Pieces Solving a Puzzle
Spoilers:All seasons...
Disclaimer: I only own the characters that Marvel doesn't already own.
One Year Post HYDRA/Inhuman-SHIELD Confrontation – HYDRA Headquarters – New York
Medics and doctors seemed to grow by the number as Daisy stood against the wall watching their efforts. She watched as they attempted to determine what was wrong with their leader, if he was brain dead or just unconscious. She'd watched an hour earlier as Ward had attempted to disarm a bomb planted at a satellite office by ATCU. There hadn't been enough time and he'd worked down to the second, his gift allowing him to survive the explosion and heat. Unfortunately when the debris cleared, she and their STRIKE team had found him having been knocked into a concrete wall.
Dallas Jamison, Ward's lieutenant, seemed to instantly appear at her side. He handed her a small box and nodded to it, not a word coming from his mouth. Daisy opened the box to find a HYDRA pin, identical to the one Ward wore on his jacket since the transformation a year before. She looked up to meet the green eyes of the man standing beside her, "what is this?"
"Instructions from the top, if he was ever incapacitated you were to be handed the reins." Jamison folded his arms, "you're the interim director until he wakes up."
Daisy sighed and took the pin from the box, fingering it as she looked over at Ward. Doctors and medics swarmed around him, all giving commentary but none seemed to listen. She feared if they didn't stop, that they'd put the man in further jeopardy. "Everyone stop!" She was stern and loud, just below yelling, in her command. Silence permeated the room as they all turned to look at her. "Dr. Leigh will remain, everyone else out." She pointed to two medics, "you and you stay to help him."
No one moved so Jamison took a step towards them, "Interim Director Johnson gave you an order, now move or you'll regret it."
Leigh and the two medics were all that remained seconds later, Daisy looked down at the pin in her hand. "I hope he wakes up soon."
"Until he does, he left us all in good hands." Jamison paid her the compliment and she turned her head to look at him. "I don't hate you, I was just trying to prevent you from getting yourself killed. Seems I was the one walking the fine line." He chuckled and motioned to the door. "I'll be outside if you need me."
After Leigh determined that it was just a result of a concussion, that Ward still had brain function in all areas except consciousness, Daisy allowed herself to sit on the side of the bed beside the man who seemed foreign in such a place. Taking his hand in hers, Daisy rubbed his knuckles and stared at him. She smiled as she watched him lay unconscious of everything, not stressed by the task of turning an evil organization into something good. He looked as calm as she often wished to see him, as she never had before.
"Leaving me in charge of your evil corporation, really Ward? Who knows what I'll do with it." She stood up and put his hand back on the bed, leaning over to kiss his cheek. "Wake up before I do damage you don't like." Running her fingers through his soft hair, she sighed. "Just don't leave me, not after we've come so far. I don't think I can handle my heart being broken twice."
A Week Later – Director's Office – HYDRA Headquarters – New York
Daisy found herself in front of a group of men, seemed they were sub-leaders of different cells that Ward handled. Despite him waking up two days before, grumpy and near-homicidal, he hadn't been released from the Infirmary on a promise from her that he wouldn't until he was medically cleared. She would forever be shocked that of all the promises he made, and always kept, that it hadn't thought to break it once. So since Ward was out of commission, she was left to do his job. She'd been up the night before reading files upon files, watching videos of the men in question to know their weaknesses and ticks. There was no way she'd be walked over and for once, she wouldn't have Jamison or any of the HYDRA agents shoving their weapons at someone for threatening her.
"Mr. Drake." She called attention to the man at the end of the table who was on his phone. "If this conversation is uninteresting, I'm sure I could find a way to make it so." He looked up at her, "you're here because every one of you is being monitored so that we don't have an ego trip situation. It also means paying attention when I ask for an update on each of your projects."
The man smirked and put his phone down, "hate to break it to you sweetheart but we don't answer to you. Now, you can lead this meeting but I assume you that every single one of us is going to ignore your game until Mr. Ward arrives." He chuckled as he folded his arms. "I mean no offense, but none of us have heard of you and all of a sudden a woman none of us have heard of is running this meeting. So I'll ask what Miss Bright was so friendly with before, where is our leader?"
Daisy was about to answer when the doors to the room slammed open and Jamison, as well as two STRIKE teams, entered the room. As the doors closed, she saw another take up stances outside the doors. "What the hell are you doing Jamison?"
"Sorry ma'am but SHIELD and ATCU are attacking us at this moment. Most of the defense it situated in the Infirmary to protect the director, he sent two teams up here to protect the board and you." He handed off her gauntlets to her, "mostly you."
She took the ear wig he handed her, "how many?"
"Well we have Coulson and his merry band of warriors." He handed her a gun and checked his own. "As for ATCU, I didn't stop to count but they have floors three through five subdued."
"Great." She slipped on her gauntlets and sighed, "you'd think they'd pick a different day."
"Probably chose today for the people in the room alone." He turned to look at her, "by the way, someone swears they saw the mighty Calvary with them."
Daisy's head went up, "Melinda May is dead."
"From what I saw, she is very much alive." He gave a stern look, "took out two men in under a minute."
Gunfire drew their attention and all the men at the table seemed to grab their own weapons, aiming them at the door. The extra STRIKE team surrounded Daisy as the doors flew open and they were met with Lance Hunter, Bobbi Morse and an apparently not dead Melinda May.
Daisy raised a fist in the air and all the members of the STRIKE team, Jamison included, lowered their weapons halfway. "Put them down gentlemen." She spoke to the board and they looked at her.
Jamison glared at the men, "Director gave you an order, I'd follow it unless you want to unleash Hell."
They lowered their weapons and Daisy moved past the STRIKE team, towards the three. "What do you want?"
"What…" Hunter looked between her and those in the room. "Hold on, you're the new director of HYDRA?" He shrugged, "well at least you did one good thing killing Ward but really, director of evil organization?" He looked to the side at his ex-wife, "really didn't see that coming."
Daisy's attention was on May, "who are you?"
"Why are you doing this Daisy?" The woman looked at her, "this isn't you."
"I will repeat, who are you?"
Morse rolled her eyes, "she was put in the freeze tank but one of our techs accidentally took a fish pill, turned out her power was the ability to resurrect so May's back."
Hunter pulled at his collar, "is it just me or is it getting hot in here?"
Looking past the three, Daisy saw Ward standing the doorway with flames in his hands. He looked pissed, more so than she'd ever seen of him. Knowing what he intended to do, she took a step back and shook her head. The cue made the three turn to see Ward and they too backed up as he moved into the room.
"Ward no!" Daisy circled around the three and took a stance so she was between them and Ward. She put up a hand to get his attention and his eyes finally rested on her, the anger not disappearing but he calmed slightly if his heartbeat was any indication. "I have everything under control."
"Move aside."
She shook her head, "no, you can't kill them. You're bound by Inhuman law, you can't touch them." She took a step towards him, "not without going through me." Taking another step, she put a hand out and everyone watched as it touched his flaming wrist, yet she wasn't harmed by the hot flames. She whispered low enough only he heard, "you haven't killed since your transformation, you have delegated it to others. Don't start now, don't turn yourself into who you were before. You have a new start, don't destroy it by letting a vendetta consume you again."
"Skye…"
"If you want to kill them, you'll have to go through me. I won't let you be who you were before, I won't let you destroy yourself again." She met his eyes, "remember, I'm the only one worth destruction, your words."
Within seconds the flames were gone and he looked past her at the three SHIELD agents. "Detain them!"
Daisy turned to look at them, "don't fight them, it's not worth it." She put out a hand and both Morse and Hunter dropped their weapons, putting their hands up. "Careful with the blond, she has some medical issues, cuff her in the front."
Jamison did as instructed and cuffed Morse's hands in front of her. "These are Inhuman proof, you couldn't escape them if you wanted to."
"Doesn't mean I can't try." She looked back at Hunter, to see him being held in place by two men as the third handcuffed him. "Hunter stop, like she said, it's not worth it."
Once the two were handcuffed, Daisy looked over at May. "We'll be running our own tests to determine if you're who you say you are."
"Coulson's been trying to find you, to create a new treaty." She grunted as two rifles were pointed at her and two additional men held her as a third cuffed her. "This isn't you Daisy."
Daisy nodded, "you're right, Daisy was lost and confused trying to find herself. I go by Skye Johnson here, alliances change you and this alliance reminded me why I tried to expose SHIELD in the first place." She nodded to the door and all three struggled as they were walked out of the room.
The doors shut and Jamison looked between the board and the two directors. "Good to have you back Boss, I was afraid Agent Johnson was going to make them wet their pants so badly I'd have to order new carpet."
Ward moved past Jamison and towards the woman that stood a few feet away. She looked up at him and before she could speak, he seized her in a kiss. Jamison watched as the kiss turned passionate, probably too passionate for two people that were supposive past-enemies. When Ward pulled back, he looked down at the woman in front of him. "Skye…"
"Yep, Skye." She smiled before she pushed him back at a scowl on her face. "You broke your promise to me you lying bastard!"
Jamison turned to the board and motioned the door. "Sirs, ma'ams, perhaps we should take a rest after today's events and reschedule. I'll show you down to your vehicles if you'll come with me."
Ward looked over at the men and women, "I will meet with you in a week, be here same time."
None of them said anything other than to nod, it seemed as if the situation made them aware of just who they worked for. If the flames hadn't scared them, Skye was unaware of what exactly would. She watched them go and waited till the door was shut, Jamison having left to give them space, before she unleashed her fury on the man in front of her, his previous medical condition be damned.
"You fucking bastard, you broke your promise to me!" She pushed him back again but instead of not touching her when she was angry like normal, he seized her arms and backed her up till she was against the table.
Without a word further, he kissed her again with just as much passion as before. A handin her short locks, he let his other weave down till it slipped under her shirt. He pulled back as she tried to catch her breath, staring down at her. "You're more important than a promise and while ATCU deserted SHIELD during the fight, if it had been them they wouldn't have hesitated to put you down like the animal they see you as."
"I'm not defenseless." She stated as her breathing returned to normal.
"Doesn't lessen my need to protect you." He leaned in and kissed her forehead as he backed off, giving her a few feet of space. "I know how dangerous you are and I'm thankful for it."
He started to walk away, preparing to clean up the mess the SHIELD agents had made. Ward was going to let Skye deal with the agents personally, to prevent from killing them himself. As he touched the door, she spoke softly. "Thank you."
"For what?" His head turned and he saw her giving him a small smile.
"Remembering you who you are, who you became." She turned and picked up the files that had fallen to the floor when she'd been pushed into the table.
"I would have lost you again, once was one too many." With that he left her to take care of his office while he dealt with the rest of the problems SHIELD and ATCU had caused. He hoped that Coulson broke off an alliance with ATCU, abandoning SHIELD in the fight made them unworthy opponents.
A/N: So yeah May is back and Coulson probably got a lecture for his behavior so he wants to be allies. Oh and Daisy now goes by Skye again...
Next: Skye deals with her former team members and what to do with them.
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