movement caused him to stir, and he turned towards Daisy, exposing his face.
She backpedaled to the closet doors, and barely had time to shove her fist in her mouth before she could scream. Ward lifted his face, eyes still closed, and murmured, "Skye?"
Panting, Daisy rushed back to the safety of the bathroom, the carpet masking her panicked footsteps. She locked the door, and leaned against it, slowly sinking to the floor. The air seemed stifling and sticky, a struggle for her lungs to inhale. Her quick breathing did nothing to help the suffocating feeling.
"I need to calm down," she whispered to herself. An anxiety attack would only make matters worse, but she couldn't stop the overwhelming flood of emotion: disappointment, frustration, and fear. "It's Ward, only Ward." Talking aloud seemed to help. "It's not Hive. He can't control me." Daisy folded her legs up under her chin, clasping her arms around her robed knees. "It's only some twisted reality of Aida's. I can take it." Exhaling slowly, she stood up. "I can take anything."
As she stood up, her knees almost gave away, and she slammed against the door, jabbing herself in the side with the knob. "Come on, Daisy," she muttered. She glanced in the mirror to the side of her head, and grimaced. Unkempt hair hung limp by her pale face only colored by splotchy cheeks. Anxiety's ugly.
A cup on the counter had a yellow toothbrush in it, and Daisy grabbed it, quickly swabbing it in her mouth. At least the toothpaste here is the same.
After finishing her toilette, she finally unlocked the door, carefully peeking out. Ward was still snoozing, so Daisy crept out to the dresser near the foot of the bed. A quick search informed her that her clothes belonged in the closet. Of course.
As quietly as she could, she inched open the wooden closet doors; despite her caution, the hinges still creaked. Ward shifted again, and she took it as a sign to move quickly. Gathering some clothing items that would look somewhat decent together, she scurried back to the bathroom.
"Skye?"
Crap. "We're being called in!" Slam.
Once back in her haven, Daisy congratulated herself on only speaking half an octave higher than usual. She slipped into the outfit she'd picked out. Most of it was her normal style: easy to move in, and black, with an olive green jacket for her arms. Hopefully this was a normal outfit for her Framework avatar.
She pocketed the phone that had fallen to the ground in her shock, and opened the bathroom door again, ready to face Ward this time.
Maybe I'm not so ready, she thought, as she smacked into a shirtless Ward changing at the dresser. "Morning," he greeted with an easy laugh.
Daisy let out her own nervous laugh. "Hey."
He pouted, moving even closer to her and encircling her in his arms. "What, no good morning kiss?"
Daisy ducked as he leaned towards her face. "You haven't brushed your teeth yet!" she exclaimed quickly. He grinned and released her, but she remained as tense as she had been in the close encounter. Okay, it's okay.
He tugged on a shirt, then entered the bathroom, leaving the door at only a crack. Daisy looked around to see what else she could take. A laptop and its supplies were heaped on the desk, along with a leather portfolio. Glancing at the bathroom to ensure her safety, she picked up the portfolio first. It contained several files, all with an octopus logo stamped in the corner. She sucked in her breath. Is this mine or Ward's?
Her answer appeared in the first file: Research Compilation for Skye and Grant Ward. So both of us. She quickly skimmed through the data, trying to get some sort of feel for the things she'd need to know. It mostly consisted of people, with several events sprinkled in. Ward came back out just as she finished the last file. "What are you doing?"
She tossed the folder into the portfolio nonchalantly. "Refreshing my memory."
He nodded, flashing her a devilish grin. "I guess we were a little too busy to do that last night, huh?"
Daisy froze her face in a plastic smile as she inwardly gagged. "Yep. Just a little."
He zipped up the portfolio. "Grab your laptop, and let's go." She shoved the laptop and charging cord in the bag, and followed mutely.
In the parking garage, Daisy clambered into the black truck after Ward. The drive out of the structure and on to the main road was silent. She discretely but casually checked through her phone for more evidence about the strange world she was invading. Although past messages were still logged on the phone, no contacts were listed, which meant only Skye was knowledgeable in that area.
Ward obviously knew what he was doing in the late morning traffic. The sun shone brightly in a clear sky, illuminating pale buildings over the horizon of the highway. The city was familiar, but not enough that she recognized it until she saw a tall spire piercing the atmosphere. The Washington Monument. So they were in D.C.
An interesting thought struck Daisy. The Triskelion was located in Washington, and had been S. H. I. E. L. D. headquarters. It was possible that it belonged to HYDRA, now.
"You've been uncharacteristically quiet today," Ward remarked. "Normally you're making plans for dinner right now."
She bit her lip and glanced out the window at the racing landscape. "I-I had a bad dream. About Simmons?" She would sound really dumb if he didn't know who that was. But if he did, maybe he could tell her.
Fortunately, his face softened. "Oh, Skye. Why didn't you tell me? I know you miss her."
Daisy turned. "Do you think we could visit her later?"
Ward hesitated, but agreed. "Yeah. Let's plan doing it tonight. We'll talk to the Director about borrowing a jet."
I wonder where she is. "Thank you. It means a lot to me." Ward sighed and continued driving.
As they wove through cars on the road, Daisy learned that her musings were correct. The white Triskelion loomed in the near distance, but the appearance was slightly different from the real world's. It was shorter, and while some of the building was bright, other places had remnants of scorch marks, as though it had been rebuilt after an explosion; and rather than the S. H. I. E. L. D. eagle emblazoned at the top, it was the HYDRA logo again.
They arrived, and walked in a set of doors as easy as though it were a mall. A large indoor plaza greeted them, and nicely-dressed people milled around. Daisy lagged behind Ward as they walked through, and he grabbed her hand, startling her out of her sightseeing. "Are you sure you're okay?" he murmured. He actually sounded concerned.
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"Okay, well we're going this way," he said, steering her from the main path.
"Right."
Entering a hallway that branched from the glass courtyard, they entered another that looked more like an airport check. After being scanned by a security guard, they gave her a clip-on badge, which she attached to her jacket. As they were walking away, another agent rushed through, hitting Daisy as he dashed past. "Sorry- Skye! We've got a meeting and you know how the Director is!"
Ward's eyes narrowed. "Thanks, Williams." He checked his phone, and chuckled after scrolling. "In five minutes. We're fine."
Walking hand-in-hand down the corridor, Daisy pondered this world. At first, existing in the same area with Grant Ward made her want to puke in disgust, but her opinion had changed slightly. This Ward seemed to genuinely care about her, and not in a crazy way, but in a loving way. Not that she'd ever love him back, for a million reasons, but she could tolerate him. And use him.
Lost in thought, she let Ward lead them to a conference room, where they sat in office chairs around a table. She scanned the room for familiar faces, but found none, until a door opening broke the mumble of conversation from the other employees. Ward squeezed her hand, and she glanced at him, then the newcomer, and her jaw dropped.