So, I only have a small chapter for you today. Please enjoy!
Ward POV
"So what do you think?" I ask Skye as we leave the last of our scheduled stops behind.
"I think we have a lot of possibilities. Some of the larger towns seem more promising. Gloucester, Cheltenham, Bath, Cirencester. We should put those at the top of the list."
"I'm not sure I agree, I feel that we'll have better luck with the smaller ones." I feel confident that Hydra members would prefer to choose a smaller venue. Easier to protect and defend should anything happen, than a larger one would be."
She nods, seemingly unconvinced. "You'd have a better idea about it than me. What would you do?"
"Personally I would choose a very small venue, something with only one or two exits, where I could station guards to prevent any unwanted guests or nosy neighbours from listening in. I'd tell only a select few, whom I trust implicitly, where it will be, getting them to bring others along, to cut down the risk of an enemy team overhearing and infiltrating the meeting by lying in wait to ambush us." I look over to see she's slightly shocked at my idea. "But I don't know what these guys are going to do. We'll have to listen and learn all we can about them on Friday, see if we can deduce what they might do."
"Wow," She finally says. "Sounds like you've thought a lot about this."
I snort. "For the last five months, I've had nothing to do but think, mainly about Hydra's inner workings. That's all anyone ever wanted to talk about." I add the last part quietly, almost to myself.
"Sorry." She apologises, shocking both of us, if the look on her face is any indication.
"It's ok, I deserved it." I reply, in an attempt to explain it away.
"No, it isn't," She says, with more conviction. "You should have had the chance to talk about other things. But if you truly want to make amends and change the way we treat you, prove it. The phrase 'Actions speak louder than words' is pretty apt for this situation, so help us put these guys away and it'll, at the very least, be a step in the right direction."
"I have every intention of seeing this through, Skye. There is no other option for me. I want a chance to prove that I've changed, that I want to help rebuild everything I destroyed, to be a part of Shield again." Now that I've said it out loud again, I know it's true, and it's the final piece of the puzzle I needed to see the truth of my actions. It's almost a revelation, or an epiphany, and I have to pull over.
"What is it?" Skye asks as we pull into a lay-by and park.
"I finally see the truth." I breathe, turning to her with a look of awe on my face. "Garrett, hydra, Shield, my father, my brother and me."
"What do you see?" She replies, equally quiet.
"That Garrett essentially brainwashed me. He only told me what I needed to know and trained me so well that I never questioned it. Me made it so I relied on him and trusted that he knew best."
"So you followed orders? Like a good little soldier?" She sounded snarky, but I could hear the curiosity underneath it.
"Yes, I did." I tell her succinctly.
"What about now though? You're still following orders."
"To a point yes." I nod in acquiescence. "This is a mission, given to us by former Director Fury, but we've been given the chance to do it out own way. We get to choose how we proceed, how to pursue leads, where to go. It's both exciting and terrifying at the same time." She looks a little confused, so I explain further. "To not have a plan to follow is foreign to me. Every move of my life for the last 15 years has been carefully planned out and followed to the letter. Having the freedom to choose is disconcerting and I find myself looking for someone, anyone, for an order. Basically I have to retrain myself to be human, and to make my own decisions, and that is something I've never done, until now."
"Ok, so, what's our next move?" She asks, clearly leaving it up to me.
"Well, we need to get this data uploaded to the Bus, get them checking into local halls, public houses, and the like, see if there's any chatter about them. In the meantime, you should call Clare and confirm our invite for Friday, find out what the dress code is, then tomorrow, we can go shopping for clothes if necessary."
"Sounds like a plan." She turns back to the road as I pull out into the sparse traffic heading back to our home base. "I'll get the photos and list uploaded as soon as we get back, then I'm taking a relaxing bath, reading a good book and going to bed."
"Sounds like a plan." I echo her earlier sentiment. She just rolls her eyes at me and takes out her phone.
"Hi Clare, it's Jennifer Clark." A pause and a smile. "Yes, I was actually just calling to say we'll be there on Friday." A pause. "Nope, that's not a problem." She looks at me, pulls out a pen and pad. "Ok, go ahead." She writes down what looks like an address. "Sure, we'll be there. Bye." She puts her phone away and turns back to me. "She asked us to bring a bottle of wine with us. Also the dress code is 'whatever you want'."
"Is that their address?" I nod towards the pad in her hand.
"Yep. When we get back I'll google it, see where it is in relation to us."
"Ok." I quickly read the address and memorise it before concentrating on navigating the small, winding roads that connect the towns and villages to each other.