Lincoln should have expected Daisy to be stubborn about her injuries. Her entire left arm was covered in bruises due to her long-term use of her powers, but she refused to let him treat her or to wear her gauntlets.
"Daisy, you're not well!" he exclaimed. "If you carry on using your powers like this, you'll break your whole arm!"
"I'm fine, Lincoln!" Daisy argued back, wincing as she held her arm close to her body instinctively. "Stop fussing!"
"I'm a doctor. I can't help it." he said.
"Just leave me alone!"
"Daisy, I'm trying to help you." He raised his hands. "Look, if you need some space, I understand. But at least let me put a fresh bandage on your arm." Daisy continued to stare at him, stubbornly, and he stared back.
"Fine." she said, holding her arm out. Lincoln carefully unwrapped the bandage and put a fresh one on, before gently resting her hand in his.
"Don't push me away, Daisy." he told her. "I want to help."
"I know." she replied, nodding and resting her other hand on top of his. "But I need some space, Lincoln. It's not you, it's just..." She trailed off, not knowing how to finish, but Lincoln nodded in understanding.
"I know." he said. "With everything that's been going on - with me, Robbie, S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Watchdogs - you need a break." He kissed her on the forehead. "If you need to go off on your own for a bit, that's ok. Just...don't get into trouble."
"Says the guy who faked his death."
"That was one time, Daisy!" he replied. She laughed, then winced in pain.
"I'm fine." she said. She stood up. "I should probably go, otherwise we'd end up fighting and causing an earthquake and electrical surge." He nodded in agreement and also stood up, hugging her.
"Stay safe, Daisy." he said.
"I will, Lincoln." she said.
Daisy had deliberately left her burner phone so that Lincoln could track it if he got worried about her; he would have done the same had their roles been reversed. He also kept an eye on S.H.I.E.L.D. and saw that Coulson, Mack and Robbie were all in the same location.
I should go make sure nothing happens. he thought.
He got on his motorcycle and rode to the prison, keeping out of sight of Mack, who was leaning against Lola waiting for Coulson. Eventually, Coulson came out and he and Mack talked until Mack, and Lincoln, spotted a familiar Dodge Charger slowly driving past them. Robbie must have noticed Mack and Coulson, as the Dodge Charger suddenly increased its speed, followed by a speeding Lola and, behind them, Lincoln's motorcycle.
Lola vs. the Hell Charger. This should be interesting.
Lincoln followed the two cars though the traffic, dodging a truck then driving along the LA river. He saw the Dodge Charger speed further away from Lola, and hit a cloaked Quinjet which was sitting in the road. Lincoln watched as Coulson and Mack brought the Hell Charger onto the Quinjet and took an unconscious Robbie into custody. He drove the motorcycle onto the jet and Coulson and Mack turned as they heard the engine stop.
"Lincoln." said Coulson, surprised.
"Do you really think it's a good idea to keep Ghost Rider in custody?" Lincoln asked. "He can flame on and take down the whole plane if he wanted. Oh, and stay away from his car. Daisy says he's very protective of it." He looked at Coulson. "Kind of like you and Lola. Besides, neither of you know what it's like to be stuck in a containment unit."
"That was one time, Lincoln." Coulson said.
"Besides, the guy has a flaming skull head and kills people." said Mack. "Like you said, he could bring down the plane. We should at least make sure he can't."
"Ok, fair enough." Lincoln agreed. "But I'm just saying, he's not gonna be happy when he wakes up."
When Robbie did wake up, he was in a containment unit on the Zephyr. Coulson was standing by the box, Mack was checking out an undamaged Dodge Charger and Lincoln was standing to the side, quietly.
"Damn. Not even a dent." said Mack. "I wouldn't mind having a superpower like that for a day or two."
"Hands off my ride." said Robbie.
"The car is safe." Coulson told him. "Your situation's a bit more precarious."
"You really think this thing can hold me?" asked Robbie.
"It's contained a lot more dangerous people than you." said Mack.
"But it was designed to contain Inhumans." Lincoln reminded him, walking forward. "Robbie's not Inhuman."
"You must be Lincoln." Robbie said.
"I am." said Lincoln, nodding. "It's good to meet you, Robbie."
"You two know each other?" asked Mack. Lincoln and Robbie looked at each other then at him.
"We know of each other." said Robbie.
"I've heard rumours from your part of the world about a man with a flaming skull." Coulson said. "Always seemed like an urban legend to me. You've managed to escape capture all this time."
"And we nab you in a parking lot." said Mack. "That's gotta hurt."
"We got facts too." said Coulson. "Robbie Reyes... Dropped out of Garfield High. Took work at Canelo Auto and Body to help pay the rent. A halfway decent driver. With a few bad habits. Well, one really bad habit of killing people."
"Only those who have it coming." said Robbie.
"From what I can tell, that seems to be true. Which makes you a little more interesting."
"Well, I have a code I try to live by."
"And a penchant for spontaneous combustion, which, I must say, sounds painful." said Coulson. "How do you do it? Lincoln said that you're not an Inhuman, so where does your power come from?" Robbie came up to the window of the module and his eyes turned to fire.
"I made a deal with the devil." he replied.
"Right." said Coulson. "Ok. Just... Ok." He gestured to Lincoln and Mack and the three of them stood by the cars. "Ghosts, devils... You believe any of this stuff we're dealing with?"
"I believe in God, so I gotta believe in the other thing." said Mack.
"I've had lots of experiences with superpowers, so a fire guy who made a deal with the devil doesn't really faze me." said Lincoln.
"Well, in my experience, gods usually turn out to be aliens." said Coulson.
"Alien would definitely explain the things he can do." agreed Mack.
"He was at the Momentum Lab and turned up at the prison, too." said Coulson. "We're chasing the same things." He turned to Lincoln. "You and Daisy trust him?"
"We do." said Lincoln, nodding.
"Why?" asked Mack. "What are you thinking?" Coulson walked over to the containment unit, followed by Lincoln and Mack. "Coulson. What the hell are you doing?"
"I think it's time I make a deal with the devil myself." said Coulson, then opened the door to the containment unit, letting Robbie out.
"Damn, you three must be straight loco letting me out of my cage like that." said Robbie, walking around the hangar bay.
"Yeah, I was just thinking the same thing." agreed Mack.
"I light up, I can bring this whole plane crashing down."
"With you in it?" asked Coulson. "I don't think you'll do that. Flying isn't one of your special talents. I'm opening a door for you, Mr. Reyes, both literally and figuratively."
"And in return you want...?"
"Same thing you do... Answers." said Coulson. "And your Uncle Eli has them. That's why you were going to see him. See, I think we're on the same side, but I need you to prove it to me. Prove you're not the demon the stories say you are."
"You saved Daisy from a guy who bullets go straight through." said Lincoln. "You're the only one we know that can hurt those things."
"So let's help each other." said Coulson. "Eli won't talk to us, but he'll talk to you. All we ask is that you let us listen in on the conversation."
"And if I say no?" asked Robbie.
"Well...then we open another door for you, but we won't land first."
Lincoln found Robbie in the hangar bay, checking his car.
"Hey." said Lincoln. Robbie looked up.
"Hey." he replied.
"Look, I know we don't know each other, but I wanted to thank you for, you know, keeping an eye on Daisy." Lincoln smiled to himself. "Not that she needs it, of course."
"You're welcome." said Robbie. He smiled as well. "Daisy's stubborn. She won't give up."
"Yeah, sometimes she's too stubborn."
"How is she? Last time I saw her, her arm was fractured."
"It's still fractured, but I've wrapped it up. Hopefully she won't do anything to make it worse but...it's Daisy." said Lincoln. Robbie nodded.
"You're Inhuman, like Daisy?" asked Robbie. Lincoln nodded. "What's your power?" Lincoln held out his hand and generated a ball of electrical energy.
"I can manipulate electromagnetic currents in molecules." he replied. "Like you, and Daisy, I could bring down this plane easily."
"Seems like there's a lot of people who could bring down a plane." said Robbie.
"Your car gave Lola a good run for her money." said Lincoln, nodding to the Dodge Charger. "I guess being charged with hellfire gave you a boost."
"Lola is Coulson's car?" asked Robbie. Lincoln nodded. "Lola is the one who gave Lucy a good run for her money. The hellfire protects her and me."
"Lucy?" asked Lincoln. Robbie nodded. "A hellified car vs. a flying car...now that's a chase I would not want to see."
"Lola can fly?" Robbie asked, looking from Lincoln to Lola then back to Lincoln.
"Yeah, but her system's a bit knackered right now."
"I could take a look at it." said Robbie. Lincoln laughed.
"Coulson would kill you if you touched Lola." he said. "He's as protective of her as you are of Lucy."
"Lucy belonged to my uncle. I'm taking care of her."
"Is she handling the extra heat?" asked Lincoln. Robbie laughed.
"She hasn't broken so far." he said. "If she does, I'll just fix her up." He gently stroked Lucy's bonnet. They heard footsteps and turned to see Coulson.
"We're approaching the prison." he told them, not really surprised to see Lincoln and Robbie talking.
Coulson, Mack and Lincoln stood in the Zephyr watching and listening to the feed of Eli and Robbie's conversation.
"How's my baby doing?" asked Eli.
"You mean our baby." said Robbie. "Had to replace the fan belt. She's been overheating a bit lately. Nothing to worry about."
"Your brother's good?"
"He's good."
"Es bueno verte, Roberto."
"Hola, tío."
"It's not Christmas, it's not my birthday."
"Can't I just come visit my uncle when I want to?"
"Yeah, I got S.H.I.E.L.D. and you visiting me on the same day?" asked Eli. "Come on, Robbie."
"They just want to help." said Robbie. "They just want answers."
"Answers for what?"
"They say that this woman that you used to work with is out there killing people." said Robbie, holding up the photo he took from Momentum Labs.
"Is that what they're saying?" asked Eli.
"Tío, I'm...I'm just trying to understand, man. I only know what you told me... That you put a beatdown on your boss, that he deserved it. Why? Who is she?"
"Dr. Lucy Bauer." replied Eli. "Joseph's wife."
"You put him into a coma. What were they getting up to in there?"
"Madness. They were the project leaders of this privately funded think tank."
"Momentum Labs." said Robbie.
"Yeah. Next-level R&D." replied Eli. "They needed an engineer to help them build their design. They said they were very impressed with me. But what they really wanted was someone who wouldn't ask too many questions."
"And what were you building?" asked Robbie. Eli sighed.
"A Quantum Particle Generator." he replied. "It's a machine that can create matter out of practically nothing at all."
"That sounds...impossible." said Robbie.
"Yeah, it's insane." agreed Eli. "Defies all the laws of physics. See, they thought they were pushing boundaries, and I thought they were playing God. And it blew up in their faces."
"Yeah, literally."
"They should've listened to me. The police said it was an accident, but Joe made them move forward, and it killed them, killed the whole team...his wife." said Eli. "Joe killed them. I was so pissed at what he'd done, that... That I couldn't stop him. But I just... I just... I snapped. And I'm doing the time. You see, Robbie, what I wanted was..."
"Revenge." said Robbie. "Why didn't you tell me any of this before?"
"'Cause you were just a kid. And I was... I was supposed to take care of you, and I let you down. But these are my demons. They're not yours."
"Robbie, Lucy Bauer isn't dead." Coulson told him. "This accident must be how she got her powers. Find out where she'd go. What is she after?"
"What is she after?" Robbie asked his uncle.
"She's gonna go after the book." Eli told him.
"Book?" asked Robbie. "What book?"
"I don't know what it's called. They say it gave them the knowledge to build their machine. It has all the knowledge that anyone could ever need."
"Coulson." said Mack, from the holotable behind them.
"They were obsessed with it." Eli continued. "This book is evil, Robbie. I don't want you involved with any of this."
"Coulson, we got to move." said Mack, as Coulson and Lincoln moved over next to him. "We got a situation with an asset. A volatile one."
"You gotta be kidding me." said Lincoln, seeing James' name. "I'll go get Robbie. He can help out."
"Do that." said Coulson.
Robbie walked out of the prison to find Lincoln waiting for him.
"Lincoln." Robbie greeted him.
"Robbie." Lincoln replied. "We've got a situation with an Inhuman asset. We could do with your help."
"Sure." said Robbie. "Who's the Inhuman?"
"His name is James Taylor James. He can cause anything he touches to heat up to the point of explosion." explained Lincoln. "You might be able to withstand his powers given your own powers." Robbie nodded.
"I'll help." he said. They walked back to the Quinjet, which took off and landed on the Zephyr.
"Coulson." Lincoln greeted him. Coulson and Mack turned.
"Lincoln, Robbie." Coulson greeted them back.
"Lincoln told me about the situation." said Robbie. "I want to help."
"Thank you." said Coulson. "Besides, fight fire with fire, right?"
"This is where James works?" asked Lincoln, staring in disbelief at the fireworks store in front of them, unknowingly having the same reaction as Daisy.
"Yeah, it's the last place you'd expect to find him." agreed Coulson.
"Are we sure it's a good idea to have Robbie and James fighting in this place?" asked Mack.
"Probably not, but it's not as if Lincoln wouldn't be able to set off the fireworks as well." said Coulson. Lincoln nodded in agreement. "Robbie, Lincoln, you two go find James. Bring him out alive, understand?" They nodded.
Robbie and Lincoln walked into the fireworks shop, searching for James. Up ahead, Lincoln sensed him, along with Daisy and Jemma.
"Daisy and Jemma are here." Lincoln said.
"Who's Jemma?" asked Robbie.
"Jemma Simmons, friend of ours. Human." said Lincoln.
They saw James heat up a chain with fire and swing it behind him, presumably to hit Daisy and Jemma with it. Robbie, being infused with hellfire himself, grabbed the chain and pulled it out of James' hand into his own. James turned and saw them.
"Lincoln." he said, surprised.
"James." replied Lincoln.
"I thought you were dead."
"Sorry to disappoint." James then turned to Robbie.
"I don't know who the hell you think you are, but you just made a big mistake." said James.
"Funny, I was gonna say the same thing." said Robbie. "Without the accent."
"Robbie?" asked Daisy.
"Lincoln?" asked Jemma.
"Get them out of here." Robbie told Lincoln, still looking at James. "I'll deal with this guy."
"On it." said Lincoln. "Word of warning, James is a tough son of a bitch."
"I've dealt with worse."
Lincoln ran round James towards Daisy and Jemma, he and Jemma helping Daisy get up, then they ran round the corner down the corridor. They saw some Watchdogs up ahead and they quickly hid in another storage unit. Daisy gave him a big tight relieved hug, which he returned.
"I'm sorry." she said.
"It's not your fault, Daisy." he replied. "You needed space." They pulled out of the hug and he cupped her face gently in his hands and smiled, kissing her on the forehead, then turned to Jemma. "Hi, Jemma."
"You're alive." said Jemma, surprised.
"Yes, I am." said Lincoln, and was hit with a big hug from her as well.
"I'm glad you're ok." she said.
"Good to see you too, Jemma." he said, then they pulled out of the hug. "You two stay here. I'll deal with the Watchdogs."
"Lincoln..." said Daisy.
"Daisy, your powers are wrecking your body and Jemma, you don't have combat training. Stay here. I'll deal with them."
Lincoln went back out into the corridor and faced the Watchdogs. There were three of them and they immediately aimed their guns at him and he put his hands up. He waited until they were close enough then grabbed the gun of the first Watchdog and hit him in the face with it, then shot the other two with it. He walked back over to the storage unit.
"Ok, let's go." Lincoln led them to where Coulson and Mack were, he and Jemma supporting Daisy. He wasn't too worried about Robbie and James; the former had survived a full speed, head on collision with a Quinjet. They ran down the stairs and a wave of pain hit Daisy and she stopped, groaning. "Daisy, look at me. Jemma, go. Daisy's fine." Jemma ran towards the door and they heard her talking to Coulson and Mack. Lincoln put Daisy's arm over his shoulder and helped her walk.
"We thought he may be targeted by the Watchdogs, but..." They heard Jemma saying.
"We?" asked Mack. Lincoln and Daisy walked through the door.
"Daisy." said Coulson, surprised.
"That's exactly why we're here." said Mack. "His GPS signal went out, so we came to his last recorded location and found it overrun with these guys."
"They've got to be here somewhere!" They heard a Watchdog calling in the distance.
"James turned on us." said Jemma. "He's working with the Watchdogs."
"Then it's a good thing we brought Robbie Reyes." said Lincoln. They heard a crash and turned to see Robbie and James fall into a nearby warehouse.
"Did two fire dudes just drop into a warehouse full of fireworks?" asked Mack.
"You had to see that coming." Coulson admitted. "Let's go! Go, go, go, go, go!" The five of them ran out of the shop which then exploded, setting off lots of fireworks. Movement caught their eye and they saw a very much alive Robbie dragging James towards them with the chain.
"You said alive, right?" asked Robbie, taking the chain off him and slinging it over his shoulder then walking off. Coulson watched him go then turned to Jemma, who had rushed over to James and checked his pulse, nodding to Coulson to say that James was alive.
Lincoln, Daisy and Robbie sat in the hangar bay of the Zephyr whilst Coulson pressed on his tablet.
"Thank you for saving Simmons and I back there." said Daisy.
"You're welcome." said Coulson, then went back to his tablet.
"Are you gonna...say anything else?" she asked.
"Nothing else to say." Coulson replied. "I'm just glad you're safe."
"The Watchdogs are..."
"The Watchdogs took a hit. They continue to be a threat, but we have to put them on the back burner for now."
"They're not gonna stop just because we..."
"We have a more pressing threat on our hands."
"Sorry, but for me, nothing is more pressing than..."
"Look, I know the three of you like to work alone, settling the scores that are personal to you, but that's not how we work here at S.H.I.E.L.D." Coulson said. "We work together... To keep everyone safe." He threw the tablet on the floor. "From things like this." Robbie leaned forward.
"Is that the book my uncle was talking about?" he asked.
"I think so."
"Well, you know where to find it?" asked Daisy.
"No one ever has." replied Coulson. "Not Daniel Whitehall, not the Red Skull, not even Nick Fury himself." He looked at Robbie and Lincoln. "He's an old friend, sort of a mentor, really. But they all went looking for it. It's called the Darkhold. It's been referred to as a book of sins, a book of spells...infinite knowledge. I don't know what it is, but I do know that it's in all of our best interests to keep it out of the wrong hands." He looked at Daisy. "That shipment you were tracking in Los Angeles."
"Yeah, I thought it was a weapon." she said.
"In the form of a person." he said.
"Lucy Bauer." said Robbie.
"Who your uncle said was playing God. Now she's after it. Now you may want to be solo, but forces beyond our control are driving us together. You don't need us? Fine. Right now, we need you."
"Do you have any idea where to start?" asked Lincoln.
"Joseph Bauer, the man Robbie's uncle said was at the centre of all this, he's been in a coma all these years." said Coulson. "Well, he just woke up."