MCU :: MARVEL UNIVERSE :: MCU
MCU :: MARVEL UNIVERSE :: MCU
Maria rubbed her eyes tiredly with one hand as she tossed aside her tablet into the co-pilots seat with the other. She's been 'researching' for hours and all she got was one sheet of notes. She's never been more annoyed with Fury before in her life up until this point.
He wanted to keep this all under wraps, that she could understand but she needed more than the internet and her 'female intuition'. The only plus side of things that Maria could think of; was that The Hand leaders came out of the very same substance and they turned out fine. A little psychotic but they had all ten fingers and toes (that she was aware of).
But Cipher...she was different from the rest of them. The Hand leaders were all human without special abilities.
This was the first time in a very long time that Maria didn't have a plan on top of plan for something in her life, personal and career wise. It was unsettling. And Maria Hill did not like being unsettled.
Maria rose from her pilots seat and went to get herself something to eat. As she was opening those dreadful meal ready to eat packages, she stopped and looked at the cargo she was carrying. She set down her food and walked over to it slowly, fingers reaching out to trace over the solid concrete that was more likely decades old.
Maria loosened the yellow straps one by one as they hit the cold metal floor with a loud clang. From what google told her, people who came back from the dead had issues with their memories. There weren't many people who have actually come back from being dead for more than a day, but Maria put two and two together. She had theories based off what she found.
And on the other hand...
The Black Sky was a myth, according to a few websites that weren't click baiting her. S.H.I.E.L.D didn't have anything on their database about it, so it was the best she could do. There was one particular website that held the most merit in terms of information if Maria was willing to ignore the vampire and werewolves tab that glowed in her face.
She knew Fury wanted her to lie to the girl, to sell S.H.I.E.L.D's motto and recruit her like they've recruited everyone else. And Maria had agreed for the sake of getting him out of her hair but now she was absolutely positive that his plan of action might have gotten them all killed. If this...Black Sky truly was a demon, lying to it wasn't going to do them any good.
Maria had seen a lot in her career not to brush this aside, she was taking every precautionary she thought necessary, even if that meant going against Fury's very detailed orders. It was her life on the line, not his. She was here, not him. And quite frankly, Maria figured her way would get better results.
"Your soul had to be stolen from you, so that you could come back as a demon. To be used as a weapon." Maria said to no one in particular, looking down at the concrete cargo she was still touching, "If it makes you feel any better...the woman who did this to you, is dead. Well, one of them is. And, I'm talking to myself. Right."
Maria removed her hand and went back to her food, opting to make some coffee as well. The hum of the engines drowned out the sound of sloshing inside of the sarcophagus.
MCU :: MARVEL UNIVERSE :: MCU
Instead of going back to the cockpit, Maria sat in one of the uncomfortable chairs with her cup of lukewarm coffee (that was the hottest she could get it while traveling 10 thousand miles above the normal altitude to avoid commercial airlines beneath her). She read up that clinically dead people still have brain functions and they could hear sounds.
S.H.I.E.L.D's science division knew this, however, how much these individuals understood was another matter. Maria figured she would apply those theories to her current situation. The girl in the sarcophagus was technically very much dead but she was also in the process of being resurrected. The S.H.I.E.L.D. Deputy Director wasn't sure how any of it would work now, but she was willing to try. To try and form an early bond with the demon less than five feet away.
She stared at the sarcophagus for a few passing minutes, "I guess I should tell you about your new home for a while. It's private, in a valley in Indonesia. No one knows about it, not even Fury." Maria placed her foot on the side of the ancient tomb like device, unaware that the semi-conscious person inside could feel her body heat through it's thick walls, "I'm taking you to my home...never thought I would actually being telling that to a known terrorist but...I guess that part of your life is over with now."
Maria stopped, unsure of what else she could say. She felt ridiculous already.
"You might like it there...not a lot of noise. You might hate it...you're gonna have to hunt for your own food." she shifted her foot slightly, and the hand inside of the sarcophagus followed it—her nails dragging against the wall, and Maria froze. Hearing it this time.
Maria's laugh was quiet, disbelieving and breathless. She can hear me. The question Maria really wanted to know; could she actually understand her? Maria wasn't a doctor and she wished she had one with her right now spilling scientific jargon that she would barely be able to process, but a simple yes or no would suffice.
She slowly moved her foot into a more comfortable position, the scratching sound following her movement. She wasn't exactly sure if it was a good thing or bad thing to be bonding with a supposed demon in the long run. One that no one really knew anything about. Except The Hand, who were either underground in hiding or dead.
Maria opted to believe that she could hear her but not understand her, so she just sat back to finish her coffee, "Well, my favorite color is..."
MCU :: MARVEL UNIVERSE :: MCU
They were still two hours away and that normally would not be an issue if it weren't for the fact that her passenger was beginning to stir. A lot. Maria had been in the middle of a story, a mission gone wrong, when she felt something repeatedly dripping on her boots. She looked up to find fingers sticking out between the lid and the metal tomb. Those nails looked a little too sharp for Maria's liking but she didn't dare move an inch, not wanting to startle whatever was starting to wake up.
She watched silently as another set of fingers came poking out, the same oily substance dripped down onto the floor and honestly—to Maria it looked like a bad mix of syrup and water and she was definitely not cleaning that up.
A full five minutes passed before the lid was pushed off to the other side roughly, and Maria didn't even want to think about the damage that had been done. The Deputy Director slowly began to move away from the wakening being as she slid out of the sarcophagus like a newborn calf, spilling the substance everywhere including the seat that Maria had been previously occupying.
Tense and quiet, Maria watched the young girl who had been reborn against her will struggling to get her bearings, covered in the substance, eyes full of fear, confusion and pain.
Against her better judgment, Maria cautiously approached her but stopped when she cowered against the concrete vessel that she had recently escaped from, the one that brought her back to life. Maria took moved closer, crouching and holding out her hand.
That proved to be her first mistake. She had gotten too close, and didn't heed Bobbi's warning from earlier. The young woman leaped at the bleary creature that had been reaching for her, but Maria's naturally training kicked in. She reversed their positions before her back even hit the floor, catching both of Daisy Johnson's wrists before they could tear her throat out.
Maria pressed her entire weight down onto the girl, with her forearm on her throat as gently as she could. She didn't want to hurt her, but she didn't want to die either, "Hey. Hey, I don't want to hurt you but you're gonna have to calm down, alright? Just calm down."
And calm down she did, recognizing that sound above the others the Quinjet was making, the sounds that were irritating her. She recognized Maria, and she relaxed beneath the woman, except for the trembling (whether it was fear, or she was cold or in pain...Maria didn't know but guessed all three) and she was crying, unable to hold in her sobbing.
"It's okay, it's just me...the one who's been talking to you for eight hours," Maria kept whispering to her as she removed her arm from her throat, but not quite ready to let go of her hands, "My name is Maria Hill, do you remember who you are?" of course she doesn't, she just woke up, Hill reminded herself. "Do you understand anything I'm saying?"
She received an unsteady nod, and Maria heard the gurgle in her stomach before the panic settled in the young woman's eyes. Maria acted fast and sat up on her knees and quickly pushed her onto her side just as she vomited more of the substance out of her system. Maria made a face but she was already covered in the stuff.
"It's safe here, with me...okay? I'm not gonna hurt you. You're safe with me. I'm a safe place. You're safe with me." Maria kept saying as gently as she could, still holding back substance soaked hair. She was shooting for reassuring, feeling as if she were missing her mark, but she had no idea just how hard her words were impacting the person beneath her. Maria didn't know it yet, but she locked in her fate with Daisy S. Johnson.
MCU :: MARVEL UNIVERSE :: MCU
Maria walked into the cockpit with a cup of warm water (apparently her teeth were sensitive and she couldn't handle the cold water) and a package of crackers and a small package of jerky. Daisy (Maria didn't want to keep calling her Cipher or Demon) was sitting in the co-pilots seat with gray standard S.H.I.E.L.D blanket around her shoulders. The Quinjet didn't have any showers, so she was still covered in the elixir.
She still hadn't said a word and she wasn't crying anymore and thankfully, she wasn't trying to kill Maria again. But the Deputy Director wouldn't be sleeping with both of her eyes closed anytime soon regardless. (not that she ever did).
"Here," she said softly, handing over the items carefully. Daisy looked at them curiously for a moment before taking them from Maria's hands, her nails brushing against the Agents skin but it was ticklish, not painful.
Maria settled into the pilots seat and watched as Daisy drained the water and didn't toss the cup like last time. The girl didn't look like a demon, but she had small tales that she had changed. If it weren't for the surveillance photo Maria had, she would've never spotted them.
For instance, her eyes. Daisy's eyes were lighter, still brown but they were a shade or two lighter and god were they sensitive. She nearly had a fit when Maria tried to check them with a flashlight but thankfully she didn't attack her again. Her pupils were the same, a little thinner than normal, but nothing no one would notice unless they got close like Maria.
And Maria had a feeling that no one would ever get that close to Daisy, not even if Maria asked her to. Another thing was her teeth. They were normal, like before, but sharper. Maria didn't confirm it, and she didn't want to, but she had a feeling that a bite from this girl would be fatal.
It was the little things. The little things that made up for something bigger. She had no doubt that The Hand wanted a clueless killing machine, she was pretty sure that was what Fury wanted to in lesser more politically correct words.
Maria frowned. Daisy might've been a pain in the ass in her previous life but Maria didn't want that for the kid in this life. This was her second chance and for some reason Maria was going to make sure that Daisy got the best out of it.
"Are you still in pain?"
Daisy nodded, still eating the crackers, not yet touching the jerky. For the past hour, this is how they've been communicating. Maria only talking or asking questions that required a nod or a head shake, but she did notice that Daisy was a quick learner. Easily adaptable from she's been able to observe so far. It would make training her that much more easier and faster.
Maria sighed, "I think it'll pass in time...your body could possibly still be in shock. Is there anything coming back to you? Like your name?"
Daisy stopped and looked at her, really looked at Maria. It was going to take the Deputy Director a little bit of time to get used to her soul being examined like that, "My...name?" Daisy's voice was rough and scratchy.
Maria nodded, "Yes, your name. Do you remember it?"
Daisy frowned, food forgotten for the time being as she tried to remember her name but there was nothing coming back to her, not her age or her name, or...there was nothing. It was exhausting, and it was frustrating. Maria regretted pushing the issue when the Quinjet started shaking and the alarms started blaring. But she quickly shut them off and fought for control of the Quinjet while trying to stay calm.
"Hey, it's okay, just—Daisy, deep breaths, alright!" Maria nearly did a barrel roll when the controls stopped fighting her as the tremors stopped and she found Daisy staring at her in wonder, and Maria blew a strand of hair out of her face.
"Daisy...? That's my name?"
"Yeah, that's your name. Daisy Skylar Johnson." Maria should've told her sooner, but she didn't know she'd react like that—she just wanted to see how far gone Daisy's memory was.
"Oh..."
"But I can call you anything you like, Daisy or Skylar..Skye for short. I can even call you Johnson."
Daisy was quiet for a little while. Too long really, prompting Maria to check in on her again but she was surprised to find a small, pleased smile on Daisy's face, "I like Daisy."
"Good. Good, so do I."
They fell into silence again, and Daisy went back to eating her food. The noises the Quinjet made still annoyed her endlessly, but she was learning how to tune them out. Daisy noticed that they were below the clouds now, and she spotted something up ahead between the mountains in the valley.
"Your home. Are we here?"
Maria looked a bit startled, "What?"
Daisy looked at Maria, a little confused before pointing out of the Quinjet window, "Your home...I see it. It's yours right?"
Maria blinked, and checked the panel, Interesting... "Daisy you...you can see it? Can you describe it for me?"
"Dark roof...light brown wood. Stone steps, stone barrier...open field around your home. The grass is very healthy," Daisy murmured, almost sounding impressed, "There's a lake behind it...surrounded by stone and orange flowers."
Maria was gobsmacked, her mask cracking slightly, "Daisy. We're still two and a half miles out. How the hell can you see all of that from here? I can't even see that from here."
"Because you're a human, Maria. Your eyes are weak."
Maria chose to ignore that comment, "You know you're not human, Daisy?"
"I can feel it."
"Feel what exactly?"
"I feel different."
Now we're getting somewhere, "How did you feel before?"
"Orange," Daisy smiled at Maria, it was small—nearly non-existent but it was there, "The orange flowers."
"Yes?" Maria was tempted to get them back on the previous topic but she learned her lesson about trying to force Daisy's mind. She was willing to go with the flow while another part of her, the Agent part, was revising her training regiment for Daisy.
"Orange is your favorite color."
"Interesting. You really heard me when I was talking to you?" Maria wondered if Daisy's memories could be triggered by something familiar from her past life. It was another theory for another time. She was still mortified that Daisy actually heard her when she was supposed to be dead in that oily gunk.
"Some of it, not all of it.
Maria nodded, "I'll teach you about keeping secrets later, for now...just eat your food."
Daisy studied Maria from the corner of her quietly, and smiled. Deciding that she liked her. But there was a face that was floating about in her mind, smiling at her smugly—she did not know who the old woman was, but Daisy knew that she was not a friend. Not like Maria. Maria who had been honest with her.
Daisy did not know who the old woman was, but there was dark knot twisting in the pit of her stomach and it felt a lot like revenge. Perhaps not now, but she'd have it.
MCU :: MARVEL UNIVERSE :: MCU
MCU :: MARVEL UNIVERSE :: MCU