Unexpected Consequences

Disclaimer: none of the characters are mine, but belong to Marvel™.

Note: this story contains spoilers.

The door has closed, Mack and Robbie has left; for a while, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s new 'hellgate' stood silent – for a while. Then it came back to life and several more people emerged. They did not stick around, but rather left the room – they were busy and on a schedule…

/ / /

"Hey, Daisy," Robbie told the InHuman woman, as he and Mack arrived…to visit Gabe, mostly, but since Daisy was with Gabe, this was okay, really. "How are you after all of this?"

"…" Daisy mumbled something under her breath. "Still better than you, I reckon. How have you been?"

"Not bad," Robbie muttered, "are you, uh, in a rush?"

"…" Daisy mumbled some more. "I'm not sure. Director Mace is a peculiar person, but my relationship with S.H.I.E.L.D. is something else. New topic?"

Robbie paused; ever since he had learned about his uncle's true colors he had grown increasingly more subdued. "When the Spirit of Vengeance took me to its' realm, on my way back I've ran into your ex-boyfriend and his friends," he told Daisy instead. "They told me that a man named Johnny Blaze can help out with my own situation – maybe. Johnny Blaze is on some sort of an index, also – can you help me find him? You're a computer expert, right?"

Daisy opened and closed her mouth several times before managing: "You saw Lincoln? But how? He cannot be in Hell!"

"Oh, I didn't meet him in Hell, but in Limbo – it's more of a vestibule to Hell, you know?" Robbie replied, belatedly realizing that he could have handled it better. "The Divine Comedy wasn't so wrong, you know? He…isn't Heaven material, exactly." He paused and added, even more slowly: "Neither am I, of course, or you, but-"

"Don't," Daisy finally was able to compose herself. "Don't go there. Did you meet any other of my 'friends' in Limbo or wherever?"

"…" It was Robbie's turn to mutter. "Johnny Blaze?"

"I'll be looking into him," Daisy looked away. "Did you meet anyone else out there? Any other of my ex-boyfriends?" she asked sourly. "Grant Ward, maybe?"

"Um, I don't know," Robbie appeared to be busy looking elsewhere but at his new friend. "He was quite certain that you two weren't a couple-"

"We weren't," the man in question replied, even though he was supposed to be dead for real. "Our relationship was all sorts of crazy, but we were never a couple. You want to talk about her in bed? Talk to Campbell, here, again-" and he thrust the man in question towards Daisy.

The woman in question seemed to be on the verge of a heart attack, or at least hyperventilating in a manner reminiscent of the FitzSimmons at their worst. Then again, Mack himself did not look much better. "What?" he asked, (barely). "How?"

"Hey! You built an entrance to and fro the land of the dead and have to be surprised?" Kara Palamas, (also known as agent 33) peeked from behind Grant. "At least try not to have it attuned to Hell and the like first."

"You're back," Daisy spoke to no one in particular. "You're really back."

There was a slight lull in the conversation. "Yes, that is so," Grant finally filled in. "Now, Kara is wondering – where are Hunter and Morse?"

"They left – they are gone, they got burned after an incident with an InHuman in Russia," Mack replied, fingering the handle of his gun-axe combo. "Didn't you know it?"

"I didn't know about many things, including Hive," Grant grimaced, "and Kara was already dead by then. Lincoln knew more, but he wasn't in Russia, was he?"

"No, he wasn't," Mack confessed. "So, Dr. Radcliffe and his people have built a genuine portal into Hell?"

"More like into the generic land of the dead, not specifically into the Christian underworld," Kara shrugged, before adding, more helpfully: "It's confusing, from a geographic P.O.V."

"Mmm," Mack nodded, even as Daisy repeated herself: "You're really back."

"Who's back?" Jeffrey Mace could be heard from outside, down the corridor. "Or are we talking about backsides in general? I mean, after I saw Dr. Radcliffe and his assistant carry down another agent down the corridor 'to celebrate' I shouldn't be surprised by anything – oh, hello, Ward. I heard that you were dead?"

"We were," Grant nodded evenly, his behavior much more subdued than ever Daisy could remember. "Mace. You're the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. now?"

"I am," Jeffrey spoke brightly. "How's your personal life? Found the one you seek?"

Grant shrugged and mumbled something generic, (indicating Kara with a general and broad sweep).

"Right," Daisy decided that she had been just a part of the background long enough. "How come you people know each other?"

"Well," Grant carefully began to choose his words, "this is Jeffrey Mace. He is an InHuman-"

"I thought that he was the new director?"

"I'm both!" Mace spoke brightly. "Why cannot an InHuman be the director of S.H.I.E.L.D.? This is America, you know, the land of opportunity?"

"Good for you," Daisy frowned: she could see that there was a flaw in Mace's logic; she just was not sure what it was. Judging by the unhappy frowns on the others' faces, they could. (Well, except for Mack, but her friend himself was subdued after his experience with Robbie's body-travelling demon; speaking of Robbie and his demon…) "Now what?"

"Good question," Mace nodded, completely ignoring Daisy's own – how did he know Grant Ward of all people. "You got any plans now that you're back?" he asked the man in question. "Considering how you died and all, we can get you an amnesty and reinstall you here. It could be good for everyone involved."

"Of course it will," Grant nodded, before turning to his female companion. "Kara? It's your call."

"Of course it is," Kara nodded in reply, before very firmly taking Grant by an arm and standing up with him towards Jeffrey Mace, (who, apparently, was even taller than Grant was, as Daisy was belatedly figuring out). "I guess we're in."

"Good," Jeffrey beamed. "I do love it when things go right for a change."

As he left to finish the paperwork, Daisy looked around. "This is a bad idea without going for the obvious, right?"

The others just nodded in agreement. Paradoxically, (or perhaps – not so much), Daisy did not feel happy about this.