Hi, sorry for the late upload. I was waiting for the show to clarify some things before I continued and thank god it did. And yeah, thank you guys for informing me about the spacing. I did notice that there was something wrong, I just couldn't identify what exactly. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that I upload it on my phone and not on my laptop like I used to with my previous fics.

Anyway, I hope you'll like it. :3 oh, and please leave a review if can.

CHAPTER 3:

Playhouse, Part 1

It was no surprise to Fitz when he heard Skye asked May and Coulson for permission to be on the field for this extraction mission. She was only supposed to give the team assistance with the security details if it ever required but she insisted that she could also do the job even if she was at the location herself.

At first, Coulson declined her but May talked him out of it, explaining that it was a good thing that she was volunteering, saying that it might help keep her focus away from Donnie, still thinking that the young agent was bothered by it.

Unknown to them all, Skye had an ulterior motive as to why she wanted to be there when they extract the obelisk. If everything that Ward said was true about his father being alive, then she had to confront Raina no matter what.

"Remember." Coulson said as he handed May, Skye and Hunter gloves. "Do not touch the obelisk without these."

"Are we even sure that gloves will protect us from whatever that thing does?" Hunter asked as he secured the gloves on his hands.

"No." Coulson said with a smile. "That's why I am counting on you to be the one to test it out."

Hunter looked at Coulson, dumbfounded.

"Don't worry." May said. "I'll be there to cut your arm off if the gloves don't work."

Hunter chuckled nervously at the two superiors but found himself go rigid when he realized they were serious. "You're monsters. You guys are monster. Are you sure you don't know who my ex is, because it's like she put you into this."

Skye rolled her eyes. "Take a shot every time he mentions his ex." she muttered as she adjusted the straps of her gloves.

Mack who was checking the amount of ammo that they were going to use raised his cup of coffee.

"You, sweetheart, have the worst sense of humor."

"I've been told the opposite." Skye smirked.

"Okay, so let's go through the plan one more time." Coulson said.

"About the plan about you cutting my arm off? No thanks." Hunter said.

"No." Coulson replied. "About the plan wherein I check in first with Raina. See why she contacted us in the first place. If I think what she's saying is true, that is the only time that you may check the location of the obelisk." then, for some unknown reason, he found himself staring at Skye. The young agent didn't so much as budge the moment their eyes met, as if her mind didn't even register the importance of this permission, as if her mind was taking under consideration other things - things that for some reason differ from the mission he was currently talking about.

It was a short pause before he resumed debriefing the team. But he knew May noticed it, for she also glanced at the young agent and the expression she had once her eyes settled on Skye reflected his just a moment ago. When he had nothing more to add, he dismissed the team and gave them enough time to gather the supplies they needed for the mission. May just walked calmly to his side.

"I don't feel comfortable with this mission." Coulson admitted. "Not only are we depending on the words from a girl whose loyalty only lies to herself, but we are also dealing with the obelisk." he paused and watched his team. "And even if Raina is telling the truth, this could still be a trap. And, we still don't know why exactly she would give us such valuable information if she went all the trouble to get the obelisk in the first place."

"You think she wants something in exchange?" May asked.

"Yes." Coulson replied. "But what?"

He tried to think of the many things that SHIELD is keeping guard, but none so far had taken the girl's interest as much as the GH325 nor had she mentioned anything at all. So he wondered what it was that Raina wanted, but released a sigh as soon as he couldn't think of any. He surveyed the team for one last time before he told them that it was time for them to go.

Raina was already at the place where Coulson had agreed to meet her, but she had arrived early. She waited for the time as she sat inside a car with tinted windows. Her eyes darting to the children's playhouse located next to the meeting place.

"Bring me my daughter."

Was all the doctor said. It was a simple order, but under those simple words lied a deathly could only shudder at the thought of whatever might happen to her if she won't be able to bring him his daughter. She would do this, she promised him, and even if she hadn't, she needed Skye either way. She wanted to know how the obelisk works, and the only way he would show it to her was if she would bring him what he so deeply wanted.

That was why she decided to call Coulson. She knew that he and his team were after the obelisk, and she also knew about how much he cared for Skye. But for what price would he so willingly hand her to them. That she did not know and was soon to find out.

When the time was almost near, she rounded around the area then parked the car behind the playhouse. As she walked to the agreed location, she tried to recall her plan.

Coulson was already sitting at one of the benches, casually pretending to read a newspaper. How cliché, she thought. But kept her face neutral as she approached him. She knew that he wasn't alone. She scanned the area and knew the moment that she spotted the mobile pet clinic that that was where the rest of team were hiding. This time it was harder for her to keep herself from smiling.

"And here I was, expecting to have agents crawling every yard of this park." she teased as she sat at the opposite end of the bench, her eyes still scanning the area for other possible threat. "I am offended at how lax the security is. But I am quite glad at how at ease you are around me. I hope that says something about our relationship."

"It says nothing." Coulson replied.

Raina faced him, and pouted. "You could at least pretend that you're excited to see me."

"We both know why we're here." Coulson said and smiled at her, but his smile did not reach his eyes. "And it has nothing to do with catching up. So unless you want me to change scenery to a much more secure and claustrophobic environment, I think it's best you start talking."

"I do miss the bus." she joked humorlessly, but soon went serious and said, "The obelisk is dangerous. With just one touch, it can kill you."

"We already figured that out." Coulson said but Raina ignored him.

"That is why I placed it somewhere open." she noticed him tense. "I put it somewhere where curious minds go. Anyone could just touch it, whether it is by accident or not. And I know for a fact that children are very curious beings."

"Where is it?" Coulson demanded, his tone alarmed. She looked at him before her attention shifted, he followed her gaze. His eyes falling on the children's playhouse. "You're not serious." he snapped as he watched parents accompanying their children go inside it.

"Don't worry, nobody has died yet." Raina said matter of factly as she pulled her sleeve to reveal her watch, with its screen revealing a deactivation switch. For what, Coulson did not know. "There is a force field surrounding it right now, and as long as the force field is up, it will stay invisible and out of reach, if we put it simply."

"Why are you telling me this? I could just easily take off that watch of yours and interrogate you."

"You can do that, but I wouldn't if I were you." she replied. "You see, if I push this button, the cloak will disappear, yes. But same goes when you remove it from my wrist." she smiled again. "You keep underestimating me. I am beyond offended."

Coulson's eyes narrowed. "What is it that you want? You wouldn't just come here and threat innocent lives - children - unless you want something in exchange."

"You think I want to do this?" Raina said."Then I guess you're bluffing." he said and grabbed her wrist."

I don't want to hurt anyone, I swear. But this is the only way to keep the kids safe." she said and there was something in her eyes that made Coulson release his grip on her. "Believe me, you're not the only one here who doesn't have a choice."

"Then what is it that you want?"

"The obelisk is dangerous-"

"You already said that." Coulson snapped but Raina continued.

"-and not even gloves can ensure that you will be protected by the danger that it yields. And the last thing we want is for us to create panic inside the children's playhouse. So we need someone to go get it without sounding the alarm. Or else everyone inside that building will die."

"You want me to sacrifice one of my agents just to get the obelisk? No, I won't allow that. We need the building evacuated -"

"You don't get it." Raina snapped, her eyes pleading. "The obelisk isn't the only thing that will put those children and their parents in danger."

It was her tone that made Coulson study her for the first time she got there. She was scared, he realized. Not only for the children or their parents, but only for her life. She was scared of something, and whatever it was, it was inside that playhouse.

"What are you so afraid of?" he asked.

Raina paused a second to consider whether to tell him or not, but she couldn't afford to risk all those lives by revealing the truth. Not until she made sure that everything went according to plan, so she said, "I will tell you exactly where to find the obelisk." Coulson reached for his earpiece and was about to ask for Hunter to start moving, but Raina had said the name he so wished she hadn't. "It needs to be Skye."

The whole team was silent as they listened to the whole conversation. No one dared to make a move, even breathing loudly seemed to add to the tension.

Innocent lives were at risk, and just one wrong move, everything could go falling to pieces. They realized that it wasn't the obelisk that was the danger in this situation, but whatever it was that Raina was so scared of that was inside the playhouse.

Hunter already accepted that one of his arms wouldn't make it by the end of that day, and was about to leave the van when Raina, through the communicating device, said Skye's name, thus making the silence in the van more unbearable.

"I'm not letting Skye-" they heard Coulson say before the line went dead. Coulson turned off the intercom.

Skye knew that both May and Hunter were staring at her; she could almost swear she could feel their eyes burning holes on her back. But her mind was spinning with informations about everything that she gathered these past days. And with this unexpected turn of events that involve dozens of innocents, Skye wanted to tear her head apart. How did she end up being at the center of such life and death situation, Skye wondered.

After what felt like hours, Coulson's voice echoed through the speakers.

"Skye, I need you here." he said, his voice filled with an emotion she couldn't quite grasp the meaning behind it.

"Coulson," May started. "You cannot be considering this. She could be lying for all we know."

They heard Coulson sigh, "Believe me, I wouldn't let her go if I know there was no other choice. But it needs to be her."

"Why?" May asked.

But it wasn't Coulson who answered her question. "Because I'm an 084." Skye said, as the realization hit her. "Because there's a chance it won't work on me. Because I am an 084." she repeated.

Hunter glanced at the two ladies with a confused look before exclaiming, "She's a what?!" but everyone ignored him.

"I'm sorry, Skye." was all that Coulson managed to opened the rear door of the van and climbed off it.

"Skye," May called, her words lost in her mouth.

Skye looked at her SO, a gentle, worried expression shown on May's face, suddenly made the fierce woman that she was seem so fragile, before she gave her a weak smile. "I'll be fine." she said and walked to where both Raina and Coulson stood.

"I'm here, now what?" Skye said, as she pretended to act normal as she approached them. She wrapped her stomach with both her hands to keep herself from shaking. For some reason, she suddenly felt ill with the seriousness of this mission. But she wouldn't show it to them. She will do what they were asking from her to do. And once it's done, she will do what she had came here to do, and that was to learn the truth about her father.

"I can't afford you to send anyone after her, so I need you to let me talk to her alone." Raina said in a serious tone.

"If you're pulling a trick on us.." Coulson said.

"I'm not." Raina promised.

Coulson walked a few feet away, far away enough not to hear them but near enough to stop Raina in case she decided to hurt Skye.

Once sure that he couldn't hear them, Raina smiled at Skye.

"Hello, Skye." Skye rolled her eyes but didn't say a word. "I will tell you where you can find the obelisk, but how you're going to get it, is up to you."

"Can we just skip to the chase and just tell me where it is." Skye snapped.

Raina smiled sadly, and what came out of her mouth was not what Skye expected. "It's with your father."

So what did you think? Quite a sucky cliffhanger but don't worry chapter 4 is on it's way.