Previously: In Skye and Lincoln's story, Skye has just bee ushered off to her first fight after meeting an Inhuman named Naja and picking a fight with Raina. In the present day, Skye and Lincoln have started debriefing to Bobbi in the interrogation room.
Present Day
"It was like they were breaking mustangs or something. Everyone there was just animals to them," said Lincoln. His voice held a dim hatred, the embers of smothered flame.
"Raina said as much," Bobbi told him.
"God, and Raina," Skye scoffed. "She was like an abused puppy. I was… cruel, to her" Skye buried her head in her hands. "It was all screwed up."
Tears manifested from fury and sadness, making it clear Skye was getting a little off track. A little too emotional.
"I heard you mention a Naja?" Bobbi prompted.
"Yeah..." Skye said, hesitantly. Like she was daring to hope.
"She's here, with Raina and a few other gifteds."
"Really?" asked Lincoln. "How many have you found?"
"Just eleven," Bobbi said regrettably. "Raina's told us there were a lot more."
"Tons," Skye scoffed, her hope squashed like a bug under a boot.
"Their chips are making it difficult for the visions to find them, but some have managed to deactivate them…"
Lincoln's hands balled into fists, so subtly Bobbi nearly didn't catch it. Nearly.
Skye rubbed his fingers apart. "We'll find them. We'll be better and find them for real this time, for their safety," she promised.
Fitz watched from the window. The way Skye touched Lincoln, the way she felt him for pure comfort. Then he saw how Lincoln tried not to do the same, attempted to resist, but found himself hanging off of her for support as well.
It was like when Fitz had first been hurt. When he'd needed Jemma, and she hadn't been there. Though, he'd realized, she'd left for his own good. He'd been using her comfort to feed his self-pity. Skye and Lincoln, they seemed to be supplying feasts for one another.
It was good for now. But… they shouldn't stay isolated like that.
He walked towards the door.
"Fitz?" Jemma called. "Don't you want to hear about…"
She trailed off, for clear enough reasons. No one wanted to hear about what they were saying. About his friends fighting? About what those people made them do? No, he certainly did not need to hear about it.
Frankly, he had questions of his own.
He didn't answer Simmons and went over to the lab. Predictably, Raina and Naja were hanging around.
"Hello Fitz!" Naja greeted enthusiastically, near rushing up to him.
"Hey," he said.
When Naja had first arrived, he and Simmons had been quite taken by her appearance. She and Raina were the first two Inhumans they'd seen with outward bodily changes, and it intrigued the scientists.
Naja had since seemed equally interested with him as well.
Which could be fine, even with her being a scaled creature, if Jemma and him weren't… trying something.
Things had been so chaotic and emotional after what had happened to Simmons as well as the kidnapping so they were a mess. But something was going on.
Not today though. Skye, Lincoln…. They didn't need to know about relationship issues.
"Have you had any visions today, Raina?" Fitz asked. Naja was slightly put out from the attention not being directed at her, evidenced by her pouty lip.
She sighed. "I haven't. It's getting harder and… the more I try, the more painful it is."
"You have to keep trying."
"I know," she said, eyeing him skeptically. Her golden eyes widened. "You found them."
"Yes."
"Found who?" asked Naja, slightly petulant. Like she was being kept out of the loop. She was barely more than a teenager, after all.
"Skye and Lincoln," Raina said. "Their main concern."
"You found them? But… I thought he still-"
"They're here, and that's what matters," Fitz said. "What also matters is that in less than a day, they've been able to give us double the information that any of you gifteds have put together!"
Raina and Naja both curled inward. Naja even began to emit a soft glow.
"We were… scared," she admitted.
"Scared-" Fitz scoffed. "Plenty of… plenty of them out there are scared!" he shouted. "And you two should know that! You've been where they are."
"If we told you anything, he could have known," Raina pleaded.
"And here you were pretending to help us…" Fitz said incredulously, pacing with his hands on his hips. "What Skye said about you faking your death to act the hero is starting to sound rather likely."
"No!" Raina shouted. "I wanted to help find the Inhumans. I didn't want you to find… him."
"But that's where Skye and Lincoln have been this whole time!"
Raina's looked to the side. "I know," she said in a small voice. "But I was not aware of his location until a few days ago, I swear!"
"Yeah, bugger off," Fitz said, adding a wave of dismissal. "Every extra moment they were in that place, being tortured or fighting or whatever the hell happened for seven extra months is on you."
"Fitz…" Naja started.
"Oh don't 'Fitz' me!" he said. "It's on you as well. And if either of you have a decent bone left in your bodies, maybe you'll try to see if you can help."
"How can we help?" Naja asked.
"Oh, I don't know," he said sardonically. "Maybe actually talk for once."
Raina scowled. "You're acting like we went through nothing," she spat.
"Of course you went through something. You went through something seven months ago for half the time they've been gone. Now it's time to help."
"I'll try," Naja said quietly.
"Fine then," Leo hissed, beginning to walk away.
"Fitz," said Raina.
He stopped. "What?"
"They won't go through what you did," she promised. "They won't be alone."
He stayed quiet, for a moment. "You've seen it?"
"I just know it," she said. "They've changed, but they won't be alone," she repeated. "Even if they try not to take your help, you people all always so determined to give it. Eventually, they'll accept it."
"Good," he said, walking away without so much as turning around.
Author's Notes:
Based on the cliffy last time I'm sure you guys would rather know what happened next 8 months ago... but see what those awesome reviews did? Thank you! I'm updating right on time. I'd love some more on the next chap :)