Chapter 16: History Repeating ItselfNotes:Howdie! Here we go again with another chunky chapter! Please enjoy, and I will see y'all in a couple of weeks. Until then...
All rights go to Marvel
Chapter TextMay's POV
"You said she could only affect men", I grunted at Lady Sif, my fists balled tightly by my side. I had to stay calm, for Skye's sake.
"I did not know of her ability to also entrance women", she said just as snipingly. "Lorelei's treachery remained unchanged, no matter the world".
Phil placed his hand on my shoulder, stopping me from telling her how much we cared about her treachery right now. "We'll find them. We have every agent in the area looking for them", he tried to defuse the situation.
She threw her sword on the ground, pining it on the metal. "To what end, hmm?" She took the now broken collar and waved it around. "It has been broken. Short of death, we have no means to end her enchantment".
Phil took it from her hand. "Let me worry about that, Stay here, and please…try not to punch a hole or destroy my airplane even more", he pleaded looking at the gash her sword made. He looked at me before leaving, a warning in his eyes. "I will go, see how Bobbi is and get Fitz to start working on this"
I stayed back, waiting for him to leave the Cage, in which Lady Sif had taken residence, and closed the door behind him. I leaned back against the wall, taking some breaths to calm down, and watched as she picked up the sword and started sharpening it, sitting on the cot.
"You are blaming me for Lady Sky's current state", her voice broke the silence. "I cannot nor will I blame you for that. And you might not like what I am about to say—"
"Then don't say it", I warned her, cutting her off.
"But you need to hear this", she insisted. "I have been where you are, Melinda May… a man I cared for , under her spell, so enchanted, forsook his family, his friends, me. You might not care for her as I did for him, but your love for her runs deep. You need to steel yourself to do what might be necessary. She is no longer the woman you knew, she will not hesitate to kill you"
"Skye won't kill me", I instantly said. No doubt in my mind.
She smiled sadly, as she put her weapon away. "Do not let our feelings cloud your judgment".
"I will deal with her, when the time comes", was the only thing I could say. And I left, wanting to make my way to Coulson, ask him for an update, when Bobbi appeared out of nowhere. Her head bandaged, where she had a cut from how hard Skye had thrown her. "How are you doing, agent Morse?"
"Oh, you know, nothing some rest won't heal, collected myself a concussion" she folded her arms over her chest, looking down on me. "Were you or agent Coulson ever going to tell us that… I don't know, that Skye has powers? Didn't you think it was an important detail to be aware of?"
Well, the cat was out of the bag the moment she got taken by Lorelei, and there was no salvaging this now. "It was classified intel, if you have any issues you can take it up with the Director", I answered, tone clipped.
She breathed in deeply, her hand went to rub her forehead for what must have been an awful headache, but flinched at the contact with the skin, the area still very sensitive. "Look, I'm sorry, it's been a hard day. There's been a lot new information, and I don't like going in a situation blind", she was genuine in her words. Her shoulders falling slightly as a metaphorical weight seemed to settle on her back.
"You are good", I said, feeling some of the agitation leaving me as well. "And her status as an Avenger was on a need-to-know basis. Still is. For her safety. So, let's keep this in the house, okay?" When I received a non verbal reply, I continued. "Why don't you go get some rest, we will let you know when we have news"
She waved me off, "Nah, rest? No can do" she said as she made her way to the small kitchen. "I'm gonna go help Jemma with whatever she is busying herself with at the moment. I don't want her to be alone" she started preparing a couple mugs of tea.
I joined her, looking around for the stash that Skye always made sure was properly stocked up, and took a tea bag from there. "Darjeeling", I explained. "For when she is stressed. And don't forget the two spoonfuls of sugar. I won't hear the end of it from Skye when she gets back", my voice soft as I let emotion bleed through.
She nodded her thanks, which I returned, before making my way to Phil. I knocked and waited. I could hear the pacing from out here. When I didn't receive any reply for a few seconds, I pushed the door open and prompt closed it behind me.
As expected, he was walking up and down the small room. Back and forth, back and forth he went, eyes trained onto nothing, lost in thought. He was so much in his head, he hadn't even realised I was there with him. "Phil", I called out, at which he stopped momentarily before resuming his pacing.
I grabbed his upper arm, stopping his from taking another step. "Sit down", I motioned him to his chair, and went to grab a water bottle from his mini fridge. "Drink up, and take a few breaths", I used the voice I used on Skye when she was doing something stupid. He looked chastised, but did as I said, slumping his shoulders as he took ragged breaths. He was getting too worked up.
"How are you so calm?", he asked, not looking at me, instead picking up the tablet expecting or hoping to see any information that we knew their location.
"I am not calm", I said in a low voice, there was a warning there. "But we can't afford to lose our heads now. Especially not now. Skye is our priority, getting her back. Don't do the self-blaming game until after", I warned him. There was no time to waste, the sooner we found them, the better.
"Damn it, May!", he stood up quickly walking up to me, empty water bottle crashed in his hand. "She is gone! Again! And it is all my fault!" His face was inches from mine. Trying to make me lash back.
I felt the anger rise within me, and I pushed it down. Redirect it, I thought to myself. So, I looked at him, straight in the eyes, my own narrowing. "Don't confuse my control for blamelessness. You are the one that insisted she joins this mission, the one that didn't really consult Andrew again the moment you knew this mission was more than it originally seemed to be", my voice was low but the point did come across nicely. "Now, pull yourself together, and come out of this when you have your wits about you, not a moment sooner"
With that I left and closed the door hard behind me. I needed to come up with a plan, because if we didn't find them soon, I would have to call Natasha and Clint, and I really didn't want to do that.
As I made my way towards Skye's bunk, to try and figure something out, I noticed Ward with his phone and earbuds in, leg bouncing up and down with energy as he was collecting himself. I felt my jaw tense. Skye's identity was already blown. There was nothing we could do for his double crossing. Hopefully, it would at least yield some good information.
He lifted his head and nodded at me, which I returned.
Reaching Skye and Simmons' bunk, as always when Skye was not here, it was closed shut. I turned on my phone, looking for the application that she had installed for me when we were at the Tower. After a handful of steps and a couple of passwords, I managed to connect with T.A.D.A.S.H.I. who opened the door for me, overriding the need to use her powers in case of an emergency.
Shall I contact Mr. Stark?, the text appeared on my screen as soon as I went in.
It was probably an automatic response that was programmed into him. After denying the request, I started looking around. He phone was still here… most of her stuff really. And she was a hacker. We wouldn't be able to find her if she didn't want us.
'Can you track where Skye is?', I asked the U.I. I have not been connected to a different network by her. However I can detect that the equipment that Mr. Stark has provided seems to be quite a distance away from here. Here are the coordinates.
Of course, I chastised myself. Skye would be wearing the bracelets. She told me about the present when she came back in the Bus. I was mentally berating myself, as I swiftly made my way to the nearest tablet and started searching.
Ward caught my rapid movement and moved to get closer. "What happened? What did you find?", he asked, coming closer and looking at my search.
"Sif said that Lorelei is accustomed to palaces, castles. Looking for an army of wealthy and pliable men, or women as it turns out. What's the closest one from our location?" I came up with a way to justify my search without making it seem like I knew where she was. Ceasar's Palace came up. "If I were to bet, I'd say she's here. I'll have Fitz look at the feeds and verify, but get ready. I have a feeling this is where we are going".
Skye's POV
As I brought Lorelei to Caesar's Palace, she looked around in awe. She wanted a palace so I brought her to the closest one could find here on earth.
"I am fortunate to have found you. You are quite resourceful", she said as she looked at me, laying next me, her hand drawing circles on my skin. "You are worlds apart from these men at the desert, you are powerful".
"I am, and I am dangerous" I smiled back.
She excused herself, pulling away and wrapping a sheet around her as she looked down from the suit that I had procured for her. "When I first arrived here, I thought Earth left much to be desired. But from here, it's quite beautiful", she had a soft smile on her face. Her eyes burned with the desire to rule on this land, before they turned hard. I wanted to make her feel better, walking next to her and placing my hand on her lower back. "I've spent the last 600 years locked away in a dark, cold cell… my throat shackled… my voice silenced. Torture", her voice was venom.
"You don't have to feel like that ever again", I said wanting to take the pain away from her. "You don't have to go back. Whatever happens, I will protect you, I always protect those closest to me"
She turned around, her hands landing on my shoulders, gentle yet firm. "But Sif is on the hunt. She will not rest. She will not stop. And I will not know peace" she confessed. There was no fear in her voice, simple resignation.
I reached up to kiss her pain away. "I won't let it come to that. She is not the first Asgardian I have fought, if I sneak up on her, she won't see it coming" I whispered inches away.
"The graves of Asgard's enemies are littered with men who underestimated Sif" she whispered back, like it was a secret. "Do not make the same mistake. You do not know her. You might have fought with Loki but you were not on your own. And she is not alone now either"
I smiled at her worry. She didn't have to, but she cared. "I might not know her, but I know them. If we managed to get you in, silently, you can use the others, she will be alone. She will be the singular threat and together we can kill her. We can free you", I moved with renewed purpose to get ready.
I looked at the bracelet and earrings that Tony had made me, through for a second to put them on, but shook my head. They wouldn't understand, they fight her as she stands against Sif. So I left them there. When turned around she was similarly ready. I smiled at her, grabbing her from the arm and made our way downstairs. If my calculations were right, they would soon get here, which would leave the plane vulnerable.
Jemma and Fitz would be the only ones left behind, everyone else would go to the suite, and by the time they got back, we could have Lorelei control Ward and Coulson and the tides would turn on our side.
A guy outside the Palace gave us his car and I was lucky enough that the Bus had not change its location since first landing here. I parked a bit further, not wanting to make it easy for them to realise we had come back. I went first in, silently, making sure to absorb my own vibrations to not make much sound. I saw only Fitz at the Lab, working on the collar. I motioned for Lorelei to come, he wouldn't be too difficult of a target.
And he really wasn't. I had his hands pinned behind his back before he even could think of yelling for help. He would always be so completely unaware of his environments when working. "Now, calm. Don't you want to serve me? Tell me, what has Sif been up to?" Lorelei approached and just a few of her words were enough to enthral him.
"Yes, of course, anything I can do to be of service", he said happily. "The collar was broken when Skye quaked it alongside Bobbi, but I managed to make it work again. Sif went out with the others to find you"
There was anger that passed through Lorelei's face as she went to grab the collar. "No", I called out, reaching for it first. Not sure exactly what possessed me to do so.
I blinked a handful of times, seemingly frozen in place, like something was wrong. I opened my mouth to say something, but Lorelei's soft touch caressed my cheek and any tension that was created melted away. "Such a strong warrior, such a strong will. Give me the collar, Skye"
I lifted my hand and did just that. "My Lady, hear me out. If we destroy the collar now, the moment the others come back they will know something is wrong" I said. And she paused, examining the offending piece of metal.
"What do you suggest we do then? We cannot let Sif get her hands on it" she said, lifting an eyebrow.
"Why not place it at the Cage? It's where she stays right now. We can lock her in, I'll take flight and open the roof. Sif goes flying and so does the collar", the plan formed easily. "When Loki was initially locked, the failsafe was to drop him from around thirty thousand feet. We won't be able to get that high, but even the sturdiest of Asgardians wouldn't survive the fall"
She was thinking my plan over. A smile formed on her face. "Yes, a fall to the death, that seems like a deserving death for everything I had to go through"
"We should hurry", I said. "We don't know how much longer until they return", I reasoned.
"What will you do with Jemma?", Fitz asked while being handed back the collar.
"Jemma is the one you told me about, correct? Your old love?", she turned to me and I nodded. "I will gift her to you, once you have gotten rid of Sif for me, as a token of my gratitude"
I nodded my thanks and made my way upstairs. I moved quietly, just as I had done when I first entered the Bus. My powers showed me that she was sitting in our bunk. Soundlessly I made my way, peaking through the door and watching as she was sitting on the bed, knees to her chest, the hula girl in her hands.
I felt the corners of my mouth lift. I could keep her safe here. "Don't worry, Jemma. We will be together soon", I said and closed the door, locking it with my powers. I could hear her scream my name from behind the metal separating us. "Tee, activate the soundproof mode on my quarters", I called out and he instantly replied, "Right away, Skye". Jemma's cries died instantly and I could feel like I could breathe again. Her anguish made me feel something I didn't want to feel right now.
I turned around and found Lorelei. "Hide at the Lab, I will go to the cockpit and prepare to take off as soon as Sif is locked in the Cage. Fitz will help you with Ward, faint he needs help with something"
With my mission in mind I went to where May normally resided and took point at the pilot's seat. Checking all the systems, having everything prepared for when the time would come to put the plan in motion. Thankfully we didn't have to wait long, the vehicles pulled up, the four agents exiting and making their way to Fitz.
I was watching the feed, seeing as Fitz led Sif to the Cage, May and Coulson talking by the sofas. Ward stayed down at the Lab, Lorelei already having put her will onto him, and Bobbi went to the kitchen, looking around for something… or someone.
As soon as the Cage door closed, I took off. The plan went off without a hitch so far, and as soon as Sif was disposed of, I closed the ceiling back up and put the plane in autopilot.
Just as Lorelei made her way upstairs with Ward, I left the cockpit moving toward the others. Meeting with the three agents in the centre of the plane. From within the shadows that I was hidden, I could see Coulson slipping away, probably heading to the Cage. Didn't matter, Sif was already gone.
"What did you do with Jemma?" Bobbi asked, looking between Lorelei and Ward. Her gun trained at the Asgardian. With both May's and Bobbi's attention at the two of them, sneaking up from behind them was not hard.
I grabbed hard on Bobbi's weapon, sending a wave in her, making her loosen her grip enough for me to dismantle the weapon and disarm her, while I lifted my other hand to send a wave towards May. She, being more accustomed to my powers, dodged out of the way and crouched behind one of the sofas. I stood protectively in front of Lorelei, who smiling kissed me on the cheek. "Dispose of them, while I retrieve Sif's sword. It will look better in my hand"
And with that she left, heading to the Cage that would have been guarded by Fitz.
There was a couple seconds of a stand off. Ward was the one to move first, Lorelei's command fresh on his mind. Lifting his gun, he pointed it at Bobbi, who pulled her two batons from behind her back, knocking his gun away before engaging.
So, my attention turned to May. May who had risen from her cover, hands in front of her, ready, but also palms open, in a small pacific gesture. "Skye, this is not you. You know who you are. This is Loki all over again"
I gritted my teeth at the last part and sent a blast her way. I felt the plane shake slightly in the sky, and pulled my powers back, it would do us no good to drop from this high up. So I closed in quickly, but she was also fast, meeting me halfway. I might not be able to outright use my vibrations, but I can still track her movements, like I had practised so many times.
I knew May, I knew how she fought, and I knew her patterns. A particular twist of her leg, and she was going for a spinning kick. I moved out of the way trying to hit the leg keeping her upright, but she also knew how I fought and recovered quickly.
"Okay, okay. No mention of Loki, I get it", I heard her say as we engaged in hand to hand combat that was dragging on for a while. "Think of Natasha, Clint, Pepper", I threw a jab at her head and she easily avoided it. "You have us here, Phil, Jemma", she retaliated with a few blows to the body, which I took but used in my advance. I grabbed on her shirt, using the momentum of the blow to roll us both on the ground, going for a chokehold. "I am here Skye" she got out, and I froze momentarily.
It was enough for her to turn it against me, getting behind me, arms around my neck, legs holding me in place. I had half a mind to notice that Ward was on the ground, writhing around from Bobbi electrocuting him with her battle staves.
As I was pinned on the ground, flailing left and right to try and get out the hold, May started talking to me, "Come on, don't let her control you. You are stronger than this", I knew that I just had to send a wave in her to break the hold and move away, but just as I had done with the collar before, I stopped myself from actually doing so. "Think of your family. Tasha, Clint, Bruce, Pepper", she continued listing names and once more I froze in place, blinking confused. Muscles tensed ever more as I seemed to be suck in place both in mind and in body.
And then, I felt like all warmth that had engulfed my body left it in one go. I felt both present and detached to the situation at the same time. "Mel? Mel, I think it's me" I grunted out from the hold that I was placed in.
The grip around my neck was released immediately, May moving away and staying up her. Guard still up. "She speaks the truth", Lady Sif walked over with Lorelei in tow, collar secured around her neck.
May's shoulders dropped instantly, relief clear on her face, same with Bobbi who seemed to be sporting a bloody nose.
I stayed down, very disoriented for exactly two more seconds, before I jumped on my feet, stumbling as I hastily reached my bunk, quickly unlocking the door. Jemma, who must have been banging on the door this whole time, took a couple steps back quickly as soon as she saw me, her screams dying in her throat. Tears still running down her face.
I felt nauseous at the sight. "Jemma", came out broken as I took a step back.
I didn't get the chance to take a second before she crashed on my chest, her arms wrapped tightly around my neck, her face buried there as her shoulders rose and fell with choked up sobs. All I could do was hold her close.
Chapter 17: RockstarNotes:Hello there! Another day and another chapter!
Really quickly, next chapter will be pushed back a week and will come out in 3 weeks (31st May) instead of 2. I have a pretty packed schedule for a bit, my apologies.
Anyways, I hope you all enjoy! Until then...
All rights go to Marvel
Chapter TextBobbi's POV
I watched as Skye's expression changed not twenty seconds after Simmons crashed her in a hug. It reminded me of the couple of times I had worked with Romanoff.
She steeled herself, eyes void, a clear goal in mind. She moved Simmons closer to the only still upright sofa in the room, and sat her down, whispering something in her ear. Simmons, reluctant to leave, clung to her and understanding whats happening I instantly moved closed.
I placed my hand to the scientists' back, rubbing circles while I gently pried her off Skye. I nodded at her, telling her silently that I had Simmons, which she returned with the tiniest move of her head. She then turned to Lady Sif, not looking at Ward who was still unconscious on the floor, or at Lorelei who Sif held. "I can imagine that you would want to leave as soon as possible, if we secure her in the Cage, would you be willing to have that talk, now? That way we can have you on your way to Asgard as soon as possible".
"Of course", Lady Sif bowed her head slowly.
I didn't stay up there any longer. It was clearly something that only concerned the two of them, and my priority right now was to take care of the people on the plane that I could. "Come on", I prompted Simmons, and started guiding her to the Lab. Away from their bunk and away from the upturned common area.
I saw as May followed Skye and Lady Sif to wherever they would be going, agent Coulson standing there with a grim expression on his face, eyes trained on the younger agent.
As soon as I had Simmons downstairs, a blanket wrapped around her, I brought a cup of tea for her. The second one I prepared for her that day, following exactly the instructions that were given to me by May. "Simmons?", I asked when she calmed down a bit. She looked up at me, eyes bloodshot red. "Are you okay? Did they hurt you?"
"No", she said, shaking her head, voice breaking. Clearing her throat she tried again. "No, no, she didn't hurt me". For the first time ever since this whole ordeal was over, she seemed to look at me in the eyes. Her eyebrows furrowed. "Did she…?", she trailed off.
I just then remembered that my nose was bleeding before and I must be sporting a nice new bruise or two. "No, no, Ward got a couple lucky hits in", I clarified. "I'm okay".
Was I okay? It was a solid question after the whole day just passed.
Things suddenly made both more and less sense simultaneously.
From what I had interacted with Skye before today, there were a few things that were clear. One, she adored Jemma, would do anything for her. She was also pretty close to agent May, but considering that her and Simmons were the ones that left with her when she was shot that was a given. Two, she was very much an observant person, analysing everything that was happening around her, whilst keeping her fair distance even through her nonchalant comments and general demeanour. And three, with all the private meetings she would have, she was working on something pretty classified.
Now, on top of that, we got someone that killed agent Coulson, and was also Quake… meaning that she was the one that went to save agent Coulson when he was taken.
Agent Coulson, to whom I had told my reservations about Skye continuing with this mission the moment we learned about her past interaction with Loki. "Sir, may I speak my mind? Freely?"
He frowned but nodded. "Of course. You are always free to say what's on your mind Bobbi, I would hate the idea that I have indicated otherwise".
"I just wanted to express my concern on Skye continuing on this mission. Given her past… if she had already been cleared from psych eval she would have paraded across the Bus the moment she knew. Which leads me to believe it was more of an exception, given her previous dealings with otherworldly enemies." His face didn't betray anything per se, but I was versed enough to understand that I was correct in my assumption. Or correct partially as it turned out. "This must be heavy on her, and I'd simply ask that you reconsider, for her shake if nothing else", I concluded.
A deep sigh left him, deep and guttural. "You are not wrong. But, truth is we need her help, her expertise on that manner. I'll have May ask her. Thank you for talking to me about this"
"Of course", I replied sincerely. "I'll take Lady Sif so Skye and agent May have some more private space to talk. I can imagine this will make it easier for her". And that was it.
That was it and I wasn't fast enough. I wasn't fast enough, to see what was going on the moment that Skye froze. I should have shot Lorelei then and there. But by the time I realised what was going on, a vibrational shield from Skye was protecting her.
I felt my head pounding, my thought process breaking, as the adrenaline was leaving my body and the concussion that her quakes left me with making a comeback.
I stayed there with Simmons, making sure not to leave her alone. Fitz joined us at some point, walking over to her, started talking to her about this and that, filling the silence. Fitz who had a black eye, probably courtesy of agent Coulson who had left when Ward and Skye went at us.
Sure that she was in good hands, I made my way back upstairs. I needed a beer, or a scotch, or something. A drink, that was for sure.
The first thing that I noticed, was that Ward was no longer on the floor, someone moved him, or he woke up and decided to seclude himself. The other was that Lady Sif was ready to leave, Lorelei was back at her side. "My apologies. The damage caused to your flying boat was unfortunate. But thank you, for your aid" her arm crossed over her chest, head bending slightly. "If I need to come back here for any reason, I look forward to fighting with you again"
"Hopefully it won't be needed", agent Coulson said. "Let me and agent May take you back to where you first came through, and your ladyship can call the Bifrost", he motioned to the side and after a final nod to all of us, left towards the cargo hold.
I watched as agent May whispered something to Skye before squeezing her shoulder and following on agent Coulson's steps.
She looked up, our eyes meeting.
I was normally very good at reading people… this was throwing me off. She wasn't giving anything. "How's the head?", her question surprised me. I wasn't expecting her to say anything.
"It's good. I'm sure Simmons will have a fit about it again tomorrow", I replied, scoffing a little, trying to lighten the mood.
"Good that's good". There was a distance there that almost made me want to frown. I might not have interacted much with her, but she always seemed to be there. Present. She almost seemed… away. Elsewhere.
"Can I trust you?"
I had to blink a handful of times, the question coming out of nowhere. Trust me about what?, I thought to myself. "What do you—?"
"Can. I. Trust. You?", she repeated, cutting me off.
Even behind the mask she was wearing, her eyes were travelling between mine. She was searching something. I didn't know what it was, but I knew that it had something to do with everything that had just happened. "You can trust me", I said. I still didn't know about what, but it didn't seem important.
She seemed to ponder my answer. Eye contact never breaking, some emotion briefly passing through her irises. But eventually, she gave me the briefest of nods. Then her gaze moved to the side, eyes looking somewhere behind me. Her jaw tensed at the same time as her muscles seemed to relax as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. It was such a contradicting action, it was baffling. Before I turned around to see what happened, Simmons had passed me, going directly at Skye who, almost on instant, opened her arms to welcome her.
"Don't you dare do that to me again", even in whispering, Jemma's voice traveled through the silence easily. I didn't stay to hear the rest of that conversation.
It was something too private for me to be a part of.
So, I took a tablet and made my way to my room, accessing the feeds from before and going through them. I sat on my bed, headphones on, watching what happened after we left for the hotel. There was a gap there, and I didn't like to have gaps.
When I finished, my head killing me from the time spent in front of the screen, but it was worth it.
I felt like I blinked, but suddenly was dark outside, the soft hum from the plane letting me know we were on the air. I rubbed my eyes, not having realised when I fell asleep. The tablet was gone, a blanket was dropped over me, and a pillow under my head. I tried falling back asleep, but it was like something was off, not letting me.
Accepting my fate, I got up and stretched. As soon as I started wandering around, it wasn't hard to find what had woken me. The sounds of the punching bag being pummelled was enough of an indication.
I made my way towards the sound, and realised that the plane vibrations were stronger the closer I went.
I paused for a second. Not sure if I should approach.
But when I peeked around the corner, the decision was made for me.
I walked back to my bunk, grabbing my gloves and changing into more exercise appropriate outfit. Not hiding my approach, but instead making it pretty clear, I started making my way back downstairs.
As I reached the final step on the spiralling stairs there was a momentary pause before the punching continued. "Shouldn't you be resting?", voice rough from crying, a clear indication of the tear tracks down the girl's face.
"I could ask you the same thing", I said as I started stretching a bit. "I can go if you want me to", I offered.
She scoffed, the next punch hitting a bit harder than the ones before. "So, you are done avoiding me now?", there was anger there.
"I was never avoiding you", I countered.
There was that scoff again. "Could have fooled me"
"I truly wasn—", I started but stopped short. Taking a deep breath. This was not about me right now. "I'm sorry I gave you that idea", I tried again. "It was not my intention, and I'm sorry it came out like that". I let as much veracity as I could bleed into my voice.
It made Skye pause, even for just a moment, but I counted it as a win.
"Once can be considered an accident", she went back to hitting the bag with more anger. "Drawing a bad card". Her pace picked up, attacks landing harder. "Maybe even a fluke if you wanna be optimistic", she was panting by now. The hinges on which the bag was hanging from made a painful noise, being pushed to their limit. "But twice, twice is not a coincidence. It's the beginning of a pattern"
Bag flew back from the strength and possibly powers that were channeled. But I stopped it from moving too much, absorbing some of the hit as I stood behind it, holding it in place. I bit my tongue to not grunt.
"You know what I saw? I saw someone resisting, someone who knew something was wrong, even when it all should make sense for them".
Her face scrunched up, nostrils flaring up. "What are you talking about? I led her straight here, I told her how she could break the team apart, how she could kill Sif, I would have killed you and May had Sif not gotten to Lorelei fast enough". Her words were certain, and there was still anger there, but it was lashed with resignation this time. "You don't get to choose when someone messes with your head like that, you don't have a choice". She shook her head, sneering. "You wouldn't get it"
"You're right", I agreed. She let up her pace a bit. "I don't get it. I don't know what it's like". I held the bag firmer, looking her in the eyes. "But let me tell you what I do know.
"I know you didn't kill me when you had the chance. You could have easily done so when Lorelei asked you to, but instead knocked me unconscious. I know that you could have used your powers to take out any of us, and yet didn't. Instead, you convinced Lorelei you had to take us out here, on the Bus, where whatever casualties would be the least possible, in an environment that would be very controllable. You tried your best to not have the collar broken before we returned from the hotel. You secured Jemma in your bunk, where she wouldn't get hurt in the crossfire"
"You're wrong", she argued. "I came to the Bus because it made sense. The collar simply served as a means to lure Sif in and not arise any suspicions"
I held strong as she continued venting. "Then why didn't you kill us the moment you could? You were told to dispose of us, yet you didn't. You froze when May was talking to you, just like you froze when you refused to let Lorelei take the collar. You gave us time to help you"
She was shaking her head. Tears running down her face, but her pace never lessening. "I think you see yourself as someone whose past actions make them a monster", I continued and the fleeting pause that it gave her was enough of an indication that I had hit the nail on the head. "I have fought with monsters in the past, and you know what? You managed to be taken hostage by a force beyond you, that would have allowed you to commit any atrocities you wanted. Then, you fought against that with all you had, and at the same time you protected Jemma.
"Monster? I think you're a rockstar", I concluded.
Her punching stopped abruptly. I turned my head and saw her fist balled up, shaking inches from the bag. A fist that she brought to her face and she bit onto it hard, trying to stifle ugly, hard sobs. I moved closer and pulled her in a tight hug, holding her as she fell apart.
Chapter 18: Tensions on the AirNotes:Hello there :) Thank you all for still reading this story!
This is the last pre-written chapter I have thus far, and while I am confident that will be able to finish up the next one by the 2 week mark, I might not be able to. So, in case there is a delay in the updating schedule, don't be alarmed. I hope you enjoy this one, and until next time...
All rights go to Marvel
Chapter TextSkye's POV
"Can't sleep again?"
My head snapped towards the voice, not having heard them close in. May was leaning against the wall, a knowing look on her face. I shrugged as I went back to typing. "What are you doing up so early?"
"It's 5:30", she replied, which made me pause. Already?, I asked myself, my eyes briefly travelling on the digital clock. "Did you even go to bed?"
"I have decided a full-nights rest is overrated. I can function just fine with regular power naps throughout the day" I said instead of answering the actual question. She didn't say anything to that. Not that she needed to. Her silence spoke volumes. "I need to keep myself busy, that's all"
She hummed. "I'm sure Stark would be proud". She walked over and purposefully took my cup of coffee and threw the liquid down the drain. "How about we try some healthier ways of coping? You're never gonna get cleared if that continues"
"I actually just did. Well… just is a figure of speech. It was a few hours ago, after the last session I had with your ex", I said, still working on the laptop.
"You were?", I could feel her frowning from her tone. There were the faintest hints of disbelief if you could actually understand the emotion that May often hid behind her words. "That's great, Skye. Why did you not tell me?" She moved closer, hand on my shoulder.
I pushed down the screen of my laptop, sensing I was not going to get any work done from that point on. "I haven't told anyone, yet. Almost everyone keeps walking around me on eggshells, like I'm about to break". Except Jemma who was refusing to leave my side, and Bobbi who seemed to be going out of her way to make sure… something. I still didn't know exactly what, but it didn't seem to be malicious. She opened her mouth to say something but I interrupted her, "It's only been a week. I know, I know. But at the same time, it's been a week already. Two can play this game"
"Do I even want to know how you got cleared?"
"What? I don't seem put-together enough for you?" I lifted an eyebrow, teasing her. "Andrew thought I was ready, which… finally. I am not going to question him, especially if—" my sentence was cut sort from the vibrations of steps closing in.
It didn't take long before Coulson came towards us, tablet in hand. He hesitated for a second, when he spotted me but his eyes quickly travelled to May. "I tried finding you in the cockpit, but when you weren't there, I guessed you were practising. We got a new mission, we need to change trajectory to Utah"
May simply nodded, and left us there.
Coulson lingered, but the awkwardness in the air kept rising. He was simply standing there, his eyes travelling to me, but the moment we would actually make eye contact, they would seek another target. I wanted to say something, but it seemed like I couldn't find the words. The correct words whatever those were. "I'm gonna go and prepare the briefing. I will see you in a few hours" he got out and basically sped out of the room before I even got the chance to reply to that.
I let out a heavy sigh. It was the same drill for the past week. It was driving me crazy, just a little bit. But, I guessed, it was something that future me would have to deal with. Going to his office wouldn't make any difference. Not if he didn't want to see me. I could understand how this whole situation would have been hard on him, what ugly memories would bring up.
So, I forwarded him the clear that I got from Andrew and went back to working on my laptop.
I didn't know how much time had passed, before the others started waking up one by one. Their vibrations hitting me like a symphony that was being completed the more people moved around. As such, I made my way to Jemma's and mine's bunk, finding the other girl sleeping soundly. I felt a smile appear on my face, and despite how tired I was, the warmth that I felt gave me a boost of energy. I sat down next to her and let my hand brush her back, making sure not to startle her.
After a few seconds, she stirred, eyes blinking tiredly as she took in the room and me. "Hey, sleepyhead", I whispered. "We got a new mission and I didn't want May's announcement to wake you"
She turned around, still laying on the bed, but was now facing me properly. As soon as her eyes travelled to my face, I could see the pinch in her eyebrows. "You didn't sleep again, did you?"
I shook my head. "It's okay, you know I will crash at some point". It was pointless lying to her. Not with spending so much time together at the farm and the Tower, and not with us sleeping together. "But, I have something I need to tell you before Coulson calls us" I added.
It was clear that the sentence, no matter how softly it was spoken, woke her up more. "What's wrong?" The concern was obvious.
"Nothing's wrong", I tried to reassure her but as she sat up, it was clear it didn't really work. "Andrew cleared me. I passed my psych eval, and with your physical eval still standing, I'll be joining the missions again. More actively".
I could see her processing this. Before she simply said, "Okay"
I felt myself frown. "Okay?"
"Yeah. Okay. What more is there for me to say?" Her tone was very passive, she was not putting much emotion behind it.
I gently cupped her face, bending my head down to make sure she met my eyes. "You know you can tell me anything, right? You don't have to be okay with this, with everything that happened"
"Oh, I am not, trust me" she easily said, as her own hand in turn cupped mine. "Do I want to see you go out there again? Absolutely not. But I know that no matter what I say, you will go out there, put yourself in danger. Because that's who you are. And I love that about you, I just hate how it makes me stressed out of my mind every single time you are anywhere close to danger"
I felt my jaw tense at the impossibility of the situation. "I'm sorry" I said. "I wish it was simpler, I wish I could promise you that nothing would ever happen… but—"
"—you vowed to never lie to me. I know". She leaned in to kiss me and I let myself melt into it, for just a moment before reality barged in on us.
"What can I do to help?" I whispered, pulling away for just a few centimetres.
She smiled, but it was sad. "There's nothing you can do to help. I need to deal with this on my own. I promise, it's okay. We are okay"
May's voice travelled through the Bus, letting us know we are to meet for a briefing. Right on time, I thought. "I will leave you to get ready", I gave her one last peck before making my way to the Command Center.
I was the first one there, waiting for everyone else to join as well. I simply received a couple of nods from people as they shuffled in one after the other. The tension, or apprehension, or whatever it was, was still very apparent but it started dying down ever so slightly.
From how stiffly Phil was moving, I could tell that this one was gonna be a doozy. An image of a blonde woman appeared on the screen as the debriefing started. "Meet Hannah Hutchins, a safety inspector that worked at StatiCorp in Batesville. She was responsible for supervising the works at the Particle Accelerator that the company was working on", an image appeared on the screen, the building destroyed. "It exploded, and four people died in that explosion". Newspaper articles now were shown, explaining the incident, most if not all of them directly blaming Hannah for the destruction and the deaths.
Then, a CTV feed with Hannah going into a gas station. "We believe that the explosion gave her powers, made her a telekinetic", we watched as things started flying off. Not long after, a fire broke out, which led to the complete destruction of the building.
My eyes travelled to May, from whom I felt the heart skip a bit when the powers were mentioned. I could see how she had tensed her jaw… even if I was possibly the only one that could tell. I turned back towards Coulson, not letting anyone else catch me looking at her. "We are to be the welcome wagon"
I felt the eyes of almost everyone turn to me with that phrase, even just briefly. The only one who was absent in that was Coulson who had yet to look at me once this whole time, despite having made eye contact with every other occupant in the room while explaining the situation. "She is scared, and rattled. The town blames her for everything, the technicians that died in the blast were on her watch. And on top of that, she might have some powers she possibly cannot even understand or accept"
"So, we are going in to put her on the Index?", Ward asked, his eyes travelling at the different data on the screen.
"Possibly, we are still unaware if she has powers, but evidence is piling up to indicate as such. FitzSimmons, we will team up with a couple of agents from our Utah base. You will head to the site of the explosion, try to gather as much information as possible. We need to see what happened during the explosion and how that could have given her powers" he nodded to the two scientists, who started mumbling among themselves, making notes of things to notice and take care of.
"For the rest, this is a delicate situation. We don't know what kind of danger this woman poses, so I'll make initial contact with agents Ward, May and Morse. Skye, you'll stay back here, gather as much information online as you can find, in relation to her, to the Accelerator, to the technicians who passed, everything", there was a finality to his voice that didn't quite match the tone of the other orders that he gave us.
"Sir", I quickly said. "If I may, I believe my expertise on the subject would better be utilised on the ground with you"
He was shaking his head before I even finished the sentence. "While I understand how that would be the case, I cannot let you on the field without being cleared" he countered.
"Which I was last night, if you want to check in with my designated therapist, he will verify that as well".
There was a pause, my reply catching him clearly by surprise, just as it did the other occupants in the room sans May and Jemma. I could see from the corner of my eye as Bobbi's eyes travelled from my face to Jemma's and back to mine, understanding dawning there. Even Ward had an understanding and small smile on his face.
"That'a amazing, Skye. Congratulations", Bobbi said, a gentle smile on her face.
"Thanks" I easily said back. "Now I get to kick your ass off and on field", I teased lightly which earned me a shove on the shoulder.
The lightheartedness that Bobbi displayed however didn't seem to be shared by Coulson. His jaw was tense, tablet firmly held in his hands. "Be that as it may, the plan still stands, you are to remain here". The finality came back, creating an almost strained air to fill the room. "Dismissed". He started making a move as if to leave.
It took me a second too long before I realised what's happening, it was surprising that Jemma was the one who spoke up before me. "Agent Coulson, I…", she cleared her throat, as some nerves made their appearance but she pushed them away. "While I understand the reasoning behind this decision, I would ask you to reconsider. Skye has a unique experience to first discovering powers, which the team could benefit from heavily", her voice was study, a strength there that I wasn't expecting, I smiled internally at that. I could see Bobbi's mouth fight not to be lifted as well.
"I can understand that, agent Simmons. However, Skye still remains one of our best in reading people, gathering information and pattern recognition. Her skills in figuring out what happened or how it could have affected our person of interest is invaluable".
Had he rehearsed those answers? He could normally see logically when it came to missions, was open to feedback or changing the plan, even when he didn't like it like back at Malta. What was this?
Everyone was looking around, almost awkwardly, eyes flying around, not sure what to do. I could see May frowning on the side. Frowning being a generous word, it was the closest she would get without revealing her hand to the others, but I could read her very easily by now. "Can I speak with you in private about this issue, sir?", I tried to offer.
He simply shook his head. "If you have something to say about this mission you can say so in front of the whole team", he countered. "Our plan of action remains unchanged and we have to get ready"
I took a deep breath, calming myself down. I was getting way too worked up about this. "Why does our plan of action remain unchanged?", I asked, using his own words. "We have given you arguments against changing the plan, and you have refused to even consider them. This is not like you, not normally, which leads me to believe this is about me". Oh, how many words I would normally have had about this situation if it was just the two of us talking, but I had to rein it in since this had now become a public display. "I have lived through getting powers, I know what it feels like to be different, to struggle for control and to not get it. To wonder what is happening and to not understand why it is happening to you. So, yes, as agent Simmons said, I do have a unique insight on this issue that would be invaluableto the team".
He stood tall, arms behind his back, as he looked at me. "I am listening to you, agent Skye. However, my opinion on the matter remains. There are many variables that I have taken into account and what you have stated thus far has not shifted my opinion", I could practically feel how tense he was, rigid in his posture and words. "My orders, as the Superior Officer on this team remain unchanged. Is that clear?"
He is playing the Superior Officer card now? I thought, but instead gritted out, "Yes, agent Coulson"
"Good", he answered back. "So, unless there is something else…" at which there was a pregnant pause when no-one even moved, "…dismissed" and with that he left.
"Want to spar?", I slowly opened my eyes and looked at Ward, standing on the side. I eased out of my Tai Chi form. I didn't know how much time has passed since the meeting, or during me going through the familiar movements, but I was more grounded than I was when I left the Command Center.
"I don't think that would be a good idea", I said, as I continued the flow, even with my eyes open this time.
He shrugged, still back on the wall, arms folded over his chest. "Offer is still there if you want it" he said. And then paused, almost unsure what to say next. "Things got a bit heated back there". I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, not saying anything. After a few seconds, "You doing okay?"
That made me pause, even momentarily. "You care?"
He sighed heavily, shaking his head. "Look, I might be getting on your nerves and you might be getting on mine, but we are still part of the same team. I wouldn't be here if I didn't". There was a sincerity in his voice that I was not expecting. I let my hands drop. "I don't think that how agent Coulson acted was right. He was clearly affected by everything that happened, as we all did, but your suggestion made sense. I agree with you, and wanted to let you know, that however you might not believe me, I will have your back on this matter if you decide to bring it up before we reach the base in Utah"
I tilted my head to the side, considering all of this. "Did Jemma put you up to this?"
"No", he scoffed.
"Fitz, then? Bobbi?"
He shook his head, hand flailing around in disbelief. "No-one put me up to this, okay? You don't have to believe me. I just…", he almost deflated a bit there. Some weight landing on his shoulders. "We didn't end things in the best way possible before…" he vaguely pointed towards my abdomen, "…you know. And I have been staying in the background, trying not to get on your nerves, you have had every right to be mad at me"
"I am not mad", I let my fingers massage my temple trying to give myself some time to think things through a bit more. "A lot of things happened between then and now"
"They have", he agreed. "And, I guess, you can say that this is me extending an olive branch. Which you don't have to take, obviously", he added the last part quickly. "But, it's there"
The nervous energy was rolling off of him, no matter how much he tried to hide it. So, I let a small smile grace my face, and walked up to him, placing a palm on his shoulder. I felt him tense under my fingers, but his gaze was trained on mine. "Appreciated, though I doubt sparring now would do us any good. We have a mission to prepare for, and so do the others. I will let FitzSimmons know they can go to their lab to get ready"
I left him behind, walking up the spiralling staircase. I could play the friendly role as needed. Didn't matter that my smile was fake, as long as he believed it, then the job was done.
Walking on the common area, I was surprised to only see Fitz and Bobbi there. Not really interacting with each other, but neither being awkward as they were slouching on the sofas. Bobbi, of course, was the first one to spot me and waved, which made Fitz jump and turn around.
"You can go and get your equipment ready Fitz, it's okay. Thank you for giving me the space", I said kindly.
"Ah, it was no problem, really. Whatever you need", he started speaking quickly, but surely. "Are you feeling better? Here", he said, and reached back to bring a plate closer to me. "I thought this might help, I know it always helps me".
And on the plate was his famous sandwich. Prosciutto and buffalo mozzarella, with a hint of homemade pesto aioli. As I took it, I felt something swell in me, which I could not affords to tap in right now. The corners of my eyes were suddenly slightly moist. "Thank you, I will make sure to honour it" I said as I gave him a hug, which he gladly returned.
"I am off to work, if you need me, you know where to find me!" He called out as he stepped away and towards where I had just come from. "Send Simmons down when she is done!", I heard his voice echo before his steps disappeared around the corner.
"Done?", I asked to myself more than anyone else. I turned to Bobbi, "Done with what?"
She shrugged. "Last I saw her she was heading towards the cockpit".
She knew something more. I could tell as much from her expression, but I could also tell that she wasn't going to give me anything more. Not at that moment, so my best guess would be to try and figure out what was going on, on my own.
I took a bite from the sandwich, before starting to make my way towards where May was. But as I started, and checked from my vibrational map, she was actually not there, but in Coulson's office. What is she doing?, I thought to myself.
As I stepped closer, I could pick up voices from the slightly open door and I stopped myself before making my presence known.
"—wrong, sir", I caught the end of one of Jemma's sentences. Her vibration could only be described as tight, while her voice held firm. "As I said, I had talked with Dr. Garner when he first started seeing Skye. I know that he sends a copy of his assessment not only to her, but also to Director Fury and to yourself"
"Simmons, please. You of all people should understand where I am coming from", Coulson's reply rang through, even though I had to strain myself to hear it from how quiet it was. "You want her to be out in the field after everything?"
I felt my jaw tense at the words, my loose hands turning into fists by my side. "I do not, but it does not depend on me, just as it does not depend on you"
"Of course and it depends on me. I am the leader of this team, and I can make it so she doesn't see the field again if I choose to", he answered, voice rising slightly, but I could tell he was not being as loud as he would wish. Probably so the whole plane wouldn't hear this conversation. A deep sigh followed. "She had to relive on of the most traumatic experiences she has had, just last week"
"Just as you did", her voice came out soft. "I can't imagine the whole situation was easy on yourself ether, sir. But—" , her tone adopted a more confident tint to it,"—this does not excuse you shutting her out. You cannot expect her to be okay with all of this, not when you refuse to stay in the same room as her, not when you almost refuse to look at her in the eyes ever since. She has had others treat her like that, and I can tell you that if you keep this up, it will only drive her further away from you. With all due respect"
I didn't stay any longer, there was no need for me to help Jemma out.
Chapter 19: RepairsNotes:Hello there! Sorry for the delay in the post, schedule will be off for a while. I am writing bigger than normal chapters and they are taking me longer than expected. Hopefully we will be able to go back to the normal updates soon. Until then please bear with me.
I hope you all enjoy this :) Things are starting to shift, is all I'm gonna say. Until next time...
All rights go to marvel
Chapter TextCoulson's POV
We left the Bus at the local base, and three sets of cars set out for the city. One with FitzSimmons, as well as agent Davis, who were heading to StatiCorp to gather info, another with agents Morse and Ward and a third one with…
"Do I even need to say anything?", May's stoic profile seemed unmoved as she drove. Her voice a deadpan that I hadn't heard in quite a while.
"If you want to, you are welcome to", I said looking forward to the open road, trying to not shift in my seat from the tension on the air.
She inclined her head ever so slightly in my direction, her eyes taken off the road for just a moment, before she resumed her previous position. Her grip on the steering wheel, while not too firm, was still gripping. I was waiting… but she said nothing.
"You know she hasn't called me Phil once?" I broke the silence that was becoming too heavy for me. I never stood well in it, I preferred noise. So much unlike May who seemed to only listen those days.
But no, that was wrong. She used to be like that. Until Skye came back in our lives. And while she was not as a chatty person as she used to be, she was improving on that aspect. By miles. "She only calls me sir, or Coulson", I continued. "But never once Phil. I mean, I understand why she did it before—" I stopped short, my mind flashing momentarily to the things that I saw when I was in the machine that Raina put me in.
I shook my head. "Before", I simply repeated. "But she knows that I know her, that I knew her. I thought, maybe, after everything, things would go a bit more back to normal. I would be AC, or at least Phil, but… there seems to be a gap between us that wasn't there before"
A pause, before, "Have you talked to her about it?" I didn't get the chance to reply before she scoffed, and my head snapped to her direction. Did Melinda May just scoff? "Of course you haven't"
I felt my mouth open and close but no sound came out. "Excuse you, and why would you be so sure that I have not?"
She lifted an eyebrow at me. All but saying, "Seriously?"
"That obvious, huh?", I sunk further into the seat.
"You wouldn't be asking me if you knew the answer, that's for sure. Cause we both know it's a thing that I would notice. So it only leads me to believe that you are trying to fish for information", she took a right as we closed in on the town.
I perked up at that, because it was as close to a confirmation as I would get. "So you do know"
"I do", she affirmed. "But this is between the two of you, and she has trusted me with the information. You will need to talk to her about it if you want any answers".
I sighed, resigned. "You're right", I told her. "It's not right going behind her back about something like this. Please, don't mention anything to her".
As May closed in on our destination, a blanket of silence was laid on the car, but not an uncomfortable one. She parked and I made a move to exit, but the door was locked. I felt my eyebrows pinch before I turned to May, finding her looking straight ahead to the crowd and to where Hannah was at her porch with a police officer.
Her next words, though quiet, held kindness and deep care. "You keep saying you know her, and she wants to believe you were the same person before…", her eyes drifted towards my chest, just for a couple of seconds, before her gaze lifted to meet mine. "I find it pointless to keep pretending that's the case. You both have changed, and holding onto the past so hard… it might be the issue here".
As it turns out, getting Ms. Hutchins to come with us ended up with May having to tranquillise her. Both for her safety as well as the safety of the people of the town, when she threw a police car towards the growing crowd.
Now, she was in the Cage sleeping, waiting for the dendrotoxin to run its course and flush from her system. Everyone but the science twins were gathered in the Command Centre, looking at the liv feed. Skye was the last to join and she kept close to the door, keeping quiet and not attracting attention.
"Fitz added magnetic shielding to the cage", I started. "If miss Hutchins has this power, then that room should keep it from getting out. But in there?", I pointed at the screen. "She'll be just as dangerous"
"How is she?", May asked from the side. Her eyes trained on the woman laying on the mattress.
I wish I could tell what was happening in her brain. Movement on the edge of my vision caught my attention, and I turned to see Skye looking away, her eyes darting around the empty space of the plane's 'living room'. "She'll be awake soon. Scared… in a strange room. Our next interaction with her is crucial to gaining her trust with us. Which is why I want you there, Skye"
Her head snapped in my direction, shock clearly reflected in her eyes for just a second. By the time the rest turned their attention to her, she had scolded her expression back to the neutral mask that she normally wore. She didn't speak, but I could see the question on the tip of her tongue.
"Agent Morse", I called out and turned to look at her. "You're good at reading people. What's your evaluation of our new guest?"
Bobbi took a moment to reply, gathering her thoughts. "At the end of our interaction with her, she seemed reluctant to admit that she was the one with these powers, she might be in denial. But I don't think she wanted to hurt anyone, she might have been acting in a subconscious level, her powers protecting her from the potential danger even if she was trying to suppress that feeling", she then turned to look at Skye. "Since, as Jemma and yourself pointed out earlier, you share the experience of getting powers with her, I think you can form a connection that she will accept"
I wanted to smile, but I didn't let it. "Sorry to pitch in, but what if it actually has the opposite result? What if she feels threatened and instead of calming her down, it makes her more agitated?" Ward asked from the side.
I opened my mouth to reply, but May spoke before I got the chance. "Agitated how?"
He leaned onto the table, grip tight on its edge. "If she is to trust us, Skye will have to explain the situation, correct? The situation of the Fridge and the Index. What if she sees Skye as a threat, someone to put her down if she does something wrong, and in the midst's of high emotions acts out?" He stood back up and turned to Bobbi. "You said she might have been acting subconsciously, if she has those powers. That they are trying to protect her. What if that part of hers sees Skye as a threat and they are locked in this tight space together?"
I looked between Ward and Skye. This was new. Ward seemed almost… scared would not be the right word. Neither would be caring. Emotional, emotional would be better. And it was not a side that he showed, ever. What was going on?
"I can take care of myself, Ward. If she starts showing any signs of unease, stress or anything out of the ordinary, I know what to do. But the best would be to talk her through those emotions to calm her down"
Ward shook his head. "If you end up using your powers, it might drop us from the sky. Or have I not understood it correctly?"
"I have refrained from using them while on the Bus", Skye answered after a moment. "But do remember I was keeping a low profile. I have been using them in low interval throughout my whole stay here and nothing has happened. I know my limits, and I am fairly well with the limits of the Bus. Have some trust in me", her voice adopted a mellow hint to it at the end.
May took a step forward, physically putting herself in this conversation. "If it makes you feel better, I will be in the cockpit, you can join me. If anything were to happen that will endanger our ability to fly, we will be ready" she nodded to Skye and then to Ward.
"All three of you can have comms on", Bobbi chimed in. "That way there is no delay in relaying information in case of an emergency. Agent Coulson and I can watch from here, and you guys can be ready to land if it comes to that".
That seemed to make some of Ward's tension melt away, even though he was still pretty rigid. With a nod, he left and started making his way to the cockpit. May, with a nod of her own, followed on his steps, leaving Skye, Bobbi and myself alone.
I turned to see Skye, to see her once again, looking into nothing in particular. But her focus remained there, irises flying left and right, in an almost half-hazard way. "Skye?", I heard Bobbi call, beating me to it. "Are you okay?"
Even though her eyes lingered for a moment, they then followed the direction of her head as she turned to look at us. "Yeah, yeah, I'm good. I just…" she trailed off, her eyes travelling to the empty space once more. "There's something". My eyes travelled downwards, looking at her hands as her fingers kept twitching, unrested. She shook her head, and turned towards us once more, an easy smile on her face. "It's probably nothing, might just be nerves. Or Hannah's powers", she nodded towards the CCTV feed.
"What do you feel?", I asked, picking up that it was more something to do with her powers than an instinct.
"I'm not sure", her head turned to the side, as her eyes indicated that she was not fully paying attention to what was happening in the room. "It's almost like a soft vibrational movement around the Bus. If she istelekinetic it would make sense"
It was Bobbi's turn to frown. "But she is asleep. Plus, agent Coulson said that Fitz was supposed to have made it so that her powers remain within the Cage, right?". I agreed non-verbally as she turned towards me.
"Asleep doesn't necessarily stop powers, not if hers are anything like mine", Skye reasoned. "As for the Cage, I have no explanation. It could be that her powers linger to places she has been or passed through? But Fitz-Simmons would be better at creating theories and trying to figure it out" her hand found its way on the back of her neck, as she chuckled self-consciously. "Anyway, it feels like she is bound to wake up soon, her heart rate is changing. I'll make my way there", she saluted playfully and quickly left.
We watched as Skye easily made her way in the Cage, bringing a water bottle with her, as Ms. Hutchins started coming to.
I observed as Skye interacted with the distraught woman. Who, as it turns out believed that it was God punishing her, and not some power that she had collected during the explosion.
"You are a natural at this", I told her when we met in my office after she had finished.
She stopped halfway through her explanation of her thoughts on the whole situation. Confusion clear on her face. "Natural with what?"
"Helping people, making them open up. You gained her trust" I explained. "Now we continue to monitor, see if the tragedy was actually what gave her the powers or not. If it wasn't her fault, even better, but until then she is a danger to us all"
I saw Skye's fists tighten by her side before relaxing not but a minute later. "She's nice, overly nice. You asked for a background check, here's what I've got. She never misses a birthday post to her friends, runs the youth program at her church, rescues dogs. She is not a safety inspector just because of her detail-oriented nature—"
"But because she genuinely cares", I finished as I was reading over what she had gathered before we brought her in.
"Exactly. Powers or not, she is devastated by all of the destruction. And I didn't pick up on anything when I was in there with her" she continued. "Her blood pressure, heart rate, any vibrational signatures that I could get from her were within normal rates. Apart from the distress, she felt 100% human"
"What about the vibrational prints you have been observing since she got here?" I asked.
She shook her head. "I am not sure" she said as she closed in and picked the tablet, changing it to the CCTV of the bus, at the camera that was monitoring the door of the cage. Her brows furrowed as she looked at the empty space there. "I didn't sense anything coming out of her specifically when we were in there together. There was still some weird… vibrational indications around the Bus, but nothing in the cage". She continued shifting between the different feeds, almost looking for something.
Everything seemed normal to me. "What are you looking for?", I asked when she remained silent too long for my liking.
With a sigh she lifted a hand to rub at her eyes. The dark circles underneath became even darker from her movement. "The way I imagine it, is if she were to be telekinetic she would have to somehow manipulate the space around an item to make it move. Or when she would do the action, have some of her own vibrations change" she explained. "But she has been normal throughout it her whole stay here", frustration bled into her voice. "I have been keeping tabs on her since she got in, and there is nothing different with her. But changes have not stopped". She flicked through the different cameras and showed me the exterior of the Cage. "There were vibrations, right there, on the outside, almost like a banging. But nothing is there, when there should be. Nothing moves around or changes without any vibrational shift. This makes no sense"
"And you don't think this is Hannah's doing? What if she was trying to escape and was channeling powers from the outside?"
She shook her head. "I talked with Bobbi before coming here and she had asked FitzSimmons. They don't have any new theories yet. Plus, she is distraught. And she thinks she's being haunted by demons. What if she is not as crazy as people think? What if the explosion accidentally tapped into something? It wouldn't be the first time someone opened in through a portal to… someplace, any place, and something came through?"
This would be unfortunate. " Delusions of being persecuted aren't uncommon after trauma" I tried but it sounded weak even to my own ears. "Maybe this is simply—"
A scream cut me short.
Simmons' scream.
Before I even had the time to process what was going on Skye had all but flown out of my office. I ran behind her, going to the lab to see the holotable destroyed, Bobbi and Skye already there. "Sir", she said the moment she saw me. "Hannah's telling the truth. She's not telekinetic. There's someone else on this plane"
Suddenly, the power got off, darkness spilling into the room. The emergency lights turned on, as people looked left and right, breaking themselves from the turbulence that wracked through the aircraft.
"What was that?", Simmons asked, moving quickly by Skye's side, holding onto her.
"Plane's lost power", Skye replied. "We're going down", her eyes flew to the woman next to her. "Go and strap in, I'll go to the Cage to protect Hannah, she doesn't know what to do", and she pushed her towards the seats on the cargo hold before disappearing upstairs.
Ward's POV
The plane crashed, but with May we managed to land the best that we could given the circumstances.
"The systems are dead", she said as she tried to flip to different screens on the cockpit. "Let's see how the other are", her face set on a grim expression. I let her go first, and took my phone out as soon as she was out of sight. After making sure she wasn't coming back, I sent an update.
- Plane's down for the count -
- Power off -
- Location unknown, away from civilisation. Were on route to the Fridge -
With that , I turned it back off, and hid it in one of my many pockets. Running a bit, I caught up with the others before they questioned my delay.
Jemma's POV
We all gathered at the Command Center, Hannah still in the Cage for her own protection. Skye had gone to the cockpit to make sure to redirect most of the energy there so that it remained shielded. "Our ear comms are usually relayed through the lane, so here's some hardware", agent Coulson said as he handed around some walkie-talkies.
Everyone was adjusting the frequency, when Ward spoke up. "Did the girl do that to us, sir?"
"We believe she is the victim here. Our theories about her powers have been disproved", his eyes rose and he nodded at Skye who walked in at that moment, Bobbi handing her another walkie talkie.
"I know it will sound… crazy, but I saw a ghost", I continued. "A man attacked me, and then disappeared. Just dematerialised"
May's face was as serious as it ever was. "Did you get a good look at him?". I shook my head, lips pushed together. Bobbi placed a hand on my shoulder as a comfort.
Coulson called for the attention to return to him. "This man, whoever he is, has been tormenting miss Hutchins. The Cage might be the only thing protecting her now. Skye, since you can partially sense him, I want you to try and track him down. Maybe, if he uses frequencies to materialise, you can stop him from disappearing". She nodded and took off. "I'll head upstairs, activate the emergency transceiver, and radio H.Q. Ward, take a firearm. Escort Fitz-Simmons downstairs, assess the damage, get us up and running. Bobbi, stay by the Cage door to protect miss Hutchins. May, head to see if you can find out how he cut the power down keep an eye out for anything out of place".
Without waiting around, we all split to do what we had. It took a bit, but as soon as May found the problem, we had a direction and went there straight away.
As we headed there, Ward on our trail with his gun at the ready, Fitz and I started looking around to figure out what to do and how to bring this around. "Are we seriously talking about a ghost?", Fitz broke the silence as his hands were moving around the hardwiring of the airplane.
"Well, ghost is probably not the proper word to use. He thinks it's hell, but I think it's an alien world. Fitz, it's fascinating" within the chaos that was happening I had to use something to ground my rapidly moving brain.
He nodded, attention at what his hands were doing. "Well, there were reports in London after the spaceship landed of multiple portals opening, Thor passing between worlds" he agreed.
Ward piped in, "You think that's what they were researching at that lab?"
I nodded. "Trying to create another portal, yes". Fitz finished the rest of my thoughts, "Failing, until a malfunction produced a burst of energy".
"Which one of you geniuses would like to be the one to tell Skye that they were trying to make a portal?", Ward said, before I had the chance to supply a comment I had about our ghost, and ghosts in general. I stopped sort on what I was doing, to look at him scanning the area around. "Cause from what I understand she isn't a big fan of them, and I won't be the one to break the news to her, no thank you" he shook his head.
I opened my mouth to reply but a groan of the airplane, almost like turbulence made me stop. Fitz also stopped, looking towards the end of the dark corridor, the tiniest bit of a squeal escaping him.
"Get to work, now", Ward gritted out, gun trailed at the corridor, as he started slowly walking checking the area around.
The quiet was disturbed by another shake, the plane groaning. Then, out of nothing, the guy materialised behind Ward punching him on the face. Before Ward managed to hit him back, he disappeared, appearing behind him once more, hitting the hand was that was holding the gun, with a wrench on his hand, throwing it to the floor.
Dematerialising and materialising again, he started dancing around Ward, kicking him on the knee, dropping him to the floor, punching him on the face once more, before suddenly he disappeared and didn't come back.
We were standing there, breath held, waiting for him to come back, when out of nowhere Skye appeared, she didn't even make a sound. "Shit", she grunted. "Motherfucker won't stay in one place long enough for me to grab. Seems like he can sense my vibrations even if I try to hide them". She picked the gun from the floor, and gave it back to Ward, helping him up. "You guys okay?"
"Yeah, yeah, we're good", Ward groaned.
"He's passing through worlds, I think. Like he can access a portal, allowing him to go back and forth", Fitz added quickly.
Skye cursed lowly. "Fucking portals", she shook her head as she looked up to Fitz and myself. "Is there any way that the whole thing weakens him? Ever since I tuned in on him, it seems like his vibrations are getting harder and harder to pick up, like he's slowly disappearing"
"It's very possible. Maybe all we have to do is wait", I supplied.
Ward cut in, "Go after him, stop wasting time"
She made eye contact with me, a silent question in her gaze, and I nodded, mouthing, "Go".
With a nod she left us again. Running without making any noise she disappeared around the corner. "Was it just me, or was this guy holding a wrench?", Ward asked, shaking the hand that was hit from the equipment. "He's travelling between alien worlds with a wrench?"
Fitz had turned back to the destroyed system, trying to figure a way to make something, anything work. "Must have been in his hand when the blast hit", he suggested, more like rambling.
I felt Ward pause more than saw him. "It wouldn't be the kind of wrench you would use to loosen a coupling, would it?"
Fitz's hands stopped moving as he turned back to Ward, connection made. Footsteps were heard coming this way, and Ward trained his gun in that direction, only for Bobbi to come around the corner. I found myself letting out a breath, relaxing slightly. "Skye said you guys might need some help. He seems to be after her, but since he can't get in, he's wrecking havoc"
"But if you are here, then who is manning the Cage?", Ward asked.
"Skye is. She sent May to help out Coulson who seemed to be locked in his own office. How is the situation here, anything you can salvage?", she asked over her shoulder.
Fitz shook his head. "Not really, he really did a number here, there is not a lot I can do unless I manage to get my hands on equipment that I don't have here, and the idea would be to go to a base, but since we canno—"
"Ward, Bobbi, anyone copying?", May's voice came through the walkie-talkie on the floor.
"We are copying, May", Ward replied.
"Is Skye with you?", she asked and for some reason I felt dread fill me up.
"No, she was supposed to be by the Cage, what happened?"
"She's not here, and Hannah isn't either. I can't get a hold of her"
By the time we made it to the barn that Skye had taken Hannah, we saw her standing by Hannah's side, the man kneeling in front of them, his form flickering. Skye's hair was a bit raffled, but she looked okay, and I managed to breathe with more ease. "You can't undo what's been done", we heard her say. Fitz behind me was ready to send in the modified dwarves to send his away for good. May put a hand on his shoulder, stopping him.
"But trying to hold on to this life, clinging to the person you thought you could be, that's hell" Skye continued, looking at him. "And you're dragging her down with you. You have to let go before my people come and make you do it", she lifted her eyes briefly to make eye contact with us, before her gaze turned back towards him. "If you care about her, and I know you do, let her go. Let Hannah go, Tobias. Let her go" she repeated.
Then his form started slowly shining, before he started disappearing. The silent hang on the air for a few seconds after he disappeared, as she turned to Hannah. "Are you okay?"
Hannah hugged her tightly.
I waited patiently until the hug was done before I started moving forwards. Skye started pushing Hannah towards us, but with the shock and everything, she was sticking close to Skye. I let my eyes speak, making sure she was okay.
She smiled, genuinely, and gave me a nod.
We all started making our way back to the Bus, when we heard the sound of a jet engine. Looking up at the dark sky, I saw the silhouette of what could only be a Quinjet. "Ah, sir, I thought you didn't manage to contact HQ", I said to Coulson, with a relieved smile. Something good did happen in the end.
There was confusion on Coulson's face. Expression tight. "I didn't"
Just as he said that, a figure dropped from the sky, landing on one knee between us and the airplane. He slowly lifted his head.
His long dark hair flowing with the wind, as his face was covered in a black mask and goggles. His clothes, equally dark as he stood up.
A shiver run down my spine.
"Go back to the barn, now", Skye said— no, commanded.
Her attention was at the person in front of her, touching the bracelets, I saw the gauntlets materialise on her arms, the mask doing the same around her face. "Identify yourself" she spoke loudly enough for the stranger to hear her.
I stop there frozen, when May grabbed me from the arm and pushed me back. "In the barn", her voice was stern.
I rushed back, taking Hannah with me, as we created some distance from whatever was about to happen. Worry rose within me, as I looked back over my shoulder. Skye was in a full-out hand-to-hand combat with this guy, using her powers to push him back, while he jumped around her waves like they were nothing. Bobbi and May had their guns trained on him, firing at any chance they had, using any tree or terrain to hide and move around without being spotted.
"We can't just leave them there" I said, my voice trembling as soon as the door of the barn was closed, a piece of wood placed on the door to hold it closed. Ward and Coulson had their guns trained at the door, as the sounds of battle kept coming from outside.
"Any idea who the hostile is?" Coulson asked.
"No idea, sir", Ward answered, who for all his bravado I could tell he was shaken up.
I took my phone out. Hands trembling, as I called the only number that I could right now. I felt my heart on my throat in the waiting.
Please pick up, I mentally begged as I jumped from the sound of gunshots firing not too far away. Please, please, please, please, pleas—
"Hello?", the groggy voice came through.
Shit, it was the middle of the night. "I'm sorry, I know it's late, and I'm sorry to have woken you up, but we really need your help right now", I started rambling
Coulson turned back to me, "Simmons, what are you going?"
"Hey, hey, Jemma I need you to slow down for me", I heard in a voice that was now more alert and awake. "What's going on, where are you?"
"We're a few hours away from Batesville, Tee should be up" I managed to get out.
"Who are you talking to?", Ward asked. Fitz was looking at me with so many questions, and Coulson had a hard look on his face.
I heard ruffling and some background noise of things moving. "Okay, Jemma, Tony is on his way. I need you to stay calm for me, okay? Tell me what's going on", Pepper said in a motherly voice.
"Okay, okay, I can do that. We had this mission, that I can't really tell you anything about, because classified and everything", I said as I was looking at Coulson. "But long-story sort we crashed because we had a ghost on our plane. Well, not a ghost, but let's leave it there for now. So, we crashed an—"
Suddenly a part of the roof came crashing down, as another man dropped from the sky landed right behind us. I turned sharply around, pushing Hannah behind me, as I backed off. Coulson and Ward moved around and in front of us as they started firing in his direction, only for the bullets to do nothing but ricochet off of him.
As he stood up I saw a familiar, albeit somewhat different face. "Mike?" Coulson said as he came to the same conclusion.
Mike Peterson stood there, face half burned and a completely prosthetic cybernetic leg as he started making his way to us. Ward went to meet him half way, throwing a punch after seeing how his gun was useless against him, but Mike quite easily grabbed onto his fist and punched him hard in the chest, making him fly and crash on one of the walls, going down hard.
"Jemma, Jemma what is happening? Talk to me", I could barely hear Pepper on the phone as it fell from my fingers to the floor.
"Mister Peterson, you don't have to do this", Coulson said standing in from of him, gun still trained at his face. I reached down to grab the gun that had fallen off of Ward, running with Fitz and Hannah to hide behind some boxes.
"I do" Mike replied in an emotionless voice, as he grabbed Coulson by the neck before he had the chance to fire again, lifting him up easily and throwing him to the side.
As we were hiding there, I tried to remember everything that May and Bobbi had taught me.
I mouthed to Fitz to move further in and Mike was starting to close in on us. Maybe if we could hide long enough any of the others would find us, or maybe… my eyes landed to a partially open back door.
"We need to make a run for it" I whispered.
"Are you crazy?" Fitz's voice rose 3 octaves. "We won't even make it out the door"
"And how long do you think we'll last staying here? We need to try and go around to the others" I replied. I couldn't hear Mike anymore. Before we got the chance to even move, a hand broke through the wooden surface on my back, grabbing the back of my neck, pushing me to the ground.
Hannah screamed and run off, while Fitz seemed torn on what to do, grabbing his tablet and redirecting all the dwarves to come in.
They flew over Mike's head, distracting him enough for me to get up and grab the gun, and with unsteady hands fire at Mike as we were backing away. Mike who was getting agitated more than anything by the flying drones, as he started grabbing them and smashing them.
By the time he was done, Coulson who had gotten up at some time, came from behind us, supporting a semi conscious Ward and motioned for us to leave quickly. I passed him the gun and went on the other side of the dazed agent to help out.
We stumbled our way out, trying to move round the building as fast as possible, since Mike was blocking the normal way out. By the time we made it there, the closed doors of the barn practically exploded outwards from Mike's kick. We had to duck to not get hit by the shrapnel.
Even from this distance I could tell that the sound distracted Skye for a second, a fist landed on the side of her face, bringing her to her knees. She recovered quickly though and was back on her feet in no time.
My attention turned to Mike who was closing in on us. "Split", Coulson ordered, taking Ward with him and hiding him behind a trunk and he ducked away. He lifted his hand and started firing in Mike's direction who was making his way towards Fitz's and mine's position.
"Enough games", I heard him say, as I tried to run away but he sped up and he grabbed me before I managed to escape. His hand wrapped around my neck and he lifted me off the ground as he squeezed. "I'm sorry Jemma, but I have my orders", he said through tight lips.
"Mike", I managed to barely get out. My breath catching on my throat where he was holding me up. "Please", I was holding onto his forearm, trying to break the hold but his fingers were not bulging.
Then I felt something press onto my stomach before my ears started ringing. Pain exploded from the area as a gunshot was rang. I felt bile rise on my throat and I coughed, the taste of iron filling my mouth. As my vision started blackening out, I barely realised being thrown and colliding with someone.