Chapter 11: Time To Unfold Our CardsNotes:
All rights go to Marvel
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Skye's POV
My eyes were stone cold as I stared him down, my expression looking similar to one famous assassin's glare. My jaw was clenched as silence spread in the room, the tension being so high that one could almost touch it. I felt it crawling all over my skin.
"'There are not a lot of people I trust, but you are one of them'" I quoted his words from two years ago when I asked my access to be diminished to that of a consultant because I was untrustworthy. "'I trust you and I am going to increase your Clearance Level to that of Hill's'. Wasn't that about what you said to me after I asked to speak with you in private? Or am I wrong?" I asked him, sarcasm dripping from my voice like venom. When the man did nothing more than continue breathing normally, I resumed. "Have you looked at a dictionary recently Joseph? Because I am pretty sure that the word 'trust' has a different meaning from the one you think it has"
"How did you find that name?" He asked instead of answering. It was so classical of him.
"Does it even matter? This is not what we are discussing here"
"It will be if you continue that" he countered. "No one calls me that, not even my mother. And trust me when I tell you that you don't want to see me angry"
A dead smile formed on my lips. "I guess now there is someone who calls you that. And if me using that name makes my point come across better, I will use it plenty, Joseph" I looked at him in the eyes, daring him to say something about it. I tilted my head to the side, my lips forming a firm line once more. "And trust is something I don't have when it comes to you. Because it is a double-edged sword, it works both ways. And the problem now is that I don't trust you anymore, not if the events of the last week have anything to do with it. And I am starting to think that I shouldn't have trusted you in the first place, given that you must have started working on bringing back Coulson right after he died and it's been months, years since then" I straightened my neck again and took a step closer. "So trust me when I tell you, you don't want to see me angry"
As he sat on the chair, he leaned forwards and linked his hands on the desk in front of him. "Now, if what Maria told me about your anger is all there is to it, I don't think I have something to be truly afraid of"
Always trying to have the upper hand. But for once in his life, he had no idea that the tables had turned. "With Hill I was upset. I still am, to be honest, but after sleeping on it a couple of nights, I realised that all she did was follow orders, like she always did. Follow your orders, that is". I started pacing around the room following an invisible infinity-shaped path so that I never turned my back to him. "It will take her a few weeks in the least but I don't see why I should keep being upset with her for more than that, it was not her fault after all. It is you that I am angry with" I stopped right in front of him, my cold exterior never breaking as my voice had yet to rise. "Angry, not upset. I believe you are smart enough to know the difference"
He wouldn't give me the satisfaction of gulping despite knowing that if I had stared at someone else, anyone else for that matter, in the same way, I was piercing Fury's skull with my eyes, they would have been frightened. "You think I am in the position I am if I hadn't made people angry?" He challenged.
"I am sure you have" I answered. "But you had not made me angry and I have a lot of people to back me up if need be" I challenged back. Two people could play this game.
"Is that a threat?" He stood up, towering over me.
But his presence didn't feel intimidating in the least. "Damn right it is" I lifted my chin and didn't back down.
He slowly, and what I really mean is so slow that it took him a good solid ten seconds, sat back down and just as slowly reached inside his black, leather coat. A folder with capital, red letters saying "Level 9, Classified Document" appeared and was thrown on the desk in front of me.
"Is this another of your games?" I asked.
"It is not" he answered just as seriously, no hint of laughter whatsoever on his face or voice.
My fingers lingered at the corner of the folder and I brought it closer to me as I examined the cover. "Level 9, huh? Let me guess, this document was sealed from me despite my Clearance because I am an Avenger?" The silence was all that I needed to hear to verify my suspicion. "Trust he says" I whispered to myself, but was sure that Fury picked it up, I didn't really try to hide it in the first place. "So what is this?" I pointed at the documents in my hand.
"It is the truth," he said and then, followed with something that surprised me. "And a sign of good will". It was not the sentence that startled me as much as the tone, of his voice which had lost some of its professional vibe and was, even if a little, soft. As if caring.
I scoffed, masking my surprise. "We both know that you owe me at least that much"
He raised an eyebrow at that. "I don't owe you anything Skye," he said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I don't owe anyone anything. What I do, I do because I simply want to"
"Fine" I exclaimed. "Let's just assume that this is a sign of good will, alright? And, what? You think that this is enough to make me loyal to you again?"
His sudden laugh filled the room. "Loyal? You talk to me about loyalty? You would have dismissed my orders the moment you thought that you put someone you care about in danger" he sobered himself. "Let's not kid ourselves, shall we? You were never loyal to me"
"You are right," I said as I stood up, folder in my hand. "You want me to lay my cards out, here they are. I was never loyal to you and I will never be. I cannot when you decide on actions that I am against, and when you keep secrets like those. Who I am loyal to are my friends and family because loyalty is blind. And with you, I have to have both my eyes open. I made the mistake to forget that after New York, so I have to thank you for the reminder" I smiled kindly at him. "What I had for you was respect and I told you that before. But that respect was destroyed the moment I found out, by myself, that Coulson was alive. You had 24 months to come clean and you did not, not even about something that I was so intimately related to. When it was related to someone from my family, because Coulson? He was like a father to me, and now? Now, he has absolutely no fucking idea who I am. I am a stranger to him" it was my turn to lift an eyebrow at him. "Want to tell me how that happened or will I have to read about it?" I asked lifting the folder and dropping it hard on the desk in front of him"
Our eyes met in a wordless war as the silence stretched. Fury's words were what broke that quiet. "You want the whole story or the short version?"
I contemplated my options carefully before decided. "Short for now. We don't want the others waiting for too long and start asking questions now, do we? I will read the reports on my own, but a heads up as to what I am gonna have to digest would be lovely"
I sat down on one chair facing the office, as I had a feeling that I didn't want to be standing with what I was about to hear.
Fury took a deep breath before starting his explanation. "This is the 'Terrestrialised Alien Host Integrative Tissue I.' Project, aka Project T.A.H.I.T.I. In the beginning, it was overseen by Coulson, who eventually resigned from the Project deeming that it did not fit with his good conscience. The purpose of it was to bring back an Avenger if they died. I could get into great details as to how we were trying to do that, but that would be the long road. After Coulson died in the Helicarrier, it was like I lost my one good eye" he actually took a shuddering breath at that. My eyes averted from his in the memory of what I had done but was quick to look back at him. Once he was sure that my attention was still on him he continued.
"He might not have been an Avenger, but he was one of my best agents and dear friends and I would be damned if I didn't try everything in my power to bring him back. We had found a drug which could regenerate cellular tissue, but at the same time it implanted fragments of cellular memory of where the serum was coming from, its host" he tried to explain as best as he could. I could tell that he was skipping some key parts of the story, like what the serum was, but I guess I would have to read about it later on.
"This memory you are talking about" I spoke after his long pause. "Does it have anything to do with him not remembering me?" I asked and couldn't help it as my voice broke a little bit at the end.
He waited for me to recompose myself. Despite all the lies that he had told, deep down he was still the same pirate that I knew. The one with the hard exterior but the more fluffy-like interior which not many people got to see. It had been a while since I witnessed that side of him and it made my anger tune down. A tiny bit.
"The initial participants, after receiving the serum, would start showing signs of insanity. We found that by using the Memory Overwriting Machine we could… scrub their brains and make them forget the whole procedure, thus never showing any deterioration in their mental state" he put it as simple as he could.
I nodded as I took in the information. My brows furrowed at a thought. "How would you make sure that it worked though? That his 'mental state', as you put it, remained sane if he was leading a team all over the world and away from you?" I saw something flash in his eyes and then something in my brain just clicked. Because this was so something that Fury would do. "You have a person on the inside. You put someone to make sure that he didn't wander off" my eyes cast downwards as my brain worked to find who the person was. "It cannot be FitzSimmons, Jemma is a terrible liar and even if Fitz could pull it off with the rest of the team, he wouldn't possibly be able to do the same with Jemma. Ward is…" my head tilted to the side, thinking of everything I knew of him from both my past interactions with him as well as the new ones. "Well, he is Ward. He was so against joining this team that even if he is a good agent his distaste for the way Coulson works and the whole 'team' thing is too much for him to fake non-stop. So the only person left is May" I lifted my gaze and met his, my theories coming to fruition when I took in his expression. "That's right! Who better than to keep an eye on him than her? They were always so close" I said with a real smile making its way on my face.
"Well," my happy memories were shattered when he spoke again. "This was a long time ago and people have changed since you last saw them, but yeah. It's May" he confirmed.
This struck me as something weird, him mentioning people changing since he couldn't possibly be talking about Coulson and May had indeed changed a lot since the last time I had seen her. So this must mean that it was something that happened and probably was something related to the 'Calvary'.
But this was not what was important right now. There was still something missing. "Hold on," I said and actually lifted my palm in emphasis. "Let's go back a little, before May" I let my hand fall as I looked back at him. "You explained why you had to erase his memories from the procedure, but that doesn't explain why his memories of me are gone too" I cut to the chase. "What are you not telling me?" I asked, my tone dropping as my cold exterior took back its place.
He caught the change in my voice as he straightened his back and took in a deep breath, probably preparing himself for what he was about to tell me.
"He would have looked for you"
My breath was caught in my throat when he finished.
I felt the world stop around me as the realisation of what he was saying kicked in.
I stood abruptly up, the chair toppling over behind me. "Tell me this is a joke," I told him.
He shook his head. "It was easy to convince him not to tell the rest of the Avengers" his eyes followed my form as I paced up and down in the small office, as I felt the walls closing in. "Even with Natasha and Clint" he continued.
"No" was the only word I seemed to be able to form.
"He wouldn't stand to not tell you, not when you were the one who killed him and he would know how guilty you would feel" He slowly stood up. "How you would blame yourself"
"Sit down," I told him, my voice so quiet that he might as well not have heard it at all.
"He would have looked for you the moment he was well enough to walk" he emphasised.
"Sit down" I repeated a bit louder, feeling a buzzing under my skin. A sensation I hadn't felt in a long time, especially after managing to control my powers.
But of course, he did no such thing. "If he remembered, then everything would be for nothing. He would come to you and you, in the state you were in wouldn't have been able to keep the secret from the others. It was the only way–"
"Sit down!" I yelled at him and my hand flew in his direction, sending a shockwave that was pressing down his chest and was pushing him down on the chair.
My extended arm was trembling, and not from the vibrations leaving my palm, as I looked down. My other hand was pointed at the floor, absorbing the vibrations that the quake, which kept Fury at his place, was producing so that the plane we were in and the area around it didn't start shaking.
"And to think that you had the nerve to talk to me about loyalty," I said as I lifted my head to meet his gaze. "You had the nerve to talk to me about trust " I continued as I started walking towards him. "How dare you?" I finished as I reached him, still keeping him pinned down. My palm landed on his chest, making him unable to move as his very bones were shaking.
"Coulson would have come to me and you would have asked me to keep your secret. Would I have done it? How can I know if I never got the chance? And how is this different from the situation that I am in, right now?" I sat on the desk and looked at him as his gaze never wavered from mine. He was trying to not show his fear and almost succeeding, but I was too close to not see it hidden deep in his eyes. "I know what happened but I can't tell anyone even if I wanted to, and I want to so badly" I resumed, shaking my head as a smile made its way on my lips. "But despite all that, here I still am. Keeping your little, stupid secrets. And you might ask why?", a giggle escaped at that.
"Because how can I stand the look at their faces when they realise that their mentor doesn't remember their sister? How do I explain that to them without them marching down to your office livid? And despite you being you, I doubt you would last more than a round against the Avengers. And despite how much I hate you right now, I don't want to see you dead"
With that I pulled away, my vibrations stopping immediately at my command and I took the folder back in my hands. "You march around playing with people's lives as if they are the puppets and you the puppet-master. Let me tell you that whatever you do has consequences that affect you as well. And now you've lost me. And I am not sure whether you can win me back but even if you do, it's going to be a crazy mountain for you to climb"
I moved towards the door when he called my name. "We still have to talk with agent Simmons and May about what they know and what they can share"
My back was still at him and my hand at the door handle as I replied, "You don't need me here, they can fill me in later. We are done here" there was a finality in my tone which made Fury add quickly.
"It was the only way to bring Phil back, Skye. It was the only way to make sure his secret stayed safe"
"That's where you are wrong" I looked over my shoulder, my hand now pressing down in the handle ready to open the door with a single pull. "You brought Coulson back. Phil died the day I killed him" I left the door hanging open behind me.
Notes:
So... yeah. This just happened. I mean, he had it coming, right?
Sorry for the slightly late update, had a very busy day and just managed to post this in-between some scheduled stuff. I hope you all enjoyed this small confrontation :) Again, thank you for the support, welcome to the new readers and I will see you all tomorrow!
Chapter 12: Keeping The Nightmares AwayNotes:
All rights go to Marvel
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Skye's POV
I could tell that Jemma was looking for me and that she knew that I was avoiding her. She would ask questions or even talk to me about what she discussed with the Pirate and it was definitely something that I didn't want to deal with at the moment. I was sitting in a really nice and dark corridor somewhere on the Bus. My phone's flashlight being the only source of light as I went through the file that Fury gave me hours ago. Going over it for the fourth time that was. I was sure that by then I had memorised every single name, location and equipment used in bringing Coulson back.
I would make my own research on this whole situation. I had to make sure that the intel that I got from him was indeed the real deal and that he wasn't messing around again. And no matter how I wished that this was the truth and nothing but the truth, I couldn't trust him anymore.
My flashlight turned off and on really quickly, singling that I got a new message. I turned the device's screen so that it faced me and saw another one of Jemma's texts.
- Come on Skye, it's been hours. I'm worried, I can't find you anywhere. At least let me know if you are okay
I sighed. Of course, she was worried. It was Jemma we were talking about after all.
- I am fine, just need some time to think about what I discussed with the Pirate
- I talked with him as well, and we need to talk. Please, came her quick reply in a try to start a conversation or even make me guilty enough to face her.
- Tomorrow, I typed back and then turned off the notifications from her messages.
I knew that if I had kept them on they would still buzz every ten minutes or so since I didn't believe in the slightest that she would stop bothering me until I either made an appearance or actually talked with her.
My hands made their way to my eyes and rubbed them, as they started to hurt. It could have been because of the amount of time that I spend going through the files in my hands or the fact that I was in a really dark corridor and I had to strain my eyes to actually make out the letters because of the limited lighting. But either way, fatigue was starting to catch up. Especially given that the previous night I didn't have much sleep because of the mission. The only time I actually rested was when I was knocked unconscious.
I focused on my vibrations and checked that all the workers had left the plane. The repairs were all finished before the sun even set. It was one of the privileges of working for a huge organisation such as this one.
I contemplated sleeping where I was, in my own solitude, but there were some thoughts holding me back from executing this idea. First, I had to check in with Coulson, or at least have him see me upstairs so that I wouldn't raise any suspicions. And also, sleeping on the metal floor didn't sound so appealing comparing to the bed that I had in my bunk.
So I packed everything, and with that I mean I closed the file and my flashlight, letting the mind-map that I had of the Bus be my guide to where I would soon sleep. Of course, using the mind-map helped me avoid unwanted interactions as I would take another root in order to not bump into any of the other members of the team. And it worked out, at least until I reached my bunk outside of which stood the one and only biochemist who seemed more tired than I was. She was not used to this lack of sleep, after all, being mostly in the lab had its advantages.
"Do you have any idea how long I've been standing here waiting for you?" She asked as she unfolded her hands from her chest.
I took a deep breath and stared at her. I loved that girl, I really did, but she had no idea what personal space is. She used to know, back at the beginning of the Academy, but ever since our friendship grew she seemed to have completely forgotten about this specific concept. "I told you not to wait for me," I said as I moved closer to unlock the door.
She moved aside, allowing me access to do what I wanted to and with a smooth sound the door was open. "I would have waited for you until you came back, I knew that. But if you could at least have your door unlocked I could have been sitting on your bed waiting instead of this" she pointed at herself standing up.
I rolled my eyes and went into the bunk, the T.A.H.I.T.I. folder safely put on the side as I laid down on my bed. "I keep the door locked for a reason, Jemma" exacerbation started leaking into my voice.
There was a stretch of a few seconds in which she said nothing, just remained still. "Fine" she exclaimed out of the blue and made a move towards the door.
Not that she had to move a lot, the space was so tiny that she was there in only a step. And just as I hoped that she would leave me alone, nope. Why would she do that? Instead, she closed the door and then with another step and a half she came and sat at the legs of my bed, pushing my own legs to make space for her. I lifted my eyes to look at her, silently asking her "Seriously?", and the look that she shot me was her saying, "Yes, seriously" and all I could do was let out a heavy breath that I didn't know I was holding. My night just became so much longer than I anticipated.
"Look" I started, hoping to maybe keep this as short as possible. "I am tired and I am in no mood whatsoever to talk about a certain someone or what he might have told you, okay? All I ask is that we talk about this after I've gotten some sleep". I blamed the one-eyed man for my lack of patience at the moment.
I took a deep, even almost staggering breath, and brought my hand to cover my eyes. It had not been the most emotionally stable day for me and it was becoming harder and harder to keep this conversation on the down-low.
I felt Jemma's hand on my free hand. "Skye," she said softly, with a tenderness that I was not expecting. But I still didn't remove my palm from my eyes. "I am not here to talk about what the Director and I talked about. Though it is something we will have to get around to, it is not as important. My priority is to make sure you are okay" she put more pressure in her grip and I found myself mimicking her movement, my fingers wrapping around hers. "I am genuinely worried. It was like you were a different person when he appeared and then you disappeared and no matter how hard I looked for you, you were nowhere to be found" I could hear the concern leaking from her voice and spreading across the room.
My left hand still obscured my vision but my right's grip on the girl, who I knew for so many years, was like an anchor keeping me from having my thoughts spiralling. "I'm sorry" I whispered. "I'm sorry I worried you"
"Hey" she spoke and I could hear a laughing undertone, trying to lighten up the mood. "I'm always worried about you, you know that. It's not something I can turn off" she even let a slight giggle escape her lips in this try. Which worked and had the corners of my lips turning slightly upwards. "Ah, there we go" she continued as she clearly saw my small smile. "Are you feeling any better?" She tried.
I scoffed at that, giggling at the same time. "No, not really" I confessed.
"Would you like to talk about it?", she asked without missing a beat.
I thought about it but knew that I wasn't going to. Even if I could, where would I start? It would take us at least a day to explain everything. "Can't" I ended up saying. "Classified"
As my whisper dispersed across the room and silence once again took its place I could tell that Jemma was trying to find a solution. "Is there something I can do to help?", she clearly came up short and decided to ask again.
"Could you–?" I started asking before I even managed to process what I was saying and then stopped myself before forming any other words. I grunted at me being so reckless. "Forget it" I concluded and made a move to take my hand off her grip only for it to grow stronger.
"Hey, stop it. None of that, you hear me?" She scolded me and I could feel her move in her seat so as to face me. "Now, what were you going to say?" She asked kindly and only then did I uncover my eyes to look at her.
I took a deep breath and figured that she would understand if I was lying to her, so what was the point? "Could you stay here tonight?"
She furrowed her eyebrows, trying to understand what I was saying. "You mean, sleep here?"
"Yes," I let out and waited for her reply. When the seconds ticked by and she had yet to speak, while her brows were still tightly knitted, I hurried to explain. "You don't have to!" I spoke as loudly as I could so that even if people passed by the bunk they wouldn't be able to hear us. "I just get nightmares from time to time, because of a mission from a while back. And the Pirate was involved there and seeing him again today… and I think that it will be one of those nights. And I think that if you stayed here, knowing that you are here, might help. And this is so stupid, of course, you don't want to, just forget I said anything. Yeah, yeah, let's just forget this. I will be fine". I hadn't realised that I had moved my gaze and that I was staring at the ceiling as I rambled nor that I had moved my hand from Jemma's grip and my fingers were playing with the edge of my t-shirt.
"Skye" Jemma's voice broke through my haze but I still didn't move my eyes to her direction. "Look at me" she gently said and I complied. I felt like drowning in those hazelnut-coloured eyes. "I would love to" her smile was as genuine as it could get which made a small one appear on my face. "Now" she continued, "scoot over because this bed is too small for the both of us to be on our backs"
I did as I was told and turned so that I was facing the wall as she laid on her side on my back. "Thank you, Jemma," I said and I could already feel myself starting to relax at her presence.
Her arm wrapped around my waist protectively. "Sweet dreams" she whispered in my ear. My muscles were still pretty tense from my emotions going wild that day and she noticed. Of course, she did. "You're okay, Skye. Don't worry, I've got you. I'll keep the nightmares from reaching you. You're safe".
Needless to say, exhaustion caught up with me and I relaxed further in her embrace as I drifted off.
Notes:
A smaller, soft chapter in between more important plot point :) Felt like she needed to breathe for a second before we continue
Chapter 13: In The KnowNotes:
All rights go to Marvel
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Skye's POV
I let out a breath as I pried my eyes open. I could tell that I was still somewhat exhausted, but old habits seemed to die hard as I looked at my clock which indicated it was just after 4:00 am. From the light snoring coming from behind me, I knew that Jemma was still out cold and would be for a few more hours in the least. She deserved it, we all did, but since she was actually able to see it through I didn't intend to interrupt her dreams.
I slowly took Jemma's hand off my waist and laid it back on the bed as I stood up. I was stealthy enough not to bother the sleeping girl, but I had a feeling that even if the whole plane started shaking she would still be clueless about it and keep on sleeping. Placing the blanket back safely over her form and kissing her on the forehead, I made my exit after putting on some more loose clothes. I knew that everything of value and classification was safely locked and even if Jemma looked around the room she wouldn't find anything she shouldn't have. I trusted her, I really did. There were just some things that she didn't know and it would be for the best if it remained that way.
I made my way to the cockpit, where there was enough space for me to do what I wanted to. I saw the training mats on the side but decided against laying them on the hard, metal floor. There would be no sparing after all.
Taking a deep breath I centred myself and started making my way through the various Tai Chi forms. The nightmares had indeed stayed away the previous night, allowing me a clarity that I was craving for a few days now. A peacefulness and calmness which I was sure would not last for long, so I decided to treasure it while I could. While my thoughts ran and my, previous days, frustration melted away I found myself in the presence of another.
I didn't need my vibrations to tell me that she was there, up in the spiral staircase looking down. Years of training with her and with my siblings were enough to allow me to pick up the slightest movement around me. If I was in the right mindset that was…
"Care to join me?" I asked May without stopping.
As it was her trademark since we met I expected her to walk away but was glad to see that my assumption was wrong. In tight leggings and a similar, sleeveless t-shirt she came and stood next to me, joining in as if she was there from the beginning.
Her movements were just as fluid and graceful as I remembered them. Still a bit more so than mine, especially since living in a van, undercover for months didn't really allow me to keep up with this habit, despite waking up really early every day.
The comfortable silence that filled the room was something that I didn't want nor intended to break. It was a kind of silence that lacked from every other interaction I had with the woman so far. I could feel the minutes ticking by as my mind-map picked up some other activity across the plane which matched Coulson's and Ward's steps. The former making his way to his office, while the latter opened the door to the cockpit, saw the two of us and then proceeded walking off after we both ignored his intense stare.
"You are tense" May's low tone brought me back to our exercises as we were slowly coming to an end.
"I am alert, there is a difference," I told her just as calmly, focusing more on my form.
"I know the difference. I am alert and as I said, you are tense" she finished as she came to her neutral stance and inhaled deeply. I mimicked her movements and finished my morning routine as well. I could see her looking at me and so I turned my attention to her, my body facing hers. "You've improved".
"Thank you" came my reply after my initial shock had passed. For some reason, I had a feeling that her praising anyone was not something happening as often as it used to in the past. "I would love to spar with you at some point. Since we don't have any missions yet and I haven't had anyone challenging enough fighting me, I don't want to lose my form" I continued, hoping that she would accept.
She remained quiet for a few seconds before replying. "How's the shoulder feeling?", she nodded towards the body part which was in a sling yesterday.
"Almost as good as new," I said honestly. She would have seen right through my lie if I had not answered genuinely. "Could use another day before any heavy workouts"
"Good" she was clearly satisfied by what she heard. "Tomorrow then" and it sounded somewhat like a command, though I couldn't figure out why there was a need for such a tone to be used. "We have more pressing matters at hand" she continued with the same tone, which had me looking at her confused before realisation hit me. "Cockpit, 10 minutes. I believe that's enough time for you to freshen yourself" and with that, she walked off.
When she disappeared on the upper floor a giggle found its way to my lips. Well, isn't this interesting? I thought. Her giving an order and then pulling a disappearing act before I got the chance to even reply was such a 'Maria Hill 2005' move from when I was in the Academy. I shook my head, smile still on my face as I made my way to the bunk I called 'home' these days.
Jemma was still sleeping in my bed, her legs having kicked the blanket off her body. I laughed internally at the sight, I hadn't seen her like that since the last time we shared a room which was before I left for my mission with Clint before everything went downhill. It was so innocent and normal that people would undermine its value. Normal was what I would try to protect no matter what.
The girl stirred at her sleep and cracked on eye open, looking around the room trying to find me. "Get back to sleep" I gently said so as not to startle her.
"What time is it?", her voice was rough from her heavy sleep, cracking in some words.
"Just past 06:30. You still have at least a couple of hours to lay in before we are asked to do anything. I doubt Coulson would have you and Fitz rise earlier after yesterday's events" I swiftly changed clothes with my back turned to her. Being roommates for so many years had made any sort of awkwardness, regarding changing in front of her, fly off the window. "I have to meet May, see you later" I continued but as I turned around to look at her, her eyes were already closed and her breathing evened out. I shook my head at that and left the bunk. The door locked on its own when I closed it, and only someone from the inside could open it unless they knew how to unlock it.
As I walked towards the cockpit I passed by the kitchen that the Bus was equipped with, because of course, it had a kitchen. How else were we supposed to feed ourselves while staying in the Airborne Mobile Command Station? Mobile being a key work. I waved at Ward who was sitting alone eating a bowl of cereal.
"'Morning," he said even if a little hesitant. It might have been small, but it was something.
Without giving him a second look I moved towards Coulson's office to greet him as well. I walked in as soon as my knocking on his door was acknowledged. "Just wanted to say good morning," I said, peeking my head through the door.
"Good morning to you too" he replied happily. "I saw you had already had a morning session with May". At my titling of the head, he clarified, "CCTV".
"Right" I replied with a slow nod. I had momentarily forgotten about the cameras, a piece of useful information to have in the back of my mind constantly. "Speaking of which, I need to head to the cockpit. I have a feeling she will have my head if I am late, see you later" I resumed in a hurry, closing the door and leaving him with a surprised expression plastered on his face.
Just like the last time that I went to the specific room per May's request, I locked the door as I walked in and went to sit on the shotgun seat. I was guessing that the cockpit was a place either free from the cameras that the rest of the Bus was equipped with, or that May had turned them off for privacy reasons. She was not stupid enough to have a camera over her head 24/7 and if the past was any indication, Coulson trusted her so much that having no cameras there would not be a security problem.
"I am guessing that this is about what you and our esteemed Director talked about?" I didn't beat around the bush. The slight nod that I got in reply was enough of an encouragement for the edges of my lips to form a small smile. I was expecting silence if I were being honest and even this small movement was a great step forward in my mind. "I am, also, guessing he told you to brief me in or something similar?" I continued with newfound courage.
"He told me he briefed you in on the situation himself but I was to tell you my part in the story" her eyes pointed at one of the panels behind us. "There is a direct and secure line to Director Fury himself, from where I give him weekly reports on Phil's status. He wanted to make sure that him dying for 8 seconds, plus the whole experience with the Avengers, didn't affect him mentally" she concluded.
Of course, this was what the Pirate told her. I slowly nodded, thinking about what to say next. "You asked him why he doesn't remember me," I said. It was not a question, since I knew that May wouldn't hesitate to ask.
"Among other things" she confirmed. "He said it was classified and it was up to you to explain it" Of course he did. "I also asked when you came back and why I wasn't aware of that situation" she turned her head in my direction so our eyes met. "Guess what he said"
I scoffed at that. "It is up to me to tell you"
"Yeah. As well as to answer the questions I asked you the last time you came up here. You can answer anything you want really or nothing at all, he just told me to report back to him so that he knows we are on the same page".
She might have said that I could not answer her if I wanted to, but her tone was clear enough that she wanted to know what was going on. It was a trait of her character that, despite the years when I hadn't seen her, hadn't changed. She liked to be on top of things instead of being in the dark. And it might, or might not have been because of that trait of hers that my own quest for the truth started. I also knew that I missed May. Be that the old May or the new one, I didn't care really. And if me telling her the truth was a step that would help patch up our relationship, I was willing to take that step. And the fact that there would be another person knowing the truth about me in the Bus, who I could confine to, was a plus.
Even without knowing what had happened in those years, we were apart, I knew one thing for certain. I trusted her more than Fury at the moment and I knew she could keep a secret.
My gaze turned to the front, looking out of the glass windows and into the horizon of the slingshot, where not so many hours ago the 0-8-4 was sent flying to space. "I am guessing the microphones of the room are turned off?" I asked.
"Of course," she said matter-of-factly.
"What I am about to tell you is only cleared for Level 10 agents, people who were direct participants of this Initiative or agents cleared by Director Fury himself".
"But only Director Fury and the Secretary are Level 10," she said with disbelief in her voice.
"Exactly" I replied. "So you understand that whatever you hear from now on is extremely classified and must not leave this room or be repeated to anyone. I am going to trust you with this, so you better not break that trust" I closed my eyes and thought of the best way to tackle this whole situation, where to start.
"There are six people aboard this aircraft," I said and I could almost hear the scoff from my left. "The two of us are here, Coulson is in his office. Ward finished his breakfast and is currently taking out his frustrations about me right outside the lab, where he put up a punching bag. Simmons is heavily asleep and though Fitz is still laying on his bed, he is awake, just not bothering to get up". Despite the calm mask I was sure she was wearing, without even looking at her, I could feel her heart rate picking up slightly as I continued to speak. "Oh, scratch that. Fitz decided to go to the kitchen. He just passed Jemma's bunk and was surprised to find it empty and I am sure he will soon go and look for her down in the lab. Yup, just did that"
"What are you talking about?" May asked, hesitation in her voice. "How do you–?"
"Know all this?" I interrupted her, my head tilted to the side so I was looking at her. "I am sure if you check the camera feeds that you have installed, which I guess only you and Fury know, you will find out that what I am saying is true" I pointed at one of the panels next to her, where something similar to a screen was installed, tacked away. I couldn't see exactly what it was from my mind-map, but I hoped that it was indeed what I thought it was.
She slowly put her code in the cabinet and took the piece of technology I was referring to, which turned out to be exactly what I thought it was and saw that all my words were true.
Even though she was still looking at the screen, realising that everything I said was true. "Oh, the camera you had in my bunk won't work by the way. I dismantled it before I left after we landed in New York" I let her know. "That's why you won't find Jemma in her room, she is in mine".
She side looked at me as if asking what that was about, but didn't form any words. The look was enough to transfer her thoughts to me.
"Back to our topic," I said as I looked back at the landscape in front of us. "Remember the mission we were together? The one where we were captured and interrogated?" I asked her. She nodded, and my eyebrows knitted together. Not because of the nod but from the slight jump her heart made, which didn't appear on her face, the practised mask never breaking. And I am sure that the memory of it might have been enough to maybe upset her a little bit, but after the second and third jump, her heart made I knew that there was something there that I didn't know. "May…" I said her name slowly and purposefully. "What are you not telling me?"
She raised an eyebrow at that. "What are you talking about?", she fainted to be clueless but my lie detector told me otherwise.
"There is something about this mission you are hiding from me. I can tell. Now, what is it?" I asked and I used a tone that left no room for anything but the truth.
I could tell I caught her by surprise when I used the tone that she used on me so many times in the past and that stunned her speechless for a couple of seconds before recomposing herself. "The mission was a cover-up. It was supposed to be your test before you were assigned an S.O., Maria. It got out of hand, it was not supposed to be so brutal. But still, you passed, we both did"
I couldn't help but laugh at that. It was so S.H.I.E.L.D.-style for something like that to happen. Like a very over-the-top training exercise. "Of course it was" I shook my head and pushed my thoughts on the matter aside. "Remember what happened at the end of this test?"
"There was an earthquake, the whole building came down and then you left" she replied. "Come on, Skye, you know this already, what's the point you are trying to make?"
"I never had you for the impatient type May, we are getting there. It's more complicated than you think" I told her as she stared daggers at me. The whole sight making me extremely happy as the roles were finally reversed between the two of us. "I came to a realisation after this mission, which was why I ran. I didn't want to endanger any of you, or myself for that matter. I didn't feel safe in S.H.I.E.L.D." I made sure she was still following me, though I knew she wanted to ask more questions, she restrained herself from letting me finish my explanation first. "Now, what do you know about the Battle of New York?"
"Everything there is about it, really. I am Level 7 after all" she said confidently.
I smirked at her confidence. One thing she should know was that you never knew the whole story of anything, not when Fury was involved in any way. "Sure you do" escaped my lips before I even thought about it and her gaze made me retract it. "Okay, okay, sorry. What I mean is, what do you know about the Avengers?"
"What do you mean?", she questioned.
"Exactly what I asked"
She looked at me questionably but resumed her reply nonetheless. "I know who they are, at least their code names but not their current location or their real identities. Well, apart from Stark, about whom everyone knows and Clint and Natasha because… well, because it's Clint and Natasha"
"Name them" I all but commanded.
"Skye–" her tone and look were as if I had grown a second head or I had gone crazy.
"Name. Them" I repeated myself with more intensity in every word. "Code names" I explained.
"Iron Man, Hawkeye, Black Widow, Captain America, Quake, Hulk, Thor" she let out a sigh. "Happy now?" She asked extremely irritated. "What does this have to do with anything?" Her normal whispery tone has risen to a normal one, indicating her frustration even more.
"Everything" I kindly smiled at her, as a mother would do to a child. "It has everything to do with it. During that mission back in 2005, it was not an earthquake that destroyed the building. Well…" I thought about it, "…it was an earthquake, only not a natural one. I left because I could feel something inside me that was begging to be let loose. And I had no control over it, so I was a threat to both you and myself and I decided it was better to leave. Living a quiet and remote life, off the radar. That was until I couldn't stay behind the curtains anymore, not when someone I care about was in danger and that was how S.H.I.E.L.D. found me and trained me, in secret.
"I am sure you tried to look for my files after you saw me again. After Union Station and while I was away you had enough time to do your digging and you came up empty because no files exist that are linked to me. My name isn't on any of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s servers and there is no record of my training or abilities. I used to be in the Index, but after New York, even those files were destroyed". May made a motion to speak but I lifted my hand and stopped her before she phrased anything. "When Fury found me again, I was not the same person you knew. Not in the sense that my experiences had changed me, but in the sense that I was different. Different as in with powers different. Powers enough that got me enlisted to the Avengers Initiative, a project which started in 1995 and was shut down in 2012 after the famous Battle of the same year"
When I referred to my powers I could tell that she grew more anxious for some reason, as if her breathing had just grown a bit shallower, quicker, even if only slightly. "My powers are what allow me to know where everyone is on this aircraft, what allows me to know that you are growing more and more uncomfortable with this conversation, what allowed me to bring this building on our heads all those years ago". I extended my hand, facing the ceiling. "Give me your hand" I saw her staring at my open palm, hesitant to touch me. "May" I spoke quietly and her eyes met mine, a hard gaze meeting a soft and understanding one. "I promise I won't hurt you". Though she was wearing her normal nonchalant mask, I could still see the traces of fears that were hiding underneath. "Do you trust me?" With that, she slowly placed her hand into mine and I squeezed, ever so slightly, glad for that outcome.
I let a small vibration travel through our link into her fingers, then hand and eventually only up to her elbow. Nothing too fancy or too extreme, only a small amount enough to demonstrate but not scare her away.
"I have the ability to manipulate frequencies," I told her as she stared at our holding hands. "Frequencies big enough to bring whole buildings to the ground, or small enough to make an invisible-like shield that would make a bullet bounce off my shoulder instead of piercing right through it". Her fingers, which were still lying lazily in my grasp, clutched mine a bit firmer giving me more strength than I would like to admit. "My code name, is Quake"
Notes:
I remember having a great time writing this one, hope you all enjoyed it just as much :)
Chapter 14: The AssetNotes:
All rights go to Marvel
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Skye's POV
May might have told me that we would have a sparring session, but I couldn't blame her for postponing it after the bombshell that I threw at her after revealing my powers. I could tell that she was not all too comfortable with the thought of me having powers, but she didn't say anything about it other than to give her a few days to digest everything.
She was also informed that Jemma knew about my powers, as well as my Avengers status. What we did not discuss at all was the reason why Coulson didn't remember me, or anything else relating to what happened during or before the Battle of New York. Mainly about me being under Loki's control and what happened during that time. I never mentioned that Clint was training me, but given that both he and Nat were Avengers as well, it was a given that they knew about my return to the organisation and that they hadn't let her know. I tried explaining that when I was brought in the whole situation was pretty covered up and kept in secret, but it was clear as day that she was still a bit hurt that my siblings hadn't even suggested the idea of me being back.
So, without May to train with, and with us flying all over the US for some small missions here and there, I found myself with more time than I knew what to do with. As always, I kept messaging Natasha, Clint and Pepper, letting them know that I was okay and asking about how they were. Natasha was, once again, on a mission with Rogers. Clint on the other hand had taken some time off to work on a present he was preparing for Nat, and was at Missouri building up a homestead for the two of them to be able to go to and relax. Apart from Maria and Fury, from whom he had to get the okay, I was the only other person that Clint included in this little secret of his. This was the only secret I was more than happy to keep.
Back in the aeroplane, we were flying somewhere over Massachusetts when at lunch Ward decided to ask me if I wanted to spar with him. I had caught him checking me out when I was doing some strength training, putting more emphasis than I would normally do on my right shoulder, to bring it back to normal.
A smile appeared on my face at the request and he knew that my answer was a positive one. I didn't think that he expected anything less from me, I never backed down from a challenge after all. And this was a challenge alright.
It wasn't even a couple of hours later when we were both at the cargo hold, mats laid on the floor as we both put on some MMA gloves.
We both stood across one another, our hands raised to protect our faces. I relaxed my shoulders, letting the tense muscles loosen up. I hadn't had a proper sparring with anyone in quite some time and this would be a nice test to my shoulder as well. From the corner of my eye, I could see Jemma looking at us while working on her own work with Fitz, as if ready to step in if I was hurt.
My thoughts were brought back to Ward when he finally made the first move and we stopped circling each other. He made a punch towards my face which I easily deflected and in return kicked towards his torso. He dodged my leg before it made contact, and then his eyes continued scanning me for any sign of weakness. "Come on Ward, give me your best" I teased him on purpose. It seemed to do the trick as in the next moment he came at me with a jab-cross combination followed by a left hook and a roundhouse kick.
After ducking under the hook, I let his kick find its target, but instead of letting it hit me full force, I absorbed the power behind the kick by rolling on my back. My hands wrapped around his ankle and as I rolled I twisted his leg, letting the momentum do the rest. He bent his captured leg, falling on the knee and, using the momentum to his advantage, he brought his elbow towards my face, making me release his ankle to protect my face. He had grown a lot more agile since the last time we fought, not using only his height and strength to overpower his enemies.
After a while we found ourselves going back and forth in a continuous manner, exchanging blows. I landed more than I received, still better at dodging than he was and as always, I could see him get impatient. This seemed to be a trait that his S.O. hadn't managed to get rid of.
Using that, I stopped attacking as much as dodging until one of his right jabs was a bit more sloppy than the rest and I found an opening. As the punch headed towards my face, I ducked under his arm and behind his back, where I swiftly kicked the back of his knee. Before he even fell to the ground my right elbow wrapped around his neck and forced him to the ground, as he was completely off balance. He didn't even have time to realise what was happening before his back was on the mat, breaking his fall. My right hand was on his neck and my left one raised as if to punch, but I didn't finish the movement.
He raised his hands in surrender and I release my grip on his throat, standing up and offering him my hand. "No hard feelings?" I asked with a smirk as I helped him up.
He actually laughed at that, "No hard feelings. Wanna go for a second round?"
I opened my mouth to reply only for May's voice to interrupt us through the Bus' speakers. "Changing course, briefing in three. SHIELD 616 with new orders. Set for Colorado airfield North," she said before the speakers turned off again.
"Ah!" Fitz exclaimed from the lab as he took off his lab coat. "Looks like we're on the move"
I turned my attention back to Ward who was already started taking his gloves off. "Raincheck?" I asked as I followed his example.
"Raincheck," he said as we both started heading to the common area, following the science twins up the stairs. "You are just as good as I remembered"
I turned to look at him, momentarily stopping dead in my tracks. "Did you just give me a compliment?" I brought my hand to my heart.
"I—" he shook his head. "I made a comment" he clarified.
"A kind one! Did it physically hurt to do that?" I leaned closer to him, "Do you need an ice pack?" I teased him and it made him smile. I resumed our walk giggling to myself and I could still see him laughing on the back. "Wow… a compliment and a smile"
"Comment" he quickly corrected.
I just shook my head at his persistence. "You are not so bad yourself" I offered before we reached the sofas and each of us sat on a different one, waiting for Coulson to arrive.
It wasn't a minute later when the leader of this team walked in, playing around on his tablet, probably pulling up information for the mission. "A few minutes ago, a SHIELD transport was attacked while carrying a priority red protected asset off route 76 near Sterling" he didn't get far before Jemma interrupted him.
"Priority red?"
He nodded and turned his tablet around, showing us a man. "The asset was Canadian physicist Dr. Franklin Hall, known for his work—"
"Oh no, not Frank," Jemma said with a devastating look at his face. "Dr Hall?" Fitz added with a similar expression on his face. "He was our chemical kinetics adviser our second year" he further explained.
That explains why I hadn't heard of him before. "Yeah, he's so enthusiastic about science, we just adored him. We can rescue him, can't we?", the girl continued more hopeful as she reached the end of her sentence.
Coulson gave a small smile at them. "He's one of ours. We're gonna try" he reassured.
"And the attackers?" Ward questioned with a more tactical approach than FitzSimmons' mumbling.
Coulson looked at him and paused before replying a simple, "Invisible"
"Wait, invisible?" The question escaped me before I managed to restrain it, a giggle following it. "Cool," I said, nodding to myself. This would be a very interesting mission and I was so looking forward to it. But then I looked at the rest of the team's faces and shook my head adding a, "…but terrible".
May's POV
By the time we landed, the sun had already set and we all headed to the scene of the crime. After debriefing agent Mack, who was the guy that was in charge of the transport of Dr. Hall, we found something really interesting that we took back in the Bus to examine. It was a small circular device that contained some sort of substance in the middle that had some really interesting effects on its surroundings when it was activated. So we got it back at the Bus for our science people to have a look at, at a more controlled environment.
In the end, it was pretty late when we wrapped everything up so we knew that we would continue working on everything for as long as we could, take a few hours of sleep and then continue our research.
First thing in the morning, Phil and Ward would go to meet three potential suspects who could have sold equipment to the people who got Dr. Hall. At that time, FitzSimmons would be working on finding everything they could about what we recovered from the scene, while Skye and myself were going through every communication out of HQ since the transfer was decided. We had concluded that it most likely was an inside job, after all.
Thankfully most of our research paid off. The two men had found the person they were looking for, and the two scientists had found out what the substance that was powering the device was, as well as who we were looking for. The two of them been Gravitonium and Ian Quinn respectively. However Skye and I hadn't had any luck so far, so we still had no idea who leaked the information out…
This was how, in the afternoon of the following day, we all found ourselves around the briefing room to see how to proceed with the new information we had gathered.
"The man's a prisoner, and it's up to us to get him out," Phil said, as we were trying to come up with a plan. All of us, apart from Skye, were hovering over the table screen where all the data was presented thinking our heads off. I had already set course to Rome and had the autopilot on while we were down here. We still had a few good hours in the least to come up with a solid plan.
Ward looked again at the information, pointing at the notes we had already kept. "We've checked the specs," he said, clearly upset, walking away from the table to take a breath and clear his head. "There's no way into Quinn's compound without a large S.H.I.E.L.D. strike force or a man inside. He's got neodymium laser fencing surrounding the property"
Phil just shook his head. "They will never allow us a strike force in Malta. Plus, this weekend, Quinn's Worldwide got its annual shareholders gathering. We'll risk a global outrage, but…" he sighed and I finished the sentence for him.
"If we go in alone…"
"S.H.I.E.L.D. can disavow us" he continued nodding in my direction.
I looked over what we would have to face again trying to think of a tactical way to infiltrate the compound but I was coming up empty. "Without a man inside, it's impossible. Unless you're immune to pulse laser emissions" I added letting a bit of sarcasm escape in my tone.
"If we had a monkey, we could get it" Fitz suddenly looked up, a glint of hope in his eye.
Simmons was quick to dismiss him, raising her voice. "Ugh, Fitz!"
"If we had a monkey…" after that I stopped listening to what he was saying. I had a hard time not staring daggers at him. Seriously, this guy. Ever since Fury shot down the idea of getting a fish tank, he had grown more and more obsessed with getting a monkey and he would bring the topic up every time he got the chance.
"I could go in" I seemed to be the only one to have heard Skye as she spoke, my head snapped in her direction, making eye contact with the girl. She was doing something on her phone, typing away not even looking at it as she maintained eye contact with me.
Ward, completely ignoring her continued as if she hadn't spoken. "Drop me in the hills outside of Valletta". Now, I knew that they might not get along as well, but he could at least acknowledge her. "I'll spend a few weeks establishing a cover gathering intel—"
"Hall doesn't have a few weeks" Phil interrupted
Simmons found this moment to agree with the man. "And to restate, any Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. caught on Maltese soil can be shot to death with bullets. Legally" she added the last part with more emphasis as Fitz agreed with her.
"Not me, I could go in," Skye said again, a bit louder this time and Ward finally seemed to actually have heard her, not that hearing her meant that he agreed.
"Why not you? Last time I checked you were a part of S.H.I.E.L.D."
"Wait" Phil stepped in between then, trying to make the tension in the room less apparent. He moved closer to Skye, willing to listen to what she had to say. "What are you saying?" He asked, the same question running through my head but he phrased it before me.
"Well, I don't have to be a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent for starters" she explained. "My Rising Tide cover is still intact, so I could go in as Jane. This way I am not breaking any of those stupid rules" from the corner of my eye I saw Jemma open her mouth to counteract that statement but Skye seemed to have caught on to that movement herself and looked at the biochemist. "'International laws' yes, I know Jemma," she told her. The two of them seemed to be able to talk just by looks, even more so than Simmons and Fitz could when down in the lab. That had me wondering where that connection was coming from. And let's not forget how Skye had said that Jemma was in her bunk one night and the older girl even knew of Skye's powers…
"Did you hear the deadly laser part?" Fitz countered upset. "Without a brave monkey—"
The agent didn't wait for him to finish that sentence and I was really glad. "You said we could go in with a man inside"
"And you want to be that man?" I asked her. It might have been that I used to know her, and despite her not being the same person she was back in the day, I could still read her a lot better than most people could. I knew that she was hiding something.
"FitzSimmons loved the guy, and he needs our help. And honestly, we don't have a better plan at the moment. I have everything required for a mission such as this, the background, the clearance and the experience". Her eyes had moved to her phone where she was still typing quickly. The corners of her lips soon titled upwards a bit. "Plus…" she said adding a pause for dramatic effect as she turned the screen to us so that we could see what was displayed there, "…I've got an invitation. Well, technically, it's an e-vite" she shruged her shoulders but the smile never left her face.
Phil looked at the phone for a few good seconds, weighing the options. "Good" he concluded before turning around and going back towards the table. "We know where to start. May, what's our ETA to Rome?"
"We still have at least 6 more hours to get to the base there" I replied not even bothering to head to the cockpit to check. I knew how fast my plane could go after all.
"Great. Quinn's gathering is tomorrow, afternoon. That gives us plenty of time to come up with a solid plan until then. Fitzsimmons, you head down to the lab and see what you can come up with to shut down those lasers for a second team to go in, even if it's for a few seconds. May, you will stay on the stick tonight, make sure our journey is as smooth as possible. The rest of you, have a ten-minute break and then we have to start thinking about the details of the plan. We won't stay too late tonight, we have to be ready and fresh for tomorrow, this goes for everyone. It will only work against us if we try and come up with ideas when our brains are not functioning properly. I will see you in a bit. Dismissed"
I was the first one out of the room and as I passed by Skye I called her. "With me" and she didn't hesitate to follow.
I saw her make a move to lock the door as she walked into my solitude haven, which had become a place for the two of us to talk without any interruptions. She was the only person I could have in here without minding. Even Phil forced a conversation when he was in here, but not Skye. She would, more often than not, just come here and sit, staring at the horizon as we flew without breaking a comfortable silence that would sit between us.
"Don't lock it," I told her as I moved towards my spot, but standing right beside it, not lowering myself to the seat. "You'll need to leave in a bit either way"
"Fair enough" she turned to look at me.
She opened her mouth as if to ask what I wanted, but I beat her to it. "Why are you doing this?"
Her jaw snapped closed at my question and she seemed perplexed. "I don't—" she started but I didn't let her finish. We only had a handful of minutes before she had to meet Phil and Ward.
"You said you were doing this because we don't have a better plan at the moment" I repeated her own words. "I say, there is something you are not telling us, me. The others can't see it, but I know this isn't the real reason why you are doing this" I explain. "Now, am I gonna have to ask again or are you going to answer truthfully this time?"
"He doesn't trust me" her instant answer was almost like a whisper but I caught it nonetheless. "I was not selected for this team, and despite you being the one who truly decided who would be included or not, Coulson still thinks it was his decision, and I was not part of that. Hill might have vouched for me, and Coulson might have been the one to agree to keep me on the team, but I still feel like I don't belong. I'm getting along great with FitzSimmons, not that this was hard to accomplish. I can feel that I am getting somewhere with Ward, he is still not a hundred per cent sure about me though. I think that the two of us have started to rebuild the trust we once had, but with him it's different. Sure, I helped out in our missions so far but I can still see his doubt about me, even if he tries to hide it.
"Taking initiative for this mission, coming up with a plan and seeing it through is me trying to get on his good side. I told you we are not discussing this yet, but since he doesn't remember me, he had no reason whatsoever to feel like he can believe in me. He might have told me that I have his trust unless I break it, but I can honestly still see the doubt in his eyes every time I have an input. So…" her gaze was still glued to mine, determination shining through her eyes, the request that followed sounding more like a command, "…please don't question me on this. I need to do this. I need to prove myself to him"
I couldn't say anything after that and just let her walk away as I sat down on the pilot's seat, my mind going over everything that I had just heard.
Notes:
Here we go with the start of E03!
In case anyone was wondering, at the first half, this is me trying to not drag Ward through the mud just yet. Let's give him a chance, shall we?
Out of curiosity, what's your guys' opinion on his character on the show?
Chapter 15: When In MaltaNotes:
All rights go to Marvel
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Skye's POV
We arrived in Rome really early on Saturday morning, but of course we didn't stick around to enjoy the city, or do any sort of sightseeing whatsoever, and left only a couple of hours later for Malta after we got everything we needed from the Italian base.
We had managed to come up with the best possible plan we could with the time limit we were facing. I had to give it to Fitz, as he created a make-up compact which, when put near a computer, would allow him to hack the laser defended field even for only a few seconds and allow the two other members of the team to infiltrate the villa and extract Hall.
After going over the plan, my eyes caught May and Coulson talking on the side, the former complaining about the amount of combat she had seen so far, and it being way more than what she had bargained for. The leader of the team assured her that she was not going to see any more combat as he was going to be the second person along with Ward who was going to help out in rescuing Dr. Hall. And after that he turned to the rest of the team, leaving May with a concerned look on her face, and ordering us to gear up.
I quickly went to my bunk to change, wearing a bright pink dress, clearly saying that I was an attention seeker. Though my wardrobe while in S.H.I.E.L.D. mostly consisted of dark-toned clothes, my cover had more lively colours in her clothes. She was just a simple woman after all who had nothing to do with a not-so-secret organisation. Jemma, Fitz and May stayed in the Bus, which was hidden away for any prying eyes, while the three members for the mission exited and started walking our respective ways. Ward was preparing the boat with which the two of them would reach the shore of the villa while I was about to call for a taxi to get me to Quinn's building.
After working up the nerve to say what I wanted to say I turned to Coulson. "I don't want to question your orders, sir" using the term 'sir' to emphasise the seriousness of what I was about to say. He had told me to call him Coulson after all, unless it was a formal meeting and I really wanted to get his attention.
"Good" he answered, overlooking Ward at his preparation.
"But…" I stretched out. "I couldn't help but hear agent May's concerns about you being on this mission, out on the field. I don't mean to overstep any boundaries, but you once told me that you would always send at least two agents together in a mission. Ward and I make two, there is no reason for you to get involved. I strongly believe that we can see that this mission comes to fruition even without your assistance" I spoke quickly, but confidently before he got a chance to interrupt me.
His hands were still crossed over his chest as he fully turned to look at me. His demeanour was as serious as ever. It was clear as day that he was not really pleased with what he heard and I knew that I was about to get an earful from him. So I decided that it was as good of a chance to say what was on my mind as any would be.
"I can tell you disagree and I respect that" I started before he managed to say anything and I saw his jaw tighten as he kept it shut. "I have also been taught espionage, phycology and interrogation techniques by the best there is" a certain redhead's image flashing briefly in my mind. "You might have agreed with my idea, we didn't have any better option, to begin with, and you might have not said anything outright but I know that a main reason you are taking part so actively is to keep an eye on me. You are trying to hide it, and your pretending is successful to most people, but I am not most people". I took a breath and let a few seconds tick by so that what I had said so far was properly digested before I continued. "I am not going to question your orders and if you think that tagging along is what is best for the mission, I will trust your judgment. However, if you are, indeed, doing it for the reason I suspect, I would kindly ask you to reconsider and not put yourself in any unnecessary danger because of it. Despite having planned out everything to the best of our abilities, there are many factors we couldn't take into consideration just because we didn't have the time, or the manpower, or the weapons or many other things. The plan could go south with the slightest change or delay and I know that a heavy part of the mission lies on my shoulders". My clock buzzed and I looked down on my wrist only to see that I had to leave.
I lifted my head and my eyes locked with his. There was a flash of something I couldn't quite place, but the determination was still there and I knew that despite my speech, he would still go with his original plan. I pressed my lips together and nodded, accepting that there was nothing that would change the man's mind. "Good luck, to both of you," I told him and walked off to get in the taxi, turning on my earpiece so that the agents left on the Bus could hear me from then on.
After getting off the taxi, with the number M250 on the side, walking in the event and talking to people, making contact with the target, who was Ian Quinn in this mission, was pretty standard and simple. With the three agents in my ear and all the information I needed for the other attendees at hand, it was not too hard to blend in and play the part of Jane. What I did not expect though was the man offering me a job. Well… offering Jane a job. That was something I could use to my advantage if it came down to that.
And after Quinn started his speech about Gravitonium and how his company would use this new element and how his shareholders better jump at the opportunity, I slipped away and headed to the main building so as to complete the mission that I was there for.
The man really needed to change his security if he thought that the men he had at the moment were capable of stopping anyone who wanted to get into the building. Getting in the highest floor there was, it was easy enough to reach Quinn's office. We had already gone through the blueprints of the estate and his office was as high as it could possibly be so that he not only could see what was happening to the rest of the villa, but he was close enough to the roof in case he needed to escape fast in a helicopter.
I tried to open the door, only for it to remain closed. "It's locked," I said to my earpiece. "But there's no lock" I hurriedly added.
"Eh, check for a keypad," I heard Fitz over the comms, sounding like he was chewing something.
"Are you seriously eating right now?" I yelled whispered as I looked for what the rocket scientist has pointed out only to find none. "Nope, no keypad," I said, but just as I finished that sentence my mind map picked up movement coming towards me. It matched Ian Quinns vibrational print, which I had memorised as he walked up when I met him. "Shit, he is coming," I said to myself, having forgotten that there were people hearing my every word.
"What? Skye, you have to hide!" Jemma was quick to say in an urgent tone.
I closed my eyes and placed my palm over the doorknob. "Stop talking" I whispered in a commanding voice which had the girl stop short from whatever else she was about to ramble. With a gentle push so as to not destroy the inner lock, but just unlock it for the moment, I sent a vibration and the handle turned with ease. Quickly, I walked in, the lock clicking when the door was closed and my back rested on its surface.
After a couple of seconds when nothing happened, I walked towards the balcony, looking at the incredible view that this room had. Not too close for people who might be strolling underneath to spot me, but enough to appreciate the sea and everything underneath. I opened the make-up, waited until the red lines turned green for Fitz to work on and smiled at my reflection.
"Oh, yes!" I basically heard Fitz jump on the spot right before fast typing just as Jemma exclaimed a quick "Amazing!"
I heard the door unlock and looked over my shoulder just as Ian Quinn walked in. When he spotted me he stopped in the spot momentarily and then narrowed his eyes "How did you get in here?"
I turned to fully face him just as the other voices in my ear seized the moment they heard the man's voice.
"I got the e-vite from the encrypted backchannel that I send you the request from. I have also managed to get myself into many restricted areas in several buildings over the last few years. Let's just say that I have a few tricks up my sleeve" I said with a confident smile on my face. Not a seductive one, as Quinn would not be one to be tricked into that sort of thing so easily.
"So what?" He asked as he closed in on me. "I invite you here as a guest, and you treat me like another corrupt institution, looking for trade secrets to leak online?"
"Please" I interrupted with a scoff before he attempted to call the security. After his question that was the part that usually followed in these kinds of situations. "You are the kind of person that created Quinn Worldwide. You are not stupid enough to have any kind of secrets lying around in your office. I bet you have all your important files stored away, secured by guards with guns and maybe not even in Malta. Maybe the States, or even in an exotic destination where your enemies would not even think of looking for" I walked around the sofa in front of me and sat at the edge, crossing my legs as I did so.
With a raised eyebrow, but with the phone still tightly clenched in his hand he approached and looked out of his balcony and to the sea beyond. "Why then?"
"You offered me a job, did you not?" I said without hesitation. "I wanted to talk to you about that since you are not the only job offer I have at the moment," I said nonchalantly. I could still see the tension on his shoulders and could sense his quick heartbeat, letting me know he did not fully believe me. "Look" I let out a heavy sigh and let some tiredness slip into my voice as if accidentally, making it seem like I was finally speaking honestly. "I am a hacker. I have a van for a home that I have been living in for the past how many years, alone" I especially emphasised the last word. "I don't have agoraphobia or anything, but let's just say that I feel more comfortable behind my computer rather than in a place filled with people whose monthly pay-check is more than what I've made my entire life".
Seriously, how long was it going to take Ward and Coulson to get Dr. Hall out of here? Plus Ward was supposed to come here and help me out. "Ward's coming over to you" May's voice answered my questions but still. He was taking his sweet time getting here, wasn't he?
Instantly I could tell that he felt more at ease than before. Though there were still some reservations, it was clear that we were at a much better place than we were before as his phone was now back in his pocket. "If you are really here only for the job, you have to tell me what other offers you have, I have to know who my competitors are after all"
"Oh, you know, the classic suspects I'm afraid. F.B.I., C.I.A., S.H.I.E.L.D., S.I. and many others. I have hacked them all and they all have the same logic for some reason. 'You hacked me, so you are better and I want you to improve our systems'"
"And how come you never accepted any of them?" He continued the small 'interrogation'.
I rolled my eyes at that. "You are the one who asks me that?" I asked as if it was the most obvious thing in the whole world. He stared back, challenging me to resume and answer my own question. "It's the secrets" I answered more genuinely than I would have wished. He nodded, prompting me to continue. "What the Rising Tide stand for is freedom of information. And the organisations I named are all hiding so many secrets, information that people deserve to know because they are affected by said secrets. Especially S.H.I.E.L.D." I mean, what was the harm in saying what was on my mind? After all, Quinn was such a hard-core anti-S.H.I.E.L.D. that I would only get into his good side. "I have to admit though, S.I.'s offer was really tempting. But if you really think about it, Iron Man has been so involved with S.H.I.E.L.D. and we don't know what kind of secrets he is hiding. Plus, Stark can be… eccentric"
"That makes sense" he spoke after thinking over what he had just heard. "You are too good to be left unchecked for them". By the time he finished his sentence I had started sensing vibrations start spreading all over the ground, slowly picking up the rate and strength. Why on earth would there be an earthquake here?
I shook my head and brought my attention back to the task at hand, stalling Quinn. "You're saying they wanted to rope me in because I pose a genuine threat to them?"
He shrugged and sat on the other corner of the sofa. "Yes. And fit their profile"
"Profile?"
"Sure. For Stark Industries, well, you can use a computer and you have a pretty face. You know Stark's reputation. As for the others… you're a criminal. You have a warrant somewhere"
"Probably"
"Specialised skill set"
If only you knew my skill set, I thought. I smiled instead "I try to stay humble"
"No family" he declared. The smile disappeared from my face. I was not playing the part of Jane anymore. I had a family, a very dysfunctional but loving family. Still, my mind flashed back to a time when I was looking into my actual family, where I was coming from. Who I really was. "I'm sorry," He said after the long pause, studying my expression. "I didn't mean to hit a nerve, but that is what these people do. S.H.I.E.L.D., they prey on fear and loneliness and desperation, and then they offer a home to those who have no one else to turn to. I can offer you something better. You stay with us, there are no secrets, no lies, and no agenda. You're free to do what you do without a big brother watching over you" just as he finished an earthquake shook through the place, stuff falling off the nearby shelves and onto the floor.
But this was no ordinary earthquake. After I figured out about my powers, one of the first things I did was study earthquakes, their patterns and how they evolve, and I had also lived through several ones in the past years. This was different, it felt different. It felt… unnatural. I could swear that it was almost like it was manmade, maybe even artificial.
As Quinn fell to the ground, I saw a pen start levitate. This was a clearly not good sign. I needed to get out of there, waiting for Ward was no longer an option. "Thi-This was a pretty strong shake there. I think I'm going to leave the building and try to get to the ground" I said to Quinn, purposely making my voice shake a bit before bolting from the room.
Just as I was about to take a sharp left the agent bumped into me. "What took you so long?" I asked him, but as he opened his mouth to answer I interrupted him, grabbed his arm and took off from where he came. "Never mind that, we have more pressing matters at hand. Something is going on with the Gravitonium"
We both halted just as a handful of guards came running towards us. They stopped momentarily when they saw us, clearly not expecting us, before running again ready to attack us.
"Seriously?" I asked Ward before the first guard reached me. He made a move to punch my face but I dodged away and then hit his Adam's apple, which had him fall to the ground with his hands around his throat trying to breathe in. I had just docked another's kick, and landed an uppercut which seemed to do nothing to the huge man in front of me when I spoke again, "Why did you not incapacitate them on your way here?"
I could feel Ward rolling his eyes even though I was not looking at him. "The plan…" grunt, "…was to…" grunt, "…sneak in" final punch to the head that had his opponent knocked out.
"Is that why…" I kicked the man behind his knees before landing a round hound kick to the side of his head and he joined the other in dreamland. "…it took you so long to get to me?" I turned to him as one of the fallen guards made a move to stand up but was put back on the ground as both Ward and I punched him in the face.
"Please, you could have handled them" and with that he just walked off.
I was internally screaming as I caught up to him and we made our way to where I could only assume Coulson was. But despite his words, I sensed no ill-intention hidden in his voice, so I couldn't really hold a grudge.
Notes:
Here we got one of those cases where the AU part of the story came in and a few key scenes were changed. It's all for a reason, I promise :)