Hail HYDRA | Skyeward

Episode 13: Parting Shot

***

Daisy sat cross-legged on the couch, a tablet balanced on her knee. Her finger swiped through satellite images of the Russian compound—gray buildings, razor wire, cold snow-covered ground.

Her stomach twisted as she flipped to the next file: the blueprints of the detainment camps.

"Inhuman holding facilities." Her voice was flat, but there was a current underneath. "They're not even hiding what this is."

Grant leaned against the table nearby, arms crossed. His eyes didn't leave her.

"They're trying to control what they don't understand," he said. "Same old story."

Daisy's jaw tightened. "People like me. Like Joey."

"Exactly why we need to control it first."

She shot him a sharp look. "You think building camps is control?"

Grant pushed off the table, crouching in front of her. His voice was calm, low—but deadly serious.

"No, Daisy. Letting Malick run them is losing control. We do this our way."

She looked back at the screen. The Russian General's face popped up—Androvich, HYDRA-connected, officially dead but still pulling strings in the dark. His name was listed under "security consultant."

Her hands gripped the tablet tighter. "This isn't the way I wanted things to go."

"I know." Grant reached out, covering her hand with his. "But if we don't manage this, someone worse will. You know that."

Daisy swallowed hard, eyes locking on his. "So what's the play?"

Grant smiled faintly, but his eyes stayed cold. Strategic. "We let Malick be the face of this. He'll do all the public work—the meetings, the politics. Meanwhile, we make sure the operation bends in our favor."

"We're letting SHIELD find the facility."

"We're guiding them to it."

Her brow furrowed. "Bobbi and Hunter?"

"They'll try to stop it." His hand squeezed hers gently, but his voice didn't soften. "And when they do? We let them get caught. SHIELD will pull them out of play to cover their tracks. It's a win for us."

Daisy pulled her hand back, setting the tablet down carefully. "That's ruthless."

"That's smart."

She looked away, lips pressed into a line. Hive's voice wasn't there this time. This was all her choice.

And she was choosing Grant.

Even if it made her stomach hurt.

Finally, she stood. "Fine. We do it your way."

Grant smiled, stepping closer. "Our way."

Daisy didn't return the smile.

***

Hours later, Daisy and Grant sat side by side in front of a bank of monitors. The cold Russian night pressed against the windows, but neither of them noticed.

Daisy's eyes flicked between feeds—thermal imaging, hacked military cameras, SHIELD body cams. Bobbi and Hunter's faces appeared on one of the screens, grainy but clear.

"They're inside," Daisy muttered, pulling up the Russian base schematics.

"Of course they are." Grant leaned back in his chair, one ankle crossed over his knee. "They're predictable."