Up

“Skye, can you hack into the police system? Get them off our tail.” Grant said, weaving into traffic on the main road. He sighed. “We’re gonna have to dump this car.”

Skye pulled her laptop out from under the seat and opened it hurriedly. “Yeah, I should be able to do that, it’s just easier with prox…” she trailed off as the image on the screen gained the appearance of static. “What the hell?” she muttered.

“What now?” Grant demanded. Not another thing gone wrong!

“There’s some sort of…interference. A scrambler, but I’ve never seen anything like it. It says it’s originating from the car.”

“The owner found us?”

Skye shook her head frantically. “Can’t be. I blocked all chance they had of finding a trail. I triple checked.”

Grant turned onto a road that had a decent straight stretch, and took the opportunity to take a look at the mess on Skye’s laptop. “I know what that is.” At Skye’s shocked gaze, he explained further. “I’ve come across it before. S.H.I.E.L.D. would sometimes help out the police with their cases, and we gave them some tech.” he nodded at the screen. “That’s from a tracker.”

“Coming from the car…” Skye said, catching up. “So we’ve been tagged, and it won’t let us get off the radar?”

“That’d be right.”

“God, it’s an on-the-run hacker’s worst nightmare.”

“I’m gonna stop the car up here, then we’re gonna have to run. There’s a park nearby, we head for that.”

“Got it.” Skye shut the laptop and lid it back under her seat. “Though isn’t that a bit obvious?”

“Yeah, that’s the point. We’re trained agents, but they don’t know that. So we loop around, head back to Gramsy’s to make sure she’s alright, then we GTA again and head further east.”

“Kay.”

Grant pulled over and immediately both he and Skye jumped out, running across the road and up a walkway leading to the small park.

“This place is quite nice.” Skye commented as they emerged from the walkway and into the main park area, decorated with flowerbeds.

“It won’t be when it’s crawling with cops.” Grant muttered under his breath, urging Skye to move faster.

“Thomas, you missed them!” Gramsy said, rather sad that her grandson and his girlfriend had to leave so suddenly. “The cops caught their trail, and they had to go.”

“I’m sure they’ll take care of it quickly, Gramsy.” Thomas soothed. He’d also made contact with S.H.I.E.L.D., and the agent he’d spoken to, Melinda May, was very happy to receive the news.

“Oh, I hope so…” her trail of thought was interrupted by a loud knocking on the door.

“I’ll get it.” Thomas insisted, and jumped up to answer it. Gramsy followed, ambling along in her sadness. “Evening, officers.” He greeted, not at all surprised to see the police at the door.

“Evening. Ma’am.” The cops gave brusque replies, tipping their hats when they noticed Gramsy. “We’re here on urgent business. Who is the owner of this house?”

“I am.” Gramsy put in quickly before Thomas could do much more than open his mouth. “What business?”

“The matter of a car showing up on our radar as tagged, and the same car being registered as stolen in California.” The larger of the two policemen answered.

“Oh. Well, come in then. Would you like some tea or hot chocolate?” she turned around and bustled off towards the kitchen as the cops entered the house and shut the door.

“We don’t need drinks, ma’am. We won’t be staying for long.”

Thomas was feeling very awkward, and had a hunch that these policemen were not entirely who they said they were.

“Grant!” Skye hissed as they ran down yet another side road that her boyfriend insisted was a direct route to Gramsy’s. “Surely running around the neighbourhood like headless chickens is going to get the cops on our tail, again!”

“Like headless chickens?” he whispered back, sounding utterly bemused. “And it’s the middle of the night. Most people should be asleep.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her into another walkway. “Besides, we’re nearly there.”

“Well, it’s highly likely that the police sirens woke them up!” Skye retorted, but stopped her complaints as they emerged onto Gramsy’s street, and saw the cop car parked out front.

“The other cars must be on the Lamborghini’s tracker.” Grant muttered beside her.

“Well, they don’t know it’s us they’re looking for, so we should do a walk by.” Skye thought out loud and started dragging Grant along. He just rolled his eyes, but he agreed so kept his mouth shut.

Skye looped her left arm through Grant’s right one and leaned her head on his shoulder as they strolled towards the house. As they passed the cop car, the police radio could be heard. Grant leaned in through the open window to listen.

“Channel 616, Retrieval Unit 2, come in. Over.”

Grant froze.

“Retrieval Unit 2 coming in. Vehicle is empty. Over.”

“Channel 616. Reading you loud and clear. Retrieval Unit 1, come in. Over.”

“Retrieval Unit 1 coming in. We’re in. Finishing up soon. Over.”

“Channel 616. Good to hear. Clean it up. Over and out.”

“Grant?” Skye was shaking him. “Grant, what’s wrong?”

He looked at her with a horrified realisation. “Channel 616 is a Hydra frequency.”

Skye’s eyes widened and her breathing hitched. “They’re inside.”

“God, no.” Grant bolted for the front door, Skye right behind him. However, just as they reached the middle of the pathway, a gurgled shriek was heard and cut off. Shouting accompanied it, followed by gunshots. “Skye, stay outside!” Grant ordered as he charged into the house.

As much as Skye knew she could help, she remained just outside the door, the gun in her waistline retrieved, cocked and aimed towards the open doorway. Just as well.

More gunshots rang out, more than one sounding like it had hit its mark. Footsteps rushed to the front door, their owner one of the cops. He came to a halt, taking in the sight of a prettily dressed woman holding a gun aimed at him. He laughed. “Honey, both of us know you’re not capable of taking the shot.”

Skye didn’t bother bantering. Gramsy was likely dead, Thomas with her and Grant could possibly be joining them. She shot him directly between the eyes and stepped over his body, her May mask in place.

Low grunts could be heard from the living room, and Skye followed it, rounding the corner into a bloodbath. The movement on the floor distinguished itself as Grant and another cop wrestling over a hand gun. Sparing a glance for the mutilated body of Gramsy (Skye would never be able to get that out of her mind) and Thomas’ gasping form, slumped against the far wall, she took aim at the Hydra agent’s leg and fired. He yelled out in agony and ripped himself out of Grant’s grasp, huddling over his wound.

Grant scrambled for the gun and twisted around to find that Skye had already shot the cop in the head. “We could’ve gotten more information out of him!”

“He would’ve stalled! The other unit’s already found the car, so they’re probably on their way here. Both you and Thomas need the hospital.” Skye countered, flicking the safety back on her gun and stuffing down the back of her pants. “Where were you hit?”

“I’m fine, they just grazed the sides. Tommy’s the one who needs the care.” Grant dismissed his injuries, something had hadn’t yet learned to undo.

Skye nodded. “Well, find something to stop the bleeding, I’ll check on your brother.” She said as she moved to the dying man. However, one look at the bullet holes in his abdomen, and Skye knew he was a goner. She looked into his eyes and saw the understanding there. He knew he was going to die.

“How can you say you love my brother and then act like that?” he rasped, but he could see why Grant was willing to give her another chance.

Skye grimaced. “My S.H.I.E.L.D. training.” She returned in a low voice. “I’ve done worse, believe me.”

“Wow.” He whispered hoarsely, then coughed up blood. “A perfect match.” He made a sickening laugh.

“Careful.” Skye warned.

Thomas Ward just looked at her and breathed his last.

Melinda May landed the jet in the middle of the soccer field and wasted no time in getting to the house of Thomas Ward. She arrived to find it cordoned off and swarming with police.

I’m too late. She thought, despairing. Hardening her expression, she marched right up to the officer in charge and demanded that she be let in. After flashing her S.H.I.E.L.D. badge and giving the officer a glare, she was allowed in without complaint, and she immediately headed for the house.

Finding blood splatters around the doorframe and stretching back into the hallway, May’s upper lip curled in disgust.

“We found one of our guys shot between the eyes.” A policeman said, walking over. “He was facing outwards, and from what forensics thinks, it was almost point blank range.”

Ward did this. May thought confidently as the cop continued.

“So she was standing here,” he moved to take up the position Skye had occupied hours earlier. “And fired upwards.”

“Sorry, ‘she’?” May questioned, wondering if her hearing was going.

“Based on eyewitness reports and the trajectory of the shot, we can almost definitely say the shooter was female. And," he hurried past May. “The footprints left in the blood indicate that she was a size 8.” He looked up to see the woman had gone completely still. “Ma’am?”

May glanced at him, almost too shocked for words. “What was the officer’s name?”

“Officer Mark Jenkins, ma’am.”

“Please stop calling me ‘ma’am’.” May said absently. Surely Skye wouldn’t have done this without good reason. Was he threatening Ward? In any case, May was determined to follow every lead. “Are there any more?”

The policeman grimaced. “Yes. Three bodies in the living room. Two shot, one…mutilated. It’s being taken care of as we speak.”

“I’d like to take a look.”

He nodded sullenly, and led the way down the hall, careful not to step on any blood spots. May sucked in a breath as the crime scene came into view.

The officer wasn’t exaggerating. The old woman, who from Thomas’ report could only be Ward’s grandmother, was covered in blood. Her skin was torn and sliced. The attacker had been ruthless.

“Amelia Dorothy Ward.” The man beside her said, regaining her attention. “She’s the owner of this place. Or was.”

“How exactly did she die?”

“She bled out. We think, and hope, that her death was quick.”

May took this in. Despite her less-than-impressed view of Grant Ward and the deaths of his family, whether or not it was true that he killed them, she doubted that he was the killer of a woman he had affectionately referred to as ‘Gramsy’. “And the others?” she asked, wanting to be done with this.

“Thomas Michael Ward, younger sibling of the late Senator Ward. And Officer Dominic Cole.”

May moved further into the room. “No question as to how they died.”

“It appears though, that Mr Ward died after Officer Cole.” The man informed her. “And I doubt the shooter was working alone. Neighbours reported hearing gunshots from within the house before she entered, and there are signs of a struggle on both the floor and Officer Cole’s attire.”

“Good to know we’re on the same page.” May looked up from the bodies with a tight-lipped smile. “May I know your name?”

“Officer Jose Tavares, ma’am.” The smile dropped and Tavares gulped. “Sorry.”

“Unfortunate we meet under these circumstances, Officer Tavares. I’m Agent Melinda May, with S.H.I.E.L.D.” she reached out for a handshake and was met with a stunned look.

“I’ve heard of you.” He said in awe, finally noticing the hand held out to him and quickly shaking it.

May merely inclined her head before heading back to her jet.

As soon as she was clear of the police cordon, May reached into her pocket and pulled out her SAT phone.

“Phil.” She greeted as soon as he answered.

“Hey, May. How was it?”

“I was too late. Four bodies, two of them cops, but I’m suspicious of their alliances.”

There was silence on the other end for a moment. “Oh, jeez. Who were the others?”

“Ward’s younger brother, and his grandmother.” Her more-than-usual bluntness told Coulson more than he perhaps wanted to hear.

“How bad is it?”

“She was killed quickly, but only because she bled out so easily. Thomas was shot multiple times in the abdomen. There was no chance for him.”

“Do you think it was Ward?”

May glanced around before answering. “No. If only because Skye wouldn’t still be with him if it was.”

“Fair enough. How soon ‘til you land?”

“Four hours tops. And tell FitzSimmons that I want full background checks on Officers Mark Jenkins, Dominic Cole and Jose Tavares by the time I get back.”

“That might be a bit much in only four hours, May. I’ll see you soon.” And with that, he hung up.

Placing the phone back in her pocket, May walked back up the ramp of the quinjet, shooed the children who were playing ‘Spacemen’ out of it, and took off.

Grant didn’t get very far into the shabby motel room before he dropped to his knees, his shoulders shaking with grief. Skye had tears pouring down her cheeks, but knew that she had to be his rock, so she kept the crying to a minimum.

“Grant.” She said softly. “Come on, let’s get you on the bed.” Gently, she eased him to his feet and he staggered to the bed. “Come on, Grant. Easy does it.” It took her several minutes to get him lying down, shoes, jeans and jacket off, and she snuggled into his front as he was laying on his side.

Slowly, Grant reached out his right arm and slid it around Skye’s waist, drawing her closer. “It’s all my fault.” He stuttered out between the sobs. “I drew them there. They were after me, and I led them right to my family.”

“Grant.” Skye said comfortingly. “Look at me.” His saddened gaze met hers, tears filling both pairs of eyes. “Hydra are after us, yes. But the destruction they leave in their wake is not your fault, or my fault, but theirs and theirs alone.” She swept a hand through his hair affectionately. “You did not kill your family. So stop blaming yourself.”

“If I’d never gone with John–”

“You can’t change the past, Grant. What you can do is use it to do better.”

“Do better with what? Turn myself in?”

“Fight back. Hydra is hell bent on finding us because we could potentially be the tipping point of the war.” Grant looked at her, not entirely sure where she was going with this. “So, my beloved Grant Ward,” Skye continued, adding to the ‘beloved’ comment with a quick kiss. “How do you want to use that power?”