Lian's cell….Hale's Compound…very early morning

Lian stood at the window. She realized hours ago that it, in fact, was not actually a window but merely a prop to make whoever was being held here feel they had access to the outside. She also knew the sunlight that dribbled in through the small slats was artificial and a means to deprive her of sleep. The faint sounds of nature were meant to do the same. The light and the noise could disrupt the circadian rhythm, fooling the body and mind into believing it was perpetually day. She almost laughed at the feeble attempt to do such to her. She'd seen much worse.

Unlike the cell her granddaughter occupied, Lian had nothing more than the pseudo-window and the concrete floor. She pinpointed the small camera peeking through a dime-sized air vent hours ago and had not faced it since. She would not give that bitch the satisfaction.

Lian had only met her granddaughter this morning and the wild story about her being de-aged by some crazed scientist from an alternate universe was extremely hard to swallow. The story of her wielding the power to bring down buildings was a bit more plausible. She had met individuals with uncanny abilities on a few occasions. Yes, she had been in this espionage business long enough to see some pretty bizarre happenings but this S.H.I.E.L.D. stuff was beyond science fiction. She could not believe her own daughter had been taken in by all of it. And now…now she was expected to believe that she had a granddaughter for more than two decades and that same granddaughter was only but a child. A child fathered by Phillip Coulson, that history comic book superhero nerd that she had never ever expected her only child to be partnered with in that inane agency let alone be… She shivered with the thought. On top of all of that this adult granddaughter was now a ten…no, correction as per the child herself…a nine year old. And yet, one look…just one look into those chocolate brown almond shaped eyes and she saw her Melinda, young and full of sass. This one radiated with it and now…now she was responsible for this ridiculous situation.

Lian had known Dr. Wang since her days at university. This was not the first time the woman had aided Lian in an emergency. She trusted the woman and could not believe she would have endangered any child let alone her granddaughter. She had not left Daisy's side throughout the ordeal and had ushered her back to the SUV through the service elevator of the large office building. They had not yet reached the expressway when she noticed the two vehicles following them and made every effort to elude both. The call she made to Melinda was her last effort to give her the means to track them.

For now there was no way out of this room and she had no idea if Daisy was even in the same building. But eventually they would show their weakness and she would be ready when they did.

Daisy's cell….Hale's Compound…daybreak – Day 93

I guess I must have fallen asleep cuz my body was just used to sleeping at a certain time. It was still dark in the room so I pretended I was still asleep…just to give me some time to think. Actually I did a lot of thinking…thinking like an adult…trying to figure out what adult me should do. Hell, I could bring down this whole damn building but I wasn't really sure where Nai Nai was or if she was even here…and…well…I didn't want her to be squished in the chaos. I was pretty sure that would really piss off May and I'd probably end up paying for it until sometime in the next decade. Not that I'd ever forgive myself. I considered belting Hale across the room…naw, across the whole building the next time she showed her pinched sour smiley face again. I liked that idea but not what would come after. All those broken bones…even though they were teeny little fractures they hurt like hell.

I rubbed my arms just thinking about them. I kinda figured then that my arms were kinda small…hell I was small. Damn! I was nine. I was kid…a kid…a kid thinking what my big self needed to do. What I needed was to think like a kid…yeah, what could a kid do? Hell, I raised a lot of hell at St. Agnes as a kid. I had to think like that again and the first thing I remembered (mostly cuz I really needed to go) was the time Wyatt and Ben Cortaush flushed a bucket full of ping pong balls down the toilet in the boys' bathroom. I was the lookout and the first one Sr. Gerardis pulled into her office to interrogate. I guess it was probably because I always seemed to have a hand in whatever kind of catastrophe that fell upon the poor Sisters. She was pretty set on getting me to rat out my partners in crime. I was no tattle-tell and prepared for the worse. Sister would use her trusty paddle if she needed it and well the threat was getting pretty close to really happening when the boys confessed. They thought they saved me and they kinda did. They got five good paddy-whacks each. I only got three.

It was a great idea…all that smelly water all over the floor…except there was pretty much nothing I could flush. Well nothing they wouldn't miss. I considered yanking some stuffing out of this dumb mattress but they'd sure notice my bulging pockets. I was pretty sure I wouldn't find any kind of ball around here, let alone ping-pong balls.

But I had an idea…a pretty goofy one…but it was all I had.

I pushed myself off the bed and started banging on the door and yelling at the top of my lungs that I need to use the bathroom. I figured the bathroom goon would show up and drag me there again but this time some stiff assed woman pulled me out of the room and ran me down the hall. She slammed the bathroom door against the wall and shoved me inside then stood there in the doorway with her arms over her big boobs, just glaring at me.

So I glared back until she stuck up her eyebrows and her arms like asking me 'Well?'

I told her I couldn't just go with her there watching me. She pointed out there were three stalls complete with locking doors. I stared at them for a minute then said she'd still be listening and I couldn't go if she was. She just glared at me again like she was gonna pummel me. She said she wasn't going anywhere and I'd just have to deal with it. I told her that could get real ugly cuz even if I tried eventually things would start moving and there'd be a big mess. She just squinted and I shrugged.

Then I said, "Come on, I really gotta go." I looked around the room. "What am I gonna do dive down the bowl? There ain't no way outta here and the other guy just waited outside the door." She just kept glaring so I made some real awful noises and wrapped my arms around my stomach then bent over like I was gonna puke…complete with all those disgusting gagging noises.

She backed up real quick and pointed a finger at me. "Five minutes, kid." She spread out her fingers, backed out and then let the door close.

I really wanted to laugh but that would bring her right back so I got to work…after I did what I really needed to do.

These toilets were just like the old lavatories at St. Agnes or any other public restroom, the kind with no big tank just a pipe with one of those little handles you can flush with your foot. There was a big nut on top of that pipe and inside was a big ball that went up and down to allow it to flush. Yeah, I knew cuz I watched them fix the damage caused by the ping-pongs. I needed a lot more than five minutes so when Glare Girl opened the door I just kept making disgusting poop noises. She must have backed out because I didn't hear her.

Getting the nut off was easy, holding the water back took a bit of quake power. I managed to form a little energy ball with one hand and push it into the pipe right under that black ball then got the nut back in place. I did the same with the two other toilets and then flushed every one. When Evil Eye came back again I was washing my hands. I pulled out a towel, dried them and tossed it in the can as I walked past her.

"Ya outta get this ancient plumbing updated. It took three flushes to get the stupid thing to go down."

She grabbed the back of my shirt, and a handful of hair. "You better not have flushed a roll of paper kid or I'll use your head to plunge it."

She kicked open every door and checked the TP supply just to be sure. Then she shook me real hard, ran me back to that damn room and slammed the door.

I didn't know if my plan worked or if it would work or when it would if it did. I guess it wasn't such a good plan but a couple minutes later I heard or kinda felt this real little weird groan come from under my feet. Maybe something would happen.

But old Hydra Hale came calling before anything else happened. She just came in all smiley like she did every time.

"I thought you might like some breakfast." She said and put a tray down on the bed.

It was a bowl of some kind of cereal and a way too ripe banana. I shook my head and told her I wasn't hungry.

She got even more smiley and told me that little girls needed to eat. I told her I wasn't a little girl and gave her an evil smile of my own. (If she only knew.) She told me I would eat when I got hungry enough and she said it with that same grotesque smile.

"Maybe you'd prefer something else?" She grinned with all her perfect teeth.

I folded my arms over my skinny flat chest and stared at the soggy cereal for a couple seconds and nodded just a little. "I prefer to go home." I told her again.

She folded her hands in front of her and laughed a little. "And again I'll tell you, just give me your address and I will take you there myself."

I plopped down on the bed and pushed the tray away. "Then I guess we just aren't getting what we want."

She sat down next to me and tried to put her arm around me but I jumped up and moved away from her. I heard her let out a breath and drop her hands into her lap. "Everyone has been looking for you." She said it like it was something I should like.

"I wasn't lost." I just snarled back.

"Your parents were very worried." She sighed and folded her hands again.

I tried not to think about May or Coulson. Hell, what if they had some kind of mind reader thing and yeah that was a kooky kid thought. I wasn't going to play her dumb game so I didn't answer at all.

"They'll be happy to have you back." She smiled that evil smile again then raised one finger and moved it a teeny bit.

A second later the door opened and two people stepped inside all smiley just like her. They weren't all uniformed like everyone else or all starched stiff. They didn't even act like soldiers. He had his arm around her and she was all weepy and wringing her hands. I just backed away.

Hale stepped behind me and squeezed my shoulders real hard. She shook me a little and asked if I wasn't happy to see my parents. I tried to push her hands away but she squeezed tighter. And the lady put out her arms like I was supposed to run to her or something.

"They ain't my parents." I said through my teeth and squirmed to get away from her but she bent down next to my ear and told me they would be if I didn't start cooperating. Then she cocked her head toward the door and they left just like they slithered in.

She let me go but grabbed my arm and spun me around so fast that my head snapped back and forth. Her smile was gone and she was pointing her finger in my face. Either she got what she wanted or she'd parade me across every news stream on the planet with her made-up parents at my side.

If ever there was a time I needed to just Hulk-burst into my adult self it was right then and there. I clenched my fists and squeezed my eyes so tight I could see little fireworks go off inside my eyelids. I wished and prayed and concentrated on getting back to myself…but nothing. I was still less than four feet tall and Hale-dra was still towering over me with her sick sweet smile plastered back across her face.

"So, Aggie, now what do you think?" She asked with one foot tapping and her arms crossed in front of her, just like one of those mean old nuns.

I opened my eyes and stared at her for a couple seconds. "I think your bun's too tight." I snipped with as much sarcasm as I could."

She slapped me so hard my ear rang, but I refused to cry. I learned that a long time ago. If you cried then they'd know they got to you. I wasn't gonna let her even think she got to me so I just stared at her with my best May look. She walked to the door and held it open. She just stared at me for a second then smiled and told me she'd give me an hour to decide which parents I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.

The door closed with a soft click. I heard it lock.

I rubbed the hot sting on my cheek and felt the tears rolling over it.

Zephyr One… five miles outside of Hale's Compound…very early morning

"You're sure she was the only one involved?" Coulson asked for the third time. Davis had docked the Quinn Jet only moments before.

Mack gave a slow nod. "Wang was unconscious when we found her," he remarked as they walked from the docking bay. "…doctor says she'll be okay. We didn't find anything to say she was involved."

"La receptionista no estaba libre de culpa." Elena shook her head, walking between them.

"She isn't Hydra as far as we can determine, just saw our Daisy's picture on those damn broadcasts and called the number it's been flashing." Mack snarled, shaking his head in frustration.

"Hale had her goons there before Lian had a chance to get out of the city." Piper added, from behind. "She thought she did the right thing."

The small group entered the main command center, each quietly contemplating the new found information.

"Right thing, my ass…" May growled as she entered command, breaking the silence. "Let's go."

The others exchanged quick glances. "We can't just storm in there." Coulson started.

"Damn, we can't," May retorted. "They've got my mother and my child…storming will be their least worry."

Coulson grabbed her arm as she passed, ignoring the daggers she shot at him. The others made a point of adverting their gazes, not to interfere with their confrontation. "We need some kind of plan, May. There's four of us. Who knows what kind of fire power Hale's got in there." He spoke calmly, hoping she would hear through the haze of anger surrounding her.

May yanked her arm free and let out a frustrated breath through her teeth. She turned, refusing to look at anyone. Coulson looked back at the team then spoke to his partner's back. "You're right. She's got Daisy and Lian. We don't know what she'll do to either of them if we go blasting in there."

Davis glanced at the small red beacon that continued to blink on one of the many screens on the control panel. He shrugged and pointed toward it. "Well, she hasn't found the tracker yet."

Piper rolled her eyes and nudged him aside. "Yeah," she huffed. "Probably using it to lure us to her in the first place."

"Then why hasn't she sicced those goons of hers on us already?" Davis fired back with his own brand of sarcasm.

"Knock it off, you two." Mack warned. "We have enough to deal with right now." He paused for a moment and moved closer to the screen. "Piper might be on to something." He leaned forward and tapped the screen softly then stood and turned toward Coulson. "We never considered this might be some kind of trap. Hale could be…"

"It isn't." May growled as she turned back toward them. "Whatever it is, my mother's got something to do with it."

"May…" Coulson started.

"Don't." She simply commanded. "I know my mother. She's pulled this before. I already showed you that. Whatever she used and where ever she hid it, Hale would never find it."

Davis leaned down, close to Piper and spoke out of the corner of his mouth. "May's mom some CIA spook?"

Shaking her head, Piper answered just as quietly, "naw, UGA."

Davis scrunched his face, clearly confused as he mouthed the anagram. Piper nodded without looking at him, "much worse."

"I wouldn't be surprise if she had the damn thing put right it my kid's teeth." May barked, slamming a fist on the nearest counter.

Coulson shook off the dozen or so questions that comment brought and reiterated the need for a plan before breaking down Hale's Hydra reinforced door. Hopefully, one that wouldn't involve his little girl being forced to use the power that could seriously injure her…if not worse.

Daisy's cell….Hale's Compound…one hour later

I didn't cry long, cuz I didn't let myself. I wasn't gonna spend even an second with those weirdo happy to comply hydra parents. Even if I didn't pop into my real self right now, it didn't mean it couldn't happen in a couple hours or by tomorrow and boy when it did, that bitch was gonna pay. I pulled myself into a ball sitting up against the back of my cot. I had a plan, not a great one but I had one. Part of it needed that damn plumbing to back up but other that giving a sick groan every now and again there wasn't much happening. Part two needed to happened too and it meant I'd have to give in (just a little and maybe not so truthfully) to Major Tight-Ass. Not like I couldn't do that. Hell, I learned to hide the truth in a lie like a bazillion years ago. I didn't have time to do a lot of second guessing cuz Hale slammed into the room like a second later and I didn't even jump when she did.

I didn't even look at her. I just squeezed my knees up close to my chest and stared at the fake window. She walked right up to the cot and stood there. I knew she was staring at me with those arms over her big boobs stuffed inside that too tight uniform.

"I hope you lost the attitude and made a smart choice." She snapped with that military voice. Didn't fool me or scare me in the least. Hell I survived sixteen years of nuns! They make the military look like cub scouts.

"I wanna see my driver." I told her without even looking at her.

For a minute she didn't say anything but I could hear that damn foot tapping on the concrete floor. Then I heard her stupid almost laugh. "And what makes you think I will give you anything you want."

I turned around and looked at her with the best squinty eyed May look I could muster. "Cuz if you want something from me you're gonna have to give me something first." I plunked my arms just like she had hers.

The pipes groaned again, a little louder and a little longer. Hale threw her head back and spun around toward the creep at the door. "Tell me someone has found out what the hell that is!" She growled like a bear.

The guy stood at attention and told her they were checking it and it was something in the pipes but they couldn't find the source. She yelled again and told them to try harder because she was sick of it and if they didn't fix it soon someone would pay. The guy nodded and took off. Then she turned back to me and plastered that smile back on her face.

She pointed a finger at me. "You don't have any idea how this works little girl. You don't tell me what you want. I'm in charge here. We do things my way. Do you understand?" She just glared at me.

I took a big breath and stood up in front of her. I nodded just a little and she smiled that big sick smile again.

"Good," she nodded. "Now tell me, what's it going to be."

"I wanna see my driver." I said again. "And I ain't tellin' ya nuttin til I do."

She pulled back her hand like she was gonna belt me again but I just stood there staring right in her eyes. I wasn't afraid and I wanted her to know it. I wasn't gonna cower or cry or even move out of the way. She glared at me even more and pulled her hand back more then let out a kinda scream moan and dropped it. She grabbed me by my shirt shoulder and dragged me out of the room, around the corner and down the hall to the very last door. There was a guard and she just nodded so the guy opened the door and she threw me inside then slammed it shut.

I was pretty sure it was some kind of dungeon or torture chamber but when I got back up on my feet there was Nai Nai just standing there looking out the fake window or more like at the fake window. She was pretty smart and had to know it was just there to fool Hale's prisoners. I wanted to run right to her but the adult me said no. That would give it away cuz there had to be cameras in here just like in my crummy room.

"Gar- hain negr- cin?" She asked me without moving or looking at me. It sure as hell wasn't Mandarin even with the normal accent. I couldn't imagine why she'd talk to me in words I couldn't understand.

I wanted to just say "Huh?" but then I wanted Horrible Hale to think I didn't know. I kept saying the words Nai Nai said over and over in my head. Hell, I know I was supposed to learn a bunch of languages I just never was a real good student and if Yéyé didn't speak it to Skye all the time I wouldn't even know Mandarin. It was an after effect of all those trips in and out of the Fitzwork. Somehow my brain and Skye's got all jumbled together and just stayed that way. For a second I wondered if she still had any of my thoughts or if I just disappeared out of her brain as soon as the old doctor turned me into a shrinky dink.

"Gar- hain negr- cin?" Nai Nai said again exactly the same way she said it the first time, cept she sounded a little pissed this time, like cuz I didn't answer the first.

I shrugged my shoulders and scratched my head. What the hell was she asking me? And what the hell language was it cuz it kinda sounded like something Yéyé used to do when we were playing this goofy game…I mean Skye…Skye was playing this goofy game. He was real good at languages cuz the Yéyé in that frame was a lot more than some old guy with a bum hip playing golf. He was like…like…DAMN! It just came to me just like boom, my brain or the part that was Skye remembered. Yéyé really got hooked on Tolkien's stories. He read Skye the books and they saw all the movies. Huh? There was a Tolkien in the Fitzwork? I didn't have time to figure that out. Nai Nai was speaking Elvish. ELVISH! Damn, grandma was a Ringer!

This time I was the one with the smile. I took a deep breath and searched every inch of my kid brain to find the memory of Yéyé's game. He really was into that Elf language and I had a real clear memory of Skye laughing at his impersonation of the Elf King. I actually almost laughed out loud. She was asking if Hale hurt me.

Before she could ask again I mumbled. "A dilthen. Hain negr- cin?" I didn't know a lot of words so I hoped I was telling her they hurt me a little and was she okay. For a couple minutes she was real quiet then she took a breath and maybe just gave a nod, so I waited…and waited until I really started to feel like crap.

"Duìbùqǐ," I said to the floor. I had to use Mandarin because I didn't know the Elf word for 'sorry'.

"An?" It was more of a command than a question.

Hell, I was sorry cuz this whole mess was my fault. We were here because of me, because Hale used me to try to find the team and because I was a dumb, dopey, useless kid I couldn't help at all…and…and because I didn't know enough Elf words to tell her that.

"Ha na- ú- cín, cin baur ú- feel nienor." I think she was telling me not to be sorry cuz it wasn't my fault.

I just shook my head and threw together some words I hoped meant I couldn't help us. "Im tur- ú- peni- ha."

She didn't get mad or all mushy about it just said something like what the nuns used to say about God helping those that help themselves only it sounded kinda mysterious in Elvish. I couldn't help smiling again even though there was nothing to smile about. But I didn't smile long cuz the door busted open and Hale came marching in. I wondered if she could walk like a normal person or if march was the only way she moved. I stopped wondering when she grabbed my arm and said she'd had enough of our nonsensical mumbo jumbo. Apparently she was not a Tolkien fan which was a big relief. Then she said let's go and dragged me to the door.

I grabbed the door knob to stop her. I needed to let Nai Nai know…know I didn't mean for all of this and…

My grandmother looked right at me and said, "ú- size. ú- anrand. Onlui polod. Rod plural rodyn baur ú- n- beleg onlui na bui- cín thel-."

Hale let out a sound somewhere between disgust and fury and yanked me again, but I had that knob and I wasn't letting go. Nai Nai said something about it not mattering how big I was and that I only needed enough power to do what I could. I just nodded and she turned back to looking at the fake window. Hale yanked me again, so hard that I bounced out of the room and pulled the door shut with me. It slammed with a bam that echoed in the big hallway. I just sneered at her and held on to that knob.

"Don't make this worse," she snarled at me.

I held the knob just long enough to send a squirt of quake-ivity through it. The lock shattered without a sound. Before she could pull my arm out of its socket I let go and she dragged me back to my cell.

Daisy's cell….Hale's Compound…

I was pretty sure she was gonna knock me around a little but she just shoved me into the room and slammed the door as loud as I did Nai Nai's.

"Now, you give me what I want." She ordered.

"Glenn- na udún." I told her as strong as I could and I hoped she landed right on Lucifer's lap. Funny how you remember the swear words in other languages. She smacked me across the face again, this time so hard I hit the floor and spit out the blood from biting my tongue. My ear started ringing, but I absolutely would not cry. Not for her.

"Enough of your ridiculous babble!" She snatched me off the floor and slammed me onto the cot then pointed her nubby finger in my face. "I want answers and I want them now!"

I looked at her for a second and took a couple breaths then wiped my mouth with my sleeve. "What's the question?" I asked, dripping with sarcasm and knowing it'd probably earn me another smack.

It probably would have too, but that moaning groan the pipes were making all day got super loud and the pitch got a lot higher then a lot lower right before the biggest splat kaboom I've ever heard and then water was coming out of everywhere and there was running and yelling and Hale looked like she was gonna pop something vital. The door whammed open and the guy on the other side was talking so fast he was hard to understand but I could see down the hall and there was water gushing out from under the lavatory door. It was kinda greenish brown and real disgusting. There was more squirting out of a lot of cracks on the ceiling and the walls.

I shook my head and made a tsk-tsk sound. "I told that dame there was something wrong with the plumbing." I kinda mumbled a little.

Hale grabbed me again. I don't know where she was gonna drag me and didn't get to find out cuz like a second later there was another big crash that was definitely not plumbing. The crash got louder and it kept crashing like something smashing through floor after floor until BOOM! The containment module from Zephyr One plowed right through the ceiling and blasted right into the floor. Now there was even more water and crud pouring everywhere. I don't know who was more surprised me or Hale or the guy pointing the guy at the pod.

Before the door even opened that guy went sailing across the puddles on his face with his big old gun in two pieces.

Then all Hell broke loose.