Chapter 3
‘Ashley! Go and get under the bed! Cover your ears and close your eyes!
Run! He’s coming.’
Repeated screams and begging him not to stop are barely muffled by the thick walls containing her.
One of the guards posted outside of her cell door uncovers the small window and peers into the cell, surprised to see Marina tied to the chair in the middle of the room with her eyes squeezed close, writhing in the ropes holding her captive. Ward is sitting in the seat in front of her, apparently enjoying the show. The guard slid the cover back over the window and turned away ignoring the screams.
Earlier when he had walked into her cell, he carelessly picked her up from her place on the floor and tied her back into the chair. He injected her with another syringe filled with an abnormally bright orange serum and pulled up his seat and watched it take effect.
The HYDRA scientist who created the serum used the technology behind the Bezerker Staff to create a drug that would shine a light into a person’s darkest memories, without the added bonus of inhuman strength.
Eventually the cries lessened and Marina was gifted with a reprieve from the memories she had worked so hard to bury in the back of her mind. Her head slumped forward and hair covered her face from view.
As quickly as the memories had faded away the next ambush was upon her. Marina struggled against her bonds as even more terrors from her past reappeared in her mind. There was more pleading for whoever he was to “let Ashley go. Please. Take me instead, please.” Despite the screams and the begging, Ward never moved. Her pain didn’t seem to affect him at all, his facial expression stayed emotionless and distant.
“Oh my god! What have I done?!
Please god, no!
Ashley! Wake up! Ash, come on!
Can you hear me? Ashley wake up please!
No no no, this isn’t real! Stop mucking around Ash.
Open your eyes Ashley! I know you can hear me!
Please…. Ashley….”
Marina’s sobs filled the room and she kept crying out for Ashley, she was shaking in her bonds and barely able to breathe through her whimpering and tears.
When the memories disappeared again Marina began hyperventilating and continued trembling as everything she had just remembered hit her like a ton of bricks and left her feeling like she was buried a million feet underground, the pressure crushing her lungs and the memories numbing her existence.
Every new memory brought out began a new chorus of screams, sobs and endless pleading to make whatever horror from Marina’s past stop. As each memory came and went the cries and screaming continued but the begging became rare, eventually every memory only came with quiet and painful murmurs. Only a few words were discernable, mainly names and no or stop.
Some of the names that later crossed her lips were muttered with a mixture of fear, disgust and regret, “Dad… John… Garrett… Rumlow…” The others were filled with sadness and a sense of longing, “Ashley… Grant… Jack…”
Hours passed and the serum still hadn’t worn off, Marina still sat slumped forward in the chair and Ward still sat and watched as she whimpered. Ward must’ve gotten bored of watch her relive her worst moments and stood up to leave. He paid no attention to the guards as he walked out of the cell and walked back up to the upper levels of the castle to meet with Malick.
Walking through the castle no one said anything to him, they were all too scared to say anything, knowing his reputation with HYDRA before coming to Malick, or at least the rumors of what he did to uncooperative agents, which spread like high school gossip throughout the ranks. When he made it up to Malick’s office he knocked and stepped inside after the older man called for him to enter.
‘How is she?’ Malick asked, not at all caring for her wellbeing, just idly curious.
The other man’s voice replied, gravely and cold. ‘Being turned inside out by her own memories. After a while the sobbing and whimpering became boring.’
Malick’s laugh rang out through his room, ‘She was such a feisty one, how ironic that her past is what tore her down.’
When he didn’t reply or join Malick in his laughter the elder continued, ‘Speaking of her past take that damned thing off, I don’t need people asking questions when he comes back.’
Reaching behind his ear the other man switched his mask off and his own face was revealed. Gone was the intimidating stare of Grant Ward and in its place the face of one of Malick’s right hand men, a beady eyed man in his mid-forties named Marcus Wright.
Peeling the nanomask off his face, the men discussed further action of HYDRA and how exactly to handle the discovery of the ATCU and Rosalind Price now that she is working for Coulson.
‘When is he getting back?’ Marcus inquired.
Malick gave a low chuckle, ‘He should be back tomorrow sometime in the morning, he is taking care of our little problem.’
‘When you said you had it handled I didn’t think you meant it was already in motion.’ Marcus said with his own creepy laugh.
‘As soon as he started this little game of revenge he set my plan in motion. There is no way he will survive a war with Phil Coulson, not while he is the Director of SHIELD. That man has become on cold son of a bitch and after Ward puts a bullet in Rosalind all hell is going to break loose and we will need to be ready to move.’
Moving into place, the real Ward works on setting up his sniper rifle in the building opposite Rosalind’s and watches through his scope for the perfect time. He watched for two hours as they sat in the living room and spoke, he actually saw Coulson laughing which made him roll his eyes as he watched. They got up and Coulson turned on the record player in the corner of her living room and they started to dance. Having enough of watching them acting like two teenagers at prom he picked up his cellphone and dialed Phil’s number and pressed his phone to his ear.
He watched as Coulson awkwardly pulled away from Rosalind and take his phone out of the pocket in his jacket that he left on one of the seats. He saw the concern in the older man’s face as he looked at the screen not recognizing the caller ID.
Apprehensively Coulson answered the incoming call, ‘Hello?’
‘Hello Coulson,’ Ward answered calmly.
‘Ward, what the do you want you murderous psychopath?’ Ward could all but feel his snarl through the phone.
‘It is so nice to hear your voice again, charming as always Phil.’ Ward retorted. ‘You never told me you could dance…’ As soon as the realization set in Coulson went to step in front of Rosalind, to shield her from Ward instinctively, but before he was directly in front of her he saw the little red dot shining on her pale neck. ‘Make one more move and I’ll blow her head off. I think it’s about time we had a chat Coulson. You see you have a pretty big problem, HYDRA wants Rosalind dead and well, Malick sent me to pull the trigger. But I’ve had enough in being a pawn for manipulative bastards, after all I’ve already dealt with Garrett and you.’
Stunned silence followed as Coulson tried to figure out what exactly Ward’s intentions were. He could’ve easily pulled the trigger and left without anyone knowing he was there, god he didn’t even have to pull the trigger he could’ve killed her any other number of ways that would’ve been much more, subtle.
‘What do you want?’ Coulson spat.
‘Honestly, I want to be left alone. I do not plan on hurting her but in return for not killing Ms. Price I want to walk away from SHIELD and not have to double check that your ego is following my every step.’
Coulson laughed as if it was the most unreasonable thing imaginable, ‘You expect me to let you go running back to HYDRA and help them bring SHIELD down without consequence, you are delusional Grant Ward.’
‘I do not plan on being with HYDRA for much longer, there is nothing there for me. I just want to live my life as normally as possible. Why is that so hard for you to believe?’
‘Because you’re a traitor and a murderer. You have hurt everyone you “cared” about and have killed god knows how many people. People like you don’t get to walk away from everything without consequences and I’ll be damned if I let you get away again.’
‘So it’s okay for me to kill people on your terms but when it’s by someone else’s order that’s when I become a murderer?
I know my sins Coulson, unlike you I take responsibility for the things that I have done. So don’t tell me what I am, I only ever did what I needed to do to survive and keep the people I care about alive too.’
‘You’re telling me that dropping FitzSimmons to the bottom of the ocean was keeping them alive? Please tell me you’re not serious.’
‘Please Coulson tell me what would you have done in my situation?
If I hadn’t of dropped that med-pod Garrett would’ve had me put a bullet in each of their skulls and if I had of refused he would’ve punished me and made me watch as he killed them slowly and painfully. Also I had no idea that med-pod wasn’t going to float, logic says that as it is designed for all SHIELD transports, including the helicarrier, boats and submarines, it would’ve floated on the surface and given FitzSimmons time to escape, which they did’
‘Barely, they’re lucky Fury found them when he did. Fitz has permanent brain damage and still isn’t the same since it happened. The trauma made Simmons leave SHIELD for a period of time because of the guilt.’
‘I would give anything to change what happened between the team and I, including you Coulson. But I can’t and your obsession with getting back at me for everything needs to end. You have no idea what I have been through or why I am the person I am so don’t think for a moment that you have any right to judge me.’
Ward ended the call abruptly and switched off the little red light flickering over Rosalind’s neck. As soon as the light left her neck Coulson rushed to her. In a moment of anger Grant aimed the rifle at the wall directly behind the couple and pulled the trigger. The bullet passed through the glass window and lodged itself in the wall, Coulson shoved her to the ground and kept his eye out for any sign of movement in the opposite buildings.
Ward packed up his gear and left the dark rooftop which sheltered him. Hurrying along back alleys he made it to his car and got in and drove. He drove to one of his closer safe houses to grab a few things and rest before he left for Germany again.
The safe house was cold and dark as he walked through the door. He walked down the long hallway and dropped his duffle at the door of his bedroom before continuing through the house. After checking that the house was secure he went back down the hallway and walked into the room just down from his and checked for any sign that she had been there recently. He found nothing but a layer of dust along all of the furniture.
With a sigh of disappointment he walked back to his own room and layed down on his bed. He heard the crunch of paper under his head as it hit the pillow. Lifting up one of the pillows he found a piece of paper folded in half, with his name written in her delicate cursive writing on the front.
He peeled the note open and read…
Grant,
I know the past few weeks have been hectic and I wish I could stay here but I need time away from HYDRA and SHIELD. I can’t imagine how hard it is with your team, and Skye. I know you love her (and from what you’ve told me she has feelings for you too) but WHATEVER happens, do NOT let John find out. You know what he is capable of and what he will do to her. If he is still around when you read this, get out of there if you haven’t already. If not I guess his insanity and cruelty finally caught up to him.
I need to get away from here, HYDRA is after me, or at least they will be soon. I couldn’t do it Grant, I couldn’t watch as innocent agents were being killed for their loyalty, even if that loyalty was misplaced. I fought back, I was one of the few who made it out of the Triskellion when it fell. It was a mess that day, I managed to get out with a few minor injuries so I came here. I had hoped to say goodbye in person but I guess this will have to do. I’ll see you somewhere on the other side of this.
Goodbye Grant,
Mari.