A.N: I took a lot of liberties with this one. I actually wrote this last week but went back after the latest episode to add a few spoilerific details. Don't read unless you've seen episode 2.16 "Afterlife". Also, as much I as loooooove Luke Mitchell, I really dislike his role as Lincoln. I made him extra creepy in this. So if you're a fan of Lincoln or SkyeLincoln (whatever their ship name is) this is NOT for you. You've been warned. As always, please remember to review after you've read. You know that's the kind of stuff us writers thrive on. =}


Chapter One: The Enemy of my Enemy is my Friend

Skye was missing.

Skye was missing and it was his fault.

Coulson sat in his office at the Plaground twirling his pen absentmindedly. They hadn't heard from her in days. He'd dropped her off at a secure safe house but she'd disappeared without a trace. They'd been distracted with Robert Gonzales trying to demote him as Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. but after they'd been left alone; they'd tried to send word to Skye that it was safe for her to come out of hiding. She hadn't responded in days.

Fitz and Simmons were trying to track her using the Richter scale but they hadn't found her. Skye was likely next to fault lines, which was keeping them from getting an accurate reading of where she could be. That's if she was even still on their continent.

Gozales had offered to help find her if he cooperated but Coulson had declined the offer. He preferred to keep the disappearance of one of his agents in house. And he didn't trust Gonzales. They'd find her. She'll send a message out sooner or later when she could. And he knew that she had to have a good reason for disappearing like she did.

The siren blaring disrupted his train of thought. He looked up at the red siren in his office and stood just as May burst through the door of his office.

"What is-"

"It's him. He's back."

"Who?"

"Ward…" May answered. "And he's got Agent 33 and Bakshi with him."


"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Kara asked. "They're not going to welcome you with open arms you know… They might even shoot us."

"They hate me," Ward smirked. "They'll definitely shoot at us."

"Why are we here again?" Bakshi turned toward them both. "Last time I was here, they kept me in a vault in their basement."

"That makes two of us," Ward shrugged.

"Then why are you so eager to come back here?" Bakshi asked with an eye roll.

"Because of what Kara picked up from her contacts at S.H.I.E.L.D.," Ward answered. "Skye's missing."

"The girl who shot you four times and left you for dead?"

"Bakshi…" Kara warned.

"I'm just trying to wrap my head around how you still care about that wretched abomination after all she's done to-"

He didn't get to finish his sentence because Ward had pinned him against the cement wall by his neck.

"Don't. Call. Her. That."

"Hey, Ward, come on… let him go," Kara tried to pull him off the other man. "He's an idiot. Just ignore him."

Ward took a step back and let his arms fall at his sides. "We stick to the plan." The door opening made him turn toward it. "Follow my lead…" He raised his empty hands just as May came out with her gun along with a few other agents. "No I.C.E.R.? That's cold Agent May…"

"What are you doing here?" her tone was steely.

"I came to offer our services," he shrugged nodding toward Bakshi and Kara. "We're here to help you find Skye."

"What the hell do you know about Skye?"

Ward sighed. "We know that she's missing. And that you haven't been able to find her. We can help."

"Yeah? And how's that?"

"Because Bakshi here knows how to track her down," Ward answered. "He learned a few things from Whitehall about the blue angels that fell from the sky."

May started lowering her weapon. "Why are you really here?"

"I'm only here to help," he answered. "I want to help you."

"Why?" she asked again.

"You know what they say, the enemy of my enemy is my friend… and those people Skye's with… they're not here to save the world."

Bakshi spoke up. "They're weapons. They're not here to help us. They're here to conquer us."


Skye had never felt better or more confident in her own skin. Meeting Lincoln, Gordon, Jiaying and the other Inhumans had been just what she needed. She finally felt like a piece of a puzzle that fit. They'd made her feel like she belonged, especially Lincoln. It'd been a while since she let someone in the way she'd let him in. Not since Wa-

She wasn't going to think about that. That was her past. Ward, S.H.I.E.L.D., Hydra… this new place was her future.

"Hey…"

She turned to find him standing in her doorway.

"You looked deep in thought," Lincoln smiled softly. "What were you thinking about?"

Skye shrugged with a grin. "Nothing important… Are you here to take over my training for today?"

"I can if you want…"

"And you're sure they can't find me even when I use my powers?"

He shook his head. "This place is built on fault lines. Earthquakes are frequent here."

"Where is Jiaying?" she asked. "I haven't seen her around lately."

"She and Gordo had something they needed to take care of," Lincoln smiled. "They'll be back soon. Come on… I can practice with you while she's gone."


"Why the hell should I trust you?" Coulson bit out. "You haven't exactly proven to be trustworthy… and now you're just kicking back with known Hydra operatives?"

Ward rolled his eyes glancing at everyone's guns that were aimed at his chest. "For the last time, I'm not Hydra. And neither was Kara. She was a S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent kidnapped by Bakshi and brainwashed by Whitehall."

"So why is Bakshi with you then?"

"He's been… cooperative… besides he was brainwashed by Whitehall too. Kara told me so we broke him out and broke the compulsion. He's been surprisingly useful."

"It still doesn't explain why you're here and eager to help us…"

"I'm not here for you, Coulson," Ward told him. "I'm here to help you find Skye and bring her back. She's in danger. And you need me and my team to track her. Right now, I'm betting you've got Fitzsimmons checking the Richter scale twenty four hours a day to see if there's any sign of her…"

"How did you-"

"Know about Skye?" Ward asked. "The same way everyone's found out about Skye. You put her on the goddamn index."

"It was S.H.I.E.L.D. protocol."

"It made her a target!"

"Says the man who's plotted to have her killed. Remember that?"

"I didn't shoot Skye. I didn't know what Garrett was planning. If I'd known… that wouldn't have happened." He took a deep breath. "I'm trying here. I'm willing to work with you on this one. I could have gone on my own to find her but I know you all care about her. I knew you'd be worried and it wouldn't be right to not keep you updated. There's a lot of things I've done that Skye can't forgive me for. I didn't want to add to the list."

Coulson signaled for everyone to lower their weapons before stepping closer to the young man. "And you're sure you can find her?"

"I think we already have."

"Great… how do we rescue her?"

"I go in… alone…"

"You really are a delusional son of a bitch if you think I'm letting you go alone…"

"The risks are too high and I can't keep an eye on you and watch my own back at the same time. I need to do this alone."

"Why?"

"Because it's Skye," he answered as if that should have been enough.

"Fine," Coulson stepped back. "But we run interference on our end. We watch everything you say and do."

"Okay."

Coulson was taken aback. He was very quick to agree to the terms.

"But when we're finished and Skye's back, I walk away from this with my team. We're not your prisoners, Coulson."

"It's Director… and fine… you three walk… but only if Skye comes home safe."

"Deal."

"So where are you off to?"

Ward turned to Bakshi.

"China," the British man supplied quickly. "Beijing to be more precise."

"How do you know that's where she is…?" Fitz spoke up for the first time.

"Because there's another city and a temple there." Bakshi shrugged. "Did you think San Juan was the only one?"


When Ward landed in Beijing twenty four hours later, he'd expected things to be bad. He didn't expect them to be this bad. Skye had been practicing.

He'd checked into a hotel chosen by Coulson and set up his surveillance on the city with Fitz's help. They'd given him a SAT phone and told him to check in every night at that same time. Coulson had said it was to make sure he hadn't been compromised. Ward knew that it was the Director's way of keeping tabs on him.

He dialed the only saved number and waited.

He was not expecting the voice that answered.

"Hey soldier," he could hear Kara grinning on the other end. "How was the flight? Excruciating, I bet…"

"You know how much I hate flying," he smirked.

"Says the guy who lived on a plane…"

"Is Coulson around or is he letting you answer the phone now?"

Kara laughed. "Actually, I'm with Fitz… he let me answer so I can talk to you… How are you? Really?"

"I'll be better once this is all over," he sighed. "I should go though. Tell Coulson I checked in."

"He'll be sorry he missed you," Kara muttered sarcastically.

"I'll bet."

"So are you missing pumpkin pancakes yet?"

He laughed. "Have some waiting for me when I get back, will ya?"

"Of course!"

"Thanks Kara… I think I need to go though…"

"Ward…"

"Hmm?"

"Be careful."

"Always."

The line disconnected.

She hadn't been happy when he volunteered to go on this mission by himself but she'd understood. It was Skye. Kara knew better than anyone what that meant. He put the SAT phone in his satchel for the next day.

He was running surveillance on the city but that didn't mean that the inhumans spent time among humans. He didn't have any way of knowing whether or not Skye would appear in the local marketplace or if she was hidden away on purpose.

His mandarin was rusty but he'd picked up on a few of the locals complaining about all the frequent earthquakes in the area. That's how he knew that Bakshi had given him the right location.

Forty eight hours.

That's how long he'd been given to find her and bring her home before Coulson came after them. He was fairly confident that he'd only need half that time but he really had no way of knowing what he'd be dealing with.

And there was no guarantee that Skye would believe him once he found her. But that's what the SAT phone was supposedly for. A direct line of communication to Director Coulson himself. She'd believe him. She had to. Both their lives depended on it.