In the Shadows

Chapter Six

Season Two, Episode Nine: Ye Who Enter Here

My mind was clouded as I sat at the table, my eyes barely focusing on the two men before me. Ward and Whitehall were engrossed in their own conversation, one that didn't pertain to me, so I allowed my mind to wander. I couldn't help but wonder what the team was up to, if Skye was searching for me or if she had simply deemed me as a lost cause, what their plans were when they arrived at the city, and how they were all doing in the wake of my departure.

I couldn't help the feeling of burning guilt each time I thought about how I left the team. It was what I needed to do, but I still hadn't been able to forgive myself for leaving without an explanation to my team, to the people who had become my family since I had joined them. Most of all, I couldn't forgive myself for leaving Skye. She was the one I cared the most about, the one who had been with me through thick and thin, sticking with me no matter what I did. Yet, I couldn't shake the feeling that this would be the one thing she would never be able to forgive me for, and I couldn't entirely blame her for that, she didn't know the truth. 

A small sigh left my mouth as I rubbed my temple with one of my hands, shoving the thoughts of the team away. It was best to focus on the mission at hand. When I finally focused on the two men before me, I noticed that both Ward and Whitehall were looking at me intently. "What?" I questioned, my brows furrowing as my eyes flickered lazily between the two of them. 

Whitehall let out an annoyed sigh and Ward shook his head slightly before he spoke. "Are you ready?" He questioned, irritation that I hadn't been paying attention barely hidden in his tone. 

"Ready for what?" My confusion was growing by the second after Ward had spoken. 

"I'll leave you to brief her." Whitehall stood from his chair. "Keep me updated and remember, second chances are earned but can always be taken away." 

I leaned forward in my chair, elbows pressed against the glass table that separated Ward and I. "What's the mission?" I raised a brow. 

"To go get Raina. She's in Shield's custody and nobody knows the Bus like we do, so we're being sent in to retrieve her." Ward elaborated, clearly assuming that I hadn't been paying attention for a while. 

My eyes widened at the mention of the Bus, my heart dropping to my stomach as I stared at Ward intently. "So what are we going to do?" I questioned. "Grab Raina off the Bus and do what? Hope they don't shoot us out of the sky? Whitehall is sending us on a suicide mission." 

Ward pursed his lips, glancing over to the door that Whitehall had walked out of, ensuring that the man wasn't lurking. "I have a contingency plan." He shrugged his shoulders, standing from his chair before making his way around the table and over to me. "I made a promise to you that Skye would understand why you did what you did and I made a promise to her that she'd meet her father." 

My stomach lurched at the mention of Cal, my eyes widening but as I opened my mouth to either yell at him or curse him out, he held up a hand, halting my words. 

"If we have Skye, Shield won't shoot us down and I can fulfill my promises to both you and her." He shrugged his shoulders as though this was information I was supposed to be entirely fine with. 

"You've got to be fucking kidding me." I scoffed. "We don't know what will happen if you involve Skye in any of this. Who's to say that Whitehall won't kill her and us for going behind his back. We're already double-crossing him by trying to get information about my parents. I am not letting another one of my friends get hurt or die because of Hydra." 

My comment about Hydra appeared to hit him like a punch and his face twisted into a scowl and the coldness in his eyes chilled me to the bone. "She's already involved."