Facing Your Destiny [Book 2]: A Grant Ward FanFic

Chapter 10 - Reunions and Losses.

What They Become.

After Grant shook Taylor awake, her and Skye were put in restraints. They were walking along the base and past some guards when Grant spoke up.

"Checking exits, numbers of men, weapons inventory. I'm impressed. How's your marksmanship?" He asks Skye, keeping an arm round Taylor.

"I don't know, hand me your sidearm let's find out." Skye spat.

"Cool under pressure. I see May's teaching you control." He observes. Taylor's quietly impressed by this.

"That's one of our differences, in SHIELD they train you to control yourself, HYDRA wants to control everyone else." Taylor comments. He's led them past a lot of guards doing various duties then up some stairs and into a room.

"I'm not loyal to HYDRA. My orders were to collect Raina. Bringing you two along was my idea." He has stopped them in front of a closed door, Skye turns to look at him.

"Maybe you don't remember but we've played this game of 'let's kidnap Skye and Taylor' before, and it didn't end well for you." She comments. He holds up a knife showing it to her.

"That's not my concern." He states. He uses the knife to cut the zip ties around her wrists, she rubs one of her wrists gently.

"Really? Then what is?" She asks. He goes to the door and puts his hand on the knob.

"Keeping my promises." He opens the door, entering the room, and leaving the door open wide. They see a couch and sitting on the couch is Skye's Father. He looks at her nervously then slowly gets to his feet. Skye slowly enters the room unable to take her eyes off him. "I'm sure you two have a lot of catching up to do." Ward looks between the two of them for a moment and closes the door, Skye shoots him a worried look that he doesn't see, as he moves past her then shuts the door. "Come on, your father's waiting." They walk together for a bit until they reach another door. He cuts the zip ties. "I'm sorry for that. It wasn't my call." She rubs her wrists the same way Skye did. He kisses her forehead then opens the door. "I'll be out here if you need me." She walks into the empty room and sits down until the door opens again to reveal the one and only Daniel Whitehall.

"I'm sorry to keep you waiting. I had some work to finish up." He walks towards her. She puts her arms out, stopping him. She shakes her head violently.

"No, you can't be. You-you..." She stuttered. Her eyes quickly filled with tears. "No. M-my father was German." He smiles a little. He clears his throat.

"I'm so sorry, Mishka." His accent had changed from an American one to a German one. Taylor shook her head again.

"Dad?" She asked, tears streaming down her face. He nodded. "I was right."

"Please sit, we have a lot to talk about." He told her, sitting down and sticking to his German accent. She nodded, sitting next to him.

"Why? Why drop me at the Red Room then leave?" She asked in her usual Russian accent.

"They were your mother's orders. I'm sorry. I heard what they did to you there. I tried so many times to pull you out of there, but they refused." He started. She just sat and listened. "If you're wondering how I'm alive after all these years, I-"

"No, I know how you did that." She cut him off. "I don't need the details. I don't want them either. She was inhuman, you know that?" He just stayed silent. "The same thing I am." His eyes went wide.

"I didn't realise you were inhuman, Aliona." He told her. She nodded then stopped.

"Wait, Aliona?" She asked.

"That's your birth name. Aliona Karina Sara Barnes. You took your mother's last name since we were never married. You know, your brother, James, wanted you to be a boy. He cried when he found out you weren't." He laughed at the memory. She laughed too. "Don't tell him I said that. I hear he's quite an assassin these days. And before you ask, no I didn't know what was happening to him. If I did, I would've shut down the Winter Soldier program immediately. I might not be his real father, but he's always been a son to me."