Watchdogs

   WARNING! From now on, my book will follow the basic plot line of the rest of season 3. So, I do not recommend reading this if you have not seen all of season 3. 


Mack, Fitz, Daisy, and I were sitting around a table in the Zephyr. Daisy and Mack were arguing, while Fitz and I had been pretty much entirely quiet the whole time.


    Daisy and Lincoln had recovered entirely, and just in time for an ATCU building to be blown up (the ATCU is like this government-agency thing which was originally formed to deal with threats like Inhumans but now they work with SHIELD or something- it's all very confusing). Wait no- imploded. Imploded. By a bunch of idiot Inhuman-haters called the Watchdogs. Who came up with that stupid name, anyways?


   Well, Daisy found a way to get to a member of the Watchdogs who had been posting Inhuman-hate online, and she wanted to go interrogate him. Mack- who had to take a small break from his vacation- was against her scaring him into giving her information.


   Then they started arguing, with Fitz and I unsure what to do.


     "We're SHIELD I'm trying to save lives. I'll use whatever advantage I have to do it," Daisy said.


   "Yeah, the advantage of superpowers, which is something I don't have. But I'm not so sure you should be using yours to sidestep civil liberties," Mack replied.


    "Daisy," I interjected, "He's kinda right. You can't just go around threatening people with your superpowers. Sure, I hate these 'Watchdog' people, but it- it just doesn't seem right."


    "They gave up their right to civil liberties when they started imploding buildings," Daisy growled. "And I didn't say I was going to threaten anyone."


    "Then what were you going to do?" I asked.


Daisy didn't respond, and Fitz and I shared a glance.


   "It's not about how they act. It's about how we respond... All right, look, I'm not going along with this. Besides, I made a promise to my brother," Mack sighed and walked out of the room.


   "Mack, wait!" I called after him.


      He didn't listen.


I sighed and turned to Daisy.


   "Do you really think that this is a good idea?" I asked her.


  "I think it's the best one," she responded.


"Well, I guess it doesn't matter what I think, since I wouldn't be able to go anyways. See you later Daisy. You too Fitz," I said and got up.


    "Ok, Fitz, you're with me," Daisy said as I walked out.


But as I was leaving, I could have sworn I heard Fitz say,


      "Am I?"


~~~~~~~~~~~


   So Daisy was back.


      Apparently she was able to scare some information out of someone in the Watchdogs, but she wouldn't give me the details. Something about it not being "important." (The moral of this story is, kids, don't go post mean things online, because if you do, people with superpowers will come scare information out of you. Of course. If that wasn't already obvious. And my sarcasm sucks.)


  Anyways, she called Mack to tell him what she found out.


"They're gathered at a place called 'Easterling Farms.' They're prepping for their next attack,"


  Daisy told him.


    I could just make out what Mack was saying on the phone.


 "How'd you get the information?" He asked. I smiled. I had known he would say that.


        "I found someone who was willing to talk. Look, the point is, if we leave now, we can stop anyone else from getting hurt. That's still the mission, isn't it?" Daisy responded.


   "Easterling Farms. That's over in, uh....uh Lake Country right?"


 "Yeah. I'll text you the location."


       "I'll meet you there. There's nothing for me to do around here, anyways," Mack finished before hanging up.


    "So," I asked, leaning back in my chair, "What do you want me to do?"


"Stay here. You aren't ready to be doing anything in the field yet," Daisy said, which I could have predicted.


     "I know! But is there anything that I can do?"


  "I don't know."


     "Could I at least stay on the Zephyr while you guys are at the Watchdog base?" I asked hopefully.


Daisy shrugged.


   "Ok, sure. Just stay there."


I nodded.


   "I will, I promise."


**********


    So at least Daisy had let me come with them in the Zephyr, but after a while, I became very bored.


 I wondered how Lincoln and Coulson were doing. They had gone to try and find this "Felix Blake" guy, who Coulson believed was the leader of the Watchdogs.


    I paced in the Zephyr,  waiting for Daisy and Fitz to come back.


      Suddenly, I heard a commotion outside, and ran to see what was going on.


  Fitz and Daisy were arriving in the containment module. I ran to greet them, but I realized something was wrong.


    "Everyone stay back! Clear the area!" Daisy yelled, but I, of course, ignored her since I wanted to see what was going on.


    I peeked inside the module, and first, I spotted a man lying on the floor, who I assumed must be a Watchdog. Then, when I looked at Fitz, I gasped as I saw this glowing, orange, gel-looking thing on his neck.


     That- that's the thing that imploded the ATCU building, I thought. Oh, no.


  "It's digging into your skin," Daisy said as she turned back to Fitz.


   "Yep, I'm very well aware," Fitz responded. "So cutting it off is not an option."


   I bit my lip. I didn't know Fitz super well, but he seemed nice when I had talked to him, so, of course, I didn't want him to die.


"I'll quake it off," Daisy replied, and if the situation wasn't so serious, I would have laughed at the wording she used.


"No, no, no! It's too unstable," Fitz exclaimed. "Okay, I don't want to get her involved, but I think we should phone Simmons."


   "We've got a better way to get the info," Daisy said, staring pointedly at the Watchdog on the floor.


Fitz looked at him, realizing what she meant.


   "Ok. I was wondering why you brought him here."


Daisy turned toward the Watchdog on the ground.


   "What did your people put in the bomb? Tell us what you did!" Daisy yelled.


  "I don't know," the guy said.


Daisy narrowed her eyes and knocked him back with her power.


  I was kind of startled. I had never seen Daisy like this before.


"Talk or implode," she growled.


    "It was you...." the man said with shock.


    What does he mean? I thought.


"You're not getting out of here until you give us answers," Daisy said.


    "I- I don't know. I'm not a scientist."


"Yeah, obviously," Fitz interjected. I couldn't help but smile a bit.


  "Look, whatever Blake did to suspend the stuff in there, he didn't tell me," the Watchdog continued.


"Wait, wait, wait, wait. Hang on. "Suspend"... that's a science word that he wouldn't know. The... the... the nitramene is suspended. It's like... it's like a vaccination. That's why we can't get to it."


     I raised an eyebrow. Nitramine? I'll have to look that up later.  


      "What do we do?" Daisy asked.


   I started pacing, hoping Fitz wouldn't implode. That would be unpleasant, for Fitz and the people watching.


    "Uh... We need to stop the substance housing the nitramene. Uh, it's a liquid, so... We could freeze it." Fitz said.


   "How?"


"Liquid nitrogen. There's, um... we use it in the cooling jets on the containment module. There's a panel in the corner!"


  Daisy walked over to the panel to get the liquid nitrogen.


She brought it back over to Fitz and sprays the liquid nitogen.


  "It's working! Fitz! It's working!" she exclaimed as the glowing orange substance hardened and turned grey.


  I let out a breath I didn't realize I had been holding.


Fitz began to take the thing off his neck, and broke into small pieces.


Daisy turned to the Watchdog.


  "I'm turning you over to the ATCU. I have a feeling General Talbot will have some questions for you."


The man just laughed.


    "What?" Daisy asked and narrowed her eyes at him.


"It was all talk for so long. 'Get a powered person and kill it.'"


   I glared when he said "it." Seriously? We may have powers, but we're still people. Not animals.


   "But then you all were there, and we got to see a real, live freak fire a shock wave," he continued. 


   "Only thing is, we didn't think it was a... tiny, unassuming little girl. If we did, we'd have gone after you instead." I raised an eyebrow at how he described Daisy. If she hadn't been thinking so hard about something else, she probably would hit him with her power.


   "What did you mean by 'instead?'" Fitz asked.


Then suddenly, it dawned on me, and by the look on Daisy's and Fitz's faces, it had dawned on them too.


   "Mack," Daisy whispered. Fitz and her looked at each other.


"We have to go. Now!" She exclaimed.


I bit my lip, hoping he would be okay.


*********


  I sighed as I watched Mack being wheeled out of the house on a stretcher.


       Apparently, the Watchdogs had come and attacked him and his brother, Ruben. They two of them had been able to fight them off, but Mack had gotten shot in the process.


    But thankfully, he would be OK.


I walked over to Daisy, who was talking to Mack's brother, Ruben.


   "He'll be fine," I heard Daisy say to him. "They're taking him to a facility nearby. It's one of ours. I'll drive you. You all right ?"


     "I've never... All those men... here... He had to shoot them to..." Ruben sputtered.


"I know, I know, it's a lot to take in," Daisy responded. "But you're safe now. But S.H.I.E.L.D. will take all the wounded men into custody, and Damage Control will clean up." 


    "S.H.I.E.L.D. Alfie works for S.H.I.E.L.D." A grin lit up my face as he spoke. Alfie? That was the perfect comeback for when he called me "Shady."


    "He's one of the best. Did you just call him 'Alfie?'" Wow. Thank you. I cannot wait for him to get back from recovery now," Daisy said.


      "He'll love that," I said, evil plans already forming in my mind.


   "What do you call him?" Ruben asked.


  "Mack," Daisy and I said simultaneously.


       "That's what my buddies call me," he responded. "He said his.....friends took off?"


 I could only assume he was talking about Hunter and Bobbi, the agents Mack had told me about.


     "Yeah. But not all of them," She said, and the two of us smiled. "And now that you know about us, we might give you a ring. Your brother says you're a good wheel man."


    "And you're his partner."


 "Yeah. And I should've been here for him. I could've stopped them.


     "He seemed to handle things fine. He's good at it ? Saving people?"


    "When I need someone to watch my back, he's the person I want," Daisy replied and I nodded in agreement.


   "Okay. Good," He replied, then seemed to be lost in thought.


 After a few moments of silence, Daisy said,


  "Still need that ride Mini Mack?"


I nearly burst out laughing.


**********


I was waiting outside Coulson's office when Daisy came out. She sighed.


   "What's up?" I asked, curious about what they had been talking about.


"The ATCU attack was actually a cover. Staged by Malick," she told me.


    "Malick....?" I asked, not knowing who that was.


 "Oh! Right, I forgot you don't know who that is. He's the new leader of Hydra."


I nodded. Hydra I had heard about.


   "A cover for....?" I asked.


"We don't know. We're pretty sure they stole something, but we don't know yet," she replied, and I nodded.


   We remained silent for a few moments, then Daisy asked,


"You going into Coulson's office?"


  I nodded.


"What for?"


    "It's not important," I said and shrugged.


 Daisy raised an eyebrow, but could obviously tell I didn't want to talk about it. She shrugged, and walked down the hall.


   I took a deep breath and knocked on the door to Coulson's office.


"Come in," I heard him say.


    I walked in nervously.


 He was looking at a file, but looked up when I walked in.


  "Coriana?" He said, sounding surprised it was me. 


I bit my lip and stood awkwardly in front of his desk.


   "Sir- uh Director- or whatever- I- I just wanted to apologize," I said and looked down.


 "For what?" Coulson asked.


    "I- I kinda think we got off on the wrong foot a bit. I shouldn't have argued with you. I guess I need to work on my patience a bit. That's never been my strong suit," I continued, laughing slightly.


        "And, I know I haven't really listened to you at all since I've been here, so I wanted to apologize for that too.


    "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for being disrespectful, and I hope that we can get along better in the future," I finished, looking up.


   Coulson nodded.


"I wanted to talk to you about that. I know you want to be an agent, but if you are going to be one, you have to learn how to follow orders, and like you said listen. Yes, you haven't listened to me very much, but I believe that you could be a good agent someday," he replied.


   "Oh yeah, about that- I was wondering, how old am I going to have to be before I can go on missions?" I asked. I figured that was as good of a time as any to ask that.


   "I've been giving that some thought. I've decided that it depends on what I see from you. When I see you're ready for the field, I'll put you there."


   I nodded.


 "Thank you."


He smiled.


   "But anyways, thank you for apologizing.I also hope we can get along better," he replied.


  I smiled too.


 "Thanks." 


Suddenly we heard a beep coming from his phone.


   Coulson looked at it.


"Well, you'd better go now," he said.


"Ok. any particular reason?" I wondered if it had to do with whatever message he got on his phone.


    "Yeah. May just texted me. Apparently you're late for training," he replied.


My eyes got wide.


   "Shoot," I muttered and and ran out of his office, dreading May's wrath.











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