A/N: This is the sequel to my story "Whatever It Is You Are Called Upon To Do", taking an alternative direction from the final story arc of season 1, starting with "Providence". Ward is still a double agent (or is that a triple agent now?) working for Hydra on Maria Hill's orders, trying to take it down from the inside, while doing his best to protect his friends and his own humanity in the process.
Whatever Price I'll Have To Pay
Chapter 1
You couldn't kill Hydra by cutting off its head; that much Ward had known from the beginning. No, you had to set it on fire and burn it to the ground to make sure that every part of it would be completely destroyed. If he was being honest, however, the specialist had not expected the end of the evil organisation to be quite so literal.
As he was making his way through the burning building, on his way to face the man who had set all of this in motion, even if involuntarily, Agent Ward had no illusions about the outcome of this confrontation. However, as long as he managed to kill John Garrett – for Skye, for Fitz, and for himself – he didn't care that he was going to die with him.
He would never leave this building again, wouldn't get another chance to face his old team – his former friends – and apologise to them. Nor would he be able to see the results of everything he had done over the past few months to bring Hydra down for good. Still, all of that was okay, as he knew that he didn't deserve to anyway.
He had killed too many people, too many good agents, to get out of this alive. He had put his own team, those who had trusted him unconditionally, through hell, and even though they would soon know the truth and might even find it within themselves to forgive him, he never would. He had sacrificed all of himself to destroy Hydra, his reputation, his honour, his friends and even the woman he loved, it was only fitting that he sacrificed his life now as well.
Maybe he had helped to create a new world, a better one even, but he sure as hell didn't belong in it anymore, because he knew he was no better than the people he had been fighting all this time.
To be continued…