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Act as you otherwise would.

That was the simple command Ward had given Nina and it was the single thought that had been bouncing around in her head ever since. She smiled at Skye and Simmons like nothing had happened, conversed with May and Coulson as normally, teased Fitz with her flirtatious grins and glared at Ward whenever her eyes landed on him.

Though she was usually detached from her emotions, Nina felt especially robotic now. All her actions held no feeling or emotions and she was simply operating as a machine going according to its programming.

"We've been spotted. It's time," May's voice echoed through the PA system as the rest of the team and Ward, moved around the Command Centre. Fitz and Simmons were the only ones running around the room in slight panic and nervousness while Coulson, Ward and Nina were very systematic in their movements.

"Not going full Executioner today?" Ward asked as he looked at Nina, noticing her lack of katanas. She turned to face him blankly for a moment before glaring at him, following his order to act as she otherwise would.

"Boss seems to think I'd behead you if I took them," she said, her voice filled with threat as she slid a knife into her boot, "though I am unsure why he thinks only my katanas can do the job."

"Nina," Coulson warned and she turned to look at him with a grin.

"I know," she rolled her eyes, "no killing unless he breathes suspiciously."

Coulson nodded before he turned back to his previous task, missing the way Ward watched Nina with an impressed smile. People under the Faustus method followed orders to the best of their abilities but there was a sense of roboticness that always gave them away, Nina was truly acting as if there was no change and seeing it firsthand made Ward understand Hydra's obsession with her a little more.

"I've got visuals on the target," May's voice reached the room once more, "buckle in."

Ward walked towards Nina and gestured towards the door, "after you."

"Fuck off," was her response before she turned around, clasping her hand around Simmons' wrist and taking Fitz's hand in hers then exiting the room with the scientists close to her.

Fitz, expectedly, blushed as Nina dragged him towards the cargo hold while Simmons just allowed herself to be pulled alongside the, almost reinstated, couple.

Nina only let go of them when they reached the top of the spiral stairs, allowing them to climb up into the Quinjet, May had been instructing them from.

"They've locked on," May said as Nina and the two scientists buckled in. Skye, Coulson and Ward climbed into the jet and followed suit.

Nina wasn't sat upfront with May and Coulson, so she couldn't see the missiles that had been sent in their direction. But that didn't stop her from counting down in anticipation, smiling widely when she got to zero at the same time the weapons slammed into the Bus below them.

She heard Simmons squeal beside her while Fitz tensed slightly as the jet jolted at the impact. Craning her head slightly, she faced the pilot seat and watched as the flames of their previous home danced across the front of the jet.

"Shit," the word found its way past Nina's lips as her eyes widened in realisation, "my katanas were still on that."

"No, I got them," Fitz said, gesturing to the long black bag that lay on top of the pile of boxes strapped to the floor that he'd hauled in earlier, "I figured you'd forget them."

"Leo, love," Nina said taking his hand in hers once more and bringing it up to her lips. She pressed a soft kiss to his knuckles and looked in his eyes as she spoke, "you are a godsend."

[2] An Executioner's Requiem | Leo FitzWhere stories live. Discover now