Now they knew Hydra was looking for the alien writing too, which wasn't good for them. They did find out the painting was indeed hundreds of years old, but the carving was brand new. Someone was out there, doing the same thing Coulson was.
"So, what did she do?" May asked. "Fake me? How did you know it wasn't really me?"
"Little things. She wanted to get coffee." Coulson shrugged.
"Ah. Punch her in the face?" May smiled.
"Yeah." Coulson smirked back.
May nodded and began to walk out.
"May," he stopped her, "I know you don't want to talk about it but we need to. We need to have a plan in case I go the way if John Garrett."
"Fine." May said and went to her room, returning with a duffle bag.
"There." She stated.
Coulson dug through it and saw everything for them to have false identities and a new life.
"Money, passports, and travel tickets. I don't have to have a plan because I already made one. I am not shooting you in the head. I will never shoot you in the head. We'll figure it out, you're Daisy's father and she's not going to lose you. If things go south, I'm getting you out." She explained.
"I see." He sat back. "Where? Tuscan villa?"
"Cabin, in the Australian outback." She said.
"Cause I like kangaroos."
"Point is no matter what happens, I'll take care of you. That's my plan."
"That is without question the sweetest, most selfless thing anyone has ever wanted to do for me. But I need you to forget all that and kill me as ordered."
"What?"
"You said it yourself, I'm not getting better. I don't want to end up like Garrett, and taking me to some cabin won't change my brain."
"I'll find a way." May said through gritted teeth.
"May, nostalgia's fine, but then life happens. It's time to deal with reality. I won't be Daisy's father anymore, I'll be a mad man. She won't be safe around me, and she needs you with her, not hopelessly trying to fix me."
"Phil, please." She pled.
"Hard choices are coming, I need you to make this one for me."
May swallowed a lump in her throat and nodded.
The next day they got a report in that 8 people had died, 6 part of an anti-Hydra Navy unit. What caught their attention was the effects on them were similar to the obelisk.
What was more frustrating to Daisy was her father wouldn't reveal the source of the alien writing he was passing to her. It was beginning to get between them and May didn't like it.
"You know," she said to him after Daisy stomped out of his office, "keeping her in the dark won't end well."
And with that she marched out, slightly upset with him as well.
Daisy was beyond frustrated, and was at her wits end. Her father was keeping something from her and she didn't like it.
Having had enough, she marched down into Ward's basement cell and held up a picture of the writing on the back of the painting.
"Tell me what you know about this." She told him.
"First saw that when we were in Belaruse, then when Garrett started etching it into the glass." Ward answered her.
"Garrett carved this stuff himself? Did he say what it was?"
"No but he wasn't making a lot of sense after he was injected with the GH formula." Then something seemed to occur to him and he stepped closer to Daisy. "These writings, they're not yours are they?"
When Daisy shook her head he nodded.
"Good, that's good. Because when Garrett started, he couldn't stop. The writing was everywhere he could carve it. On the walls, on the floor..."
"On his desk." Daisy thought back to seeing the writing on her father's desk, when he lied and said it was just a sketch.
"To be honest I was almost relieved when SHIELD put him down. The Garrett I knew was long gone when he started writing, and whatever took his place...I don't think it was meant to survive."
Daisy immediately marched up to her father's office.
"The reason you won't name your source is because you are the source." She accused him, coming in without knocking.
"By all means come on in." Coulson said.
"Look I know it's you so just be honest with me. Are you okay?" Her voice cracked.
"I'm fine." He tried to settle her down.
"Because once Garrett started writing he went kind of nuts."
"I see you've been talking to Ward. I'm fine, your mom's been keeping an eye on me."
"When did you start doing this?" Daisy dropped a picture of the carvings on his desk.
"The first night I saw Garrett's writing, it just triggered something in me."
Daisy pointed out that she had been injected and hadn't gone crazy writing anything, Coulson said it could be good or completely scary. That maybe she didn't have a negative reaction because it was already in her system.
"Oh what like I'm an alien?" She joked.
"It's a theory." Coulson shrugged.
"Uh no, that would mean you or mom would have to be one and since you had a negative reaction, that would have to be her. That is not something you say like it's no big deal."
"I was trying not to rattle you."
"Guess what? Epic fail! Have you told mom?"
"Not about the part where she might be an alien."
And that was right when May walked in.
"You have a call on line one." She told him.
"Really not a good time." Coulson told her.
"You're gonna want to take this call." May assured him.
As if things couldn't get any worse, it was Raina. She said she had an urgent matter to discuss. She suggested that her and Coulson go to a restaurant and talk.
Coulson sat at the table, Hunter at another table nearby, and May and Daisy stayed in the kitchen as backup.
For a little while, Raina simply toyed with him but he managed to get down to business and demand she give him the obelisk, which she claimed was out of her hands.
That's when she played her hand. She revealed she knew Simmons was a spy for them in Hydra and they were actively looking for the mole right at that moment.
"I don't like being threatened." Coulson narrowed his eyes.
"This isn't a threat, it's a gesture of good will." Raina claimed.
Raina said she would be happy to delete the photo of Simmons communicating with SHIELD, in exchange for taking Daisy with her.
May's eyes grew wide, no way was that happening.
"Excuse me? What in the hell is this really about? And why, also in the hell, would I let that happen?" Coulson was amazed at how bold she was.
"To prevent every Hydra employee from receiving an automated email with that photo." Raina nodded to her phone.
She tapped the phone and a timer started for two minutes. After that, the photo would be sent.
Raina continued to press to take Daisy.
"She has something Hydra wants, she's special. But you already knew that."
"You want me to trade the life of one of my agents for another?"
"I want to help Daisy find out what she truly is."
They were running out of time. The countdown was almost over and the picture would be sent.
"No deal." Coulson pushed the phone away.
Daisy panicked and tried to rush past her mother.
"Stay here." May panicked slightly too.
"If I don't go Simmons is going to die!"
"We will get her out, you are not trading yourself for her." May pushed her into a cabinet to hold her in place.
"I can handle myself." Daisy continued to try to escape.
Raina appeared to be panicked too. She said no one needs to get hurt and at the last few seconds, she let out a very sad "please."
Hydra wanted Daisy but they weren't getting her, Coulson had a plan to get Simmons out. So they planted a lovely tracker on Raina and sent her on her way, without anything to give Hydra. Raina actually begged Coulson to take her in but he refused.
"I can't believe you did that! Simmons is going to die!" Daisy accused her father after.
"She's not, but thanks for your faith in me." He smiled.
"This isn't funny! What is wrong with you?" She demanded.
"Daisy, relax. May?" He looked at May.
"Confirmed, Bobbi got Simmons out safely with Hydra intel intact." May stared down at a tablet.
"What?" Daisy was confused.
"Did you really think I would send Simmons in alone? She's a terrible liar, Daisy." Coulson grinned.
Daisy wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. They just went home. It had been a long day and she would be glad to see her friend again.
Daisy arrived back at the base before Simmons did and was there to greet her along with her parents, and to meet a new agent who had gotten Simmons out, Bobbi Morse.
"I'm very grateful for you right now. Otherwise we might not have gotten Simmons back alive." Daisy said.
"Or I would have been brainwashed. Happy to comply to who knows what. She's amazing!" Simmons aimed a thumb at Bobbi.
Later that night, Daisy went to her father's office to confront him about what they had been discussing before Raina interrupted.
"I need you to be honest with me. Hydra wants me, they have the Obelisk, I need to know what's happening here." She put her foot down.
"Okay." Coulson agreed.
Not expecting that but happy, Daisy nodded.
"Let's get started." He pushed a button on his desk to make the screen rise, revealing his carvings.
"So this is what you've been doing up here?" Daisy walked toward the wall.
"Well, it's what I did yesterday." Coulson said.
Daisy turned around, slack jawed.
"You're kidding." She said.
"I don't know how else to explain it but it needs to be carved." He shrugged.
Daisy revealed a theory she had on the writing, she thought it might be a map.
The next day there was an attack on the United Nations in New York, Hydra pretending to be SHIELD using weapons that had a similar effect to the obelisk.
"We're not responsible for this are we?" Simmons asked Coulson as she followed him to his office, trained by Natasha and Bobbi.
"This is the guy responsible, an assassin, almost killed Barton a few years ago." Bobbi had a picture of the suspect.
"Yeah I remember him, almost had him myself." Natasha stared angrily at the picture.
Simmons recognized the method of murder they were using and it so happened that her and Bobbi both knew the person who manufactured the weapons.
Then they found out, of all people, Ward's brother was on the attack. His older brother was a senator and determined to crush them, but he hadn't mentioned his brother turning out to be a Hydra sleeper.
"Guess being a douchebag runs in the family." Daisy said angrily.
"Surprised?" Coulson asked.
"Ward's brother never cared about SHIELD before this." Daisy said.
They both thought the senator Talbot was working with was him. And now he was proposing a multi-national task force with the license to invade a SHIELD operatives home and shoot them on the spot. Daisy agreed to talk to Ward and see if he had any intel on his brother.
"Is that really a good idea?" Natasha said, suddenly appearing in the doorway.
"I'll be fine." Daisy looked over at her.
"What happened?" Coulson pried.
"Nothing." Daisy pushed Natasha to leave it alone.
"She had a panic attack, when he told her Hydra wants her." Natasha stepped in.
"You didn't tell me or your mother." Coulson said.
"Because we need intel out of him and I know what she would do."
"Because she cares about you." Coulson pointed out.
Daisy turned to look at Natasha, "Thanks."
"Anything I can do to help." The redhead smiled and walked out. Daisy watched, both frustrated and slightly amused.
"I'm fine." She said to her father.
"I trust you to handle it, but if it gets to be too much..."
"It won't." She assured him.
The good news is May was leaving for a mission and Daisy didn't need to worry about her finding anything out.
Daisy walked to the entrance to the basement cell and found Natasha waiting for her.
"I've got this." Daisy rolled her eyes.
"I believe you. But I'm going with you to make sure he stays on task." Natasha said.
"I can handle him."
"Daisy," Natasha began, "it's okay to be afraid, and to react the way you did."
"I'm not afraid of him." Daisy raised her voice.
"No but you're afraid of Hydra. We all are."
"Even you?"
"Even me." Natasha admitted. "They tried to kill Fury, they almost killed me."
Daisy took in a deep breath.
"Okay, but don't interfere."
"I won't. Unless I need to." Natasha stepped closer and opened the door.
"The Black Widow." Ward grinned at seeing Natasha. "I should be honored to meet an Avenger."
"Stay on task, Ward." Daisy sat in her chair as Natasha settled in the background, arms crossed. "Tell me about your brother, the senator."
"Christian." Ward didn't look happy. "What happened?"
"We just need basic information. Habits, places get visits, stuff like that." Daisy said.
Ward wanted them all to stay away from Christian, that he always had an angle and just wanted to get to Ward. He got a little over emotional and got too close to Daisy.
For a moment Natasha uncrossed her arms and was ready to step forward, forgetting the invisible barrier.
"So she's your body guard now?" Ward asked.
"I don't need a body guard." Daisy said with an emotionless face.
"She's watching you like a hawk." He pointed out.
"Answer my questions Ward, that's the deal."
He proceeded to answer without any more problems, and when Daisy and Natasha left he didn't miss the way Natasha put a hand at her waist to lead her out.
"You're not going down there with me again." Daisy rounded on Natasha. For the first time, she felt truly angry with the woman.
"He wants to get you off track, me being there might just keep him from doing that." Natasha pointed out.
"You being there is distracting him." Daisy said.
"You got your answers didn't you?" Natasha smirked.
"What the hell are you smiling about?" Daisy demanded.
"He's jealous." Natasha said.
"Excuse me?" Daisy was confused.
"Ward, he sees me as a threat."
"How would he-?"
"He didn't like the way I was watching you. I was just trying to make sure you were okay."
"Well there's no threat, Ward doesn't stand a chance in hell to get back on my good side and he sure as hell would never have a chance to get close to me again."
"That's not what he thinks."
"He can delude himself into thinking whatever he wants." Daisy pointed a finger at Natasha before storming off.
She went back to her bunk and slammed the door. She rested back against it and checked her heart rate monitor on her wrist. Her heart rate was out of control, and it was in no way due to Ward. That woman frustrated her to no end sometimes.