Skye screamed as the car dropped towards the ground. She looked at the buttons Ward had pointed at and pushed them. In an instant the wheels turned into four thrusters and in a few moments, she was on the ground safely. Now all she had to do was find the team. She found a public phone nearby and got some change from a lady who was nice enough to help her. She dialed Coulsons number and waited.
- Hello? – Said Phil as he answered the phone
- Phil! It's me! I got out of the plane, and I need help!
- Skye? Where are you?
- I'm in Georgia
- Okay, we'll be right there. May is getting the jet ready. How did you escape?
- Ward helped me…
- What? Why would he do that? – Asked Coulson in a confused voice
- I don't know. But we need to talk and decide what our next move will be. Let me know where to meet you guys. And hurry.
As Skye hung up, she took the thumb drive from her pocket and started to think. Could this be possible? Maybe he wasn't Hydra. Maybe he was playing Garrett all along. Had he turned on Hydra because of her? She didn't know what to think… she used to see Ward as someone she could trust, and after she'd found out about his allegiance, she thought she'd never trust him again, but now… now she didn't know. God, Phil had to get there soon, because she really needed the teams input on this.
—- ON THE PLANE —
- I should've known you'd let her go. Garrett said you had a soft spot for her since the beginning
- Listen man, I know you're doing this because Garrett has your son
Deathlock looked at Ward and came closer threateningly
- Do you know where he is?
- No, I don't. But Skye managed to cut the transmission from your eye to your handler. So he can't blow you up anymore.
- What? How?
- I don't know, but she did it – Ward said as he pointed to the computer screen which showed Deathlocks eye transmission
Deathlock went closer to the screen. – I can't believe it… why did she do it? She hates me - he said as he looked at the screen in disbelief
- Because I told her to. And she doesn't hate you – Said Ward
Deathlock turned to him with a look and waited for an explanation
- Look, I know you hate Garrett and that you want revenge for what happened. So we need a plan
- How do I know I can trust you?
- You don't. But right now, it's the only choice you have. Help me and I'll make sure your son is safe
Deathlock looked at him for a few moments – Fine. But any funny business and you're out – he said
- Fair enough – said Ward
- So, what now?
- Now, you help me patch this up. Can't believe you stabbed me. – Said Ward as Deathlock helped him get back on is feet.
- ON THE GROUND -
- Skye! – Said Coulson as they approached the young girl
- Phil, hi – Said Skye as she hugged Coulson
The rest of the team came around and Skye started to explain everything to them
- So, he's like a triple agent? – Said Simmons
- I knew it! I knew Ward couldn't be Hydra – Said Fitz cheerfully
- We can't just believe anything he says, he's been lying to us from day one. How do we know this is true? – Said May
- We don't. But if there's even the slightest chance that it is, we need to help him. – Said Coulson
- Coulson, you can't be serious. We have to stay objective. We can't believe anything unless we have proof. Especially when it comes to Ward and Hydra. – Said May
- Well, he had a meeting with Fury about this – Said Fitz remembering what Skye had told them
- So, the only person who can corroborate with his version is dead. How convenient. – Said May unimpressed
- No wait, he said that Hill was also there – Said Skye
- Maria? She knew about this? – Said Coulson
- So, how do we proceed sir? – Asked Simmons
- We have to ask Hill. She's the only one that can tell us the truth – Said Coulson
- Well, where is she? – Asked Fitz
- I don't know. But I know someone who does – Said Coulson as he grabbed his phone and walked away
Phil went back to the jet and called Pepper
- Hello? – Said Pepper on the other line
- Hey Pepper… - Said Phil, bracing himself for what was coming
- Phil? Is that you? – Pepper asked in disbelief
- Yeah, it's me. Look, I'm sorry, I know I owe you an explanation, but I need your help
- My help?
- Do you know where Maria is? I need to talk to her
- She'll be in DC tonight. The congress has a few questions for her about S.H.I.E.L.D
- Okay Pepper. Thank You
- Phil?
- Yes
- What happened? I mean, you died…
- I'm not really sure what happened actually. I'm trying to find out. The only man who knew about this is dead, so we've kind of hit a dead end…
- Right…
- Look Pep, I need to go. But I promise I'll explain everything. I know I owe you, Tony, and all of the other Avengers an explanation
- It's okay Phil, go. But please don't be a stranger… we need you here
- I won't. Bye Pepper
Phil hung up the phone and took a deep breath. He couldn't think about it. Not now. There were more important matters to tend to. He got out of the jet and went back to the team.
- May. We have to get to DC – Said Coulson
- Wheels up in 5 – Said May as she walked towards the jet
- Sir. What about us? – Asked Simmons
- Skye, Ward gave you the thumb drive, right?
- Yeah, he said we could access the planes interface with it
- Plug it in, see where it's headed
Skye went to the jet to get her computer. She plugged the thumb drive in and started to access the planes interface
- Okay. Here we go. It looks like they're going to Miami – Said Skye as she looked at the information on the screen
- Alright. The three of you go to Miami and wait for orders. May and I will meet you there – Said Coulson
- Well. That should be easy enough… - Said Fitz
- You can take Lola. Just don't scratch her – Said Coulson
Skye got what she needed from the plane as she, Fitz and Simmons started to walk towards the car. She hoped they'd get there in time.
- On the jet -
May was piloting the plane as Coulson approached her.
- You think I'm making a mistake – Said Coulson matter-of-factly
- Well, I'm always cautious about trusting Hydra operatives… but that's just me – Said May with a serious tone
- You know I'm a fan of redemption stories… - Coulson said trying to lighten the mood
- Phil, you know I trust you 100%, but Ward betrayed us. He lied to us for months, and you're just going to believe whatever he's saying? He could have made that up just to make Skye help him
- Yeah. He could be lying. But what if he's not? What if what he's saying is true? Even though he lied to us, Ward was a big part of this team… we can't just ignore that and pretend like everything that comes out of his mouth is a lie
- So you're saying he gets a second chance? After everything?
- Well, you got one didn't you?
May pondered with that thought. She did get a second chance when she lied to the team about reporting to Fury. Even so, she was finding hard to believe Wards version. It just seemed so… convenient. Then again, she always had trouble trusting people. Coulson was about the only person she actually trusted.
- I guess I'm just taking this hard because it happened right under my nose – Said May
- It happened under all our noses
- Yeah but is different for me. You know we had a thing…
- Yeah... but you can't beat yourself over it. The point of your… relationship… was that you could let your guard down around him because there'd be no strings attached. Maybe that's why you didn't realize what was happening
- Maybe
- Even so, it wasn't your responsibility to figure that out. Ward was a level 7 agent. I mean, after the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D he was one of the higher ranking agents we had. You just wouldn't expect this kind of thing from a person like that – said Coulson
- Nobody expected this situation… maybe that was the problem
- Well you can't live suspecting that people around you are all traitors…
- It's a good way not to get betrayed
- You know, Fury lived like that. And look what happened. It doesn't really matter if the person who betrays you is a friend or not…
- Maybe you're right
- I'm always right. That's the point – said Coulson with a smile on his face
May looked at him and started laughing
- We'll be in DC in a couple of hours
- On the ground -
- Okay. We'll be in Miami in about a day. What do we do when we get there? – Said Fitz
- I don't know. You know, it seems awfully irresponsible of Coulson to let three unexperienced agents spy on a plane filled with Hydra operatives – said Simmons
- Please, Coulson will get there before we do. We should probably ask him for a ride – Said Skye
- Hey Skye, I have to pee – said Fitz
- There's a stop a few miles ahead. Hold it – Said Skye
- Skye, do you mind if I ask something? – Said Simmons
- No, of course not, go ahead – Said Skye confused. Simmons knew she didn't have to ask for permissions to ask her something…
- Well, I couldn't help but noticing that Wards reasoning for turning on Garrett seemed a bit vague…
- Well Simmons, I don't think you'd need some super reason to turn on a man who works for Hydra – Said Fitz
- You're right… it was a bit vague. I just didn't feel really comfortable talking about this in front of Coulson and especially May, but Ward said that he wanted to have a relationship with me, and he knew that wouldn't happen if he was a Hydra operative…
- Wow, I didn't know you guys were so serious – Said Simmons
- We weren't… at least I don't think so… I just think that Wards the type of person that relates trust and love too much. Maybe he thought that because he trusts me so much, he loves me…
- Or maybe he just loves you. No twisted logic behind it – Said Simmons
- Yeah... maybe – Said Skye
Again, she didn't know what to think. Did Ward really love her? Did she love him? She just didn't know… she just wanted to get to the bottom of this. She wanted this situation to be over. She wished she could just lay down and forget about all of this. But she couldn't.
- Fitz! You can't drink water! – Said Simmons as she watched Fitz reach for the bottle of water
- Why can't I Jemma?
- You just said you have to pee – Said Skye
- Well, I'm also thirsty and out of these two options, there's just one that I can take care of inside the car – Said Fitz and as he opened the bottle cap, he spilled water all over the back seat
- Oh, Fitz… - Said Simmons
- I'm not explaining this to Coulson – Said Skye
- On the Jet -
- Here we are. From what I read online, Hills hearing should be over soon. – Said May
- Okay, let's wait around
Hill stepped out of the Congress building and went down the stairs while she talked on the phone
- Oh, I just can't handle this. These guys are a bunch of morons asking the stupidest questions. I'm serious, a monkey could take my place…
As she rounded the corner, she saw that May and Coulson were waiting for her across the street.
- Barney, I'll call you back, okay? Bye.
She looked at both sides of the empty street and went to meet the two agents
- Coulson. May. Always a pleasure – Said Hill sarcastically
- Hill – Said May
- Hey Maria. Do you have a moment?
Hey guys! I realized I forgot to introduce myself in the previous chapter. My name is Fer. I just want to star off by saying that I'm Brazilian, so forgive the English errors… Also, hope you're enjoying the story! I made a resolution this year to watch every single marvel movie/tv show. I just finished the first season of Agents of SHIELD, and I've got to say, Ward was my favorite, so I wrote what I wish had happened. Anyway, this story isn't too long. Two more chapters should do it. Have a good day!