Hey! Next chapter for you all!
Small note: I have as of right now exhausted basically all the writing I had stored up for this story. I don't think I'll be able to write till after I finish my essay due Thursday. But I'll try to get the update out in no longer than a week!
Thanks all!
Can't wait for tonight's episode! :)
Disclaimer: I don't own this stuff. I just play with it.
So far the trip had been extremely quiet. Everyone was on edge, clutching their guns, ready for any movement.
Phil watched a bead of sweat slide down the side of May's face.
He would rather be fighting than wait for an attack to come at any moment.
The farther along they went, the more tense everyone got.
Coulson watched a chain hanging from the ceiling swing back and forth.
Finally they got halfway through their planned route.
The chain swung back and forth.
Back and forth.
Back and forth.
Back and forth.
Coulson glanced at May. Her face was stiff and hard, her eyes darker than he had seen in a long time.
Absentmindedly he wondered what Skye was doing.
She had said she didn't like Garret because of his shoes.
The five year old had said some pretty crazy things. After all, she shut down when she saw apple slices and regularly had conversations with a doll. But behind the creative imagination, things always made some sort of sense. There were always patterns, some harder to find than others.
The van jolted on a pothole and Coulson was shaken out of his thoughts. What was he doing? Thinking about a five year old's thought process while waiting to be attacked?
He briefly wondered if he even had the same brain he had before Skye had entered his life. Sometimes it felt like that was a no.
"We're here," someone announced.
There was a sort of stunned silence. Nobody knew quite what to do.
"Either they didn't take the bait or…"
Or one of the four people who knew the true plan had betrayed them.
May was out of the question. Fury was also above suspect.
That left….
Garret.
Phil's eyes widened.
Suddenly little pieces came together.
"He was not even aware of the raids until the second one…" Fury's voice echoed in his head.
The only successful raid, the one where Skye was recovered, was the one Garret had not had any knowledge on. The rest of the times, they had known SHEILD was coming.
Garret knew the location of the safe house after he babysat. And it was only after then the agents had run into them at the local mall.
His shoes.
What if Skye recognized those shoes from some hazy memory from the lab?
Phil looked up and met May's gaze. Her eyes were wide, mirroring the panic he was sure was visible on his face as well.
Garret was their leak.
And he was with Skye.
"Looks like it's just the two of us, kiddo," Garret smiled. Skye didn't react, just stared at him blankly.
And suddenly she remembered why those shoes looked familiar.
They had poked her with a needle again and the world was going black. She fought it, not wanting to sink away. She was scared, but the quickly enclosing darkness was scarier. Somehow she managed to stumble out of the chair but collapsed to the ground. She lay still on the ground, darkness finally becoming too much and rushing up to meet her. Right before the world disappeared, she saw a pair of worn cowboy boots stepping towards her.
Garret had been at the lab.
Skye's gaze changed to one of horror and she took a step back.
Garret's smile changed to a sneer.
"I was certain you wouldn't remember me. You were unconscious the only time I visited you, but it seems you somehow do in fact finally remember me."
Skye bolted.
Garret was prepared and Skye wasn't fast enough. He grabbed her wrists, holding her tight.
"Daddy! Mommy!" Skye screamed.
"Well isn't that precious." Garret smiled. "But it's time for you to stop playing little girl and to find out what you really are."
Skye felt a prick on the back of her neck and the world went black.
"It was Garret. They're gone. He disabled all the cameras and alarms, he must have taken information on them last time he was here to learn how to shut them down. We have no idea where he went…" Fury turned and began talking to other agents, laying out plans, talking about taking actions…
May didn't hear a word he was saying.
Instead her gaze was fixed on a toy on the carpet.
May slowly picked up Elsa from where she lay strewn on the floor, examining the doll.
Her hands were shaking.
She didn't know if it was from anger or fear.
Oh God. This couldn't be happening.
But Elsa was still lying in her hands, her caretaker absent.
May felt her ability to function slipping away.
Just like with the images and thoughts that haunted her from Bahrain, she attempted to shut down her mind.
She couldn't.
She saw Skye scared, Skye crying with nobody to comfort her, Skye hurt…
The anger and fear swelled in her chest, consuming her entire conscience, drowning out all else…
A touch on her shoulder jolted her and she looked up to see Phil crouched next to her.
Silently he took the doll from her hands, stroking the platinum hair. He turned, and she saw the fear in his blue eyes.
Wordlessly, he embraced her and she silently clutched him tightly. Finally they broke apart and May had regained some semblance of her composure.
"Someone is going to pay," she said finally, pulling out her gun.
The venom in her gaze made even the most experienced agents shrink back.
"Wait," Coulson caught her hand. "We do this together."
May looked at him evenly for a moment then nodded.
When Skye woke up, she was in a white room.
Her body felt so heavy and her head hurt a lot. She felt like she was swimming through syrup, trying to get to the surface and reach clarity, but she was trapped trying to get through the thickness.
The feelings were sickening familiar.
Skye closed her eyes, not wanting to believe this was actually happening.
She opened them again.
It was real.
And Skye was very very scared.
She knew Phil and May weren't with her, but she had to check anyway. Maybe they would sweep in and rescue her.
"Daddy," she croaked, the word catching in her dry throat. "Mommy."
There was no reply.
Skye slowly eased her tiny body into a sitting position, tears beginning to escape down her face as she looked around the empty room.
One wall was made completely out of glass, including the door. A woman was standing on the other side, staring in.
Skye shrunk against the bed, trying to disappear.
Take in the area, and most importantly, stay calm.
May's words from a threat assessment lesson rang in Skye's head.
Stay calm.
Skye took a deep breath.
She would stay calm for Phil and May. They would find her, she knew it. Because that was what mommies and daddies did.
She just had to be brave for them until they found her.
So Skye sat up and stared right back at the lady in the white coat.
May will kick your butt! Skye mentally told the lady, crossing her arms.
Their eyes locked for a moment. The lady seemed surprised that Skye was actually looking back at her for the first time. Then the lady diverted her gaze, avoiding eye contact with Skye, and quickly walked away.
Skye actually smiled very very slightly.
When the woman was gone, her smile faded and she drew her knees up to her chin.
She would wait for her Mommy and Daddy to come and get her.
