Facing Your Past [Book 1]: A Grant Ward FanFic.

Chapter 8 - Emotions.

End of the Beginning.

After Garrett and Trip's scrape with Deathlok, Coulson invites Agents Hand, Blake and Sitwell onto the Bus. Ward knows that Taylor will be particularly on edge now that Garrett has joined them on the Bus but he hopes that with Trip there, she should feel a little more comfortable. Ward, after all, was still trying to win back Taylor's trust after the Lorelei incident. The three higher ranked agents join the team, excluding Skye and Fitz-Simmons, in the lounge area of the Bus. 

"Cruising altitude reached, bearing 90 degrees just over the North Pole." May informs, joining the others.

"Apologies for the song and dance." Garrett starts. "We brought you here as a precaution."

"Precaution against what?" Sitwell asks, glaring slightly at Taylor. They had always had a hate-hate relationship. Taylor had just put it down as him being jealous of her rank but Sitwell just sees her as a danger to Hydra's coming out party.

"The Clairvoyant." Taylor answers, glaring back.

"If there's someone out there who can read minds, at least up here we're as far away from him as possible." Coulson reasons with them.

"Think that maybe the Northern Lights will knock a few bars off his psychic Wi-Fi." Garrett jokes.

"Coulson, you know SHIELD's stance on psychics." Blake pipes up. "They don't exist."

"Are you suddenly a believer?" Hand adds.

"Not definitely." Coulson confesses. "But recently I had a recent experience with an Asgardian who could bend people's will with her voice." This causes Grant to look down at his girlfriend next to him who still can't meet his eye. "Forced me to open my mind, so to speak."

"All we know for sure is The Clairvoyant's been a step ahead of us, stealing plays from our playbook." Garrett comments.

"And it's pissing us off." Taylor adds.

"I take it you've all read Agent Garrett's latest report?" Coulson inquired.

"The hit on the safe house." Sitwell answers. "Mr Peterson's alive and kicking."

"We call him Deathlok." May informs.

"That was the project's codename." Grant adds.

"Agent Garrett and I have been tracking him in the last few weeks." Trip tells them.

"And we think The Clairvoyant's super-soldier bodyguard came after us for a reason." Garrett continued. "We're getting close."

"To what?" Hand challenges. "His identity?" Phil and John share a look between them.

"We've narrowed the list to 13 candidates." He confesses.

"Narrowed it, how?" Blake asks. "From what?"

"Agent Garrett has been taking a second look at SHIELD's gifted Index." Coulson informs. "Specifically the rejects."

"Individuals SHIELD interviewed who are believed to have psychic abilities but were ultimately dismissed." Garrett adds.

"So you think that we've encountered The Clairvoyant before?" Sitwell asks. Ward tenses ever-so-slightly, looking over to his S.O. This doesn't go unnoticed by the assassin next to him.

"Think how many cases we've encountered across the globe." Coulson reasons with him. "How many cases we've vetted, it's more than possible. It's probable."

"I need more coffee." Blake comments.

"Let's assume what you're saying is possible, what then?" Hand questions. "If we're going up against a natural clairvoyant, how do you suggest we combat that?"