Disclaimer: Do not own...sadly.
AU since I'm sure my version will not be what Season 2 entails. However, I hope you enjoy. Side note, this is not a songfic however music does play a large part in it. Read and review! The song in this chapter is Human by Christina Perry. No copyright infringement intended.
Grant Ward walked quietly down the hall with guards on either side of him. His hands were secured behind his back and his eyes shifted around, taking in the hallway around him. He had no intentions of running, however, he was merely curious.
Since being captured and told of Garrett's death, he had been doing a lot of thinking. He didn't trust S.H.I.E.L.D. but he didn't identify with Hydra either. Thanks to May, he couldn't tell anyone of this thoughts though. The doctors say that he will slowly regain the ability to speak but it would take time.
He was currently being transferred to a new cell inside the high security prison the government had put him in. He wondered how this solitary confinement would be different than the last two.
Ward and the guards rounded the last corner and he waited until the guard punched in a code and scanned his fingerprint before they entered a large room. Ward looked around surprised to find it lined with cells, most of them occupied.
The guards pushed him forward. Looking sideways, Ward saw that most of the cells were filled with well-known Hydra agents. The guards led him toward an open cell on the far wall. As the guards unlocked his restraints, he kept his eyes forward and eyes down, a sign of submission. Regardless, as soon as his cuffs were undone, the guards shoved him forward and closed his cell quickly. The lead guard came over and stood in front of the bards.
"Before you get any ideas…" he chucked a small stone at the bars. Instantly the room lit up with a bright flash and the scent of electricity flew through the air. The guard smiled at Ward. "Be careful where you place your hands."
The guards turned and left the room. Quiet chatter began among the inmates but Ward heard nothing interesting. Standing as close to the bars as he dared, he searched the room for clues. There was a single table with two chairs in the center of the room. Cells lined the outer rim except for two doors, one to Ward's left and one to his right. The inmates seemed friendly to one another based on their conversations, even if they couldn't see everyone they were having a conversation with. Ward looked at the cell directly across from him, and to his surprise, saw a woman sitting with her back to the wall, staring off into space.
Ward frowned. Why was a woman here in an all-male prison? She must be very dangerous or there were special circumstances surrounding her. Ward figured it must be the latter as the woman didn't seem to pose a physical threat. She looked to barely 5'3" and seemed of average build, although he knew that could be deceiving. From what he could tell she had brown hair that had a curl to it and fair skin. She looked to be in her mid-twenties. Ward made a mental note to keep an eye on her.
Making another scan of the block and finding nothing interesting, Ward sat down on his cot. He was about to lean back against the wall to relax and mull over his new situation when he felt eyes on him. Looking up, he saw the woman looking directly at him with a piercing stare. Her dark eyes were unblinking and Ward felt as though she could see everything he tried to hide from the world: his brothers, Garrett, Coulson, his betrayal, Skye…
Just as suddenly, she looked away. Ward shook off the feeling of being transparent and leaned back against the wall. But now, he couldn't relax.
Ward was lying on his cot, hands folded over his chest, when the lights out call sounded in the cell block. He had spent the remainder of his day doing strength exercises and contemplating what he might say once his interrogations started. He assumed that would be tomorrow.
Ward had been lying in the dark for about 10 minutes when the pinging started. At first he thought it might be the pipes in the walls, but then he noticed a pattern to them. In Morse code it was spelling….something. He sat up and paid closer attention. The pinging was coming from a cell, although he couldn't tell which one. He managed to pick out the last two letters, A and D. He frowned. What could that mean?
The pinging stopped and there was utter silence in the cell block. Ward tensed up involuntarily. If the inmates were communicating with each other, what were they planning? He waited, but nothing happened for a solid two minutes. Then he heard a soft voice, singing a gentle song. It was the woman he had observed earlier.
I can hold my breath
I can bite my tongue
I can stay awake for days if that's what you want
Be your number one
Ward's eyes closed as her voice drifted over him.
I can fake a smile
I can force a laugh
I can dance and play the part if that's what you ask
Give you all I am
The woman's voice held a deep emotion to it, bringing the words of the song to life. His thoughts began to turn to the one woman who had made him question everything. Skye.
I can do it, I can do it, I can do it…
But I'm only human
And I bleed when I fall down
I'm only human
And I crash and I break down
Your words in my head, knives in my heart
You build me up and then I fall apart
Cause I'm only human
Ward's breath caught in his throat. Opening his eyes, he turned his head in the direction of the woman's cell, willing his eyes to see something. From the single security light hanging high above the interrogation table, he could make out her form in the same spot it was before, with her back against the wall, but he couldn't see any more details.
I can turn it on
Be a good machine
I can hold the weight of the world
If that's what you need
Be your everything
Before everything had turned to hell, Skye had called him robot. Ward shook his head, trying to get the images of her out of his head. The woman kept singing…to him it felt like.
I can do it, I can do it, I'll get through it…
But I'm only human
And I bleed when I fall down
I'm only human
And I crash and I break down
Your words in my head, knives in my heart
You build me up and then I fall apart
Cause I'm only human
The woman's voice died away, but still ringing in Ward's ears. He squeezed his eyes shut against the pressure in his chest.
I can take so much
Til I've had enough
Cause I'm only human
A single tear fell from Ward's eyes. Reaching up, he felt the moisture with his fingertips, examining the foreign object. He turned and looked across to the woman's cell again. She had placed her hands up to her eyes and seemed to be pressing them there. Ward matched her pose and fought to keep his emotions in check.
The cell block remained silent the rest of the night.