A very well-requested part 4 ;) Part 5 will be up soon. Let's see how they escape from HQ, shall we?
You came to in an empty room, the rooms normally used for interrogation were now cleared of any furniture you could use to break out. If you would have been able to even lift an arm.
Everything hurt, but your forearms and especially your ribs hurt the most. Your arms had protected your face from the hard boots while your ribs, especially the back, were all blue and bruised. You didn't need to take off your jacket to know that. There was blood on your hands, shirt, in your hair and in your eyes. It dripped from a wound you couldn't see, probably somewhere on your forehead, onto the dull grey ground.
Everything was grey. The walls, the ceiling. You might as well have been inside your coffin already. The dull light on the ceiling barely did anything to light it up.
You had no energy, just enough to open your eyes and focus on the floor. Besides that, you just lay there, unmoving.
In your half-asleep state, a loud scream startled you so badly your whole body jolted. For a heartbeat, you thought it was Daisy, but this voice was too deep and entirely unfamiliar. That shouldn't have calmed you down as much as it should. After all, there was still a man screaming in agony.
Suddenly he stopped, which only made it worse. It was definitely the Doctor's doing, which meant he was either coming for you next or maybe Daisy. You wished she was here with you but you were all alone. It made it more agonizing, not knowing where she was and if she was even still alive. But you guessed that if you were, so was she.
There was a sound of a door opening, light spilling in from the hall. Slow footsteps came closer until expensive leather shoes stopped right in your line of sight. With all the effort you could muster, you turned on your back, looking up at the owner.
You came face to face with the Doctor himself. His eyes held pure hatred and disgust. In all your years of working for him, you had never been so scared.
''Where is she?'' You managed to breathe out, your voice no louder than a whisper, but the Doctor understood you perfectly.
''Skye. Or should I say Daisy?'' His cold eyes drilled into yours, making you cringe from the sheer force. ''Which one is it because I'm having trouble understanding it all.'' His voice was calm, which was scarier than if he would have screamed. ''You know I always found you one of our best agents.''
The Doctor patiently paced back and forth next to your bloodied and beaten up body. ''The both of you together were unstoppable, but now I understand why. You were doing it to hide the fact you both are that Inhuman filth, the very beings we are trying to eliminate,'' he spat.
''Daisy, she didn't know,'' you tried to reason, but you might as well have been talking to the wall.
Unbeknownst to you, Daisy could hear the whole conversation. She was in the room next to yours, the air vents letting the noise travel from room to room. Your broken voice was a stab in her heart. Every raspy breath you let out sounded worse than the one before.
The Doctor stopped and bowed down over your face. ''But that doesn't change anything, does it?''
You squeezed your eyes shut in hopelessness. The Doctor had his mind set and no traitor like you could change that. ''Please,'' you begged him. Not really sure what for, but it came out before you knew it.
''I admire your loyalty to the resistance and to Skye. I really do. But I need answers, answers you have for me. So I suggest you start talking if you ever want to see her again.''
She was your weakness and he knew that. But what you knew was that even if you gave him everything about the resistance, which wasn't much to begin with, he would kill you afterwards. You would never see her again. This was just a trick to get you to tell every secret you knew.
Silently, Daisy waited for your answer. She begged you not to tell him anything. Her life wasn't worth all those lives the resistance had saved already and the ones they would still save. Luckily, you stayed silent, tears running down your face into your hair.
Next thing Daisy heard was the crackling of electricity, followed by your screaming. Every time you yelled, her heart broke more. Silently, she cried, praying they would stop and come to her, leaving you alone.
The Doctor kept asking you questions, but all of them were met with more silence and tired sobs. You had never been weak before, but these past days had taken a toll on you and you couldn't find it in yourself to be embarrassed.
Eventually he left you there, on the verge of passing out. Why you hadn't already was a miracle. You hoped it would come, but instead you listened to the door slamming shut and opening in the room next to yours.
''Fitz.'' Daisy's voice was broken and weak. She was exhausted just like you. ''Hear me out. You and me... We know each other. We're friends. I can explain all of this.''
You had to strain your ears to hear her words, but it was a gift you even could. She felt closer this way, just a wall separating you.
''How curious,'' the Doctor spoke calculating. ''Someone else tried that today. Maybe you heard him just now, learning his lesson.''
Radcliffe, you realized. It had to have been the scientist screaming. But if they got him, does that also mean they got Jemma? And how about Coulson, did they make it to the SHIELD base safely or were they caught talking to the scientist? So many questions you didn't have answers to.
''So, I re-ran your and Y/N's test results. Guess who turned out to be potential Inhumans. Go on. Guess.'' But Daisy didn't guess, she stayed silent like you had. ''Ah, well. No matter. We've got plenty of ways of making you talk.''
There was some shuffling, probably more agents to do the torturing for him instead of getting his hands dirty himself. ''No, Fitz,'' she breathed, pleading him. ''You don't want to do this.''
''Yeah, I do,'' he answered confidently. ''I guess you don't know me at all.''
You squeezed your eyes shut when the screaming started. You imagined this was how it must have been for her. HYDRA might as well have been sticking knives in your stomach because that's how it felt. It went on for ages until it stopped. All the while you lay in the middle of the floor, still, covered in your own blood from head to toe, curled up in a ball.
''Thank you, gentlemen.'' It was unbelievable how stone cold the Doctor stayed under all this. As if there was no compassion left in his body. What happened to him that made him this way and how the hell could that person ever be your friend in real life? A close friend if you had to believe Daisy.
''Why are you doing this, Fitz?'' Daisy whispered, trying to mask her pain.
''It's Dr. Fitz,'' he corrected her. ''And unlike the men who just left, I know the truth about you, and your world. Somehow you conquered Hydra in your world, and now you want to conquer ours. Tell me where the Patriot is,'' he ordered. It surprised you he knew about the real world. How did he know?
''I don't know.''
He completely dismissed her answer. ''Did he come from your world, too?''
''We all did, you included.''
It was obvious he didn't believe anything she said. He just played along to get answers. ''And the other subversive, Jemma Simmons? Where is she?''
''If I knew, I would tell you because if anyone could get you to wake up and realize that this nightmare isn't real, it's her. She loves you and you love her and she's a real person, not a Hydra murder bot who's got your brain-''
The blow of the Doctor's fist hitting her cheek reached your cell, making you flinch. Daisy had to watch her mouth. It was stupid to go against him. It would only make him more angry.
''What happened to you, Fitz?'' Daisy asked. This was a different kind of pain. Not physical but more mental, the pain of seeing a friend turned into this... monster. You could only imagine if you got out of this mind prison, how shocked you would be thinking back to this.
While you might have done questionable things to survive in HYDRA, the Doctor -or Fitz as Daisy called him- had done unspeakable things. Things he would never get over if he really were the kind hearted person Jemma loved.
''This is my home. I'm not gonna let you destroy it. We'll get to yours first. And when we do, the Patriot and all of his kind will pay for ever setting foot here.'' It was a threat to you and the whole resistance. You knew really well you were still alive because you were the only tie to the resistance the Doctor had. The only one with information he had access to. If only he could get you to spill it.
You waited a minute after the door of her cell closed, just to make sure he was really gone. Then you slowly dragged your body to the corner of the room, pushing yourself up so you were slumped against the wall. ''Daisy,'' you said as loudly as you could muster.
''Y/N,'' she muttered back in relief, finally getting the chance to talk to you. ''Hold on okay? We'll get out of here.''
''How?'' You couldn't mask how broken you sounded. All you wanted was to go to sleep, but you fought it. You needed to stay alert. ''I know the ins and outs of this place, there is no way out.''
Daisy hang her head, pressing her forehead against the wall. ''I am so sorry for dragging you into this. I should have tried to keep you safe, keep you-''
''Don't,'' you cut her off before she could start rambling. ''You don't remember this, but when I asked you to marry me, we promised each other we were in this together forever, no matter what would happen.'' You smiled at the memory. That was the best day of your life. ''I know you're not her, but my promise still stands.''
Daisy looked at her ring. She wore it, but she didn't feel allowed to. ''I'm sorry you lost her.''
''Don't be.'' And she shouldn't. Because after all, she was still here. ''You're real, not just a bunch of zeros and ones.''
Daisy could only muster a small smile. ''Yeah but they feel so real, don't they?''
Neither of you knew what to say after that. So instead you listened to each other breathe, pictured the other sitting on the other side of the wall, clutching the body parts that hurt most.
''Hello, Daisy.'' A soft voice, the voice of Madame Hydra, reached your ears. Unconsciously, you sat up a little straighter, suppressing the groan that wanted to escape your lips.
''You know, I asked for a mani-pedi. Got tortured instead.'' Daisy sarcastically joked. For some reason, Madame didn't scare her. ''B.T. -dubs, your psycho-prison sucks.''
''This isn't a prison. All I did was fix one thing in everyone's life. A regret.'' You furrowed your eyebrows. Nobody had told you that. You wondered what regret they had changed for you. ''The subsequent world is simply a consequence of your actions, algorithms running their natural course, as Dr. Radcliffe always intended.''
It was one thing to believe Daisy's and Jemma's word this was all fake, but it was a whole other thing to hear it from the person who created it, admitting it was true. Somehow you found yourself stunned. Apparently deep inside, part of you hadn't fully believed it yet.
Their conversation continued, but you felt yourself slipping away. The torture, the exhaustion, the pain, it was all getting to you. Trying to concentrate on a faint discussion was simply too hard, your eyes wouldn't stay open.
You must have been asleep for a long time, because your whole body was stiff when you woke. You thought maybe that was the reason you found yourself conscious again, but no, the whole building was shaking. Such powerful earthquakes in Washington?
''You're looking better.'' Agent May's voice came from Daisy's room, but the tone she used was so much different. It was softer, almost kind. Something must have happened while you were out.
''Yeah. Thanks for that.'' Daisy sounded a lot better and there were two sets of footsteps instead of one. How had she made such a recovery in a couple hours? ''Tell me you have another one of those.''
Their footsteps subsided before they became louder again and stopped before your door. There was some beeping from the lock before the door swung open. Blinking against the bright light from the hallway, you made out your girlfriend and was shocked to see her out of her room and all healed.
''Daisy?'' You breathed in disbelief.
She almost ran towards you, crouching down in front of your broken body and carefully brushing the hairs out of your face. ''Hey. Hi.''
You tried to look strong, very aware May stood in the doorway. This new alliance, if that's what it was, was disturbing. ''How are you-''
Her holding up a Terrigen Crystal stopped you mid-sentence. With wide eyes, you looked up to her smiling face.
''You have your powers?''
Daisy nodded enthusiastically and it was clear the second Crystal was for you, to heal you.
May impatiently looked back and forth between the two of you and the hallway. ''They'll be here any second. We have got to move.''
''I don't know how to control them.'' You were slightly panicking, since you knew how dangerous Inhuman powers could be, but since Daisy had told you yours were stopping time, how dangerous could it be?
Daisy saw you hesitate and knew all too well how it was when you got your powers involuntarily. ''I'm not going to force you to do this. I'll drag you through the hallways if I have to. But you need to decide now.''
You were beyond scared, but knew there was no way you could walk out of this building by yourself. And wounded as you were, you would slow Daisy down, bringing her in danger.
''Do it.'' You weren't really sure why you said it. Maybe it was the look in her eyes or your own curiosity.
With a squeeze in your arm and an encouraging smile, she stood. She watched you as she raised the Crystal, maybe waiting for you to yell stop, but instead you prepared yourself for something you had only seen in videos.
With a crack, the Crystal broke on the ground. The mist hit your body but it wasn't until it filled your lungs that the force of it hit you. It was difficult to describe, but it felt so powerful.
Slowly, stone started to crawl up your body, starting at your feet until it reached your head. All the while, you tried to stay calm. You were lucky you knew what would happen. If you didn't, you would have panicked.
Something shifted inside your chest, as if puzzle pieces fell into place. That part of you that was always missing something was gone. Something unlocked while you were a statue. Not only in your chest, but also in your brain. A flood of memories broke through, hitting you at full force.
This part wasn't what you had expected, so your heart sped up while all these images from another life battled with the ones of this life. It wasn't hard to filter them. The ones from real life were full of color and they felt different, happy.
You got your energy back, felt the wounds on your body heal. Slowly, the stone started to break, the pieces falling on the ground. Perplexed, you shook your head to try and focus.
Daisy was waiting patiently, not sure if you would panic or not. But what she didn't expect was the recognition in your eyes when they met hers. Immediately, she knew this was the real you. That you remembered.
''Y/N?'' she asked carefully, full of wonder and hope.
''Daisy,'' you breathed in relief, rising from the ground without any trouble and wrapping your arms around her neck. You forced the tears back, not wanting to cry, but it was hard.
Suddenly everything from the real world was back. The LMD's, AIDA, the Russian, even the Ghost Rider and everything before that was back. How you were taken and hadn't seen her for weeks. It was the biggest relief you'd ever felt.
''I remember everything,'' you whispered against her shoulder. Only now you realized her hair was different, much longer than what it really was. ''I missed you so much.''
Daisy hugged you back just as tightly. ''I was so worried.'' The reason why you remembered, Daisy didn't care about. At least not now.
May's impatient voice caused you to break apart. ''Guys. We have to move. Now.''
Daisy gave you her gun because she had the benefit of her powers. Agents could be heard running up to you, so she turned to you with a smirk. ''Hey, about those powers of yours.''
Since you now remembered, you knew how to control them, but something about his place was different. Time was different because it was all fake. Up in the real world, you could stop time for five minutes max. That was the limit of your powers, right before you would pass out. But here, it wasn't more ten seconds. Ten seconds until it slipped out of your hands.
But those ten seconds were enough for you, Daisy and May to take out the first wave of agents. It was almost too easy, how they froze in place while you took them out. It was in some way kind of similar to Yo-Yo's power, because for her, the world stopped moving too while she ran.
Luckily, you weren't the only one who could benefit of your power. The thing was: you couldn't really stop time in the whole universe from continuing, but you could momentarily freeze it in a room, choosing which objects would stop moving and which not. So that's why the agents froze but Daisy and May didn't.
To say May was impressed was an understatement. She was beyond amazed.
When everyone suddenly unfroze after ten seconds, way quicker than you expected it to, it surprised everyone. ''Sorry, time must work differently here. I don't have the range I usually have,'' you apologized when the three of you just managed to take out the agents.
Daisy smiled kindly, knowing how unreliable powers could be. ''That's okay, we can do it without.''
The three of you walked into the workspace, the room where once your desk was. Heavy fire rained upon you, so you dove behind a bulkhead for cover. Bullets settled into the wall behind, leaving holes in the concrete.
When an Agent came close to your hiding spot, you jumped out, using his body as a shield while firing his gun into the shooters. You handed his gun to Daisy when you went back into cover.
''Where to next?'' she asked May, who was checking her magazine next to her.
''Elevator to the garage. Cover me.''
She jumped on top of the desks, successfully hitting the last three agents in their chests, taking them down. Now that the room was clear, you ran out into the hallway, trying to get to the elevator. To your surprise, the hall was empty. But you should have known better than believe it would be so simple.
When you were only a couple steps away from the lift, it opened with that characteristic ping. Madame Hydra's -or AIDA's really- face was the first thing you saw, followed by two agents who aimed their big guns at the three of you, ready to put a bullet in your heads when you moved a muscle.
''Drop your weapons! Now!'' One of the men yelled.
Reluctantly, you followed his order, slowly raising your hands when they were empty. It was starting to become a pattern. Every time you had almost made it out, you were caught. And this time, you wouldn't live to tell the story.
Next to Daisy, you were getting ready to freeze them, but she subtly shook her head. She either had other plans or didn't want to risk them noticing you were using your powers.
Madame Hydra tilted her head, slowly walking closer. ''Agent May, interesting. No matter the circumstance, none of you can escape your true nature. You, the warrior. Mack, the protector.'' Her evil gaze landed on you. ''You, the loyal one. And Fitz, well he's a romantic.''
''And me, what I don't make the list?'' Daisy asked sarcastically. You had a feeling you knew what she was going to do, but you still chuckled when she shot her arms forward, so fast the men didn't catch it, and blasted the HYDRA leader through the glass wall of the elevator.
There was no screaming as she fell stories down. Nobody would survive that fall, but since this was a virtual world, you were sure you hadn't seen the last of her.
Looking down at the body, which was no more than a black blot onto the pavement, you smiled. ''Best thing I've seen in years.'' You scrunched up your face in thought. ''Weeks? Days?'' Your Framework life has been going on for years, while the real fight with AIDA has only been going on for weeks. Time was a weird concept at the moment.
''Let's move.''
With May's knowledge of the building and the codes to the restricted hallways, it was easy getting to the garage, where there was less security. You jumped into a HYDRA issued car, since your own would be too obvious, and drove off. You'd rather have escaped on foot, but HQ was in the middle of an island in a giant lake, so it was impossible.
There was a weird understanding between you and Daisy, who sat in the passenger's seat, and May, who drove the car. Nobody really knew what to say. Maybe because of the stress from the escape or the fact you both knew May and she didn't know you.
Dealing with the transformation to Inhuman also wasn't easy. Even though you had a grip on your powers, it took some getting used to the restless feeling in your chest.
May dumped the car a little away from the address you had given her so you could travel on foot. It was much more incognito. Entire squads of HYDRA soldiers marched in the streets, so you used the cars and trash on the sidewalk to stay unnoticed.
''So, why exactly did you help us?'' Daisy finally asked. The question must have been gnawing on her brain. ''Last time I checked, you weren't really rooting for team Inhuman.''
You were curious for the answer too. What had happened while you were locked up that changed the entire way May looked at life. You brought up the end of the little group of three, keeping an eye on May who was following Daisy. You weren't sure whether to trust her. You trusted the real May with your life, but this wasn't her.
''When an enemy sacrifices his life for yours, you have to question if you're fighting for the wrong side. Seeing that building collapse on the Patriot, I-''
Daisy stopped abruptly, just like you. ''Wait, the Patriot's dead?''
May nodded sadly. The man she once had wanted to kill badly, had held up a building so she could get clear. ''I know what he meant to the Resistance.''
''No. It's not just that. He...'' Daisy looked over May's head to you, finding the same sadness on your face. ''We lost one.''
You weren't sure if you liked the real Mace. You still didn't after all those months, but in the end, he was a SHIELD Agent. One of yours.
May didn't understand the weight of your sadness. She would only know after she got her memories back. ''Mourn later. Right now, I need your heads in the game.'' She walked off, now you and Daisy following her.
''We're trying. Still feeling the after-effects of the Terrigen.'' Daisy pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to lessen the headache. It was hard to describe what it felt like, but she worded it perfectly. ''It's like a hangover made of bees.''
''I've seen what Terrigenesis does to people.'' May said over her shoulder, keeping an eye out for any soldiers. ''What I don't get is how you can control your powers so quickly.''
Daisy looked over at you, unsure what to answer. ''We've had...practice,'' you eventually settled for.
''What the hell does that mean?''
''It means.. You know what? I'm not gonna go there.'' Daisy decided on letting someone else explain. It was too long of a story to tell while out in the open, on the run. ''Just keep moving.''
''The Resistance must have a base of operation. Where is it?''
You pushed past them, taking the lead because you actually knew where to go. You were reluctant to let May in, but she had put her life on the line to get you both out. ''Follow me.''
You arrived at the location at the same time and place you had told Jemma and Coulson to go. Almost nobody knew the location of the actual base, since people were transported there blindly in the back of a truck.
While you waited for the surveillance drone to fly away, giving you the small window to knock on the door of the small building, Daisy grew more restless. You had done this before, countless times, but for her this was all new. For as far as the resistance knew, she and May were HYDRA agents.
''Hey, are you sure we are welcome here?'' she asked softly. She was nervous and you understood why. What if they didn't let you in, leaving you out on the street, fending for yourselves. You sure wouldn't make it out alive then.
You tried to ease her nerves, giving her your full attention. ''They all know me and everything I've done for the cause, so it shouldn't be a problem.''
''Shouldn't?'' May quoted you skeptically.
You lightly glared at her. ''I was the only HYDRA mole they got left. Trust me, they need us.'' Behind you, the drone sped away. ''This is our window.''
You jogged up to the door, knocking three times like you were used to. Not even a second passed before the door opened. A man you knew very well, who had let you in countless times before, now pressed his gun into your face. ''Get out of here.''
The three of you raised your hands while you positioned yourself in front of Daisy and May, trying to get him to focus on you. ''Hey. Hey!'' you yelled louder to grab his attention. ''What the hell is this? Get that gun out of my face.''
The man casually gestured to the people behind you, anger written all over him. ''I know who they are,'' he spat, thinking they were HYDRA. ''There's chatter all over the police band.''
You narrowed your eyes at him dangerously, daring him to make a move. ''They're with me.''
''I don't care Y/L/N,'' he hissed, still not lowering his weapon. He must know how dangerous Daisy's powers were if he felt the need to hold on to it, ''they are a huge risk.''
You heard Daisy shuffle behind you, feeling the need to help. ''We weren't followed. We were careful.''
Of course, she jinxed it because the second she said it, a car raced into the alley. Agents hang out of the windows, aiming their guns at the four people at the door.
''Not careful enough!'' May yelled.
You took cover behind a dumpster, pulling the gun out of your jeans. It didn't have many bullets left, so you hoped Daisy could do something about it. After all, her powers were endless.
You fired until you ran out of bullets. They didn't have much effect anyways.
The man next to you hadn't thought about taking cover, so he got hit in the knee. May cursed, pulling the man, who lay out in the open, into the building. ''Come on!'' she yelled, knowing that the firefight wasn't going anywhere.
You were about to follow her, when a HYDRA Agent pulled out a grenade launcher. He aimed it at the dumpster, firing without hesitation. Your eyes went wide as it came straight at you. Luckily, Daisy had a plan and her powers once again saved the day.
''Incoming!'' she yelled. And with a blast of air, blew the explosive back, through the windshield of the car. Not waiting for it to explode, she pushed you to the open door first. Only when you were through, she followed, slamming the door shut to protect the team from the blast.
Shoving some barrels against the door, which wouldn't have much effect, Daisy sighed while you tried to still your racing heart.
''Thanks for the save,'' you said to her. May was taking care of the man on the ground, pressing a cloth to his wound.
''Can't have you get blown up,'' she joked, but it was clear she was worried.
You desperately wanted to have a conversation with her about everything. Make a list of all the things you did know, and all the things you still needed to know. But there was no time.
Tired, she leaned against one of the barrels. ''How long before Hydra busts down that door?''
You shook your head. The odds weren't good. ''Not long. They'll be following S.O.P. for a hostile Inhuman.'' When your answer got an empty look from her, you realized she didn't remember what that meant anymore. ''Six teams to sweep the area. And if the hostile's taken cover they'll call in an air strike and sort through the rubble later.'' Your voice trailed off at the end, scared it would be too late to avoid that.
But Daisy wasn't giving up. Ever. ''Well, that's not an option.''