Let's refresh!
Hydra's invaded the base and captured everyone save for Ward, Skye and Simmons who were having a tense chat in the vault.
Ok that's it have fun!
~
Chapter Nine
If You Can't Beat 'Em, Join 'Em
"What do we do?" Simmons asked again.
Skye didn't answer. She was definitely thinking about it, but she didn't have an answer yet, so she did not answer. Just paced.
"Skye rerouted the feeds before she came down; it's probably why they haven't made it here yet. They think-"
"I didn't ask you!" Simmons snarled. Her face softened as she pondered the words. "Wait. She rerouted… oh Skye…" her voice held so much disappointment, but she shook her head to rid herself of it. "Lord, now is not the time to be thinking about that. But Skye when we get out of this we are going to have a discussion about that!"
That snapped Skye back into the moment. She froze; spun around.
"You're not my mom Simmons," she said harshly. She'd never really used that expression before. Considering she didn't have one anyhow, as a kid that fact could bite her in the ass with that saying, but it seemed way too appropriate.
"I know I'm not but I care about you an awful lot and I just want to help you," she said firmly, though her voice cracked. Oh. She was trying to hold back tears, and Skye suddenly felt pretty bad. Simmons was scared.
Skye was scared.
"I know. Sorry," Skye mumbled.
Ward watched Skye as she paced. She began rubbing the mark vehemently, like she'd done in the past when she'd get nervous. The thought of Hydra being there must have alarmed her to the point that it brought back her tick. It made sense to connect the two. Not only did it hold their logo, but she'd gained it the last time she'd encountered the organization.
"We can't just hide here!" said Simmons.
"You're right. They'll come down eventually, even if it's just to get information from me."
Simmons gave Ward a harsh glare for speaking, but did not stop him this time.
Skye ran her fingers harshly through her hair as they scraped over her head. "I don't know what to do. We have nothing! We have no weapons… and the moment we step out of those doors they'll be able to see us."
It was a small mercy that they had links to the videos too, so they could see that the team was still alive. Capture and determine worth, right? The Hydra way.
Some of them could make it out of this. that particular way.
Simmons couldn't fight. They had no weapons. There were way too many men to get themselves out by force.
But if they could prove their worth... they could at least live.
Skye already knew they would have kept her for her hacking capabilities. They clearly wanted people skilled as Simmons as she actually worked for the the place, albeit undercover, but she'd got the gig. And Ward… maybe she could convince Hydra he was still on their side.
The sheer thought of working for Hydra sickened Skye. It reminded her of her weakness, but she knew there was only one choice.
The others did not like it.
Skye had haphazardly tied her hair up in a high ponytail. Now hyper-aware of the loose strands that bobbed on her shoulders, she ascended the stairs. The pieces strayed over her burn as well. Maybe that's why she was noticing them so much.
No no no. That mark meant nothing. It doesn't affect you anymore, she told herself.
She opened the door to Vault E to peak outside, but there was no one in her immediate vicinity. "Hey," she called out. "Hey, hail Hydra!" The words were cautious and uncertain, but just mere moments after she called out, multiple soldiers dressed in the same camo came bolting towards her, weapons raised. Skye didn't have a weapon though, and just raised her hands.
"Whoa, please don't shoot," she said, almost quietly. Timidly, backing down a bit when she saw the soldiers. "I'd give you a white flag if I had one."
A soldier scoffed. "You're surrendering?"
"Where did she even come from!" said another. "She wasn't on the surveillance; there's just a prisoner down there."
"I turned off the cameras," she admitted. "I've been… consorting with a Hydra captive lately and didn't want our director to find out."
"Oh, right," said the first soldier in disbelief. "And why would you do that?"
"Because I'm terrified of Hydra!" she exclaimed, almost seeming to stun the soldiers. They looked to each other uncertainly. "We're fighting a losing war and I didn't want to be on the wrong side. I thought he could help me."
She nervously tucked a hair behind her ear.
"Oh I see," sneered the soldier with a cruel smile. He lowered his gun and beelined towards her. She didn't move, her hands raised in the air even as he wrapped gloved fingers around her neck and pulled her forward. He offered her up for the rest of the group to see. "Look here…" he sang. "Blackwell got a hold of her. Not so compliant to Hydra before, now were we?"
"No," she admitted.
The soldier held her awkwardly; his hand only wrapped halfway around her neck as he made sure her head jutted sideways, giving the rest of the men the opportune eyeline to see her scar.
"So why would Hydra want you?" the soldier asked, hot breath on her cheek that came from behind her head. She couldn't see him, not from this vantage. But she knew his face would hold enjoyment.
"I'm good with computers," she professed. "Weirdly good. I can be an asset to Hydra, I know it."
"Defiant enough to get a brand, and now she's begging to be recruited." The soldier laughed, moving so that he was in her vision as he let go of her neck. "This isn't a job interview, sugar." He turned his head back to the group. "Put her with the others."
"I have more," she insisted lightly. Her arms were up in surrender, her eyes turned downward in defeat. How feeble she must have appeared...
"Oh do you?" He sounded amused. "By all means, feel free to share."
"The man downstairs was Hydra, but he tried to get out."
"No one leaves Hydra."
"I'm getting that." Skye gulped. "Thing is he's kind of amazing at what he does. Detaining him could be a problem for your group with his skill set. But I could take you down there myself and convince him to come. He would be a worthy asset too-"
"So why would he listen to you?" asked a soldier in the back.
"Because he loves me," Skye said simply. Casually. And it wasn't really until that moment that she believed it to be real, or even realized it. "He'll come. I have a S.H.I.E.L.D. scientist down there as well. She came snooping."
"What makes you think I believe any of this?" growled the soldier, voice all of a sudden very cold, as was her temple. Oh. She had a gun pressed against her head.
Skye shut her eyes and braced herself, but the man's voice rang through her ears in a way that made her want to repel from it's false sweetness. "So your neck has a pretty little mark to match the logo on my jacket, big whoop." He pressed the gun harder. "Again, why should I believe a word you say?"
"Because she's my project!"
Skye immediately opened her eyes. She honestly did not expect to hear that voice.
Payne.
He walked over to her with a confident gusto that looked strange on the man, as his natural stance seemed to be shrouded in shadows. It was like was excited to see her. Well, she could say with certainty that she did not return the feeling.
Her throat felt dry. Her arms were near getting tired too, but she held them raised.
The man stopped in front of her. "Skye… are you still mad at me, dear?"
"Yes," she gritted out, truth ringing behind the statement. She could admit that, she thought.
"But you'd still come with me. You'd still come work for my employers," he said in an overconfident tone, the infuriating smirk taking up too much of his face. Still, she nodded. "Hah! You see? You see what Hydra can do?"
He was addressing the group now. Like this was some sort of teaching moment.
"This girl hates me, but she's smart. She knows that power and pain will win out, and she's already suffered the consequences of Hydra's power… which included pain, hmhm."
He brushed over her scar with one long finger, gently drifting over the raised surface. Skye's eyes moved sideways so not to look at him.
He slapped her back the other direction.
She had barely recognized the sting blooming in her cheek before he grabbed her chin to look at him. That was good. She had felt herself flash back to the room for a moment, felt herself in that chair again. But she needed focus and he gave her that.
Payne released her once he was sure she was her eyes were centered on the man, only wanting her attention. "Just a reminder of what happens if you cross us," he said offhandedly. Teeth were revealed as his lips rose up, slow enough to haunt nightmares. Crooked teeth, too. Like a rat's.
She could feel the burning sensation on her face now. It was relatively small but she allowed it to bloom and spread, from irritating the mark on her neck to initiating the tears glistening in her eyes. She glared at him.
"Like I need another reminder," Skye bit out spitefully through the outset of tears. But he must have known that already, or at least assumed it. He just liked to witness pain.
"I do wish I could take credit for that reminder," he told her quietly. He circled the mark on her neck almost absentmindedly, and it took all Skye had not to cringe away. "Isn't it amazing that how even in death, he is controlling your actions at this very moment?"
The small man laughed again, looking ecstatic as to how far this person in front of him seemed to have broken.
"Take her downstairs," he said jollily. The first man she'd been talking to wasted no time in holding on to her arm. "She'll get Grant Ward to come with you, I'm sure. And she is not lying, that man is a true asset." He was addressing the soldiers, but he turned to her with enthusiasm beaming in his eyes. "As they say, kill two birds with one stone!"
The soldier began to lead her away, three of the others coming in their wake. Skye turned back to where Payne was left with the other four.
"Sir, our orders are to get as much information from this facility as possible," a soldier told him. "Through any means necessary."
"Wonderful," he said in awed tones. "There's a certain Director I would love to make my acquaintance with," he mused. "Then of course, I'd like to beat him until he tells me everything there is to know about the pathetic remnants of S.H.I.E.L.D."
Skye barely registered the creepy laugh at the end of his sentence. All she knew was that she had to get down to Ward now, and she had to start getting things done fast.
"Do you really think Skye knows what she's doing."
Simmons sounded miserable. Ward didn't blame her though; sitting in a cell with someone you despised while your friend went off on a long-shot gambit was not a situation to automatically instill feelings of hope.
"Skye's smart. This was the best play," Ward offered.
Simmons glared at him from the corner of his cell. He'd invited her to use the bed, but the mere suggestion had revulsion gleaming on her face. He didn't sit on the bed either.
Her knees curled in tighter to her stomach.
Ward heard the screech of old metal that he knew to be the vault door opening. The scrape of the door on the floor was something Grant had his ears trained for by now, always wishing he'd hear that sound; wanting only one person to appear down the steps.
Simmons' head perked up with the noise, but she still looked just as put out.
Ward watched as Skye was marched down the stairs. A man had a grip on her, but the hold was soft, merely to guide her. Three more soldiers followed behind. Their weapons had been down, but the more Ward and Simmons came into view, their guns began to pop up. The man's hand tightened around Skye's shoulder.
"I thought you said they were in a cell?" he growled.
"They are," she told him, having to bite back sarcastic remarks about his obvious stupidity. "It's an Inertial Confinement Laser Barrier."
"A what?"
Now she had to resist an eye roll. "Laser beams?" she tried. "You know, things that block people or even burn them to a crisp if they get too close." She gestured to the tablet, set up on a stand before the line of the cell. "That controls it."
The ringleader holding Skye went to inspect said tablet, nodding as he was satisfied with what he saw. He looked to the prisoners. "You two going to come quietly? Or do we need persuasion…"
The soldiers cocked their guns.
"Ward…"
"I know Skye," he said eagerly. "I'll come. It's what you want."
The soldier scoffed. "Wow. That really is love right there."
Ward had to suppress the shock at hearing the word, which he inferred the soldier used because Skye had used it before him. Surprise hidden deep inside, he shrugged. "To be honest, she's the only reason I left Hydra. It'll be nice to go back to doing what I enjoy."
"How domestic of you," sneered the soldier, before looking to Jemma. "How about you sweetheart?"
Her nostrils flared, and she began shaking her head vehemently. "Never."
The soldier sighed. "Do we really have to come in there and get you?"
She was still seated on the ground, actually looking incredibly petulant as she refused. "I invite you to try."
"C'mon Simmons… just go with them!" Skye pleaded. "It's better than-"
"I would rather die than work for Hydra!" Simmons bellowed over her, and Skye stepped back slightly in shock.
Ringleader rolled his eyes. "Little melodramatic, don't you think? Anyway..." His fingers punched into the tablet, and Skye watch the gridlines' orange color light up, then disappear completely.
Ward walked out straight away to stand next to Skye, another man taking hold of his arm. This grip was loose as well.
Simmons stared, defiant and brave as the men descended on her. Walked right into her personal space and grabbed onto her forearms. But then she wasn't quiet and placid. Still defiant though, as she began screaming and thrashing against the soldiers while they hauled her up.
That was their cue.
Skye slammed her foot into the boot of the soldier who was holding her, followed by a quick back-handed jab to his face. His hands rushed to protect his almost certainly broken nose as Skye rushed to access the gun in his now unprotected holster.
Meanwhile, Ward was having about an equally as smooth experience. The soldier that was holding him was so distracted by the ruckus being made by the scientist that Grant was able to go directly for the weapon, only hitting the man on the head with the thing once he had it.
"Hey!" Skye shouted to the soldiers harassing Simmons. Very few seconds had passed since the girl started screaming, and Skye could tell her distraction had worked perfectly. From the stupefaction on their faces, they'd been completely unaware that Skye and Ward had disarmed their companions. And Skye had even accomplished getting her previous captor's hands in the air.
Simmons had managed to keep herself on the ground with the thrashing. Both soldiers loomed over her. One still held her arm. He used this, beginning to hoist her up-
BAM.
The soldier crumpled to the ground as Ward's bullet connected with his leg, while he screamed in agony.
"Let her walk," ordered Ward coldly. The other soldier hesitated. He seemed ready to grab for his only bargaining chip as well. "You're getting a verbal warning, so don't assume you'll be as lucky as your friend over there."
"He means head shot," clarified Skye.
"Yeah, got that," growled the soldier inside the cell.
"You seemed kinda slow. I wanted to be sure."
Both Ward and Skye got the sense that the moment this man had a chance to, he was going to take them both out. All of them, if he felt the need to hurt Simmons as well. But for the moment he did as he was told. He stepped aside.
Jemma clambered up off the ground frantically and bolted passed the barrier's threshold, to which Skye and Ward quickly pushed their captors-made-prisoners through. Simmons went directly towards the tablet and closed them in. Then shut off the sound.
The absence of the screaming guy was nice.
Skye decided she didn't want to look at Hydra men either. She reached over Jemma and hit the opaque button on the tablet.
"What now?" asked Simmons. Staring intently at the other two people she seemed almost completely unfazed, though they both knew this to be a tough façade she'd built up. Still, it was impressive. "I take it those weren't the only people in the base."
"They're going after Coulson," Skye said. "They want intel and Coulson is the highest up. Payne wants to make him talk."
Simmons looked horrified. Ward was calculating.
"So we get up there and stop them before he gets a chance to." Simple enough, Ward thought. And he was always one to go for the simplest choice. Strange as that may seem.
Skye shook her head. "They know where the base is now. They'll get the information no matter what. And I know the encryption is solid, but a ton of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents can get access. One mole, a prisoner forced into talking… whatever! What I'm saying is-"
"We have to get rid of it."
Skye's eyebrows shot up in surprise. Not because they were off track. That was exactly what she was getting at.
Ward and Simmons had spoken at the same time. Of all the people to be in sync…
"Right," Skye agreed eventually. "I'll have to go to the main servers to do it, and it's going to take some time."
Sounded like a good plan. But Ward would not let Skye go alone. "I'll cover you."
"No. You and Simmons go together to-"
"Whoa!" protested Jemma, who up until that point had been listening patiently and taking in every word Skye said as though she'd been voted leader. "Skye… he is Hydra. He is a Hydra prisoner living in our bloody basement that has been poisoning your mind! I'm not going to go with him."
Skye scrunched her nose; pursed her lips in frustration. "Look, I cannot keep you safe. I'm going to be working overtime to get these files out of there. If something happens I won't even be able to protect myself, Jemma," Skye sighed. She needed her to understand this. "The information… it's more valuable than our lives."
"And I understand that, but-"
"You will have a better chance with Ward. He can protect you."
"I can protect you both," Ward insisted.
"Wrong again, robot," Skye said. She was almost surprised at the small sentimental slip. "You need to make sure the rest of the agents aren't in life-threatening danger."
Simmons scoffed. "Well, I think it's a tad late for that…"
"Payne said he needed information," Skye continued. She closed her eyes briefly. "We know what that means. Hurt, not kill. But if he goes too far, or uses one of the other agents' lives… you two are going to have to make a call."
Ward understood. The call to reveal themselves, let their location be known, to attempt to save information or an agent's life.
"Once I discard the files, I'll be able to make a distraction and come find you guys. With any luck we can grab the BUS and get out of here before they send backup."
Simmons did not look happy. Quite the opposite. Hugging herself with the deepest scowl Skye thought possible on her face. But she didn't protest, and Skye took that as acceptance.
Ward didn't like the thought of leaving Skye. But she was right, tactically, this made the most sense. The only possible better option would be to get Simmons out of the base entirely, but that would be risking revealing themselves even more. No, working together to free the agents and get rid of the files was surely the best way to go.
If he didn't think Simmons would protest or get angered, he would have told Skye "I'll take good care of her," or even put a hand on the scientist's shoulder. Instead, he just nodded.
"Coulson always says his acceptable number of casualties is zero," Skye said. "Let's hope we can stick to that."
A/n: So yeah, that was their plan and Skye was acting. For the most part. I mean, anyone would be scared in such a situation.
This chapter got too long so I had too split it... (seriously I suck at telling how long things will take.) So two chapters left! (probably).