AN: Hey guys, sorry for the incredibly delayed post, school started and I have zero time. Really glad everyone seems excited with the last chapter. Let's see what trouble we can get into with Trip back.
Bring the funk people.
WARNING: Long chapter (to make up for inactivity) a lot of ground is covered, hang on folks. Also, any Gonzales bashing is done for comedic relief. Oh, mistakes are my own and may be frequent, I will change anything brought to my attention as always.
A reminder of the M rating on this chapter for language, don't read if you're allergic to swear words, alrighty?
Disclaimer: I own nothing but my student loans -.-
AoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoS
"You-" Skye was desperately trying to get the synapses in her brain to begin firing with any kind of regularity.
"Died?" Trip supplied, his smile turning momentarily grim. "So did you." Eyes flicking to Ward's face above her shoulder. "Hoped your ass had." Looking at Skye once again the humor slowly ebbed in and out of his eyes. "I thought we were both history, more stars for the memorial." He pushed himself to a sitting position with a groan. "Glad we were both wrong."
"Skye, who do we got on that second captive?" Coulson's voice kick-started her neural responses and she swiftly moved forward to help her friend to his feet.
She was trying to formulate an appropriate response to the Director's question, without possibly causing heart failure, when she noticed the staring contest going on between Ward and Trip. Memories of the last time these two had been in any kind of proximity sprang forward. Ward blindly dragging her towards danger and self-discovery, Trip risking his life to keep her from harm. The limb she had wrapped around his leanly muscled torso stiffened, and she quickly ran through how to explain Ward's presence.
"He alright?" Trip asked finally, breaking his gaze from Ward's steady look and turning to Skye for an answer.
"Yeah all of us are alright." Skye answered, looking at Trip then Ward as she did so.
"Hey who says I didn't talk her into going dark side?" Ward argued, obviously attempting to lighten the mood…she hoped.
"Please man, no way your pretty-boy Vader ass talking anyone into anything, especially not my girl here." Trip replied easily, giving Skye's shoulders a squeeze as they took an unsteady step forward.
"You really think I'm pretty?" Ward supplied, ducking under Trip's other arm to help the man regain his balance.
Skye rolled her eyes and smiled slightly at the bantering. It must have been really terrible for Trip here, for him to be almost happy to see Ward of all people. His hold on her shoulder felt a little more gripping than mere balance warranted.
Not that I mind.
For all she knew his hold was in response to her own, more hug than anything, as the three made steady progress to the door. The distance taking twice as long going out as it had coming in, with their now awkward gate.
Trip didn't miss a beat verbally though as they began turning to make it through the doorway.
"I really think you must be for FitzSimmons not to dismantle you on sight."
"He got Fitz a monkey." Skye informed him quickly before Ward had a chance to respond. This information pleased Trip so much he began a laughing cough that nearly doubled him over, and that's how May and a Raina-laden Mack found them.
The two agents came up short in unison when they saw who Skye and Ward supported between them. The cough subsiding, Trip didn't have time to catch his breath before May plowed into him, arms vising in a hug that had the four of them rocking. Her quick attack of overwhelming happiness and celebration lasted for the length of one struggling breath before she quickly released her hold and stepped back.
"Trip man thank God-" Mack began before receiving a curt hand signal from an already composed May.
"Go tell Hunter and Morse." She snapped, the big man looked like he wanted to argue, but deciding against it, rearranged his load and made his way down the hallway. Trip watched him go and, looking back to May, raised a brow in question.
"Later." May replied succinctly.
"Someone tell me if we have an ID on the second captive." Coulson's voice bit into the mics and flooded Skye with a quick and thorough guilt.
"The second captive is-" She started, but Trip released his hold, looking steadily better by degrees, and motioned her into silence.
"Is that Coulson?" He asked quietly, when she nodded he fully supported himself, and reaching over, jerked Ward's mic from its mooring, wiping it off comically on Ward's cloaking material before putting it into his own ear.
"I did not miss you." Skye heard Ward mutter as he dug a knuckle into his aching cartilage.
"You know," Trip began, and the silence that followed was deeper than it had been before, "my Grandma always did tell me to believe in miracles."
AoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoS
Part of Ward wanted to feel a molecule's worth of butt-hurt at the reaction Trip's miraculous return had in comparison to his own. In a self-satisfying show of personal growth he viciously subdued that part, and instead, found a bit of peace in the knowledge that his previous reckless actions hadn't cost the man his life. Plus it was hard to be anything but elated when everyone on his team was a mass of jubilation.
Apparently the director and Trip had bonded in their nerdom and Coulson was anxious to continue their geeking out sessions.
At least that's the information Ward was able to gather from Coulson's reaction. Which had been an overwhelming show of force that involved alternately blowing holes in the base, sending in a support team, and having Skye use her power to disintegrate non-loadbearing walls. Trip had been thrilled with these displays, calling her "babyquakes" which made Ward roll his eyes, but seemed to please Skye. Everyone, besides him and May, appeared altogether almost nauseatingly ecstatic.
Except for Gonzales…who was never happy.
Gonzales had wanted the mission to stay on track, to minimalize their presence until all the acquired beings were brought on board the Bus. He was unanimously opposed, even by the members on his own team. Bobbi and Mack quietly stating their support for Coulson's plan.
No one wanted to risk losing Trip.
They eventually came to the last wall separating them from their backup. The sounds of pursuit had followed them doggedly until now and every once and a while Bobbi and Hunter were forced to halt and fire off a quick barrage of warning fire at those that hunted them.
From what Ward had heard Hunter grumble to Skye when the group had begun their trek, the divorced couple had bickered their way into a heated make-out session that Mack had had the misfortune of walking in on.
While this partially made him want to smack Hunter upside his mission-compromising head, Ward couldn't blame the guy for being hung up on his ex, or for the two of them continuously colliding into one another. Right now looking at Skye's flushed expression he couldn't really begrudge anyone anything.
"I can't drop it." Skye was informing them, shaking her head in irritation. Taking a step back she dropped her inquiring hand and looked along the uneven surface to the ventilation grate near the ceiling.
The section of building they found themselves in was an irregular T shaped hallway. The original perimeter of one of the previous expansions, it served to block them into a great ambush point for the Hydra agents that sidled to the nearest engagement zones. Ward scanned these quickly and often, there had been many blind points throughout this slapdash bunker and the doors leading to each new deathtrap adventure were no different.
Perhaps a bulk sale at a medical supplies auction, they reminded him of the doors that lined hospital hallways. Each with a small reinforced glass window that left a lot of hiding room for any agent worth his or her salt, the team had taken to slamming each one open as they passed through, searching for anyone hoping to lurk up behind them
"Come on Quake." Ward prodded, lightly bumping her with an elbow as he checked the doors at each end of the small hallway again for any threats. "One small chunk of rock and we're clear."
She looked at him with raised brows.
"What?" He said as innocently as he was capable, head on a swivel for the purposes of safety and avoidance. "I'm not allowed to call you baby remember?"
"Is Grant Ward really talking pet names while on a mission?" She asked with a quick flashing smile that made him grip his firearm just a little bit harder, urge to place a quick kiss at the corner of her curling lip almost inexorable. "Is that what's happening right now?"
"Shut it." He half laughed, maybe he was one of the nauseatingly ecstatic after all, checking over his shoulder to one of the sets of doors that made up the top of the T he thought he saw movement. But when he reached the door and looked out no one was in sight down the long narrow corridor on the other side, however, in the many shadowed passageways anyone could be biding their time.
"Did I hear Ward trying to take my line?" Trip asked, good naturedly slinging a non-trembling arm over Skye's shoulders. Ward noticed that the man was looking healthier by the minute, he'd lost that grey pallor, and was no longer requiring aid to walk or stand.
Grant was about to snap back a reply when the air died in his lungs.
A Hydra agent pushed the doors on the far side of the hall open, the rest of the team was in the long body of the T. Skye and Trip lay right in the middle of his possible shot and he felt the door behind him slam into his back and shoulder.
If he'd been standing in front of the door's window no doubt the charging combatant would have simply put one in the back of his head. Lucky as always, Ward's competitive need to talk shit to Trip had positioned him just to the side.
He saw the flash of surprise in their eyes before Skye raised a hand in his direction to nullify the threat. He shouted a warning to Trip, hoping the man would have time to drag them both out of the line of fire. Ward could take the two boot-draggers but not with Skye and Trip in the crossfire.
He didn't know if it happened to everyone, he'd read about it in books, and it was certainly true in his own case, the way things slowed at these moments. Skye's hand was still raised, her eyes set to target, Trip's head was turning back over the arm that was still slung over Skye's shoulders. Without looking Ward placed his pistol against the cheap faux wood door beside him and snapped off several rounds.
The resulting noise was deafening, Skye's power hit at almost the same time, but unlike before she was now a sniper with her abilities, the hurricane force only jostling him. Meanwhile the agent at the far end of the hall had aimed, and after a steadying breath, squeezed off two quick shots right to the back of Skye's head.
Or at least where her head would have been had she still been standing there…or corporeal in any way. The rounds slammed harmlessly into the wall on the other side of the door that was being propped open by Ward's unconscious attacker. There was a cloud of silt like particles and before either of the shocked parties at either short end of the T could react, May half whipped around the corner and put two ICER rounds into the baffled Hydra member.
More shots could be heard from where the rest of the S.H.I.E.L.D. team was located but Ward couldn't take his eyes off the swirling particles in front of him. Fine as ash and the color a hard slate gray it swirled like so much disturbed dust in the ebbing flow of air from the ventilation grate. The rational ruthless part of him was certain this was Trip's ability at work. That the particles were in fact those of the person he loved and the man that had saved her.
The not so rational part was screaming bloody murder and having hysterics.
"Skye!" He barked, taking a step closer, and then a desperation tinged reiteration. "SKYE!"
Suddenly the pieces stopped their idle floating, unnaturally stilling in midair before pulling themselves back into a focused consolidated shape. Skye took one shaking step away from Trip's hold and was immediately scooped into Grant's arms. Her breath wheezed from her lungs as he flexed the only real protection he could offer around her solid form. He buried his face against her neck for a moment, breathing her in to placate his frantic synapses, before pulling back to look at her.
He vaguely felt her fingers fisted in his hair, not minding the clutching pull as he ran his eyes over the features he knew by heart. To his well trained eye she looked fully intact, nothing out of place, she was even no dirtier now than before the particalization had occurred. She let out a shaking laugh, eyes snapping to his mouth in a way that he knew meant she was thinking about kissing him, but their situation was one that didn't allow too much time for such PDA and instead she simply said loud enough for all of them to hear.
"I'm fine. I'm ok." Releasing her tight hold she turned back to Trip, and Ward didn't need to see her face to hear the grin in her voice. "I wanna do it again."
Trip for his own part looked just as shaken as Ward knew he himself must look. No doubt the man hadn't had much practice with his ability, definitely not to the point of dissipating another person with him. If Trip hadn't been able to react as quickly as he had, no doubt things would have gone a much different way. Locking gazes they exchanged a brief nod and Ward had to subdue the urge to hug the guy out of shear gratitude.
"Well." May said, her voice its patented monotone. "I guess I know how we're getting out of here."
Bobbi, Hunter, and Mack still toting Raina, came to stare in terribly concealed awe at Trip who was too busy looking at May in confusion to notice. They all followed her deadpan stare to the ventilation grate and Ward felt his intestines attempt to liquefy.
Fanfuckingtastic
AoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoS
Skye lay on the bed in her bunk, Grant's body pressed along her back, his stubble tickling her neck, his fingertips raising goosebumps down her arms. She was feeling giddily peaceful over her last image of Trip, sitting patiently on the table in the Bus's lab, FitzSimmons fussing over him continuously. Happily watched over by Coulson, who stood nonobtrusive to the side, arms crossed so tight she imaged him hugging an invisible file to himself.
Raina safely locked in the Cage, a close by S.H.I.E.L.D. squad in control of what was left of the base, and Gonzales quietly pleased with the amount of enemy agents captured by means of the nonlethal ICERS, all in all, mission successful. Having Grant to snuggle with after a hard day's work? She sighed happily and settled farther back against him, shivering when his answering sigh whispered over the nape of her neck.
"What do you think is going to happen with Raina?" She asked quietly, feeling some of his muscles twitch spasmodically before he answered.
"I think Coulson will want to find out what happened to her." He answered, hands dropping to her waist, curving around, thumbs dragging arcs of heat through her shirt.
"What do you think happened?"
"I really have no idea Skye." He said quietly, and she began running her own skipping path of fingertips along the back of his hands and wrists. "I'm just going to be happy to get back to base. Whenever Raina gets involved trouble tends to not be far behind."
Skye nodded slightly, there was definitely a feeling of unease that accompanied the happy reunion with Trip. A feeling of waiting for the other shoe to drop, a prickling down the spine, a pressure in the ears that cautioned towards weariness. A creeping voice that said she should have known things weren't going to work out.
With a deep breath she gave her head a brief shake and quickly turned in his arms. He gave her a closed mouth smile and ran distracted fingers through her tangled hair while she rifled absent minded nail tips through the dark growth along his jaw line.
Trip had explained, while being prodded and scanned, that when the event happened he'd broken to pieces inside his cocoon. He'd crumbled to the floor unable to re-solidify himself. To those who had looked down on his death-mask crustacean? He was unaware of leaving it behind. At the time he believed himself to be having an out of body experience, floating with the falling debris from the quake.
"Like some of you know now, you can't really see when you're like that, not like you're used to anyway." He made vague waving motions, careful not to bump Simmons as she listened with her stethoscope. "I was in the air currents, some of me being ground into the earth with the rocks, some of me goin' along the tunnels until I must have reached the surface."
He hadn't known how long he stayed fleshless, he'd slowly come to the realization that he was conscious and not going to see lost relatives in the hereafter. This in turn leading to some serious soul-searching as to what he'd done to be denied Heaven's grace, and just how much trouble he must be in with his Grandma to have done so.
"And then I noticed that my ass was feeling pretty thin, like some butter scraped over toast, and I started concentrating really hard on finding my center, like some May Fu and after a couple minutes, there I am. Top side and breathing."
He said a man named Gordon with no eyes had found him, taken him to some base full of others like them. When Coulson asked how Trip and Raina ended up with Hydra, the general chatting at the news of a powered community died down and Trip's face clouded over in anger. Gordon was allowed to transport people from the compound to investigate powers and limitations or side effects. Though Trip had never been comfortable being in close proximity with Raina after what she'd done, the two rookies were often paired together on such excursions.
"I found out I work better where it's warmer, cold slows me down, makes it so I can't break down. And nobody knew what the hell Raina's power was so they were trying to see if different climates would set it off."
It was on one of these fact finding missions that they found themselves surrounded by Hydra agents. Gordon had escaped but the untested two hadn't been able to get to him before they were mobbed with hostiles. Between Gordon and Trip one of them could have transported Raina to safety but the frozen nightmare they'd been testing in had nullified Trip's power and they'd been taken.
"At first they kept us in a base north of where they caught us." Trip explained, shuddering a little at the memory. "Kept us cold in hopes that'd it pacify us both, that was until Raina ripped a couple of them apart and news came through that some crazy team of individuals were taking out covert bases, that a lot of parties were now looking for us powered, or Inhuman, as Gordon called us."
Information had been leaked of the base's whereabouts to some female entity, which they now knew was Kara, and so the prisoners had been moved multiple times in the hopes of throwing their pursuers off. Trip hadn't been able to speak to Raina and didn't know what her punishment had entailed, what frame of mind she may be in when she awoke.
After all of that, Skye should have been happy with the amount of struggle they'd all gone through in order to reunite, but something still niggled at the back of her head.
"You're doing that loud thinking thing again." Ward muttered against the fingertips that had begun brushing against his lower lip.
"I was just thinking about Trip." She replied, feeling the springy strands of his beard against her knuckles as he twitched his lips up in another smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.
"Well it didn't take you long to start fantasizing about other men while in bed with me." His trailing fingers danced down her spine causing its patented shiver. She moved flush against him, offering better leverage of her back to his dexterous hands, kissing him slowly before whispering against the warmed flesh.
"Well he is a much better dancer than you." Rolling her over with a growl he was in the middle of assaulting the sensitive skin along her throat with his lips and teeth when Coulson slid the bunk door open. Skye was almost hysterical with laughter at the look of revulsion and embarrassment that flashed across the Director's face.
"Knock, must knock." Coulson muttered, looking away and blinking rapidly.
"Problem sir?" Ward asked while not moving from his strategic high ground.
"My eyes, they're burning." Coulson answered, rubbing at the abused orbs frantically.
"I'm sure Simmons can help you with some drops or something." Ward snarked back receiving a smack and a push from Skye to roll him away from her.
"What's up boss?" She asked, perching at the edge of the bed.
"Raina's awake." He answered, quickly solemn, before turning in the direction of the Cage in an obvious unspoken command for them to follow.
"Sir!" Ward called, unmoving as Skye got to her feet. "I think I pulled something on that mission, permission to rest up?" Skye stopped her forward movement, halfway out of the bunk and turned to look at him.
Grant not wanting to be right in the thick of the action, be it either deep cover mission or interrogation, was cause for concern. He wasn't looking back at her, wouldn't meet her eye, appearing to listen for Coulson's response. The Director had stopped moving at the door to the captive's room, the whole team was there including Gonzales and his group. No way were that many people going to fit into the Cage.
"I'm sure Simmons can help you with that, permission denied, move your ass Ward!"
With a grumbling sigh her peculiar acting partner followed her to where the main group was waiting. It was not-so-quickly discussed and agreed upon that Coulson, Skye, Ward, Simmons and Fitz would be the ones to go in. Coulson was an authority figure that Raina was familiar with, Skye and Ward were the containment and handed ICERS, Simmons for medical, and Fitz because he refused to let Simmons go in without him, simply staring at those that tried to impede him until they sighed and gave up.
May had argued the obvious point that she was better choice than Ward if things got bad, but Coulson had vetoed the idea of either her or Trip going in, calling them the second wave in case of emergency. Nobody knew what Raina's powers entailed but she'd dropped many the attacker with physical prowess alone, and being in close quarters with someone covered in thorns made the Director nervous.
Cameras had been set up and were being monitored from right outside the room, nervous energy crackled like electricity through the five as they walked into the cell. They found the possible threat huddled on top of the bed, but upon seeing them she seemed to relax and take up a more natural pose. She even smiled as the door shut behind them, causing her prickled face to appear even more bristled.
"Well, and wasn't I just thinking the other day how much I missed you all." Her voice sounded a little more raw than what Skye remembered, less honeyed, and those big doe eyes of hers were infringed on by the presence of all those thistles. Raina's gaze roamed over each of them hungrily, no doubt picking apart the weaknesses she knew each of them to have.
When that ravaging look lighted finally onto Ward, Skye could almost feel the tightening of his body through the discordance that marred his usual frequency. Raina's catlike smile did nothing to relieve Skye's concern as the two stared at one another for an uncomfortably long time. It took Coulson's clearing throat to break the tension.
"Are we going to have a problem Raina?" He asked, arms tightly crossed, brows neatly furrowed in disapproval.
"No Phil, of course not." She answered, sugar sweet. "After all, I'm sure you all won't begrudge me the use of your plane." At the confused silence she stood fluidly, Skye and Ward drew their firearms and waited but she made no further move, canary eating smile still fully in place.
"And why would we be so generous?" Coulson asked, arms uncrossing to allow him better range of movement. He was closest to the threat and Skye had to swallow her command for him to move back.
"Well, I'd hate to make Ward here, kill all of you."
AoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoS
Ward really wished Coulson had let him stay cozied up in Skye's bed, preferably with Skye, at the moment he figured Coulson was thinking the same thing. While Grant wished he could easily scoff as he once had about anyone making him do anything he didn't want to, they all knew this was no longer the case. He got some solace from knowing there was a group of agents on the other side of that door, at least one of which, that could seriously take him out. At the moment he was running through possible outcomes, the leading focus of which was ways of putting himself down.
He would not be the one to damage this team. To hurt Skye or anyone else in their family.
"While I am without wood on which to knock," Coulson began, "I'd hazard the claim that Grant Ward has finally picked a side and is set on sticking with it." After a moments silence pause the Director turned to glance in Ward's direction. "Right? I am right, right?"
It was like watching Trip dissipate, one moment Raina was there, the next moment she was flashing towards Coulson. She spun him quicker than Ward could risk a shot, and was used as an effective human shield, which was in no way ironic. Even if Skye or Ward ICED Coulson to make him drop out of the way, those thorn covered hands of hers were now grasping ever so lightly onto their leader's throat. From the anger and discomfort on Coulson's face Ward was sure she'd broken the skin just a little with that claw-like appendage, and that it wouldn't take much for her to rip his throat out.
No doubt May and Gonzales realized this as well which is why no one was bursting through the Cage's door right now. Ward's eyes stayed trained on Raina but saw her glance at Skye and then up at one of the cameras and make a kissing action towards the expressionless lenses.
"May's got to be just seething right now." She nearly laughed, and Ward started questioning her sanity.
"You wouldn't be so happy about that if you'd ever been on the receiving end of one of her attitude adjustment lessons." He said carefully, trying to calculate his ability to hit her exposed hand without risking her taking out any of the arteries in Coulson's neck.
"I'm sure you're right, that'd be terrible, no need for things to get ugly." Raina answered, placing her other flexed hand over Coulson's stomach.
"Little late for that dontcha think?" Skye snapped, drawing Raina's gaze.
"Skye perhaps you should wait to insult her until after we get Coulson's throat away from her ehrm-" Simmons gestured spastically from behind Fitz. "Just away."
"Right." Fitz nodded, eyes fixed on the slow trickle of blood on Coulson's neck.
"Ward, be a dear," Raina began, small twisting smile back in place, "And shoot anyone that comes through that door."
"I'm not great at following orders anymore." He said, internally running a systems check, that detached analytical part of him was there but he felt solidly present. No clicks or whirs, he was flesh and bone, in control of his mind and body.
"Anymore." Coulson scoffed carefully.
"There's no way you're going to get through all of us in here and out there." Skye said quickly, aim steadily fixed on what she could see of Raina's face. Ward watched as Raina considered this and appeared to come to a difficult decision.
"You're right. How unfortunate. Ward, kill them." He ignored the way FitzSimmons glanced at him peripherally. "Start with Fitz, we'll save Skye for last." Just as he was about to snap out an insult of his own, she spoke again, reflective gaze holding his own. "That's not a weakness is it?"
That's not a weakness is it?
That's not a weakness is it?
That's not a weakness is it?
Weakness is it?
Not a weakness
Is it?
Weakness
No
Tumblers in a lock, reboot of a machine, whirring, clicking…clarity.
He'd been given a mission. Mission parameters were clear. These targets were to be crossed out in order. He'd have to do it with his hands: this ICER was only good for incapacitation. Unknown variables lay on the other side of the door that could create complications. Removing surveillance would only increase the chances of the largest threat See May from becoming part of the equation. No way to block entrance. He'd simply have to work quickly. Position was optimum: besides unblocked entry point at his back. He was the end of the chain for his targets and could incapacitate quickly. ICER rounds should keep them down long enough to deal with any bogies.
These calculations took less than a handful of seconds and he was swinging his firearm towards the first target. A weapon was trained on him and he disarmed the carrier, now armed with two pistols he tried to turn his attention back to task but came up short with the face that was yelling at him.
Skye
Designation unimportant, remove obstacle, continue on mission.
He could ICE her but her Inhuman anatomy might shake off the effects
I will not shoot Skye.
She was backing up slowly towards the other targets-
Fitz and Simmons are not targets.
Fitz was looking at him steadily, eyes over bright, how familiar this scene was. Simmons was glaring at him while Skye was talking, her words leaking in and out of him like a sieve. A quick movement that drew his attention and Simmons was leveling a gun at his chest.
"It's not an ICER!" She informed him sternly. "Stop!"
"Oh my how interesting." Raina's voice filtered in.
They were beginning to damage his focus.
"Simmons." Skye said quietly, but the other woman just shook her head slightly.
"Did you know?" Raina spoke up and she was apparently directing her question to Fitz who shook his head before looking back at Ward. "He said no. When Garrett first told him to 'cross off' you and Simmons?" Ward noted the way his first tar-Fitz swallowed. "That's right. The look on his face." She made a low whistling sound.
"Ward." Fitz said quietly, Ward was having issues with moving, everything in him was attempting to finish the mission but he was locked up, the neural hijacking was no longer complete.
"Total revulsion." Raina continued airily as though they were discussing menu options. "It took Garrett saying the trigger phrase. After that, well, he was a good little soldier again. Weren't you Ward?"
Good Little Soldier was by the second trying to regain control, but kept hitting a brick wall when it came to defecting from his mission. Maybe the team was picking up on this, maybe Coulson just reacted poorly to being used as leverage.
"Get pruned you cactus cosplaying nightmare."
"Now now director that was rude." Raina snapped back, he'd obviously struck a nerve. "You know what they say about misery-"
"It's a really underrated flick?" Coulson interrupted. "Am I right? Kathy Bates? Whew terrifying. Took fan girling to a whole new level."
"Coulson!" Skye hissed, and the barely controlled panic in her voice drew Ward's eye. She was no longer looking at him but over to the side and he found himself able to turn his head away and follow her line of sight. Coulson was looking at him, not at Skye as she continued. "You realize you're about to literally sass yourself to death right now?"
His team never could remain totally focused, or resist a good bantering.
"I sass when I'm on edge ok?!" The Director hollered, eyes never leaving Ward's.
Turning, Ward was once again confronted by the firearm aiming at his chest, he could almost hear a ticking sound in his head as he fought against the impulse to shoot. The tendons creaking in his hands. He wasn't going to last much longer.
"Come on Simmons." His voice sounded like oil and the slimy shit that trailed behind slugs to his ears, and he saw the way the three of them bristled at the sound of it. "You always knew what needed to be done with me."
He took a step forward and she cocked the gun in answer. He smiled, someone was going to need to take him out, flicking his eyes at Skye he knew she was able. But would the metal in the room absorb the power? Or would it send them speeding towards the ground, or perhaps it was ocean below them, and could she really risk putting FitzSimmons through that again?
She was looking at him for some spark that he was acting, that he was actually in control and just playing Raina. He smirked at her, saw the air still in her lungs.
Come on Simmons
"Jemma." Fitz muttered, but Ward wasn't sure which way the Scotsman was cautioning her.
Ward pushed the ICERs into his belt in a fluid movement and still she didn't fire, took a step forward and she didn't, sent Skye rolling across the floor from a series of quick dodges and a throw, all the while expecting the sound of a shot that never came. He gave Fitz a quick shoving, pulling the jab at the last moment so the other man could avoid the blow. And just as quickly he disarmed Simmons, checking the chamber to confirm the fact that live rounds were in the clip.
"Damn it." He muttered, his body was on auto pilot again, his hands moving mechanically. The three of them had regrouped and were looking at him defiantly, Skye clearly readying herself to blast him.
Do it.
But she seemed to be waiting. There was a small noise and stepping back out of range of the three he swung around, May stood in the doorway, Trip barely visible to him at the side. They wouldn't need long, he was an obstacle, he saw their plan clearly and knew from the look on May's face that she wasn't going to risk Coulson over Ward being difficult.
He just needed to give May some time…
His gaze jumped to Skye and he saw fear fight for control in her eyes before he locked sights again with May.
"You have five minutes."
And pressing the barrel of the gun to his chest, fired.
AoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoSAoS
Yikes bit of a jerk move with the cliffhanger. Sorry for Raina fans, I was just trying to think of someone that might be clever enough to both pose a serious threat to the team and that had the knowledge of Hydra techniques and Ward's past. Also I started this fic way before it turned out that Raina ended up not being as bad as I previously thought.
Anyway, thoughts, concerns? Review let me know. Big thanks for sticking with it guys, I really appreciate it and saw all the reviews from those who were concerned I'd quit the story. I hope I can get the final chapter up by the end of November.
Thanks again, can't wait to hear your verdicts no matter what ;)