So, time to tie up a few loose ends with this mission... thought I'd do this chapter from Skye's POV since we haven't heard from her for a bit :)
It was odd to see so many unknown agents scurrying around the bus. Skye watched them from her position in the cargo hold, propped up on a makeshift gurney and resigned to her fate, her keen eyes taking in the proceedings. She sighed, annoyed that there was nothing better for her to do. Or rather, nothing she was currently allowed to do.
"Still sulking?"
The young woman looked around in time to see Agent Ward walking up the cargo ramp, the neon lights of the bus illuminating his breath in the cold night air.
"This is so dumb," Skye complained as he made his way over and leaned against the bed before folding his arms. "I could be helping right now," she told him seriously.
"You really couldn't," he shot back, smirking fondly at her ridiculously relentless determination.
"Yeah well…" she continued, pouting, "I still don't see why I have to just sit around out here."
"It's a precaution Skye, I'm sure these medics know what they're doing."
"I hope so." The pair looked up in unison at the sound of Coulson's voice as he descended the spiral staircase above them. "That's why I called them in," he continued, coming to a halt beside the gurney.
Skye nodded as she remembered why the medics were necessary. The drive back from Chromo-labs had been tense to say the least. Coulson had remained on comms with the team for as long as he could, informing them that he had called in a small group of specialist SHIELD medics to meet them when they arrived back at the bus. Of course, flying out to a specialist medical facility would've been preferable, but since May was also injured, that option was out. Also Simmons' head injury required more than the quick patch job that the team would've been able to provide.
"Did the strike team catch up with Reid?" Ward asked Coulson, breaking Skye out of her thoughts.
"They did. I'm still waiting on updates, but," the older agent paused, looking at them both in turn, "everything seems to be going smoothly so far." He forced a tight-lipped smile, the kind that didn't quite reach his eyes.
"I could keep an eye on the story as it airs," Skye offered. "Well, I mean, if I'm ever allowed to move," she continued, rolling her eyes.
"I was hoping you'd say that," Coulson replied wryly, the crease on his forehead smoothing out slightly. "That's why I brought this."
Skye's eyes lit up at the sight of her laptop and she tried not to snatch it too eagerly when Coulson held it out to her. "Thanks," she muttered, wasting no time in booting it up and getting straight down to business. She began typing frantically, looking for any available avenues that led to finding footage on Reid's arrest.
"The medics should be done soon," Coulson continued. "We're prepping to leave in 20, if you can make sure we'll be ready for wheels up by then, Agent Ward?"
"Sure," the specialist confirmed, before heading off in the direction of the cockpit.
The remaining pair fell into silence, keyboard typing and distant medical beeping the only sounds filling the night air in the open cargo hold. Skye looked up after a few minutes, following Coulson's frowning gaze through the clear glass doors to the lab. He was watching Fitzsimmons. She had seen Coulson make the rounds earlier, checking in on the pair of scientists before disappearing back to his office. Everyone wanted to see the scientists were safe, but it was clear they were still shaken, and needed some time to themselves.
The biochemist was currently perched on one of the lab desks whilst a blonde woman in a white lab coat shone a light in her eyes. Fitz was leaning against the desk beside Simmons, his right hand in hers as two young medics worked on bandaging his left arm. The engineer didn't even seem to notice, his concerned gaze focussed only on his best friend. Behind them, May was leaning against the back wall of the lab, quite obviously keeping her weight off her left leg but glaring at any unfortunate medic who attempted to approach her. Skye hadn't seen the older agent take her eyes off Fitzsimmons since she'd delivered them back to the short bus, having sat opposite the pair of scientists for the entire journey, making sure to keep them both talking, her own injury forgotten.
The hacker tore her gaze from the scene in the lab as an alert flashed up on her laptop screen. "Found something," she breathed, recapturing Coulson's attention. He watched as Skye pulled up a live feed from what looked to be one of the CCTV cameras outside Chromo-labs. It showed a somewhat chaotic scene, with guests from the party standing out on the street, looking confused and angry as they were held back by local police. The pair watched as a dark haired figure was marched out. Dr Reid.
"Are we turning him over to the police?" Skye asked.
"No, they're just there for security," Coulson told her, eyes still fixed on the screen. "SHIELD will hold him somewhere secure until we can come to some sort of arrangement."
"Arrangement?" She queried, looking up questioningly. Coulson met her gaze now, drawing in a slow breath before answering in a quiet voice.
"We don't know how long his daughter will…" The agent's words trailed off, his mouth pulling down at one side.
"Right," Skye finished, catching on. Anima - Reid's daughter. Now the doctor was being detained, his daughter wouldn't receive the strength serum injections anymore… and since she was already dying, it was safe to assume she didn't have much time left.
The pair watched in silence as a small woman pushed her way to the front of the crowd, attempting to interrupt the proceedings. Her thick black hair was pulled back in a long braid that swung around her body when the police grabbed her, holding her back. The woman struggled, her hennaed hands pulling at their grip desperately.
"Is that…?"
Coulson nodded, his face sombre. "Tarla Reid. His wife."
The pair continued to watch, speechless, as Reid turned back to look at his wife, his face streaked with tears, before he was forced into the back of a van. The woman dropped to her knees, screaming in anguish as the fight went out of her. Skye felt her mouth drop open, but for the moment, she couldn't think of a single thing to say. There were no words. Although Reid had wronged them, there was nothing fair about what was likely to happen to him - to his family.
Eventually, Skye found her voice. "We'll catch them, right? Centipede?" She whispered, looking to Coulson for confirmation when no immediate answer came. His face was hard.
"I hope so," he told her, sighing as he folded his arms across his chest. "Reid's files have brought us a lot closer to figuring out their next move."
Skye nodded. "At least it wasn't all for nothing… I guess," she murmured.
None of them knew exactly what had gone down with Reid in the lab, but if Fitzsimmons' injuries were anything to go by, it seemed they had been lucky to both make it out alive. However, it was clear enough that Fitz had been ready to risk everything for Jemma.
"He was gonna do it, wasn't he?" Skye asked a few moments later, her voice small.
"I'm sure," Coulson replied, before pausing. When he spoke again, the pride in his voice was unmistakable. "Fitz is braver than most people give him credit for."
They both looked towards the lab again just in time to see May leave through the back door, heading upstairs. The medics were beginning to pack up their equipment now, and Skye watched as Fitz reached out his free hand, gently steadying Jemma as she hopped down from the lab bench. The pair walked slowly towards the glass doors, which parted as a woman made her way out into the cargo hold ahead of them.
Skye recognised the woman as the medic who had been examining Simmons earlier. "Agent Manello," Coulson greeted her.
"We're pretty much done here Sir," the agent told him efficiently, "Agent Simmons has a concussion so she'll need to be observed for the next 24 hours and woken regularly." The medic's blonde ponytail fell over her shoulder as she reached into her bag, producing a roll of bandages and handing them to Skye. "Change these in about 12 hours," she explained to the young hacker with a polite smile before turning back to Coulson. "As for everyone else," she continued, "just rest and recovery for a few days."
"Of course," he replied with a nod. "Thank you." The medic flashed the pair another small smile before turning swiftly to collect her team and heading down the cargo ramp, leading them out into the night.
When Coulson and Skye looked back they found the lab was now empty, the rest of their team presumably already upstairs. "Wheels up in five?" Skye asked, stifling a groan as she swung her legs over the side of the gurney, edging her way to her feet.
"Yeah," Coulson confirmed, frowning and reaching out an arm to steady the girl. "You heading upstairs too?"
"I'd rather rest in my bunk than out here - especially if we're gonna be in the air soon," Skye told him easily, although it did little to lessen the look of concern on the older agent's face. "I wanna check in on Fitzsimmons on my way as well," she added, as casually as she could manage.
"Do you need-"
"Nah, it's okay," the young hacker cut in, attempting to reassure the man before her. "I got it." She watched as Coulson looked back towards the empty lab, clearly torn.
"Take it easy Skye," he told her, meeting her eyes once more. He placed a hand on her shoulder, pausing for a moment to give the young woman a small smile. Just as soon he turned away, heading off through the lab in the same direction May had gone only minutes earlier.
Skye smirked, shaking her head as she began to make her way slowly up the stairs, the thought of sleep now too tempting for her to resist.
I'm working towards the end of this fic now and I have a few ideas for wrap up scenes with my fave pairings, but if there's anything in particular people wanna see (maybe a team-bonding epilogue of some sort?) just let me know!
Also massive thanks to fzztsimmons for always leaving me such lovely reviews and sticking with this fic for so long! Your kind words make my day and inspire me to keep on writing x