Previously: Now that they've realized the chips in Skye and Lincoln's heads not only had the ability to cause them pain but can be tracked, the team insisted they disengage them. Neither were thrilled with this idea, but knew it had to be done.

Present Day

"Skye? Wake up, Skye."

The girl gasped awake, her body lunging forward on the med bench.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Simmons said, laying her hands on Skye as though calming a nervous child. Still, it was hard to miss her hesitancy. "It's ok, we're at the Playground. We just disengaged the chip, that's all."

Skye remained frantic but she didn't try to run. That was a good start. Though she did eye herself warily, as if checking that they hadn't taken her kidney or something similarly important and attached to her.

Lincoln went rushing forward. His presence seemed to sooth her and Coulson wanted the man in the room when Skye awoke based on the description of her initial response on the plane.

She ducked close into the Inhuman's chest. Her eyes darted away from him as she clearly noticed Coulson, Morse, Simmons and Fitz staring at her, and by the looks of the girl their attention did not please her. She scowled and cut off the embrace.

Skye swallowed, her face softening as she looked to Simmons. "So it's gone for good?"

"Well, not exactly…" Simmons replied sadly.

"What?" Skye exclaimed hotly.

"I'm sorry Skye, but we couldn't do it without… well, to put it plainly, without killing you. The way it's been integrated with your nerves, it'd be impossible."

"But…" Skye trailed off, obviously at a loss of words. Like she was grieving.

"It's ok," Lincoln assured quickly, his hand finding her shoulder. "They turned them off."

"Exactly," Fitz piped up. "We were able to negate them. It will never work again, we promise."

Skye lifted a hand tentatively, feeling the spot that had been shaved and cut into. She dropped it with a sigh.

"Coulson," she said, pinning her eyes to the man's face after they'd been resigned to the ground for a while. "How… how long were we… gone?"

"Eight months," he told her immediately.

To be honest, he'd hoped something else would come out of her mouth. He wanted nothing more than to let her know he was so happy she was alright and that they'd been found alive after missing for such a time.

But he'd been ready for any person to be brought back. Eight months… it was long enough to be dealing with someone cut to pieces inside and out. For their old selves to be long gone, to be scared of human touch.

If Skye wasn't begging for a reunion hug he was perfectly fine with that, so long as he could help her, as well as Lincoln, heal in any way he was able. Right now, that was by answering her questions.

"Can you tell me where we were?" Skye asked eagerly, every word on edge. Like the answer was some game she had huge stakes in.

"We found you in the Hoh Rainforest," Coulson explained. "It's in Washington."

Skye nearly mouthed the word, as though puzzled and trying to sound it out for herself.

"You were right about the rainforest," Lincoln said with a smirk.

Skye tried to return it half-heartedly, but set her sights on getting off the bed and nearer to Coulson.

"I missed you," she told him through a thick voice, tears brimming in her eyes. "A lot."

"We missed you too," he said. "Things aren't the same without you two. Mack and Hunter didn't have anyone to think of nicknames for, Tremors."

"She did pretty well turning that on me, actually," Lincoln said.

Coulson wanted to hug her. Maybe Lincoln, too. But her arms were wrapped protectively around her chest and he knew that would be breaking a personal boundary at the moment, despite how many times she'd surprise attacked him with the gesture.

"Can we talk… alone?" asked Skye.

Coulson nodded. "We can go to my office."

"Perfect," Simmons said. "I can take the time to examine Lincoln. Your ankle looks enflamed."

Lincoln began answering as to why, but Coulson didn't really hear him. He'd just opened the door and gestured for Skye to go out when she shouted at him.

"Hey," she hissed. "I can do that myself."

He blinked. "I never said you couldn't."

Skye inhaled sharply. "I-I- um… I just…" She took a deep, steadying breath. "Do you mind if I walk… behind you?"

He nodded. "Whatever you want," he told her.

"Thanks," she told him, shuffling back as to give him room to exit.

Coulson swallowed. He was prepared for the worst, but he'd truly hoped it wouldn't manifest.

She's trying. She's only been out of there a few hours, she'll get better.

Skye walked into his office and immediately began scanning the room, her arms huddled at her sides. Worried someone would pop out?

"The base is secure," he assured her, shutting the door.

Her eyes widened at the noise as she spun around. "Wait! I…. can you leave that open? Please?"

He did so until it was wide as it could be and moved away so Skye could feel accessible to such. Though he wasn't entirely sure this was the best move, she could just as easily be worried about someone coming in. Especially after asking to speak alone.

"I'm sorry I'm so jumpy."

"Please don't apologize," Coulson asked.

Skye acted as though he didn't speak. "It's just like… I want to be away from everyone but I don't like… enclosed rooms so much, I guess. And I really want to be with Lincoln all the time but Simmons keeps talking about tests and I don't think I can be around the lab but Lincoln shouldn't be denied medical-"

"Hey," Coulson cut off her rambling, and pacing too, as he clutched her hands.

She whipped her hands out of his grip immediately, but played off the gesture as she ran her fingers through her hair.

"I'm talking too much, right?" She scoffed. "I guess that's what happens when you're in solitude… think you'd get used to the silence, but apparently it's the other way around." Skye laughed, no humor whatsoever in the gesture.

"You're doing fine," Phil told her tenderly. "But if you want to talk that's great. I've already contacted Andrew-"

Skye was shaking her head. "No. We're debriefing now. Bobbi said Kane's on the run and if there's any chance we can nab him with Lincoln and I's intel, we'll tell you everything we know."

"Skye…" Coulson implored, his hands finally dropping to his sides after being held awkwardly before him.

He didn't want to have her relive months of…. whatever they'd been through just after a few hours.

Coulson couldn't imagine what she and Lincoln had been subjected to. Experiments? Forced to work for organizations like Hydra using their powers? He didn't know. The other Inhumans at the base that had come from the same facility were sketchy on details due to fear, and Skye and Lincoln had been there months longer than those people.

"I want to," she said. "Trust me, we've been through worse than a chat with our friends. I just… have a couple questions."

"Of course," he said.

"We couldn't ask very many, before…"

"You don't need an explanation. You're not a prisoner anymore."

Skye's lips pursed as she tried to hold back tears.

Oh god, what did he say wrong?

"We weren't prisoners to them. We were assets… or even just, property." Her glossy eyes met his. "We weren't ever treated like…" She cut herself off as she purposefully cleared her throat, eyes regaining focus as her mind came back from wherever it had run off to. "It sucked, is what I mean."

"You don't have to shrug this off-"

"Ok , but how did you find us? And… what took so long?"

He knew she didn't mean it, but there was a desperate accusation hidden in the cracked words.

"We had no clues as to where you were. Not until a few days ago."

"That's probably when we escaped…" Skye muttered. "Obviously we didn't do a very good job."

"You did something. Raina couldn't see you at all with her visions before that. We… we assumed the worst, for a while."

"Raina? Right, Bobbi mentioned…"

"She found us about a month after you left. And she's been helping to find a few others."

"Good," Skye said, nodding absent mindedly. "I'll talk to them soon…"

"There's no rush. They've been here a while."

"Ok, but I do want to talk. Before I get… examined or before anything else. Except, I just have one question."

Coulson anticipated she'd ask this question sooner rather than later.

Even if he wished it could have been 'never'.

Author's Notes:

Hmm so Raina and the other Inhumans came back seven months before Skye and Lincoln. I wonder why that is...? Though this chapter was meant to serve as a chap that adds to the mysteries, if you are confused please pm me!

Flashback chapter up next :) Thank you for all feedback!