Self Control
“What do you mean they’ve been replaced by LMDs?!” Daisy demanded as Donnie, Fitz, and Simmons briefed her on what was going on.
“On the mission we were all separated and there was time where nobody was in contact.” Donnie explained. “We think Coulson, Lincoln, Ward, and Kara were replaced by LMDs during that time.”
“I swear to God I am going to kill Lucy and Radcliffe.” Daisy snarled.
“Bad time for us to lose Director Mace.” Fitz sighed.
“How’re you holding up by the way?” Simmons asked.
“I’m alright.” Daisy sighed. “He went out the way he wanted. He got to be a hero.”
“We need to find the LMDs now.” Donnie stated. “They’re probably tearing this place apart looking for it.”
“Luckily I know where it is.” Daisy said. “Mace told me before he died.”
“If they find out they’ll come after you.” Donnie said.
“I’ll be fine.” Daisy assured.
---
“Director Mace is dead.” LMD-Lincoln said to LMD-Coulson. “Makes finding the Darkhold a lot more difficult.”
“I’m gonna head up to his office and see if I can find where he stashed it.” LMD-Coulson stated. “With any luck we’ll be able to retrieve it and bring it to Doctor Bauer. They rounded the corner and were suddenly met by Fitz.
“We’ve got a problem.” Fitz stated. “They’re onto us.”
“Well that complicates things even more.” LMD-Coulson said.
“But there is good news.” LMD-Fitz added. “Before Mace died he told Daisy where the book is. We follow her, she’ll lead us to the book.”
“I’m on it.” LMD-Lincoln nodded.
---
LMD-Ward opened his eyes and sat up. He got up from his bed and made his way to the armory where he grabbed Mack’s shotgun axe. He went to Ward’s room and grabbed a black leather jacket and a pair of black sunglasses.
---
Daisy noticed LMD-Lincoln following her. Realizing it was onto her, she decided to lead it away from where Mace had the book stashed. She walked down the hallway and saw LMD-Ward coming around the corner from the other side. They had her cornered.
“Get down.” LMD-Ward ordered. Without thinking Daisy dropped to the floor and LMD-Ward fired at LMD-Lincoln. It stalked forward, reloading and firing multiple shells into LMD-Lincoln. It then flipped the switch for the axe to come out and swung it at LMD-Lincoln’s head, lopping clean off before crushing it. It turned around to see Daisy with her hand raised.
“Alright T-1000 start talking.” Daisy snarled. “What the hell is going on?!”
“Doctor Radcliffe secretly reprogrammed me behind Aida and Lucy’s backs to prevent them from getting ahold of the Darkhold and to protect you.” LMD-Ward stated.
“Okay so you’re more like the T-800.” Daisy murmured. “Why is Radcliffe helping us?”
“He was taken and switched out several weeks ago by Aida and Lucy.” LMD-Ward stated. The LMD of Radcliffe that replaced him was programmed to put suspicion onto Doctor Radcliffe should it be uncovered. He’s been a prisoner forced to help Aida and Lucy but he reprogrammed me to assist you.”
“Alright so the other LMDs are Coulson and Kara right?” Daisy asked.
“No.” LMD-Ward replied. “Coulson and Fitz.”
“Goddamnit.” Daisy groaned. “Alright Terminator Ward. Let’s go deal with the other LMDs and then we’ll figure out our next move.
---
Kara poured herself a glass of water as Simmons and Donnie came in. Donnie charged up his ice powers and launched an icicle at Kara.
“What the fuck?!” Kara exclaimed as she dodged out of the way.
“Simmons Donnie wait!” Daisy shouted as she and LMD-Ward rushed in. “Kara’s not an LMD. Fitz is.”
“What?” Simmons frowned. “Why are you with an LMD right now?”
“I’ll explain later but trust me he’s with us.” Daisy assured, revealing LMD-Lincoln’s crushed head as proof. “He’s like the Terminator in T2.”
“Oh cool.” Donnie grinned. “We should call him T-800.”
“The point is we know who the LMDs are.” Daisy stated. “Let’s go break them.”
---
“Where’s Lincoln?” LMD-Coulson asked LMD-Fitz.
“I don’t know.” LMD-Fitz answered. “He said he was gonna follow Daisy to the Darkhold.”
“There’s been a change of plans.” they turned around to see T-800 standing in the doorway with Kara, Daisy, and Donnie with them. Before LMD-Coulson or LMD-Fitz could react, they opened fire, turning both into scrap metal.
---
“So now what?” Simmons asked as they tossed the destroyed LMDs into the incinerator.
“Now we gotta find the team.” Daisy answered.
“They’re on a plane.” Kara stated. “We’ll never find them.”
“I think I might know a way.” Donnie chimed in.
“How?” Daisy asked.
“We enter the Framework.” Donnie answered. “Find our friends and break them out.”
“How would we do that?” Kara asked.
“We use the tech we recovered to go in.” Donnie explained. “Once we break them out, we don’t need to worry about finding the plane because they’ll just take it. I mean with two inhumans on board it’ll be easy. There’s just one problem. They’ll probably be very different people in there which’ll make it difficult for us to bring them out.”
“Well it’s the best plan we’ve got.” Daisy shugged. They got everything set up and Donnie, Daisy, and Simmons prepared to go in. Kara and T-800 agreed to keep things running smoothly in their absence.
“We don’t know where we’ll wake up.” Donnie stated. “But if we die in there we die for real.”
“Got it Matrix rules.” Daisy nodded. “Here we go.”
---
Daisy awoke in a bathtub filled with water and soap. It amazed her how real the Framework felt. She heard a buzz and looked over to see a cell phone, presumably hers, sitting on the tub. The message read, “Wake your boyfriend up. We’re being called in.” Daisy let out a gasp in surprise.
“Grant?” she breathed softly. She stood up and dried herself off before putting on a bathrobe. Opening the door and stepping out slightly, she saw a body lying in her bed. Slowly walking out, she shook the bed to wake the sleeping man. He looked up and Daisy was greeted by the face of Grant Ward. He looked a bit different than in the real world. His beard was a bit shorter and his hair was more styled like when they first met. But despite the differences it was still Ward.
“Morning Skye.” Ward smiled sleepily. “You just take a bath?” Daisy didn’t even bother answering his question, instead pouncing on him and kissing him like she hadn’t seen him in weeks.
---
To say Lucy and Taskmaster were pissed was an understatement. Taskmaster had stormed into Radcliffe’s cell with a gun ready to blow his head off when Aida had punched him into a wall.
“Why Holden?” Lucy sighed as Taskmaster picked himself up off the ground. “We gave you the freedom to do your work. We would’ve allowed you to use the Darkhold to perfect the Framework and whatever other projects you wanted. Why would you do this?” Radcliffe gave her a dumbfounded look as he stood up.
“Because this is madness!” Radcliffe snapped. “You’ve got five people trapped in the Framework as some kind of prison and you sent androids back to SHIELD to retrieve the Darkhold! Androids programmed to obtain it at any cost!”
“Maybe it wouldn’t’ve been as violent had you not reprogrammed one of the androids to interfere.” Taskmaster snarled. “I say we kill the old man and dump his body in the ocean.”
“We cannot.” Aida stated.
“And why the hell not?” Taskmaster demanded.
“Because I am programmed not to allow any harm to come to any Agents of SHIELD and that includes Doctor Radcliffe.” Aida stated. “The Darkhold may have given me more freedom but I am still bound by my core programming. Fortunately, I have an alternative solution.”