Chapter 28
Bobbi gestured for the two agents to leave them alone, both understood the gesture and left. Coulson looked at his agent with distrust yet hope in his eyes, "You have a high ranking around here"
Bobbi knew what Coulson was implying. He, like everyone else, including Fitz and Simmons who were currently being detained in the lab, thought that she and Mack knew about this attack. But she genuinely didn't and nor did Mack, if she did then she would have at least warned the team, "Coulson… I'm so sorry. I don't know what's happ-"
"Save it Agent Morse" Coulson didn't like how Bobbi and Mack had lied to them for an entire year, and on top of that, the organisation that they work for blew a hole in his workplace, so no. He wasn't happy with them, "It's time to pick a side" he stated as he walked into the room by himself, leaving Bobbi to ponder on her thoughts.
"Nice office. Lots of light"
"You haven't even delved into the record collection" His voice was void of any humour, clearly indicating that he was pissed.
"I have no plans of moving in"
Coulson raised an eyebrow at that, "You just blew a hole in my wall and have all of my agents detained". Someone could have gotten injured if they were standing too close to the wall.
"I did what was necessary, for the future of S.H.I.E.L.D" Gonzales's voice was steady and truthful. This is what made it all that more confusing. Gonzales should be aware of the fact that the reason why there was even a base in the first place, was because he built it. Unlike him who has been hiding out on a ship for the past year.
"We already discussed all of this during our video conference. So I would like to know why you broke our agreement"
"Why?" Gonzales was getting tired of all these lies, he understood him keeping secrets for the betterment of S.H.I.E.L.D but this was a different level, "The second we gave you our location, S.H.I.E.L.D agents from your base raided our facility, killed several of our men, and then proceeded to steal a secret artefact that I'm sure you know all about since you have the toolbox!"
Coulsons's face scrunched up in confusion. That was impossible, after the call with Gonzales, he had went with May to pick up the team from jail, "I don't know why you thi-"
"Enough Coulson! You can't be trusted!" Gonzales shouted while banging his walking stick against the wooden floor, "First you were brought back from the dead"
"Didn't ask for that, but I've come to appreciate the gesture"
"And that he filled your body with alien blood, making you some sort of… messenger for a alien race that got one of your members killed"
Coulson was no longer fake smiling. His entire body tensed and Gonzales knew that he struck a chord in his chest.
"Let's not even begin with the HYDRA assassin who you picked up"
Wow… so not only did Mack and Bobbi tell Gonzales about the ancient city, but they also told him about Daisy being a HYDRA agent. This was probably before the revelation about Daisy's origin. He could still forgive them if they chose to do the right thing.
"Agent Johnson is a member of S.H.I.E.L.D" Coulson stated firmly and proudly, it took them a long time for them to get her to be proud of the fact.
"If she is loyal to S.H.I.E.L.D then she will be treated as such… but if she appears to be anything but…"
"Don't threaten her" Coulson growled protectively, he will not have Daisy's trust shattered into a million pieces because of Gonzales… that, and he was pretty sure that Daisy could slaughter everyone in this base, but that would only give people a reason to fear her, "I'm telling you Gonzales, you have your facts wrong. I wasn't the one who infiltrated your base"
Gonzales saw the steely look in Coulson's eyes and retracted his suspicion. The biggest flaw between two leaders, is lack of communication. He, like Coulson, didn't want to a power struggle, hell, he didn't even want to be the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D, he just wanted an organisation that he trusted to protect the people.
"Give me a reason why you aren't a suspect Agent Coulson?"
Coulson knew that this was his make it or break it moment. If he said the wrong thing, the situation could escalate and he might find himself back into the cell, but if he said the right thing, then he and Gonzales can work together to figure out the real culprit, "Because, after our video conference, I was called in to pick up our fellow agents"
"Pick up the agents from where?"
"Let's just say that letting S.H.I.E.L.D agents have the night off of the base, was a bad a decision on my part"
Gonzales tried to decipher what Coulson was saying, trying to see if there was a hidden meaning underneath his message, but when he couldn't find one, he realised that humane situation that the team must have gotten themselves into, "Oh"
"Yeah, so you can see how I haven't even be able to look at the location of the Iliad until this morning"
"How could HYDRA have known about the cargo on board? The only people who know is me and the person who has access to Nick Fury's tool box" Gonzales was still sceptical, he trusted Agent Morse's and Agent Mack's judgement, but trust only went so far.
"You forget Gonzales, S.H.I.E.L.D was HYDRA and HYDRA was S.H.I.E.L.D" Coulson stated calmly, he decided that now would be a turning point of the conversation, "And if anyone has the right to be suspicious, it's me"
Gonzales eyes widened at the implication.
"First, we make a deal. I lower my guard down, thinking that we're going to have a meeting next week. Second, you blow a wall in my base and locked three of my agents in the vault with other two tied up in the lab. Third, you stand here and accuse me of hijacking the Iliad, with no proof except for your paranoid and superstitious ass" Coulson's voice was becoming increasingly louder and Gonzales couldn't help but look down in guilt. He could feel the authority radiating off of Coulson and knew that this wasn't a man who wanted to start a war.
"You're correct" Gonzales muttered thoughtfully. He looked at the bindings around Coulson wrist and sighed, "I'm sorry Age… Director Coulson" he walked over to him and took the bindings off.
Oh… that was easy. A lot easier than he thought. Honestly, he was expecting Gonzales to throw him back in the cell… or have May come in to save his ass, but none of that happened. Things were going smoothly..
Coulson heard two shots being fired and then the door being broken down by May and Hunter. How did they get out of the vault? He watched as Gonzales reached for a gun but he put his hand out, showing him that he wasn't going to let his agent hurt him. May knocked the door down and got ready to fire a bullet into Gonzales's chest but Coulson was standing in the way.
"Coulson" May gestured for Coulson to move.
"Agent May, stand down, there's been a misunderstanding" Coulson ordered. May gave him a serious look, but she lowered her weapon when she saw that Gonzales wasn't armed and for whatever reason, Coulson was no longer restrained by the bindings.
Hunter suddenly barged in with a metal suitcase in his hands, "What the bloody hell are y'all doing?" He said as he pointed his ICER at the old man.
"Hunter" Coulson warned, causing Hunter to shoot him a similar look to May, "Gather the team, including Agent Morse and Agent Mack into the conference room"
Hunter couldn't believe what he was hearing right now, he looked at the other man suspiciously but knew better than to question Coulson's orders, "Then why the bloody did I grab this then?" He grumbled as he placed the metal case onto the table before leaving.
"Agent May, I'd like to apologise for the… intrusion"
May didn't like having a hole blown in the wall, "I should've shot you" she said before leaving to go and grab Daisy, and make sure the girl was okay after exerting her powers.
"They don't like intruders" Coulson said as he walked over to his desk, just to make sure they didn't touch anything on his table, especially his collectibles.
"I hope I didn't ruin the trust between us"
"Unfortunately Gonzales, you blew that to pieces… quite literally" Coulson said before walking off to prepare for the conference where he was going to announce that they were one S.H.I.E.L.D and we was hoping that they could work together.
Daisy couldn't help but snort when she saw Fitz walking into the room wearing a monkey pyjamas shirt and Jemma with a shirt that screamed, science is cool.
"Shut it" Fitz grumbled frustrated as he walked into the room and took a seat with Jemma ode behind him.
Daisy couldn't help but smirk. She walked into the kitchen and grabbed two bottles and Advil that was kept in the drawer, "Hangovers can be a bitch"
"Especially when you have people storming into your rooms unannounced" Jemma spat with annoyance as she glared at the S.H.I.E.L.D agents who were talking to both Bobbi and Mack.
Daisy gave them the bottle of water and aspirin. She leaned against the wall and watched as her two older friends interacted with the other agents.
"What the bloody hell is happening anyways?" Fitz was not in the best mood, he couldn't think straight because of his headache.
Daisy told them the brief version of what Mack had told her in the prison cell. She herself, wasn't too sure about this Gonzales dude or the Real S.H.I.E.L.D crap that was going on, but she trusted Mack and Bobbi.
"They're spies?" Fitz shouted with anger in his voice.
Jemma's eyes widened at the revelation and she couldn't help but feel betrayed and hurt that the two older agents, who she saw as an older sibling, has been lying to them for an entire year.
"Shouldn't be too surprised" Hunter said as he walked into the room and sat down next to FitzSimmons, "I've been telling you guys. Bobbi is a bloody manipulative hell beast. She's a professional liar and you can't trust what she says"
Daisy raised an eyebrow at how harsh Hunter was being towards Mack and Bobbi. She looked at the science twins and saw that they were hurt and betrayed by them. Wow… this was weird, being on the other end of the spectrum. Usually she was the person who they distrusted, not the other way around.
Not that she didn't trust Bobbi and Mack, she still did. But she was going to assume that it was going to take a bit more time for the rest of the team to trust them.
"Do you think this is why Mack befriended me? To gain my trust and gain access to the blueprints of the base?" Fitz questioned with a hint of fear in her voice.
Daisy opened her mouth to refuse his doubt but Jemma interrupted by asking, "And Bobbi too… she didn't want to become friends with me because she liked me…"
Oh, this was actually heartbreaking. Daisy wanted to say something to remedy this situation but Hunter added fire to fuel… like always, "Finally, you guys see what I see". Daisy shot him a glare that screamed, not helping, but Hunter shrugged his shoulders.
"Oh my god" Jemma's eyes widened when she realised something, she looked up at Daisy with fear in her eyes, "What if they told the others about your…"
Jemma gestured to Daisy's watch, "Don't worry, they didn't disclose that information about me" Daisy reassured which let Jemma sigh in relief, "If they did, then I would have kicked their ass for betraying my trust"
"Go ahead" Hunter said as he flicked his head towards the two traitors.
"Yeah, teach them a lesson" Fitz added on.
"Yes, give them a slight beating that leaves enough bruises to teach them a lesson but not enough to leave a hematoma"
Daisy was starting to wonder how someone as petty as them, were able to greet her back with open arms when she left for 6 months, but couldn't understand where Mack and Bobbi were coming from.
"You guys seriously need to work on your trust issues" Daisy said, knowing full well that she was being hypocritical.
Everyone shot her a glare but couldn't say anything because Coulson, Gonzales and May walked onto the podium where they will be announcing their joint organisation.
"I swear he looks familiar", Daisy tilted her head to the side when she looked at Gonzales who looked familiar. Daisy's clicked her fingers, "The monopoly man. The only thing he's missing is the monocles"
Jemma looked over to her best friend who was leaning on the wall, "The monopoly man doesn't have a monocle"
Daisy's eyes widened, "He doesn't?
Her entire life has been a lie… well, more of a lie…
Gonzales started his speech by apologising to the S.H.I.E.L.D agents who he had apprehended. Coulson carefully watched as Fitz, Simmons, Hunter and Daisy were separated on one side of the room, while the other two agents were standing with Calderon and the 'Real' agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. He made sure to keep a close eye on Daisy. He wasn't sure how she would react to the situation.
Gonzales explained what happened to him, Mack and Bobbi on the day that HYDRA took over, he then explained how he sent Mack and Bobbi to the base to see if Coulson was trustworthy in not.
"Yeah, all of that doesn't explain why you blew a hole in our base" Hunter shouted from the back, causing Gonzales and the rest of the agents to turn around to look at him. Some hummed in agreement while others shot him looks of glare.
"Last night, our base was raided by agents who we assumed were sent by Director Coulson" Gonzales said regretfully, "However, it has come to my attention that this isn't the case. We believe that HYDRA took over the Iliad and now has full control over the ship"
Bobbi evidently tensed up when she heard that, she turned her head to look at her partner who was thinking the exact thing he was. Daisy didn't miss the way that Gonzales was looking at Bobbi, as if he was sending her a secret message through his eyes. She wondered what was on that ship that made them so spooked.
"The reason why we're holding this conference, is because we need to be on the same team" Coulson said as he looked at everyone in the room, eying his team in particular, "Gonzales has agreed to joining us. We are not enemies, we are one S.H.I. . When we joined S.H.I.E.L.D, we all took an oath to protect and serve the people. If you still believe in that, then I'd like to ask you to stay and keep fighting for S.H.I.E.L.D, but if you don't have the heart to stay, then leave"
Daisy couldn't help but smile, it was weird seeing him be the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D, she was so used to seeing the fatherly side of Coulson, that seeing him speak with authority was foreign yet respectable. Daisy watched as some agents walked over to the box that May had put down, and dropped their badges in the box.
Daisy looked at Mack who was eyeing the box, as if he was trying to make a decision, but instead of walking over to the box, he straightened his back and continued to watch Coulson.
Coulson dismissed everyone except his own team. He waited for everyone to leave until he and May walked over to the team who were on the right, while Gonzales went to Bobbi, Mack and Calderon on the left.
"Director Coulson" Daisy teased.
Coulson was relieved to see that Daisy wasn't too affected by this change, in fact, she looked like she was completely okay with this entire ordeal. Her teasing smile relieved any previous stress that he had, "Finally see me as a Director rather than an Agent?"
Daisy shook her head, "Nope, A.C sounds way cooler"
Coulson wasn't the only one who's stress was dissipating, so was May's. She was glad that Daisy distrust towards S.H.I.E.L.D or towards the team, hasn't resurfaced. Actually, now that she thought about it, Daisy never distrusted S.H.I.E.L.D.
"Are we just going to let them roam around the base like they own the place?" Hunter asked while eying his ex-wife with anger.
"We're not enemies Hunter" Coulson knew that Hunter was hurt because Bobbi had knocked him out for Gonzales, but he also knew that it was a smart move on Bobbi's part. She couldn't do anything if she proved to be disloyal to Gonzales.
"They were spying on us for a year" Fitz growled with frustration.
"And we didn't even know until it was too late" Jemma added with sadness in her eyes.
Coulson nodded his head, he understood where they were coming from and why, but he needed them to know that Mack and Bobbi had come to them earlier, "Mack and Bobbi told us about their allegiance a couple of days ago. We should have informed you guys straight away but instead, we kept it a secret until we had a meeting with Gonzales"
Both Fitz and Simmons shared a look, feeling a little hurt that Coulson hadn't told them, but then they realised that Coulson and Agent May only knew about their allegiance a couple days ago, "They had an entire year to tell you, and they tell you now?" Jemma questioned sceptically, "I'm sorry sir but… I don't trust them…"
"Yeah, me neither" Fitz agreed.
Coulson knew that HYDRA has fundamentally broken their ability to trust or to give people a second chance. He was starting to think maybe he should be sending off to see a therapist about that… including Daisy who he knew was going to be a lot harder to convince.
"It feels like Ward all over again" Jemma statement made the entire team, except Hunter and Daisy, freeze and lower their heads in agreement.
Daisy cringed when she heard Ward's name. She still needed to speak to him, to make sure that he was okay, but she couldn't find any signs of his whereabouts, it was like he had fallen off the face of the Earth. She tried contacting Gordon, but he wasn't responding. And when she messaged Yo-Yo, she had told her that Gordon and Ward had left a few days ago without saying a word. She had a bad feeling about this… it felt like when Ward left to go with Garett.
Daisy snapped herself out of her thoughts when she picked up on the tension between the teams. When she looked up at Bobbi and Mack, she saw a look of anger flash in Mack's eyes. She wondered what Gonzales was saying to make Mack angry. However, Bobbi's eyes were a little more concerning, she looked like she was accepting something… accepting fate.
"Bobbi and Mack aren't HYDRA and they're not like Ward" Daisy stated, causing both FitzSimmons to look at her to see what she has to say, "Ward was ordered to earn your trust and your friendship. He was ordered to keep his cover, even when the HYDRA breakout occurred, and he was ordered to kill you guys"
"What's your point?" Fitz questioned a little harshly. He didn't need to be reminded what Ward did to him… did to his team, to his family.
"Bobbi and Mack could have completed their mission during the first 3 months that they were here" Daisy stated, "They had every right to. At that time, Coulson became some sort of… beacon to find an ancient alien city that no-one knew existed. I worked for HYDRA and actively admitted to being a trained assassin who worked for them, and then they find out that HYDRA had a secret project that created superpowered soldiers"
"I'm still not following" Hunter said.
Daisy rolled her eyes and quickly finished off her speech by saying, "They could've ended this 6 months ago, but they didn't…"
That was all she had to say to make the team realise that what Daisy was saying was true. Both Coulson and May looked at Daisy proudly, they were actually quite surprised by Daisy's speech to keep the team together. Daisy noticed the proud yet surprised look on the older agent's faces, "There used to be a lot of conflict in the Afterlife…"
Hmmm… It seemed like Daisy was a genuine leader in the Afterlife. Coulson didn't like it the thought of her being a leader because as a Director himself, he knew the pressure and guilt that comes with it. He could barely handle it, and the only reason why he was able to hold it together was because of May and having a reliable team… but Daisy, who did she have?
"Director Coulson… may we discuss something in your office" Coulson turned around to see Gonzales looking at them and he knew that he wanted to discuss how the systems worked here. He gestured for May to follow him and his team to get back to work.
Daisy was going to follow FitzSimmons and Hunter to the lounge room, but she saw Mack and Bobbi waiting around at the back like an outcast. She rolled her eyes and walked over to them. She was going to be nice and invite them to the lounge room, but she couldn't help herself to tease them a little, "Is Agent Morse and Agent Mack scared of a little confrontation?"
Mack shot her a glare but was glad that she wasn't angry with him after the stunt that Gonzales pulled. Bobbi however, was looking at Daisy with confusion, "Wait… how come you're not mad?"
"Mack told me when we were stuck in the cell"
Bobbi looked at her partner, "You told her?"
Mack threw his hands up defensively, "We were bonding" he justified himself.
Daisy smiled at Mack and nodded her head, but her smile faltered when she realised that Bobbi might not have wanted her to know, "Did you not want me to know?"
"What? No" Bobbi shook her head, actually, she was glad that Daisy wasn't giving them the cold shoulder unlike the rest of the team, "I'm glad you know… I just wish that we told Fitz and Simmons earlier"
Daisy nodded her head, that would have been for the best. She had a day to sleep it off, but this was fresh for the pair. They needed time to think about the trust that Bobbi and Mack had built over the year, and not think about the one time of betrayal.
"They'll come around" Daisy reassured, it was going to take time, but she trusted the science twins to come around and think about this rationally, "Although Hunter's pissed that you knocked him out"
Bobbi pinched the bridge of her nose, she really didn't want their last conversation to end like this. Daisy saw a look in their eyes and could tell something was off. She trusted her instincts when it came to these things, "Everything okay?"
Mack looked between the two and thought that it was best for them to be alone, "I'm going to grab a beer since I spent all of last night taking care of your ass" he joked with his partner. Bobbi shot him a glare but smiled nevertheless as she watched him leave.
Bobbi sucked in a deep breath and looked up at Daisy, "I should be asking you that"
Daisy pointed at herself, "Me?"
Bobbi bit her lip and said, "I mean… these past few months have been hard on you and I feel like I added to the load of crap that you have to deal with", Bobbi wanted to make amends with Daisy before she goes. Daisy was her friend, she saw her as a little sister yet she never showed it to her.
Daisy scrunched her face up in confusion, why was Bobbi being so… sentimental all of a sudden? The reason why Daisy felt like she could trust Bobbi, was because she felt like the two could relate on some level. Both were trained specialist and assassin, who had to complete missions when ordered to.
"These past few months… past few days have been… isolating and cold", Bobbi's eyes snapped up when she heard Daisy's tone of voice darken and so did the look in her eyes, "But it's not because of you guys"
"After your mother died… did you not come to us for help because you didn't trust us?"
Unconsciously, Daisy began tapping her feet on the ground and she subconsciously slipped her hands into her pockets. She would be lying if she said the thought of going to her team didn't cross her mind. But at the time, she had Gordon by her side. She had her Inhuman mentor, reminding her to become the darkness that she was made to be, "Yes" she admitted. She realised that she needed to explain herself, "Wait, no… I mean yes but no"
"You don't have to.."
"No" Daisy tried to think of how to say it, "What I mean is… I didn't trust myself to let you guys in. I knew that if I came to you guys, then I wouldn't have been able to do the things that I did"
"Because we make you weak"
It wasn't a question, it was a statement.
Daisy saw the disappointment in her eyes and shook her head, "No, because you guys make me think that I can be better", Bobbi's eyes snapped up when she heard the fear in Daisy's voice, "The team's belief… Coulson and May's belief… and your belief that I can be better scares me…"
"Good" Bobbi said with a small smile. She was glad that the team… that she was making an impact on her. Bobbi thought screw it. She pulled Daisy into a tight hug which took the young agent by surprise.
"Oh okay… w-why are we hugging?" Daisy asked with confusion as she pulled out of the hug. She expected it from Simmons, but not Bobbi. Something must be very wrong if Bobbi was initiating hugs and being sentimental, "Are you sick?"
Bobbi shook her head and smiled at the young agent, "No I just… I'm feeling guilty about this entire situation" she lied. Daisy seemed to believe her lie.
Coincidentally, the awkward silence that would have dawned on them, was interrupted by sudden shouting. Bobbi was the first to leave. Daisy looked at Bobbi with concern in her eyes… she couldn't shake this feeling that Bobbi was trying to say goodbye to her.
Fuck… what the hell was Bobbi going to do…
Daisy rolled her eyes and followed Bobbi into the lounge room where they found Mack standing in between Calderon and the science twins who were visibly pissed off about something.
"You science freaks are the reason why the Hub fell and why Victoria Hand died!"
"That is a completely unreasonable conclusion that you have come up with. You have no empirical evidence to support your claims!" Jemma shouted at being falsely accused to helping HYDRA.
"Which makes you an uneducated imbecile. Shouldn't you have learnt not to make false accusation without any evidence in academy… oh right, you failed the educational side of the course 3 times!" Fitz exaggerated by lifting up 3 of his fingers while shoving it in the other man's face.
"Turbo, calm down" Mack tried to mitigate the situation but he felt like he was making things worse.
"Oh back off Mack, it's not like you actually care about me!" Fitz didn't want his fake friendship.
"Hey, that's not fair" Mack was hurt that Fitz thought their friendship was based off a lie.
"You want evidence? Here's evidence!" Calderon had a vein popping out of his head, "Deathlok, formerly known as Mike Peterson… tell me, wasn't it your team that first encountered him? Instead of putting this superpowered freak 6 feet underground, you gave him the opportunity to become a killing machine who slaughtered hundreds of S.H.I.E.L.D agents!"
"Good thing you didn't tell him about me" Daisy muttered to Bobbi who was walking up to Calderon.
"Agent Calderon, back down!" Bobbi ordered in an attempt to stop the older agent from arguing with her people.
"You know I'm right!" Calderon shouted.
"Mike Peterson isn't a superpowered freak!" Jemma disliked the way that Calderon was speaking about people with powers. She couldn't help but think of Daisy.
Fitz suddenly felt a surge of anger and couldn't believe that Mack and Bobbi were actively working with this douchebag, "He's a good man, if he wasn't then he would have been locked up!"
"He killed people! Innocent people!" Calderon was tempted to throw a punch at these naïve kids, "You little shits wouldn't know a damn thing about war because you science freaks are out here hiding in a fricken lab while we're on the front lines!"
"You forget that us 'science freaks' are the ones who develop the weapons that you use, who study the ancient artefacts to get clues on the enemy, and are the literal, brains of the operation!" Fitz was sick of jerks like him. He had been surrounded by these assholes in S.H.I.E.L.D academy and he tolerated it, but this was his base, not theirs.
"Brains of the operation? Are you kidding me?" Calderon scoffed, "None of that shit matters when you're fighting a war! Where the hell were you when HYDRA was being taken over? Let me guess, you were too weak to fight the actual enemy. The fact that Ward is still alive proves that!"
"Calderon! Enough!" Mack growled, he's been trying to calm the situation but now he was getting fed up. Calderon was overstepping a line, "You don't know what the hell you're talking about. Fitz and Simmons may not be soldiers, but they are the reason why innocent people are alive right now! Those ICERS that you use were developed by them! This base that you're standing on was rebuilt by them! This entire damn organisation has survived because of them!"
"You're seriously siding with them?"
"This is our team Calderon" Bobbi growled protectively as she took a step forward. Calderon evidently flinched and took a step, "No… this is more than a team. These are my people and my family… you have worked with me long enough to know what I am willing to do for the people I care about"
Calderon gulped when he heard the threatening tone of Agent Bobbi Morse, "Is that a threat?"
"It is Agent Tomas Calderon" Bobbi threatened.
Calderon finally backed down and was ready to leave but he spotted a young agent standing next to a mercenary who were both trying to make their existence unknown because they knew that S.H.I.E.L.D agents seemed to be quite judge of their profession.
"Ah shit" Hunter muttered when he saw Calderon walked up to them with a scowl on his face.
"You're the mercenary?"
"It's like he wants to pick a fight" Daisy muttered to Hunter who couldn't disagree with her.
"And you're the assassin who worked for HYDRA?"
Daisy wasn't going to indulge him by talking to him, instead she just stared at him with a bored and unimpressed expression.
"Come on mate, get the bloody hell out of here" Hunter said, not wanting to start a fight with the guy.
Calderon didn't seem to want to listen.
Daisy tapped her finger against her arm as she realised that the only way to stop assholes like him, was to teach them a lesson. Plus, she didn't like the way that he was speaking to science nerds. The only people who were allowed to tease him was family, and this asshole isn't family.
"I heard you worked for HYDRA" Daisy quirked an eyebrow up and had to restrain herself from making a snappy remark saying that technically, everyone in S.H.I.E.L.D worked for HYDRA… but she will keep her calm and unbothered demeanour for now
"Mate, I'm warning you. You don't want to piss her off" Hunter warned, knowing full-well that Daisy's temper wasn't to be messed with.
"Why?" Calderon seriously didn't see how this kid was able to work for HYDRA, "HYDRA must be desperate if they're recruiting kids now"
Yep, Daisy was going to kick his ass, "How about I show you how desperate HYDRA is?"
Everyone watched as Calderon tried to lay a single finger on Daisy, but the young agent swiftly dodge all of his attacks as if he was nothing but a nuance. Fitz and Simmons were enjoying watching the asshole getting played like a toy. It was nice to have someone like Daisy on their side, they wished that they had someone like Daisy during their time in S.H.I.E.L.D academy.
Hunter was watching Calderon getting frustrated at not being able to get a single hit on Daisy. The reason why he was enjoying it so much was because it was nice seeing someone else getting their ass kicked by Daisy.
Bobbi and Mack thought that this was a good time to talk to the team with Daisy being… preoccupied and not having a problem. They stood in front of their team and blocked their view from the fight.
"Can we talk?" Mack asked.
"What's the point?" Fitz tried to move Mack out of the way but the mechanic wasn't moving.
"We're a team Fitz…"
"Team?" Fitz scoffed at his choice of words, "You lied to us for an entire year, just like Ward did"
"We're nothing like Ward or HYDRA" Mack defended himself and his partner while looking at his, practically begging the younger agents to understand where they were coming from.
"I'm a rational person. I can understand why you infiltrated the team and why you reported our every move. It's the same thing we did with Daisy when we didn't trust her because we thought she was HYDRA… but what I don't get is you could lie to us for so long" Jemma questioned with hurt in her eyes.
Bobbi never wanted this, she never wanted to hurt her friends but she knew that she would be feeling the exact same way as her team if the roles were reversed.
"Genuinely… because we forgot" Bobbi knew it was such a pathetic answer, especially since she was a spy but it was true. She and Mack had forgotten about their mission because they were too invested with the team.
Both Fitz and Simmons were confused by their answer. They were ready for an excuse like, we were scared or you wouldn't understand, but forgetting? That was… new.
"You forgot?" Simmons repeated.
"Our mission was simple, find out if Coulson was trust worthy and find Nick Fury's toolbox" Bobbi told them truthfully, "Creating a bond with you guys wasn't a part of the mission"
"It was the reason why we couldn't complete the mission" Mack said, seeing both Fitz and Simmons relent at that.
Hunter couldn't believe the science twins were actually relenting at that, "Guys, seriously? They betrayed us remember?"
Bobbi shot him a look, "Why are you mad at us? You knew about us a week ago"
Both Fitz and Simmons now whipped their heads to glare at Hunter who seemed to have forgotten that he knew about all of this before anyone else, "You knocked me out!" he shouted at his ex-wife.
"Because you were going to do something that could have escalated the situation!" Bobbi shouted back.
"You don't know that!"
"Yes I do, I was married to you!"
"Oh, here we go" Mack muttered as he rubbed his eyes.
"Why did you befriend me?" Fitz asked softly as he looked down at his feet.
Mack's eyes softened and knew that Fitz had self-doubt about why someone would want to befriend someone like him who had brain damage, "Because you're Turbo" he simply stated.
That seemed to work as Fitz looked up at him and nodded his head.
Bobbi and Hunter stopped bickering when they heard someone yelp in pain. Daisy was standing over a groaning Calderon who was cradling his wrist to his chest, "Sorry, you should let the science nerds have a look at that… or don't" Daisy kneeled down so only the man could hear her, "Raise your voice at them again, I will rip your vocal cords out… I've done it before" she said before jumping up on her feet and walked over to the team.
"You guys done being all moody with each other?" Daisy questioned as she looked at the team who's tension slightly dissipated. She noticed Bobbi looking at the team desperately, as if she needed their approval.
"Yeah… I was just in a foul mood because of the hang over and S.H.I.E.L.D agents barging into my room" Jemma said with a small smile, "You're not HYDRA and it wasn't fair of me to compare you to one"
Bobbi smiled and shared a hug with Jemma.
Huh… so Bobbi was hugging everyone… but still, something was off.
"Fitz?" Mack muttered softly.
"Yeah, yeah… just don't lie to us again" Fitz said as he nodded in Mack's direction.
The conversation was interrupted by a beeping sound that alerted everyone that there was an emergency mission. Everyone gathered into Coulson's room where Gonzales was looking at the tv screen with intrigue. A part of Coulson wanted to take this call in private, but he knew that would only give Gonzales reasoning not to trust him.
He nodded his head to his team and pressed the button that projected a 3D hologram of Talbot.
"Talbot, this is a surprise"
Talbot had a panicked expression on his face and everyone in the room knew that whatever he was going to say next, was going to bring an entirely new problem that was going to force the teams to work together, "Coulson I don't have time fo—who are they?"
Coulson looked over his shoulder to see Gonzales standing behind him, with Bobbi and Mack standing behind the team. Looks like they made up, "Don't worry, I trust them"
Talbot didn't have time to question it, the situation was dire and they needed special agents to get on this mission since he didn't have permission to issue a raid for a potential facility, "I don't have much time to get into it. Long story short, HYDRA infiltrated my base and not only killed two of my men, but also managed to get their hands on Bakshi"
"Bakshi…" Jemma shuddered when she remembered the creepy man who was her boss when she went undercover.
'We were able to trace where they went however…"
"Let me guess, you don't have a warrant". Times like this, Coulson was glad that there were no government organisation or democratic system that controlled his movements.
Talbot's eyes darkened and everyone knew that there was more information to come, "Coulson… the facility that they went to is a HYDRA base that used to perform experiments on their soldiers…"
Daisy stiffened when she heard that. She knew that it couldn't have been the base where she and the rest of the Inhumans were experimented on. Ward had burnt the entire base down, including all of the drugs that they used. So this could only mean one thing… Ward was right, some of the scientist were alive. She could already feel her need for vengeance take over her rationality.
"They developed these… crystals… I don't know how to explain it but, let me just show you" Talbot pressed a button that displayed a video of a random HYDRA agent talking to Bakshi. One minute they seemed to be having a civilised conversation, but then someone pulled out a crystal and smashed it on the ground. Everyone's eyes widened when they saw blue mist coming out of the crystal which caused Bakshi to turn into stone. Talbot turned off the video and looked at Coulson's' team with concerned eyes, "This could lead to a biological warfare…"
Coulson's jaws clenched, "Send me the location"
Talbot nodded his head and said, "Thank you Coulson… once again I owe you one"
Coulson nodded his head before hanging up the video conference. He turned to Gonzales and his little bodyguard, "I want to send my team on this, everyone including Agent Morse and Agent Mack"
Gonzales didn't like that plan for one simple reason, "I understand the gravity of the situation, but Agent Morse has another mission"
Everyone turned to look at Bobbi who was looking down at her feet with guilt. Everything was happening too quickly, she didn't even have time to understand the weight or consequences of what was happening.
"It's classified" Gonzales stated.
That was not the words that team or Coulson wanted to hear right now.
Coulson glared at Gonzales, clearly not in the mood for secrets, "You expect me to trust you when you're having one of my agents go off on a secret mission?"
Bobbi knew she had to intervene before Coulson and Gonzales got into a full-fledge battle over who's orders were superior, "Sir, this mission is classified because Nick Fury gave me the orders before his death"
Everyone's attention shifted to Bobbi, except for Daisy who was paying attention to Mack's expression. He was silent and silently brooding. Whatever this secret mission was… it wasn't good.
"Agent Morse" Coulson's voice was stern and cold, "Nick Fury is dead. He's no longer the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. So, I'd like to think that my orders take precedent over any previous orders that he may have given to you before his death"
Daisy watched as Bobbi tried to think of way to speak the truth without actually spilling the true details behind her mission.
"In the chances of the Iliad getting into the hands of the enemy, I'm to detonate a bomb that has been planted onto the ship"
Okay, so not that bad, but why did Mack looked like he wanted to protest and stop Bobbi from doing that. It was HYDRA, they hated HYDRA. Who cares if their lives were lost right?
Coulson knew something was off as well so he asked a follow up question, "How do you detonate the bomb?"
"I just need to get close enough to set it off" Bobbi lied easily. Everyone seemed to believe her, all except Daisy who could feel how fast Bobbi's heart was beating right now, "It's a simple mission, risk-free"
Coulson felt like there was something wrong… he could feel it in his bones.
"I will go inform the other officials. Maybe they will be willing to lend over some of their agents to help us on this mission for back-up" Gonzales said.
Coulson nodded his head and waited for Gonzales walk off. His focus returned to his team who were now looking at Daisy who's eyes were burning with vengeance.
"Was that…" Fitz started as he looked at Daisy with fear in his eyes.
"Terrigensis that you previously spoken of?" Simmons finished it off.
Daisy clenched her jaw in frustration. Everyone could tell that she was seething with anger right now, "If HYDRA has these crystals, it means they have plans to create new Inhumans", she couldn't even keep track of the current Inhumans, she really didn't want to deal with a whole new batch.
"It's a biological warfare" Jemma stated, "If they disperse these… crystals, worldwide, the only people who will survive are…"
"Those who have the inhuman genes" Fitz finished off.
"Oh bloody hell" Hunter rubbed his eyes tiredly.
"Which is why we need to be quick about it. If there's a chance that HYDRA has the crystals already, there's a chance they're already planning on dispersing it" Coulson said, everyone except Bobbi and Daisy took the hint and left to get ready. Coulson felt like something was off with this mission that Bobbi was going on, so he wanted to ask one more time, "How dangerous is this mission Bobbi?"
Bobbi clenched her jaw, she knew that she could easily tell him the truth and Coulson would find another way that didn't end in her death… but she signed up for this when she joined S.H.I.E.L.D and she wasn't going to let fear get in the way of anything, "Sir, I made an oath to S.H.I.E.L.D and I plan on keeping that oath for a long time"
It wasn't a promise to come back alive, but it also wasn't a promise to die. She was going to do everything that she can to stay alive… but she was simply ready to take herself down if it meant HYDRA goes down with her.
Coulson nodded his head and watched Bobbi leave the base.
Daisy clenched her jaw. May noticed and said, "Daisy, if you're to come on this mission, then you have to be in complete control of your emotions"
That was the thing, Daisy knew when it came to these types of things, she had no self-control over her emotions. If she went in there, she wouldn't give a damn if Coulson gave her orders to capture and not kill. She would rip the scientist apart without feeling any sense of guilt… which was why she had to make this decision.
"Sir…" Daisy's closed her eyes and shook her head. She couldn't believe that she was making this decision, especially when she spent her entire life, making sure no-one could recreate these experiments, "I would like to sit this one out"
Coulson would be lying if he said that he wasn't caught off guard by Daisy's initiative to take herself off of the case. He remained silent, waiting for Daisy to give them a reason as to why she wanted to be off this case.
Daisy looked up, but turned her attention to May, "I told you… I didn't want to become a monster and if I go on this mission… I know I'll disobey your orders and slaughter everyone in that facility, good or bad" she admitted, she was afraid to see disgust or even disappointment, but once again she found nothing by understanding, in both their eyes.
"The fact that you're taking the initiative to take yourself off of this mission, already proves that you're not a monster" May stated proudly at the young girl, she was slowly learning how to trust her team, which was a step forward in the right direction.
"We're proud of you Daisy" Coulson stated honestly. If he was being honest, he didn't trust Daisy to be on the field with them, and he knew that Daisy knew that too. He was going to tell her that she wasn't going on this mission, but Daisy made the first step and he couldn't help but feel proud of the young girl. A year ago, Daisy would have undoubtedly gone on this mission alone, but now she was learning to lean on her team, to let them share her burden
Daisy lowered her head to hide the smile of someone being proud of her. She didn't know when she started to care about other people's opinions about her, but it was nice having two people who seemed like a stable parent figure, in her corner.
"I know it's going to be hard for you to not be there, but I have an equally important mission for you to complete" Coulson said, knowing full well that Daisy was going to leave the base whether it was for an official mission or not.
"Really?" Daisy thought that Couslon didn't want her to go on any missions incase it resulted in a bloodbath. Plus, she kind of had plans already.
"Something with Agent Morse feels off. I want you tail her and prevent from doing anything potentially stupid and sucidal"
Oh, thank god that was the mission. Another reason why Daisy didn't want to go on the mission, was because there was something off about Bobbi, she was doing the thing you do when you know you're going to die.
"If you think that Agent Morse is going to do something that puts her own life at risk, you have permission to take her out" Coulson passed Daisy an ICER but made sure that Daisy understood that he didn't want her to fill in the position of Agent Morse, "But this doesn't mean you put your life in danger. Losing the iliad is dangerous yes, but losing you or Agent Morse will do more damage than that battleship ever could"
Daisy knew the hidden message. He was telling her not to die.
"Daisy, in case you didn't get the message. Don't be a hero and don't die. Sacrificing yourself is pathetic and stupid. None of us are going to be thankful for your sacrifice"
Daisy felt a smile appear on her lips when she heard May's harsh voice that hid her concern for her. She knew it was May's way of worrying about her and Bobbi. Luckily for them, she had no intention of dying today, "Guys, let me reassure you. I have no plans on dying. I can't die until I know that these experiments are over"
The logic was sound, yet slightly disturbing, but frankly, it did reassure the two older agents. They know that Daisy wasn't going to sacrifice herself for S.H.I.E.L.D. They knew that Daisy wasn't loyal to the organisation or even the idea, she was loyal to Coulson and the team.
"Report in every hour" Coulson said with a small smile.
"Yes sir" Daisy said with a slight salute and cheeky smile on her face before walking off to get changed into her work clothes.
"You think she's going to be okay?" May questioned worriedly.
Coulson had a bad feeling about both missions, he didn't like it when his team was separated because the daunting feeling of not knowing that the other side was alive and okay, only fed his paranoia, "I trust her…"