- So, what made both of you come here? I heard you were off chasing what's left of Hydra – Said Hill as she crossed her arms
- We're here because apparently one of ours is a Hydra operative – Said May
- You're talking about Ward? – Said Hill
- Yeah, we're talking about Ward. He said that you, him, and Fury had a meeting to discuss his allegiances… - Said Coulson
- Look, I wish this hadn't happened like this. Ward came to us with valuable information about Hydras plans. If it wasn't for his help, this whole situation would've been worse, that's for sure.
- So, he's not Hydra? – Said Coulson
- No. But I was pretty pissed off when he came to us with this. I mean, I vetted him…
- Yeah, I'm sure that must have been an awkward situation. What happened in this meeting? – Said May impatiently
- Well, we already knew about his family history, as I'm sure you do. Ward said that Garrett recruited him to be a part of a secret organization, which later on turned out to be Hydra. Either way, Garrett pulled some strings to get Ward into the academy and he became an agent. He said that Garrett became obsessed with the idea of getting revenge on S.H.I.E.L.D on an incident and that's what motivated him to go to Hydra. Ward's been feeding us with information about Hydras plans for some time now.
- So what. You decided it wasn't relevant for us, his team, to know about this? – Said Coulson
- Not really. Hydra wasn't a public threat before Captain America exposed them. And we couldn't let them know that we knew about their plans, so the fewer who knew, the better. – Said Hill
- Well, nice talk. We have to get going – Said May
- Wait. What was all this about? Is Ward in danger? – Said Hill
- Yeah, he's infiltrated in Garretts team and it's only a matter of time before they find out he's a mole – Said Coulson
- Garrett? Isn't he dead? – Said Hill
- Not really, so if you don't mind, we have to go take care of that – Said Coulson
- Good. Let's go – Said Hill
- You're coming with? – Said Coulson
- Of course. I mean, have you seen what I have to deal with at these hearings? I fell asleep at least twice today, I'd rather face Hydra then do another one of those
- Don't you have another hearing tomorrow? – Said May
- Please, I just feed them with some level 1 bullshit and wait for it to be over. I'll get someone else to do it. Maybe a monkey or a goldfish.
- Good. Also, I have a few questions to ask you about this T.A.H.I.T.I thing, But we'll get to that later… - Said Coulson
- Oh, crap… - Said Hill as they got inside the jet
- On the plane -
- You're lucky I only hit your muscles… - Said Deathlok
- Sure, let me stab you and we'll see if you feel lucky – Said Ward as he put his shirt back on
- So. What's your plan?
- Well I don't have it completely figured out yet… but for now, you have to get out of here – Said Ward
- What? – Asked Deathlok confused
- When this plane lands, Garrett can't see you. He won't believe Skye took both of us out
- So what? I leave and do what? You said you needed my help
- I do. Garretts trying to recreate the serum that healed Skye and Coulson and I don't know what effects it'll have on him, so I need you nearby. – Said Ward
- Look man, I don't think we'll be able to do this properly if I'm not in the plane. You'll need help with this
- Do you have another suggestion?
- Yeah. We'll say she did one of her hack-y things to incapacitate me and then took you out
- By herself? Skye is like half my size… - Said Ward unimpressed
- Trust me. He'll buy it
- Alright... - Said Ward
- Now what?
- Now we wait for the plane to get to Miami. We should be there in an hour or so
- Can I ask you something? – Said Deathlok
- It depends…
- Why were you following Garrett?
- Well, let's just say he took me out of a really bad spot and helped me
- And you feel like you owe him?
- Not really, not anymore. I think it's more because he became a father figure for me, and I didn't see what he was doing as bad I guess
- You mean being Hydra? – Said Deathlok
- It was never supposed to come this far. When I met him, Garrett was using Hydra to get what he wanted. I guess he lost perspective as time went on
- How did you feel? When you told Fury he was Hydra I mean…
Ward stopped at that. How did he feel? Garrett was his mentor… the guy saved him from his family. Of course, he did make Ward do some pretty terrible things, but at the end of the day, Ward saw him as the family he never had. He only realized Garrett was a problem when he joined the team. Ward had worked alone for so long that he'd forgotten how to work as part of a team. But Coulson still welcomed him. When he thought about each individual of the team, he realized that he considered them all as family in their own way, and that his bond with them had changed him. That, added up with his feelings for Skye just made him want to break free from Garrett.
- I had mixed feelings. On one side, I felt relieved, but I had just betrayed the only person who believed in me when I was young. I still feel bad, but I don't regret doing it. Garrett needs to be stopped and I need freedom
- On the ground –
Skye was filling up the car as her phone rang. She saw it was Coulson calling.
- Coulson, hey. How were things with Hill?
- Good, we're meeting you guys. Where are you?
- We just got to Florida. We'll find a hotel or something and wait for you guys, okay?
- Perfect. We'll be there in an hour
- Phil, what did she say? About Ward…
- That he's telling the truth
Skye blew out a breath she didn't know she was holding. She was relieved. Ward was telling the truth… He wasn't a Hydra agent. For the first time in a couple of days, the pang she felt in her chest finally disappeared.
- Skye? Are you there? – Asked Coulson, as Skye hadn't spoken in a while
- Yeah, I'm here. I'll see you in a while
- See you
She hung up the phone and waited for Fitz and Simmons to get back
- I'm just saying Fitz, you already spilled water in Coulsons car, imagine what he'll do to you if you spill this blue energy drink you bought – Said Simmons
- Well, I won't spill it. And I need something to recharge my batteries. This car trip is exhausting
- I know. I wonder how long it'll take for us to get there…
- I did the math. A long time. Skye was right, we'll probably be hitching a ride there with Coulson – Said Fitz as they approached Skye
- Hey guys. Good news. Coulson called, they talked to Hill and apparently Ward is telling the truth – Said Skye excitedly
- YES! I told you all from the beginning, didn't I?
- No, you told us Ward was being controlled like Deathlok was – Said Simmons matter-of-factly
- Whatever. What else did he say?
- Not much. They're meeting us here, so we're supposed to wait around. Let's find some hotel and wait there
- I think there's one a few miles up the road… - Said Simmons
- Great, then that's where we're headed – Said Skye
- On the plane -
The plane had just landed in Miami as Ward and Deathlok went down the ramp to meet Garrett
- Where's the girl? – Asked Garrett with his arms opened
- She escaped – Said Ward
- She what? – Asked Garrett incredulously
- She took us out and escaped
Garret started laughing – I hope you two are kidding, because that's just embarrassing
- We're not – Said Deathlok
- Well then. Which one of you let her escape? – Said Garrett
- I'm sorry? – Said Deathlok
- Well, I'm sure you don't expect me to believe that a 5"5 girl managed to put both of you down, right?
- She hacked Deathloks feed and killed the transmission. She also incapacitated him while she was at it – Said Ward
- And you didn't notice this? – Looking straight at Ward
- No sir, I thought she was decrypting the hard drive…
- And what happened to you? How did she managed to get past you?
- She stabbed me – Said Ward as he lifted his shirt to show the patch where he was stabbed
- Well, did she at least decrypt the damn drive?
- Yeah, she did. It's inside – Said Ward
- Good. That makes you not entirely useless. – Said Garrett as him and Raina got on the plane
This. Ward thought. This is why he realized he had to stop being Garretts puppy. Because deep down, Garrett didn't care about him. He just told the man he'd been stabbed, and he didn't care. What he realized when he joined Coulsons team, was that this treatment was not normal. Whenever he got injured on missions, everyone on the plane made sure he was okay, even May. She'd often bring him bourbon or some other drink as an excuse to check up on him. He just wished this was over and he'd never have to take this again.
- On the ground –
Fitz, Simmons and Skye were waiting at the hotel pool when Coulson, May and Hill got there
- Agent Hill. How are you? – Said Simmons
- Good, and you can lose the agent. S.H.I.E.L.D doesn't exist anymore – Said Hill
- Yes. Very unfortunate – Answered Simmons uncomfortably
- So, where's Ward? – Said Hill
Skye got her computer and plugged the thumb drive Ward had given her in. She accessed the planes interface and got a location
- They're still in Miami – Said Skye
- Do you think they'll move? – Asked Coulson
- Yeah. They have a bigger base on the west coast. I think they're preparing to move the operation – Said Hill
- West coast? Where exactly? – Asked May
- I'm not sure. We'll have to find out somehow – Said Hill
- Do you know where their HQ is here? – Asked Skye
- Yeah, it's in some barbershop downtown – Answered Hill – Why?
- Well, they must have the information about their other bases in there. Especially their main one… - Said Skye
- Yeah. Maybe… we could hit there tonight – Said Coulson
- It's too dangerous, we don't know how many will be there and what's the situation on the plane – Said May
- Well, the airfield is far from the barbershop. Maybe we can divide the group – Said Hill
- Okay, good idea. Hill, May and I will go to the barbershop. Fitz, Simmons, and Skye, you stay with the plane. Tell us who's there or if there's any unusual movement – Said Coulson
- Sir, I think I should go to the barbershop with you – Said Skye
- It's too dangerous. Even if they clear the place out, they'll probably leave a few guys behind to guard it – Said May
- Yeah, but with all due respect. The information about the bases won't be laying around on a piece of paper. Someone will have to hack the computer and you know no one will do it as fast as me
- Okay. Fitz, Simmons. You guard the plane. Do not engage and keep your distance. Report every hour so we know the both of you are okay. If there's any sign of trouble tell us immediately and get out of there. We don't want you to get caught – Said Coulson
- Yes sir – Said Fitz
- Alright. Let's do this – Said Hill