Next chapter for you all! It's not as long as I'd like it to be, but I really wanted to end it where I did, and I didn't want to extend out other sections too much in case it sounded a little too forced. But anyway, I've been looking forward to writing this bit for a while, so I hope you guys all enjoy it!
Also, in regards to the plot of Anchor, I actually have some definite plans. I don't want to spoil it for you guys, but I will tell you that some aspects of the second half of Series 2 will be included in Anchor, but I'll be writing it in my way.
One more note: Thank you all so much for all the follows, favourites and reviews! You are all blowing me away with the support! :)
Without further ado, enjoy the chapter, and don't forget to review and tell me what you thought!
CHAPTER ELEVEN: Going Straight To Nowhere
Grant
We're homeless. Again.
You'd think that Kara and I would be used to running by now, but as we move through the rainy streets of New York, I realise that apartment felt like home. Kara and me, and that apartment... it was just nice to feel relaxed for once. Relaxed and safe. And now... now it's gone.
Skye treks next to me, her hair soaking wet. It was already damp from the shower, but now thanks for the rain, it's dripping. She's still wearing her cropped leggings, and her clothes are really not appropriate for this. But what choice do we have? HYDRA is still pursuing us. So we don't exactly have the luxury to let her get dressed. But at least she has shoes on, even if they are Kara's, and don't fit her properly.
"Grant, what do we do?" Kara asks me quietly. Her tone is scared: Kara fears HYDRA with all her being after what they did to her.
I shrug. So far all we've done is run from the scene of the crime, in silence after my decision to let Skye stay with us. But we've nearly run back into HYDRA once already, and I don't want to get captured again. We only have three bullets left in our gun. And three bullets are not enough to fight our way past HYDRA, who have more than double that amount each. More like ten times that amount. If we tried to confront them, we'd die.
"I don't know, Kara." I admit. Because it's the truth. I have no idea where we go from here, because we're out of safe houses. We're nearly out of cash. We have nowhere to go.
"We need to lay low." I decide. Skye glances at me, scraping her hair behind her ears. I glance at her, wondering what the hell all that earth-quaking was about. Is that what she changed into? Is that why she's running from SHIELD? Because she can… what? Make everything quake? I can see why that would be a problem. Earthquakes will be a destructive power, a power that needs to be contained. But Skye's different. She's… Skye.
Coulson was probably reluctant to lock Skye up, because Skye is like a daughter to him. But I guarantee that May was all in favour of keeping her contained, even though Skye is – was – one of them. Because May knows what powered people can do: Bahrain is the example of that. Although I don't know the details, I know that May isn't called the Calvary for nothing. So it's little wonder that Skye ran, if she had these very dangerous powers.
"Do you have anywhere in mind?" Kara wants to know. "Because we need to run. They could be on our tracks. We need to run far, and we need to stay out of the cities for a while."
Both Skye and Kara shiver, both of them being cold, I realise. What we need to do is find somewhere to stay while we figure out what HYDRA is planning.
But that seems like an impossible mission.
When morning comes, we hide behind a dumpster as we see HYDRA soldiers. Even though they are hiding their weapons, I can see that they are ready to attack if they see us.
"What do we do?" Skye asks me, and I'm taken back to our days SHIELD. When we would run missions together, and I would call her 'rookie', and she would call me 'robot'. But those days are gone.
"HYDRA are all over the city by now." I mutter under my breath. "So we have to find a way out of here."
"Like that will be so easy." Skye snorts, and Kara nods in agreement. My eyes scan the horizon, and that's when I see our way out.
A truck.
It's some kind of cargo truck, I gather by the open back of the truck, showing the cargo boxes inside. The driver is just signing something with a nearby man, so we don't have much time. I scan the area for HYDRA: and I find the area clean for the moment.
So I grab Kara's hand; I grab Skye's hand. Skye flinches away from me, but doesn't pull away as I yank at their arms, dragging them after me. I climb onto the back of the truck, pulling the girls up after me. Kara frowns in confusion, but quickly sidles into a gap between the boxes, hiding in the shadows of the back of the truck. Skye and I crouch a box or two away from her, squeezing ourselves in. I hold my breath as I feel Skye's body warm against mine. The shadows hide us, but my heart beats fast even just thinking about if the owner finds us. Skye shifts slightly, and I catch a whiff of the grape and apple shampoo in her hair. It's a cheap, overpowering scent, yet I find myself wanting to lean closer to her. I shake myself mentally. She may be your ally now, but remember: she shot you. You can't trust her, not completely.
I hear footsteps as the owner of the truck, and then the sliding sound as the truck's door is shut, plunging us into complete darkness. It takes a few moments for my eyes to adjust to the darkness, but it's not the darkest I've ever been in. Vault D in SHIELD came close: that darkness almost sucked the life out of me. We don't move until we feel the truck hum to life beneath us, and it starts to move forward. Even then, we wait for around 5 minutes, just to make sure we're in the clear. We don't want him to stop because of any noises he hears, and if he comes back here to find us, we'll have to run off. Which I don't want to have to do. After having no sleep at all last night, and only a few patchy hours the day before, I'm not really in the best position to run again. I need to rest. But I can't do that until I know we're safe.
Then Kara moves forward, keeping as silent as possible, and moves some of the boxes to crouch next to us. Her body shivers slightly, in nerves. Skye breaths out shakily.
"What do we do now?" Kara asks in a barely audible voice. I move slightly, sitting down on the floor with my back against the wall. It's not exactly comfortable, but it's where I'm at right now.
"We wait until the truck stops. It should hopefully take us far enough away." I whisper back. "Okay? So try to get some rest."
"That's our plan?" Skye asks incredulously. "Seriously?"
"It's the only one we have." I murmur back to her.
"So we're just going where? Wherever this damn truck takes us?" She shakes her head in disbelief. "Forget about the highway to hell. This is the highway to nowhere."
"At least we should lose HYDRA's tail." Kara spins the positive. Skye doesn't argue against that as she sighs, starting to lie down on the floor, making herself as comfortable as she can considering we're in the dark, surrounded by boxes on a bumpy road, so the truck could chuck us to the other side at any given moment.
"I miss my van." She mutters. "I miss my van."
She flicks her hair out of the way, making a pillow for herself on her arms. She's facing away from me so even if I could see well in this dark, I can't see her face, so I don't know if her eyes are open or not. Knowing Skye, she probably doesn't trust us, so she'll be awake for as long as she can hold out.
"I'll take first watch." I offer to Kara, who nods without hesitation, before following Skye's lead by lying down on the ground, holding the backpack that contains the last of our possessions now close to her chest. She wraps her arms around it tightly, closing her eyes. I watch her for a moment or two before settling down to keep watch.
Skye's here. I think to myself. Skye, the girl who shot me. Skye, Coulson's lap dog. Skye, the girl I used to – used to – have feelings for.
Even though it feels weird having her here, I'm just going to have to get used to it. Because not only is HYDRA hunting Kara and I: they're hunting Skye as well.
My eyes blink open, feeling tired and stiff. I blink them a few times, before looking up, seeing the leafy branches arching high above my head, the faint light of early morning filtering through them. The rain from last night has stopped, but the ground still retains the moisture, so I feel uncomfortable and damp in my clothes. What I need is a shower, but when am I going to get time to have a wash? We're on the run, and we're currently in a forest of some kind. I carefully dust my shoulders off, dislodging fallen leaves and the single bug that took up residence on my shoulder with ease.
Last night, the truck stopped, so Kara, Skye and I made our run for it Unfortunately, the owner of the truck saw us just as we stepped off, and he chased off into the woods with threats of calling the police. Luckily, we managed to outrun him before he could really see what we look like, so I doubt any police reports made will actually do much good. After that, we were exhausted, so Kara, Skye and I curled up under some trees in the mountains, and slept on the dewy grass.
I climb to my feet, swallowing drily. Skye and Kara lie curled up near me, both of them surprisingly still asleep, despite the hard and damp ground. But we're all tired, so it's not that surprising. Humans can sleep in the most strangest of places if they have to, and we're all used to not so good conditions by now: Skye was an unwanted orphan who lived in a van for most her life, and Kara and I were Agents of SHIELD. Compared to that, some people might even call this sleeping arrangement a welcome luxury. I glance around, still half asleep, seeing that the sky goes on for hours, and the trees are tall into the sky.
I frown, my tiredness forgotten as a strange feeling of déjà vu hits me. I think I recognise this place.
I walk a few steps away from the girls, who are still curled up on the floor, and walk up the slight hill until I'm gazing over the land.
And then that's when I see it. The small, still standing cabin, built by hands in the middle of the woods.
"I know this place." I murmur, and Skye and Kara stir. They rub at their eyes, climbing to their feet.
"Grant?" Kara calls. "What's wrong?"
"I know this place." I repeat, my voice louder. My voice is a mixture of amazement and fear, because I remember this place.
"You do? How?" Skye says. I turn around to face them, swallowing. I never thought I would return here. To the place where it all went wrong. The place it all started, all so long ago.
Out of everywhere that truck could have taken us, why did it have to be here? It almost feels like this is fate. Destiny. I've never been one to believe that everything happens for a reason, but maybe there is something going on here. Because Skye is joining us, and we've ended up here, where maybe I can make Skye understand what made me Grant Ward.
"Grant?" Kara asks, frowning in concern. "Grant, where are we?"
I close my eyes briefly. Why here? Why here? Of all the places, why here?
"Welcome to Wyoming." I say without expression.
