Grant Ward looks through the first floor's foundation, making marks on his checklist. He checks one of the many concrete block that holds the entire skyscraper up. He watches as a team of construction workers begin making reinforced concrete. Rebar—which looks like metal rods—give concrete additional strength to hold up the upper floors of the building. They bear great weight, and they can't fall or else…
Crack, crack. Topple. It'll be worse than a fall of Jenga.
Lives are at stake.
Of course, they must also be handled correctly. He writes on his clipboard and then moves into the elevator. He writes more notes on his clipboard and sighs when he sees the next thing he must inspect.
Steel frames. More foundation, especially for the top floors.
It isn't the first time he has done inspection, of course. But for a fifty-seven story building, it is a lot to take in. Good thing that there are other inspectors. Pausing in his notetaking, he glances up at the numbers clicking up.
37…
38…
39…
Then the elevator jolts. And it stops.
Grant turns his attention back onto the clipboard. He continues writing further notes and finally giving the construction team and the concrete a grade. Then he flips a page over and works on more calculations. He adjusts his yellow hard hat, and then he works on.
Then the speaker cracks to life.
"This is security. There seems to be a problem with your elevator, sir."
Multiplying simple numbers, Grant casually scratches his nose and then mutters under his breath. "It seems that I will have to start firing people. Improper handling and incorrect method of mixing powder. Oh, and the pH levels are off by half of a degree. Do people really know what they are doing around here? Or were they just trained by online school?"
"Excuse me?"
He finally glances up and finds a camera. With a grin, he waves at it. "Oh, hi. Sorry, I was distracted by my job. What is happening with the elevator?"
"There is a problem. Do you need an engineer to come up and see what the problem is?" asks the security guard, exasperation obvious in his voice.
"No rush," he replies, waving his pen at the camera. "Really, I'm quite comfortable."
A pause.
"Is that sarcasm, sir?"
Grant chuckles. But he doesn't reply. He turns his attention back to his papers and notes that he must fire the security guards. They are useless, too.
In the food truck, Skye watches as the mark casually continues working. Just oblivious towards any danger. She squints at the screen, seriously wondering whether or not he is trained in making constructing inspections.
"Is he… really doing the inspecting job?" asks Simmons.
"Well, if bank and school records are anything to go by…" A pause. Then Morse nods and answers, "Yes. He does actually do the job."
The mark itches the collar of his long-sleeved shirt and then adjusts his slacks. He doesn't seem to care about whether or not the elevator is moving.
Skye resists the urge to scream at him. His posture is horrible.
Raising her hand to the Shield agents present, she turns the microphone back on and asks, "Are you sure you're comfortable, Grant?"
Grant raises his head and grins at the camera. "So that is your huge secret? You are actually a guy? Is this my other big piece of news this week?"
Skye leans over towards the computer and types out a quick command. It should be her voice now. "No time for jokes, honey."
"Why don't you come out and face me—"
"What?" Skye pauses, narrowing her eyes at the computer screen. "Like a man? But you know girls. We would rather to play hard to get."
Grant pulls at the doors. No such luck. He picks up the clipboard from the floor and yawns a bit. He tilts his head back up at the camera and searches for the emergency hatch. Too high. He could jump, but it would make him look ridiculous in front of the camera.
"This is your first and last warning, Grant."
Grant gestures towards the shut doors and the steel walls. "Hey," he says, "you know that I'm not going anywhere."
"So you say. But right now, you're in a sealed box dangling over forty floors of empty air…" Skye lets her voice fades away and leans towards the camera to see his expression.
"Oh. So this is a trap?" He raises an eyebrow and looks around the elevator as if it is the most fascinating thing he has ever seen in the entire world. Eighth wonder, in fact.
Skye gives the monitor the slightest of all cunning smiles. She resists the urge to tease him a bit, because this game… It's like playing with a mouse.
"And I thought you were more than a pretty face," she notes briskly.
Grant glances up towards the ceiling. Emergency hatch is too high, but… It's not impossible if the elevator is moving. But that is highly dangerous. It's better not to take that chance at all.
"So what do you have up there? Shaped charges on the counterweight cable? Two more on the primary and secondary brake?" he says, raising his eyebrow. He drops the clipboard to the floor and begins to clap for the camera.
"He knows," points out Morse.
Skye smiles. She is slightly… impressed.
"Whatever your plan is…" Grant gives a tiny shrug of his shoulders. "It's not going to work. Because you keep on underestimating me."
"Do I?"
"You have no idea what I'm capable of."
Skye lowers her voice. "And you have no idea what I'm capable of."
He tilts his head. "Okay. I give up. Blow it up." Grant then begins to unbuckle his belt, and he gives a very nasty grin at the camera.
"He is not going to urinate in the elevator, is he?" wonders Morse.
"I don't want to watch this," replies Melinda May. True to her words, she turns her attention on her keyboard instead of the screen.
Skye ignores the little comments. With the slightest tone of surprise, she says, "Excuse me?"
"Go on. Blow it. I dare you." He wraps his belt around his wrist.
Realization hits her. "You think I won't blow it."
"Come on, Skye. Blow it."
"Five… Four…" She is struck by the large grin on his face, as if he doesn't really care what happens to him. "You do realize I will do it?"
"What's the matter? All bark and no bite?"
"Three…"
"Skye, are you sure you want to do?" asks Simmons, leaning over towards Skye's monitor screen. "Because he is your—"
"Don't," she cuts off.
A familiar voice cuts in, "Skye, are you sure you want to do this? Because he is your—"
"Don't," replies Skye.
"Wait…" Grant blinks rapidly at the camera, his grin falling to pieces. "Wait a second…" Memories flicker by, and that voice… His mouth drops in surprise, and he says, "Skye, you have your maid of honor on your team of assassins?"
He manages to identify Simmons. That's not good.
"Oh, crap," whispers Simmons.
"Two…" says Skye, cutting in.
Grant taps his chin. "Hmm… Skye, your maid of honor was… I forgot her name, but…" He shuffles around the elevator and snaps his finger. "Jemma Simmons, right?"
"One," grits Skye. "Zero."
"Like Leo Fitz's Jemma Simmons, right?"
"Like Leo Fitz's Jemma Simmons, right?" he says, his tone softening. He could remember how rarely Fitz speaks of her, but he really does love her. Love her… more than friendship. Something different than how a brother would love her. Something that could have started if it isn't for Hydra's kidnapping.
Then his elevator jolts. And goes down.
"No!" shouts Simmons, grabbing at the black screen. With watery eyes, she moans, "No, no, no…"
Skye turns around for the culprit.
Bobbi Morse. With a guilty look on her face, she quickly says to Simmons, "I'm sorry, Simmons. I acted on Skye's word. When she said zero, I already keyed out the command. I couldn't override it."
With a frozen mind, Skye pushes her way out of the crowded food truck and pulls at her black apron. She watches as worker men shout in horror at the elevator's crash. A large cloud of dust sends a thin gray layer of everything nearby, and the world seems to be…
Standing still.
Grant Ward yanks the camera off the elevator, disconnecting it. He waits until the elevator moves up to the 57th floor and slowly walks out.
She has pressed the button.
He kicks at the ground and presses his fist against his mouth. He shakes his head and then continues making inspections.
He might have been harsher than necessary.
Today is a very bad day. A very bad inspection.
Yes! Another chapter done. As usual, I ask you all to leave your comments in the blank field below. Thank you!
And yes! The story is moving much closer to that huge smackdown. I seriously can't wait for it. (No, I haven't written it yet, but... Whee!)