CHAPTER EIGHT

It should have felt natural for Skye to work with Coulson, after all, he was like the father she never knew. So that made it feel even stranger to watch the Coulson next to her constantly look back at her like she was some new puzzle that had to be figured out. Once again Skye was having to prove her loyalty to SHIELD again, it just wasn't her SHIELD.

"So you didn't become the Director?" Skye asked, curious to learn more about the world she hopefully would be able to leave.

"No. That position was meant for Maria Hill," Coulson replied. "Though admittedly I was offered the job."

"And you turned Fury down," Skye replied, almost in disbelief. She couldn't imagine a better director for SHIELD, especially under the current circumstances.

"There were too many secrets, too many problems; I wasn't ready to take on a broken SHIELD." Coulson said, a hint of regret in his voice. "Too many lies."

"But that's what makes you the best for the job." Skye said knowingly. "You've been faithful despite the problems but understand how the system can ultimately tear it all down. You're vital to SHIELD. Your death even rallied the Avengers!"

"My death?" Coulson questioned, actually pausing for a moment to look at Skye.

"You didn't die in this universe? GH.325. Miraculous rise from the dead? Nothing?" Skye replied, thinking she had found a huge difference in the worlds.

"I did. I just… It's not something I usually talk about. I'm surprised I would confide in…" Coulson stopped talking.

"Me?" Skye said with an audible chuckle. "You assumed Coulson wouldn't confide in me. After all, to you I'm just a Rising Tide hacker. Well, admittedly for my Coulson I was just a Rising Tide hacker for awhile too. No, I know all about GH.325. It brought me back too."

"You found it?" Coulson said, surprised. "Garrett took it before we could get to it."

"Yeah, right in time. It saved my life," Skye said with a small smile. "We haven't quite figured out at what costs yet."

Coulson stared off down the hall silently, looking like he had the world on his shoulders. Skye was used to the behavior, especially when they talked about GH.325 and how it had brought both of them back. They had yet to fully understand exactly what the mysterious alien drug was and exactly what it had done to them. She hoped one day she could get back and continue finding out. She felt she was closer to it than she even realized.

"They're here." Coulson said, bringing the matter of the GH.325 to a close. Skye grabbed her ICER and got in position.

A heavily armed Hydra agent came around the corner. Skye burst into action, the months of grueling training May had put her through now coming naturally. Skye shot the Hydra agent in the chest, but before he could even hit the ground more came from around the corner. Skye could hear the pops of Coulson's ICER as well as the sound of guns as the Hydra agents began to fire. Skye ran into the middle of the Hydra agents, barely missing a bullet. She ICEd one, sending him to the floor, but another was on her immediately. The Hydra agent pulled his gun up, but Skye managed to kick the gun before he could fire. She moved to shoot him with the ICER, but it was knocked out of her hands. Instead she improvised, Punching the Hydra agent and sending him to the floor.

She slid down to the floor herself and made for her ICER. Coulson was locked in a gun battle, having taken a couple of agents out himself, but Skye could see that he was about to lose. She fired a shot, taking out the Hydra agent before he could fire. With one last lunge and a single pop, they had taken the Hydra agents left.

There was just one person left.

Miles had begun to retreat, probably certain that without his Hydra body guards he stood no chance against SHIELD. It didn't take much for Skye to catch up, but instead of shooting she slammed him up against the wall, pinning him by the throat with her elbow.

"Hello Miles," Skye said, an almost manic grin on her face. Miles' eyes widened in complete and utter shock. He didn't know who Skye was, that she was actually a highly trained SHIELD agent and literally a different person than he knew. He only saw her as his fellow hacker.

"Sk...Sk… Skye…" Miles' stammered. "How did you…? When did you…?"

"Hydra, Miles, really?" Skye said, anger in her tone. "Hydra? You've been in bed with Hydra this whole time? What happened to information is free. Information is for the people. I guess you really meant information is for the highest bidder. Well, you picked the wrong side."

Skye didn't wait for him to reply, she just punched him, sending him to the floor.

Coulson jogged up to them after spending time securing the fallen Hydra agents. "Who did you say your SO was?" he asked, taking a look around not hiding the impressed look on his face.

Skye just laughed.


"Welcome to SHIELD."

Skye was now on a mission for SHIELD. Running through the hallways with a man she barely knew, working with an organization that up to five minutes ago she believed to be the bad guy. Was this all really happening?

Could it really be like the other Skye said; could she really find a family? It was no secret that the only reason she had joined the Rising Tide was to find information about her family – anything that would make her feel like she wasn't alone.

This other Skye looked like she had it all figured out. Skye would have to be blind not to notice the differences between the two. This other Skye had this confidence and sense of belonging that Skye had always dreamed about. It all seemed too easy to believe that joining SHIELD would give her everything she wanted.

Skye looked ahead at the SHIELD agent that was leading her around. Ward, she believed his name was. He played the stereotypical government agent role perfectly. He was tall, dark and handsome with muscles in places she didn't even know were supposed to have muscles. She never thought she could fit in with people like this. They were straight laced and single minded. How could she find a family with people like this?

"So, you figured out the truth about the Rising Tide."

Skye looked up at Agent Ward as he spoke. "A Hydra affiliate. Honestly if I didn't see it for myself I wouldn't believe it."

"It's hard to see through something when we are looking so hard for something else." Ward hadn't stopped moving, but his eyes flickered back and caught Skye's. His gaze bore all the way into her soul.

"I don't… I'm a hacktivist. I was there to fight for justice." Skye said, pretending to be confused by what Ward had said. "At least I thought I was."

"I had a mentor – John Garrett – that I once thought was going to give me everything I wanted too. He promised me a life better than the one I had already messed up. For a while he had me fooled. Then I realized that greed and power was all that drove him."

"What happened to him?"

"He is now a leader in Hydra," Ward said, a small amount of bitterness in his voice. "And I am an agent of SHIELD – determined to stop Garrett, Hydra and all they stand for."

"Sounds like you found where you are supposed to be, even without your mentor," Skye replied.

"Sooner or later, you realize what is right, and what isn't." Ward said knowingly. "Sometimes you try so hard to find what you've lost that you don't realize what you need is right there."

Skye thought about it quietly, not wanting to look at Ward. She joined the Rising Tide because she was hurt. She was a little girl with too much talent and no family. But the secrets and lies of hackers weren't any better. Most of them were just as broken as she was, with no real desire to open up and let others in. They spent their lives pretending that they were freeing information, where really they were just spilling the secrets of others to keep from spilling their own.

"Hydra." Ward said, the hairs on the back of his neck bristling.

From the other end of the corridor came a few Hydra agents. Ward took down the hall, trying to take them out before they could get a chance to retaliate. He managed to take out a few before one took a swing at him, his gun flying from his hand and skidding down the hall. Ward immediately punched back, his superior training, and Skye was pretty sure superior muscles, easily overpowering the Hydra agent.

That only left one, and his gun was pointed right at Ward.

Skye reacted, not even knowing what part of her had taken over. She grabbed Ward's fallen gun and fired before she could think. The kick back sent her backwards slightly as her breath caught. But the bullet had found it's mark and the Hydra agent fell.

"Thanks," Ward said, a genuine smile on his lips.

Skye could only shake her head nervously. She had never fired a gun, much less shot anyone, even if it was with some special government bullet that didn't kill.

Ward walked over to her and put his hand on her shoulder. She could feel his strength in his touch, which immediately calmed her and sent a tingle up her spine. "Maybe you do have what it takes to be a SHIELD agent he said," his eyes now with a warmth that replaced the mistrust they had held earlier.

Skye smiled. She was starting to feel what the other Skye was talking about. She was starting to feel like she belonged.