Fault Lines
by Apple Blossom
Disclaimer: Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D belongs to Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon, Stan Lee, ABC, Marvel Television, Mutant Enemy, and anyone else who wants to lay claim to it.
This story contains spoilers through Devil You Know.
We're heading back from a false alarm, two kids who have seen Lincoln on the news and wanted to have a good laugh at the government's expense when Coulson calls.
"Daisy, I need you to re-route Zephyr One. There's been another report of an Inhuman. I'm sending you the coordinates," he says.
"Copy that," I answer, glancing down at my tablet and quickly feeding the information to my flight team.
The address leads us into an alley and the rusting metal door is propped open slightly, leading into what looks like an abandoned warehouse. Stepping to the side Mack uses his foot to kick the door open as I cover him. We are greeted by silence so I take the lead, using the lights from our weapons to see inside the dark, musty building. Water drips from a hole in the ceiling to the left of us and lets in a splash of muted sunshine. The room is small and empty but a hallway leads further into the darkness. It reminds me of the industrial complex we were in just days ago, looking for Lash and just the thought of him makes me tense in anticipation. Together Mack and I clear the room and move into the darkened hallway. Two closed doors, one on each side greet us and he takes the right as I take the left. First glance leads me to believe it is deserted but it hasn't been that way for long. A hospital bed lays in the middle of the room, turned over on its side, medical equipment strewn about on the concrete floor along with a discarded bloody shirt and rags. The telltale signs of someone recently cocooning into an Inhuman lays abandoned next to the bed and as I flash my light around I finally see the shape of a person huddled in the corner.
"Hey," I say softly as I step closer wanting to reassure him as my eyes adjust and I see that our newest Inhuman is a man. He's wearing only jeans and there's a large bandage on his back and it occurs to me suddenly that this must be some kind of back alley medical center kind of like what Cal had set up when we first encountered him. My heart aches a little at the thought of my father but I quickly tamp it down and concentrate on helping the man in front of me. "You're going to be okay."
His breathing is ragged as I approach and I lower the light so it doesn't blind him and that's when I notice a tiny flame in his right hand. I bend down and cautiously place my hand on his bare shoulder, above his bandaged injury. He startles as if he hadn't realized I was there and when he turns his head I hear the gasp escape me as I push away from him in shock and fear.
"Skye?" Grant Ward whispers and my heart beats a cadence as I backpedal, tripping over the bed, landing hard on the concrete floor. Pain shoots out from my hip, trailing down my leg and I cry out at this unexpected turn of events.
The noise brings Mack running from the other room, calling my name in concern as he does. "Daisy?!"
He pulls me to my feet, looking me over as I limp slightly, pushing him away from our new Inhuman.
"You okay, Tremors?" he asks checking me for any other injuries before glancing over as the flame dances in Ward's hand, tiny yet unwavering. It takes him less time than me to realize who our new Inhuman is and anger clouds his face as he attempts to side step me, rage masking his features.
"You son of a bitch," Mack growls, his voice deafening in the small room and I quickly wrap my arms around his waist, holding him back from attacking Ward.
"Mack!" I yell, not wanting to use my powers on him, especially since I can't blame him for his reaction. "Mack, stop!"
"Are you kidding, D? After what he did to Bobbi? To Andrew? What he's done to you?"
"I know," I reply, my voice turning soft so only he can hear me as I cling to him, desperate to hold him in place. "I need you to call Coulson."
"I'm not leaving you here with him," he answers knowing that we won't have a signal so deep inside this warehouse.
My fingers lace tightly within his as I squeeze gently, trying to reassure him. "I'll be fine."
"Shoot first and ask questions later," Mack snaps unhappily at me before heading for the door.
"Skye," Ward calls out, his voice low and pained. He's still huddled near the wall and I refuse to take another step toward him at the moment. "What's happened to me?"
I sigh inwardly but answer his question. He has a right to know. "You've experienced a biomorphic event."
"What is that?" I see the confusion on his face. The fear that there is fire glowing from his hand and fascination that it obviously doesn't hurt.
"Your DNA changed," I answer simply, even though it is so much more than that.
"I'm like you?" he asks.
Never, I think to myself.
Coulson arrives with Rosalind Price and the rest of the ATCU, as if my day couldn't get any worse, and I stand outside the doorway to the room, Mack by my side as I barely listen to the two of them argue about whether or not Ward should go with S.H.I.E.L.D. or the ATCU. I don't even care what the outcome is at this point and it's not until the containment pod arrives that I realize Ward's going back to S.H.I.E.L.D. I know this won't go over well with any of my friends but I just stand back as Banks and his team escort Ward out. Coulson glances at me once as he follows the Dragon Lady from the room and I'm left with Mack by my side as I limp back toward Zephyr One. We are both silent and I wonder if Mack is angry with me for not allowing him to kill Ward outright. I don't even know why I didn't. When we arrive back at the base Ward is placed in a room next to Joey and Alicia and Coulson heads off to explain the situation to the rest of the team, Mack following behind, leaving me alone where I still sit in my jump seat on the plane.
I've gone ten rounds with a punching bag, jogged two miles on the treadmill and it still isn't enough, I think to myself as I head for the showers. Standing under the cold, steady stream shocks my system into movement and I quickly lather shampoo through my hair and rinse it before turning the handle off. I know my whole body will ache tomorrow but hopefully physical pain will settle down the ache that throbs deep inside me right now. After I'm dressed in a pair of yoga pants and plain gray t-shirt I head for my bunk fully expecting yet another sleepless night. There is still a ton of paperwork to do from the last few days so booting up the laptop, I settle onto my bed and lose myself in bureaucracy for a while. It's easier to stay detached from my thoughts as the facts flow onto the forms and I barely notice the knock on the door. It is soft and hesitant and I lay the laptop on the night stand before getting up and crossing the floor. My fingers reach out for the handle and I turn it, pulling slightly to reveal Mack standing on the other side.
"Hey Tremors," he says as I step back letting him inside. "I saw the light under your door and thought I'd check on you."
"I'm fine," I answer, but I can't quite meet his eyes tonight. I'm tired. Worried. Frustrated, and it is finally all building up to a point where I'm not sure I can contain it anymore.
He steps close to me, placing a hand reassuringly on my shoulder as he leads me toward the bed where we sit side by side. "Talk to me D."
I sigh softly, shaking my head. Putting words to my thoughts is dangerous at the moment but Mack threads his large fingers through my small ones, turning my hand over in his as he places the other one over top.
"You can't keep bottling everything up, D." His thumb traces a pattern across the back of my hand. "We're partners... you can tell me anything."
"Maybe we shouldn't be," I whisper, giving voice to just one of my concerns. I've heard his complaints. His questioning of why he's out in the field with me instead of back in his garage. We've encountered Lash one too many times, the last time leaving Mack with a concussion and a separated shoulder.
His thumb stills on mine and I feel his entire body tense next to me. He is quiet for a moment and then asks, "You don't trust me?"
My eyes meet his and I know he sees the tears in them as his face softens. "Of course I do. But... all of this... this is my fault... and if something happens to you..."
"Nothing's going to happen to me," he replies, his voice soft yet confident. "And nothing is your fault."
I shake my head, disagreeing with him. "Yes it is. Every person who has changed is because of me. My actions caused this. The Terrigen got released into the eco-system because of me. Everyone Lash has killed is my fault. These people were happily living their lives, oblivious to what lay dormant inside them until..."
My voice trails off as I realize I'm getting a little hysterical.
"You were trying to save lives, Daisy," Mack insists as he squeezes my hand again. "Who knows how many people would have been killed if those Terrigen crystals had gotten out with the Diviner metal still embedded in them. You made the best call you could at the time."
Shaking my head in disagreement I add, "What about Ward? Everything he's done is because of me."
"No it's not," Mack replies, one hand reaching out for my chin, forcing me to look at him again. He must see the anguish, the exhaustion as he asks, "How much sleep have you gotten lately?"
"Don't change the subject," I snap angrily. "Twice I could have killed Ward and I was too weak to do it. Today I should have and I couldn't. I should have let Mike Peterson kill him when I had the chance. Everything that happened to Fitz... to Bobbi..." My voice quivers as I add, "To Andrew... that's all on me."
The tears are falling now, two wet streams plunging down my cheeks as Mack pulls me close, his arms wrapping around me as I bury my face into his chest. It's all been too much but I can't stop the path that I'm on now. "Don't you understand... death and destruction follow me everywhere. I can't escape it. Eventually everyone that I care about..."
"Shh," Mack says loudly now. "You have to stop blaming yourself for that. The only person to blame is Ward, not you."
My tears continue to flow as exhaustion sets in and I barely notice as Mack adjusts us slightly until he's settled with his back against the wall and I'm curled up into his side, my eyes closing as he rubs circles on my back. The soothing motion does what nothing else has and as I cling to him I finally feel sleep calling. Just before I'm completely out I hear him whisper, "It's okay D. I'm not going anywhere."
