I really REALLY can't believe Ward is evil; I like the bad-boy persona as much as the next girl but this is going too far! I convinced myself that it was all an act, he was an undercover specialist before joining the team, but after watching 'Providence' a few times there really doesn't seem to be anything that can possibly redeem his character!
Anyhow, this is a short drabble I came up with whilst travelling home from work yesterday evening. It's called fan-fiction for a reason!
True to his word, Garrett created enough noise to lure Coulson and the team out of hiding and into the open, giving Ward ample opportunity to work Skye over for the information HYDRA needed.
With Ward conveniently nursing multiple injuries Coulson reasoned that he, May and Triplett would be able to handle any physical aspects of the case with Fitz and Simmonds running the mission back end. Ward put up a convincing fight that he could be of use to the team in the field, but in the end he allowed logic to win out and remained at the base the team were staying at with Skye continuing to run technical support from afar.
- - x - -
Ward let the team know that before his escape from The Fridge he had overheard Garrett talk to one of his men about the hard drive, and how imperative it was to get to it and gain access to the information contained. Obviously Ward being the good little S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent that he was had high tailed it out of there and straight back to the team to warn them of the imminent danger they were in.
- - x - -
Skye and Ward were sitting at a table in the canteen area of 'Providence', two bottles of water, the hard drive containing the coveted information and Skye's laptop between them. Skye was doing her best to simultaneously talk with Ward, monitor the mission the team was currently on and re-establish links with any remaining S.H.I.E.L.D. facilities not under HYDRA control.
Ward, not knowing how to bring the topic up just dove straight in, "Perhaps we should review the information on the hard drive, see if there is anything on it that could give us a tactical advantage."
"Ward there's nothing on the hard drive that will be of any use right now, when Coulson and the team make it back then we can review the information we have; at the moment the priority is to work out what belongs to S.H.I.E.L.D. and what HYDRA has corrupted." Skye was focussing on the information being continually updated on her laptop screen and blindly reached for the bottle of water she had been drinking from. Ward seizing any opportunity before him, also reached for the bottle of water at the same time, allowing their hands to touch and bring Skye's focus back onto him.
"Sorry, I just can't believe John Garrett was The Clairvoyant all along; he was my S.O. and I thought my friend. I'm just having a hard time processing everything he has done in the name of HYDRA; taking down S.H.I.E.L.D. from the inside, betraying friends and colleagues and having you shot..." Ward tightened his grasp on Skye's hand, "...especially having you shot; that I can't ever forgive."
"He played us all from the start Ward, I can't imagine how you feel having your whole world turned upside down like that but we'll get through this...together" Skye smiled lightly at Ward, enjoying the new found closeness that had developed between them.
"I just feel like there has to be something I can do here and now, I'm not used to being grounded like this. It's just..." Feeling this was the moment he had been waiting for, Ward decided vulnerability was the key to obtaining the information Skye possessed.
"It's just what?"
"It's just that if there was something, anything on that hard drive that could give us an edge over him and HYDRA, I could be of help rather than feeling like a spare part. The team is out there facing who knows what and I'm stuck here with an encrypted hard drive that only you can access, twiddling my thumbs and waiting to...Skye what's wrong? Is it the team? Skye?"
Skye having suddenly released his hand stood up, grabbed her laptop and the hard drive and turned to make a hasty retreat out of the canteen area. The swiping the hard drive was not lost on Ward who was immediately on his feet moving to go after her, determined not to let the information HYDRA needed out of his sight.
"Skye? What is it?"
"No, nothing...I ahm just burnt out the cooling fan on my laptop, need to get another one from Fitz's supply; back soon" Skye needed to get away from Ward, she couldn't believe what she was thinking and needed to go over the conversation in her head to make sense of it.
"I'll come with you, I could do with stretching my legs a bit" Becoming uneasy with the way the way the scene was playing out before him, Ward didn't want to let Skye out of his sight.
"No, no it's fine; you should rest, you've taken one hell of a beating. I'll be a few minutes, then I'll be straight back – it's not like I can get too far with the team being gone."
"I'd feel better coming with you, I know it's crazy but I'd feel better staying with you even in this heavily fortified secret base"
"Ward I'll be fine, a quick trip to raid Fitz's supplies and back again, I could have already been there and back in the length of time it's taken for this conversation" Skye continued to back out of the canteen, her mind racing with the available options to her – make a run for it out of the base or find somewhere and hide, waiting for the team to return.
"You don't need to take your laptop or the hard drive, leave them with me - I promise I won't mess with your computer, I'll just keep monitoring the team until you get back"
"Yeah, sure but no - I'll need the laptop to switch out the fan"
"You can always leave the hard drive with me then, I did nearly die for it after all"
"Yeah sure, here...catch" Skye threw the hard drive as hard and as far away from Ward as she could before turning around and making a hasty retreat from the room. She ran as fast as she could to the operational area the team had established knowing that one of the secure phones was left there in case of emergency.
"Skye, you throw like such a girl we need to work...damn" Ward looked round to find he was talking to himself "damn it Skye, why do you have to be so you all the time?" Grabbing the hard drive and shoving it in his thigh pocket, Ward made it out of the canteen and began the methodical process of searching all the areas she could have gone to.
- - x - -
"Come on, come on, come on A.C. answer the phone" Skye had made it to the operational area, grabbed the phone and hastily dialled the other phone she knew Coulson was carrying. With her back to the door she didn't see Ward enter the room a few beats behind her; only when he reached up to her head and removed the phone she was tightly clutching in her hand, did she realise.
"What gave me away?" he asked the back of her head quietly while disconnecting the call.
"The hard drive...only someone who tried to hack into it would know what encryption programmes were on it. I didn't tell anyone what I had done, there wasn't time." With all the confusion on The Bus when S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents were trying to capture the team, Skye had copied all the files and encoded them with every trick she knew but hadn't had time to let the team know about the security measures she had put in place.
"I need the pass-codes you put on it, HYDRA needs the information the team has collected." Even in his own head, it sounded like a pathetic plea but Ward needed to make this as easy as possible on Skye. She had suffered enough at the hands of Garrett and getting the information without shedding anymore of her blood would be a bonus.
Skye finally turned to face Ward, tears pooling in her eyes and blurring her vision for the moment. "Tell me Ward, if I hadn't gone after Quinn in Italy and didn't get myself shot in that cellar what was the plan? Were you going to shoot me? A little friendly fire incident? Or something more elaborate? If not me, who? Fitz? Jemma? May? Who was next on Garrett's hit list? It can't have been Coulson, he was the driving force needed to get to The Guest House and the serum. Who was to be sacrificed for Garrett and his twisted ideals?"
"Skye please, just give us access to the hard drive, make this easier on yourself" Ward moved closer to Skye, reaching out to wipe the tears that had started falling down her face.
Skye backed away, stepping out of his reach "You told me when we met there was no easy way."
Dropping his hands back to his sides, clenching his fists Ward stared into her eyes willing her to believe what he was saying. "Skye, I'm sorry for everything." He knew it was futile but he needed her to believe his apology, "please give me the access codes and I promise I won't let anything happen to you; co-operate with HYDRA and I promise you won't be hurt."
"Shame your promises are as meaningless as your loyalty to S.H.I.E.L.D., to the team, to me. Why HYDRA Ward? What do they offer that's so damn attractive? There must be some perks to the job, what are they? Maybe help me understand what has happened: one minute you are the All-American Hero fighting evil around the world and then, in the blink of an eye, you are a traitor, fighting against the peace S.H.I.E.L.D. fought so hard to ensure."
"It doesn't have to be like this Skye, give me the pass-codes you can walk out of here and Garrett will leave you alone, I'll make sure of it. He'll let you live if you help HYDRA." Ward knew Skye wouldn't willingly help him out and his only option, the one he didn't want to follow up on, was to take Skye back to Cuba and into Garrett's lair.
"Help HYDRA? How hard were you hit on the head? I'd rather die than help HYDRA"
"That's what I'm trying to prevent by coming here; Garrett won't wait forever for me to return, he gave me 24 hours to get the pass-codes or bring you to him. If I take you to him, I can't help you – Garrett will either get the pass-codes from you or ensure that no one, either S.H.I.E.L.D. or HYDRA, will get their hands on the information contained on the hard drive." Men like Garrett didn't believe in compromising their ideals, it was all or nothing. If he couldn't control the flow of information then he would prevent the enemy trying to access it – that meant eliminating Skye when all options failed.
"Guess I'll be taking Torture 1-0-1 then, you did promise it would be fun."
"Skye please, it doesn't need to be like this; Garrett won't be kind, he wants the information and will do anything to get it – I can't save you from this." He knew Skye was obstinate, up until this moment it had been a cute and endearing quality but now it was going to get her killed.
"Garrett killed me once, I'm already living on borrowed time. Despite everything that has happened, I've just realised here in this moment that it isn't death that scares me anymore."
"What scares you?" As silly as it was considering everything that had happened, Ward wanted more than anything to protect her from whatever scared her; unfortunately he wasn't prepared for her answer.
Skye closed her eyes momentarily and breathed deeply; looking directly into his eyes, her vision becoming clear, whispered "You."