"Daisy." said Lincoln, finding her on the Quinjet. She looked up.
"Hey, Lincoln." she said. He came and sat down next to her.
"I know why you're on here." he said, noticing her brief glance towards the cockpit. "Stop hurting yourself like that, Daisy. I'm here. I'm not dead."
"I know." she said. "This is the only place where I can get away from...everything."
"No, you're isolating yourself from us and not letting us help you." he corrected her.
"I'm letting you help me." Daisy replied. Lincoln raised his eyebrows.
"By being stubborn and having a death wish?" he asked. Their attention was drawn by Robbie walking onto the Quinjet.
"I need to get off this plane now." said Robbie. Daisy checked the flight route on her laptop.
"That should put you in...rural Utah." she told him.
"Coulson and May bothering you?" asked Lincoln, guessing what Robbie was going through. Robbie nodded. "Yeah, been there, done that. It sucks." Having two enhanced people on the plane with fiery tempers, literally in Robbie's case, must be driving Coulson crazy.
"I should be down there, getting answers, my way." said Robbie.
"Oh yeah?" asked Daisy. "How you gonna do that? Cracking skulls?"
"It's worked so far." said Robbie.
"Really?"
"I've been careful. I've never been caught, not even a parking ticket." he said. "Then you show up and you bring S.H.I.E.L.D. with you."
"Careful? Really?" asked Daisy. "You've been murdering people whilst possessed and on fire."
"Says the woman who has a death wish and been causing earthquakes everywhere she goes." said Lincoln.
"Oh yeah? What about you injected yourself with the antitoxin and fried every computer in the lab?" asked Daisy.
"Daisy, I'm Inhuman, Homosuperior and a medical doctor. I could probably do as much damage as either of you." Lincoln looked at Robbie. "I know you're settling scores, hoping that thing will go away. How's that going for you?"
"Look, Robbie, I get that this is personal for you." said Daisy. "But if you want answers, you need to trust S.H.I.E.L.D."
"You don't even trust them." Robbie pointed out. "Why else are you up here hiding from them?"
"I keep my distance because it's what's best...for everyone." she replied.
"No, it's because I faked my death by flying a Quinjet into outer space and Daisy's trying to hurt herself by remembering that." said Lincoln. Robbie looked at him in curiosity. "Yeah, it's a long story."
"Mack, do you read?" Coulson's voice came through the comms, as Mack, Daisy, Lincoln and Robbie listened to him and May on board the Zephyr. "The prison's compromised."
"Let me guess...Lucy Bauer?" asked Mack.
"Lucy and the whole "Peanuts" gang." said Coulson.
"So, she has friends." said Mack. "We'll have to assume they're targeting Eli Morrow."
"Targeting?" asked Robbie.
"Well, he put her husband in a coma, right?" asked Daisy.
"Coulson and May are barricaded in the warden's office, here, on the west side." said Mack, pointing to a map of the prison. "And Eli Morrow is located in the east wing, here, in cellblock E. We'll split into two teams. Daisy, Lincoln, you lead a team to extract Coulson and May. I'll lead a team to grab Eli."
"I'm going." said Robbie. "This is my family. You have no reason to keep me out of this."
"Because you only kill people that deserve it." said Mack.
"Exactly." said Robbie.
"Well, down there, everyone deserves it, so you stay put."
"No, we need an advantage down there." said Lincoln. "It's him. We can't even touch those things. He can kill them."
"You said if you needed some ghosts busted..." said Robbie.
"Ok." said Mack. "But you don't leave my sight. And just so we're clear, this is an ICERs only op. Anyone could have the psychosis, so they can't be held responsible for their actions. Now, S.H.I.E.L.D. is marshalling forces to control the perimeter, but that's hours away. Right now, we're the only ones going in, and we'll be outnumbered."
"Works for me." said Daisy.
"Fitz's Quinjet is five minutes out." said Mack. "That means we leave in six. Gear up." As Daisy and Lincoln dressed in their S.H.I.E.L.D. gear, Mack came over.
"You sure you're up for this?" Mack asked her.
"Let's find out." said Daisy, putting on her gauntlets.
"Yeah, new and improved gauntlets, but Simmons said if you quake..."
"I could shatter every bone in my body and be crippled for life?" she asked. "Yeah, yeah, yeah."
"Daisy..."
"I'm not gonna risk it." she said. "Besides, I didn't always have powers, and...I did alright."
"And she's got me looking after her, so...she'll be fine." said Lincoln. Daisy smiled and playfully punched him on the arm.
"Yep, my protective doctor boyfriend." she said. She and Lincoln headed towards the containment unit where they got in with Robbie and some S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, followed by Mack and Fitz.
"So, these work like EpiPens?" One of the agents asked, in regards to the antidotes that Fitz was holding.
"Almost, but more efficient." said Fitz. "To counteract the psychosis, the serum needs to be delivered directly into the brain stem, so... the injector... needs to be placed at the base of the skull."
"Oh, no." said Mack. "Now you know I don't like needles."
"Well, I mean, it's a bee sting, really." said Fitz.
"Oh hell." said Mack. The containment unit doors closed and the pod was released and flew down to the prison. It landed, the doors opened and the six of them walked out.
"Where are the guards?" asked one of the agents.
"That's a good question." said Mack, cocking his gun. "Keep your heads down. Not all of them will be friendly."
"Yes, sir." They separated, Mack and Robbie heading off to the east wing to find Eli and Daisy, Lincoln and the two agents heading off to the west wing to find Coulson and May.
Daisy, Lincoln and the two agents came to the warden's office and the latter two fired ICERs at the guards that were outside the door. Daisy nodded and one of the agents opened the door, both of their guns aimed, and they saw Coulson and May standing in combat ready positions, which they dropped. Daisy noticed the unconscious men on the floor behind them.
"We're here to, uh...rescue you?" she asked.
"Thought we'd meet you halfway." said May, as she and Coulson took some guns.
"Do we have Eli Morrow?" asked Coulson.
"Not yet." said Lincoln.
"Then we back up Mack and Robbie." said Coulson. "Agents, we need Warden Green and his C.O.s lucid if we're gonna retake this place. Plus, the "demon" conversation gets stale."
"Copy that." said one of the agents, taking the antidote and injecting it into the base of the men's skulls. One of the men cried out.
"Stop whining." said May. The four of them headed off to meet up with Mack and Robbie.
"I know it's a little public, but it's the fastest route to Eli's cell. Believe me." said Fitz, giving them a direction to go in. Coulson, May, Daisy and Lincoln walked into a cell block full of prisoners with familiar looking tattoos on their hands.
"Coulson." said Daisy.
"I see it too." said Coulson.
"It's how they're organising." she said, as they walked through. "All the new Watchdogs, they're recruiting in prison, uniting against us."
"Hey, you seeing this? It's S.H.I.E.L.D." said one of the prisoners. "They protect those freaks."
"Which one of you's the freak?" asked another prisoner.
"Come on, let's go." said Coulson, wanting to get Daisy and Lincoln out of the room full of Watchdogs as quickly as possible.
"Hey, stop!" exclaimed May. They saw Lucy Bauer appear in front of them, smile and then unlock the cell doors. Coulson, May, Daisy and Lincoln backed away towards the exit as the prisoners came out of their cells.
"Fitz, we could really use that exit." said Coulson.
"If I release the door, all the doors in cellblock A open." Fitz told him. "The security wings, the exterior exits..."
"Just do it!" Coulson exclaimed. The door behind them opened.
"Go, go!" May called, and the four of them turned and ran for it.
"Let's go, go, go!" Coulson called, as they ran into the cafeteria. He shut the doors and they moved tables against it to keep it closed. "Come on, come on, come on!"
"Coulson, the exit is on the north side." said Fitz. "I'm gonna try and get you to a secure cellblock." They ran towards the doors at the other side of the cafeteria.
"You're gonna make it." said Daisy, locking Coulson and May out and knocking off the door handle.
"Daisy, what the hell are you doing?" asked Lincoln.
"This is our fight." she told the three of them before running off to the Watchdogs.
"Don't do this!" Coulson called after her.
"Dammit!" exclaimed May.
"I'll make sure she doesn't get herself killed." Lincoln told them, then ran off after Daisy and jumped up on the table next to her. "So, what's the plan?" He asked her.
"Kill as many Watchdogs as possible." she replied.
"Sounds good to me." he replied. She whistled at the Watchdogs.
"Here, boy." she said.
They punched and kicked at the Watchdogs before jumping down and decided not to use their powers as that would provoke the Watchdogs even more. Daisy ran into the kitchen and Lincoln followed her to make sure nothing happened. Daisy got overpowered by the Watchdogs and Lincoln started to punch them. Whilst he was distracted, one of the Watchdogs grabbed Daisy and held her against the table and started to strangle her.
"Linc..." she managed to choke out, small vibrations rumbling through the floor.
"Daisy!" Lincoln exclaimed.
He ran over and grabbed the man in a chokehold, pulling him away from Daisy as she gasped for breath. The Watchdog elbowed Lincoln in the side and Lincoln stumbled back, leaving room for Daisy to whack the man over the head with a plate, knocking him to the ground. She winced and held her arm in pain. Lincoln ran over to her as Coulson and May burst into the room, firing their guns at the remaining Watchdogs.
"Daisy, Lincoln!" exclaimed Coulson.
"That was suicidal, and stupid." May told Daisy.
"I agree." said Lincoln.
"You weren't supposed to come back for me." said Daisy.
"We just saved your life!" May replied.
"And risked your own!" exclaimed Daisy. "I never asked for that."
"Let's argue about who should have left who to die later." said Coulson. "When we get back to the Zephyr, you are going to have Lincoln take a look at you."
"Of course." agreed Lincoln. Daisy opened her mouth to argue. "You have a death wish, your bones are still recovering from your long-term use of your powers and the Watchdogs gave you a pretty bad beating. I need to make sure you're ok, physically and mentally."
"I'll be fine..." she said.
"Fine?" asked Lincoln. "No. You won't."
"Fitz, what's the status on Eli Morrow?" Coulson asked.
"Quinjet's on its way to the yard for extraction." replied Fitz. "Mack has him in his custody."
"Come on." said Coulson. "Let's get out of here."
"They'll get you set up, lead you back inside." Coulson was saying to the agents. Mack came running out of the prison. "Where's Eli Morrow?"
"I sent him out with Robbie." said Mack. "He should be out here." A few minutes later Robbie came running.
"Where's my uncle?" asked Robbie.
"He's supposed to be with you." said Mack. "What the hell happened?"
Lincoln wasn't surprised to find Daisy sitting on the Quinjet. She looked up as she heard him come closer.
"If you're looking for Robbie, he's off hating himself somewhere else." she said.
"It's you I came to see." said Lincoln, sitting down next to her.
"I'm fine." she said.
"No, you're not." he said. "Daisy? Talk to me."
"Every time I'm on the Quinjet, I'm reminded of...of that." Daisy replied. He didn't have to ask her what she was referring to.
"Yeah, me too." he replied. "But I don't let it bother me. You know why?" She shook her head. "It's in the past. I flew the Quinjet into space, teleported out and Hive was killed. End of story."
"You faked your death for six months." she said.
"I know. That was hard for me." he said. "You saw how bad my wound was. Teleporting from outer space back down to Earth with that wound used up a lot of energy. I had to recuperate. I knew that Ultra would detect my telesignature, so I had to stay hidden from them, and away from S.H.I.E.L.D., until I knew that I was safe. The one thing I didn't count on was you going vigilante."
"I thought you were dead." said Daisy. "I needed some time away from S.H.I.E.L.D."
"I know, but I did not fake my death for you to have a death wish, Daisy."
"You don't know how I'm feeling." she said.
"You mean suicidal?" he asked. "I know exactly how that feels." He gently laid his hand on top of hers. "Let me help you, Daisy." Daisy looked up at him.
"How?" she asked. He took hold of her hand and pulled her up, leading her over to the cockpit and sitting her down in the pilot's seat before crouching down and looking up at her. "What are you doing?"
"You keep reminding yourself of my...death...so I'm doing this to help you." said Lincoln. "Close your eyes." Daisy did so. "Focus on my voice." She started to panic and he knew that the memories were coming back. "Daisy, focus. I'm right here."
"You can't just die for me like this." she said, crying as the memory came back to her. "It's...it's wrong." Lincoln put took her hands in his and cupped his face in them.
"Saving the girl that I love and the world at the same time?" he asked. "Feels pretty right to me." Daisy opened her eyes and looked at him, his hands holding hers for comfort and support.
"Oh, Lincoln..." She slipped off the seat and sat down on the floor beside him then hugged him, crying.
"I'm right here, Daisy." said Lincoln, hugging her back. "I'm not going anywhere."