Chapter 18: Destruction of PropertySummary:Skye searches for Daisy and ends up doing something illegal again.
Notes:Thank you for the people still sticking with this. Love you.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter TextSkye opened the map, confusion swirling in her purple eyes. She stretched the paper as wide as it would go, turned it to the left, then another left.
"Where's north again?" She groaned and crumpled the map in frustration.
It had been two months since she'd been following Daisy's trail. The last sighting of her was when an Inhuman kidnaped her at a construction site that she had accidentally toppled in a sheer panic. Watching the video broke her heart—Daisy's distraught expression when she realized there were people inside was painful to see. Skye could only imagine the guilt she must be feeling.
It made Skye even more determined to find her. Unfortunately, the one who kidnapped her was an Inhuman—or so she assumed. One who could teleport at will. A very unique and complicated ability to track down, that's for sure. But she still had hope.
After running his image through her system and searching for any footage or sightings of him, she noticed a pattern. He targeted people who had just undergone terrigenesis and took them somewhere. While there were no clear clues about his affiliations or where he was taking them, she could predict his movements if she found potential Inhumans before he did.
That's how she ended up in Sokovia.
Skye had overheard people talking about individuals who could defy nature in more ways than one. It wasn't a sure thing, but she wanted to check it out for herself.
However, between the language barrier, the shitty cold weather, and her complete ineptitude at reading maps, she'd call it a rough start.
"Blast this." She threw the map to the ground and crossed her arms. "Guess I'm doing this old school."
She knelt, taking off her mittens. She shuddered, dreading the feeling of coldness on her fingers but she forced herself.
The ground was freezing, but her vibrations broke through the frost beneath it, starting a vein network that spread out to locate what she was searching for.
"There you are. Pretty big place for something in the middle of nowhere." She shook her hand, trying to shake off the numbing sensation, then slipped her mittens back on and started walking.
She reached the outskirts of the facility. At first glance, it looked like a military camp, but she knew it extended underground—most people wouldn't notice unless they knew what to look for.
"How do I get in?" She muttered to herself. Unfortunately, hacking wasn't an option, and she couldn't just walk in disguised.
Hunched over in a bush, she mulled over her options, so preoccupied that she didn't notice someone approaching until she heard them clear their throat.
"While I appreciate the view, we don't take kindly to trespassers here." The voice had an accent. Skye turned to see a man with platinum blond hair, and a slight beard, dressed in a blue spandex sweatshirt and running pants.
Wow, she hadn't even heard him approach. Skye forced a smile. "Hello, do you have a moment to talk about our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ?"
Fast-forward to Skye sitting in a jail cell, hooting at the guards. "Hey, it's 7:30! Where's my food?!"
Someone cursed at her but because she didn't know the language, she only had her imagination about the curses he was throwing at her.
It had been three days since she was taken prisoner, whatever that meant. So far, no one had come to interrogate her—maybe they were still trying to figure out who she was and why she was here. Honestly, they would've gotten further if they'd just interrogated her right away. She'd locked down all her online activity, and unless they had a tech genius on hand, no one would figure out who she was—not even the hit list she'd planted in HYDRA's system, which she'd tweaked numerous times to throw them off her trail
Skye continued to annoy the guard before someone came to her cell, but it wasn't a man. It was a woman. A pretty one. If only her glare weren't so obvious.
"Are you an American spy?" she asked out of nowhere.
Skye chuckled. "Are we really going to do this here?" she asked, a bit shocked and amused, but complied. "Okay. Um, no. I'm not an American spy."
The woman narrowed her eyes but continued.
"Are you a SHIELD agent?"
"I saw on the news they stopped operating—with that whole fiasco in DC, I don't think they have any agents to spare."
"Just answer the question."
"Fine. No, lady. I'm not."
The woman didn't respond as her eyes flashed red occasionally. "Why are you here then?"
Skye pursed her lips, trying to think of an answer that wouldn't get her killed or forced to flee so soon in this venture. She didn't even know what this facility was- just that HYDRA owned it and was doing questionable experiments.
She rubbed her chin and looked at the redhead without fear. She smiled. "I came here for you."
She stared straight into her eyes, and all that stared back was apprehension and suspicion. There was likely a lot of buried trauma and issues in those eyes. Not that Skye was ever good at being a therapist.
Suddenly, someone appeared beside them—the man who found her in the bush. His face was tight with anger, and his eyes were locked on her. "Are you here to take my sister away?!"
Skye's breath hitched. "Whoa." She ignored his question for a second, her mind scrambling. How did he sneak up on me like that? No footsteps. No warning. Fast. Really damn fast. That's how he got behind her before.
"Stop it, Pietro," the woman said sharply. "What she means is us. She came here for us."
Skye's stomach flipped. Us? How could she know— "How'd you know that?"
The woman didn't answer, but something flickered in her eyes. Skye stared, her mind already formulating the answers for her. "Did you... read my mind?"
Her lack of response might be palpable but her heartbeat sealed the deal. Skye blinked, stunned for a moment before a grin broke through her disbelief. "Damn," she whispered. "That's wicked."
Siblings with both telepathy and super speed. She started laughing, taking both siblings in stride.
"You're not... disgusted?" the woman inquired, a bit confused by why Skye was sporting a goofy expression.
"Why would I be, though? He has super speed and you're a telepath."
"Not exactly a telepath," was all she added before looking at her brother and nodding to him. "Go. She doesn't mean harm. At least, I don't think so."
"But, she could be one of his people."
"I don't think so. Please, Pietro, go."
"Okay. Be careful." He hugged her slightly, glared one last time at Skye—who only smiled back—and then sped away.
"Wow. That's even better to watch the second time." She mumbled mostly to herself, but the woman overheard and didn't appreciate it.
"Just because I haven't done anything to you doesn't mean I won't. If I so much as see you doing anything to my brother or me, you'll be sorry a hundred times over."
"Got it. I really have no ill intentions here. I came because I was curious about the rumors circulating in the nearby towns. I overheard that something weird was happening and that there were people with powers. I came as soon as I heard." She tried her hardest to explain without exposing too much. Given that the woman could probably tell if she was lying, it would be a lot harder to hide the truth. But it didn't seem like she could pull information out of her willy-nilly. At least, Skye hoped she couldn't
"Now that you're here. Now what?" the woman questioned.
Skye paused. Should she ask how she got her powers? Given that she doesn't trust her, would she even answer? Skye didn't think so.
"I'm not sure," she said truthfully.
The woman continued to look at Skye, her eyes still swirling red. It wasn't anything at first, but then her head started to hurt. Skye hunched down as she saw visions of her past.
Her mind wavered as images of her wife lying on the ground, smiling up at her like a sleepy angel, played out. She was resting on Skye's lap.
"Skye. Do you think my father will come?" she asked, rather distractedly.
"If he does, I'll make sure he regrets it." Skye smiled and kissed her on the nose.
The vision shifted, and the wife who had been alive and well on her lap changed to her bleeding in her arms. Her eyes had no light in them. Her face was whiter than snow, and Skye could hear someone screaming in anguish.
"GET OUT!" Skye shouted in fury. The visions stopped, and she had half a mind to start going berserk, but then she saw the woman kneeling over with a bleeding nose.
Skye wanted to attack, but she couldn't—not when she was still shaken by the vision of her dead wife in her hands. She fell to the ground, panting hard, sweat on her forehead, and trembling uncontrollably.
She hugged herself, trying to calm down. The images she thought she had buried came flashing back. "No! Stop!"
Her breathing became labored as she sucked in the air erratically. Closing her eyes, she felt a chill—until she felt someone hug her. She opened her eyes and saw the woman, who had once been glaring at her, now comforting her remorsefully. Her voice was shaky.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. It was the first thing that came to mind." Skye was still angry, but hearing her sound so ashamed, she could only swallow her dissatisfaction and close her eyes.
"I'll call it even if you get me a drink." Skye calmed down as the image in her mind began to blur out. "A very hard drink."
Skye woke up to someone walking into her cell. After the woman brought her liquor, she was left alone for a day. Skye didn't mind; she drank the whole time until she passed out.
She groggily looked up to see the woman bringing her food. She was speaking to the guard before he turned around to leave, and she opened the cell with the tray in her hands. "Here. Your rations."
She still had that hardened look, but since yesterday, she didn't quite look at Skye with the same hostility as before. Skye didn't know if she should be happy about that, as she didn't like the thought of someone knowing something about her past that she would rather burn away than have found out.
If this was because of pity, then what else could she do?
Skye avoided her eyes. "Thanks. I'll eat it later."
She hung her head while trying to wake herself up.
The tray clinked when it was placed on the ground. Skye thought the woman was going to leave, but she didn't. She was still in the room. Skye looked up to see her sitting on the other bed in the cell, quietly observing Skye.
"What?"
"I need to bring the tray back, so I'm waiting for you to finish." She said it so straight that she might have fooled Skye, but it was so obviously a lie.
Yet, she couldn't say that. She sighed. The woman cared, obviously, but mentioning it might scare her away, which was the opposite of what she was supposedly doing here. Not wanting to offend her entirely, Skye took the tray and ate all of it, which wasn't much—borscht, bread, and pickles. She neatly placed all the utensils and pushed it back to her.
The woman nodded and left. Skye didn't see her for the rest of the day. Not even when dinner arrived, and the guard just threw the tray down like he was feeding a mutt on the street.
The next person to visit her cell wasn't the woman or her brother, Pietro. It was a middle-aged man—bald, with a mean stare and a large frown. He had a monocle on his right eye, surgically placed. He looked at her as if she were another species of monkey: curious yet appalled.
Skye merely observed him as he did her. He hummed under his breath before snapping his fingers. Three men appeared, opened the cell door, and manhandled her arms with restraints before hauling her out and into another room.
They placed her in a small interrogation room, securing her to a chair with a long chain fastened to the ground. She wanted to complain that this was overkill, then remembered who she was. Instead, she wiggled her wrists and stared at the man, who was quietly observing her, leaning against the wall, still trying to figure her out.
"You've certainly made an impression... Few people manage to simply appear in my facility unnoticed."
Skye wanted to argue that she hadn't gone unnoticed. If that had been the case, she wouldn't be here right now.
He walked around the room, still facing her, studying her face before continuing.
"But no name, no history—nothing in the records. Now, what does that make you? A ghost? Or perhaps... something more interesting?" He gave a faint smile.
Skye was right to believe someone was in charge of this facility. She finally remembered who this was: Baron von Strucker. He was one of the members of HYDRA facilitating human experimentation, much like Whitehall, though their interests varied. Whitehall leaned toward immortality, while he focused on human evolution. Yet both were quacks. It was a good thing she had stolen more than the obelisk while she was in HYDRA laboratories.
But this was the first time they had met. She had no idea what kind of person he was.
So she tried to test the waters.
"My name is Skye. I came to see them." The woman and he must have talked already. If she had to fish for him, she needed to be a little bit truthful.
"Skye, is it? A name, finally... But 'them'? That's a curious choice of words." He tilts his head as if considering the possibilities. "Who exactly is 'them'? Surely you didn't come all this way to be vague."
He allows a pause; the silence stretches deliberately.
"Are 'they' the Maximoff twins? Or perhaps you were hoping to meet someone else?"
"Twins? They're twins?" She blurted out in surprise. She was sure that Petro guy was older than the woman, but that's good to know their last names.
"Ah... so that's news to you." He leans back in his chair, steepling his fingers in a show of calm dominance. To Skye, he just looks too overbearing.
"Interesting. You see, Skye, I find it peculiar that someone who claims to have come here 'to see them' is unaware of such a crucial detail." Skye knows how she appears to him—a sneaky rat, suspicious and untrustworthy.
"So, who are you here to see, then? And more importantly—why?"
His voice remains calm, but now there's a sharper edge, an underlying challenge in his tone. Skye had to tread carefully since she wanted to uncover more information without burning things. Not yet at least.
"I've heard they could do 'things'. I wanted to know how they could do it. They— is it because of you?"
Strucker's eyes light up with interest, though his smile remains cold. "Ah, you've heard whispers, then? Yes, they can do extraordinary things."
He seemed to think he now had someone on her because her smug demeanor couldn't be more palpable than now.
"But you see Skye, abilities like theirs don't simply appear. No, they are... unlocked through the right methods. Methods you wouldn't understand."
This took her attention. If this method he speaks of is what she's looking for, then she may have hit it big.
"Is it because of me? Let's just say that I know how to... encourage potential. But tell me, why would that matter to you? What are you hoping to achieve by learning how they came to be?"
Skye used all her acting chops to hang her head down and forced her eyes to tear up. "Because I wanted to be just like them. I need to—I need to be stronger. I'll do whatever you want!" She screamed as she stared at Strucker, her face close to breaking.
The edge of his lips stood up for a brief moment, one Skye noticed and was happy to see. Being a vulnerable lamb really is the best approach. She doesn't care how stupid she looks so long as he believes he got her; she would play all his tricks.
"Just like them? Ah, now we're getting somewhere." He chuckled and leaned back in his chair, folding his hands, clearly pleased with her answer.
"Power... it's always about power, isn't it? You're not the first, Skye, to seek it. And you won't be the last. But the question is, what are you truly willing to sacrifice for it?" he said, his voice low and menacing.
He stands up and begins walking around the room, circling her like a predator. He even places his hands on her shoulder. She wanted to shiver and swat it away but ignored that stinking voice in her head. So she bit her lip instead.
"You say you'll do whatever I want? That's a bold claim. But power like theirs doesn't come without a cost. Are you prepared to endure the pain? The loss? Or did you think becoming like them was as simple as asking nicely?" he whispered in her ear. She really wanted to squirm in disgust.
"I'll do it. I'll do whatever you want. Just make me stronger."
"Ah, the weight of your current circumstances is heavy, isn't it? You feel cornered, desperate for a way out." He speaks as if he knew her, voicing his empathy that was no more void than his promises for a better future.
"But you need to understand that desperation can be a powerful motivator—one that can be channeled into something greater," he whispered lowly.
"What you want to become, what you wish to achieve, it will require strength. But I can guide you. Together, we can unlock your potential."
Strucker is a drama queen, but that was how Skye got into Strucker's experiment.
Skye was offered the program with two conditions. Explain in detail about herself: why she wasn't in the data and why she wanted to undergo experimentation. The second was to lay loyalty to HYDRA by doing one mission of their choosing without question. If she fulfilled this prerequisite, Strucker would gladly stick needles in her spine.
Skye didn't go over the gory subject of the experimentation just yet since she had no idea what Strucker did. He didn't say, and he wouldn't elaborate, so that meant she had to stick through this as far as she could.
She got herself placed in a room other than a cell. Strucker said it was made specially for the volunteer subjects.
She didn't have much on her, so she just went inside. A single bed, a small table, and a small metal cabinet. Nothing else. Skye didn't expect there would be. If all subjects of Strucker were to undergo the procedure randomly, success was never gonna be guaranteed. The fact that since being here, the twins were the only ones she'd seen with abilities meant it's not always mad scientist-level results. Although, that's also if they're just more hidden away.
She heard a knock on her door. Skye opened it to see the woman whose name she still didn't know.
Skye was going to greet her, but she was beaten to it.
"Why did you say yes to Strucker?" she asked with that familiar grunt and frown.
"Hello to you too, co-mate." Skye smiled and stepped aside. "If you want to talk, my room is available. Just got it today. Rent-free."
The redhead didn't seem to like her joke, but when she didn't respond to her question, she sighed and entered.
"Make yourself at home. There's a table there."
"Why did you say yes to Strucker? I was going to tell him that you didn't know anything and that you got lost here. You could have left." Skye raised an eyebrow at the woman. Does she hear herself?
"Okay. I'm sure this isn't your first rodeo. But as I've observed, that person you're working with isn't someone you can just report to and take at face value. Also, do you really think they'll let a civilian walk away scott-free after seeing all this? I'm an American. A suspicious American woman who, out of weird circumstances, got here out of the blue. Do you think he'll let me leave if I said otherwise?"
The woman briefly stiffened as the realization hit her. Skye frowned but shrugged. "Besides, there is some truth to what I told him. I want to know how he got you and your brother so powerful."
She watched her, trying to gauge what she would do next. But the woman just masked her expression even more. "Then, there's nothing else I can help you with. This is your choice. Whatever happens falls on you."
She passed Skye, intending to leave, but Skye crossed her arms, skeptical of her intentions. "Why do you care suddenly? Aren't you one of them?"
The woman turned to glare at Skye. "My brother and I... We aren't like them. We're here for something else."
Skye cocked up an eyebrow in intrigue. "Enough to side with a madman?"
The redhead chuckled harshly. "Says the woman who joined said madman. Also, it's none of your business. If you want to survive here, keep your things to yourself."
She left, banging the door behind her.
"So... What was I going to do again?" she asked for the third time.
The man who was with her... um... she forgot his name already. She just calls her Handler since Strucker made her his responsibility.
"I've told you already," he said, his accent thick, though he spoke with a measured tone, frustration clear beneath it. "The Avengers, they are tracking us, trying to destroy every base they find since they discovered our infiltration of SHIELD. But this base—it is the most well-hidden. Strucker, he intends to keep it that way. We've just got word someone is snooping around another base. The chance it gets compromised is high. We must destroy it before the Avengers get their hands on anything. Especially the location of this base. Keep them from finding us."
"Okay. Now that you explain it like that, I feel like I should be taking notes!" She nodded, feeling a bit more grounded in the mission. The man just groaned, shaking his head as he prepared their weapons.
Skye adjusted the strap of her bulletproof vest before donning the HYDRA soldier suit. It was leaner and darker than usual, reminiscent of something a ninja might wear, rather than standard military attire. "Are the twins coming?" she asked, trying to lighten the mood.
"No. This is your mission. You need to complete it with us." He pulled on his helmet, the mask obscuring his expression but not his tone.
Skye didn't know the logistics of things, but didn't they check if she could at least shoot or fight? She picked up a Glock and inspected it, her fingers dancing over the surface. The other soldiers were minding their own business when she carelessly pointed the weapon around.
"Whoa! Watch it!" Several people screamed and ducked for cover, their alarm palpable.
"Do you know how to use this?" Her handler asked, exasperation clear on his face as he grabbed her wrist, pulling the weapon from her grip.
"Yes. I've fired one once," she replied, nodding silly, a sheepish smile spreading across her face.
"Just once?" He raised an eyebrow, disbelief mingling with annoyance.
He sighed and went over the basics of handling a gun. Skye pretended to listen; she already knew how to use one. She just wanted to make a busy man's day even worse, just because she could.
After the whole lecture, he placed the gun in her hands, expecting her to point it willy-nilly. Instead, she flipped the safety on and tucked it into her holster.
"At least you listened," he mumbled gruffly.
"Hey, I was wondering. Since I don't have much experience with this, is it really okay to have me out in the field? I could mess up."
"Here's the thing, girly: either you do this job and it succeeds, or it doesn't, and we clean up the mess. Strucker doesn't need weaklings. Got that?" His eyes didn't flinch at the threat, just as casual as when he lectured her a moment ago.
"Got it." Skye realized why there weren't many powered individuals in the base. If this was how they filtered subjects, then most wouldn't have made it to Strucker's laboratory anyway.
...
Skye was sandwiched between two burly HYDRA soldiers, her assault rifle held steady in her hands, while they wielded an alien weapon that hummed with a weird energy. She didn't bother asking why they hadn't equipped her with one; they clearly didn't expect a newbie to operate such advanced tech on her first outing, and she had to agree. But the weapon looked eerily familiar—similar to the blasters those fugly aliens had tried to use against her during the invasion of New York, only smaller, designed for human hands, and built for ease of use.
HYDRA truly was a chameleon, slipping under SHIELD's radar with remarkable finesse if they've stolen things like this.
Their vehicle screeched to a halt, and the soldiers piled out. Skye followed, her pulse quickening at the sight before her. The base loomed ahead, older and worn, but unmistakably fortified. It stood silent and empty, yet the thick metal walls and reinforced fixtures
Her handler looks at her and the others. "This is the plan. Team 1, retrieve as much information as you can in our server and send it to base. Team 2, set up kill switches around the perimeter. Eliminate any intruders on sight."
Skye was assigned to Team 2 and immediately began planting explosives throughout the structure. As she ascended to the third floor, she set putty against the walls, focused on her task when suddenly, the sharp crack of gunfire echoed through inside the building.
She turned her head, raising her rifle instinctively. She hastily set down the remaining bombs on the floor, wary of any sudden detonation, before moving to investigate the commotion.
Descending to the second floor, the noise intensified—gunshots and blaster fire rang out in chaotic succession. Peeking around the corner, Skye's eyes widened as she spotted SHIELD agents in tactical suits engaging Team 2 in a fierce firefight.
She ducked as the fight unfolded, both sides seemingly on equal footing. There were more SHIELD agents than HYDRA soldiers, but the blasters gave the latter an edge.
Not wanting to get caught in the crossfire, Skye retreated to the third floor to finish placing the bomb and sneak out through the window.
She was setting the last one when she felt something cold press against the back of her neck. "Put that down and raise your hands."
A chill ran down Skye's spine at the sound of the voice. With a resigned breath, she slowly laid the bomb on the floor.
"Now take off your rifle." Skye complied and stood up again. She already knew who it was, but seeing Natasha standing before her in this moment still took her aback.
Natasha's eyes were vigilant, her lips curled in a scowl. The gun was pointed at her face, but Skye didn't mind it at all. She hadn't seen Natasha in so long that she almost forgot about that coffee meetup she had offered.
Skye wore a mask, so she understood why Natasha might not recognize her, which was why she could forgive the kick that had sent her reeling—hard enough that a normal person would have been knocked out. It even broke her goggles, but luckily, no shards had made it to her eyes. As for Skye, she had merely pretended to faint.
Still, that shit hurt.
She could hear Natasha shifting the weapon away as her receiver beeped. "We've apprehended all soldiers on floors 2 and 1. Only the ones in the server rooms are left but the doors seem to be made of thick alloy"
So focused on the report from her team, Natasha didn't notice the hidden HYDRA soldier in the corner. Skye caught sight of him as he crawled closer, aiming his blaster at the back of Natasha's head.
Natasha was relieved that half of the work was done already.
"Good. Wait for me. I'll be—"
BANG BANG
Natasha heard two gunshots and reacted quickly. She kicked the gun from the soldier pretending to sleep, swiftly taking her knife and angling it at their neck while restraining their arm.
"Move and I'll kill you!" she hissed, trying to make sense of what had just happened when she heard something fall. She turned to her left and saw a dead HYDRA agent, who hadn't been there before, lying in a pool of blood. The bullet had gone through their eye with such precision that it was probably a clean hit.
Overwhelmed with confusion, Natasha looked down at the HYDRA agent below her.
"Why did you—"
Before she could finish her question, her vision flipped upside down, and she found herself pinned to the ground. She struggled to break free, but the strength of her assailant felt inhuman. Oddly enough, they didn't shoot her, threaten her, or torture her. They just stared at Natasha.
It was dim, given that it was night, and the only way to see was by adjusting to the dark or using night vision goggles. Natasha belonged to the former category, so when she noticed the purple-hued irises staring back at her, half her thoughts spiraled into confusion.
This was short-lived, as footsteps could be heard approaching. The agent glanced at the door, then back at her before releasing Natasha and diving out of the window, smashing it with an aggressive blow.
Natasha hurried to the window to see the HYDRA agent land on the ground without so much as a scratch or broken bone, then running back into the building.
"Ma'am, are you okay?" her team asked as they reached her. She was still trying to process whether what she had seen was real or if she missed Skye so much that she was hallucinating. Why would she even miss that idiot?
"Yes." Natasha refocused on the mission, her steel expression fixed on the dead HYDRA agent, though her thoughts were still a bit muddled.
"Prepare to bulldoze our way to the server room. We need those coordinates!" she shouted, and they marched back down with renewed energy.
Skye didn't want to kill any SHIELD agents, so she tried her best to incapacitate them—breaking a few bones here and there, knocking out some, or even throwing them so far that they landed in Wonderland.
But she had to move fast to get back to her handler. She still needed the mission to succeed to learn more about Strucker's experiments, which meant she needed at least one HYDRA agent to vouch for her and to blast the building.
She reached the server room and input the code before locking it back up.
Her handler was with Team 1, still retrieving data. He looked annoyed with how much time it was taking them.
"Are you done yet?!"
"Almost!"
Skye seized this moment to interject. "SHIELD is here. They already took care of Team 2, but I've placed all the bombs I have. At least if they blow up now, it'll take the whole place down."
"Great work. Team 2, continue sending those files. The newbie and I will check for a way out." He ushered her back toward the exit and quickly asked, "Are there any SHIELD agents posted outside?"
"No. Not at the moment," Skye admitted.
"Good. We're leaving now. Cover my back." He said while his blaster reeved up.
"But what about Team 2?"
He chuckled. "I've told them what to do, and they will do it. This is HYDRA. This is our calling."
The two made it out relatively unscathed before guns started firing at them. Skye tried to cover both their backs as her handler worked to get their ride to turn on.
She saw Natasha joining the fray, firing multiple rounds at Skye. She hid and fired back, trying to catch a glimpse of Natasha's eyes.
She was snapped back to reality when the HYDRA-issued armored car roared to life, and she was shouted at to get in. Skye glanced at Natasha one last time, and for a brief moment—unsure if it was her imagination—she felt as though Natasha was staring at her, too.
It might be months before they could see each other again, hopefully in a much different and better circumstance.
"Come on! Get in!"
Skye gave Natasha a mock salute before getting in, closing the door, and driving off.
Notes:Ohhhh! This close! this fucking close and she had to leave again. Oh well... you guys know which movie this is going to be next then. Stay safe :)
P.S. I just realized Skye has work for HYDRA more than she has with SHIELD, 😆 which is funny to me. Damn, Skye's resume might be nuclear to an average recruiter.
Chapter 19: AdjacentSummary:Skye learns the consequences 😅 of her double spying.
Notes:(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter TextSkye overheard the news of the building exploding 30 minutes after they left. Another piece of information she got was that they sent all the data back to base just in time. So it was a success.
Skye was not sure if that's a good thing or not but it got Strucker and his men questioning her motives less, so she could stomach what she did for now.
Strucker was very happy with her and said that he would do his part of their deal. A date was set and all she had to do was wait.
Till then, she had chores around the base. Clean rooms, guarding duty, cleaning the armory, and even having brainwashing lectures by Strucker every other day.
Skye doesn't see much of the twins, she was told they do something else around the compound.
"Hey, you. Bring this back to the armory." Skye was handed a box of alien tech they just confiscated from another base.
The guy didn't look twice and left Skye. She pursed her lips as the alien techs were chucked in the box like they were toys.
One of these days, these shit will explode and none of these guys can explain why.
Skye agreed nonetheless and slowly carried it down the stairs. It was a little hard to see where she was going when she had to lift things that were protruding out. That must have been why she was startled when she aggressively bumped into someone.
"Ow!" She hissed and angrily said. "Who the hell is stupid enough not to see that I'm walking here?!"
She was still mad when the box was lifted up relatively off her hands, out of the blue. Skye stares up to see Pietro, looking smugly at her. "You seem to adapt well here. Let me help you with that." He said carrying it for her.
"Thanks but I can handle myself." Although she meant her words, Skye also didn't make any move to get it off his hands, since she was feeling lazy. Seeing that she could get free labor without even asking, she let him help her.
"Surprisingly, you're calm. Are you excited?" He gave a smile. One where she can read the twisted mockery in his eyes. "...you know, to be like us?"
Skye hummed as she gave him a side glance. Pietro was a young man, with good looks, and lots of potential but his eyes... They weren't most people. He's troubled. Maybe full of anger. Full of angst.
She did her research. It would be disrespectful not to. The twins were popular, so finding information about their past wasn't really a hard thing. Most of what she found was from gossip and people from town.
The twins approached Strucker a year ago. In this country conflicted with wars, they sought power to combat it. Although more believe it was because they wanted to protect their homeland, others believe they held wrath towards an individual. That individual was not named, unfortunately. However, she had a guess.
Skye walked with Pietro with ease while they passed by working men and women left and right.
She hadn't answered him yet. Not because she wasn't inclined to but because there was no answer appropriate for such a sensitive topic. Skye doesn't believe Pietro is asking because of the goodness of his heart. Maybe to relieve his frustration. Why is she really here? Is she trustworthy? Is she in her right mind coming to a madman to stick needles into her?
Maybe one of those are his real questions. Who knows.
When they were mostly by themselves and no one was within their range, she clicked her tongue and asked. As gently as she could, "Did it hurt?"
He didn't look surprised when she asked. He just smirked even more.
"It did. Excruciating. I thought I would almost die." He didn't sound concerned about it though.
"Wow. Way to quell my worries, oh great consoler"
Pietro just shrugged.
"It would be crueler to lie about it. Wanda and I never had to think about any excuses... We were here for a reason. We knew that we just needed to endure it."
His smile faded for a second and he looked ahead, a bit dazed. "But even then, no one told us it would be that painful. Months of feeling like my bones would break only for my muscles to sting whenever I moved. It was hellish for us. We pulled through, of course, and that's all that matters. Every day, having these powers is a reminder of what we've sacrificed. How we were meant to reach our goal— A sign if you could say it."
"They say, conviction is one hell of a motivator."
Pietro shakes his head. "It's not because of a conviction."
"Then what is it?"
"Hatred."
"Hatred, huh?" Skye frowned before she sighed.
"I guess that's one way of looking at it. Although, hating someone might be the easiest thing one can do. People are so primed by emotions that sometimes we're a slave to it." She huffed in a way she once did when she was stuck in the winter wasteland of Tennessee with Tony. But there was no visible breath. She thought it might calm her down when she was reminded of the mechanic punk.
"Hatred is all-consuming. There's no filter. No constraint. Just pure unadulterated hate. Anyone. Even a bloke who can't lift a fucking rock can do that. If you think for one second that it's some providence that you ended up where you are because of it then you aren't really as special as you think, Pietro. Not even when you got that speedy feet of yours." They reached the armory and Pietro put the crate down without complaints.
He stared at Skye, wondering. "Then tell me. What other reason can I have besides hating someone that would make my existence here deserving? Tell me what's stronger than that?"
Skye searched his eyes and he was as transparent as a mirror. There's no pretense. His dark eyes full of unspoken heartache cast his through without reserve. Hate was his fuel and apparently nothing she would say would change that.
She sniffed, and looked around them, putting her hands on her waist before backing away from him. "I think you know the answer to that, Pietro. Just a word of advice, know for certain if that revenge is really what you want. Or if that revenge will solve your problem. Your regrets. Everything you've been blaming your whole life... Because the minute you hesitate all that's left will be more regrets. Maybe this time, it'll be coupled by shame."
"Like what happened with your wife?"
Skye's feet froze in place.
There was silence.
She bit her lips and reeled in her emotions.
She laughed. Not a genuine one. More like when she patronized herself for being stupid.
She knew Pietro's sister saw more than she initially assumed. Skye just didn't think she'd tell anyone else. Then again, they were close. She'd be a fool to predict she wouldn't tell her twin.
It's still personal though.
She turned her head at Pietro, who looked rebellious. Like a kid who doesn't want to be proven wrong— was even more smug when he hit a cord. Skye might have the same expression so she just smiled sadly at him.
She forced a nod. "Yeah. yeah. You would think for someone who has had enough of doing stupid shit in the past I'd learn to be more mature about these types of things but I guess I'm more human than I think I am." She scratched the back of her head while complaining.
"Yep! My wife.." she chuckled. "My wife is an old story. People lose their loved ones. I'm no different either. The thought of her still haunts me not gonna lie... truly. It's like a broken record. I can't stop playing it. It's there whether I want it to or not. Good people had told me I needed to move on. That I had paid my due. That I am retributed... but a good part of my head says otherwise. It's not that I want to remember all the bad things about her. It's because I can't. And the reason why I can't is because... I did horrible things that I can't take back." She walked to the doorway. Stops and then leans on the pillar half looking outside and half observing Pietro, trying to see more of herself than she liked.
He wasn't saying anything but he looked guilty for mentioning her wife to her. He's a stupid kid too. But he still has heart. Thats good.
"Believe me, you don't want to be stuck like me, Pietro. You're too young to have your life be turned into a limbo."
He raised his brows at her, looking her up and down.
She rolled her eyes.
"You don't look that old." He commented.
Skye stares at her reflection from one of the glass shelves inside the room. Her smile disappears. "I don't, do I?"
"Are you secretly 87 years old?"
She chuckles. "What? like Captain American?" She snorted and chuckled.
"Oh, I wish. Anyway, thank you for helping me. I'll see you later. Tell your sister to be more discreet next time. I wouldn't want to call her a snitch any time soon."
She met Dr. List and she abhors him she's awfully confused.
It wasn't fun to meet him nor was taking orders from him.
After waiting weeks, the program was finally exposed but it was not what Skye initially thought.
She stared at the straps on both her hands. Two sets of leather straps, one on each wrist and arm with another one on her chest. Another four straps on her ankles and legs.
She sat on a very uncomfortable chair while listening to silence inside a vacuum chamber. An oxygen mask was on her face connected to a tank outside the room.
The room wasn't spacious. Just enough to fit her and another object situated across from her.
But it was sealed in a box. Skye initially thought it might be a shard from a Terrigen crystal but if that were the case they wouldn't have put the oxygen mask on her. One of the principles of the Terrigen mist is to be inhaled. Therefore, undergoing the processing of mutation would need it out of the equation.
So she wondered what exactly could this thing be.
"Subject 58. Please confirm that you are awake and alert by pressing the button situated on you right side of your armchair. Please respond if you understand."
Doctor List could be heard from somewhere behind her. Must be the speaker for communication.
She moved her fingers and found the button. She pressed it and answered.
"Good. Now we will begin our first trial. Here's what's going to happen. After 10 minutes the vacuum chamber will be activated to minimize contaminants and maximize exposure of energy from the relic known as Scepter codename STK-17. For now, exposure to STK-17 will be minimal for the first trial. We will open it for only 15 minutes. Subject 58 is to respond to questions while underexposure. Any feeling of pain is natural and should be expected. Enduring the whole time limit is the only way to end each trial phrase. Do you understand, subject 58?"
When they first met, Dr. List treated her like nothing. He took one look and didn't address her like a human afterward. All for good reasons. Other than the twins, most subjects die from these experiments. He only gave her the name Subject 58 to further show Skye that she means nothing to him but another lab rat. Not that it bothered Skye, since she held the same sentiment for him. The guy is not a decent human either.
"Understood. You can start now."
"Very well. Good luck to you, Subject 58."
Skye heard the room whirling the the feeling of weightlessness. The object encased in metal slowly opened. Her eyes registered what it was and was surprised. A yellow glow and a scepter that she once saw at the battle of New York. It was floating in the air, wires attached to its handle and the gem that sits on its blades suddenly grew brighter.
Skye didn't have any idea what happened next. Her eyes turned blue then black before clearing again. Her mind floated elsewhere, her body absorbing foreign energy as if it were food.
"Subject 58, how are you feeling? Are there any feelings of intense pain?"
Skye's mind was muddled but still conscious. While she couldn't make out or even comprehend things normally, she was still fine to answer.
"Negative. I feel fine. Confused and disoriented but fine."
Skye shook her head as the wheezing noise got louder and the scepter glowed even brighter. She could feel it penetrating her mind, which was queasy. So undeniably uncomfortable.
"Subject 58. Are..."
What felt like bearable before suddenly turned disturbing as a force hit her mind like a train. Unable to resist it. She shuts down.
Finally, Skye couldn't hear anything. Only white noises.
...
When she came to she was staring at a dirty ceiling with Dr. List writing on his clickboard looking at her vitals from the ECG machine beside her.
"Dr. List? What happened?" Her whole body was sore. She couldn't move even when she wanted to. She can only move her neck slightly to face him.
"Subj- I mean Miss Skye. You've fainted while undergoing the first phase of the trial. But surprisingly you manage to stay alive during the whole hour."
"Wha? What?! An hour! Dr. List, you never said anything about it being an hour!?"
She glared at him but he was busy smiling at his clipboard to care.
"Well, admittedly your vitals during the trial were dangerously low. Your heart stopped beating twice so I thought we might as well go beyond the first 15 minutes to see any kind of results. It would have been unfortunate not to do it. However, beyond my expectations, each time your heartbeat turned increasingly low it picked right back up again. You never flatlined. But well, um, You were unresponsive... unfortunately, so I couldn't conduct any worthwhile questions and answers but the results were still undeniably good." He said almost chirpingly.
So in short, when he thought she was going to die anyway he just thought of increasing the time for the sake of any sort of results. Well, fuck him.
She clenched her teeth but couldn't even muster up a fist so she gave up for now. Resting should be a priority.
"What about my body? I can't move."
"Ohh. That's peculiar. I will take note of that. Anything else you're feeling?"
"Exhausted. Bruised up, I also want to throw up."
"Hmm. Seems like the one-hour mark wasn't your limit. All these small symptoms are an indication of your tolerance. Impressive! By the fifth day, we will begin your second phrase. We will do 2 hours of exposure!"
From disregarding her as only a lab experiment to fascination aching to a prehistoric discovery, Skye felt she hated the two behaviors Dr. List was exhibiting but she would likely prefer the former as this was quickly turning into a torture sequence.
"Are you trying to kill me?!"
"Now. Now, Miss Skye. If you want those abilities of yours we will have to endure! Evolution waits for no one! But do not worry. We will do our best to have you survive your ordeal." He turned to a man assisting him.
"Bringt mir das Supersoldaten-Serum und spritzt es ihr." (1)
Half a minute later Dr. List had a syringe that was very suspicious.
"Um. What's that?"
"A very expensive serum, Miss Skye. But do not worry. It's—"
Since she couldn't move, the assistant swiftly positioned the needle on her arm and she could feel the outline of it. As soon as he tried to puncture her skin. The needle broke.
Dr. List saw this and went silent. Suddenly, he laughed egregiously, very very happy. "Oh, did you see that?! Hahahaha. Results! In just one trial!" He then began writing on his clipboard again, his hands moving in an erratic way.
Skye didn't want to burst his bubble and confessed that it was just the way she was made. Her skin was already tougher than metal the last she checked. Being half Kree also helped her durability. In most cases, they would need tougher elements to pierce her skin.
So is this crisis averted?
He then spoke to his assistant about something, he looked serious before leaving the room.
"Since we can't injected the serum into you, then we need the other version of this serum. One you can take orally." He explained.
"Doctor. What does it do? Is it poisonous? Will I die if I take it?" All valid points.
"Nah. Usually if it's injected, most subjects won't die since it was made to make people into super soldiers. Lately, though, we've been having issues with injecting supersoldiers who are a bit reluctant with needles and those who have special cases, much like yours. It's still undergoing some tweak but you'll be fine!"
"Can I just not take it?"
"If you take the serum. Your probability of surviving all 10 phases will increase by 30%."
Skye smiled warily. Why didn't anyone tell her there were 10 phases?! It's like being exposed to radiation but in her mind! She felt like putty in front of it!
"Can I maybe back out?"
"I thought you wanted powers, my dear."
"Yes. But I could probably do it once I'm more ready." Why should I stay for these freakshow? She already found out this wasn't like the Terrigensis process. There's nothing here for her.
"No such thing. Better yet let's move your next trial tomorrow!"
"What?! Tomorrow! I can't fucking move yet."
"You don't need to, my darling." He left with a worrisome look. His teeth showing, his eyes smug, and a suspicious twisted expression. "You just need to be strapped into that chair and let things take its course."
He was mad.
Wanda and Pietro were having a leisure walk, watching people go about the street with solemn faces and stressed-out emotions.
People in town were too cautious. Waiting for another bomb to explode or another unwarranted visitor to cause a mess.
Having a war was never an easy thing.
Neither party gets out unscathed.
It was only through luck and perseverance that they did not lose everything that was left of their country.
But aside from that, Wanda's thoughts were elsewhere.
"So, have you visited her yet?" His brother's soothing voice asked, his breath leaving out ghost-like indention.
"No." Wanda didn't even have to ask who her brother was talking about. They both knew who that person would be.
"It sounds like, Dr. List is working her pretty hard. She's now halfway through and I think they're going to go for 4 hours now. I didn't even think that was possible." Pietro sounded both impressed and worried.
The longest time he'd been exposed was only an hour. And even that had put him in the clinic for weeks.
"She's pretty durable. She might even be more of a groundbreaking result than we are if this continues." She scoffed.
Wanda hated that statement.
Not sure why.
She secretly checked on her every night in the clinic. Unfortunately, Strucker had put a high alert on Skye since they found out how much promise she was showing. They could neither talk to her directly nor know the full extent of the progress. They could only hear whispers and see from plated glass.
Skye was no more of a lab monkey on death row than she was a lab monkey on a puppet show.
"It doesn't matter if she does. We made a deal with Strucker. Another powered individual won't change that." He replied. But his assumptions are misplaced.
"I'm not worried about that. What I am worried about is if it's the right thing to have them continue experimenting on her. I heard she can't even talk now. Aside from her being paralyzed. She was dazed most of the time and she'd been vomiting all the food she was eating. What left she can stomach, isn't enough. They're wringing her dry." Wanda couldn't help sighing as she explained Skye's condition over the past week.
"Isn't that what happened to us too? Weren't we uncommissioned for days on end, trying to heal only to go back to that chamber? Wanda, you have to understand, she wanted this. We can't take that away from her."
"You're not thinking, Pietro! She looks like she's dying!"
Pietro looked puzzled. As if he wasn't sure what to make of her words. "Wanda... what's going on with you? You never care about the other 55 people who did die from this. Why do you care now?"
Wanda paused when she heard this.
"You're wrong. I don't care." She denied.
Pietro laughs. "Right. I don't need to read your mind, little sister. Because it sounds like you do."
"I don't!" Her eyes glowed red and Pietro had to sigh.
He stared down at her and gave her a small smile. Carefully his large hands squeezed her shoulders and she powered down, calming her nerves before feeling guilty.
"I'm sorry."
"It's okay." He slowly hugged Wanda. "I know why you're a bit strung. Skye... She reminded you of Mom, right?.... Or Is it just me? Please say yes because I don't want this to be awkward."
Wanda's eyes widen. A bit conflicted that Pietro got her all figured out.
"Well, her way of talking is definitely different but. She looks..."
"Like a young slightly more hotter version of mom?"
Wanda punched her brother on the arm and he flinched playfully. "Ow!"
"It's the nose and eyes."
"What? You think mom had those weird violet eyes?"
"No. You know what I'm talking about." Wanda gave a small glare his way and he just chuckled.
"Yeah. Yeah. I get it. No need to be angry." Pietro still had things to say though. "But we can't interfere. Wanda, we can't cut off our relationship with Strucker just yet. We still haven't gotten Stark. We've been planning this our whole lives. You said so."
"I know. I know what I said." She huffs and walks away from him, trying to think of a way to forget about Skye.
Pietro was right. Even if she was conflicted about this. Skye came here of her own accord. She made a deal with Strucker and now she has to face the consequences.
She clenched her fist as she put her thoughts in order.
"Okay. I won't do anything that would jeopardize our deal with Strucker. But..." She turned back at Pietro. "We also can't let Dr. List do anything he likes on Skye."
"So, what do you want to do, then?"
Skye wakes up after her eighth phase of the trial.
"What? We're done already?" She yawns and groggily looks around her.
She found out she was being carried on someone's back and being taken somewhere. Her first reaction should have been to attack but that was until she found out who was carrying her.
"Um. Pietro, where the hell are you taking me?" She asked out of curiosity rather than anything else.
"Oh you're awake, sleepyhead. Me? I'm taking you to see the mountain tops."
"On your back? With me still half-paralyzed?"
"Yep. You can thank me later."
"Hmmm." Skye can move her neck but can only see her swaying arms and upside-down landscape. Which was making her a bit dizzy.
"Should I ask why you're taking me there? Better yet, how I'm out of the facility."
"Don't worry, Wanda's got them distracted. Right now, they think you're asleep in your cot and there's a malfunction with the chamber. They won't be able to fix it until later. I'm taking you somewhere to rest your bones for a few hours and maybe get a feel of your arms again."
"Thank God, I thought I'd be a living potato sack in there. Can you believe that guy? Dr. List wants me strapped up like I'm some mannequin."
"We know. That's why Wanda wanted to help you."
"Wanda? She wanted to help me? Are you sure we're talking about the same person?"
"Yes. The same one."
"The mean twin?"
Out of nowhere, Skye's head bumps into a tree bark.
"Ow!"
"Sorry. What were you saying?"
"Nothing, dammit."
Once they reached the high point, Pietro placed Skye on a flat surface rock with a view of a wide ravine. Although she could feel the cold because of her light lab gown clothes, she found herself not minding that aspect.
She hadn't felt this free for over a week.
The constant headache, loss of appetite, and vertigo made her want to stay asleep forever. Her body wasn't as affected but her head was in a constant state of fluff that she couldn't even think.
The only saving grace after each phase was her tolerance. While she was still affected by the artifact, she was getting better at handling the side effects.
She took in one big breath before exhaling and she felt like laughing.
"You good?"
"Yeah. Thanks. To both of you." She closed her eyes, feeling the wind on her face and hair.
The two were silent as they were just content listening to the sounds of nature.
When Skye had enough of that, she opened her eyes and stared at her hand. She tried moving her hands and she could attempt just the smallest of twitch.
"Fuck. That thing is potent."
"You really can't move."
"I can, but only just slightly. I'd need maybe two days to be able to do anything." Then she stared at him.
"You going to bring me back?"
He was quiet, maybe thinking. "Do you want to go back?"
"Not really no." She leaned back on her rock, trying to wiggle her feet next. " To tell you the truth, my reason for coming here wasn't to get any powers. I really did come here for you two but mostly just to know how you got them. Not the whole shebang on all of this."
She managed to wiggle one of them and she laughed. "Oh! You see that! That's progress!"
"Why?"
"Huh?"
"Why did you want to know how we got our powers?"
"Oh." She pondered how to answer. "I'm looking for someone. Some sketchy people kidnapped her. The only lead I've got is to find people like him. They have powers too but... different. When word got around that two powered people lived here, I had to try my luck. Guess that turned out like a mess."
"You want out?"
"I don't think I need to stay seeing as I got my answer."
Pietro avoided her stare and looked at the beautiful view of the sky. "You're not scared that we'd tell on you?"
"Last I checked I'm in the middle of the woods instead of a claustrophobic torture chamber. I don't think you're loyal to Strucker because you revere him. But because it was convenient, wasn't it?"
"Even if that's true, we can't really lose his trust in us. We still need him but now his attention is on you. If you disappear now, he'd probably do an investigation and they'd be on us."
Skye hums. Guess that is true. The twins would likely be to blame if she escaped. "Then why am I here?"
Pietro glares at something far before and doesn't express his dissatisfaction. "My sister is worried about you."
"Wait really? She's the one who forced you to do this?"
"Yes. She... she pities you"
Skye snorts out of nowhere and he seems annoyed by this. "You don't?"
"I am watching out for the both of us. If we get in trouble because of you. Our chance of revenge will disappear. Do you know how long we've been waiting? A very very long time, Skye. I can't just lose that because of you." He sounded frustrated, his whole body buzzing with desire to move.
Skye could feel it all. She chooses to stay quiet and close her eyes.
"Let's go back."
It takes a few seconds for Pietro to register what she said and finally stares at the calm-looking raven. "You're not going to argue with me?"
"It's very obvious your revenge and your sister comes first. My life is nothing to you and that's objectively alright. I came here of my own accord. I know there was a huge chance I could die while coming here. It's just... somehow, right now my life is in your hands... that too is subjectively comical. Because you could have left me there and I didn't have to hope about getting out sane. I didn't ask you to do that but you did and now you're telling me you have no choice but to put me back. You have to agree that this situation is both conflicting and funny... and really really cruel of you, Pietro."
Skye had no intention of guilt-tripping Pietro. It's more of a test than anything.
"But all for that revenge, amirite?" She opened her eyes to stare at him with a sardonic smile.
A loud alarm boomed across the distance. Maybe coming from the facility. Pietro looked worried as any minute now they will send their drones to look for Skye. He can't bee seen with her.
"You should go." Was all she said as her expression turned stoic.
"I won't tell them about you or your sister so go" she snide.
"Stop sounding like I'm the one killing you!" He hissed really pissed off at how Skye was looking at him. "You wanted this?! It's not my fault!"
"Of course, it's not. But it does tell me who you are as a person." The sound of drones was nearby. Their time running out.
Skye was waiting for Peitro's last decision. Seeking for the one light in that bitter heart.
But then he turned and Skye knew what the verdict was.
Skye smiled, and her early mocking tone disappeared. There was no need for that knowing she might not see them again for a while. After knowing Strucker for a month, he wouldn't let her out no matter the price. She was his new golden child.
"When you finally get your revenge, Pietro. I hope it's everything you and your sister have been dreaming of." She didn't see his expression. He just faced forward and the next thing she knew, he was gone. The drones finally appeared overhead and she could only bask in the air, the warmth of the sun, and the sound of birds. It might be for a long time before she can feel this again.
"I hope I didn't sound too harsh" she murmured as the vibration of people running towards her was pretty obvious.
Dozens of Strucker's men arrived with guns, the drones landing near Skye, its camera zooming in on her face.
She grinned. "Hi. Sorry about the commotion. I thought a little fresh air wouldn't hurt?"
She saw the camera lenses moving and if she could interpret that as Strucker being mad. Oh well.
Notes:Notes:
(1) Bring me the super soldier serum and inject it into her.
Author's Notes:
Hi. I updated again. I don't have any excuses. Working and having a baby is consuming most of my time. I would still love to continue this though if I do have the chance. Also, I love reading all your reviews. Might not be able to respond to every comment but I love them all the same.
Also, Skye isn't mad about Pietro leaving her. She was only gauging to see what he would do. She wouldn't blame him for a situation she got herself into but was curious about his nature.
See you guys later. :)