Wall of Valor
A/N: This little scene came to me when I saw a gifset about that Wall of Valor scene in seeds. I simply had to write it. I'm not sorry.
Setting up the Triskelion again – restoring S.H.I.E.L.D. to its former glory, the way it should have been – is no small feast, especially since it looks like everybody seems to find her if they have the smallest problem, let it be anything from a glitch in the mainframe to the lack of staplers in administration, so Skye feels like she's been running solely on caffeine and sheer determination in the last few days.
And yet, she still finds five spare minutes on Tuesday morning to stand in front of the newly erected wall of valor in the lobby, honoring their dead. It's so much bigger than the one she once saw at the Academy, such a long time ago, in a different era – but then again, that one didn't have to list all the great men and women who fell when HYDRA rose. That one didn't have the names so many of people she knew, either.
She steps closer, her gaze darting around, looking for familiar names.
Agent Robert Gonzales
Her mother's first victim. She never liked the man, but still, he didn't deserve this fate.
Agent Isabel Hartley
Dead mostly because Coulson and Gonzales's stupid communication problems. If only they sorted out their differences in the beginning.
Agent Victoria Hand
She still feels bitter about the woman, but that doesn't mean she wished her this fate.
Agent Antoine "Trip" Triplett
Sweet, gentle Trip, dead because he wanted to save her. Still a day doesn't pass by without her remembering his smile.
The last name she looks for she finds in the far corner of the wall, and when she spots it, she traces the golden lettering with her fingers, a single tear sliding down her cheek.
Agent Grant Douglas Ward
"Hey, Robot," she whispers to the wall, as if he could hear her. "I have no idea where you are, but I just want you to know, I'm proud of you."