Chapter 4: Misinformed
Author's note:Sorry this took longer than expected to post. My original plan was to combine this chapter and the next chapter together, but the story takes a better dive when split up. You will see why while everything is built up for the next chapter. Enjoy!
"Come on, come on, come on," Skye impatiently chanted, as she looked around the lab while waiting for the systems to run the corrupted data.
"We got the vans disabled, sir," Simmons' voice came through the comms. "Agent Hill was able to call in some favors and is sending them in for cleanup. Trip returned with some of the hostages as well."
"Good," Coulson's voice replied. "Trip will deliver the rest. Let's make this place burn. Skye, have you found the main lab yet?"
"Yeah, disabling all systems now," she answered, relieved. "It'll take several more minutes, but be ready for another blackout, to hide our escape. It'll only last 10 minutes, and it will be the last phase of the hack."
"Ready whenever you are," May's voice came through.
"All right, let's do this…shut it down, and get out," Coulson said. "No staying behind."
Skye nodded, even though she knew no one would be able to see her. She knew what Coulson was suggesting—the possibility of seeing Ward, and/or his brother. Thankfully, Elliot is out to safety, and well, Ward—she had to swallow her fear and answer, "Yes sir."
She can't not find him, without letting him know the truth. Maybe not necessarily here, but someday…
"Black out initiated."
…
Meanwhile….
The dimness throughout the New Mexico HYDRA base made it slower for Ward to follow Garrett through the hangar. Ward knew Coulson well enough that they wouldn't be coming through such an obvious entrance….question is, where else? And how to get there without Garrett's attention?
And as if on cue to his thoughts, the hangar and the rest of the base completely blacked out—this time, all lights, including the emergency lights, fizzled out. It was pitch black. Garrett stopped in his tracks as did Ward and the rest of their accompanying team, confused yelps echoing throughout the area. "What the hell…again?" Garrett yelled.
This was Ward's chance.
He activated a vibration dampening device in his boots and took off running back to the opposite direction. The device was able to block vibrations, muffling out any noise and vibrations to the object that it was strapped to—in this case, it was a perfect method of stealth mode for Ward to sneak away from Garrett and find Coulson's team without his detecting him running off. Good thing he turned on his infrared goggles to avoid knocking into others. The other guards were all still too confused as to what happened, and in the distance, he could hear Garrett yelling at them to reactivate the power to be able to open the hangar doors.
Ward just hoped that this would be a long enough distraction to get him away. He knew there was only one location that Coulson's team would aim for—the lab.
Time to meet his fate.
…
Three minutes into the blackout, the lights of the lab began to die out. Skye was able to keep the lights of only her necessary quarters on while she finishes the hack, but with each light and each server now beginning to power down for real, her nervousness rose. "Come on, let's go…" she repeated, watching the status bars expand to signify the closing up of the hack. Another minute more before complete darkness.
She refused to let herself panic as the time ticked down, her window of escape narrowing with each passing moment. It wasn't a scenario that she hadn't thought about already; she had anticipated that there may be a chance that her complicated hack would take more time than anticipated, but she was confident that Coulson and May would find her eventually for extraction when asked. But the freshness of the recent encounter with Elliot set a course of nervous within her: how will he learn about his brother? Will he see him again?
What if the team gets captured? What if Fitz and Simmons weren't able to maintain their cover as they disabled their modes of transportation AND treating medical at the same time? What if Garrett found Coulson already?
She will not back down, even if was the last one standing. She has to make sure this hack succeeds and her team gets out. She has to make sure Elliot and the others Project G.A.R.R.E.T.T. victims are safe and on their ways to finding their family.
Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard a loud CRACK from above her. She glanced up as the servers completely finished uploading corrupted data and the lights turning off. A large metal beam from a collapsing wall snapped and started falling straight in Skye's direction, just as the lights turned off.
A moment of numbing silence rang, but JUST before she could duck, Skye felt a large hand cup her mouth and her body being grasped from behind. She heard the beam crash inches away from her as she struggled and tried to scream. She was being dragged through the lab exit and the short distance to the outdoor courtyard when she managed to open her mouth just a little, and chomped down HARD on her captor's hand, tasting blood in the process. An aggravated yell escaped from her captor's lips before she was released and spun around, drawing out her gun.
It was déjà vu: being pulled to safety, being protected from danger. But now, Skye stands face to face with the man who had always protected her, and she would never think to have a gun pointed at her. It wasn't how she envisioned encountering him again, though she shouldn't be surprised.
Ward held his gun steadily, though visible traces of blood from her bite were eminent on his hand and gun barrel. They stood still for a few moments in silence, both staring intently at each other without any hint to back down. Skye's face didn't show any shred of fear…no, she had a look of determination and hope on her face.
He tried his best to reflect his "HYDRA face" of cocky anger, but all of Ward's self-control gave way only to pangs of sadness in his eyes. He needed to focus all his energy at getting her out, and it didn't matter in what way.
"You're not supposed to be here," he stated, voice sounding harsher than what his eyes portrayed.
Skye noticed it too. She didn't lower her gun either, and all the angry words she had wanted to say were shut out of her throat, as she just uttered, "It doesn't have to end like this."
He readjusted his gun. "Skye—"
"No, Ward," she replied softly, lowering her gun and pocketing it in her waistband. Ward stared at her, dumbfounded at her decision to disarm herself. She started taking steps closer to him. "You don't' have to do any of this anymore. No more orders to be taken. Even if you want to, there aren't anymore. [glances over at the direction of the lab] The servers for all HYDRA's bases are corrupted."
"I don't know what you're talking about," he repeated. "You shouldn't be here."
"Neither should you," she reasoned, taking another step towards him, raising her hands up. "I know, you betrayed SHIELD. You killed people. But, I know you—you're not always this way. You said someday I'll understand—though I'll never understand why you need to kill, but I do understand that you were in a dire place. You didn't want to hurt me, to hurt us. You did it because of how you owed Garrett. I understand that now."
He blinked his eyes in cautious surprise. "You shouldn't be here," he continued. "You need to go, now! They'll come for you—"
"I don't care," Skye continued. "I came for them. For you."
Ward's face scrunched up in confusion. "Them….me?"
She nodded, making a small smile. "I know about Buddy. I know about how you spent 5 years in the woods alone, trying to survive."
Ward's eyes widened. No one, not even SHIELD's file on him, contains this information.
"I know how you tried to find your brother when you first joined SHIELD, only to find out at that time he was killed in a car accident."
He re-footed himself in the ground and his gun jerked. Stay away from me, he thought. Get away from me, please…
"I know how you tried to leave HYDRA before…because of me. When I got shot you tried to leave, but it was also because of me you needed to stay, to protect me."
Ward's hands started to shake, making it hard for him to keep his gun up. He could feel the stinging of burning tears in his eyes while she spoke her last point, but quickly blinked them aside.
How could she know this information? These were very personal matters that he didn't share with anyone, and no one knows about Buddy except…Garrett. But how did she get this info from him?
"You…you know…"
"Yes. I know. I understand now. All the different pain you had to go through, all those dark, lonely nights thinking that there was no end to what you had to do," she said, walking to arm's length from Ward.
He finally completely lowered his gun from her, his arm falling limp to his side. She knows. She finally understands why I have to stay in HYDRA, why I need to stay in HYDRA, he thought.
Skye made a small smile. "You can start over. I know about how you were roped into this project. I know you—"
"She doesn't know anything," a loud voice mocked, echoing through the courtyard.
Ward's panicked face turned, and so did Skye. Walking through the same blasted hallway to outside was Garrett, smirking and holding a gun aimed directly at them both. Ward immediately raised his gun up at him in self-defense while stepping in front of Skye to shield her. He didn't want any harm to come to her; he only wanted to scare her away to safety. But now with Garrett here, things just got a lot more complicated.
"She doesn't know anything," he repeated. "Stand down boy, or I'll end you both."
Step by step, as he walked closer, Ward's insides panicked. "John…"
"I knew something was wrong when you didn't respond during the black out," Garrett continued, gauging his gun closer to Skye while glaring at Ward. "I should've assigned guards to be with you ever since we heard of this team's intrusion. You've been hiding from me your secret plan to free her and the rest of Coulson's dream team this entire time."
"John, please…"
"I told you to take her out. Kill them. I won't let them ruin my mission. They've hidden secrets of the serum from me, and they're going to pay."
"YOU'RE the one who's hiding secrets, Garrett!" Skye spoke courageously from behind Ward. "Don't try denying it."
A long moment of silence persisted before John stopped in his tracks. He pocketed his gun and broke out into a long, hearty laugh, now pacing back and forth in humor. Skye quirked her brow in confusion while glancing back at Ward, who now also lowered his gun. "I like her. She's a feisty one, Ward. It's no wonder you have a thing for her. [back at Skye] Now, enlighten me. What am I hiding?"
"You know very well what you've been hiding, not only from Ward, but from all your project victims," she argued right back. She reached for Ward's arm. "Ward, you brother—he's alive."
Ward froze, fully turning to her. "What?"
"He's alive, Ward," Skye continued. "Elliot. He's not dead. You still have your brother. Garrett has held him in his watch for all these years. Elliot's alive, Ward."
He shook his head, releasing himself from her grasp and taking a couple steps back from her. "It's not possible. I told you this before: he died in a car accident shortly after I met John. He was the last bit of family I want to save—"
"But he's safe, Ward," Skye said, arm reaching towards him. "He's not dead. He was captured by HYDRA while you were in the Academy to make sure that you had no trace of going back to your life before joining. To make you think that there's no one else out there except you."
Ward stopped his retreat and turned to Garrett with shaky eyes. "My brother, where is he John?"
"She doesn't know anything," Garrett repeated, confident as ever. "He's dead. You have no more attachments to this world. HYDRA and me—we are your family."
"Yeah, the family that beats him up after a mission goes south?" Skye argued. "One that lies to protect him? You call THAT family? Scratch that; you never thought of him as family. You were going to execute him as soon as you get the serum."
Ward look back down at her. "What are you talking about, Skye?"
"December 1st of this year," she spoke, never taking her eyes off Garrett. "I found the files that Garrett has secretly logged. You were the first member of his personal mission called 'Project G.A.R.R.E.T.T.', where he recruits young troubled boys to man his projects but can eliminate at any time. You were to finish your mission, and on that date, you were to be executed. By firearm."
Ward's eye widened in shock; Garrett also stopped pacing and carefully watched him. "That's not possible," he started. "John would never do anything like that. He's the only family that I have. He taught me how to survive. He treats me like—like—" He couldn't finish his sentence.
Memories of all these years flashed through his brain. The beatings, the training, the lying to others, the killing of countless people, the orders that he followed to "survive". It wasn't much of a father-son relationship that he had envisioned. Garrett in all these years taught him to survive, whatever the costs.
"If the job was easy, it wouldn't be any fun!"
"Don't forget what the assignment was. Don't forget WHO gave it to you, and don't forget WHY."
"Seemed like a good person to eliminate…."
"Let me teach you how to be a man…"
"You want orders? Get her…"
"You can't ever grow attached…"
"Cross off them for me…"
"Make me believe…"
"This isn't a weakness, is it?"
"My bad…"
"In the end, I'll treat them how they treated me…"
"We know the importance about survival…"
"Then stop acting like [that scared kid]…!"
"It's more of an uprising…"
"Cross them off and bring her to me…"
"Cross off them for me…"
"Cross off them for me…"
"Cross off them for me…"
"Cross off them for me…"
He taught him that if it meant you own survival or others close to you, choose yourself and eliminate the threat, the weakness, even if it was someone close to you. Close to me-like SHIELD. Like Buddy. Like other agents. Like Coulson's team. Like Skye, he thought. I was supposed to eliminate them, so I could survive…I could survive? When was it about me?
No.
It was because so that John could survive, he concluded.
At that realization, he drew out his gun again, with Garrett quickly following. It was such a quick thought process, but so simple. Why had he not thought about this before? He glanced back and forth between Skye and then Garrett, eyes shimmering with hesitant realization. "John…" he started. "All these years, is that true? After me joining you, you needed someone to fight for you, I get that. But in the end—what is the end? When is the end?"
A flicker of uncertainty crept to Garrett's face as quickly as it disappeared moments later. "Don't listen to her! She has no idea of what she's talking about! Now, get rid of her, Grant, or I'll make you pay for it!"
Ward shook his head. "So it's true then. All I ever was to you was a disposable soldier. Like those of the Centipede program. You needed me to lead the pack, but when you got what you wanted, you were going to eliminate me, to prevent any collateral damage in your 'mission'. [angry] Where's my brother, John?"
Garrett shook his head, now sounding desperate. "She's lying about him! About everything! She's just trying to sway you from your mission!"
"She's telling the truth," a voice echoed from the distant hallway.
All three heads turned towards the voice. Stumbling through the darkened hallway and into the courtyard was Elliot supported by a very pissed off Trip. They walked towards them while Trip aimed his gun at Garrett, and Elliot straightened himself to stare straight at the trio.
The cat was finally let out of the bag.