This story is the sequel to There is Nothing Special About Grant Ward. I strongly recommend you read that one before this one.


"What did he do?" asked Simmons as Coulson helped Skye into the lab. She had been resting – not sleeping, since she had found it hard to fall asleep since Ward had been brought on the plane – when Coulson summoned her for some assistance with first aid.

"It's probably just a concussion," said Coulson. "And it's a more complicated story than you think."

Skye, for her part, just looked thoroughly miserable and slightly confused.

"He hit Skye?" Simmons' voice carried no hint of I-told-you-so. Instead, she sounded disappointed, as though she had held out the tiniest bit of hope for Ward and it had just been crushed.

"Because he wouldn't shoot me," said Skye, "even though I begged him."

Simmons looked to Coulson in hopes of getting a more coherent narrative. Coulson just nodded – Skye's description of events was essentially correct, if vague.

"Look here," said Simmons, flashing a penlight at Skye's eyes. "Good, now stick your tongue out." Simmons wrote something down. "Hold your hands out like you're carrying a tray and keep them there while you close your eyes." After several more tasks, Simmons pronounced the cranial nerve exam normal.

Simmons looked back at Coulson. She wanted to ask more questions about the situation and how Skye came to be injured, but it was her responsibility to focus on the task at hand. Trust Coulson. Trust the system.

"All right, Skye. Now I'd like you to spell the word 'SPRING' backwards."

"Um…G…N…I…R-"

"Good. A little slow, but otherwise fine."

"A little slow?" whined Skye playfully. "Not fair. I suck at spelling."

Simmons turned to Coulson. "You were right. It's just a mild concussion. She needs rest. And to drink plenty of fluids because that's always good advice."

"I don't think I'm going to be sleeping," said Skye, and that dark, desolate look was back in her eyes, all playfulness gone.

"What is going on here?!" Simmons was more worried and indignant than ever. If she were to guess based on the injury, Skye had been hit in the back of the head with a blunt object, certainly hard enough to cause a nasty headache, but hardly a traumatic injury. If Simmons were to guess based on Skye's demeanor and Coulson's over-controlled expression, she would have concluded something utterly terrible had transpired. Perhaps Ward had attempted to sexually assault Skye. That didn't really fit with the pattern of injuries, but it would explain the awful feelings written on Skye's face, and it would explain why Coulson was choosing to leave the situation vague – he wanted to give Skye some privacy. Well, that was reasonable. Simmons resolved to stop asking.

Coulson was kneeling down next to Skye. They were whispering back and forth. Simmons could hear snippets: "going to have to know" "putting them in danger" "don't believe him". She tried not to listen, but she had a sick feeling inside. She wished Fitz were present, not because he could have actually helped address the present situation, but because she would have felt more prepared to face this herself knowing that he was on board.

Coulson stood. "All right, then," he said, obviously concluding the conversation he had been having with Skye. "I'm going to go wake the others. Simmons, can you walk with Skye? We'll meet up by the cage door."

"Yes sir."

Skye stood on her own, looking more steady than when she had arrived in the lab. She looked at Simmons and smiled weakly. "I know it's been hard for you," she said. "After what he did to Fitz, I don't blame you for being scared of him."

"I…I…I don't know what to say to that," said Simmons because it was the only truthful sentence she could cobble together.

They made their way up the stairs and down the hallway, to find May leaning on the outer wall of the cage, somehow looking perfectly put-together despite the late hour. Moments later, Trip and Coulson arrived, both still dressed for bed.

"We've received intel," said Coulson without any preamble, "regarding the nature of Agent Skye's…origins. We don't know if it's true. It was passed on by a reliable source, but we don't know if it originated with one. This information suggests that Agent Skye may, without her knowledge or intention, become a danger to others."

Trip glanced at Skye, then back to Coulson. "You mean like brainwashing?"

"The intel is unclear. That…doesn't seem to be what it suggests, but it can't be ruled out at this time." Coulson explained the content of the message in some detail. "This is obviously disturbing, but I know I have the best people available to get to the bottom of it and solve it."

"When you say a reliable source," said May, "are you talking about Ward?"

"Yes," said Coulson with a long exhale. "Ward received this information from Raina and has been withholding it to protect Skye forces that might attack her to protect themselves from whatever…power she may have. Skye eventually persuaded him to disclose the information directly to her."

"And what makes you think he's telling the truth?" asked Triplett. "I know he used to be your guys' teammate and all, but he was lying all that time. Why stop now?"

"Because his primary motivation is gone," said Coulson. "I don't believe he was ever loyal to Hydra, only to John Garrett."

"And because he cares about me," said Skye. It was the first time she'd spoken in the meeting that was ostensibly about her. "Not in, like, a grown-up way. But in some kind of way. He really doesn't want me to get hurt. Sort of."

"That's what he wants you to think," said Simmons. "He could just be manipulating you."

"Yeah," said Skye. "Um, is anyone going to comment on the part where I might blow up and kill you all?"

Triplett shrugged. "I've handled bombs before. I mean, yeah, let's fix this thing, but I'm not going to freak out about it."

"And the part where I'm from a race of alien invaders?"

"I think we all knew that you lacked respect for others' boundaries," said May. "This just takes it a step further." There was a non-expression on her face that could very nearly be described as warm, even comforting. She had told something approaching a joke and the others were taking it as a sign that things weren't so doom-and-gloom.

"I have a second announcement to make," said Coulson, causing whatever calm had come over the team to evaporate in an instant. "Ward will be assisting the team in a very limited capacity. He will have a SHIELD tracker-"

May interrupted Coulson, a sign of how much she disapproved of this plan. "He's familiar with SHIELD technology. What happens if he removes the bracelet?"

"That's why it won't only be a bracelet. We're also going to embed the hardware into his spine. Simmons will do the surgery tomorrow. The device will be able to deliver painful feedback, knock him unconscious, or terminate him. Everyone in this room will be able to activate it as necessary. It goes, I'm sure, without saying, that these settings are only to be used in case of emergency and not as a form of revenge."

May might have looked chastised, or she might have had no expression. It was hard to tell.

"I am not asking anyone in this room to like him. I am not asking anyone in this room to forgive him. I am asking all of you to work with a skilled operative regardless of your personal feelings at a time when we desperately need more people." That was all Coulson was going to say to the group. It wasn't like he could quickly explain the thought process that led him to decide that Ward was to be brought back on active duty. Semi-active duty. Parole. He knew he would get an earful from May. He looked at Simmons. She looked sad, but somewhat relieved. Maybe she had been expecting worse? Triplett seemed to be taking the whole thing in stride. And Skye looked mostly asleep.

May, Trip, and Skye shuffled back to their bunks. Simmons hung back. Coulson drew in a breath. Her objections were perhaps the most reasonable of all those he anticipated. She was quite legitimately terrified of Ward. She couldn't do her job while terrified.

"Sir, I…" Simmons swallowed. "I appreciate your faith that we can solve the puzzle of Skye's biology, but with all due respect, you no longer have the best scientists on your team. You only have one. Fitz…isn't coming back any time soon." Simmons seemed much smaller after saying that, as if admitting it cost her dearly. "And a problem like this, it would help if I could collaborate. Obviously, this has to be top-secret, but if you know of anyone who could…" She trailed off.

Coulson thought for a moment. This was not the objection he had expected, but it was nonetheless quite reasonable. He needed someone brilliant, someone expert. But also someone he could trust, someone who wouldn't be tempted to sell Skye out to the military. And someone he could contact and bring in without raising too many flags.

"You know," said Coulson, a thin smile beginning on his face, "I think I know a guy."