Akela wanted to try it again. Since transforming into a cybernetic machine, she discovered talking to computers as a technopath was rather thrilling. It intrigued her. She stole away a moment from her fellow operatives, entered Fitz's and Simmon's lab and placed her right arm over the plane's main cyber system. Within seconds, a metal tubing from her skin connected to the outlet and she began hacking into the system.
She saw it all. Accounts, government files, military secrets, and Wall Street performing some inside stock trading activities, she was not impressed. She had to admit though that the actually hacking did give her a natural high. She focused her attention to Voelker's accounts and went through his private files just as Grant Ward entered the room and observed his teammate doing some research.
"What's going on?" He asked her.
"I'm hacking into Voelker's private active accounts to see if I can find any recent transactions." She told him. Pausing for a moment, she brought up the computer screen monitors and displayed an image. "Does the name Mary Sue Poots ring a bell?"
Ward's eyes widened. "That's Skye's foster name!"
"Well she checked into a Parisan hotel close to where a Klaus Voorhees is staying at."
"That's Cobra!" Ward stated. "She's going after Cobra!"
"We better tell the team." Akela advised.
The tall agent disagreed. "Not just yet. I want to get to her as soon as we land in Paris."
"Why?" Agent Amador asked.
"I want this to be my mission." Ward explained. "I want to go undercover and prevent Skye from performing another kill. I want to convince her to come back to us."
"But she's been brainwashed by the Cat-People." Akela noted. "The Tigra spirit inside of her has taken over. You saw what she did to Black Mamba and Eel. She's a liability."
Ward shook her head. "I don't believe that. I know Skye is still in there. I just have to reach out to her and make her understand who and what she truly is."
"She's a killer, Ward!" Akela argued. "A wild animal and she needs to be put down."
"Agent Amador, please!" He begged. "Just give a couple minutes with her. I'm sure I convinced her to return to the right side!"
The experienced operative hesitated and sighed. "Fine, Ward. I won't say anything but the moment this all goes wrong, I'm notifying Coulson."
"Agreed." Ward nodded. "Thanks for doing this, Akela."
"I hope you're right, Ward." She sighed. "I hope you can get Skye back."
"Me too." He said sadly.
Paris, France
Built around 1910 during the Belle Epoque, the Hotel Paris France has served many visitors for nearly a century. Located in the city's majestic business and shopping district, the stone establishment has greeted guests and tourists as they pass the eight level building. It is the also best spot for a working girl to meet up with a client.
Klaus Voorhees slicked back what was left of his receding hairline as he glanced one more time in the elevator mirror and readjusted the tie of his expensive suit. The Reptoid reverted back to his human form and looked completely normal as observed in the reflection staring back at him. He was tall, had a rough square face that showed signs of needing a good shave, and his eyes, that once bore the tiny slit of a lizard in the pupils, now appeared normal and brown. Today was his day off and thankfully Dr. Voelker left him to his own devices for the duration of the day and he wanted to celebrate it in the company of a beautiful woman.
To be truthful, Klaus loved women. Certainly, he was an in-demand mercenary and hitman but even hired killers needed a break every once in a while. For him, his outlet was women. He enjoyed their company especially the physical connection and if it involved monetary compensation, he was willing to pay for it.
The elevator doors opened. Crossing into the bar, he talked with the host who led him toward the counter where a beautiful woman was sitting. She had long dark hair that fell behind her shoulders, dark eyes, and wore a revealing red dress that showed just enough skin to get him excited. He ordered a glass of whiskey and sat next to her.
"Miss Nelson?" He greeted as he took a sip of his drink. His eyes notice the beautiful teardrop pendant around her neck.
"Just Greer," she purred. "Miss Nelson is too formal. Please call me Greer."
"Greer." Klaus smiled. "The agency said you were the best."
She leaned in and gave him a seductive grin. "I'm a legend."
Her remark intrigued him. He wanted to know if her skills were indeed legendary. Stopping with the formalities, he went for the direct approach. "So, how much? One thousand?"
"Five thousand."
Klaus balked. "Five thousand? That's a little steep."
She placed a hand on his lap and squeezed his thigh. "I'm worth every penny."
The Cobra could not wait. He quickly downed his drink, paid for it, and grabbed her hand. Immediately, the two raced out of the bar and into the elevator. Greer's high heels dragged along the carpet, leaving a scuff mark as Klaus shoved her inside the lift and slammed her against the wall. She giggled in response and wrapped her arms around him, welcoming her body and allowing his strong limbs to entwine around her. Then he captured her with his mouth.
The kiss, to say the least, was awkward. Klaus mouth fumbled for a bit and Greer tried to keep up as he slobbered all over lips and salivated a large spittle of drool with his forked tongue. The working girl sighed, allowed him to finish kissing her as he led her away from the elevator and on to the top floor where his suite awaited them. He cut off the kiss for moment to fish out his keys from pocket.
Once the door opened, he pulled her inside and locked it behind her. Again, he awkwardly kissed her again and allowed his hands to wander. His fingers had gotten close to derriere when a sharp pain came across his mouth. He yelped, jumped back and touched his lips. He was bleeding.
Greer stared at him with a half-smirk.
"You bit me!" Klaus exclaimed. He watched as his companion laughed. Anger rose inside of him. "So you like to play rough, huh?" He marched toward the woman and slapped her hard.
To his surprise, Greer Nelson did not flinch. Instead, she moved her head toward him and grinned wickedly.
"What are you smiling at, bitch?" He hissed.
"You, dead man!" She spat. Her eyes turned a bright greenish yellow with a thin oval in the pupils while she bore a set of canine and teeth and claws. Klaus Voorhees noticed it and snarled.
"You're a Cat-Person! A Felis!"
"No!" She growled. "I'm the Tigra!" Immediately, she sprouted orange fur with black stripes as her tail formed from behind her red dress. She kicked off her high heels, which by now showed sharp nails extracting from her bare feet. Hunkering down, she lunged at the Reptoid.
Klaus was more than ready. He too transformed from human to reptile with his beige skin and platelet scales covering his face. His slit yellow eyes glowed in front of the Tigra and he leaped out of her path as she tried to claw him with her talons.
The Tigra landed on all fours. Cobra took this time to attack. Whipping out his forked tongue, he ensnared the cat-woman's wrist and yanked her toward the dresser on the other side of the room. Tigra slammed against the mirror, cracking each piece of glass while shards of the reflective service embedded against her neck and back. She hollered but then each piece of the shattered surface began to chip away and fall to the carpet. Her skin pushed out each of the shards and her body immediately started healing.
However, Cobra was not done with her yet. With his tongue still wrapped around her wrist, he pulled her forward and tossed her like a rag doll toward the lamp and nightstand by his bed. Tigra's body felt the impact hard as she broke the piece of furniture with her body. The Reptoid meant to bruise her badly until she was dead but the feline woman was having none of it.
Coming to her senses, she curled her fingers until the index and middle fingers reached around the tongue attached to her arm. Then with her sharp talons, she sliced through the bit of cartilage, forcing Cobra to retract his bleeding tongue back into his mouth. He screamed at the pain.
"Youf…bitfch! Youth cuth offth my tongufe!"
Blood dripped across her claws as she licked the scarlet liquid to taunt him. "What's a matter? Cat got your tongue?" She cackled as she pulled apart the torn pieces of his remaining appendage on her wrist.
His mouth drenched in blood, Cobra roared. He pounded his chest and darted toward the cat-woman. Tigra struck back. She sliced and swiped with her claws but the Reptoid was a much more worthy adversary. He grabbed her wrists before she could do any real damage and raced at her body at full speed. The pair collided against the barrier, crashing through the plaster into the next room and, in turn, tumbled to the floor in front of a pair old frightened married couple who were on holiday. They saw the two creatures wrestling and screamed.
"GETF OUTH!" Cobra yelled at them. The married duo grabbed each other and raced out of their suite as the Reptoid and Felis continued to battle it out right there in the room.
Cobra got the first blow. His brute strength proved advantageous as he struck Tigra in the jaw and sent her back to the floor. Seeing her moving tail, the mercenary grabbed the flexible appendage and yanked her hard and once again slammed her against the nearby wall and finished the job by tossing toward the ceiling and back again down on the ground. With the wind knocked out of her, Tigra took a minute to breathe but her enemy was faster as he kicked her face with his foot and pressed her head against the floor with his shoe.
"I'mfth goingth to enjoy squasfhing youth likfe a bugf!" He laughed. Tigra felt the weight of his foot pressing her face even further into the hotel floor so she knew she had to act fast.
Lifting her arm, she brought her claws forward. The sharp talons raked through his pant leg, ripped through the tendon of his scaly ankle and sent Cobra into an immeasurable pain of anguish. He grabbed his wounded ankle and limped back.
This gave time for her to strike. Jumping into the air, she landed a kick with both feet into the reptile man. Cobra flew back, struck the back of his head against the room's dresser and lay sprawled as the furniture collapsed underneath him. He made an attempt to get back up but Tigra sprinted on top of him. With her claws raised and her sharp teeth bared, she attacked.
Echoes of Cobra's screams filled the room as the sickening sounds of flesh tearing and blood splattering the walls could be heard. In a few minutes, the howling cries died out and so did the Serpent Society member. Tigra tossed back her head and grinned with a bloody smile plastered across her face. She had succeeded in her objective in killing Klaus Voorhees.
The door of the room suddenly burst open. A tall, dark haired man in a black jumpsuit with a red W insignia raced in with his gun pointed at her. She observed him with curiosity.
"Hands behind your head!" Agent Ward instructed the cat-woman.
Tigra laughed. "Looks like it's a good time for you to die today."
With his hands still steady and clutching his pistol, Ward eyes looked away from Tigra to the mutilated corpse of Cobra lying dead and bloody on a piece of destroyed furniture. "Good God, Skye. What have you done?"
Tigra sneered. "Skye's gone. It's only Tigra now." She growled as she got on all fours and crawled toward Ward.
Putting his gun away, he decided to use his words to reason with the woman. "Skye, listen, please. This isn't you."
Tigra giggled. "Oh, this is exactly me." She swept her foot, kicking Ward's leg from under him and caused him to fall backward against the floor. She then proceeded to hop on top him and straddle his chest until he was unable to move. A sharp claw tore through the jumpsuit, revealing his muscular bare pecs to which she caressed with an orange finger across the curves of his body until she reached the W-shaped scar over his heart. "What's this?" She asked with morbid fascination.
"An ionic control implant." He gulped. "The molecular structure of my body is unstable so they put the device inside of me to ensure that I don't go nuclear."
"So you're a prisoner of your own device too?" She asked sadly. Her glowing green eyes glanced at her pendant and slowly her orange skin became human until she looked like normal Skye again. Ward looked at her unmoving. She still had the same innocent eyes and ethereal face that he remembered.
"Skye, you have to stop this!" He said. "You're killing people! That's not you! It's the cat-spirit! It's controlling you!"
Tears filled her eyes. "I can't help it. The Tigra is too strong! When she's in possession of me, I can't control her! I can't fight her! I've killed! There's no going back after that!"
His head leaned in. "You have to! I can help. The team gave me a second chance. I want to do the same for you! Leave here now with me and come back to us!"
Her hand caressed his face. "It's not that easy, Ward. The Felis have a hold over me just like the Tigra does. They won't let me get me go!"
He reached up his hands to clutch her face. "No. You're not going anywhere. You're staying with me!"
"Ward…" She wept. "Why are you doing this?"
"Because Skye, I…" His voice started to say his reasons but he just could not. Instead, he showed her. Cupping her chin, he brought her face down to his. Their lips connected. Fire and electricity flowed through that kiss as everything that transpired between them from the betrayals, mistrust, and killings all went away and the only thing that matter was the two of them there together. Ward embraced her close and the hacker refused to let him go but she knew she had to.
Her mouth moved away from his as her eyes streaked with tears. "I'm sorry, Ward. I can't…I can't…"
She got off of him as she stood up on her feet. Agent Ward did the same and tried to comfort the distraught girl. He put his arms around her before a loud commotion filled the room.
"WARD! SKYE! SURRENDER NOW!"
Agent Coulson, followed by May, Triplett, Morse, and a worried Akela Amador, aimed their guns at the couple as they barged into the suite. Ward released Skye who appeared disoriented and confused to see her old friends.
"Agent Amador informed us of your secret mission, Ward!" Coulson snapped. "Not a good choice to get on my bad side!"
Ward frowned. "I'm sorry, sir. I had hoped to reason with Skye…"
"Save it!" Coulson yelled. "You did not follow protocol like I asked and, once again, you put my trust in you at arms' length! I had to coax the information about your plans from Akela! We'll discuss this further back on the bus!" He offered his hand to the hacker. "Skye, please. Come with us."
"Coulson…" She paused. "I can't…They won't…let me go… The Felis are my people!"
He tried to convince. "Skye! The Felis are not your people! They put this demon cat thing inside of you! They're using you!"
"I know but I don't have a choice…"
Her voice was cut off as something metallic crashed through glass of the suite window. A cloud of harsh smoke covered the room as the team felt the stinging effects of the contents.
"TEAR GAS!" Agent May shrieked. "EVERYONE COVER YOUR EYES AND MOUTH!"
They all cowered and coughed as the shadow of a figure growled through the haze. Coulson tried to adjust his eyes as he saw Skye suddenly transform back into the Tigra and knock out Ward with a fist to the face. Then with strength of a power lifter, she picked up the unconscious Ward and crashed through the broken window of the eighth floor of the hotel. The S.H.I.E.L.D. leader raced to the shattered opening to see the feline woman and his sleeping companion land safely on to the street where a getaway van had been parked in front. The Felis and Ward got in and zoomed off as the Coulson watched with a defeated look the two people of his team escaping.
Now he had two captives to worry about.
Skye remembered the kiss. Even that brief moment with Ward, it felt wonderful. She crossed the sand again, seeing the same pyramid structure in the background and finally sat down to rest as she knew trying to escape would be a futile effort.
No matter where she walked, she would always return to the same place.
Pulling her knees close to her chest, she heard the heartbeat of someone behind her. She got up, turned around and saw Ebrok in his cloak and robes smiling at her.
"You seem saddened, child."
"Why shouldn't I be?" She said defensively. "Once again, the Tigra has killed with my body and now I'm forced to betray my friends and keep my loyalties to the Felis! I still don't see what my role in all of this means!"
Ebrok frowned. "Yet, you still fight the truth. You see, my dear Skye, it was foretold of your coming.
"My coming? What the hell that does mean?"
"Long ago, the Tigra spirit was used as a guardian to protect all members of the Vala-Kuri, both the Felis and Reptoids. However, over the centuries, she has been corrupted to serve the needs solely of the Cat-People. It was been said that a special woman, born from the union of a Balkatar and a Felis, would be granted the Tigra spirit and purify the cat-soul of the guardian to finally unite the two races. You, Skye, are that woman!"
Skye shook her head. She did not believe it nor did she want to. Folding her arms, she glared at the shaman. "If I'm this uniter, then why the hell I am here? I can't help anyone in this place!"
"Patience, my dear Skye," he grinned. "You're fulfilling your duties while you're in this place. It will take a little more time. All I can suggest is that you build your strength. The Tigra spirit might appear strong but the person who wields the power is much more superior. When the time comes, you'll know what to do."
He walked past her toward a high mound of sand.
"All you do is speak in riddles!" She shouted. "What is my true purpose of being here?"
Ebrok nodded and smiled. "You'll know, in time my dear. Give it time."
With that, he disappeared.
Frustrated, Skye sat down on the ground again. She had a long wait.