Skye sat on her bed in the bus, the door was closed and locked so no one could disturb her. The others might think this unusual, as she hardly ever closed her door let alone lock it but she couldn't risk them seeing the note. Skye was a good hacker, in fact she prided herself at being among the best in the world but this had stumped her.
Scrolling across her computer screen, as if parading itself triumphantly singing 'we got you' was a note meant only for her eyes.
Your betrayal will cost you and your team if you don't help us. Wait for instructions.
She couldn't think who it might be from, she had encrypted her laptop and no one should have been able to access it, let alone hijack it to display their own personal message. Suddenly the message stopped scrolling and her screen went back to the game of Pac man she had been enjoying.
She had only just earned the trust of SHIELD again, having her bracelet removed. Suddenly it occurred to her that whoever sent her this note might have somehow known about the bracelet and chose now to send it as she was alone with her computer without SHIELD butting in. If that was true, then man these people –or person- was good.
"Skye? We'll be landing in twenty. Want to get lunch on the ground?" Simmons called in to her from the other side of the locked door. Skye rushed to open it, seeing Simmons had been leaning against it. The other woman fell into her. Skye noticed that Ward and Fitz were also outside her room but standing a distance away and pretending they weren't listening.
"Yeah, sounds like a plan. Can we go for burgers?" Skye smiled, trying to pretend nothing was up.
They fell for it and Ward skulked away, probably to the cockpit to sit with May. Fitz started fiddling with the mechanical robot arm he was building to arm wrestle for him.
"So… What 'cha doing?" Simmons asked, trying to act cool. She tried peeking around Skye into her room. Man these people were nosey. Simmons looked vaguely disappointed to be greeted by a tornado of clothes, shoes and gadgets littering every available space. They should have been used to her mess by now yet still, they were continually shocked that she didn't automatically clean every surface she worked off.
"I was playing Pac man. Where's Coulson?" Skye asked, trying to change the topic and distract her friend.
"Oh in his office I'd say. Probably still moping about that toy Fitz broke." Jemma rolled her eyes.
"Hey, that was a collectible Knight of the Realm. Cost me more than this suit and they only made fifty." Coulson countered, coming out of the kitchen area with a sandwich in his hands and licking a mustard stain off his apparently expensive suit.
"I said I was sorry!" Fitz yelled from where he was sitting. Skye laughed, these people were like her family now. After she found out the truth about her own background, she realised she had a family all along. Even if it was a slightly dysfunctional, crazy family. She couldn't be happier.
Landing was smooth as can be, and they all took in the bright LA sunlight as they stepped onto the tarmac outside the plane. Skye turned her face to the sun, soaking in the heat that covered her skin in goose bumps after being cooped up in the plane for so long.
"Forty minutes then back here. Agent Fenn is meeting us on the Bus to discuss an important matter." Coulson said, already heading back into the plane, probably to continue working in his office.
"See ya boss." Skye smiled at her superior and it caught him off guard. Coulson had been having a pretty rough day but seeing Skye smiling at him cheered him up a bit. She was always so cheery, even in the face of bad news. He could do with taking a leaf out of her books.
Ward and Fitz headed off together in search of Mexican food with a bit of spice. They had this competition on the bus, who could handle the most spice without drinking water or cooling their mouth down. Now they were on the ground, they could compete for real, with proper spices instead of the spice rack stuff they held on the bus that wouldn't even make a baby cry. May hadn't come out of the cockpit for some fresh air. Ward informed them all that she was getting some sleep after flying them through bad turbulence most of the night.
It was just Simmons and Skye left standing together on the runway, wondering what to do.
Simmons held her arm out for Skye to link up to and gestured with her other arm in a 'shall we?' gesture.
"To the Burger Palace milady?" Jemma laughed. Skye smirked in response and the two set off together, arm in arm like sisters.
"So, what do you think?" Simmons asked. Skye was barely paying attention. She had been staring out of the window for a good few minutes now, her mouth full of unchewed chicken burger. She had been thinking about the note again, her mind kept drifting back to it and wondering when she would hear again from whoever sent it.
"What do I think about what?" Skye answered eventually, swallowing her food and clearing her throat with a gulp of Pepsi.
"Who can grow the better beard, Fitz or Ward? Not that Coulson probably couldn't grow a good one. I bet he'd grow a good beard." Simmons was rambling which was good for Skye, she went back to thinking about the note.
Her phone buzzed from her pocket. Jemma didn't move so her phone must not have received a message either meaning it probably wasn't from Coulson telling them to get a move on.
I have your mission. Stay tuned to find out.
That was all the text said, no other details. Skye was getting fed up now, she considered replying but it was probably just a throw away phone and she wouldn't get an answer.
"Was that Coulson? Does he want us back? Only, I was hoping to get in a little shopping." Simmons complained. Skye would have responded had she not lost all of her breath. No, it couldn't be. It didn't make sense, why?
Simmons turned around to where Skye was staring open mouthed, just as the bell over the door tinkled brightly.
There was five of them in all, four of them in dark suits and sunglasses with stern expressions. The fifth was smiling at the two girls.
"Skye, it's so great to see you again. I've missed you." Miles said, coming over to hug Skye who did not return the affection.
"What are you doing here?" Jemma asked, horror evident on her face.
"I'm here for Skye, but you'll do nicely too. I suggest you come quietly or my men will blow everyone here's brains out." Miles gestured toward a pregnant mother who was wiping her young child's face at the counter and a waiter who looked barely older than seventeen who was reading a school book while pouring himself coffee.
"You wouldn't." Skye sneered. Miles just laughed and took out a gun of his own. Instead of pointing it at Skye or the bystanders, he aimed it under the table at Simmons.
"Alright! Fine, I'll come but leave Jemma alone. She had nothing to do with you." Skye begged. Miles laughed loudly, it sounded harsh in the quiet atmosphere of the burger shop.
"But then you wouldn't do what I want. Silly Skye." Miles shook his head, as if he was disappointed, then gestured for Skye to exit the booth. One of the bulky men grabbed her phone from her pocket. Oh she hoped this restaurant had security footage because Coulson had to start looking for them and fast.