Dani's POV
(Nightwing27th)

I felt something shake me and my eyes shot open. I was instantly on high alert. I did a quick glance around. Nothing but sand for miles. Everything had this annoying blue tint to it. I closed my eyes and laid my head back. "Come on," Frank said, slapping my arm. "Rise and shine." I groaned and opened my eyes just to see him stand. His gun still draped across his shoulder, finger on the trigger.

He walked around me as I sat up. That was a stupid idea. But it worked. Maybe. How do we even know this is the right planet? Okay. That sounded terribly weird. Like, 'I'm losing my mind' weird. Because I am. This hunt for Ward has been crazy, and most of it was unnecessary. Frank offered his hand and I took it. He pulled me to my feet and then moved on.

"You alright, Sir?" he asked Coulson, reaching his hand down to him. I rolled my eyes. Kiss up. Coulson took it, looking just as confused at our surroundings as I was. The planet was mainly sand, according to Simmons. And it looks like she was right. We had landed at the base of a large sand hill, after jumping out of the jet.

It was in the heat of the moment. Ward had just gone through with either Fitz or Simmons. They were about to close the portal and we were running out of time. Frank had jumped first, refusing to let Ward get away again. Coulson and I quickly followed. But from the looks of it, the portal has closed.

"I'm okay," Coulson said, standing. He glanced around, landing on something over Frank's shoulder. I turned and followed his gaze. "Huh." Another planet hung in the atmosphere, so close it looked like it'd collide with the one we're on. "Tatooine." I smiled at the Star Wars reference and then moved on.

I looked at Coulson. "We need to find them. We can't be too far behind."

"Agreed." He unclipped his parachute, reminding me to do the same. Then he pulled out his gun, dropping the clip and shaking out loose sand. I dropped my parachute and then walked a few feet away. I spun, trying to get a better look at everything. But there wasn't really much to look at. "Come on."

I turned around to look at Coulson, but he was already moving. Frank followed suit, ignoring me. He is too mission oriented. Like, really. I sigh. "Okay. Fine." I said, reaching for my hand gun. "Let's just…wonder the dessert on a wasteland planet." I griped the gun in my right hand and followed after them. "Hey, I know." I stopped and pointed off to the side. "Let's ask that rock for directions."

Coulson stopped ten feet ahead and turned back to look at me, unimpressed. Frank walked passed him and sojourned on. "What?" I tossed my arms to the side. Coulson gave me a look I've seen a million times, then turned around and kept walking. I sighed, long and hard. I rolled my eyes and started walking. "You know," I shouted so they could hear me, "I know I said I'd do anything to find Ward, go to the ends of the Earth. But I think we passed that."

I eventually caught up to them, with no thanks to them. We walked for what seemed like forever. Everything looked the same, I felt like we were going in circles. Then, finally we came across some tracks. A part of me wondered if they were ours, but I knew that wasn't true. We stopped and looked around.

"There's at least five men," Frank said, looking down at the prints.

"Or one just ran in circles," I sighed. I looked up at him, my eyes locking on his. He was glaring at me. And, not the normal glare. This was the 'when we first met' glare. "Fine. Shutting up." I sighed and walked up to Coulson. He was holding a jacket he'd found near the side of the embankment. He looked at it a minute and then tossed it.

"This way," he said, before practically jumping down the hilly sand cliff. I followed, going down it sideways as to not lose my footing. I heard Frank behind me, but wasn't concerned about him getting lost. Since joining S.H.I.E.L.D., he's been glued to my side. It was nice at first and then grew into the biggest ball of annoyance.

We followed the tracks for, again, what felt like forever. I'm sure we've been walking for miles. And not much of the scenery had changed. But then the wind picked up. Like, hard. But we kept moving. We came to a clearing, with a few large rocks, just as the storm worsened. We must be near the center of it.

The wind was blowing sand so hard, it stung when it hit your skin. Thankfully, not much of mine was showing. And all the flying sand was making it hard to see. But even if we could, the tracks are long gone. I put my hand up to shield my face as I tried to look around. We had to keep moving, the only question was where.

And then something caught my eye. I saw three figures walking about fifty feet away, deep in the storm. The back of my hand smacked Frank in the arm. He looked down at me and I pointed at the people. He brought up his gun and started walking. I held up mine, tiny in comparison, and followed. Coulson doing the same.

As we got closer, we started to see who it was. Ward and two men. My pulse went from zero to off the charts in the blink of an eye. Frank shot the guy on the right as I shot the one on the left. Ward turned around just as Coulson shot him. Ward flew back and to the ground. He quickly sprang forward for his gun. I jogged the last few feet, putting my foot on top of his hand which had just found the gun.

I aimed mine down at him as he glared up at me. Everything in me wanted to pull the trigger right there. Get it over with, finish it. But I knew I couldn't. Fitz, or Simmons, was nowhere in sight. And, we need a way off the planet. "Dylan," he smirked, removing his hand. He glanced at Coulson and Frank. His eyes lingered on Frank a little longer than I would've liked. Then, finally he landed on Coulson. "You'll never find Fitz without me."

"I'm not here for Fitz," Coulson said.

"Maybe." I reached down and grabbed the gun, tossing it. "But you're not going to let him die here either."

"Fitz is a smart guy. He'll find his way back."

"He'll be dead within the hour," Ward got to his knees. The three of us were just waiting for him to step out of line. "The creature who lives here can smell blood. Fitz is bleeding." He smiled, borderline laughing. I dropped the gun to my side and then brought my foot straight up, hitting him in the jaw. He flew back onto the sand.

"So are you," Coulson smirked. "Now get up. You're going to lead the way." Ward spit blood onto the sand, glaring up at me. When he didn't get to his feet, Frank walked up to him and grabbed him. He jerked him to his feet and then wiped him around to tie his hands. Ward looked over his shoulder at him, then to me.

"Desperate times?" he asked.

"Shut up," I said, aiming my gun at his chest. Frank finished and then shoved him forward. Ward stumbled, nearly biffing it. He glanced over his shoulder at us, taking a few steps. "Move," Frank said. Ward faced forward and started walking. The storm still ragged on around us, but it wasn't long until that ended. The wind had almost stopped, and we were back to everything looking the same.

We traveled in silence. Something I don't usually like…that is, until Ward was the one who broke the silence. "I saw something terrible today," he said. "And, when I saw 'terrible', I mean ancient and powerful. It's changed how I see things. I never believed I was worth anything…"

"And there's a reason for that," I said.

"That what I said or did had any meaning," he continued. I rolled my eyes. "Maybe that's why I'm a spy. Or why I agreed to come here."

"If you're trying to talk us out of this," Coulson said, "you can save your breath."

"I'm not looking for mercy or absolution. I just want you to know," Ward wiped around and we all yanked our guns up and pointed them at his chest. "I've been where you are right now. All of you. Filled with rage, wanting revenge… I chose Hydra for petty, personal, selfish reasons. For a father figure, for vengeance…for closure. But what I saw today gave my life meaning.

"For the first time ever, I have a sense of satisfaction that I never experienced when I was seeking revenge."

He's lost his mind. A gunshot rang out and Ward slightly twisted to the left. Coulson had shot him in the right arm. "I gotta say…feels pretty satisfying to me."

"Turn around," Frank said, "and keep walking."

Ward looked at him, then back at Coulson. "You know, everyone had this place wrong. It isn't death. It's a new beginning. Malick was right. This was all meant to be. And the fact that you followed me here, that we're all in this together, that just confirms the fact that I'm a part of a grand plan."

"What do you know," I tried to sound surprised, like some teenager. "Me, too." Then I turned serious. "Mine is putting you in the ground."

"Ye of little faith."

"You know what I have faith in? This gun," I shook the one I was holding, "and the way its bullets will pierce through your flesh. Now move…before I show you my grand plan." He gave me a stupid smirk. Like he was somehow better. Like he somehow might actually feel sorry for me that I don't see what he does. You know what I see? A crazy man whose been wandering the desert too long.

Frank walked up to him and physically turned him around, then jammed the muzzle of his gun into his back, shoving him forward. Then we began walking again. Ward leading the way. Something I was not fond of. We walked for another eternity, and then some. Frank stayed closets to Ward, Coulson and I pulling up the rear. I sighed, my body not liking all of this.

"Hold up," Frank said, and we all stopped. He raised his rifle, looking through the scope. He lowered it a minute later. "They're over there," jutting his chin that direction. There was a larger open plain in front of us.

"How long before that portal opens?" Coulson asked.

"There's a timer on my watch," Ward said, way too happy to tell us. Frank kept his gun on Ward and I walked toward him. I stood behind Ward and reached down to his hands. I grabbed the watch quickly, ripping it off of him. I stepped back with Coulson and we looked at the time. Thirteen minutes and thirty seconds. Great.

"We need to go," I said, and Frank prodded Ward forward. We moved as fast as we could, following their footsteps. A few minutes later, we rounded a corner and came to a ledge. It dropped off into another open plain. But that wasn't what caught my eye. Fitz was on the ground, Will (the main reason why everyone wanted to come back to this stupid planet, in the first place) was standing over him holding a small boulder above his head.

I saw Frank's muzzle light up seconds before Will dropped. Then something shoved me from behind and I toppled forward, tumbling down the embankment. I came to a rest on my stomach. I sighed and looked up from where I fell. Coulson and Frank were fighting Ward. I glanced at Fitz and then back at them.

Then I did a double take toward Fitz. Will had not only gotten back up but was now walking away. I quickly found my gun and got to my feet. Fitz shot Will in the back and he didn't stop. That's when I saw a slight shimmer on the ground ahead. The portal.

That's not Will. And it's trying to get back to our world. Fitz pulled the trigger again and again. I walked up behind Fitz and began emptying my clip into Will. At the first shot, Fitz ducked and looked behind him. He saw me and then turned back to Will, firing his gun into him. Will's body finally dropped to the ground.

I sighed and reloaded, turning around. Frank was now at the base of the hill where I landed, looking beat up but okay. Coulson wrestled with Ward until he managed to deck him. Ward hit the ground and then Coulson stood over top of him. I turned to look at the portal, horrified by what I saw. Will was standing.

"Uh…Fitz?"

He spun around and saw Will. He then dropped the gun and reached into a back on the ground. He pulled out a white flare gun and aimed it at Will. He pulled the trigger and I watched as the flame struck Will in the back. He almost instantly caught on fire. He dropped to his knees and then the ground, his body being consumed by the fire.

"Coulson!" Fitz turned to face him. "The portal's closing! Leaving him! Let's go!" Coulson stood over Ward, indecision on his face. Frank ran up to us, glancing at the portal. "Now! We have to go!"

"Coulson, come on!" I yelled. He looked at us, then at Ward. Coulson stepped over Ward and began running down the hill to us. Fitz smiled and ran for the portal. I stayed and with Frank for Coulson. He was half way down the hill when Ward managed to stand, and in the blink of any eye…I raised my gun.