A/N: I just want to clarify some things that might be confusing. In this story, Ward and Garrett were never in Shield, but it did fall and it was rebuilt by Coulson. Agent Trip was brought into Shield at the same time as Bobbi and Hunter. Agent Simmons and Bobbi are also undercover at Hydra during this story. And (if you haven't figured it out by now) Daisy was never a part of Shield.
Jemma stepped out onto the roof with Bakshi and the agents trailing right behind her. The first thing she notices is the brisk air from being so high up and suddenly she's very thankful for the jacket Bakshi gave her. Jemma starts walking toward the Hydra Quinjet and notices a girl leaning against it talking to what looks like another Hydra agent. As Jemma got closer to the jet, the girl stopped talking and looked up. The man also turned around, but he glared at Simmons with this evil look in his eyes. Jemma tore her eyes away and looked at the ground to avoid blowing her cover. She was never very good at keeping secrets and didn't want to risk this man finding out.
Daisy looked at Jemma and nodded. "Agent," she said. "I was informed I would be working alone." Daisy then looked at Bakshi. "What changed?" she asked.
"Ms. Simmons knows the subject. We figured she could be of use," Bakshi stated. "I will not have you questioning your orders."
Daisy raised her hands in defense. "Just curious," she mumbled, rolling her eyes. Bakshi started walking onto the jet and Jemma quickly followed, finding a seat.
Meanwhile, outside the jet, Daisy was talking to Ward. He was quick to speak up after Bakshi and Simmons had left.
"I don't want you getting caught up in Hydra's mess with Gill," he explained. "In and out, just like you were trained, ok?"
"Geez Ward, it almost sounded like you cared there for a second," Daisy implied. "I'll be fine."
Ward put a hand on Daisy's shoulder. "I do care," he said. "Besides, as your handler, if something happens to you then my ass is on the line." As soon as he finished speaking an agent walked down the Quinjet's ramp and walked over to Daisy.
"We are ready to head out ma'am," he informed her. Daisy gave him a nod and went to follow him back into the jet. She looked back at Ward and playfully flips him off before turning and looking for a seat. She immediately notices the agent from earlier sitting against the wall with her head in her hands. Daisy walked over and sat in the seat next to the young agent. Jemma was startled and looked up at Daisy before taking a breath and closing her eyes.
"First time?" Daisy asked.
"What?" queried Jemma. She opened her eyes and looked at Daisy, confused.
"On an assignment," continued Daisy. The jet started vibrating as it lifted off the roof. "You don't look like a field agent and you have no weapons on you. My guess is you work in the labs. You'd be more observant as a field agent. I'm Daisy, Daisy Johnson," she said. Daisy held out her hand for Jemma to shake. Hesitantly, Jemma took her hand and shook it.
"Jemma Simmons," she stated. "And yes, this is my first official field assignment with Hydra. I'm a biochemist and like to stick with lab work."
Daisy raised an eyebrow when she recognized the name. "You know Donnie Gill from your days with Shield, don't you?" she asked.
"How? W-what?" Jemma started.
"I read the file," Daisy shrugged. "I didn't think you'd be brought into the operation because of your past, but Bakshi apparently thought different. He probably just wanted to make my job more difficult by involving you because I asked for double. Watching your back adds a bit of a challenge I guess."
"You're not an agent?"
"It's complicated. I have a handler, but I only get called in when my specialized skillset is needed. However, I'll only take the job if the pay's good."
"So you're a mercenary?"
Daisy chuckled, "I'm not a fan of the title, but I guess I kind of am."
Simmons was about to speak up again when Bakshi came up to her and Daisy. "We are landing soon," he explained. "Johnson, you are to take Ms. Simmons with you to confront Mr. Gill. Her familiar face should ease the situation." He held out two small black boxes. Daisy and Jemma each grabbed one and opened it to find an earpiece.
"What if he doesn't respond well?" Jemma asked after putting in her comm. Bakshi smirked and looked at Daisy who spoke up.
"That's what I'm here for," she said. The Quinjet trembled as it landed. Daisy nodded to Bakshi as the cargo hold opened and she stepped off, with Simmons following close behind.
Daisy was walking through the cargo ship with Simmons right next to her. She was also taking note of the frozen bodies that she walked past. Daisy had dealt with many people with powers, but none as unstable as Gill. She walked down a small metal staircase after rounding a corner, then crouched down and put her hands on the floor. She sent out small vibrations with her powers to see where people on the boat were positioned and at the same time, looked for Donnie Gill. Jemma watched as Daisy bent down, but didn't say anything to the agent. However, Jemma was curious as they were supposed to be searching for Donnie. After a couple moments, Daisy stood up and spoke. "I know you're over there Mr. Gill. Come on out and we can have a civil conversation," she said. Donnie stepped out of the corner and looked at Daisy before noticing Jemma.
"Agent Simmons?" he asked. "Who sent you? Shield? Hydra? What side did you end up on?" He was slowly walking toward the two and Daisy put an arm in front of Jemma protectively. Jemma took a step back before addressing Donnie.
"I'd like to think I'm on your side," she said. The next thing Jemma knew, Daisy was pushing her to the ground as a shot rang out and raising her hand up towards the higher level before releasing some sort of pulse. Daisy then pointed her hand at Donnie before releasing the same pulse. She quickly grabbed Jemma's arm and hauled her to her feet before dragging her down a set of hallways as she shouted into her comm.
"We have a third party here!" Daisy snarled while hauling Jemma to safety. She rounded a corner and shoved Jemma into the arms of Bakshi. "Keep her out of my way," she seethed, gaining a nod from him. Daisy then turned around and headed back towards Donnie. When she came up on him, he was running down the hall, but he stopped at the sight of Daisy.
"Take a deep breath," she started. "Calm your mind." Donnie shook his head. "Surrender and you will find meaning."
"No," he huffed.
"Surrender and you will find release. Take a deep breath," continued Daisy.
Donnie put his hands on his head and closed his eyes.
"You know what is best. What is best is you comply. Compliance will be rewarded," she emphasized. "Mr. Gill, are you ready to comply?"
Donnie looked up at Daisy and smirked. "I'm happy to comply," he said.
Daisy nodded and motioned for him to follow her. When they got back to Bakshi, he directed Donnie to seal whoever else was there in the ship before turning and heading back up to the deck with Daisy and Simmons close behind. Donnie froze the door shut before following the others up to the deck. Once there, he went to the edge of the ship and started turning the whole thing to ice. Suddenly, a shot went off and hit Donnie, killing him instantly and knocking him off the edge of the ship. Jemma looked up and noticed Agent Trip. Trip nodded at her before taking aim at Bakshi. Jemma pushed her supervisor out of the way just as the next shot went off. Daisy was quick to raise her hand again and sent a pulse of vibrations at the assailant, causing Trip to drop his gun and fall back.
"Let's go!" Bakshi shouts as he directed Jemma back towards the Quinjet with Daisy following, bringing up the rear.
Back at Hydra HQ...
"What the hell Bakshi?" Daisy shouts. She was in a conference room with Ward and Bakshi getting debriefed. "First you don't inform me that I'll be taking an unarmed, untrained agent with me, then you allow a third party to disrupt my assignment? And where's my pay? I was promised double."
"We are still trying to figure out how Shield knew about Gill," Bakshi retorted. "I've talked with my employer and you will be well compensated for your troubles."
Ward looked at Daisy who was clearly agitated. "You'll need to lay low for a while. We can't have you being on Shield's radar, especially after you used your powers. We'll need you to use this for your next check in." He handed her a burner phone. "Contact us immediately if you get into trouble."
Daisy took the phone reluctantly. "It's your fault they know about me in the first place," she mumbled before walking out the door.
Bakshi addressed Ward once Daisy was out of earshot. "We will need you to bring Ms. Johnson in again soon. Our scientists have almost perfected the latest inhibitor and it is crucial that we install the implant before she becomes self-empowered. I'd hate to have to put her through Faustus to get her to comply."
Ward nods then leaves through the same doors that Daisy exited.
Daisy stormed into her apartment, taking her gun and it's holster off her belt. She set them on the table then tore off her gauntlets and set them down as well. Daisy let out a huff of breath before going into her room and throwing herself on the bed. She rolled over onto her back to face the ceiling as she began to question her employers. Hydra raised her, but they treated her like an object. With the constant monitoring and check-ins, it was safe to say that Daisy felt like a lab rat. She is 26, but she hasn't lived. After Hydra took her from the orphanage 15 years ago, her free will was ripped away. Daisy can't even leave her apartment without the tracker in her neck alerting Hydra. Ward is the only person that seems to care about Daisy, but even he is devoted to the organization.
Daisy sighs as she sits up on her bed. There's no way that Ward would help me escape Hydra so that I can live freely, she thinks. He's too loyal to Agent Garrett and I'd never make it across the street. Daisy stands up, grabs the black backpack that she uses on stakeouts, and starts packing it with non-perishable food from the kitchen. She knows that she's on her own, but realizes that Hydra made one mistake. They stopped restricting her abilities. Nine years ago when Daisy proved her worth on her first mission, Hydra stopped making her wear the gloves that inhibited her powers and implanted the tracker. That's when Daisy got her own place and was told that she had to check in weekly with her handler, Agent Grant Ward. Ever since then, Ward would come to her apartment to debrief her on assignments or take her into HQ for training. Because Daisy just finished a mission, Ward wouldn't be coming back until the next week, unless something came up, which gave her time.
Daisy quickly stuffed some clothes into the bag and went over to her dresser. She pulled it out away from the wall to reveal a hidden safe. Daisy put the small vault in three years ago to hide extra cash in case she ever needed to relocate. She never thought she would be using the money to go on the run from Hydra, but she is grateful that she started the reserve. There wasn't much cash, because Hydra never paid well, but it was enough to get her through a couple months.
Daisy quickly grabbed the wad of money and shoved it into her bag. Standing up, she pushed the dresser back into place, threw the backpack over her shoulder, then headed into the kitchen. Daisy took the burner phone out of her pocket and set it on the table next to her gun. She refused to take the objects on the table with her. Daisy didn't need the burner phone, the weapon wasn't necessary because of her powers, and the gauntlets- as much as she wanted to bring them with- were too noticeable and would only draw attention.
Daisy ran through her plan in her head. She would drive her van to the the middle of the city, walk to the subway station, and take a train to New York. From there she would find a contact who could create her a new identity. It wouldn't be easy living on the run, but she would take it step by step, and at least she'd be free. Daisy was about to walk out the door when she remembered her tracker.
Five years ago, she had left her apartment without authorization from her handler to go to a bar and she only made it made it two blocks before the tracker in her neck delivered a shock that incapacitated her. A group of Hydra agents then picked her up and hauled her to HQ where she was tortured as punishment. She's never tried to leave without it being approved since then. The truth was, Hydra scared her. They were powerful enough to make her disappear for good. Somehow Daisy had managed to stay on their good side for the past few years-avoiding punishment from disobeying- but times were changing, and she was sick of the tight regulations.
Daisy slowly raised her hand and hovered it over the back of her neck where the tracker was located. Her goal was to use her powers and destroy the small device, hopefully without causing herself any harm. She needed to do so before she left her building. However, Hydra would be notified immediately at the signal's disruption. This left her only a few minutes to get to her van and drive as far as she could into the city. The Hydra agents would go to her apartment first before realizing she wasn't there and then they would start tracking down her vehicle. It wasn't much of a plan, but it would have to do.
"Here goes nothing," Daisy says to herself before tapping into the vibration of the tracker and releasing a small tremor. She suffered a slight shock that sent a shiver down her spine, then felt a heated pain that made her feel like the skin on her neck was on fire. Daisy tightened her grip on the strap of the backpack to distract herself from the burning sensation. She had to leave now if she wanted the chance of making it out of the city. Daisy slowly opened the door and stepped into the hall of her apartment building before heading towards the stairs. Once she made it to the street, Daisy picked up the pace. To others she must have looked like she was running late for the bus, but in reality she was on the run from an intimidating world-wide organization.
Daisy rounded the block and ducked into an alley near the apartment building where her van was parked. She jumped into the drivers seat of the rusty blue vehicle and threw her bag in the back. After fumbling with her keys and finally starting the van, Daisy pulled out of the alley just in time to see two black Hydra issued vehicles screech to a stop in front of the worn apartment structure. As she drove down the street and away from her home, Daisy let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, and smiled. She was practically free.
A/N: I would have kept the chapter going to show Jemma's POV, but this seemed like the perfect place to stop. I don't want people thinking I forgot about adding what happened to Jemma after the mission, so I'm just letting everyone know real quick that the next chapter will start with her POV on what took place after the assignment.