Affinity || GRANT WARD [1]

SE 2: EP 3 ― Making Friends and Influencing People

2015 ― The Playground

Skye and Audrey were at the gun range in The Playground. Skye was shooting, and Audrey was observing as her S.O. When Skye was done shooting, Audrey pressed the button for the target papers to be brought over to them to see how she's improved and how she can help her improve more.

"I imagined they were all... well...-" Audrey cut her off.

"...-You can say his name, Skye. I promise I won't crumble into a million pieces," Audrey said with a small smile on her face. "But, you should imagine they're all targets. Don't get cocky; this is step one. It's all about...-" Skye cut her off.

"...-Control, I know," Skye said as they were both continuing to talk over each other.

"...-Over your body and mind," Audrey said.

"Don't forget your mind," Skye said as she shook her head.

"In the field, you need to maintain control—whatever the situation. Hostages, bombs about to go off...-" Skye cut in again.

"...-So, what you're saying is that what I just did was puny and sad," Skye said. Audrey grabbed Skye's arm to look at her fitness watch to see her heartbeat.

"61 beats per minute. Consistent the whole time, not that puny," Audrey said as she turned around to grab a bigger gun. Skye was fine at shooting a pistol, but Audrey needed her to be comfortable shooting anything.

"Speaking of not so puny..." Skye trailed off when she saw the gun.

"Yeah, I want you to get used to this. It's a sniper rifle. My favorite," Audrey said, which made Skye laugh. Audrey sighed again as she thought back to her last two years at The Academy, when she and Grant were competing with each other to be the best sniper and the loser had to do whatever the winner said. Audrey won and she made Grant take her out for drinks after graduation. She sighed as she shook the thought from her head. They weren't those people anymore.

She was starting to think they never were.

"Pardon me. Uh, just one quick question. You went to S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy, right?" Hunter asked. Audrey had been so lost in thought, she didn't see Mack and Hunter approach, and Hunter was pushing a cart. His question was directed toward Skye.

"You didn't. If you did, you would have known better than to shoot us," Audrey said as she looked at him. Coulson told Hunter that Audrey and May savored holding grudges, and he definitely wasn't smart to shoot them.

"Apology number 470. I am very sorry, Agent Fury," Hunter said.

"Don't be sorry. Just wait," Audrey said, which made Hunter sigh.

"Uh, well, we just have a little wager. Uh, so, did you?" Mack asked as he looked at Skye.

"Go to the Academy? Yeah, no," Skye said. Hunter let out a groan as he hung his head.