checkin | ( 006 ) video

[ Early in the morning on June 10th, a yelp of panic issues out of room 114 and down the hall. Skye wakes to find her bedsheets covered in red food dye and corn syrup. On the floor lies an eviscerated cabbage patch kid and teddy bear. Her bedside table is covered in obvious nicks from being stabbed repetitively by a knife, and the bathroom sink is full of dirt and growing daisies which obscure a buried severed ear.

And she hasn't even gotten to that yet by the time she makes the post.

Her first instinct is HYDRA—some kind of intimidation, Godfather-style revenge for what went down with Rumlow, but they don't do subtle. If they'd figured out her room and gotten inside, she'd be dead. This is something else. So she gets herself out of bed, bundles the bed sheets into one spot on the mattress, and pulls out her tablet. ]

Someone left me a gift last night. [ The video is focused on her bed with her narrating. ] I need someone who can tell me if this is blood. [ Camera jostling as she turns it back to her, the view moves to fix on the toys. She steps closer so people can get a better view. More shaking, and she turns the camera back towards her. ]

I don't know where it came from, or how I didn't wake up. [ She's on the move, background bouncing behind her and revealing glimpses of the rest of her messy room while she moves to the bathroom. ] Someone must have been in here. I— [ She stops when the bathroom light flickers on. The camera remains fixed on her face, which pales and ripples with the tension of acute fear. Daisies. ] ... What the hell.

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[he pauses]

Daisies.

[He's silent for a moment, remembering Cal.]

They hit us too.

Let me guess, blood everywhere.

Words on the wall

What'd it say?

stop it. too late.

Is it Rumlow?

Does that sound like Rumlow to you?

Nothing surprises me about Rumlow. HYDRA agents are trained to be a surprise. What do you need from me?

I don't want or need anything from you..
What do you think you're doing? You're not a part of the team, Ward. That was your choice.

[He could give two and a half shits about the team at this point to be honest.]

SHIELD likes using people. You'd be a fool not to use me.

We like using people we can count on, people we understand.
I don't know what you want, but we're not your way to it.

You think I actually want SHIELD to use me? That I actually give a shit what you or your organization thinks? It's stupid for us to not work together. We're stuck together. I don't care about you.

[Why did that still hurt.]

I care about Kara. She's scared.

Guess Agent 33's smarter than I gave her credit for. If you really think you care about her, she should be scared.

[ "Think" because she knows, firsthand, that what Ward offers is not love. It might look like it, carry its name, but it's not. Love doesn't hurt like that. Love doesn't turn on you and try to kill your friends. And so she tells herself that it's just a matter of Ward believing it to be love, because it can't be the real thing. Nothing about him is real. ]

She has a name. Do her the courtesy of using it, I thought SHIELD was trying to erase the policies that made it HYDRA.

[silence.

He remembers holding her at night, those moments where he felt something more for her. It is caring isn't it?

He knows that. He knows what it is to care no matter what SHIELD thinks.]

No more scared then the rest of the hotel should be of you all of you.

[It's a low blow. but that's a low blow coming from him. He does care.

He turns off the feed and knows he does care.]

If she wants me to use her name, she should stop pretending to be May and/or attacking me long enough to introduce herself.

Why has she been attacking you? What did you do to her?

Seriously? I say she attacks me and you ask what I did?
She hasn't attacked me HERE, ok. But she did pretend to be May. Probably still would be, if May hadn't actually shown up.

Shes been hiding in my room Skye because she hasn't been feeling well. I told her to leave you alone. I told her to leave SHIELD alone. we don't want anything from you.

[yet. until she remembers the name of the woman who sold her out. Then they can go from there.]

Did she hurt you as May?

Not here.

[ But she had—at least, she'd tried. If it weren't for Hunter, if Skye's being honest with herself, she'd probably be dead. Ward doesn't get to know that because Skye feels like she needs to prove she can take care of herself to him still. Show no weakness. ]

I can't vouch for what she did. but im sorry on her behalf. she wants to get better Skye.

[Truth time]

I want her to get better too. She won't dress as May again. I give you my word. She's been sick. Depressed, I've been taking care of her.

[ Doubt lingers in the forefront of her mind. Like maybe his idea of helping Kara is just hurting her, and he can't be trusted to actually be good to her. ]

If you're so worried about keeping her safe, why do you keep getting in our business?

It's not like I can avoid it given how the place is run. We're in a box Skye. the same rules don't apply. If I could run, I would. Believe me. I'd take her too

[ She hates how conflicted that leaves her. The prospect of him being out of her life entirely comes with some sense of longing relief, but it's bittersweet. Tainted by regret that this is what he made it come to and by her own lingering feelings that make her loathing and feelings of betrayal that much stronger. ]

Maybe once we crack this hotel open, we'll find out how true that is.

Skye if you want to attack, it'll be you that starts it. I'm not fighting SHIELD about this.

[not on an uneven playing field]

You're not fighting SHIELD yet. That just means we're not in the way of something you want.

Same way you were in the way? Once upon a time?

[It could go on forever.]

I told you I'd never lie to you again Skye. I meant it. but since you don't seem interesting in figuring out what happened or protecting people who might need protection then we have nothing to say to each other.

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