Agents of SHIELD

The night sky stretched endlessly above, a deep, inky black scattered with stars. Daisy sat in the driver’s seat of her van, leaning back, her gaze fixed upward. The hum of the city at night barely reached her ears. Out here, parked on the outskirts of town, it was quiet—too quiet.

Her fingers tightened around the chain hanging from her neck. Lincoln’s chain. She closed her eyes for a moment, his face flashing in her mind. His laugh, his touch, the way he’d looked at her right before—before he was gone. A dull ache settled in her chest, familiar yet never any easier to bear.

She took a slow breath, shaking her head as if she could force the memories away. They never really left.

Then—a sudden crack of gunfire split the silence. Daisy’s head snapped toward the sound. It wasn’t far.

Her instincts took over. She shoved open the van door and slipped into the shadows, moving fast and low across the street. The echo of more shots followed, sharp and urgent, leading her toward an old, crumbling subway entrance half-buried in the dark.

She didn’t hesitate.

Daisy pulled up her hood, her pulse steady despite the tension creeping into her limbs. The air smelled of damp concrete and rust as she descended the stairs, the flickering emergency lights barely casting enough glow to see.

Another gunshot. Voices—angry, shouting.

Then she saw them.

Down on the station platform, a group of armed men in tactical gear had someone cornered. Watchdogs.

And in the middle of them, against the grimy tiled wall, stood a lone figure—a young man, tense and terrified, his hands clenched at his sides.

Daisy’s breath caught as she noticed the faint, unnatural ripple in the air around him, the way the dust and debris on the floor trembled.

Inhuman.

She moved.

The boy’s voice trembled as he took an unsteady step back, his eyes darting between the Watchdogs surrounding him.

“Stay back,” he warned, his tone pleading more than threatening. “Please—you don’t understand. It’s not safe.”

The Watchdogs didn’t care.

One of them, a burly man with a skull-patterned mask, raised his rifle. “We understand just fine,” he sneered. “You’re an Inhuman freak, and we’re here to put you down.”

The boy flinched, pressing himself against the grimy tiled wall. His breathing was shallow, uneven. Daisy could see the panic in his posture, the way his hands trembled—not just with fear, but with something else.

The dust on the platform shifted. The air around him seemed… off, warping ever so slightly, like the space itself was straining.

Daisy knew that feeling. A power on the verge of spiraling out of control.

Another Watchdog took a step forward. “Don’t make this harder than it needs to be,” he growled, gripping his weapon tighter.

The boy shook his head desperately. “No—please. I don’t wanna hurt you. Just leave me alone.”

They weren’t listening.

Daisy clenched her fists, feeling the familiar vibration build beneath her skin. That was all she needed to hear.

Time to step in.

Daisy didn’t wait. The moment she saw the Watchdogs raise their weapons, she moved.

She dropped down from the staircase above, landing hard on the platform. With a sharp flick of her wrist, a shockwave of energy blasted outward. The concussive force knocked two of the Watchdogs off their feet, sending them crashing into the old subway benches.

“Hey,” she called, straightening. “I thought we had a rule about picking on people smaller than you.”

The remaining Watchdogs spun toward her, their surprise lasting only a second before they raised their rifles. Daisy was faster.

She sent another quake through the floor, the vibration rippling toward them in a controlled burst. The ground buckled, and the Watchdogs staggered as they lost their footing.

The leader, the one with the skull-patterned mask, gritted his teeth and steadied himself. “Quake,” he spat, lifting his gun. “Should’ve known you’d show up.”

Daisy smirked. “Yeah, I get that a lot.”

He fired. She dodged, diving behind a rusted turnstile as bullets ricocheted off the tiled walls. The boy was still frozen in place, wide-eyed, his hands clenching and unclenching as the air warped slightly around him.

She didn’t have time to calm him down now. First, she had to deal with the Watchdogs.

She rolled out from behind cover, slamming her palm against the ground. A precise shockwave rattled through the station, sending another Watchdog flying into a pillar. He crumpled to the ground, groaning.

The leader cursed and pulled a baton from his belt, charging straight at her. Daisy caught his swing midair, blocking it with her forearm. Pain jolted through her, but she ignored it, twisting his arm and slamming her knee into his stomach. He gasped, doubling over.

“That all you got?” she taunted.

With one final burst of energy, she sent him flying backward. He hit the floor hard and didn’t get up.

The station fell into silence.

Daisy exhaled, rolling her shoulders before turning to the boy. He was still pressed against the wall, staring at her like she was another threat.

“Hey,” she said, softer this time. “It’s okay. I’m not here to hurt you.”

The air around him was still trembling. His panic wasn’t gone yet.

His breathing was ragged, his chest rising and falling too fast. The air around him wavered, dust swirling as if caught in an unseen current.

Daisy took a cautious step forward, hands raised in a gesture of peace. “Hey, it’s okay,” she said, her voice steady but gentle. “You’re safe now.”

His eyes darted from her to the unconscious Watchdogs, then back again. His hands were still clenched, knuckles white.

“You don’t understand,” he muttered. “I can’t—” His voice caught, and the floor beneath him gave the faintest tremor. A few pebbles near his feet lifted an inch off the ground before dropping back down.

Daisy knew that kind of fear. The kind that came when you realized your own body had become something unpredictable, something dangerous.

She kept her distance but lowered her voice. “I do understand,” she told him. “More than you think.”

He hesitated, studying her. The tension in his shoulders remained, but something in his expression shifted—less panic, more exhaustion.

She took another step, slow and careful. “What’s your name?”

For a moment, he didn’t answer. Then, after another shaky breath, he said, “Arjun.”

Daisy nodded. “Okay, Arjun. Just breathe with me, alright? It's gonna be okay.”

She inhaled deeply, exhaling slow and steady. He didn’t follow at first, his breaths still shallow and uneven.

“Thats good ,” she encouraged, keeping her tone calm. “In through your nose. Hold it.” She demonstrated, giving him time to mimic her. “And out.”

Arjun hesitated, then tried to match her pace. His breathing steadied, just a little. The air around him stilled. The floating pebbles settled.

“See?” Daisy offered a small, reassuring smile. “No one’s getting hurt. You’re in control.”

Arjun swallowed hard, his hands finally unclenching. “For now.”

Daisy let out a quiet breath. It was a start.

Arjun leaned back against the grimy subway wall, his breathing still uneven but no longer frantic. He glanced at his hands, flexing his fingers as if afraid of what they might do.

Daisy crouched a few feet away, giving him space. “So… gravity?” she asked, nodding toward the faintly disturbed air around him.

Arjun swallowed, hesitating before answering. “Yeah,” he admitted. “I don’t know how, but it—it just happened one day. I woke up, and things weren’t… normal anymore.” He exhaled, rubbing his temples. “I couldn’t walk straight. Stuff kept shifting around me, like the world was tilting even when it wasn’t.”

Daisy listened, nodding in understanding. “When did you go through terrigenesis?”

Arjun frowned. “Is that what it’s called? The mist? It was months ago. I—I didn’t even realize what was happening at first.” His voice dropped. “I thought I was losing my mind.”

Daisy knew the feeling. The confusion, the fear. Waking up in a body that suddenly didn’t feel like your own.

She leaned back against a pillar, crossing her arms. “Sounds like your power messes with gravity fields.”

Arjun let out a hollow laugh. “You say that like it’s a cool party trick.” His expression darkened. “It’s not. I can’t control it. Sometimes things just… move. Or float. Or—” He shut his eyes for a second, his hands clenching again. “Sometimes the ground shifts under me, like I’m pulling it the wrong way. I can’t stop it when it starts.”

Daisy studied him. The way he held himself, the way he seemed afraid of even breathing too hard. He wasn’t just worried about losing control—he was terrified of hurting someone.

“Is that why you’re hiding?” she asked.

Arjun didn’t answer right away. Instead, he let out a quiet, tired sigh. “It’s safer this way.”

Daisy frowned. “For who?”

His jaw tightened, but he didn’t reply. He didn’t have to. She already knew the answer.

Daisy studied him in the dim, flickering subway light. His shoulders were slumped, his clothes wrinkled and dust-streaked. Dark circles sat under his eyes, like sleep had been a luxury he couldn’t afford. He looked like a man worn thin by fear, by the weight of a power he couldn’t control.

With a quiet sigh, she ran a hand through her hair. “Look,” she said, shifting her weight. “I know you don’t trust me yet. I get it. But you can’t stay down here.” She glanced around the abandoned station—crumbling tiles, rusted tracks, the stale scent of damp concrete. “This place isn’t exactly home.”

Arjun gave a short, dry laugh. “Better than hurting people.”

Daisy exhaled. “You won’t. Not if you have someone to help you.” She hesitated, then said, “Come with me.”

Arjun’s head snapped up. “What?”

“I’m not saying I have a mansion and a warm bed waiting for you,” she said, offering a small, wry smile. “I live in a van. Not exactly five stars. And I’m… kinda on the run from S.H.I.E.L.D., so things won’t be easy.”

Arjun looked away, shaking his head. “That’s not the problem.”

“Then what is?”

His hands curled into fists at his sides. “I could lose control. I could hurt you.” His voice was quiet, but there was raw fear behind it. “What if I make something collapse? What if I—” He stopped himself, jaw tight. “You don’t understand.”

Daisy let out a small, humorless chuckle. “Trust me, I do.”

Arjun glanced at her, uncertain.

She leaned forward, resting her arms on her knees. “When I got my powers, I had no control, and the first time……the lights were flickering, the glass broke and everything was shaking wildly.”

She smirked slightly. “Yeah. Turns out making earthquakes isn’t exactly subtle.” The smirk faded as she continued. “At first, it was all just noise. My body was breaking itself apart every time I used my powers. I thought I was a danger to everyone around me. That maybe I should just disappear.” She tilted her head. “Sound familiar?”

Arjun didn’t answer, but he didn’t look away this time.

Daisy softened her voice. “I had people who helped me. People who didn’t give up on me, even when I wanted to give up on myself.” She gestured toward him. “You don’t have to do this alone, Arjun. You don’t have to be afraid all the time.”

He let out a slow breath, looking down at his hands. The subway was silent for a long moment. Then, finally, he nodded. “Okay,” he murmured. “I’ll come with you.”

Daisy gave him a reassuring nod and stood, offering a hand. After a moment’s hesitation, he took it.

Daisy led Arjun through the quiet, empty streets, keeping to the shadows. The city never truly slept, but at this hour, it was easier to move unnoticed. Arjun stayed close behind her, silent, still looking uneasy.

When they reached her van, she pulled open the door and climbed in, motioning for him to follow. Arjun hesitated for just a second before stepping inside.

The moment he did, his eyes swept over the cramped, cluttered space. Papers were scattered across every available surface—maps, notes, surveillance photos pinned to a corkboard screwed into the side of the van. Strings connected certain locations, handwritten notes filling the margins of documents. It was organized chaos, but chaos nonetheless.

He ran a hand through his messy hair. “You weren’t kidding,” he muttered. “You really do live in a van.”

Daisy smirked, kicking aside an empty protein bar wrapper as she moved to sit on the built-in cot. “Told you. No luxury accommodations here.”

Arjun took a tentative step further inside, his gaze lingering on the mess. His eyes landed on a worn photograph sitting atop a pile of papers. It was a man—young, blond, smiling slightly. Before he could get a better look, Daisy swiftly grabbed it, tucking it away in the small compartment under her bed.

Arjun didn’t miss the way her posture shifted, the way her expression closed off for just a moment before she masked it with a casual shrug.

“Get comfortable,” she said, changing the subject. “Or, as comfortable as you can in a tin can on wheels.”

With a quiet nod, he sat down on the floor, leaning against the van’s wall. “So… what now?”

Daisy sighed, glancing at the papers around her before meeting his gaze. “Now? We figure out what to do next.”