The Avenger's Soul

Nothing Personal (Part 3)

Skye's POV

"His heart..." I stuttered, staring at Ward twitching on the ground.

"Isn't beating. He's having a heart attack," Mike said. He held up his arm cuff. "I can restart it or not. It's your choice."

I looked down at Ward. He was looking up at me.

"Skye..." he whispered.

"You think I don't want to watch him suffer?" I said.

"Not suffer, die!" Mike said. "Garrett doesn't think you're gonna let that happen."

I looked down at Ward as his gasping slowed down.

"He's a murderer," I hissed out with a glare.

"Yes, he is." Mike said looking down at Ward before turning to look at me. "Are you?"

I watched as a long breath came out of Ward and no more go in. I shifted on my feet, plagued by indecision then made an angry face, he had me.

"Okay, stop!" I cried out.

"Where do you unlock the drive?" Mike prompted.

"Bring him back!" I exclaimed.

"Where?" Mike repeated the question.

"35,000 feet. It's not based on longitude or latitude, it's altitude!" I said.

"You're lying."

"I'm not! You – I put the password in and I – I start the hack and once we reach altitude it unlocks!" I told him. I stared at Ward. He wasn't moving or breathing. He appeared dead, his eyes open and fixed. "Now bring him back!"

Mike opened his fist and the red lights on the device light again. Ward took a big gasping breath and released it in a groan. He lay there panting as Mike unlocked my handcuffs. Ward and I stared at one another briefly as Mike led me into the lab.

"Put the password in, start the hack," Mike ordered me.

*****

I stared in surprise and relief as suddenly the door of the holding cell was yanked open and I found myself staring at Coulson. I gasped and stood up quickly from the table giving him a hug, which he happily reciprocated.

"Are you okay? Did Ward hurt you?" He broke the hug pulling me back so he could look at me.

"No, I'm okay. But, the encrypted hard drive, I unlocked it for them," I told him.

"Forget that. We need to move. We got to take the cockpit." He started out of the holding cell with me right behind him.

"Wait. You came alone?" I asked, surprised.

"It's okay. I can take Ward," Coulson said.

"No, I know, but how did you get past Deathlok?" I inquired.

Coulson stopped walking, shock on his face, and he turned to me.

"Deathlok's here? On the plane?"

"Yeah. You didn't take him out?"

Coulson turned his head and through the broken glass of the Command Center we saw Mike. He quickly, and fearfully, turns to me.

"New plan – run!" He called out.

"Wait, what about you?" I exclaimed.

"Get to the cargo hold, now!" I raced off down the stairs. When I got there I noticed the ramp slowly lowering.

I unfurled my wings as Coulson entered the cargo hold.

"Grab on tight!" I called out to him as he came down the spiral staircase.