Chapter 111 - ch 11-15

Chapter 11: A Magical PlaceNotes:Hello there! We are finally here and I am so excited. I had a blast writing this chapter and I hope you all enjoy it! I will see y'all again in two weeks, until then...

All rights go to Marvel

Chapter TextRaina's POV

I was finally were I wanted to be. So close to the Clairvoyant that I could almost hear his voice. But Po would not let me. The mission to get agent Coulson was a success, and we even managed to get Mike.

But he was in a rough shape. And the Clairvoyant told me to tend to him. He and his gifts could see above and beyond anything I had ever encountered before. His gift was definitely one of the Angels. The stories that my grandmother used to tell me. And I was going to make sure that he leads me to my own destiny, to my own gift.

But I had to make sure that I was going to get it.

And if the Clairvoyant could see all, it would be a futile hope to trick him. So, having a backup plan would always be of use. For whatever happens, there was one sure path and that was Calvin Zabo and his missing daughter.

Daisy…

It was peculiar. A girl that he found, and then lost in a building that shook from the ground up. As had the Centipede Base back in Hong Kong. A girl that might as well be the same one on Coulson's team that Ian Quinn shot but didn't kill.

"It felt as if the air around me was heavy, pushing me away like an invisible force hit me on the chest. My men, dropped dead in one second", were the words he had used to describe his experience when we met after his meeting with her.

I was going to try and convince him to keep that information between the two of us, but I did want to keep my head. However, I did manage to get a photo from his camera surveillance from when she came to him undercover in Malta.

But things have been so hectic with preparing the Centipede Soldiers, and making sure they don't combust or drain too much. S.H.I.E.L.D. has been on our tail, and have been destroying our operations, forcing us to keep moving. We were so close to stage three, that maybe, if I helped get us there, the Clairvoyant would reward me.

I walked back into the room where agent Coulson was strapped in the Theta Brain-Wave Frequency Machine, only to see him bloodied and beaten down by Po and his soldiers.

"He doesn't look so good", I pointed out.

Po turned to look at me. "Raina, what took you so long? The persuasion skills I've spoken to the Clairvoyant so much about would be better served here with me, breaking this man", he said matter-of-factly.

I looked again at agent Coulson's face. Men and their brutality, thinking it is the only way to make someone talk or come around. "I would never use force to bend a man to my wishes"

"He's being difficult", he countered.

"He's being beaten", I pointed out instead.

He scoffed like he knew everything. "Into submission. The Clairvoyant requested it and will tell me to—", his sentence was cut short by his phone ringing. He took it out, very happy to see who was on the other end. "See?", I watched with hidden delight as the smile dropped from his face when he started excusing his lack of result so far. Then, his gaze turned to me, jaw slightly tensed. "Right here… Yes…", and the phone was extended in my direction. "The Clairvoyant would like to speak to you", he said even though it was clear he didn't like it one bit.

The smile on my face only grew as I took the phone from him. "This is Raina."

"Hello, Raina", his voice was smooth but had a rasp in it. "I can see that Po has not been able to get the key yet. Do you remember everything that I told you about agent Coulson?"

"Yes", I managed to keep my voice from shaking.

"Very good. I knew I could depend on you. Don't you think there is another way to convince him to cooperate? A new approach if you will…", he spoke with confidence, like he already knew that this new approach would yield the results he wanted.

There wasn't much point in saying a lot, especially with Po here trying to clearly listen in. "I agree"

"Very well. You are now in charge of this operation. I believe in you Raina, I know you can do this", his trust in me made my heart flutter.

"Thank you", I got out. If I did this, if I got the key, I would for sure be rewarded. Maybe even meet him.

"Now, there will be people that will come to save him. You won't have much time. They are already on their way. And you, or our soldiers won't be able to stop them, because Skye will come, and from what I understand she will come with company". Skye? I looked at agent Coulson who was still there, waiting silently. "My soldiers will give you as much time as they can, but it won't be enough. They won't last long. Don't hurt yourself, do as they say and I will find you and free you. I promise you that"

I was part delighted and frightened, because if she was going to take out the soldiers, then I didn't want to know what would happen to me. But I didn't let it show. I trusted in him, and he said I would be okay. "I understand"

"Good, now give me back to Po. His time has ran out", there was a finality in his voice.

"I'll put him back on", I extended the phone and Po all but snatched it out of my hand.

A smile was plastered once more on his face, but soon turned into a frown, as an electrical shock passed from the phone and onto his brain, killing his instantly. Edison Po was no more.

I caught the phone as it dropped. My turn.

Coulson's POV

I watched as Po fell to the floor, his chest not moving. My gaze turned to Raina, who had calmly moved to the panel of the machine I had been almost confined to for the past however-many hours.

"This is turning into an interesting day, isn't it?", she asked me. An easy smile on her face as she did.

So, this is how she was going to go about it. "So, you're my friend now? 'Cause I've seen what you do to your friends?"

She looked at me with an almost innocent look. "Mr. Po?" I nodded. "He was a murderer incapable of remorse"

Can't argue with that, I thought. "I was thinking of Mike Peterson, Chan Ho Yin", I started listing instead.

She stopped fiddling with whatever she was doing and turned to fully face me. "I gave them what they asked for. Mike wanted to be a hero to his son. Now he is"

"Now he is dead", I corrected her. While whatever they injected me with had momentarily stunned me, I saw the results from the explosion on the chopper they put me in. I saw the devastation on their faces, and didn't see Mr. Peterson anywhere. I could put two and two together. "What about Akela Amador? Did she want, as you so eloquently put it, a bomb in her head?"

She shrugged. "The people you work for are just as capable of using cruel means to reach a justified end. Don't pretend to be better", she scoffed in a laughing manner.

That gave me pause. She wasn't wrong, but also S.H.I.E.L.D. was better than that. "And who do you work for? The Clairvoyant? Who is he?"

She lifted the phone she was holding. "I don't know. Today was the first time I personally made contact. My heart's still racing", the excitement was palpable in her voice. Just who exactly was he?

He was the one that ordered Quinn to shoot Skye, based on the report. So, he worked with Quinn. But if he also worked with Centipede, then what was his goal? Was he using Quinn's money to fund Centipede's operations? The connection I had been looking for was right there, staring at me in the face but I just couldn't quite reach it, for there was no way that Quinn would be able to fund all of this, not in this scale.

There was another player and I was missing who that was. But if this Clairvoyant was the answer, there was one thing that was clear as day. "He has you building super soldiers"

"The Clairvoyant gives us guidance, formulas", she could see the question I was about to ask and so she continued. "For the changing world, agent Coulson. The world your organisation brought upon us. We're new to the business of what you've been doing for decades" she said like it was clear as day.

Changing the world… that has never ended well. And if their plans were so grant, then whatever this was, it was going far deeper than probably all of us had guessed. She was being awfully cooperative with my questions. Wasn't getting too much into detail with things, but maybe, reading between the lines would be enough for now.

Better to continue while she still answers then. "So now what? You have soldiers? You can make them strong, you can control them. In an instant, you can kill them." No questions asked, no evidence left behind. Easy to manipulate, easy to guide, promised of a better life for their loved ones, or the threat of their deaths. S.H.I.E.L.D. isn't like that, I found myself thinking once more.

At that her eyes sparkled. "Yes, but we can't bring them back to life." Bingo. Here we are, this is what they want. "You were killed. Now you're here. We want to know how… don't you?" And if that same question hadn't been in my mind… She caressed the machine once more. "I'd like to turn the machine on again. It induces theta brain-wave frequencies to help uncover the secrets buried in the subconscious. If you cooperate, you can surf those waves"

I scoffed. "Surfing? Felt more like drowning" I countered.

She shook her head. "You've been resisting. Fight the waves and you'll drown, as you so eloquently put it. Your brain will cook. You'll stop breathing… again"

"You want to give you me agencies secrets. I won't give them to you. My team will find me, or I guess I'm going to meet my maker. And maybe stay with him this time", I shuddered. The small memory I had from the darkness for those few seconds I was dead never left me.

"I'm not interested in classified intel. The Clairvoyant can see within any agency, any government", she said, and the initial confident she spoke with when she spoke for this Clairvoyant remained. Unshaken. "He knows what the President dreams about at night. I want what you want… to uncover a different secret… the secret S.H.I.E.L.D. is keeping from you. You mean to tell me you trust them so wholeheartedly that you don't question them at all? Not the fact that it keeps you up at night, that there is this gap in your memory that no matter how much you try, you can never quite get it to fill? He told me that you asked for answers, and they didn't give them to you", she reached out and took my hand. "Why don't you look for those answers yourself?"

I was about to say 'I trust the system'… but then Skye came to mind. All the talks I've had with her about this, the mission where Fitz and Ward would die from my command without me knowing I was sending them to their death. "They keep secrets for a reason", I ended up saying. But it sounded weak even to my own ears.

"But why would S.H.I.E.L.D. keep details of your death from you? They're your family…" there it was. My chest wound started itching again, my hand went to rub it. But as soon as I tried to think more of it, it seems to be fleeting, like trying to hold onto sand. "Your only family since you've lost your mother, too. Now, after all you've sacrificed and they keep secrets from you". Maybe, if I used the machine, I would get the information I wanted. I could get that, get some answers.

Answers to so many questions I have had. So many question marks that have seemed to have filled my life ever since I woke up after I died. She seemed to know I had made up my mind, but she still pushed. "I know you don't want to believe it, but you can't tell me nothing makes you doubt, makes you wonder what happened in Tahiti"

"It's a magical place" I said automatically. Again… like I had done so many times in the past. Always the same, always there. "I keep saying that…"

Her other hand was placed on my shoulder. "Don't you want to know why?"

I sighed. "Turn it on", I said. I laid back down. "How are you so sure this will even work?"

She turned to look at me, as she went by the panel once more. "It worked on me… Now. Close your eyes and relax", she continued and I did as instructed. I want you to think back to the first memory of your death", I only heard her.

I tried to picture it in my head. I thought about what lead me to be put in a black bag. I saw Loki in front of me, my gun trained on him. He was about to release the cylindrical glass cage with Thor inside. "Move away, please" I called out making sure he knew my weapon was trained on him.

He lifted his hands, as if to surrender. "Seems like you caught me just in time", he said sarcastically.

I took one careful step towards him. "Seems like I did, now, as I said. Move away from the pa—"

A pain erupted from my chest, looking down I saw Loki's sceptre had punctured me right in the middle. Then, it was pulled back, and with a small gasp I fell to the floor. Looking up, I saw what I always saw in my nightmares, Loki staring down at me, sceptre held in hand, a triumphant smile on his face, as Thor yelled on the background and before the cage was released and dropped from the sky.

The sky…

Lokis frame seemed to glitch, change momentarily, before coming back to his original form. I shook my head, trying to clear my eyesight, for there was something there. Something I was missing.

"What do you see agent Coulson? Something is happening isn't it?", I heard Raina call out gently."Don't fight it, focus on the details".

I tried to do just that. Focusing on Loki's frame as it flickered back and forth, changing, but not staying on the other persons form, whoever that was.

Until it did.

And it stayed on Skye's form. Her eyes, a piercing blue, not looking at me but instead behind me. "Skye?", I found myself asking but her gaze still didn't drop.

"Sir, there are a couple more people approaching", she said and I saw her move towards Loki, giving him his sceptre. "You go to the exit point and I will deal with them", and like that she left the room.

I tried bring to back Skye's face in my mind, and saw how the scene seemed to be moving almost backwards. As she left, now she was back inside, my chest pierced and I dropped, looking up at her clearly. "Skye?" I called again.

I heard her voice in my head, from the first day we met, when she was still undercover in the Rising Tide.

You were supposed to be dead.

I know you because I was in the Helicarrier before the Battle of New York.

I was there when you died.

Then the image of the two of us in my office passed briefly through my head. "How did S.H.I.E.L.D. stab you in the back?", I had asked her, and saw for the briefest of moments, as her eyes dropped to my chest, right where my wound was. Pain in her gaze.

And just like that, it was like something was unlocked in me.

Images flashed through my brain, like a movie that was played in 5 times its normal speed.

Dragging off a younger Skye, unconscious, from the rubble of a fallen building. Natasha, Clint and Melinda there as well.

Me telling her goodbye as she started her journey in the Academy.

Reading the report that she was missing.

Spending months looking for her, only to see her again in a S.H.I.E.L.D. hospital after the events of the Stark Expo.

Watching as she trained, went on missions with Clint and Maria.

Gaps filling. And filling, and fillings, and filling. Whatever was missing was coming back, and my chest hurt. And it hurt, and it hurt, and it hurt.

"What's happening agent Coulson? What do you see?"

Learning she was compromised when Loki came.

The Helicarrier being attacked, panic everywhere, and Skye in the vents. She knew the layout by heart.

I went to the Cage to make sure he didn't escape. Only to get a sceptre in the back.

Skye left, and barely managed to shot Loki once.

Soon Fury came in and kneeled by my side. "I'm sorry boss. They got rabbited", I said and felt blood running on the side of my face.

I felt him tap on the side of my face. "Just stay awake. Eyes on me", he ordered.

I laughed, but ended up wincing. It hurt too much. "Oh, I'm clockin' out here", I half-joked.

He shook his head. "Not an option"

I smiled up at him. "It's okay, boss. This was never gonna work— if they didn't have something— to—" and then it was black.

For just a moment, before it rapidly changed to the familiar image of Tahiti. But I already saw one glitch and caught it as soon as it happened. The guy, that was getting us the drinks, changed, changed into… a doctor.

"Listen to him!", he yelled. Wait a minute, I knew that doctor. "Who ordered this?", Dr. Streiten asked to the woman that was over my head.

But as soon as I looked up, it was Dr. Goodman there, instead of the lady that was massaging me before. "Director Fury himself.

"W-what?", I chocked out, just as Dr. Streiten interrupted once more. "Listen to him!", he practically yelled.

"I need you to look at your surroundings. Try and describe what you see. Are you still in Tahiti? Tell me", Raina's voice came through.

I had to look more, but she couldn't know what I was seeing. "It's dark", I lied and hoped it was convincing enough. "There's nothing. Everything is dark". When in reality, I looked around the operational room. I took in the white light and the horror on Dr. Steiten's face.

I heard the two of them talk behind me. "He's drifting— This is wrong— Can you feel that?— Who ordered this?— This is wrong!— Listen to him—"

But my eyes were glue on the rounded mirror that was placed over me. I watched I was laying on a table, my skull opened up, exposing my brain. A machine working to reconstruct my brain in whatever way it did, zapping nerve end after nerve end. I didn't know when I started, but the words left my mouth without me willing them to.

"Don't. Stop. Let me die. Please. Please, let me die. Let me die. Please, let me die. Let me die! Let me die! Please! Just let me die!"

Chapter 12: Found And RescuedNotes:Here we are! Get ready cause it's quite a chapter. I will see you all agin in a couple of weeks! Hope you all enjoy. Until then...

All rights go to Marvel

Chapter TextSkye's POV

I was strapped in the back of the Quinjet bearing the Stark logo, as we made our way to the Mojave Desert. Because, of course, where they had taken Coulson had to be an abandoned '40s town that was built for the cold war but never actually bombed, and it was located in the same area the Joint Dark Energy Mission Facility was built upon.

The Facility that held Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S. and the Tesseract, before Loki came through and everything went to shit.

"You doing okay?", Clint came to sit next to me, leaving Natasha to pilot the jet as Tony and Steve were getting ready. Bruce wanted to join, but thought it would have been best not to attract that much attention to ourselves. And he would have everything ready with Jemma when we went back to the Tower to treat Coulson in whatever shape we found him in.

I nodded. "Yeah, I'm just trying to focus on what's to come". I could feel there was more that he wanted to say, so I just waited.

After a few second of silence my suspicions were proven correct. "Look, I know you said you are ready—"

"I am not sitting this one out, Clint", I snapped at him. "You and Nat said I was ready"

He raised his palms in a non-threatening manner. "And you are. But sometimes, missions hit too close to home. And with the reaction you had at the Homestead…" he seemed to be able to tell that I was getting fed up. "Look", he changed tactics. "You have not shaken anything out of control since the nightmare you had after, what turned out to be, the first time you saw him again after his death", he paused for a second. "I am not going to make you sit this one out, but after, it's high time you get a psych eval. And from someone other than Simmons"

I tighten my grip of the straps holding me in place. "I promised Nat, and even Stark, that I would talk after this whole thing was wrapped up. Why is this not enough?", I doubted that I could change his mind, he could be stubborn as hell if he chose to.

He placed his hand on mine and gently brushed the tight hold away with his thumb. "It's not that I don't trust you, that we don't trust you. But as your S.O., I need to make sure that you are fit to be back in action. Both physically and mentally. And Fury agrees"

Oh, great, I thought.

"So, you are to take the eval, and see what the verdict is. And whatever it is, we are going to follow it, no matter how you feel about it" his voice was stern, yet gentle. "This does not mean you are any less of an agent, or that you are broken or something. Just that you need some help to get back on your feet, it's been a pretty crazy few months for you"

"We are landing in 10", Nat's voice rang through the back of the Quinjet. "Strap in and get ready, I'll be keeping the cloaking up even on the ground, but they will know our position"

"Roger that" Tony said and smirked at Steve who gave him the side eye. He and his antics.

I nodded at Clint who retreated his hand and went back to the co-pilots seat. I took an extra headset so everyone could hear me with clarity. "Remember. The mission is to find and retrieve Coulson. He is our top priority. We are not going in to kill, we are just knocking people unconscious. I am talking to you Tony and your affinity with missile projectiles", I stared at him.

"I don't know what you are talking about", he fainted ignorance.

"Sure you don't" I joked back, but I could tell even he was taking this seriously. "We are probably going to face Super Soldiers. They have been trying to find ways to make more of our resident Youngster here, so they will be stronger, more durable, not quite on his level but they can pack a mean punch. They are not doing this with their own free will and whoever handles them will most likely kill them the moment we knock them out. But they are not the enemy, just pawns we have to get through.

"From the moment we leave this jet and they see us, the game is on. They will come at us with everything they can. The ghost town is pretty extensive, so we need to find where Coulson is and fast. I will try to locate him and let everyone know as soon as I can. We move in fast, we move in efficiently. There is no time to waste. Everyone ready?", I finished as I activated my mask and gauntlets.

I saw everyone nod as I felt the Quinjet landing. In an instant, we were all on our feet, the hold door dropping to let us out, buildings upon buildings in the area, all seemingly abandoned.

I was the first to exit, crouching down, and placing my palm on the dusted, dry soil, as I let my powers expand like spiderwebs under the ground.

I felt more than saw the others gather around me, ready to go. And not a few seconds later, a bunch of Centipede Soldiers came running in our direction, ready to engage. "Give Quake as much time as possible", Captain Rogers called and headed to meet the oncoming assault.

I kept my focus on vibrations of the earth around me. I felt time slow down, as our teams clashed with the Soldiers, their vibrations clashing with what I was looking for. I redirected my powers to the first building, trying to get a mental image of its layout and what was inside it. There was no heartbeat in there. Empty.

I moved to the next one.

And to the next one.

In the background I could hear the fight going on, some grunts from Steve, the Widow Bites from Nat, Clint's trick arrows going off, as well as Tony's thrusters as he moved through the air. We were gaining ground and would soon have incapacitated all of them. We fought a whole army of Chitauri. A few well-trained soldiers would not hold for too long.

So, I kept searching. Building after building, letting my powers quickly scan for the presence of a person. I had gone through 5 building.

6…

7…

8…

9—

There! Two clear heartbeats, one that I had associated with Coulson's, beating rapidly, in distress. The other calm, if not slightly sped up.

I lifted my hand from the ground, and then straighten up. A goal in mind, and nothing would stop me from getting there. With determination, I started running that direction. My hand went to the comms I had in my ear. "Got him. Fifth building as you move west. Making my way now, I will signal when I get there"

I sped up, directing my arms to the floor and sending a wave that pushed me to the air, and over the heads of the fighting Avengers. Pushing against the air behind me, I sent myself closer to my direction, rolling over as I made contact with the earth and just keep running.

I found myself redirecting some of my power to my feet, boosting my steps and running faster than I had ever before to get to my destination. I was almost there when I heard the gut wrenching scream of Coulson begging to die.

The door of the house was torn to millions of pieces as I walked through it, and saw who had to be Raina on the panel of a machine that Coulson was hooked in. She was whispering something to him, but then stopped the moment she realised she wasn't alone.

Without much thought, I lifted my hand, sending a wave to her chest, her back crashing with the opposite wall. I made sure not to break anything. I might not have been an expert on whatever this machine was, but I was versed enough with technology to be able to turn it off. My hands slightly shook as Coulson kept asking to die.

"Agent Coulson, come back", I called to him as soon as the machine was turned off. "Come back. Come on, Phil, come back", I held him down as he thrashed around. His calls seemed to quiet down, before he eventually passed out, hopefully from exhaustion and nothing else. I realised I never called for the others, but Coulson's screams were definitely heard.

I didn't want to move him, so instead turned to Raina who was still on the wall looking at this interaction. As soon as my attention was at her she seemed to breath out a word, or more accurately a name.

"Daisy…"

My hand on its own lifted towards her again, as I pined her to the wall. The Doctor flashing briefly in my mind. Before I could answer her, a phone rang in the room. A phone that was in her pocket.

I came closer to her, not letting her move an inch, as I reached in and took it from her, flipping it open. I heard her let a grunt as I pushed more with my powers when I saw the name on the call.

Clairvoyant.

"Tee, track the call and put it only in my comms", I called out. Without waiting to see if T.A.D.A.S.H.I. would have done so, I pressed answer.

"Hello, Skye", I heard a computer voice in my ear. "You have been looking for me"

"I'd think it's only fair after you tried to kill me", I answered. I had to stall as much as I could.

"Now, now, why so hostile? You are alive, are you not? Ian Quinn had a lot to say about you, he was so impressed by you and your skills", it might have been processed through a computer, but even I could hear the sarcasm there.

"What do you want?", I could hear Tee telling me how much longer he needed.

"What I want you cannot give me. Or… maybe you already have", and with that there was an electrical shock that ran through the phone, making me drop it as it self destroyed.

"The connection was severed before I managed to pin point his location", I heard Tee through the mask.

Great, I thought as I turned back to Raina who was still pinned, the trails of a grimace on her face no matter how much she tried to hide it. I instantly pulled back some of my powers, holding her in place, but not crushing her. She took a deep, relieved breath. "Thank you, Daisy".

"That's not my name, lady. Must have hit your head", I said as the others came in. I saw her eyes almost bulge out of her head as she took in the members of my group. "Raina, this is everyone. Everyone, this is Raina. Now that that is out of the way, we need to get agent Coulson out of here"

"Agent Coulson will be fine, it was just induced frequencies to help—"

"Zip it, Flowers", Tony said, his Repulsor pointed at her. And she seemed to know when it was time to speak and when to stay silent.

"Make sure she stays out, I'm going to make a call and see how we proceed", I nodded at the others. Nat and Clint already had a medical kit out and were tending to minor wounds on Coulson.

I stepped out of the house and, as soon as I was far enough, pressed on where the earrings that Tony gave me should be and deactivated the mask. I took a gulp of air, my mind reeling back to the name that Raina called me. I saw as my hand trembled. Maybe Clint did have a point, not that I would ever admit it to his face.

I took a deep breath and centred myself. Like May had taught me so many years ago. We didn't have a lot of time, I'd prefer for Coulson to get properly attended to as soon as possible. "Call him up", I said to the U.I. and the secure call almost immediately went through.

"Is he okay?", was the first thing he asked the moment he picked up. I thought I heard Maria on the background sigh in relief.

"He's alive, unconscious but alive. We won't know more until he's awake. What should we do? Raina, the girl in the flower dress is here, and I don't want to take her to the Tower. Taking either to the Tower would raise even more suspicions. What should we do?"

There was a momentary pause as he contemplated what to do. "Remember when I said we are already making noise?"

I was the one flying us to the nearest S.H.I.E.L.D. secure facility, the one that May had also flown the Bus. Apparently from agent Hands attempts to root out Centipede labs and find Coulson their search had brought them fairly close to our location.

I kept my focus on piloting when I heard Coulson come to with a grunt. "You are okay", I heard Natasha tell him, as Clint supplied, "Take it easy."

"Romanoff?" I heard him call out. "Barton?"

"Most of the gang is here", my sister answered. After that I decided to put some music on, frown out the conversation that I could not be a part of whatsoever. It was one thing that he just started getting used to me as Skye, he would have no idea that I was alsoQuake. I didn't want to have to deal with this as well.

However much time passed, until someone came to sit next to me, and I turned to see it was my brother. He didn't say anything, just put his own set on and stayed at the front with me.

When we got closer to the base, I verified our entrance. "S.H.I.E.L.D. tower, Avengers Zero-One-Foxtrot 5 miles west, requesting landing clearance".

"Avengers Zero-One-Foxtrot, S.H.I.E.L.D. tower enter left downwind runaway 2", I heard the reply from the agent on duty, and then proceeded to talk with him and land in properly. From where I guided the Quinjet, I could see the Bus in all of its glory, with agent Hand, Morse, May and Ward close by, as well as a handful of other agents and S.H.I.E.L.D. vehicles.

When we parked, I found myself looking back, as the doors opened for those aboard to exit. Everyone was standing, Coulson's back was turned on me, Natasha and Steve on either of his sides. "Keep it running, we won't stay long", I told Clint and got up from my seat to go towards Raina who was looking at me with a smile on her face.

When everyone started walking down, I started escorting Raina as well. "Destiny cannot be avoided, Daisy. We are bound to meet again" she said and I just chose to pretend to ignore her.

As soon as we closed in on agent Hand, she motioned with her hand and a few agents came over to take Raina and I joined the other two Avengers at the front. I could feel her stare as she was escorted away.

"Just got off the phone with Headquarters. Director Fury let me know of your arrival", Hand said as we got closer. "Good to see you are okay, agent Coulson"

"I understand you've been busy, from what agents Romanoff and Barton said. I really appreciate the help in trying to find me" Coulson said as he moved closer to her.

"Seems like all hands on deck were called for your retrieval", she nodded towards us. "There are certain topics we need to discuss. I shall see you upstairs", she told him matter-of-factly.

"Very well", he said and turned to us. "Agent Romanoff, Captain Rogers, Quake. Thank you for finding me, please also give Mr. Stark and agent Barton my thanks once more", he nodded with a warm smile on his face. As his eyes passed through all of us, I thought that his gaze lingered on me, for just a second longer. Just my mind playing games at me, I thought, and turned to look at agent Hand as he left with Morse and Ward following him and asking him questions.

"We wouldn't want to keep you", I said. The voice changer that Tony had included coming in handy. "I understand you have a lot to do, from questioning Raina to filling in agent Coulson, correct?"

"As you probably already know, she is headed straight to headquarters for questioning, not my line of expertise" she came closer to me, towering over me slightly, but I wouldn't be intimidated by her in any way or capacity. "I am curious, how did you find agent Coulson? After all, you didn't know he was even alive, correct?"

I smiled under the mask, not that she could see it, and channeled the best Maria Hill impression that I could. "Unfortunately, agent Hand, your Clearance is not high enough for this information. Should you have any further questions on the matter, you should try to contact Director Fury. But he is a very busy man", I nodded and the others started walking back. "Have a good day".

I joined them and we soon were back in the sky, heading towards the Tower. I let Clint fly this time, I was barely holding it together. I looked up from where I had placed my head on my hands, to see Tony and Steve, sitting silently opposite me, both their eyes a bit glassy. And Steve's face held a very determined expression that I had a feeling would lead to some interesting confrontation soon. Probably with Fury.

Chapter 13: Past Meeting PresentNotes:Howdie! Another day, another chapter. Thank you all for the support, from kudos to reviews, everything and anything (even just reading this huge story) is greatly appreciated! But enough of that, on with the chapter. As always (at least for now), I shall see y'all again in a couple of weeks. Until then...

All rights go to Marvel

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter TextSkye's POV

It had been an interesting, one could say, few days.

For starters, an external psychologist was contacted, since we were not sure who to trust within the organisation. The deep-seeded corruption was a concern that we did not know how far it reached, and the only people the Director truly trusted were Maria, May, Coulson and myself. The Avengers and the team on 6-1-6 were also pretty high on the list but not quite there. With the exception of Ward, as we already knew he was a wolf in sheep's clothing, and agent Morse that still needed her loyalties to be tested.

So, May contacted Andrew of all people and he, with some reluctance and persuasion put me in for an online session. I knew briefly of him from before and during my time at the academy, but hadn't really interacted with the guy all that much.

I was also completely in the dark about when, why and how he split with May. But with what we had talked about her time after the Bahrain mission, it wasn't difficult to figure out what had happened.

So, long story short, he was a nice dude. Nice, for a psychologist that is, 'cause he could read me like an open book, which I hated. What was his decision after our first session? 'Currently unfit for active duty until further notice', with weekly appointments being set up through a secure channel until further notice.

Just what I needed right now.

I couldn't do anything about it though, because it was collectively agreed that while undesirable, it was for the best. At least he didn't give me any homework to work on myself or whatnot. But after having met him, I wasn't so sure that was off the book for the future.

That was one thing that happened. And the other…

"You were aware that people were creating Super Soldiers this whole time and you said nothing?", Steve practically yelled at Fury as soon as we managed to connect with him after our mission to retrieve Coulson. It must have been the only thing on his mind during the whole journey back to the Tower.

"People have been trying to create Super Soldiers since you were given the serum by Dr. Erskine, Rogers", he replied. "This isn't something new"

"Successfully", Steve emphasised. "They have successfully created Super Soldiers, who they apparently control and kill at the press of a button?"

Fury's one good eye stared down at the Captain. "We knew that there were trying, yes. We were unaware that they had succeeded. Our agents have managed to shut down a lot of their labs because of information that was acquired during the search for Coulson. Skye herself has been hunting down these attempts of Super Soldier creation for months now"

"It's true", I said to Steve who turned to look at me, his expression a mixture of anger and confusion. "There wasn't a need to let you know, cause they had been, as the Pirate said, unsuccessful"

His eyes narrowed. "And if you had found they were successful you'd have let me know?"

I let a couple of second pass before I answered. "Probably not", I answered truthfully. He went to say something but I started before him, lifting my hand to silence him at the same time. "You tend to go heads in on situations before you have thoughts of a different plan. We would have proceeded in a way to incapacitate and capture, in order to find more information and discover more labs and locations where the Soldiers were produced, instead of simply destroying one base, like you would have wanted to do as soon as possible".

"It's not true", he argued but it was weak.

"Do you want to have the argument about GH-325 again?", I brought up and he seemed to deflate a bit. "You would have gone on one lab, and destroyed it, then they would have packed their bags and evacuated from their other locations as soon as they could. I have been on their tail ever since I joined Coulson's team"

"That's true", Fury came to my defence. "The only success they seemed to have had was Mr. Peterson that Skye and agent Simmons managed to bring to us unscathed. Who, unfortunately, passed away a few days prior". His gaze travelled in my direction, softening a little bit. "I understand he had a son", to which I nodded. "We will make sure he is well taken care of"

It was… It was not something that I had thought he would take notice of, not personally. "I've already set up a fund account for him, to which he will have access to when he is of age". It was one of the things that I would do to settle the never-ending restless energy I had when I was looking for Coulson. "Thank you", for I might not have interacted much with Mike or his son, but I remembered how close the two of them were. And from the reports I had read on him, he kept pushing himself for his son's sake.

While the conversation steered in a different direction after that, Steve was still very agitated with the whole situation. And I knew for a fact that he was going to drill Fury for answers the moment he went back to DC with Natasha, which was soon.

The one that surprised me with how quiet he was about this whole topic, was Tony.

"I know you like to poke and make fun of Steve, but I thought you'd share his views on this matter?", I asked him when just the two of us were left in the room. He stayed quiet, gaze lingering on the windows and the night sky. This was not like him. "Tony", I called and went to stand by his side.

"Do you remember when we first met?", he asked me instead of answering. "Not long after, the earthquake from your powers happened, and then the rave at Monaco. I had told you to be careful, because I was dying and I wanted you to be there for Pepper". He then turned to me and I almost took a step back from the emotion reflected in his eyes. There was a pregnant pause as he seemed to examine me. "I know you are still hiding things. This meeting was enough of an indication. I don't know if it's just from me, or Capsicle, or maybe even the others. What I told you before we went to find Phil still stands… I am here if you wanna talk. But I'm not going to pry", he promised.

I sighed. "There are a lot of things that I know, Tony. Things that would get people killed. The less you know, the safer you'll be, trust me"

His eyes turn back on the horizon. "You're trying to keep us all safe by putting yourself in the crossfire of whatever secret you're holding", he shook his head. "We will always have your back, but you need to be alive to call for us…", his hand went to his stomach, "…and if the gunshot was them trying to silence you, then they failed. And they know it. Whoever theyare. So, please, promise me you will be careful and call us if you need it. If not for yourself, for your family"

My throat was tight. "I promise to be as careful as I can be", I said. It was the closest to what he was asking, but it was all that I could give.

He smiled. "Pepper will be happy to hear that." He clapped his hands and rubbed them together, breaking whatever tension was created. "Now, let's go and make sure T.A.D.A.S.H.I. and your equipment are as calibrated as possible for your return to S.H.I.E.L.D.. I will not have one of my creations give out on you"

I walked down the airfield, seeing the Bus on the other end. Jemma was by my side, as I carried both of our duffle bags. It had been three days since we rescued Coulson, and all I had heard about him from May was that he was doing okay, considering what he had been through. He had not opened up to her about it though, and knowing May she would not push him.

As we were approaching, I noticed the four silhouettes, all standing in different positions.

One of them broke off and started fast walking towards us, Fitz's frantic energy at seeing Jemma after so long making it easy to distinguish who it was. He stopped a short distance away. "I'm so glad you are okay", he said to me and smiled.

I moved a bit closer to give him a half hug. "Thanks", I answered. "Now don't let me keep you", I smiled and nodded. He basically jumped at the opportunity to hug Jemma tightly and start chatting with her. I left them there and made my way to the others, placing the bags down as soon as I made it up the ramp.

May was there with a hint of a smile on her face. "Welcome back, agent Skye. About time you joined us", she simply said before she made her way towards the inner parts of the aircraft. "We will be up in about 15 minutes. Make sure Simmons is in, or I will be leaving without her", she called out before she disappeared from view.

I turned to the other occupants of the room. "Good to see you are still alive, Ward", I figured I would to get it over with the hardest person the first. "Managed not to piss anyone off enough to want you dead?"

He scoffed, but his usual smirk did make an appearance. "Heard you got shot" he called back. "What happened? I left and you couldn't back your words of not needing me?", his tone was semi-serious, semi-joking and it threw me off. To be fair, we had an… okay relationship one could say, but the last time we saw each other spirits were high. Because of the 'Asgardian staff's influence', based on Ward. "Don't worry I'll make sure to be there to help next time" he finished and followed on May's steps.

You know what?, I thought to myself. Sure, why not.

I turned to the other person that was there. Standing very tall and with great confidence, the new addition to the team outstretched her own arm. "Agent Bobbi Morse", she said with an easy smile that was easily a killer. "Please, call me Bobbi"

"Skye", I answered easily, a smile on my own face. "Pleased to make your acquaintance".

She laughed at that. "Wow, haven't heard that in a while" she said as she picked up my two bags. I went to tell her she didn't have to but she brushed me off with a shake of her hand. "Don't worry about it", she said. We started making our way up the spiral staircase. My eyes drifting back to Jemma, making sure she was coming with Fitz, cause I did not doubt May would pull something like leaving them stranded here 'cause they were late.

"So", I heard Bobbi say, and I turned back around to see her looking between me and the direction I was looking before. "What's the deal with you two?"

Her straightforwardness intrigued me. "What do you mean?", I asked in turn.

She laughed. "You mean apart from the fact that the two of you apparently disappeared from the face of the earth when you were injured which had me join your team?" We stopped outside of my bunk, a few boxes placed outside. "There weren't any free bunks when I came, so I was put in Simmons' quarters. Apparently the two of you are going to share one from now on". And oh, that made sense.

"Well, it's not going to be the first time", I answered and watched as she let the bags hit the ground. But for some reason, she didn't leave… instead kept looking at me, her blue eyes looking at me almost expectantly. "Uh… thank you?", I asked awkwardly.

She scoffed and folded her hands, leaning on the wall. "I was just curious how you're gonna open your door, we were trying to open it but couldn't figure out how".

Wow… she really wasn't beating around the bush. I think I'm going to like her, I thought to myself as I pressed my hand on the side of the door. I sent some vibrations on the lock, and that in combination of Tee being connected to the system was enough to let me in. The door slid to the side, revealing my bunk. "Just like that", I said and smiled back.

Her eyes narrowed, but the smile did not leave her face. "I will solve the mystery that is you, agent Skye", she said playfully. Some alarms did ring in my head in the way that she phrased that sentence, but for some reason it didn't feel as threatening as it would have if Ward was the one to say it. Still, she was great at undercover and deception, based on her file, so it remained to be seen. I would definitely be keeping an eye on her.

"You can certainly try, agent Morse", I said in a similar tone back as I took some of the stuff in the corridor and put them in the room. "Won't get a chance to do so in the field though, I'm not cleared yet. Which reminds me, I need to update agent Coulson. Is he in his office?"

"That he is", she straightened up. "I will see you around, Skye"

"You too, Bobbi", I called as I watched her move away.

I turned back to the more filled bunk. It was a good thing I didn't really keep a lot of things here, otherwise it would have been cramped. I closed the door behind me and took a moment to sit on the bed, grabbing the hula girl and sending a small wave to make her dance.

May's voice let us know we were taking off and I braced myself for the take off.

I smiled to myself and closed my eyes, letting my vibrations travel at the whole expanse of the airplane, familiarising myself again with the space and the people within it. It would take a while to really be able to pinpoint Bobbi's vibrational print on my radar, but it was close enough that if she attempted to come to my quarters I would know.

Satisfied with that, and after we were given the okay to walk around, I wrote a small note for Jemma and put it under the hula girl. I grabbed the file with Dr. Garner's assessment and started making my way to Coulson's office.

I knocked on the door and walked in after he called out. He was putting away some documents, but as soon as he lifted his eyes and saw me, I saw them soften up, a smile across his face. He stood up. "Skye, welcome back" he said as he made his way around his desk. The cuts on his face still there, but less apparent than they were from when I found him. The bruises as well were somewhat faded.

"Good to be back, sir", I replied, hands behind my back and in attention. "I failed my psych eval, but I am still good to work from here for anything you might need. I know it won't…" I trailed off as I watched him go to his door to close it… and lock it?

"How is your stomach?", he asked when he turned around, his eyes travelling to where my scar was.

I slightly tilted my head to the side. "It's good. As I said, physically I am all set. It's just the—"

I was cut short when he took two big strides towards me and wrapped his arms around me in a tight hug. My arms were pinned at my side from the force of his gesture, and I let them hang in the air, frozen, and completely unsure of what to do next. "Sir?", I asked, taken aback. When he didn't answer for a few seconds, I decided to try again. "Coulson?", I asked this time.

He took a step back, his hands on my shoulders, the contact he had with me never breaking. "It's not your fault", he said, his eyes misty but serious. There was determination there as well.

"I know…" I tentatively started. "It was Ian Quinn's?", it came out as a question.

He shook his head, a wet sound came out of his throat. His eyes kept moving around, trying to grasp something that I couldn't decipher. He took my free hand in both of his, and placed it on his chest, his tie pushed aside. One of his hands remained on mine, holding it in place, while he reached out with the other, gently placing it on the side of my face. "It's not your fault. The one to blame is Loki"

The words he spoke were the same from the first time I met him. But this was different. His eyes were different. And as realisation came to me, I felt my face drop. The file that I held was now on the ground, my fingers unable to keep a hold to it.

I saw something that I hadn't seen in two years, four months, and thirteen days.

I saw recognition.

"AC?"

Notes:I truly love Bobbi. She is one of my favourite characters from the series and I'm so happy we get to see her and I get to write her.

Chapter 14: Old and New ConnectionsNotes:Hello there! Here we are again, right on time. I hope you all enjoy this one! See you again in a couple of weeks. Until then...

All rights go to Marvel

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter TextSkye's POV

"When did you…?"

"On the machine Raina put me on"

…

"Why didn't you say anything sooner?"

"I didn't think you'd appreciate it, not when we wouldn't have much time to talk"

I was sitting opposite to his desk, while he moved his own chair to be next to me. The evaluation file long forgotten on his desk, as I could only look at him. His eyes were kind, patient. He was giving me the same look he used to every time I'd get frustrated when I was younger. Didn't have to say anything, his presence was enough. It used to be something I would seek.

I looked away, not being able to withstand the eye contact. My head fell onto my arms, a grunt escaping my throat. "I don't… I-I…", I stuttered and stopped. I tried getting a few staggering breaths to collect my thoughts. "I don't know how to react to this", I shuddered, more to myself than to him, but the office was engulfed in such absolute silence we'd be able to hear a pin drop.

He laughed gently. "I don't think there's a manual for anything like this. It's okay, take your time". He went to place his hand on my shoulder and I instinctually recoiled, as soon as his intentions were clear. He stopped the movement momentarily, but didn't hesitate to continue.

As soon as he touched me I stood up, breaking the connection and creating some distance between us, a safe distance. "Why are you not more upset? Why are you not simply upset? How are you so calm about this?"

The small smile never left his face. "Who told you I didn't freak out? I had been trying to fruitlessly reach Director Fury ever since I came back on the plane"

I shook my head. "You-you remember. What do you remember?", I redirected the conversation.

"Everything", he simply replied.

"Then how can you simply stand there?" I could feel myself get agitated, my heart rate rising and I had to actively try to calm down. We were in the middle of the sky for crying out loud. I didn't want to accidentally make us crash. "I killed you, Coulson"

He stood up at that, but I took an extra step back, bumping on the wall. There was no more space to create between us, but he halted and took a few steps away. "I told you and I will tell you for as long as you need to hear it, okay? I knew it was a dangerous situation going in there. I knew that we were fighting against something bigger than we had even faced before. And I knew that if there a chance, even a small one, to make sure that you came back to us, I would. No matter the price"

"You shouldn't have", I said. "The price was too high"

"That would not be up to you to decide. I can make my own choices, and I did"

"I get that, but when the price is your own life things change, Coulson", I countered.

"Says the woman that went into Ian Quinn's villa and almost died. The same one that when shit was going down on the Stark Expo you stayed to make sure Potts was safe"

My answer was fast. "That is different. The danger level was much lower"

"Was it?" He lifted his arm around and showed the room. "Look around you, this is the life we have chosen. You chose to risk your life, almost dying to save and protect. You don't go out trying actively to die, but it is a constant possibility in our line of work. You mean to tell me that if the roles were reversed, you wouldn't have done the exact same thing?"

The answer I had prepared got stuck in my throat. Because if I denied that we both knew I'd be lying.

He used that as a stepping stone to continue. "We don't choose how we go, Skye. We choose how we live, and I am okay with most decisions I have made in life. Some more than others. But this one?" He pointed to his own chest. "This I don't regret. Not now, not ever. I hate that Fury messed up with my memories, made me forget you, basically erased you from existence for all I knew, but that's different. Because I didn't get to choose that. It was a choice that was made for me, without my knowledge, without my input. And when the Director stops hiding I will tell him so, in person"

There was a small pause as we both took a breath. "I might have beaten you up to that", I ended up saying.

"I am sure you did" he said, and took another step towards me. I made the best that I could not to move away. "From what I recall you were pretty pissed at him and Maria when you first joined us, and now I can understand why"

"That might be the case—", I said and eyed him, standing far away, but not far enough. I knew that no matter what I did he would not give up, "—but the present doesn't change the past. How can you even stand to be in the same room as me, now that you know? How can you trust me, or that something similar won't happen again?"

"Because I know you", he simply replied. "I know you better than almost anyone, bar May, Nat and Clint", he took another step closed. "I raised you, I trained with you, I watched you grow. And the woman you are now, are still the same girl that we found, just a bit more ragged, a bit more scarred", and another.

"I am a moving weapon. I am a woman with secrets, secrets I don't know if I can tell you right now, secrets that you might not like them when you hear them. I am not the same girl you last saw before the Battle", I lifted my arms, watching as some purple bruising started to form, as I had been internalising my powers for their safety. "What if you don't like who I am now?"

His eyes were trained on my arms, and I could see his brows pinched together. And then he sighed, taking the last step closer to me, taking my hands in his. His touch gentle, making sure not to do any more damage than the one I had inflicted on myself. "Apart from the fact that we have been basically living together for the past few months? I got to know who you are, right now, without any past interactions clouding my judgment. And now that I do remember, I couldn't be prouder of who you have become. And I will do my darn best to protect you from getting stabbed in the back again"

He reached out and brushed a tear away from my cheek. When had I started crying?

"Can I hug you again? Please?", he asked, and I couldn't possibly say no to that.

Jemma's POV

Seeing Fitz after all this time was amazing. And getting to work with him again? Even better. As soon as we started going on missions again, apart from whatever we had to do on a daily basis for what was needed, we started working on making upgrades on the night-night guns.

As soon as I got back, Fitz came to me with an idea that he had. "I was thinking of increasing the stopping power, increasing range and changing the models" he showed me some of the schematics that he was working on. With his hand rubbing his neck, he continued explaining, "After the run in with Quinn, who somehow already had our designs, as well as the Centipede soldiers… I thought maybe an upgrade was in order. You know… to help protect our team"

I smiled at that, tears in the corners of my eyes at the thoughtfulness and went to give him a hug. "That sounds like a great idea, thank you".

He returned the gesture and went around the Lab to start gathering things that he was already working on. That was how this little side project of ours started. It was taking us a while, but losing some sleep was nothing if it meant we could keep people safer. Make sure no-one was hurt again.

I must have fallen asleep at some point, on my desk, because next thing I knew, I was waking up slowly, still hunched over. But there was a pillow under my head and a blanket draped on my back. I looked around confused, the lights were dimmed down. Why was I awake? When had I fallen asleep?

I spotted Skye, sitting on a nearby stool, back leaned against the wall and arms crossed over her chest, sleeping soundly. She looked almost like she was keeping watch.

I got up as quietly as I could, and went closer to her, noticing a small pinch on her eyebrows. I eased it away with my fingers, and kissed the top of her head as I dropped the blanket, that she probably placed on me, over her sleeping form. She stirred slightly, always a light sleeper. "Everything's okay, go bad to sleep", I whispered.

Content, she nestled back and resumed what I can only describe as purring. At the fleeting moments of proper sleep that she would get, her whole body vibrated slightly. I noticed it the first time I slept with her, and I always found it very endearing. It was almost like, when she didn't constantly hold back on her powers and control them tightly, as she did every day, they just manifested in the most curious ways.

I made my way to the kitchen upstairs, wanting to make some tea for myself to try and wake up. I zoned out, finding comfort in something that I did so many times in the past, when I felt a hand on my shoulder.

I jumped back, heart in my throat, almost spilling the tea. My hand was on my chest trying to calm down as I turned round, to find Bobbi looking at me. "Bloody hell" slipped out, which seemed to amuse her.

"I'm sorry", she said but I could hear the silent laugh in her tone. "I called your name but you didn't seem to hear me. Everything okay?" She asked as she, herself, started making something to drink.

"Yes, sorry, you just scared me", I took a deep breath and tried to calm down. "Agent May keeps saying I need better spatial awareness. What are you doing up so early, agent Morse?", I asked after I had made sure my tea was still good and I started slowly sipping at it.

She lifted a perfectly sculptured eyebrow at me, "How many times do I have to tell you to call me Bobbi?" I felt my cheeks heat up a bit at that and lifted my mug to hide it away. "As for your question, I couldn't sleep, so I thought I was going to train a bit downstairs but saw you and Skye dozing off and I didn't want to disturb you" her voice grew fond at that. "You two are very cute together"

I snickered. "I want to see you say that to her face. Anything that has to do with cute, she will deny, but is a softie deep down. Don't tell her I told you that", I whispered the last part.

"Scouts honour" she cackled, her expression oh so earnest. "You said something about agent May before. About you needing spatial awareness, would you like me to teach you some?"

I was… taken aback from that. "You mean train me?"

"Yeah, if you wanted to learn. It might make you feel safer. It mustn't have been easy going in Quinn's place and being taken hostage". While her body language remained casual, I could see that she was genuine in a somber way.

I sighed. It was not a day that I liked to remember. "It wasn't the hardest part either. The hardest part was being unable to do anything and being used as leverage for Skye to get hurt. I never want to feel that way again, never want to be used like that again", I admitted. "I managed to get some practise with agent May when we were away, but it's difficult keeping it up here, not without Skye seeing us"

Bobbi's head titled to the side. "Why would you not want her to see? I'm sure she would be very happy to help, even from the little that I know her for"

"She has enough on her plate as it is", I shook my head. "She's always running herself to the ground, trying to get things done. I don't want to add to that"

There was a small pause. "We will keep this between us then, no-one has to know", when I looked up, Bobbi was smiling, but was still serious. "I'll ask May about where you are at, and then I'll help you out"

"You sure you want to waste your time on this? I am sure you have more important things to do".

She pushed away from where she was leaning on the counter. "We spend way too many hours in this airplane, I don't have a lot of things to do. Plus, this will give me an excuse to spend more time with you in the Lab. Fitz sang your praises when you were gone and I would love to work with you on a project or two". She nodded and made to leave and head towards where the cockpit was.

Before she left, I called out to her and she turned round. "Thank you, Bobbi"

"Don't mention it" she said and winked, before disappearing down the corridor.

I had to stay there for a good few seconds, trying to understand what just happened, before a squick left my throat and felt the blood rush to my face.

Notes:Jemma is a gay mess and I love her. Plus, with her initial interaction with Bobbi in the series you can't convince me she didn't have a crush.

Chapter 15: Yes... Men?Notes:Hello there! I hope you all are having a great week! Here comes maybe my biggest one yet, so I won't hold you more here. Please enjoy, and until next time...

All rights go to Marvel

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter TextSkye's POV

"Fury, I keep telling you, you need to put Project Insight on hold", I reiterated for the nth time in this meeting alone.

"I cannot do that Skye, it will rise too many questions. We have been working on this project for years now, the World Security Council would have my head. They'd need a justifiable reason why it's been postponed. And what am I to tell them?" He lifted his one good eye, staring straight at the camera, and by extension, me. "I'm sorry, it seems we have some security issues we have been hiding from you. Nothing to worry about, but please hold off the launch until we have sorted it out?", the sass was basically dripping from his tone.

I threw my hands in the air. "I don't know what you can tell them, okay? But if we go ahead now with this, we both know that whatever it is that Pierce is planning will probably complete itself. We need to put a stop to it as soon as possible" I tried to reason with him. Thank God that I could make the Command Center as isolated and soundproof as possible, cause this conversation was taking awhile and it was simply going in heated circles.

"I know that", he changed tactics. "But, things are not as black and white. We will still be able to get something out of this whole story, remember that"

I felt like hanging my head on the table. The freaking Pirate and his plans within plans, within plans. "This is going nowhere", I grunted. Apart from the migraine that I could feel coming, a presence came closer to the Center. And while the windows were blacked out, the vibrations were enough for me to understand who it was. I sighed. "Are you ever going to talk to him?"

There was a pause, but no request for clarification. We both knew he knew who I was talking about. "I don't have time now. Too many pieces moving at the same time. After the launch, I'll arrange a meeting", his tone final. And from his body language, about to hang up on me a well.

"He deserves at least some of your time. After everything is done, I will personally drag you out here if I need to", I told him.

He rolled his eye. "Sure you will. I'll update Hill, she will be in contact if we have any updates" and without as much as a goodbye the screen in front of me turned black. Perfect, just fucking, peaching, perfect.

I shook my head, trying to clear it out a bit, while straightening my spine. "Let's bring the sunlight back in, Tee"

"Right away, Skye", he spoke and deactivated every security measure I had put in place for the meeting to happen. I saw as Coulson was waiting by the sofas, leaning back on the arm rest, while Bobbi and Jemma were animatedly talking about something nearby. As soon as the Command Center became visible again, Jemma made eye contact with me, before getting up and heading to the Lab, Bobbi on her tail.

I felt my eyebrows pinch slightly at the almost nervous energy that Jemma had, before rushing away. It was becoming more and more permanent, while she had been spending more time with agent Morse recently. I was about to follow them to see if everything was okay, when movement caught the corner of my eye as Coulson made a move.

"Tough meeting?", he tried to ask lightheartedly, but it came out more forced than anything.

"I know you don't like this, Coulson. He won't talk to you, not yet, there' a lot going on right now, but—"

"I know, I know", he interrupted. "Classified".

"Classified wouldn't begin to describe it, but sure, let's go with that for now", I supplied leaning back. "What got you down here?", I asked after a moment of silence.

His eyes seemed to have been glued to the large screen, and he shook his head trying to get his thoughts in order. I was about to retract my question to ask if he was okay, but he beat me to it. "We got a new mission, and I wanted you to come with", he extended the tablet which I hadn't noticed he was holding.

I tentatively took it. "Okay…?", I asked reading the brief and came to the realisation without needing to pass the third line. "I have not been cleared yet", I said. Which I hated to my core, but was trying to be a team player and actually listen to Dr. Garner.

"I know, but this takes precedence", he said and put a hand on my shoulder. "S.H.I.E.L.D.'s detecting massive energy readings in the skies above the California-Nevada border. I have already cleared it with Andrew, plus we are just the welcome wagon"

I felt my grip tighten at the wheel as I drove once again towards the dessert that had seemed to be consuming my worst memories to date. We got Loki, Coulson being taken… now whatever this was.

"Nervous to be back in the field?" Bobbi asked as we sped through the dessert. It was just Bobbi, and I in this SUV with Ward, May and Fitz taking the front as the latter was picking up on the readings of what must be the Bifrost.

"I don't know", I answered, because I wasn't exactly feeling nervous. But I wasn't calm either, there was an energy within me that I could not exactly pinpoint.

"From what I understand, these are the same readings Dr. Selvig and Dr. Foster picked up in New Mexico and in London. They herald the arrival of an Asgardian, aka Thor. You mean to tell me you're not the least curious to see him up close?" Bobbi said from the co-driver seat, eyes trained at the front.

"Or Loki" I grunted out just as the colourful energy from the sky hit the path ahead of us, and we came to a halting stop, the cars forming a protection dome as the agents all exited, weapons at the ready waiting to see what would happen.

As the energy died down, a woman stood up, clad in silver armour and burgundy leather.

From her stance alone I could tell she was a warrior, someone well trained and not to be messed with. She seemed… vaguely familiar. I heard Fitz on the background, "I don't have a name, but I can confirm she was in New Mexico, fighting with Thor and his mates. She's on our side", I could hear the relief in his voice.

May gave the order to stand down, as she started approaching us. I took a couple steps back and went closer to the SUV, making sure to stay away from her gaze. I could see Bobbi catching my movement but she didn't say anything. "You are with S.H.I.E.L.D.?", she asked and Ward hesitantly verified so. "I am Lady Sif of Asgard. Your world is in grave danger".

Oh, peachy. There's no way I'm sitting this one out, I thought and went to go in the vehicle, waiting for Bobbi to join me as the others would escort her to the Bus. Not too long after she came in and simply sat without saying a word as I started driving back.

My mind was ravelling to a million different directions. Did she know about what happened with Coulson? How much had Thor told them about what happened, who he had fought with? Probably not a lot… right?

A hand on my shoulder brought me back to the present and I was startled by the touch. It quickly retracted and I took a while to relax my muscles that I hadn't realised I had tensed up. "Shit, Bobbi. Don't do that", I said as I actively unclenched my fingers from the steering wheel, seeing that my knuckles had turned white.

"I tried calling your name but you wouldn't answer me" she said matter-of-factly. I avoided looking at her but I knew her attention was trained on me. "What's going on, Skye?"

I dared a glance towards her, and she seemed earnest, concerned. But she didn't know me and, most importantly, I didn't know her. The few sparring matches and missions we had done in the past 3 weeks did not count. She could simply be fishing for information on a moment's weakness.

"I don't have the best track when it comes to Asgardians", I ended up saying. Which was true, even if only in part. And if what I had read about her interrogation skills were true, I didn't want to outright lie.

She seemed confused. "I heard from Jemma that you guys met an Asgardian a while back, but it didn't seem to be too much of a problem…?", it came out as a question. When I didn't say anything she sighed. "Look, I know we don't really know each other, but if you want to talk, or spar, or—"

"I'll keep that I mind", I cut in. And after a few seconds added, "Thanks".

Thankfully we were not too far off from the Bus, both a blessing and a curse. Cause while it made the awkward silence last less, it was not nearly enough time for me to properly make a plan for what was inevitable.

As soon as we parked, I left to go and find Coulson, who wasn't that far off, waiting just in the sofa area and bring him up to speed. May joining us just a couple minutes later. "She's in the Lab" she said as soon as she walked in.

"She?", he asked and started walking towards there. I handed him a tablet with the live video from said area. "Ah", he exclaimed. "Lady Sif. She's a warrior. I saw her fight in New Mexico with Thor… climbed a giant metal killing machine, speared it with her double-bladed sword. It was pretty badass", he recalled as he started making his way downstairs.

May nodded approvingly. "She says she needs S.H.I.E.L.D. to help her find someone", she explained. Maybe she talked to her on the way there?

"Okay", Coulson said processing the limited information. "Let's help her with that then, shall we?" He handed me back the tablet and went to go in the Lab but stopped and did a double take. "Are you up for this?", he asked me.

I don't know what he saw, but it didn't matter. "If we have someone that an Asgardian needs help with, I have to help" I replied, but not really answering his question. He definitely picked up on it, but didn't press. The look he gave me was enough to know we would be talking later about this.

I followed behind him, May on my side. As soon as the doors opened and she took in who walked through the door, her hand went to her still seethed sword. "What dark magic is this? Thor said you perished at the hand of a Sky"

The room froze.

The vibrations around me seemed to also freeze.

Everyone turned their eyes on me.

I sighed and stepped forward.

"Greetings Lady Sif, Thor spoke the truth. My name's Skye, as you already know, and agent Coulson did die on my hand. Loki wasn't the only one with tricks up his sleeve. S.H.I.E.L.D. also have a few of their own", I bowed my head to her slightly.

Her gaze turned to me, all of her attention directed at me, as she made her way around the exam table. Looking down on me she seemed to seize me up for a second and I didn't back down from her staring. She then placed a hand across her chest and bowed slowly back at me. "Thor said you are a commendable warrior. It is a pleasure and a privilege to meet you, Lady Sky. I can only offer my sincerest apologies for everything that Loki did when he was last here"

"Not your fault, he might be from Asgard but you had nothing to do with it", I answered as she stood and gave her a soft smile. "Now, I understand you are looking for someone, how can we help you?"

"I am hunting her", she said in all seriousness. "Lorelei is her name. 600 years ago, she used her powers to wreak havoc across the nine realms, to command armies, bring down kings, empires"

Damn, I thought. What a first mission back in action.

"What kind of powers are we talking about?", Ward asked from the side. "Strength? Speed?"

She shook her head. "Sorcery. She bends and shapes the will of men to her own purpose". I felt my heart stop for just a second. Mind control. She is talking about mind control.

May, almost sensing my thoughts, "Only men? Her powers don't work on women?".

"No", she answered with confidence. I felt some tension ease. "Men have an inherent weakness we do not share. The very sound of her voice can ensnare most. For the rare man who can resist, it's her voice joined by her touch that will overpower his will" she explained. Okay, okay, that was something better yet.

"How do we stop her then? We can't just make every man on Earth disappear", Bobbi supplied.

Sif took out a collar she had tied on her belt. "This prevents her from speaking. She wore one like it for centuries while locked in prison. She escaped when the dark elves invaded Asgard and came here using one of Loki's secret pathways between worlds"

"Loki, of course", I muttered under my breath not really quietly.

"Do you have any way to track her? All I know is that Bifrost delivered me to her last known location", she supplied.

Coulson took it from there and explained how we were going to try to find her. "Let me show you around" he offered when no-one made a move to leave. She nodded to both him and I before exiting the Lab and making her way upstairs with him and May.

The room filled with static, unmoving quiet as soon as they had properly left.

I moved closer to the door, let out a breath and moved around to face everyone. They were all looking at me with various expressions. Jemma seemed sorry, even though she already knew. Fitz was simply perplexed and in shock. Ward had this look on his face, like he was truly seeing me for the first time. And Bobbi… Bobbi seemed to finally be putting pieces together.

I rubbed my forehead, mentally preparing myself. "I need to go and do the search to find Lorelei, so let's get this over with, shall we?", when I was met with silence I continued.

"Loki was able to mind control people with his staff. I was stationed in a classified location when he came over through a portal. He took several of us. We needed to separate the Avengers, so we formed a plan for him to get captured, infiltrate the Helicarrier and wreak havoc. I was the leader of that mission. Thankfully agents Romanoff and Barton managed to incapacitate me and bring me back, but not after I had killed agent Coulson in order to protect the alien scumbag. I couldn't just do nothing, so I went down to New York and tried to save as many civilians as I could while the city was attacked, got the help of a few Avengers which is when I met Thor", I got out, almost all in one breath.

I gave them all a couple of seconds to digest what I had just said, as I, myself, calmed down a bit. "Yes, agent Coulson knew. No, I don't want to talk about it any more than I already had to. Yes, I am doing okay, it's been a while since it happened. This changes nothing. I will see you all later when we get ready to go get the rogue Asgardian", and with that I left them in the Lab.

I blinked and basically was outside of the Command Center. All the in-between distance a blur in my head. I started setting up the search for any unusual activity within a few-hundred-mile radius, trying to find something. Anything.

It was good, focusing on that task instead of what we had to do. Just as I was assembling everything Coulson and Sif walked in. "I will leave you at Skye's capable hands, if you need anything, I will be in my office" he nodded at her, then waited for me to give him a signal before he excused himself.

I motioned at the screen in front of me. "Well… these are files of every police report within reasonable distance, everything from the last 48 hours. When you want to shift through the info, you just touch here and have to scroll through everything. Just like that", I said as I showed her the basics.

I turned around to see her starting at me instead of the screen. She was looking at me like Randolph was… great. We were going to have that conversation. I quickly pressed buttons to make the area soundproof as I closed the door. Second time in one day, people were gonna start asking questions. "Go on, ask. Or declare, I have had both so far", I said exacerbated.

"How are you part Kree? You seem human enough, and yet"

I sighed. "Do I have something on me that makes Asgardians realise that as soon as they see me? I mean, most, Thor didn't really seem to pick up on it even after we fought together" I leaned back on the table, stance relaxed but I was keeping an eye out for any aggressive movements. Thor might have vouched for me, but you can never be too sure.

"There is this… aura, I guess you would call it here in Midgard. Every species has a different one, we learn of them growing up. Know the ones we have to keep an eye out for" she motioned with her hand to the air around me.

That made.. a weird amount of sense. "That's fair. I'm going to guess Thor wasn't the one to pay much attention to these classes?", cause I might have had a limited amount of interactions with him but he didn't seem like a guy that cared for the Academics. She smirked and scoffed. "Thought so. Well, Loki called me an experiment and another Asgardian I met had called me a monster. Turns out our lovely aliens did some experiments, trying to create soldiers from their DNA—"

"But these torturous experiments failed. The lack of results led to them being destroyed. You went through Terrigenesis? Are there others like you here on Midgard?", she seemed concerned.

"I'm sorry, I don't know anything about Terrigenesis. Or if they are others for that matter. I don't know how I got these powers, only that they one day manifested", I reached out my hand, silently asking for her to give me hers. "May I? I am not going to hurt you". Without hesitation she took it.

A small gasp escaped her lips as I let some of my powers course through her. "The others here don't know about any of this. They don't know how I fought by Thor's side. They cannot know, for their safety and ours", I was dead serious.

She straightened her spine and moved her hand so she was holding it in a warrior's grasp. "Fear not, I will guard your secret. Our quest beckons us forth, but once our duties to capture Lorelei are fulfilled, I will provide any insights I might have regarding Terrigenesis. Consider it a token of gratitude for aiding Thor and shielding your realm as you do"

I fought to keep a straight face, but as soon as our hands parted, I let a smile grace my face. "You guys talk funny. I can't wait for Thor to get back, I am going to make so much fun of him" I turned back on the screen but before I tried to show her again how things are done, her focus turned there and she easily navigated through the files.

I raised my hands and took a step back, letting her work. "What, our systems are too basic for you?" After all, based on Jemma magic was simply technology and science we couldn't understand yet.

"It's an antiquated system we and other realms had ages ago" she simply said and pulled up a file of a jewel robbery. And another, or a gun-store robbery by guys on Harley's. "It's happening faster than I feared. She's amassing men, gold, weaponry. Lorelei's building an army"

We decided not to include any man in our mission, better to be safe than sorry. So Bobbi was to go with Lady Sif and I was driving with May. I went to the lab to stock up on a new ICER, and noticed Bobbi taking her own weapons.

"Can't use your batons for this one, can you?", I joked as I was looking over my options, but when I turned around she had already made her way to her corresponding vehicle, the driver's door closing behind her.

Well, not unexpected, but not preferable either. This was turning out to be one of the most interesting, one could say, missions we have had so far.

As we were making our way to meet the local police force on the biker bar that we had spotted the Asgardian, May decided to break the silence whilst driving. "So…", she started.

"We are not talking about it May, not until we are finished with this mission", I didn't even let her finish her sentence.

She shrugged her shoulders. "I didn't say anything", she feigned ignorance. "But if this mission is hitting too close to home, I need to know"

"You think I wouldn't tell you if I didn't think I could handle it? Despite not being a warrior, she's still an Asgardian, and we need all the power we can get against her" I was frustrated. I knew that she cared, but she could also understand why we couldn't let anyone like that out in the wild.

"I know you would", her tone told me to stop being stupid and that she didn't mean it like that. "Bobbi approached Coulson and asked if, given your past… if it was a good idea. He told her I'd ask you but trusted your judgment".

I hummed, simultaneously nodding. "So Morse was not suddenly avoiding me, but was giving you space to talk to me? Sure, let's go with that, why not"

"Give them some time to process this", she countered. Our destination was coming closer and closer until we had to come to a stop near the entrance.

"They get to have all the time they need, but I'd appreciate not being entirely shut out and then to let me know they need space. What happened to good communication? Are they taking a page out of Tony's book?", I asked as I went out.

Given the talk we had with Sif and the recommendation that Thor basically provided, I was to take point in this mission. So, as soon as I exited the vehicle, I let Bobbi and Sif talk behind me, as I focused on scanning the place.

There was a solid number of guys in the biker bar, they all seemed pretty relaxed, heartbeat normal, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. But same went for the police officers that were waiting to meet us outside, should they not be more stressed with the situation? I felt like there was a stone sitting at the bottom of my stomach. Something was wrong. I stopped the others from moving closer as I called out from a distance. "Officers! Everything okay there? Have you seen the suspect?"

One of them turned around, his eyes soft, a smile on his face. "Yes, we have", he said and lifted his gun firing. "And she's beautiful".

Bobbi and May were fast enough to take cover behind one of our SUVs, whilst Lady Sif was simply using her shield to protect herself from the bullets raining down on us. "I managed to get a glimpse behind the windows", I lied. "Saw quite a few of them, they must be at least 17".

Bending over the side of the vehicle I returned some fire, as more motorcyclists came out to help the officers. No clear shot, but I couldn't stop at the same time. Damn it, I thought. It would all be so much easier if I could just use my powers. Think Skye, think! "Lady, can you give us some cover, please?"

She looked at me from behind her shield and gave me a nod. The moment she had a break, she rushed to a trailer that was there and kicked it. It screeched to a stop a good distance in front of us, making it impossible for those firing at us to have a clear view.

With that help, it was easy for us to clear the people on the outside most of them at least. As soon as we had a break, I saw Sif head to the bar, and I looked at the other two. "May, stay outside. I'll go in with Sif to make sure we get her. Morse, head around the back, we don't want her to escape. Surround the building"

I then immediately took off after Sif and walked in the room to see it filled with men, and Sif having a conversation with Lorelei, while she was fighting off a few people. As soon as I entered everyone's attention was directed at me. "Sorry to interrupt. Can I also join the party?"

"You…" Lorelei was looking at me, but also looking above me. "There is something different about you", I could see her smirk.

"Yes, yes I got an aura about me, I'm aware", I lifted my gun and pointed it at her. Immediately a handful of people came and stood between me and her. Others directly started attacking me and I had to start shooting them unconscious. Looking around I noticed a few women in the mix. What?

"Tear them apart", she said, and I could feel her start slipping through the back.

"Lady Sky! We can't let her escape", Sif yelled out as four people were closing in on her. "You know what to do!" She threw me the collar and people descended upon her.

I managed to grab it midair before one of her lackeys got a hold of it, and dodged out of the way of another two. I shot another three before I run out of bullets, but it was enough to give me space to slip through the back.

I saw Bobbi, with an unconscious man on her legs, gun pointed at Lorelei who didn't even bother to put her arms up as she was being instructed. "You", she said to me. "You are a fine warrior".

"I am. Are you okay there, Morse?" I asked as I started closing in. When I received a nod from her. I turned back to Lorelei, lifting the collar. "Come on, hands behind your back, on your knees and this will all be easy. We don't want this to get messy"

She turned her attention on me, "Fine, I will entertain you, but I do not bow before men. Men bow before me" she said as she had her arms in front of her, together.

"Good thing I am not a man" I said and closed in. With how her hands were I couldn't reach her neck. But she was Asgardian, even if I put handcuffs in her, she would easily be able to break them. I'd just have to send enough vibrations through her to make her unable to move so Bobbi could clip it in.

"Here, help me out", I called out and went around to give the collar to the other agent. "Sif is still busy, so I'll try to hold her down long enough for you to put it on her", I explained and she gave me a nod, taking it, but still keeping her gun trained on her.

I lifted my hands, and started sending a small amount of vibrations at her, not enough for Bobbi to see but something to at least put her out. Asgardians were denser after all, it would take more than normal to keep one down with my powers.

As soon as my powers touched her, her eyebrows rose, a glint in her eyes. "Oh, that is interesting. A powerful warrior as well"

We were circling her, Bobbi was at her back, ready to fire if necessary, but unsure what the even more boosted version of the Dendrotoxin would actually do, if it would have any effect. I was at her front, closing in. "As I said, we don't want this to get messy"

I grabbed one of her wrists, which were still presented at me, sending a more powerful wave in her, trying to momentarily stun her. The moment I grasped onto her, her other fingers brushed gently onto mine, her thumb rubbing back and forth on the back of my hand. "This is not what you truly want"

I stopped dead at my feet. It was like I was injected with something, my muscles seemed to relax and I could feel a gentle brush against my brain. I closed my eyes, fighting it. But it wasn't aggressive like the sceptre was, this felt more like a warm hug at cold day. Felt more like I felt every time I looked at Jemma.

I tried to move away from her, shielding my mind to this foreign presence, but my body didn't seem to agree with my mind and I weakly went to take a step back, blinking my eyes open to call out to Bobbi.

As soon as my lips parted, hers was on mine, kissing me deeply, her love engulfing me whole and she wrapped her hands around me and I mimicked her instinctually. The powers that I was directing in her rose around us, protecting us, letting the kiss play out at its entirety.

Sounds didn't hold meaning for a few seconds, my ears filled with a blissful silence, and as I came back, it was to the sounds of Bobbi firing at us, but the bullets bounced off my powers, not reaching either of us. "Take care of this", she whispered when the kiss broke, like a lover's secret.

I looked off to the side at Bobbi, who stood there dumbfounded. "Snap out of it, Skye", she said, her weapon still trained on Lorelei. I stepped in front of my Lady, my arm lifting, as I redirected my vibrations on the weapon, making it shake from the inside out, breaking it apart. She opened her mouth to say something else, her muscle tensing to either attack or dive for cover, but I was faster. My other hand threw a wave at her, making her fly through the air, a good few feet before crashing back to the ground.

"We will have so much fun together. Take me somewhere grant, deserving of a ruler. Deserving of a queen", she whispered once more.

"Yes, my Lady"

Notes:A couple of things before I go. I feel like a disclaimer is only proper after what I just posted.

1. No, I don't hate Bobbi, and she might not have had the best behaviour from Skye's POV but there was a reason for it.

2. There are plot reasons why this happened. I did not do it just cause I wanted to.

Thoughts I needed to get these out there before disappearing and hiding in a corner. See y'all in two weeks!