No Regrets

Mick's eyes opened seeing and feeling to icy cold concrete floor, as well as a pair of leather black boots before him. He weakly turned over, seeing Ophelia standing before him with a cold scowl. Something about this moment was familiar, but he couldn't place why. Thankfully the cuffs were off no longer burning into his wrists, but it didn't change how weak every muscle in his body felt. "How much do you really remember?" Ophelia asked harshly.

"Not enough time tell me how I ended up here," Mick groaned as Aida rolled her eyes

"You begged Doctor Fitz to listen to Radcliffe's prattling, you even moved to defy Fitz when he killed that wretched woman. Did Jemma Simmons stir up some confusing memories in you?" She snapped as Mick's mind snapped into focus.

"If you're asking if I'm a subversive, the answer is no. I'm Hydra to the end," Mick lied, terrified of what could happen.

"Really? Why don't I believe you?" She taunted him while pacing the floor. "What is your biggest regret Mr. Bellouve?"

"My biggest regret is not staying home with my wife, and calling in sick," Mick coughed as the pain in his chest intensified.

"What does the name Daisy mean to you?" Ophelia asked looking directly at Mick, seeing a tear falling down his face. "So you do remember her, at least in part."

"Only in these strange lucid dreams," Mick mumbled, not caring what she was going to do next. Ophelia chuckled at the sentiment.

"Let me be clear with you, because I know you heard everything I said to Radcliffe. If you don't follow my orders, I will not only have Fitz kill your precious Samantha, but Daisy as well," she snapped pressing her boot to Mick's face. This was his only way out. Follow orders, pretend everything is ok, don't step out of line. Ophelia was insane, Fitz really would pull the trigger. It wasn't worth the risk. 

"What do you want me to do?" Mick murmured, breathing weakly, as Ophelia smiled darkly.

"I have a mission coming up, I want you to go with Commander May, you will kill the Patriot and anyone else that stands in your way. One wrong move, and you know the consequences. Rest up, we should be hearing from her soon," Ophelia tapped the window as guards came in while she stepped out.

They pulled Mick up, the carrying his weakened body through the cold steel of the prisoner quarters. He was sure he heard familiar screams, some that he was sure was Daisy. If only he could fight back, but then Fitz would kill her and Sam, rather he just closed his eyes as they brought him to the medical bay.

A few hours later Doctor Fitz walked in, much to Mick's surprise. "There's been a breach, Ophelia is sure it's the Patriot. You're going with May to take him down. I want him dead or alive," Fitz said injecting a syringe into Mick's right arm as Mick nodded. "Hail Hydra," he said as if it were a test.

"Hail Hydra," Mick said taking a deep breath, feeling much stronger than he had in years as the cold, revitalizing serum swam through his veins.

Mick followed Fitz to the quinjet where May was already waiting. He strapped in, then watched as Fitz injected May with a strange looking red serum before he left. The jet lurched as it took off. "You look like you've been through hell," May teased, taking note of the bruising on Mick's face. Her eyes were beginning to twitch, which made Mick wonder even more what that serum was, and why she needed it. 

"This hasn't been a very pleasant day, let's just leave it at that," Mick replied as Commander May nodded in agreement.

"Does it have anything to do with Ward disappearing, or Skye and Samantha being turn coats?" May asked as Mick scowled clenching his fist, but knew he couldn't act out of line. 

"Sam isn't a traitor. I don't know about Skye and Ward, but I know Sam."

"It's always the closest ones to you that hurt the worst."

"You're the second person to say that to me today, and yet I still refuse to believe it," Mick growled as the slumped in his seat.

"If you let your emotions control you, you'll find yourself dead." May stated plainly as Mick stared at her. He could have sworn she told him that before, but under much different circumstances. "When we land, I want you to pin down the Patriot with your webs, I'll kill him myself. I know how you get when pulling the trigger."

"I can't afford to risk whatever that stuff the Doctor gave you not being enough. If we don't succeed, they're going to kill Sam. I won't let that happen. I can pull the trigger." 

"Guess we'll see who gets the kill then," Commander May said smirking, it wasn't often she was so down to earth. She must've known how much Mick needed someone to help him relax. Must be part of being a good team leader. 

"Guess so."

They landed as a white bus pulled away, May tapped her earpiece, as did Mick to be sure comms were active. The hatch opened as Mick and May raced out seeing two people sprinting in the distance toward the quarantine building. "Eyes on the target," Mick said as he reached into his jacket pocket pulling out a saber, igniting it as he rushed ahead.

"We'll notify you once Patriot is dead," May barked as she switched comms to local only.

"We have multiple agents down, we need to be on guard!"

"Fine, consider me guarded!" Mick snapped as they caught up to the escaped prisoner and the Patriot, standing just over a ledge where they dock delivery trucks to the mess hall. "What's the plan?" Mick asked kneeling down as May jumped clear over him, punching the Patriot. "Okay, that's my kind of plan!" Mick smirked, jumping down after her.

May and the Patriot went around blocking and landing blows, only for May to be surprisingly losing. Mick was quite surprised by the inhuman's true power, as he'd only heard stories of how strong he was. 

"Any time now!" She snapped as the Patriot turned to see Mick moving toward him.

"I've been wanting to do this for this for a long time!" Mick yelled spraying webs from his wrists as they pinned the Patriot to the wall where he had slammed May.

"Really? An Inhuman working for Hydra? That's just wrong!" The Patriot taunted, ripping through the webbing with ease, then catching Mick's electrified blade, snapping it clean in half before kicking him away with incredible force.

Mick slammed into the concrete wall, while May took lead, swinging a heavy looking steal driving mallet as if it were just a twig. The Patriot continued to block every blow, ultimately catching the hammer and ripping it from her hands. "What, did you figure if you couldn't beat them, make your own?" He taunted before grabbing May by the collar and cratering her into the ground. 

Mick then jumped back into the fight, shooting webs, only for the Patriot to catch them, and use them to sling Mick into the brick wall.

"You're nothing but a terrorist and power wielding thug!" May barked, barely having the energy to stand after her beating.

"If that were true, you'd both be dead," he said triumphantly before leaving Mick and May staggering.

"Didn't expect him to be so tough," Mick groaned wiping the blood from wound on the side of his face where he collided with the bricks. 

"We cannot let him get away," May growled tapping her earpiece. "I think my serum is wearing off, he overpowered both of us, he's heading toward the quarantine building."

"What could they possibly do?" Mick asked as May hushed him.

"Yes, there is. Rodger that. Q-five you have your orders," May said firmly as she hobbled toward the quarantine building. "Let's go, they have a recon team going to meet us. They're going to bomb the building, we just have to confirm the kill."

"Sounds easy enough," Mick groaned as May asked beside him, each one using the other for balance after their severe beating.

Within minutes the quinjet launched several missiles into the building, blowing massive holes in the sides and front. May and Mick met the team, all of which seemed to be terrified to enter the building. He should've been used to this by now, Hydra grunts were always big talk, never much for action. 

"Here I was thinking you chumps were Hydra's best, you're nothing but a bunch of cowards," Mick snapped as the team leader rolled his eyes. 

"If they won't do it, we will. Body camera's on, let's go Mick, we're going to confirm the kill," May snatched two rifles from the soldiers, handing one to Mick.

He reluctantly took it, then followed behind her without question. They walked to the side of the building, avoiding massive debris before seeing a side entrance with a dark skinned man standing beside the door, wearing white prisoner garbs. May quickly pointed her rifle at him, as he stared in shock, until a teenage boy made his way down the stairs. His hair and body covered in soot, with blood on his head and chest. "What?" May stammered in disbelief as the boy was followed by more kids, each with varying injuries and soot. 

"May, there were people in here!" Mick gasped as May shook her head, clearly unable to cope with this. Mick couldn't cope either, out of line or not, this was inhumane! This wasn't right! 

"Not just people, these are kids," she said in disbelief. "Why the heck are there kids in here?" May cried out on the comms before pushing past the man clutching her rifle tightly. 

"There's more upstairs, the place is steadily coming down," the dark skinned man said as Mick stared at him. "Please, you've got to help them!" 

Mick nodded, he figure out how to protect Sam and Daisy later, right now these people needed help! He made his way up the stairs to catch up with May. They entered a classroom looking place, were stood Jemma, Sam, Ward, Coulson and the Patriot, each trying to uncover kids from the broken ceiling above them. "Traitors or not, they need help," Mick said rushing to help the others, while May stood there, frozen by what she saw. 

"Come on, you call yourself a hero for your side, then prove it! You can't just stand there these kids need help!" The Patriot barked as he used his strength to rip a massive concrete structure off of a desk that had a student pinned underneath. 

"Commander! Snap out of it!" Ward barked as he lead another group of students from an adjacent room, Sam's ice slowly starting to crack as the structure was giving way.

There was a loud crack, the roof then began to tremble, dropping several massive concrete pieces and dust along with it. "Chris!" Coulson called out as he started to run toward a newly uncovered debris pile on the collapsing floor. 

"Stop!" The Patriot called out, pushing past Coulson, sliding down into the rubble to start pulling the debris, only for more of the roof to collapse on top of him while he shielded the trapped boy. 

"No," Mick said horrified, as he staggered backwards. "This guy, he's not as bad as they said. No one does things like this." 

Ward walked over to Mick, patting his shoulder. "Jeffery Mace is a good man, he's the leader of SHIELD. He's the reason I joined their cause."

"No, he," May stammered, staring at the pile of debris in complete disbelief. "He can't be good," she continued with a slight quiver. "He can't be good, can he?" She finished as Mick turned to Sam wrapping his arms around her as she cried.

"Bad people don't make that kind of sacrifice," Coulson said respectfully as he continued to stare at the pile himself. The ground began to shake once again. 

"We've got to get out of here! The whole place is coming down!" Ward barked, as May refused to take her eyes off the pile. 

"No, I think it's coming up," Jemma said with a slight bit of enthusiasm. 

To Mick's shock, he turned to see Mace pushing up the massive support beam that had fallen with the ceiling. "Come on, we've got to help him!" Mick cried, as he and Ward grabbed a large metallic filing cabinet, bringing it closer to the deepening crater. 

"That won't work," Mace groaned as he was trembling while using everything he had to hold up the beam. "Make a human chain or something and get this kid, then get out of here!" 

"We can't just leave you behind!" Sam cried out. 

"You don't have a choice!" Mace barked as Coulson side down into the crater, with Mick and Ward holding on tightly to him as he guided the boy up, and out of the crater. 

Sam then stepped up, trying to form an icy pillar to help Mace escape, while Mick and Sam tried to throw webbing and she tried to freeze it to steady the cracking pillar. "I appreciate the effort, but you all need to leave. I can't hold this much longer."

"I'm so sorry," Sam whimpered, hugging Mick before she followed Ward and Jemma out of the room. 

"You're a good man," Coulson said as he left, leaving Mick and May standing there staring at Mace, eyes full of respect and remorse. 

"Are you sure there's nothing we can do?" May asked as and Mace shared a look, as she nodded silently before turning and leaving with Mick on her heels.

The two sat next to each other on the quinjet, each lost in their own thoughts, only for Mick to break the silence. "I guess we all but confirmed Sam and Ward are traitors for SHIELD, where does that leave us with Skye? I didn't see her in that insanity." 

"I tricked her earlier and she admitted to being an agent of SHIELD from another world, as well as knowing several others whom I left out off the record," she said somberly. 

"Let me guess, I was one?" Mick wasn't really asking, just trying to pry. 

"Apparently so was I," she said as if she was actually questioning her loyalty. Mick knew that he couldn't keep the charade up much longer. Surely this mission wasn't about testing loyalty, but trying to break him. It had to be a punishment for his betrayal on that island, on that Madam Hydra knew would eat away at Mick's soul. 

"May, what if she's telling the truth? What if we really are from another world?" He spoke, finally letting the possibility take hold. 

"Don't worry, we're going to find out soon enough what is really true. I have a plan. When we get back to HQ, just keep an eye out for my signal," May said with a coy grin.

"How am I going to know your signal?" 

"Oh trust me, you'll know," May said as Mick shrugged. Whatever she was planning, it must be big, because it was very rare that Commander May smiled this much.