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I have someone that would like to meet you. Call it something of a family reunion if you will. Hong Kong, the old Centipede facility where Scorch was. 2nd floor. Thursday 11 PM. Come alone.

-Raina

Skye watched as Coulson, Ward and May read the messages. Everyone else had left already to carry out their tasks assigned to them. Ward's expression closed off as he finished reading but May's expression remained the same- cool and collected as ever. Coulson, however, looked a little panicked.

"You can't go." He said immediately after finishing. Ward nodded in agreement but May remained silent.

"Don't you see? I have to. I can finally get answers from Raina and my parents-." Skye protested, slamming her laptop shut.

Ward folded his arms, "No. It's too dangerous. It could be a trap- Raina's obsessed with evolution and I'll get she'd jump at the chance to cut you open and examine you."

"Not to mention that whoever your parents are, they massacred an entire village and killed the agent that brought you to the orphanage. No offense, Skye. If you don't give them exactly what they want, they'll destroy you, Skye." Coulson reasoned, "How did you get this message anyway?"

"It just appeared on my screen… They must've hacked my laptop directly…but that's impossible." Skye opened her laptop again and began to pull up tabs, typing quickly.

"How impossible?" Coulson asked sharply. Skye looked up to see him exchange a look with May.

"Uhm, well, the only person that would be able to crack my system is Miles because he knows me so well-," she saw Ward stiffen visibly out of the corner of her eye, "-but even this would be a stretch for him. I mean, whoever did it would have to have a skill set double that of Miles and he's insanely good. Like, the best in the world."

"Would it be easier for them to hack in if they are close?"

"Mmm mm. It's not a proximity thing. I tried to trace the hack but they were in and out in just seconds. They weren't in there long enough to do anything but leave the message."

"You can't go to the meet. It's too dangers." Coulson repeated, then turned to May, "I want security on alert. Do a scan of the exterior and interior of the base. Manually go through all security feeds. Notify Billy and try for Fury." May turned on her heel and exited. Coulson turned back to Skye and Ward, "Skye, I don't want you going on the mission anymore. I will not compromise your safety like that."

Skye stood quickly, opening her mouth to argue but her commanding officer had already diverted his attention to Ward.

"And you. Are you in contact with Raina? Did you tell her that Skye knows about her background? Were you instructed to do so?"

"Coulson" Skye said, shocked at the coldness of Coulson's tone, but she was ignored.

Ward uncrossed his arms, "Absolutely not, sir. I would never compromise her safety either." Coulson and Ward held a staring match that made Skye feel as though she were a teenager watching her father and boyfriend argue over her.

"You need me on this mission." Skye said loudly, hoping to break their attention and turn it back to her, "it's too late to change the plan now."

Coulson didn't look away, "I think it's too much of a coincidence. You're about to go on a mission with Garrett's right hand man as your only backup and suddenly Raina, who healed Garrett once before, wants you to meet up with her? I don't buy it."

"Sir, I was loyal to Garrett, not Hydra. Raina's a free spirit- she was never loyal to Hydra or Centipede, or even Garrett. She has her own agenda and only God knows what the hell it is. There is no connection, no contact. She is manipulative and seeks only what's in her best interests. The moment she left Garrett and I, connections were cut."

"If they can hack my personal laptop, then it won't take her long to find me here. I'm no safer here than on the mission. Besides, I don't think Raina would use force to drag me here. She's all about manipulation, like Ward said, seducing and luring people where she wants them."

"Isn't that what she's doing to you now?" Ward pointed out and Skye swiveled to glare at him. They would deal with that comment later.

"C'mon, AC, I'll have Robot here with me, and he already promised to protect me. Even if he's not very trustable, you can't deny that he's got killer combat moves."

She watched as Coulson contemplated. Cutting her eyes to Ward, she saw that her former SO had his brow furrowed in concern, also watching Coulson.

"I'll think about it. I've nearly lost you once before and I don't plan on doing so again." Coulson said, his voice firm by expression gentle.

"Think fast," Skye said under her breath.

"You're still not going to the meet." Coulson added and Skye hummed an ambiguous response as AC left.

"Come on, prisoner, let's get you down to the lab for some more tests," Skye tucked her laptop under her arm.

"You know I hate it when you call me that," Ward said in a pained voice. Skye stood on her tiptoes and put her face right up to his, their breaths mingling.

"But it's pretty sexy, you have to admit," She breathed. He seemed to lean forward unconsciously, his eyes on her lips but she pulled away and returned to the flats of her feet.

"Aren't you going to cuff me?" He held out his wrists, masking the innuendo with his poker face.

Skye swatted his hands down, "it's more of a formality than anything. Plus, if you don't want me calling you that then you should have considered it before you went over to the dark side." She saw his jaw twitch slightly and made up for her biting words by slipping her hand into his and leading him out of the briefing room.

Upon entering the lab, Ward stopped and Skye tugged him forward, but to no avail.

"Simmons is waiting in the back," She said, but when he still didn't move, she turned to him questioningly. He reached out and took the laptop from under her arm and set it on a nearby counter. Then he took her unoccupied hand in his own big calloused one.

She gazed up at his chocolate brown eyes, sinking into them, becoming completely mesmerized.

"Don't go to that meet up with Raina." He begged eyebrows furrowed.

She sighed, "Ward…"

"No. It's too dangerous-,"

"You said that already," She huffed, trying to look away but he brought her face back to his before grasping both hands in his again.

"Why did you tell me?"

He looked momentarily surprised, "What?"

She repeated, slower, "Why did you tell me what she discovered?"

"Because you deserved to kn-."

"Exactly." She slipped her hands out of his and picked up her laptop, "Don't worry, I'll take back up with me," she called over her shoulder. Skye caught sight of his reflection in the glass doors before the slid open for her. He was standing exactly where she left him, arms dangling at his sides, looking utterly helpless.

"Ahhh, it's nice to be back," Skye sighed contently as she threw back the door of her bunk on the Bus, "I mean, the room in the Playground is nice, but this is cozy, more homey." She continued, throwing her bag down on the bed.

"Where do you think Ward will stay? Triplett took over his bunk…" Fitz wondered aloud as he carried his own belongings into his respective bunk next to Skye's.

She leaned on his doorway, "Fitz. I don't think Ward will be staying in a bunk anytime soon."

Fitz looked up stubbornly, "He can't stay in the Cage forever."

"Oh, I think AC plans to keep it that way," Skye said airily as said Director and Trip escorted the prisoner into the Cage on the other end of the plane. Ward caught her eye just as he was about to enter the cell and winked roguishly. She had to suppress a shiver. How the hell does one make a wink so sexy?

"Aw, come one, I can't even wink," Fitz lamented from behind her and Skye returned to her bunk.

"Don't worry, I think Simmons is enraptured enough with you as it is," Skye could already imagine the Scotsman's ears growing pink and she couldn't resist adding, "All you left to do is make Simmons stop running tests on Trip and eyeing his smooth body."

"Wait, what? Skye? Skye!" Fitz pounded on her door but she already locked and slipped her headphones on, waiting for May to announce liftoff.


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