I started writing this just after 3x20 aired, but couldn't find the inspiration to finish it until the finale this past week.
Daisy isn't in the best headspace here due to symptoms of withdrawal from Hive's parasitic presence, blood loss from her giving so much to Doctor Radcliffe, and the resultant dehydration. So, she's a little out-of-character, but in a canon way. (If that makes sense.)
I've striven to make every detail medically accurate, but if you have a question or correction, please feel free to drop them down in a review below!
"…This is Agent Daisy Johnson – I'm coming home. I repeat, I'm coming home."
The confirmation in her ear was nothing more than the rise and fall of an unfamiliar voice. Logically she knew they would be asking her status, but she couldn't bring herself to respond as the bright light of the sky outside the hanger doors blinded her, disorienting her tired brain.
"I'm coming home," she whispered again to herself, the words astounding her.
"I'm coming home."
The flight back to base was a blur. Daisy knew that SHIELD could control the coordinates to which the plane flew now that she wasn't hacking their systems constantly, and remembered the plane taking off. She also had a vague memory of looking for a bottle of water in the Quinjet, but couldn't recall where she'd found it. Perhaps muscle memory had kicked in and led her to where they usually were without her guidance, but then, after sitting back down, she couldn't muster the strength to open the bottle in her weak state.
Daisy felt a burning behind her eyes and the hitch of a sob in her chest, but when she reached up to wipe away her blurry vision there were no tears to speak of.
An indeterminate amount of time later the automatic "ding!" of the computers signaling touchdown broke through Daisy's glazed-over thoughts and she managed to buckle in for the landing.
The back hatch opened before she had a chance to even think about reaching for the lever that would do so, and there was a gasp from behind her that made Daisy spin automatically around and try to unbuckle herself. She failed at both endeavors, her head spinning wildly with dizziness and her fingers fumbling the simple release for the seatbelt holding her fast to the pilot's chair.
"Here, let me get that for you."
The voice was so familiar, but Daisy couldn't put the sounds to a name until her vision had cleared and she saw May's face just in front of her own. Recoiling automatically, Daisy shook her head, feeling her limbs trembling with a fresh wave of adrenaline in her already wrung-out system. May couldn't be there. Daisy would hurt her. Lash had said she was free, and Daisy certainly didn't feel the happy peace that Hive's presence had given, but she couldn't be sure.
Images of Mack's broken body on the ground below her flashed across her vision as her chest heaved with dry sobs.
"No-" Daisy managed to get out before she coughed suddenly, her head starting to pound and her dizziness returning.
Gentle and strong hands easily unbuckled her from the chair and lifted her to the ground even as Daisy fought weakly. She tried to struggle – they were in danger as long as she was there – but the feeling of a warm body against her own clammy skin made Daisy pause, a singular breath of air making its way into her lungs, then another.
Something snapped beside her ear, then there was the patient pressure of ribbed plastic against her lips.
"This is some water," May said, holding the bottle firmly to the younger agent's mouth. Daisy wanted to push her off, but couldn't even find the strength to refuse verbally. Maybe some water would help.
"Small sips," May instructed, even as she tipped the bottle, letting some of the liquid dribble into Daisy's mouth. It chilled her even more, but it also moistened her throat, and Daisy instinctively pushed forward, trying to gulp more from the bottle. She was so thirsty and if only May would let her have the rest…
The water was taken away as Daisy leaned toward it, and she whined, blinking rapidly as she tried to get her eyes to focus on her surroundings.
An unfamiliar voice came from behind them.
"Agent May, I don't think-"
"Didn't I tell you to wait outside?" May snapped, and Daisy flinched at the loud sound.
"We just-"
"Give me two minutes. Then she can go inside," May said, cutting them off. Daisy wondered who May was talking about. Go inside where?
"But Director Coulson-"
"Two minutes."
There was a pause, and Daisy held her breath until she coughed, and then the water was returned to her lips. She slowed her sips so the water wouldn't be taken away, and she got down about half the bottle before it disappeared.
"That's enough, Daisy," May said, and Daisy felt alert enough to truly understand her for the first time since getting back. A deep well of shame filled her gut, only prevented from becoming profuse apologies by Daisy's exhaustion.
"Thanks," she managed to mutter, and allowed May to help her to her feet. Her eyes cleared enough to see the men standing outside the back of the Quinjet – two vaguely familiar agents – and she knew what was coming, even if she didn't really process the thought.
"They're going to cuff you," May whispered in Daisy's ear, just loud enough for her to hear, and Daisy nodded in acceptance, as there wasn't much more she could do.
"Don't struggle," May continued, and if Daisy had had enough energy to even think of struggling she would have laughed. She settled for a, hopefully, less weary face. "It's just protocol, and you've got nothing to worry about, especially from Phil."
Daisy gave a half-hearted nod as they stepped around Lash's body to exit the Quinjet, not exactly believing the older woman's words. She was quite sure she had plenty to worry about from every member of the team, including Coulson, but that was alright. If May could delude herself into thinking that everything was fine, it was perfectly alright with Daisy, especially if it made May feel better.
A gentle squeeze on her shoulder made Daisy turn just before stepping off the jet.
"I'm glad you're back," May said, and before Daisy could respond her SO had fallen back and the two men had taken her place. Cuffs were locked around her wrists as she looked back over her shoulder, but May had already turned to Lash's body and Daisy didn't want to break up her moment.
Besides, her head was already starting to spin again, and she felt a little hungry, even though she wasn't sure if she could keep any food down. She would ask Jemma, or Lincoln… Or she could just ask one of the science techs to get her something to eat. Jemma and Lincoln, Fitz and Mack, Elena and Joey, they all had their own problems to deal with that didn't have to do with her, instead with Hive's continued existence.
At the thought of that parasite, a deep, primal part of Daisy screamed out for the sway. It was like a void had opened inside her for the sole purpose of yearning for that connection she had shared with the rest of her kin who had been controlled by Hive.
Daisy flinched at the thought, then nearly tripped over a raised portion of the floor. One of the men behind her made a frustrated grumble and Daisy tried to say "sorry" but she wasn't positive the words made it out of her mouth in an audible fashion.
Regardless, they kept walking through the hanger, up the familiar stairs to the hanger door, and one of the men scanned his lanyard so they were let through the first of the "blast doors", as they were so affectionate called by the agents below. The first slid closed behind them and there was the sound of the lock sliding closed before the other man stepped forward to open the next door.
The yellow door slid out of the way, opening onto the fluorescently-lit hallways of the Playground, the soft vibration of the lights echoing off the stone and brick walls. Daisy felt a warm feeling as she was led forward and the familiar ambiance surrounded her. Suddenly she had to push away the urge to cry.
Two steps in she noticed other vibrations that had become familiar to her were present – Coulson, Lincoln, Fitz, Jemma, and Mack were all there. Her powers felt glitchy, for lack of a better term, fading in and out, but she could recognize each of them in a moment, even after what felt like months apart. Daisy experienced a simultaneous urge to run forward and embrace them and to hide in the nearest corner. In fear of either winning out over the other (not that she felt she could accurately judge which would be worse), she kept her head down, her eyes averted, even as Lincoln's presence stepped forward to meet her.
But Coulson had already been closer.
As they passed the Director, the two men escorting her paused, but Daisy wasn't sure if it was for judgement or direction. So, when all that came from Coulson's mouth was: "Welcome back, Agent Johnson," her muddled brain couldn't come to terms with it for a long moment.
She blinked, and looked up at his face, but it carried none of the harsh evaluation she'd been expecting. Daisy opened her mouth, though what she would say she didn't know. Then Lincoln spoke before she had a chance to, and her heart skipped a beat at his words.
"It's good to see you."
A few simple words threw all of Daisy's previous ideas out the window, scattering them to some metaphorical wind. She had expected some retribution from her… boyfriend?
(Could she even call him that anymore?)
She had expected some retribution from Lincoln, but that was not at all what he had delivered. Hazy details of flirtatious conversations echoed back in her mind, of lies delivered so clearly and confidently that she was conflicted with herself despite being under the sway. Daisy remembered Hive giving his instructions – Make him trust you, and bring him here. He will understand our ends soon enough.
Blinking hard, Daisy instinctively warded off tears that burned her eyes but didn't cloud her vision or even fill her tear ducts. She had played him, used him in the worst possible way, and there he was acting like it was no big deal, like he had no problems with it in the slightest.
Unable to form a coherent thought in rebuttal, Daisy cast about for something, anything to say…
"Lash died trying to save me."
The words came out of her mouth faster than she could truly form them into a coherent thought, because she knew that Lincoln had somehow gotten Lash on the Quinjet and not himself. She knew he'd still contacted her from the control panel on the small plane. And she knew the rest of the team needed to know Lash wasn't under Hive's control – it would make them feel better. They wouldn't have to worry about any of that.
"Did you manage to kill Hive?" Talbot asked from her left, his voice sharp and loud and grating.
Daisy bit her lip and shook her head the slightest amount, closing her eyes as the headache that had previously been a dull pain blazed to life with a small pain of agony centered at the back of her skull.
"Get her to the med bay," Jemma ordered the men holding Daisy, and she was thankful for Jemma's detachment. At least someone could keep their head without pity for her clouding what they were thinking. Jemma was smart. Jemma would get done what needed to get done. They she would take a moment to hurt. And maybe Fitz would give her a hug. That would be alright.
The agents led Daisy down the hallway, her headache growing with each step on the stone floor. She stumbled as they went through the door to the med bay proper, and Jemma called out, still softly, from behind them: "Be careful!"
One of the men turned and Daisy winced as they spun in a circle, her headache increasing tenfold.
"Get her on a cot! Now!" Jemma hissed, a gentle hand taking Daisy's wrist and guiding her over to a bed that was low enough for her to easily hop onto. Jemma fiddled with something and the bed rose, a whirring vibration (that wasn't entirely unpleasant, but not exactly pleasant either) coursing through Daisy's limbs. It stopped with the slightest jolt, but her sensitive mind registered it as much larger and she swayed even as Jemma rushed forward.
A strong, solid presence held Daisy's shoulders in place so she didn't fall, then, when she felt more stable, a few fingers slid down to her wrists – just Jemma checking her pulse.
"Fast and weak," she reported to the lab techs after a moment, still sounding calm as ever. "One-thirty is her resting heart rate – prep an immediate blood transfusion and a full cranial scan."
Jemma's fingers lightly caressed Daisy's forearm, all the comfort she gave before she brought a hand up to Daisy's head.
"I need to check your eyes, Daisy."
The Inhuman hadn't even realized her eyes were squeezed tightly shut, and relaxed so Jemma could gently pull one open and look at what her pupil did. Based on the scientist's expression, the result wasn't terrible.
"You're not going into shock, that's good," Jemma said, her voice encouraging and a smile firmly fixed on her face.
Daisy tried to summon a smile, but she could tell she had failed when Jemma's lost its brightness. She looked down to her cuffed hands and the ground instead.
"The cuffs are only a precaution until we make sure your mind is absolutely Hive-free," Jemma said, but Daisy could hear – or feel, she wasn't quite sure which – the warble in the scientist's voice that betrayed her doubt. "Anyway, for now, let's get you laid down so we can do a CT scan. Will laying down be alright?"
Daisy made as affirmative a noise as she could and tried to swing her legs up onto the cot. It was hard without hands, but she managed it. Jemma helped her lay back, taking out one of the pillows so Daisy's head laid flat on the bed. Luckily, it was still comfortable. Daisy let her eyes close and sighed, letting herself drift for a few moments. It felt good to relax into the bed despite her thirst and her headache and the nausea that was creeping up on her.
"Daisy, we're ready to transfer you to a more private space," Jemma said, making Daisy blink her eyes open tiredly.
"But the scan?" she asked, trying to raise a hand to her head. Confused by the lack of movement from her arm, and then more confused when she felt a slight tugging from her other arm, Daisy tried to sit up.
"Oh no you don't," Jemma cautioned, pushing her back to the bed. Daisy tried to lift her arms again, but there was something around each of her wrists, keeping them against the cot.
"Did I fall asleep?" Daisy asked, squinting up at Jemma's face, framed by brown curls.
"You did," Jemma nodded, still with her hands on Daisy's shoulders, apparently not wanting to risk her patient sitting up again. But Daisy just relaxed back into the bed. Jemma would probably give her a rundown of every single thing that had happened while Daisy had been unconscious.
Sure enough.
"We had to put in an IV line for your blood transfusion, but that was hard with cuffs on," Jemma said, the pressure on Daisy's shoulder turning into a gentle stroking when the Inhuman relaxed. "We had to restrain your arms to the bed, but it's only until we get you in your own room. We also replaced the bandages on your left arm and cleaned up your right… We didn't give you any painkillers, because we weren't sure what was already in your system, and we didn't want to wake you."
"The scan?" Daisy asked, not mentioning that she hadn't needed painkillers – Hive's sway had been more than enough to keep any twinges of pain from reaching her doped-up brain.
"We haven't gotten the results yet, sorry," Jemma said, still gently stroking Daisy's shoulder. "About thirty more minutes. But we're going to get you in one of the rooms built for Inhumans so you can lay in a comfier bed, and not be stuck in the quarantine unit. Is that alright with you?"
"Please," Daisy said, letting her head drop to the side. It would be better that way – she could be locked up, not able to hurt anyone, nor break anything with her powers. And she would be able to confront the deep loss she was feeling, the void that Hive's absence had left behind, on her own. None of the others would understand, and Daisy needed to sort things out herself. No one else knew what she was going through.
The journey along the Playground's halls was another blurred memory for Daisy. The panels of light flashed across her vision, and the clatter of the IV pole filled her ears. She winced at the first few bumps exiting the med bay, but the others drifted together, indistinct and meaningless compared to the emptiness she felt. It wasn't the same emptiness she'd experienced from being sent away from homes in the past, but it was pretty damn close. If anything, it was worse, because she'd felt accepted and needed and wanted while under the sway more than, perhaps, any other place she had been.
Daisy wondered if SHIELD had once felt like that, too, but then remembered Ward's betrayal, "The Real SHIELD", and all the other shit that had gone down over the previous three years. It was more than her already-overwhelmed brain could take, and Daisy felt glad she was restrained, because she had a sudden urge to run away from the base and go back to a tiny little town in Montana. At least there she had felt like part of a whole, instead of an extra wheel or a leftover piece in a Lego set.
Her own words to the real Grant Ward, what felt like eons earlier, echoed in her mind:
"Usually one person doesn't solve the solution, but one hundred people with one percent of the solution? That will get it done. I think that's beautiful, pieces solving a puzzle."
With Hive and the other Inhumans, even those Radcliffe had been creating, Daisy had been part of a larger plan. They had all been working toward the same goal, and there hadn't been any conflict of interest whatsoever. Not like two SHIELDs going up against each other or people keeping secrets left, right, up and down. Hive had kept his own secrets, certainly, but at least it was so they could keep working toward their end goal.
Daisy's cot came to a halt and, realizing they were in one of the pure white containment rooms, she took a deep and shuddering breath, comprehending just how quickly her mind had drifted back to Hive. It was good that she'd be alone in the room, unable to do what instinct was compelling her to.
Two agents, different ones than before, unfastened Daisy's restraints and lifted her smoothly over to the more comfortable bed in the containment room, only securing her right arm with a restraint at the edge instead of both. She hadn't even thought about the containment rooms having bed restraints, but it made sense in a vaguely terrifying, spine-chilling way.
If they brought in a rogue Inhuman they couldn't risk them getting free, or running wild.
"Do you want me to help you try and get down some broth now, or do you want to do it yourself later?" Jemma asked, stepping into Daisy's field of vision.
The thought of herself and Jemma alone in the room sent a jolt of panic through Daisy's mind, and she struggled to keep a straight face. Powers were free to be used inside the room, and until Daisy knew she was technically, medically, free from Hive's control she was not risking another member of the team. And even then she wouldn't be able to know that she was safe for everyone else to be around.
"Later's fine," she said, miming a yawn as she let her eyes slide closed (not that they didn't already want to, with the kind of day she was having). "I think I'll get some more sleep now, if that's alright…"
She let her words trail off into a mumble, and made a show of trying to keep her eyes open, as if she desperately wanted to hear Jemma's answer before drifting off.
Jemma's soft smile let Daisy know she'd succeeded, even more than Jemma's hasty assurances.
"Of course, you're tired. I'll be back when the blood transfusion is complete," she said, nodding rapidly, "or when you're awake, whichever comes second, and by then we'll know for sure the results of the CT scan. Then we'll see if you feel up to eating anything. That sound good?"
Daisy nodded, not even needing to pretend she was too tired for words. She was hesitant to sleep, and felt awake, but knew she couldn't hold it off much longer. Jemma nodded back, still smiling, and fiddled with a panel on her way out that dimmed the bright lights in the room to fifty percent brightness, sending Daisy into shadows.
Once the door was closed, the only sound was the gentle hum of vibrations coming from around her, especially the dim lights, and Daisy stared blankly at the door to the outside hall until sleep finally wrapped its alluring tendrils around her consciousness, pulling her under the surface.
So, there's the fruit of my efforts. I hope you enjoyed it, and that it brought to light some otherwise glossed-over details.
If you have any questions or comments, please write them down below! I love hearing what people think!
Also, I want to continue this, somehow, through the finale, but I'm not sure of the best way to do that. Could you all as readers give me some ideas for potential "next chapters"? (They would be posted as different one shots, but connected to this as a series.) Thank you!
And, if you're not totally sick of me, go check me out on tumblr as dancerwrites.