Chapter One ~ Broken Out

Grant Ward was taken from the Centipede headquarters in handcuffs. He found no point in struggling, the girl he loved despised him, the organisation he had been working for while undercover in S.H.I.E.L.D. had deserted him, the women he slept with had fractured his Larynx, he had ejected his best friend Leo Fitz along with Jemma Simmons from an airborne plane in a pod into the ocean and the man he had followed was dead. Sure, he was the right-hand man of the now dead John Garrett and by heir Hydra's replacement leader but what was the point. He would never again get to see Skye, at least not on friendly terms or as friendly as they can get after what he had done.

It haas been three months since the fall of both secret organisations and the capture of Hydra agent Grant Ward. Ward laid on the thin mat in his cell waiting for the guards to come and take him to his next interrogation. All he had been told at the end of his previous interrogation was that one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s best would be continuing his interrogations. He dimly wondered who it would be: Agent May, Agent Romanoff, Agent Hill, Agent Triplett, Agent Kaminsky, Agent Weaver, Agent Shaw, Agent Tyler maybe. His thoughts were interrupted when he heard footsteps approaching his door, he heard the guard swipe his card to open a keyboard, punch in the code to open the metal door surrounding his cell and then he saw the guard slump against the bars of his cell, key in hand. Ward edged towards the body and checked for a pulse, there was none, the guard was dead. A grin spread across Ward's face as he took the key from the lifeless body and reached through the bars, rubbing his fingers along the keyhole he placed the key in and turned it to let his door swing open. Once outside his cell, Ward disarmed the dead guard and left. He turned around a corner gun at the ready to see Raina smiling at him. He returned the smile a little shocked to see she had come for him.

Ward arrived at a Hydra base and followed Raina to his new room. Definitely an upgrade from his cell and even his old bunk on the Bus.

"All of your belongings have been moved into this room, sir. I suggest you get yourself cleaned up and there is a meeting in 10 in the war room. We plan to strike back against S.H.I.E.L.D. because Hydra will not be knocked to the ground again." Raina informed as she headed towards the door.

"Raina?" Ward crocked and she looked back, her eyes wide and piercing. "Thank You."

"Oh and there is someone who is just dying to meet you. He might even offer to heal your Larynx if your lucky." She says before leaving, closing the door behind her. Ward walks over to the bed side table and notices a phone. It is the same model as his one but it can't possibly be his, he had left his back on the Bus. Flipping the top open the confirmation is quite clear that this was his phone. Ward scrolls through his contacts and stops on one name, the only name that meant something to him. Skye.

After putting his phone back on the bedside table he walked over the wardrobe and opening it saw his clothes in it. He changed out of his prison wear and into his light grey t-shirt, black jeans and jacket. He left his room and headed for the war room. As he entered the room everyone stopped mid-conversation and saluted to Hydra.

"Hail Hydra." He crocked quietly as he made his way to the front of the room. "Now, shall we get down to business. I hear we have a guest among us; Raina, care to do the honours?" Raina approached the platform closely followed by and inhuman that left a trail of blood.

"Today, we are honoured to be in the presence of Lord Spencer , Lady Rose and their eldest child, heir to the throne, Prince Luke. They are gracing us with their presence because they believe that we can be an asset for them, after all the new leader of our organisation was once in very close with their daughter, Princess Chelsea or Skye as many of us know her by." Raina paused a moment to take in the reactions of her audience. As she looked around the room she saw Ward who returned her glare with one of utter shock. "Now, prince Luke has volunteered to speak on behalf of his family." Raina stepped down from the platform and let prince Luke step up. He made his way to the centre and cleared his throat.

"We have come to your organisation so we can ask for help. My people want to meet the princess they never got to meet because of our journey to this planet and I for one want to spend afternoons with my sister like the siblings back on our home do everyday. We have been searching for 'Skye' for twenty-two years now without any leads. I doubt any of you know what it is to fall in love with someone and then have them taken away from you." Ward feels like he has been shot in the heart; he does know what it feels like. He fell in love with Skye and then betrayed her for a madman who is now dead. It broke his heart to have to leave her, betray her, lie to her, even to point a gun at her when he knew he wasn't going to pull the trigger because Garrett needed her alive. "In return for your help in brining my sister home we will reward you with technology your world has not yet seen. Hail Hydra." He concludes. The war room penetrated with applaud as Luke returned to his father's side. That was Ward's cue to take the stage and agree to help. Ward lifted his hand for silence and it came.

"Thank you prince Luke for your generous offer and we gracefully agree to help you find your princess." Began Ward but before he could continue, Prince Luke interrupted.

"Your vitals are changing. Do you know something about my sister?"

"No, I don't know anything about the princess that you don't already know, and if you value our help I suggest you do not question me!"

"Do not lie to me, Agent Ward, I'm not stupid. Why are you reluctant to help us reunite our family." Ward slugs his shoulders as a sign of defeat.

"Because I am in love with your sister. I've already hurt her once by betraying S.H.I.E.L.D. and I don't want to be a part of something that is going to hurt her and her team again. I'm done with hurting and betraying her. I will do anything to keep her from harms way. Even if that means she hates me, as long as she is safe I don't care what she thinks of me." Luke paused, considering if it were wise to go ahead with what he had planned. He decided that he could handle whatever the reaction; so he grabbed his knife from his boot and held it up against Ward's throat.

"I swear I will kill you slowly and painfully if you so much as look at her again. My sister will never feel for you the way you feel for her. I never fail to come through with my threats by the way." Ward paused thinking about what he should do but decide that he couldn't protect Skye if he were dead. He slowly nodded his head, being careful not to seem threatening towards the prince.

After the meeting had concluded, Ward escaped the crowd and left for his quarters. Once alone, her turned his phone on and clicked on the name that made his heart drop.