Daisy wakes up slowly, her limbs heavy. Her sluggish mind identifies sharp voices surrounding her, their tone harsh and impatient. She opens her eyes, blinking at the bright light shining overhead. The voices stop for a moment, followed by a sudden rustle of movement and the sound of a heavy door slamming.
Someone is holding her on their lap, and Daisy panics for a moment before looking up and realizing that it's just Mom. Mom turns to look at her and gives her a shaky smile, smoothing Daisy's hair out of her eyes.
"Hello, bǎobèi. How are you feeling?"
Daisy whimpers and hides her face in Mom's shoulder. "My head hurts, Mommy."
Mom rubs her back gently. "I'm sorry, baby. I never meant for any of this to happen."
"Where are we?" Daisy mumbles.
"I'm not sure." Mom admits, her voice shaking a little.
"I'm scared." Daisy whispers, closing her eyes and snuggling closer.
"I know. It's going to be okay." Mom's arms tighten around Daisy, holding her close.
The door to the room opens suddenly and Daisy lifts her head from Mom's shoulder as a balding white man enters the room, followed by an Asian woman a bit shorter than Mom. They are both dressed in suits similar to those worn by the men who followed her and Mom to the car.
"Jiaying Johnson?" The man asks, both he and the woman taking a seat across from them.
Mom stiffens, eyeing the strangers warily. "What do you want?"
"We apologize for the behavior of our colleagues. They were instructed not to harm you but did not see fit to follow orders." The woman says, her expression serious.
"I am Agent Melinda May, and this is my partner, Agent Phil Coulson. SHIELD is here to help you."
"How do I know I can trust you people?" Mom snaps, pulling Daisy closer to her. "You've been following me and my daughter for years! You cut me to pieces, you tried to steal my daughter!"
"I assure you, SHIELD had nothing to do with that." The man, Phil Coulson, says, his face earnest. "SHIELD was sent to save your daughter in Hunan, but when our agents arrived both she and her kidnappers were long gone. We assumed it was too late. I'm glad to see we were wrong."
He offers Daisy a kind smile.
"What do you mean?" Mom asks, her voice trembling.
"It was not SHIELD who was behind the attack on you and the kidnapping of your daughter." Agent May says, putting a file on the table and sliding it over to Mom.
Mom opens it to find several pictures of a destroyed gas station that looks exactly like the one she worked at back when they lived in Iowa.
"A few months ago, chatter on the ground spoke of a freelance mercenary who shot up a convenience store in Iowa. Several agents intercepted him, and we were able to conclude that he was tracking an 084."
"Object of unknown origin." Agent Coulson explains, seeing Mom's confused frown.
"It turns out that 084 is the same one we thought was lost after the attack in Hunan. Only it was not an object, but a person of unknown origin."
"What are you talking about?" Mom asks tersely.
"Your daughter was the 084. It was her we were sent to save." Agent May says, looking over at Daisy for the first time since entering the room. Her piercing gaze seems to look right through Daisy, as if she knows everything about her and who she is.
Daisy shivers, and Mom shifts her on her lap, hugging her close.
"No. You're wrong." She scoffs. "It's me those men wanted, me they attacked. You don't know, do you, what I can do? Of course not."
Agent Coulson raises his eyebrows. "Oh? And what is it you can do?"
"I'm an Inhuman, and one day, Daisy will be too." Mom says.
Daisy looks up at Mom, frowning in confusion.
"Mom?"
Mom ignores her, gesturing to Agent Coulson's hand. "Let me show you."
With a look towards Agent May, he lets Mom take his hand in both of hers. There is a moment of silence as they all stare at Mom, waiting for something to happen. Then, suddenly, Agent Coulson lets out a gasp of surprise. His skin begins to smooth out, the callouses disappearing, and a small scrape on his knuckle instantly heals. Mom lets go, and he examines his hand in awe.
"What did you do?" Agent May asks suspiciously, her eyes narrowed.
Mom smirks a little, leaning back in her chair and wrapping her arms around Daisy again.
"I have a gift. My people call ourselves Inhumans, and we gain our power in a special ceremony when we come of age. One day, when she's old enough, Daisy will discover her gift."
"So this is why you were attacked?" Agent Coulson asks. "Because of your power?"
Mom's expression sours. "I have lived a long time, thanks to my gift. There was…a man I saw once, many years ago. He came back to my village as an old man, and remembered who I was. He wished to…take my gift for himself, become young once more."
Her voice trembles, her eyes shining like she's about to cry. Daisy loops her arms around Mom's neck, snuggling close. She's never seen Mom like this, and to see her almost breaking out in tears feels wrong.
Clearing her throat, Mom strokes Daisy's hair gently with shaking hands.
"I escaped, and found my village destroyed, my husband gone, my daughter lying among the dead. They tried to take her, and he took his revenge. There was no other way, I had to take her and run, I had to."
"No one here is blaming you, Mrs. Johnson." Agent Coulson says carefully. "You did what you had to do to keep you and your daughter safe."
"SHIELD is here to help you, if you'll let us." Agent May adds. "We can keep you safe."
"Really?" Mom asks skeptically. "In exchange for what?"
"You don't owe us anything." Agent Coulson shrugs. "We can offer you a job or housing, if you like, but you are under no obligation to accept. Either way, we can keep you and your daughter safe from those who would seek to harm either of you."
Mom is silent for a moment, her brow furrowed in thought.
"I'll consider it."
"Great!" Coulson claps his hands together, looking satisfied.
"You must be tired. Let me show you and Daisy to one of the guest bunks. You can stay there, get to know the place while you make up your mind."
"I suppose I don't have much of a choice, do I?" Mom asks, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, no, not really." He admits as Agent May rolls her eyes.
The adults all stand from the table, and Mom lifts Daisy up onto her hip. Coulson opens the door and gestures to Mom and May.
"Ladies first."
May rolls her eyes and walks through the door, Mom close behind.
"You're such a dork, Coulson."
"I do my best." He responds cheerfully, leading the way down a long hallway.
Mom bounces Daisy on her hip slightly. "How are you doing, bǎobèi?"
"What's an Inhuman?" Daisy asks quietly, her voice nearly drowned out by the sound of May and Coulson arguing ahead of them.
"I'll explain it all in the morning, okay? It's late, we've been here for hours. We'll be at our bunk in a minute, you should get some sleep." Mom says gently, kissing Daisy's cheek.
"Okay." Daisy mumbles, leaning her head on Mom's shoulder sleepily. "Wǒ ài nǐ, Mommy."
"I love you so much, baby. We're safe now."
Daisy hums tiredly and closes her eyes, burying her face in Mom's soft sweater.
"Promise?"
"I promise."