Chapter 21: Not According To PlanNotes:
All rights go to Marvel
Chapter Text
Skye's POV
Waiting for May to wake up was one of the hardest things I had to do. I couldn't go near her, because of my restraints, and no matter how many times I tried calling her name nothing seemed to change. So, after changing among 'May', 'Melinda' and even 'Mel' a handful of times I eventually gave up and waited, staring at her sleeping form just to reassure myself that she was breathing and was alive.
Time seemed infinite for me in this holding room, and with no sun or clock inside I had easily lost track of time. I had not even the slightest idea of how many hours it was since the accident. Or even days for that matter since I had absolutely no clue for how long I was knocked out due to the head injury I had collected from the crash.
My thoughts were cut short when I heard a groan from across the room.
"May" the word escaped my lips before I even registered it. She seemed dazed as she woke up and it took her some time to register her surroundings. "Hey, hey Mel look at me" the nickname that only I used came out but thankfully all she did was snap her eyes in my direction. I let out a sigh once I saw her looking at me and her eyes were clear and she seemed superficially fine. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"
I could see her irises widen once she focused on my form. I must have been quite the sight for sore eyes. "I am fine" she replied though I could hear the strain in her voice.
"This is not the time to be brave Mel," I told her all serious.
She let out a small laugh, titling one side of her mouth up in a half-smile. The laugh though made her flinch and that got me only more worried. "Just some bruised ribs, nothing serious" she answered honestly. I was really grateful that I wouldn't have to pressure her anymore to find out about her health status. "You on the other hand… how are you feeling? Where does it hurt more?"
Not 'where does it hurt', but 'where does it hurt more'. I guess I wouldn't want to look at myself in a mirror.
"My head is generally pounding with the slightest movement" I began and then truly focused on my injuries. So far, I had tried avoiding thinking of them and keeping my mind on other matters but it was important to know in what state I was truly in. And as I focused, all the pain came crushing in. I realised my wheezing every time I took a breath. "At least bruised, if not cracked ribs. Have no idea how many tho–"
"Well, I would say about one on your left side and two on your right" O'Brien interrupted as he came in the room. May visibly tensed at his presence, though I wasn't sure if it was his presence or the information that she had just gotten. "Now that I let you catch up a little bit, should we continue?" He finished as his fist contacted my torso, leaving me breathless.
May's POV
I knew that this was supposed to be a realistic exercise of an interrogation, but this was too much. They had blocked me from the computer even since agent O'Brien returned to the room after the first time Skye woke up and so I had no idea what to expect when I was to be introduced to the scenario.
I woke up to a bloody Skye, with cuts all over her face that must have come from punches, and who had trouble breathing probably because of a similar cause. And for her to breath in that way… well, let's just say that I wasn't very keen to see how her torso looked beneath her soaked t-shirt. And all I could do was sit tied in a chair as she became a punching bag for the agent that I would definitely have a chat with once we met back at the Hub. More often than not I would tense on my seat and fidget trying to find a way to get out of the ropes that tied my hands and feet on the chair. True, I was supposed to look uncomfortable with what was happening and stuff, but it was really easy and most of the times I didn't have to pretend.
"Where is it?" O'Brien asked for what must have been the millionth time, always referring to the '0-8-4' that never truly existed. Well, as we did with all items of unknown origin it would probably be on its way to the Fridge by now and this was the answer that he would be looking for. But I couldn't give him that info, so all I did was tightly close my mouth. "Looks like I will have to change tactics again" and with that, he delivered a powerful punch on Skye's face that knocked her out and her head was now hanging limply on her chest.
"Skye!" I screamed and moved on the chair but my restraints held me down. I just watched as O'Brien walked out of the room, brought in a bucket full of water and then walked to the machine that held Skye off the ground. He must have switched it off because Skye's body just fell hard on the ground. I wasn't sure that even if she was conscious she would be able to keep herself up straight since she was hanging for far too long.
The man walked to Skye and grabbed her, dragging her across the room and dropping her once again next to the bucket of water. Then the realisation hit me.
Waterboarding.
I looked towards the only camera that observed us in the far corner of the room. Well hidden in the shadows so that Skye wouldn't notice it, but I knew where it was placed. I imagined Maria on the other side and my eyes begged for this not to continue any further.
She had proved that she wouldn't say anything for fuck's say! My eyes darted back to O'Brien who was looking at me as well. "You don't have to do this," I told him, not saying anything else in the slightest chance that Skye could hear us. Though I was highly doubting that she could.
"Tell me what I want to know, and I won't have to," he said with a smirk. Oh, I was so gonna enjoy breaking him to pieces should anyone leave the two of us alone in a room. But for now, I couldn't do or say anything. "That's what I thought" and just like that he grabbed Skye from the back of the neck and dived her head in and under the water in the bucket.
Skye's POV
After all the beating that I had sustained in the last more-than-couple hours, my body finally shut down on its own allowing me to surrender to the darkness where it was quiet and peaceful. Though of course, that wouldn't last for lost. It seemed like seconds to me when I was receiving a hit on the cheek from O'Brien and then I woke with my lungs screaming for air.
I thrust my body in a try to get out of the water that my head was in but something, or rather someone, was holding me from the neck pressuring me even further down the water with my resistance. As I felt like my lungs were on fire and dots were appearing in the edges of my vision, the cruel hand eventually released its hold and my body jerked up and out of the liquid. I was curled on the side, eyes tightly shut and water pouring out of my mouth as I was trying to swallow mouthfuls of air. I couldn't really register anything other than the wheezing sound of my breathing and the endless water that was coming off of my lungs. I mean, how did so much water even found its way down my throat?
It could have been seconds or minutes at best when I started faintly hearing a reassuring "Breath Skye… breath, that's it". I highly doubted that it would be more time than that since I guessed my captor would not allow more before the next round of what appeared to be waterboarding was about to begin.
The voice kept on trying to make me breathe properly, but it was so hard and my throat was hurting. A second voice intervened and it was clear that O'Brien was asking for May to answer his questions. I had long figured that he had stopped trying to make me talk and had focused on May.
If he had found information about my name and status in the Academy, then I did not doubt that he knew about what May's skill was as well and had probably figured that breaking her through seer force wouldn't work very effectively. So, he was trying to exhaust her mentally by beating the living shit out of me and making her watch, helpless to come to my aid. Maybe then he would pick up on forcing intel out of her. What I did not know though, was whether he had also learned about our relationship or if he was focusing on me because I was the young agent in this case.
But whichever the case, I was determined to take all of the punches if it meant that May would come unhurt out of this. I slightly opened my eyes and saw that O'Brien was in May's face, whose eyes snapped at mine once she realised that I was watching her.
I could see her desire to take my pain away. She was full-out cursing to O'Brien and this worried me, to be honest. So far, she had kept a quiet front and this sudden change meant that her resolve to withhold information and watching me getting hurt was running out. There were small signs like these that the man appeared to notice as well and he was wearing his trademark smirk, that I so much wanted to rip off his ugly face.
"Don't you dare Mel," I said, and my voice came out rough. Using the nickname that only I dared pronounce definitely got both of their attention as all the talks stopped. I smiled with my teeth probably being a bloody mess, not that I cared. "I can take it, so don't you dare say a thing when I am the one getting beat up".
"You've never been on Mel's end, have you? Watching someone you love getting hurt and being able to stop it if only you answer a couple of questions? You are cognitive enough to ask her not to say anything, so why don't we change that?" And with that, a fist rooted itself deeply on May's already bruised ribs making her cough hard.
"Hey! Stop!" I screamed and made a move to get up on my unsteady feet. No sooner had I managed to actually stand when O'Brien's foot hit me straight to the chest sending me on my back, making me take a few moments before I can catch my breath again.
I didn't know whether it was my tiredness, my desire to protect May or both but I could feel an all familiar buzzing feeling crawling itself all the way down my arms. The memory of what had occurred to the Academy's gym the last time that I had this feeling flashed through my mind and I tried to surpass the unsettling feeling.
I was slowly finding my way back on my feet and at the same time making the buzzing disappear when I heard May groan. My ever-so-little control over whatever was happening slipped at the sound and I could feel the floor start to shake.
"Hey! Leave her alone!" I said with the firmest voice that I could master, though it still sounded pretty weak even to my own ears. A sudden wave of exhaustion suddenly started to take over. O'Brien however didn't seem to peak up on the earthquake that had suddenly started and just looked at me from head to toes. "You gonna answer my questions now?" He didn't even make a move to throw me to the ground again. He knew as well as I did that I wouldn't be able to fight him as much as I wanted to.
My hands had turned to fists on my sides as I was looking at O'Brien with a great desire to hurt him for even touching May. But no, I was not going to answer his questions, not in a million years and he quickly picked up on that. I could feel the vibrations of the room get more and more apparent as my control over whatever was happening slipped away.
The final straw appeared to be when he grabbed May's neck and I could tell he started squeezing, stopping her airways. "S-Stop!" I screamed and with newfound energy I felt a vibrational wave come out of my whole body, making the room quake violently.
"The hell? An earthquake?" O'Brien moved away from May when he finally registered what was happening. But it was too late. I could see pieces of the roof coming off and falling to the ground. He had to dive as a, quite large, piece of stone came down and almost buried him to the ground.
Crap! I ran, and by running, I mean walked as fast as my feet would carry me, to May and tried to untie her bindings not caring for anything else other than getting her out of that chair and into safety. Though with every unstoppable vibration coming off my body and making the room shake even harder, I could feel my low energy levels getting drowned.
"Skye, get out of here" I could faintly hear May's concerned voice as if I was underwater and shook my head. "I am not leaving you" I whispered and only hoped for her to hear my words.
I somehow managed to untie one of her hands and she started working on releasing the second. Once that was over and done she threw my arm over her shoulder, helping me walk and we started making our way out of the room, with O'Brien nowhere in sight and the exit door wide open. "Come on, Skye, a little more" she urged me to move. I lifted my eyes a bit to see her face, as her whole focus was on the door ahead of us.
As the rumbles were falling all over us I thought that I heard Hill's voice from behind the exit, though there was no way that she would be close by, was there? We were almost out of the room when I noticed a rather large piece of stone falling off the roof and coming straight at us. With one last burst of energy, I pushed May aside and I fell on top of her as if to protect her from getting hit by the concrete.
The exhaustion finally caught up with me and I blacked out, welcoming the peaceful darkness once more.
Chapter 22: Goodbye For NowNotes:
All rights go to Marvel
Chapter Text
Skye's POV
When I woke up, I was somehow at the Med Bay. Not the one that we had on the training campus, but at the Academy. I had injured myself plenty of times in the past year to know the place even though it was dark when I came to.
I looked around and checked on my body, feeling everything at the same time just to assess the extent of my injuries. The truth was, I was hurting all over the place. And I could feel the bandages that were wrapped around my torso and hands. I had this strange floating feeling that I guessed was from the painkillers that I was full of at the moment. Meaning, I could feel the pain from the bruises and cuts, but it was nothing compared to the feeling that I had when I was in the interrogation room.
And as I thought of that room, everything that played out came rushing through my mind. I flinched at the memory of the vibrations that were coming off my body and into the ground without being able to stop them.
Whatever happened from the moment that O'Brien started punching May was my fault and no one else's. Realisation hit me that I had no control, and the slight control that I thought I had disappeared into thin air once May's wellbeing was threatened. And something like that was bound to happen again in the line of business that I was training for. S.H.I.E.L.D. would put two and two together and they would find out about what I could do, and they would put me in the Index. Should that happen, I knew how the system worked. I would be assigned an agent to report to and would basically be forced to be cut from everyone and go somewhere far away. I would be far from May, Natasha, Jemma…
But what if I accidentally hurt Jemma?
My mind had taken a very strange and, honestly, dark turn soon after me waking up and if it kept going like that I would only see the negatives of the situation that I was in. But maybe there was a way for me to protect everyone and be able to keep in touch without being afraid of hurting them. Because them being hurt and it being my fault would be a nightmare that I wouldn't be able to shake off.
And then it hit me.
I needed to learn to control my powers, or whatever this whole vibration thingy was. But I wouldn't be able to learn to control them under the constant observation of S.H.I.E.L.D., or at least the Academy that I was in at the moment.
With that being said, I would have to disappear, but I would disappear on my terms.
Slowly I got to a sitting position and I was happy to find that my ribs didn't hurt as much as I was expecting them to, and my vision wasn't spinning so the concussion must have been better.
I got up to unsteady feet and wobbled a bit but found my balance quite quickly. I looked around and found no soul anywhere on site. There may not have been any clocks nearby, but I was sure that it was the middle of the night. I was glad that luck seemed to be on my side for once as I slowly started heading to my shared room with Jemma since I had to take a few clothes with me before I left.
It took me longer than normal to walk through the familiar corridors but eventually I reached my destination. The door opened with a whoosh, but it wasn't enough to wake the sleeping girl that occupied the room.
First of all, I started looking for a bag to get some clothes in. To my surprise, on my tied-up bed was the bag that I had taken with me to the training camp. It seemed that Hill or whoever brought me back here took my stuff from the camp as well. I quietly unzipped it and checked its contents, just to make sure everything was in there and that I didn't need anything else. Thankfully I remembered to grab some cash that I had stored in a box in my nightstand and made a move to leave, with the back over my shoulder. But at the exit, I paused and looked back.
Jemma wasn't even sleeping in her bed but was instead slumped at her desk over her computer. I dropped the bag, walked over to her and took the blanket from her bed to throw it gently over her shoulders. A smile was evident on my face as I took in Jemma's peaceful expression and tried to memorise it to the best of my abilities since I guessed it would be a long time before the two of us saw each other again. My eyes darted a little bit to the right as I noticed that she was holding onto something really tightly as if it would be the end of the world should she let it go.
I leaned in to inspect it and saw that it was a photograph. Well, wasn't that interesting? I had never saw a picture of one of Jemma's family, since I guessed that this was who the picture protracted, and it wouldn't harm her if I peaked, just to justify my curiosity.
My eyes widened when I took it was I was seeing. It was a photo of me working on my computer with my headphones on, having probably shut the rest of the world out, and Jemma making a funny face at the camera. I had no idea that this even existed.
Well, there was one more thing I needed to do before I left.
Simmons' POV
I woke up to someone knocking on my door. As the thundering sound continued and I had no choice but to open up, I got up and headed to the source. I saw Maria Hill on the other side, with a perfectly Operations mask on her face.
"Good morning agent Hill. Is everything okay?"
"What the hell do you want? It's like 5 a.m. for crying out loud" I wanted to add, but I couldn't since she was outranking me and she was one of Skye's trainers. I did have a bone to pick with her though.
She was the one that had Skye all beaten up during that "morning sparring" that they had that day before her birthday. And then when Skye was in the training camp she was texting me through a safe line that she had created at least once every couple of days. And then she suddenly didn't and next thing I know she is back here, all beaten up and bruised and all I got from Hill was that an exercise had gone wrong and that Skye was to relax until the end of the training camp that the rest of Operations was at the moment.
"Have you seen Skye?" She asked and that snapped me out of my thoughts.
"No, not since yesterday that you brought her in and I spend my day next to her hospital bed" I said, leaving a bit of venom coming out and seep into my words. Hill didn't even flinch, and I guessed she must have expected such treatment on my part. But as she kept quiet realisation drew to be and concern took over. "Why? Did something happen?"
The agent sighed and didn't reply right away. She was probably thinking whether or not she should tell me what she knew, but then she looked at me dead in the eyes and I knew I was going to get a truthful answer. "I am to return to the training camp today and I passed by Skye's room to see if she was awake only to find her bed empty. No one knows where she is and we have the whole Academy on lockdown until she is found. I was hoping that she would be here with you, but I guess I was wrong" she turned to leave and with an outburst of courage, I stopped her by grabbing her wrist. I opened my mouth to say something but she stopped me before I even formed a word. "I will let you know as soon as we find something. I know you don't like me very much Jemma, and if I have to be honest I can't blame you. I just don't want Skye to hurt herself, she is in no condition to move around, and I know you can respect that".
She gently shoved my hand from her wrist and walked away, leaving me in a shock.
I slowly got back to my bed and sat with my back on the wall. Where could Skye have disappeared to? I saw her the previous day and Hill was right, even if she could get up she would be in no condition to stay like that for too long and because of her stubbornness, she would injure herself even more, probably trying not to worry any of us with her problems.
My gaze travelled to her empty bed in front of me trying to remember when was the last time that I had seen it with the sleeping form of Skye on top. I tilted my head to the side as my mind registered that something was wrong, but I couldn't quite pinpoint it. I got up and observed her bed, which was the same as the day that she left, all tied up and ready for her to return. But then, it wasn't like that yesterday, was it? There was the bag that she had taken with her to the camp on top, along with all her stuff and in my best recollection, I didn't remember putting it away.
My head snapped back to my bed and then to my desk, underneath which laid my blanket. Which I was sure that I hadn't used when I fell asleep looking at the photograph that I took of Skye without her knowledge. Which meant that Skye did come, but I was too damn exhausted from the day that I didn't even notice! I was mentally beating myself up when I walked to the desk and gathered the blanket from the floor to put it back on the bed.
Once back on the desk, I sat on the chair and let a heavy breath. Where the hell are you Skye? I was thinking as my eyes darted around my desk. I noticed the edge of the photograph that I was holding sticking out of my planner. I definitely didn't put it there, which only leaves one person…
I quickly opened the book on the page where the photograph was, only to see that it was on the day when we both moved in the Academy. The photo had a paper clip on it and with furrowed brows I took it in my hand to inspect it. A gasp escaped my lips when I turned it the other way and found a letter. With big letters, she had written "Manscaping" on the back with a smiley face next to it.
I took the letter on my hand and unfolded it, revealing its contents and prepared mentally before opening it.
Jemma,
By now you probably know that I have left the Med Bay and I am guessing that the Academy is in Lockdown (if you didn't know, I am really sorry that you had to learn it this way). And because it's you, you're worried sick about where I am and if I am okay. So, let me assure you that I am perfectly fine.
"Sure thing Skye," I say to myself. "Perfectly fine my ass," I said giggling at her antics.
Now, I can't tell you where I'm going because I don't know yet that myself. The thing is, I needed to get out of S.H.I.E.L.D. By the time you read this I will have erased all traces of me ever being at the Academy, all feeds with me in them will have seized to exist. Yeah, I will have to hack even further into S.H.I.E.L.D. but I am confident enough that I won't get caught and if I do… well, you will learn all about it since they will drag me back there. Anyhow, back to the topic, something happened during the camp that revealed some stuff. I can't tell you what and risk your safety, but the reason why I left is that I had to protect you. And Jemma, I wouldn't be able to live with myself knowing that something happened to you because of me. So I need to disappear.
But I couldn't leave without writing to you. I am going to miss you very much, but I will keep in touch as much as possible and will always look after you, even if you don't know it. You have helped me greatly in the past year and your friendship is something that I value in my heart and I hope that we can continue being friends after everything.
"Oh, Skye. If only you knew what you mean to me after this year…" I said as tears threatened to escape my eyes.
Now, I am getting all sentimental and I am guessing that you are as well. So, when did you even take this picture!? And why didn't I know about it? And because of all that, I couldn't help but take revenge. You might want to check your computer after reading this letter.
I should go now because people (and by people I mean Hill) will start waking up soon and I want to be gone before that happens.
Talk to you soon Jems,
Love,
Skye
With that, and full out tears in my eyes now, I put the letter aside and opened my computer. Once the screen was open a photograph popped up that had me laughing hard. It was me sleeping on the desk the previous night and Skye was there mimicking the same grimace that I had made when I took the photo of her with her computer. A post-it not was next to the photo and on the computer screen saying "Remember our safe word :)"
I giggled at that. "Manscaping" I whispered. I would never forget, and even if I did I would have the letter to remind me.
Chapter 23: Hacking StarkNotes:So, we're moving towards the events of Iron Man 2 to get the plot going. And we have our first proper time skip :)
All rights go to Marvel
Chapter Text
~ About 5 years later ~
Skye's POV
I was lazily driving my van in the middle of the night. I watched as the big New York city lights came closer by the minute and soon I was in the town. It was pretty late, and I was truly expecting the city to be empty or at least partially dead at this hour but the streets were all full of life.
I carefully kept driving on the streets that I knew no cameras would catch my presence and so I could remain undetected in yet one more place. I observed as teenagers got wasted drinking alcohol, and not just that, as they were laughing really hard with their friends. I never understood why someone would waste their control over their actions so that they could have one more drink. But I guess since I never really had the chance to taste it myself I wouldn't know what was so appealing. Maybe my opinion on it would change over time.
I turned left and found a relatively quiet alley to park my vehicle. And by relatively I meant that a few boys were hanging around, talking loudly, but it seemed like the kind of people that wouldn't pay any attention to me.
I pulled the handbrake and claimed a spot in the darkness. My mind tracked back, trying to find the reason why so many people would be at the normally-less-lively New York so late. And then it hit me. It should have been obvious, really, considering that they were probably there for the same reason as me.
The Stark Expo would soon be open to the public.
Stark, whose head was over the clouds since birth, believed that since he became Iron Man we had the longest uninterrupted period of world peace. And truth be told there were no major terrorist hits anywhere, and this made his gigantic ego even bigger, something that I was sad yet at the same time impressed, to learn that was possible.
But, of course, and I knew better than to believe him. I had already hacked into the FBI, CIA and other organisations, including S.H.I.E.L.D. At first, I said that it was so that I could keep track of what the people I care about are doing and to be updated on their wellbeing, but the truth was that I really wanted to hack in there just for the fun of it. And the director did try to keep me out once or twice, even almost succeeding, but I think he either gave up and decided that I wouldn't harm anyone with the info that I was gathering or was just waiting for me to get sloppy and get me. My bets were on the latter, but I never lost focus when hacking into this organisation.
Anyhow, I knew that S.H.I.E.L.D. continued working on the shadows and so, preventing many major terrorist attacks and was monitoring other… events happening in the world. With that being said, of course and Stark couldn't get the credit for all the peace-keeping around the world. But, also of course, he would never admit that and he did love the spotlight. And so, he decided to reopen the Stark Expo that people from all over the world came to New York just to see.
One of those people was me, only my purpose in the busy city was completely different from that of most. I came here with only one goal, to hack into Stark Industries.
I was sitting comfortingly in my van, which was filled with high tech computers. A lot of them, if not all, I had programmed and upgraded myself, since I couldn't get a strong enough software in the market that easily.
It was a few days before the Stark Expo and a couple of days since I arrived in the city. By now I had hacked my way through the general security walls of Stark's system and was working my way to the centre of it so that I could take control and play a little bit with him. It would be really funny if, I didn't know, Iron Man's suit suddenly started punching itself or flying circles to no end for example. Just some thoughts that had crossed my mind more than once while my hacking took place.
It was in the middle of the night when I made a major breakthrough and I started sending viruses that I knew would work. Soon I would have the access I needed and then–
Suddenly the viruses started bouncing back to me and I was the one who was getting attacked by the foreign system. I title my head a little bit, utterly confused by what was happening. My system always worked and there was no freaking way that my coding was false, I knew my stuff and was pretty damn good at them. So, what the hell was happening?
With newfound energy, I crunched on top of the keyboard and started typing like a mad man receiving, defending and sending attacks almost simultaneously. Well, that was an interesting turn of events. I never expected someone so high on his horse to have a defence system that I had not encountered before. Another first was my computer shutting down on its own, or rather being forced to.
"Shit!" I exclaimed before I could help myself and I turned to the rest of the computer at my disposal. Moving fast, I turn everything else down, saving my work to the only encrypted hard drive that I safely stored to a place that only I knew of. Just as I made the final move and was sure that everything was safe and at its place, my van door opened to reveal three men in black that were certainly sent by Stark.
I paused a moment and then turned to look at them, smiling as if I had done nothing wrong.
"Hey… what up?" The words left my mouth and the next thing I was being forced out of my home and towards a black SUV.
I fidgeted in my seat, playing with the wraps around my arms and hands. As soon as I was thrown off the SUV I saw that we were at the entrance of Stark Industries. The 'very kind', bodybuilder-like bodyguards led the way with me trapped between them to the lobby and from there we took the elevator.
"Mr, Stark is expecting you just down the hall" a British accent voice spoke as soon as the door opened. I was expecting the other people to follow along but they seemed as if frozen in place, all looking at me. When I made no move to go forwards the voice spoke once more. "Mr. Stark doesn't like to wait".
I guessed that that was my clue to go and I left the goons behind to move to where the voice told me to. I reached a room that looked like a very big and expensive living room, that had a bar on the side as well and basically screamed that Stark had money that he didn't know what to do with and spend on whatever he wanted to. And sitting on one of the many couches was the man himself with Ms. Potts a few feet away. My eyes locked with hers and she nodded so that Stark knew that I was in the room, not that he hadn't heard me walking in.
He got up and turned to face me, his expression switching to a surprised one as soon as he laid his eyes on me. "You are the one that tried to hack me?" His voice didn't mask his curiosity at all.
A smirk appeared on my face because of the reaction that I got from the billionaire. "I would prefer almost succeeded" I replied tilting my head to a mocking bow.
He walked up to me, trying to tower over me with his height. His face was all serious again, a business mask washing over his features. I could still see the playboy in him, it would be almost impossible for him to hide his true nature completely, but I would give him credit for trying. "Well, 'almost succeeded', how did you do it and most importantly why? Who do you work for?"
"Wow, wow," I said, taking a step back and lifting my hands separating us. "Isn't that an awful lot of questions now? And given you have no idea who I am, how I work and not to mentions you have noleverage over me, why should I answer?" My hands now were folding in front of my chest.
The mask that he wore for only a couple of minutes crumbled down with my reply and a really bright smiled appeared out of thin air. What the hell was it with this guy and his mood changes? He turned his head to look at his assistant who was eyeing me worryingly, almost as if assessing me up. I guessed that this was her job since nothing seemed to face Stark. Then he turned back to me. "How old are you? I would expect someone as bright as you in computers to be already swapped by S.H.I.E.L.D. or something".
If only you knew, I bitterly thought but the smile never left my face. "They don't know about me. Just like you won't be able to find anything either, so I wouldn't bother continuing the research that I guess you have already started my identity. I work alone".
"So why try hacking into Stark Industries?" He repeated the question that he had asked before in hopes that this time he would actually get an answer.
"Why not?" I just said and that seemed to be enough for him as his smile now reached his ears, if that was even possible.
"I like her" he declared to Ms. Potts who was now standing next to him. "Can I keep her?" He asked as if for permission. This earned him what could only be an evil and full-out judging glare from his assistant who was clearly struggling not to roll her eyes at him.
"I am no one's property" I simply said before anyone could say anything. I had learned about Stark's behaviour and he was never short on money. Which was a bad combination since he could get whatever he wanted really, and no one would be able to say anything. But the way that he phrased his question, which sounded more like a statement to my ears, in combination with his tone gave out a creepy vibe.
I could see the hints of a smile on Ms. Potts face when she looked at me. Then she turned and looked at Stark who was just as eagerly looking at her. They seemed to have a silent conversation and then simultaneously they turned their attention back at me.
"What I mean, is that I want to hire you" he stated.
"Come again?"
Chapter 24: New And Old FacesNotes:
All righta go to Marvel
Chapter Text
Skye's POV
"Come again?"
"Well, you are too good to let you go just like that. Many companies with great human resources have tried to hack into my systems in the past and none of them has ever come as close as you have. And you are just one person!" He exclaimed and threw his arms up in the air with glee and wonderment. Honestly, he looked like a kid who just got a new toy to play with. "So I want you to become my new head of cybersecurity"
I didn't know what to say at that. When I walked in here I never expected to end up with a job offer. And eventually, it would be my choice and whether I would want to work for a big industry like this.
"I am not so sure about that" I replied honestly. "I believe in freedom of information and not the protection or cover of it"
"And I am not asking you anything like that. I am not S.H.I.E.L.D. and since you know about them you know how much of the truth they hide from the public eye. Hell, even most people don't know that they exist. I have no intention to do something similar, I believe that their secrets should be out and this is why I keep on trying to hack them". Well, that meant that I shouldn't tell him that I had already succeeded at that. "I am just asking you to make sure that no other company will be able to hack me and steal my blueprints and schematics. Can you imagine what would happen if someone got the blueprints for the Iron Man suit?"
"I guess that what you say does make sense" it was obvious that my words made him happy. And since he did work in the light, he would want to have a few secrets as he possibly could. "One question though, before I tell you my decision. How did you manage to hack me back?"
Oh, for how long was he waiting for me to ask this question. His whole face lit up and he threw his hands up in the air. "J.A.R.V.I.S." he voided.
"Yes, sir" the British voice from before replied and I looked around trying to find the source. "What was that?" I asked once I figured it wasn't someone speaking from a microphone.
"This is Just A Rather Very Intelligent System, or just J.A.R.V.I.S. for short. He is an A.I. that I created who helps me run this place". Leave it to Stark to create an A.I. who sounded like a British butler.
"Or rather he is running this place for you" Ms. Potts commented from the back not being able to help herself. This brought a smile to my lips and she smiled back. I liked her already.
"As I was saying" he cleared his throat so that we were once again watching him. What an attention seeker he was. "He is the one who alerted me of your attempt to get into my systems and together we bounced you back".
"Oh, so there was a need for both of you in order not to let me in?" I placed a hand over my chest. "I wouldn't expect you to personally defend your system from me. Thank you" I said in fake gratitude.
"So you in?" He said while he was clearly kicking himself mentally for giving me so much credit.
"We have to work on a few conditions, but yeah… I'm in" I said and extended my hand for him to shake which he did reluctantly not even caring what my terms may have been.
Natasha's POV
It had been more than a week since the last time that I got an update from Skye. We did talk, briefly but talked nonetheless, on a weekly basis that both of us had stuck to in the last couple of months.
I knew that she had left the Academy and when she first contacted me all those months ago I had no idea what was going on with her life. She had assured me that she was fine, though Skye's "fine" wasn't reassuring at all. Still, I had promised her to keep our conversations a secret since I was too afraid that she would fall off the radar should she learn that I spoke to someone about our interaction. And because of her abilities, I didn't doubt for a second that, should this be the case, then she would find out about it.
So there I was, in the apartment that I share with Clint, on my desk and with all the paperwork and backstory that I had to learn for the next mission that Fury assigned me. I was reading through the life of "Natalie Rushman" when I got a notification on the computer screen and my eyes snapped in that direction.
"Finally!" I exclaimed, focusing on the written message.
- Hey Nat. Sorry for the wait. I got a job and couldn't contact you for security reasons. You ok? I read the message instantly.
Well, it was about damn time that she did get a job. I hadn't heard anything similar since we started talking and I was very sceptical of how she made her living before, probably through hacking. But still, knowing that she did get a job was a relief. Maybe I could exploit that info for my benefit? It wouldn't hurt to try…
- Hey you! That's great news! Who in their right minds would hire you?
- Ha ha. Very funny and nice try. I am not going to tell you who I work for so that you won't find me.
Well, as I said, it was worth a try. The chances of her actually telling me were very thin, to begin with, but you never know.
- Why don't you want me to find you Skye? I asked for the first time since we restarted talking. I was always too afraid to ask so as not to startle her off and go off the grid again. But I couldn't help but be worried and there was a hope inside me that now that she was clearly in a better place maybe she would let me near her.
- It's not safe for either of us, at least not yet. Maybe in a few years or so…
"Come on Skye! It's already been years!" I yelled at the screen and made a great effort not to punch it. This girl could get me frustrated so easily. I knew she cared for me and she knew that I cared about her and yet she wouldn't let me help her. She knew how hard it was for me to let people in and she was the only one along with Clint that knew so much stuff about me but that didn't seem to be enough. I didn't know what more she wanted from me.
At that moment I got another notification on my screen saying that Fury wanted to talk with me. It was probably to talk about my mission as Stark's assistant which was mostly to keep an eye on him. Honestly, it would be so much easier if we just put a leash on this man. He was a walking disaster.
With a heavy sigh, I switched screens and resumed to finish the talk with my sister.
- I need to go. Have a mission to prepare for. You can write to me, but I am not sure when I will be able to get back to you. Don't overwork yourself.
And with that I switched the computer off, not waiting for Skye's reply. My mission mode switching on and I pushed the thoughts about Skye on the side focusing on becoming my new persona.
Chapter 25: Girl TalkNotes:
All rights go to Marvel
Chapter Text
Skye's POV
- I need to go. Have a mission to prepare for. You can write to me, but I am not sure when I'll be able to get back to you. Don't overwork yourself.
This was not the reply that I was waiting for. I was almost sure that she would pressure me more about my whereabouts. But then again maybe she did have a mission and this wasn't just a plain excuse to end our conversation. Also, she did know me pretty well, no matter the more-than-four-years gap in our conversations and she had probably figure out that I wouldn't reveal any new info unless I wanted to.
Just as I was about to type my goodbye and good luck to my sister, J.A.R.V.I.S.' voice echoed through the room. "Ms Potts is asking for your presence at the main living room".
"I'll be right there" I informed the A.I. immediately and closed the secure line without the reply that I was preparing. I was still not very used to having J.A.R.V.I.S. around and he would usually surprise me when I would hear his British accent out of the blue. But even I had to admit that Stark had put some pretty decent effort into his programming and the butler himself was a great help while I was reviewing the existing security measures for Stark Industries.
Coming out of my thoughts I realised that I was on the elevator, heading to the pinpointed meeting point. I was in the Stark Tower for about three days now and I found it pretty easy to move around and navigate myself. The Tower seemed so intimidating and confusing from the outside, but once you walked through the numerous corridors, labs and rooms it wasn't as hard.
"We are here" J.A.R.V.I.S. announced instead of the classic bing one would get when the elevator reached the floor.
"Thanks Jar" I simply said.
"I would ask you not to call me that Ms Skye". I suddenly stopped and a mischievous smile appeared on my face because if that wasn't interesting I didn't know what would be.
I had tried numerous times to find a proper nickname for the A.I. however none of them seemed to ring just quite right. And through all of my attempts and suggestion, this was the first time that I got a reply, or dare I say… objection. "Why would that be?" I didn't even try to mask the anticipation in my voice.
"My protocols prevent me from upsetting Mr Stark" he simply replied as if this would explain everything. I was out of the lift and, almost blindly, walking without paying really any attention to my surroundings.
I could not see how using the specific nickname would upset Stark, but if this was the case then I was all in. But first I needed to know what the reason behind his possible startling would be. "Please elaborate" I requested and knew that he couldn't really say no so I patiently waited for what was to come.
"The nickname that you used is part of the name of a fictional character created by George Lucas for the movies Star Wars Episodes I to III. I am afraid that Mr Stark wasn't quite pleased with the movies and the specific character was his least favourite. And since I know all of his preferences, I am also programmed never to speak of that name in his presence and I would greatly suggest you do the same"
"Are you talking about Jar Jar Binks?" I elaborated. He didn't say the name directly and I guessed that it was because of his programming, but I had no such problem. So when it was confirmed, I was quite pleased that I found a new way to tease the billionaire.
"Thank you for the help Jar" I was now in the living room and I could see Ms Potts looking at me with a smile, matching my own, on her face.
"You know that he is not going to be happy if he hears you refer to his creation with this name, right?" She said but always in a well mannered and playful way.
"I am counting on it" I admitted and turned around to fully face the woman.
I was always fascinated by strong women and the fact that Ms Potts was a woman who was handling Stark made her a great inspiration. It took a lot of courage, patience and authority for anyone to even try to handle the playboy. Plus, without anyone's help but her own and by not being one of Stark's "girls", she managed to promote herself from just a normal secretary to the face behind the brand who was truly handling everything in Stark's name.
"What can I do for you Ms Potts? Jar here informed me that you were looking for me?" I said all-serious. She was, after all, my employer. And with the lack of previous employments in my CV, I wasn't really sure how relaxed I could be in her presence.
"Oh, please. Just call me Pepper" she said and waited for me to nod to continue. "I haven't eaten anything since breakfast since I got so lost working and getting ready for the Expo that I am starving. And J.A.R.V.I.S. informed me that you haven't put anything in your mouth as well. So I was wondering if you would be so kind as to have dinner with me?"
I was taken a little off guard by her proposal. I meant sure, I would love to hang out and get to know her but it couldn't have been that easy, could it?
She must have noticed the mental argument that I was having with myself because she quickly added. "You don't have to if you don't want to. But since you're the only other woman here who isn't afraid to call Tony out on his bullshit I thought that it would be nice to get to know you" the smile never left her face as she spoke.
"And you got all that from the brief few times that we met since I arrived here Ms Pot–" that earned me a pointed look and so quickly I corrected myself, "Pepper?"
"It's true that we haven't spoken much, about anything really. And, also true, I figured all that in this short period of time. Women usually crawl to Tony's feet trying to get his attention" she pointed out with disgust. But then her tone grew softer and friendlier as she added. "Yet you are not that kind of woman or dare I say, girl. It's nice to have someone who isn't afraid of Tony and his influence"
I made a mental note of the way that Pepper called Stark. I would expect her to call him either Stark or Mr Stark given her position in the industries and based on how the media portrayed their relationship. I could tell that Stark was very fond of her and she did go everywhere he did.
But it seemed like even if Stark didn't know it, Pepper cared a lot about him.
"Well, I can't say that you are mistaken" I moved to one of the many sofas in the room. "He is like a child trapped inside an adult's body. An adult who, unfortunately, has more money than he knows what to do with". I watched as Pepper moved to a nearby fridge and got some water to pour to a couple of glasses that were patiently waiting to be used. "And you do need someone to help you with him" I got the glass that was offered to me and Pepper relaxed on the same sofa, only a comfortable distance away.
"So how about we try and be friends?" The older woman suggested.
"I would love to try that" I admitted. "And let me start by telling you one truth about myself. I am a terrible cook".
Silence folded the room for a couple of seconds before Pepper burst out laughing as if I had just cracked the most hilarious joke. "That makes two of us. When I suggested dinner, I was thinking of take-out. What are your thoughts on Chinese?"
"Chinese sounds great"
Pepper's POV
I had finished the dinner that I had with Skye and was back at my desk working endlessly for the Expo that was coming closer and closer by the day. It was obvious that the Expo was a huge convention that would probably not have as many profits as it would have expenses.
Had I said that to Tony a million times already? Of course I had. Had he bothered to change anything or stop it? Of course not. If Tony put something on his mind, then it would be almost impossible to change any plans that he had considered. And I had a feeling that it was the same with Skye. Geez, those two could be so similar at times that it was annoying. Though it did help as the girl wasn't afraid to talk back to Tony and it was actually quite funny to watch their interactions.
I leaned back on my chair and thought of how the dinner went. We talked about everything and nothing, keeping it to a relaxing and easy-going vibe. Based on her reactions to some questions that were going to be more personal, the girl kept a lot of secrets.
One, she had always had her arms and hands wrapped up. I had never seen that before. And the other was that she seemed very closed off, and needed a bit of a nudge to open up. And by open up, what I meant was just start talking. Apart from the dinner that we had, she had mentioned that we hadn't really spoken since she arrived. But it wasn't completely my fault. True, I was head to toes in work for the upcoming Stark Expo, since Tony didn't lift his finger to arrange a thing, but whenever Skye wasn't working on one of the mainframe computers, she would be locked in her apartment.
I would get that girl to open up, that was a promise that I made to myself. And since we had Tony to tease as a common ground, I guess it wouldn't be too hard.
My thoughts were abruptly cut when the floor started shaking and the objects that I had on my desk started falling over and on the floor.
"J.A.R.V.I.S.?" I asked as I got up and moved to the nearest exit to take the stairs to the ground floor.
"It appears that an earthquake has occurred with our Industries being at the centre of it Ms Potts. I would suggest you get out of the building as fast as possible" he instructed even though I was already at the stairs and heading down. It was only a few minutes later when his voice echoed again through the microphones closest to me and I jumped a bit from the surprise, not expecting him to say anything else. "Ms Potts, it appears that almost everyone is out of the building" had me stop dead in my tracks.
"What do you mean 'almost everyone'?" I requested while panting.
"The little personnel that had remained has all left, however Ms Skye is still in her room. She appears to be sleeping heavily, not responding at all to my calls. Should I call someone to get to her?"
Damn it! I knew that Skye didn't sleep well at night. It was pretty obvious from the dark circles that she had every time that I was in the same room as her. And I was really glad that she finally got some sleep into her system, she really needed it, but out of all the times this was the worst possible one for that to happen.
Without a second thought, I change the destination that I was running towards. "J.A.R.V.I.S. open the doom to her room as soon as I get there!" I screamed not diminishing my speed at all.