A Miracle Starts With a Beat of a Heart

Chapter 20

It wasn't long before the Zephyr returned back to the Lighthouse with everyone who had left on the mission safe and sound.

Mack and Daisy rushed to greet May and Elena at the hangar, embracing both of them tightly. May and Elena even got turns holding Nadia, who still had her pouty face and tear stains down her cheeks. It wasn't long before the both of them were able to coax some giggles out of the small infant.

The only thing they had to deal with now was whatever was coming, and the only way to figure that out was to let Sarge be in charge, which no one at all was happy about.

He drove both Daisy and Elena crazy with her annoying and sarcastic remarks, Mack didn't have an ounce of trust for him, and May could barely look him in the face, but they really couldn't blame her. None of them could really look at him without seeing Coulson.

After explaining what was to happen, Sarge was granted the keys to his truck. However, instead of his normal team like he requested, Mack had May and Daisy go instead. Something about insurance for him returning back to base. A part of Daisy didn't want to go with him. Well, many parts really. Not only did she not want to go to be near the guy with Coulson's face any longer than she would like, if they were approaching destruction, but she would also rather be close to Nadia than far away from her daughter. 

Mack ended up allowing Sarge only one of his original crew members, in which he chose Snowflake. Out of the three of them, Daisy was hoping she wasn't the one he chose.

May and Daisy stood awkwardly in the truck as Mack had sent agents in to check it out before they left just to make sure Sarge wasn't playing any funny business. The two of them got a little creeped out when Snowflake looked at a blade with so much admiration and love as Sarge made his way through the truck.

"Make yourselves useful," he told the agents. "No, on second thought, just stay out of our way and don't touch anything." The two agents left as Sarge turned to Daisy and May. "So, we all gonna get along?" he asked as he fiddled with some sort of device. 

May shrugged. "You're in charge. We're just here to help."

"Well," he said as he observed May. "I know what you do. You just kinda glare all steely-eyed like that and then beat people senseless."

"What about you?" he asked Daisy. "I know from back there that you have a baby. You useful at anything else, or are you just good for playing house?"

Daisy was holding so much back just to not punch him in the face. She took a breath before replying. "I'm a hacker."

"Like... you hack off limbs? Chop people up?" Snowflake asked, adding her own contribution to the conversation that both May and Daisy just wanted to end.

What the hell? "No," Daisy shook her head. "I hack computers." Snowflake's face dropped at that. "It means I-I know how they work."

"Oh, well, that'll come in handy exactly zero times on this mission," Sarge retorted. "Can you handle weapons? Are you good in a fight?"

Sarge didn't need to know what Daisy was capable of. He didn't need to know that she herself could be considered a weapon. At least to yet. Daisy looked to May. "I can... handle myself." May smirked a little as if proud of Daisy's answer, which made Daisy smile just the tiniest bit.

Mack entered the truck to do some last-minute check-ins before they left. "You ready to go yet?" Mack's voice boomed through the back of the truck. "You've got everything you've requested."

"Just need one more thing: you off my truck."

Mack shrugged. "You're in charge."

"I keep hearing that, but am I?" Sarge questioned. "I don't want any more surprises. This mission depends on stealth."