Chapter 10
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AN: Thank you to all who have added to alerts, read, reviewed or any combination of the three. It means a lot to me.
AN2: Thank you for your support. Is anyone else totally not ready for the final?"
It has been three days since The Triskeilion was destroyed, The Hub was secured and Hydra was dealt a serious blow. Ever since then everyone in the team have spread out. Coulson, Garrett, Clint, Fitz, Tripp, and Simmons are still at the Hub with Ward in the interrogation room trying to get some order to other facilities and dealing with the problems that dismantling S.H.I.E.L.D leaves them with. Steve who was seriously hurt in the battle is in a hospital with security and Sam by his side. Fury is off the grid as he is still meant to be dead. Maria and Natasha are dealing with other Agencies, Governments and Congress, and Melinda and Skye are back at Fury's secret base because Skye is still unconscious and it was the only place safe place where Melinda could take Skye where she could recover. As unlike Steve, even with security a hospital wouldn't be safe for her now that everyone in the entire world knows what she can do.
For three days Melinda has been sitting by her daughters' bedside only leaving to go to the bathroom or eat something. Since they got back she has had short conversations with the rest of her family but due to the fact that they don't know who could be listening they conversations had to be short and cryptic.
Natasha, Maria and Fury have visited but Fury didn't stay long because he thought it would be too dangerous for everyone if they were in the same place. Both Maria and Natasha stayed longer but as they both have to handle a whole lot of other things they both left.
As she has memorised everything in the last few days Melinda notices the second that Skye begins to stir.
"May? Can you hear me?" Melinda asks her daughter as she sits down on the edge of her bed.
"Hey." Skye tells her mother as she slowly opens her eyes.
"Hey, to you to." Melinda says giving her daughter a hug.
"What happened?" Skye asks when her mom ends the hug.
"You used too much of your power and collapsed." Melinda tells her daughter.
"Yeah, thanks I gathered that." Skye tells her mother, "I mean with Hydra, and The Hub, Peirce, and everything. Is Dad okay?" she asks worried when she notices her father isn't there.
"Your father is fine." Melinda assures her daughter, "He is a the Hub with Clint, Garrett, Fitz, Simmons and Tripp, they were able to gain control again and are working on several problems." Melinda explains.
"Did it work?" Skye asks.
"Yep." Melinda responds, "S.H.I.E.L.D is no more and all of Hydra's secrets have been realised to the public." Melinda explains.
"And so has S.H.I.E.L.D's." Skye says.
"Yes." Melinda responds.
"Is everyone okay?" Skye asks, "No one was hurt right?" she ask worried.
"Uncle Steve was, but I heard from Sam not that long ago and he is fine." Melinda tells her daughter.
"What happens now?" Skye asks.
"There is a meeting that was arranged days ago to take place later this afternoon between, me, Natasha, Steve, Sam and Nick to discuss that very point." Melinda tells her daughter, "We haven't talked about the exact details but your Aunt and I were talking about meeting up with your Father and Uncles and then deciding from there." Melinda explains.
"We should go to that meeting." Skye comments.
"You've got to rest, you just woke up." Melinda tells her daughter.
"No need, I'm fine." Skye tells her mother.
"May Skye Philippa." Melinda tells her daughter in a scolding tone.
"I promise you Mom, I'm fine." Skye responds, "I wouldn't be awake right now if I wasn't." Skye explains, "I wasn't just asleep I was in a coma, I used way too much of my power…" Skye begins to say.
"Are you trying to convince me to let you go because right now all you're doing is convincing me that you need to speed more time in that bed." Melinda tells her daughter with a frown.
"Let me finish." Skye responds, "It was dangerously low levels which is why I was in such a deep sleep for so long but now, my levels are back to normal." Skye tells her mother, "I'm fine, and I think we should go to that meeting." She tells them.
"You're having something to eat first." Melinda tells her daughter recognizing her stubbornness.
"I can live with that." Skye responds, "But how are we going to get to DC? Did they leave you a car?" Skye asks curious.
"No, no car." Melinda responds, "But we do have your bike."
"Perfect." Skye says with a grin.
At the Hub, Coulson, Garrett, Clint, Tripp and Simmons are in the situation room and for the first time in days Fitz is alone on the plane which means he can finally get the answers he wants. Ever since they arrived at the hub Ward has been in the interrogation room because it is the only place they have that is completely secure. He is brought food and several times a day and is taken to the bathroom while being accomplice by some combination of Coulson, Garrett, Clint and Tripp, but neither Fitz nor Simmons has spoken to him and that is exactly what Fitz wants to do.
Thankful that due to the fact that they needed power to other parts of the plane Clint decreased the amount of security on the door into the interrogation room which means you can enter it from the outside without a code.
Once he double checks the security feeds to make sure that everyone else is still in the situation room Fitz makes his way upstairs. When he gets to the door to the integration room Fitz hesitates for a minute but because he wants to know, that he needs to know why so he open the door and walks in.
When he does he finds Ward sitting at the table cuffed, and he walks in and sits across from him.
"I want to know why." Fitz says to Ward, who just looks away from Fitz and doesn't answer.
"Hey, I'm talking to you." Fitz tells him, "It's just me and you and I want to know why. We're family Ward how could you betray us?"
"You're not my family." Ward says looking at Fitz, finally speaking, "she is my family and I owe her everything."
"You're sister." Fitz realises, "Well Alexander Peirce is dead and she will be found and brought to justice." Fitz tells him, "She's not in control anymore, you don't have to do what they want you to anymore." Fitz tells him, "Help us Ward, be the good guy I know you are." Fitz tells the man that in the last couple of years he has come to care for like a brother, "Please."
"I'm not a good guy Fitz." Ward tells him.
"You can be if you try." Fitz tells him, "I saw how you were when Skye was made a child again, how you've been ever since you decided not to get back together and I saw you at Christmas, you care about us, I know you do." Fitz tells his brother, "Your sister, you don't owe her everything and if she wants you to keep being Hydra to bring you down with her then you don't need her. Help us Ward, find her and get your life back." Fitz tells him.
"I can't, because I do owe her everything." Ward says and then before Fitz can react Ward has somehow gotten out of his cuffs and he knocks Fitz out by slamming his head against the table and then leaving the room, the plane and stealing one of the other planes nearby he leaves the Hub.
At Fury's base Skye and Melinda are just finishing packing up their stuff and getting ready to leave.
"Have you got everything?" Melinda asks her daughter.
"Yep." Skye responds as she puts on her jacket, "Question, what are we going to do? We've only got one helmet right?"
"Right." Melinda responds, "Which you will be using."
"Of course." Skye responds, "Ready?" Skye asks as she puts her bag which has how bow and quiver inside on her back.
"Let's go." Melinda say.
"You're driving aren't you?" Skye asks her mother as they walk down the corridor.
"Of course." Melinda responds and they leave the base.
At the Hub Clint and Simmons have arrived back at the plane.
"Fitz?" Jemma asks when she notices that he isn't in the lab.
"He's probably upstairs." Clint comments
"Oh no." Jemma says once she sees what is on the interrogation room feed, as soon as she sees she turns and runs upstairs.
Clint is confused for a second until he sees what she looked at, "Crap." He says before following her upstairs.
When Clint gets upstairs he runs right to the interrogation room where he finds Simmons trying to wake up Fitz,
"He okay?" Clint asks concerned as he kneels down next to Simmons and Fitz.
"I don't know." Simmons comments, "Ward's gone."
"I know." Clint comments having a guess how it happened.
"Fitz wake up." Simmons says and Fitz starts to open his eyes, "Hey."
"Hi." Fitz responds then realises what must have happened, "Ward, I wanted to talk to him find out why he did it, I was an idiot."
"You were betrayed and you wanted to know why, that's not idiotic, that's human." Clint tell Fitz, "You just lucky that Ward didn't kill you." Clint tells him, "I've got to go tell Coulson what's happened, will you guys be okay here?" Clint asks the pair.
"We'll be fine." Simmons responds, "But I'm checking you out." Simmons tells Fitz who nods.
"Good, I won't be long." Clint says getting up and leaving the room.
A hour after they left the safe house Melinda and Skye arrive at the cemetery where Fury grave is and where they are meeting. Steve, Sam, Natasha and Fury himself. When they arrive they see Natasha walking, and when she sees them she walks over.
"You shouldn't have used your powers to help me if they were going to make you so week." Natasha tells her niece.
"I had to, I wasn't going to let him hurt you." Skye says and she gives her Aunt a hug.
"How was congress?" Melinda asks once her daughter and best friend stops hugging and the three start to walk towards Fury's grave.
"They wanted to arrest me." Natasha admits.
"Not surprising." Melinda admits, "Though they should be thanking you forever. How did you talk them out of it?'
"With my charming personality." Natasha responds and the three walk up to Fury's grave just to hear Fury say,
"Anybody asks for me, you can tell 'em they can find me right here."
"You should be honoured. That's about as close as he gets to a thankyou." Natasha comments and hearing her voice Fury turns back around.
"In two days I'm using the system to tell Coulson, Barton and Garrett, and the three of you a location, the three of you are better off going straight there instead of the Hub." Fury says before once more turning and walking away.
"You're not going with him?" Steve asks Melinda, Natasha and Skye.
"No." Natasha says drawing the word out.
"We've got a family to get back to, and from there who knows." Melinda admits, "We've got to figure out something." Melinda admits.
"But we know one thing for sure." Natasha comments, "We've got a pit stop to make first. There is someone who deserves to know the truth about what happened to his parents." Natasha comments as in the conversations that her and Melinda have had in the last three days the one thing that they agreed to first is that they need to tell Tony the truth because he deserves to know.
"You're going to go see Tony." Steve realises.
"He deserves to know the truth." Melinda comments.
"Have you talked to him since the Triskelion?" Skye asks curious noticing the look that is on her uncle's face.
"No." Steve answers.
"That's probably because where you were was so hidden that not even Tony would be able to find it." Natasha tells him, "I still have some contacts left and got you this." Natasha says handing him a file, "But call them before you go, they deserve that." Natasha tells him.
"I wouldn't know what to say." Steve responds, "And thanks."
"Be careful Steve, you might not like what you find." Melinda tells her friend as she knows what is in the file that Natasha has given him.
"I have to try." Steve responds, "I owe him that." Steve says and then he realises that there are other people that he owes as well, "Tell them that I'm sorry, but I have to do this." Steve tells his friends.
"We will." Melinda says walking over and giving her friend a hug as she gets the need that Steve has to find Bucky and help him, "Call if you need help." Melinda says as she hugs him.
"I will." Steve responds.
"She's right, you don't know what you're going to find, but we'll help if you need it." Natasha says as she gives Steve a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
"Be careful Uncle Steve." Skye says as she hugs him, "When you find him I'll find you, I can help." Skye tells him.
"You can?" Steve asks and Skye nods.
"Yeah." Skye tells him.
"And you'll do that, after everything he's done?" Steve ask.
"He didn't have a choice, I know exactly what Hydra did to him and no one should have to go through that." Skye tells her Uncle, "I promise you I will help." Skye tells her Uncle.
"Thank you." Steve tells his niece her offer for help meaning lot to him.
With one last look to Steve Melinda, Skye and Natasha turn and walk away.
"You're going after him." Sam says as Steve opens the file and looks inside.
"You don't have to come with me." Steve responds.
"I know." Sam tells him, "When do we start?" Sam asks curious.
After walking away from Sam and Steve Melinda, Natasha and Skye walk over to Skye's motorbike,
"So to New York." Skye comments and Melinda and Natasha nod.
"Do you have transport around somewhere?" Melinda asks her friend curious.
"No, I've been walking." Natasha admits.
"You have a motorbike in your storage locker, that's only a few blocks away." Skye reminds her Aunt.
"How do you know that?" Natasha asks.
"I kind of borrowed some stuff from there after the car accident." Skye admits.
"I thought that blond wig looked familiar." Natasha tells her niece.
"Sorry, I was despite." Skye comments.
"It's fine, it's good that someone got some use out of it." Natasha comments, "But you've got a point, I might as well take that bike before some agency goes through all my storage lockers." Natasha comments,
"Skye because you know where it is ride your bike and meet us there." Melinda tells her daughter, "Natasha and I will walk." She explains.
"Can do." Skye comments, and she gets on her bike and drives away.
Once he left the Hub Ward flew the plane directly to where he knows he will find his sister. The place where he will find her is a large house which belonged to her adoptive father not that anyone knows about it.
He lands the plane in the private field nearby and heads inside where he finds his sister alone looking at a picture of her and Alexander from when she was a child, shortly after he adopted her.
"I'm sorry Grace." Grant tells his sister.
"Where have you been?" Grace her brother looking up from the picture and trying to make it look like she hasn't been crying.
"Locked in the interrogation room on the plane." Grant explains, "I had only recently got my chance at escape."
"Did they hurt you?" Grace asks her brother.
"No." Ward responds.
"Good. Then I won't hurt them at the moment" Grace responds, "Hydra members have successfully infiltrated the Fridge since both the Triskelion fell and the Hub was secure. I'm leading a team there this afternoon to get what we want, you in?"
"Of course." Grant responds knowing that there are two people there that he has unfinished business with, "Where's Dan?"
"Handling several operations overseas." Grace responds, "He knows how to stay hidden, he'll be fine."
"Good." Grant responds, "I'm sorry that I was compromised I know you wanted me to stay in the team for as long as possible."
"Not your fault, I'm guessing Skye was the one who told?" Grace asks and Ward nods, "You can't keep something hidden from someone who knows anything, you did the best you could." Grace tells him, "Grab some food and a couple of hours of rest, we leave in four hours." Grace tells her brother.
"Yes Ma'am." Ward responds and Grace walks away.
At the Hub Clint has just told Coulson, Garrett and Tripp what happened with Ward and none of them look happy about it.
"He's likely half way to wherever his sister is now." Garrett comments.
"I want that plane tracked and Ward found." Coulson orders.
"No can do." Tripp comments, "We don't have access to the kind of resources anymore." Tripp reminds everyone.
"Right, S.H.I.E.L.D doesn't exist anymore." Coulson mutters to himself, no matter how many times he says it doesn't get any easier to believe even though he was part of the reason that it doesn't.
"I'll talk to Fitz and Simmons, see if there is something we can do with resources we have to find them." Tripp says leaving the three friends alone.
"We'll figure it out." Garrett tells his friends, "We'll work out what to do next."
"Will we?" Coulson asks "For Thirty years I've been S.H.I.E.L.D, I've never known anything else." Coulson admits.
"Yes, you have." Clint tells him, "You're a friend, a father, a husband, a brother and you still are, S.H.I.E.L.D was what you did not who you are. We've all got to work out what's next for us, but the one thing that matters is that none of us have to try and figure out what's next alone, we've got each other." Clint tells his brother, "S.H.I.E.L.D might have brought us together, but it's full wont tore us apart, nothing can." Clint says.
"Since when did you get so good at speeches?" Garrett asks surprised.
"I've been listening to him too much." Clint says looking at Coulson and all three of them smile.
"Thanks." Coulson tells him.
"Any time." Clint responds.
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