A.N.: First and foremost - I don't own SHIELD or anyone in the MCU. I just like to play with the potential they've given me. That said, I have NOT watched SHIELD this week, and I'm not sure if I want to...So I made sure to edit this instead. Thank you all for your kudos, comments, patience and support, and hopefully we've only got another four chapters ahead. The same "don't kill me" disclaimer applies. ;) Please enjoy.

Chapter 14 - Spinning Awry

Skye slammed into Coulson's office. "Unacceptable."

The director looked up at her. "I'm sorry?"

"A suicide mission. Unacceptable." Really? Why is that? She ignored the voice whispering to her and sat down across from the desk. "So what's our play?"

Coulson sighed. "There's no play, Skye. I told him you weren't going to like it."

"Which is why he never would've told me," she clarified. He would have just left without saying anything..."I figured it out myself. So what are we going to do?"

Coulson steepled his hands. "We're going to thank him, and we're going to keep his name in our records, and we're not going to order anyone to follow him to their deaths." He looked up at Skye. "You think I wanted to let him?"

She huffed out a breath. "Well, no, I know you hate those kinds of missions, but...AC, it's almost cruel." Almost? She shook her head. "You don't - you don't know. He thinks he deserves to die. Says he's still a traitor to SHIELD and this is just his sentence."

He nodded. "I do know. I got the same when I tried to talk to him. I tried to get him to wait for May, but Grant's right - Carson won't stay once it's perfected. He'll move the lab, and we might not get another chance."

Grant sat staring at the empty glass in front of him. I'd worry if she'd forgive me, but it's not like it would matter. He sighed, shaking his head. No good thinking like that now. He stood and took the Battleship box out of the crate in the corner, putting the game on the table and taking out the scorecard and pencil. Some day you'll understand. He picked up the pencil and started to write.

Skye grimaced. "He won't ask anyone to help."

Coulson shook his head. "Nat and Clint are on mission, and he won't get in the way of that. We debated waiting for May to get back, talked about Bobbi and Hunter, and in the end, the risk is just too great. There's no way to give Grant enough time on the detonators to get out before anyone finds it. Carson has patrols through the labs and the data room constantly."

"So he hides the charges somewhere, that should be easy," Skye suggested.

"Skye, someone is going to be watching his every move, he's still not HYDRA enough for them," the director countered. "He can't go in with any explosives."

She swallowed hard as she realized the implication. "He's not setting bombs. He is the bomb."

Coulson nodded. "He's the only shot we have. He'll use their own self-destruct system and blow their charges."

Skye frowned. "What if I go with him? I can keep us shielded from the blast, and between the two of us I'm sure we could make our way out."

"Or one solitary person could recognize you from one of many ops we've run against them, and you're both blown." Coulson sighed. "I already tried that. Offered to have you go with him, offered to send a cloaked quinjet..." He took a deep breath. "And he told me he wouldn't ask anyone to risk anything for him, and specifically told me to remind you that you're not his rookie anymore, you're an SO, and you have to make the hard calls."

Not like this...I've never made a call like this... She bit her lip. And that's probably partially thanks to him. "It feels wrong."

Fitz stared at the empty space across from him. "Ah, Jemma..." He sighed and put the teacups in the sink, running his hands over his head. "Is it so impossible to just ask you to trust me?" He walked out the door.

Coulson nodded. "I know. It always does." He cleared his throat. "Skye, our resources are all over the place, you know it as well as I do. Thanks in large part to him and to HAMMER, SHIELD is finally closing in on the last remnants of HYDRA." He pursed his lips. "I didn't ask him to do this, I was actually hoping he had some intel we didn't, or that he knew Carson's protocols so we could get to the samples and the data. But he only confirmed what we thought - Carson is paranoid, unpredictable, and our best shot is to get him before he moves, while we can...even if it means Grant's death."

"He said he wouldn't ask anyone." Skye folded her arms. "What if I volunteered? What if I got volunteers?"

"You have about two hours, Skye. You do what you think is right, with my blessing." Coulson tossed her a flash drive. "Grant only took the schematics we were able to dig up from a few HYDRA hives with him. Not that they help all that much, since the rooms aren't mapped. That's the full briefing."

She eyed the director. "Just like that? Full mission authorization?"

He gave a small smile. "As the director, I know he's right, and I have other operations that require my attention. I don't have the time to dissect this the way I want to. You do." He shrugged. "Take it, make the calls. But volunteers only. And they have to know who they're working with."

"Understood." She took the drive and jumped from her seat. "Thanks, AC."

He waved her off. "Don't thank me until you find a way to pull this off."

She nodded. I will find something. There's no other option. "That's why I'm thanking you now." Why not, Skye? Grant's voice whispered silkily in her head. She tossed the drive in the air and walked quickly from the office.

Jemma looked out at the hallway, sighing as Fitz's plea for respect echoed in her ears. "Is that really what he thinks?" she whispered.

Mack walked past, pausing as he registered the look on Jemma's face. "Simmons? You okay?"

Jemma started and forced a smile. "Oh, Mack. I'm - I'm fine."

Mack snorted and took a seat next to her. "Yeah, and I'm Nick Fury." He quirked a brow. "Guessing it's Fitz and Ward?"

"Grant," she spat, shaking her head. "It's Grant now."

Get it together. Skye walked into her room with a sigh. Boyfriend. You still have a boyfriend. "Linc?"

Lincoln stuck his head out from the bedroom. "Hey. Where were you?"

She swallowed hard. "I was talking to AC...and to Grant." She winced even as she said it. Probably shouldn't have said...

"Grant? You mean Ward?" Her boyfriend frowned. "Why? Didn't we talk about this?"

She smothered a snort of laughter as her own words came back to haunt her. Yeah, little did I know then...She shook herself. "I saw AC having some deep conversation with Grant and I wanted to know what was going on. Turns out he volunteered for a suicide mission to destroy some Pym particle tech and research."

"Good for him," Lincoln said. "No better way to prove his loyalty. And for the best of causes."

Skye gaped at her boyfriend. A doctor saying dying is a good thing? "Are you serious?"

He nodded. "If he wants to protect you? This is the ultimate way to do it, to make sure that kind of power stays out of HYDRA's hands."

She blinked at him. Grant can protect me when it's suicide, but when he did it before it was nothing but an inconvenience..."Yeah, but...I don't want him to die for it. And especially not alone."

"Until he turned up on that roof four days ago, he was alone, he wasn't a part of this team." Lincoln shook his head. "Having him here was a bad dream that's finally about to be over."

"He may not have been a formal part of the team, but the way he watched our backs, protected us?" Skye shook her head in return. "Coulson said Grant told him he never wanted to leave the team. And he proved it. The least we can do is try to be there for him this time."

Lincoln folded his arms. "Skye, it's too risky. If it wasn't, Coulson would be planning the op, not you."

Skye frowned at her boyfriend. I'm gonna try to ignore the backhanded insult I feel lurking in there..."You won't even look?"

"I'm sorry, Skye, but if Ward can get the job done and he's the only one at risk?" Lincoln shrugged. "I'm going to take it."

Skye shook her head slowly. "Well, I'm not. He saved my life, repeatedly." Even the times I didn't want to admit it..."That means something to me." She picked up her laptop and the flash drive. "If you're not going to help, I'm going to go to the briefing room to brainstorm alone."

Lincoln sighed. "I'm not going to stop you, but just know that I think it's a waste of your time."

"I'm definitely wasting my time on something," she muttered, and left the room.

Mack shrugged. "Call him whatever, doesn't change who he is and what he did."

"Except that Fitz seems to think it does," Simmons whispered. "I know he's said the same to you..." She looked up at him. "How do you not...how do you just let it go and trust in him?"

"In Fitz?" Mack clarified. At the biochemist's nod, he continued. "Because I've seen him when he didn't believe in himself, and I know what it costs him to believe in anyone after that." He shrugged. "So if Fitz thinks it's worth a second chance, I'll try to believe it."

Jemma frowned, wrapping her arms around herself. "Am I - do I act like - does it seem like I don't realize Fitz is..."

"Better?" Mack guessed. "First off, he probably wouldn't appreciate the implication he wasn't good to begin with." He held up a hand. "He knows it's true, but don't mention it. He hates feeling like anyone is humoring him."

Jemma bit her lip. "I suppose that's why we can't seem to talk to each other at the moment." She sighed. "It's clear I don't believe anything he thinks about Ward, I've said it repeatedly, and that's somehow made it seem like I don't trust Fitz."

"You don't about this, do you?" Mack eyed her.

Jemma took a shaky breath. "I - it's -" She sighed. "It's complicated."

"So make it simple," Mack challenged. "Remember who you're dealing with. Keep Ward out of it and think about Fitz."

Fitz knocked on the last bunk in the hall. "Grant? Are you there?"

Grant froze, throwing the pad and pencil into the box and tossing the game into the crate. Well, this is unexpected..."Yeah, hold on." He blew out a breath and opened the door. "Fitz? What's going on?"

Fitz walked past him. "Jemma. She came to see me and...it didn't go well."

Grant flinched as the engineer dropped onto the couch. "Fitz, I told you, don't let me come between you two. I'm not worth it. I'm not." Maybe I will be, but I'm not now...

Fitz waved him off. "You are, but that's not even the most relevant." He frowned. "Why can't Jemma trust me?"

Grant shook his head, taking a seat opposite. "I don't think it's anything to do with trusting you, Fitz. It's about trusting me." And isn't that the story of my life...

Fitz shook his head in return. "No, it's about trusting me as well. About trusting my judgment, trusting me to be able to see through your facades."

"Do you?" Are you sure you want to know, baby? Grant fought a wince at the vulnerability of the question. "What do you see?"

Fitz took a shaky breath. "I see someone who wants to make amends for the wrongs he's done, someone who was taken advantage of, manipulated, into committing those wrongs."

Grant did wince at that. "Fitz, you give me too much credit. Really." He nodded towards the bottle on the table. "Need something stronger than tea?"

Fitz snorted a laugh. "Yeah, maybe."

So happens I do too. Grant nodded and poured bourbons for them both.

"Simmons?" Skye knocked on the wall. "Hey Mack."

Mack gave a nod. "What's up, Tremors?"

"Have you guys seen Fitz?" Skye asked. "I could - I could use some help with something."

Jemma frowned. "I - I left him at his quarters about twenty minutes ago."

"Thanks." Skye gave a quick nod and spun on her heel, stalking quickly down the hall.

Fitz took a gulp of bourbon and shook his head. "She won't understand, she won't let herself."

"And that's no one's fault but mine, Fitz." Grant swallowed hard. "I can't tell you how much I appreciate the chance you've given me, but I know better than to think everyone will be so forgiving." Hopefully this will wipe the slate...

Fitz shook his head. "May has been telling us since that first night that you weren't what we'd thought. If she can get past your history, Jemma can try a little harder to do the same."

Grant took a drink. It won't matter much longer.

Jemma shuddered. "And I've lost Skye too, I know that. I - I truly can't understand how I've lost Skye, of all people, Mack. It makes no sense!"

Mack sighed. "I hear you, I know. I hate that he's tearin' you all up."

Jemma nodded frantically. "But Fitz wants me to ignore it! To just...just let Grant Ward be. After everything he did to us. Where is Fitz's loyalty?"

"It's questions like that that make Fitz crazy, you know," Mack reminded Simmons. "Literally. That."

Jemma groaned and dropped her head. "I know, but I still can't wrap my mind around anything else."

"I know you weren't here to protect him before, Jemma. When he was...and you were with HYDRA." Mack shook his head. "But this isn't protecting him either. It's doubting him and undermining him. And I know that's not what you want."

Jemma gasped and frowned. "No, I keep saying that!"

"But he can't hear that and then hear you questioning his every word with Ward." Mack shrugged. "Hate to break it to you, but you can't do both of those." He stood. "I'm due in the hangar, but let me know if you need anything." He squeezed her shoulder reassuringly.

Jemma nodded mutely as he left the lab.

Skye bit her lip and knocked on Fitz's door. Please be in there...She frowned at the lack of an answer. "Or, I could have to track you down," she muttered, turning away.

Fitz eyed Grant. "Would you talk to her?"

"Who?" Grant asked. "Jemma?"

Fitz nodded. "I've told her everything I've learned talking to you but..."

"She doesn't believe it, Fitz, and she won't believe it from me either." No matter how much I may wish it were otherwise. Grant drained his bourbon. "I was in the upgraded biometrics chair getting all the appropriate readings and she still didn't believe me."

Fitz sighed. "No, you're right." He offered Grant a wry smile. "I suppose only one of us needs to tilt at that windmill, eh?"

Grant snorted a laugh. "Yeah, that sounds about right." He glanced at the time and took a deep breath. I've got my own battle ahead...but I owe him something more. "I hope you know how grateful I am that you gave me a chance, Fitz. You are one of the best people I've ever known, and I will forever be sorry for what I put you and Jemma through."

"You were giving us our best chance, even if we didn't know," Fitz said softly. "Hopefully Jemma can see that someday."

Grant sighed. "Hopefully." But I'll likely never know.

Mack ran through the pre-flight sequence on the quinjet, programming remote return with a frown. "I don't know if I like what that implies." His frown deepened as he considered the personnel on the base. "Who the hell is flying this anyway?"

Fitz rubbed a hand over his forehead. "I'm sorry for dumping this on you, Grant. I know it must be difficult knowing Jemma...well, Bakshi..."

Grant snorted. "Yeah, that - that was unexpected." He looked at Fitz. "But that's how much she loves you, Fitz. That's how far she would go to protect you. That's all she's doing now." And you're not doing the same, baby? Kara's voice was gentle in his mind.

Fitz exhaled shakily. "I suppose you're right. I just wish she would believe in me."

"She believes you see the best in everyone, and she's afraid that there isn't any good in me to see," Grant murmured. "That you're projecting these good things on someone who doesn't deserve them." And I don't, not with this much red...

"Well, you do," Fitz insisted.

"It means more than I can explain to hear you say that, Fitz," Grant said softly, smiling. I missed having someone believe in me..."You really are amazing. And Jemma just doesn't want me to ruin that."

"Well, you won't," Fitz declared. "I am a grown man and I know what I'm doing."

What would you say if you knew what I was doing...Grant shook himself. "I don't think anyone could ruin you, Fitz. And I would fight anyone who dared to try." Which is why I have to do this. "You feeling calmer now?"

Fitz nodded. "I just needed to vent and I knew you would understand."

Grant smiled. "Thanks for that." If only I hadn't wasted the chance the first time...He cleared his throat. "You know anyone would be willing to be there for you, Fitz. Everyone here cares about you."

"But do they understand me, understand my decisions? That's the question," the engineer countered.

Grant blew out a breath. "There's understanding and acceptance, Fitz. Understand? Sure. Accept it? That's a whole different story." He shrugged. "And unfortunately not something that'll be solved in a day, or even a week." Or any time that I'll be here to see...He took a breath. "I actually need to meet Coulson in a few minutes, are you going to be okay?"

Fitz nodded. "Yeah. I just -" He smiled. "I needed a friend."

Grant swallowed hard, smiling back with an effort as he stood. So did I..."I'm honored to be your friend again, Fitz. Thank you."

Fitz got to his feet, grinning. "Is big bad Agent Ward going to blush?" he teased. He narrowed his eyes and tilted his head, setting his hands on his hips. "I'm Agent Ward, and I don't need friends."

Grant snorted. "Again, I don't sound like that. And I - maybe I thought I didn't need friends before, but I appreciate the hell out of them now." I will do anything to protect them this time.

Fitz lunged at him with a hug.

Grant hugged him back, hard. Bye, Fitz.

Skye groaned. "Fine, nowhere obvious and I'm wasting time." Is my life that important to you, Skye? She shook his voice from her head and left the lounge, heading for the briefing room.

Grant closed the door behind Fitz, leaning his head against it for a beat. He retrieved the letter, finishing the last few paragraphs with a shaky hand. He propped the note on the table and put his leather jacket back on with a sigh. One more role to play. He shook himself. But it means they'll all be a little safer, and I'll finally have closure. And so will they. He looked around and rolled his shoulders. Full circle to Providence Base...He headed towards the hangar.

Skye threw schematics around the briefing room, turning and twisting to try to find weaknesses.

"What's that?" Fitz wandered in and sat at the table. "That doesn't look like fun."

"Fitz! Where the hell have you been?" Skye shook her head. "No, it's not. It's a HYDRA lab that AC found out about. Carson, the particle, all that. And we have to blow it up."

Grant walked in, gear bag over his shoulder. May as well try to get something in with me if I can...

"Or maybe I don't mind." Mack stood. "This for you?"

Grant nodded. "And you'll never have to worry about me again."

Mack eyed him. "Is that so?"

Grant nodded again, doing his own pre-flight check. "I'm done here, one-way trip for me."

Mack shook his head. "At least you'll stop getting in everyone's way."

"Never was in your way," Grant replied. "Just at your back." He hit the button to close the ramp in Mack's face. And now I'll be nowhere at all.

Fitz raised an eyebrow. "That doesn't look like it's going to work, the way the shielding looks. If we can't get it through the satellites, it could be completely bomb-proof."

"So you couldn't just drop a bomb and sort it out after the dust cleared," Skye mused.

Fitz shook his head. "You could have all manner of defenses in there, you would still have no guarantee of safety." He touched the schematic to spin it. "The way they've offset the entrance and oriented the base itself, any explosive dropped straight down would do very little internal damage. You'd have to get into the middle of the thing and set a ring of charges."

She quirked a brow. "What if there was a self-destruct system?"

"Oh, yeah, you could absolutely tap into that," Fitz agreed. "That would be created to destroy everything. The detonator would be the issue."

Skye chewed the inside of her cheek. "How long would it have to be to keep them from disarming it but allowing whoever triggers it to get out?"

Fitz frowned, zooming in on the schematic and muttering to himself. "How often is anyone going through and inspecting the place? And could you disable the arming announcement? Wouldn't do to have an automated message screaming that someone's trying to kill them."

Skye sighed. "I don't know. We know there is a self-destruct, because apparently Carson installs them in everything, but we don't know anything else."

Fitz bit his lip. "Then I don't know that there could be any lag at all. We need more information."

"Except that Carson is not only a big fan of things that go boom, he's paranoid and psychotic," Skye grumbled. "He'll be moving the whole lab soon. They're about two tests away from being ready. That gives us two hours, tops."

Fitz shook his head. "No. No, it's - we'd need - we'd need -"

Mack walked into the room. "What're those?"

Skye glared at the holograms. "Mission impossible."

Mack snorted. "Well, I guess we're due for another one now."

Skye quirked a brow. "What does that mean?"

Mack looked at her. "I figured you'd know. That he'd have told you."

No. Skye swallowed hard. No, no, no. "That who would've told me what, Mack?"

Mack cleared his throat. "Ward. He's gone."

He lied. That son of a bitch. Skye looked at the clock. No, he didn't. Shit. Where did that hour go? "Uh, Fitz, make that one hour."

Fitz blinked at her. "Skye. What's going on?"

Skye sighed, looking at Fitz steadily. "Grant's gone off to kill himself again, and I'm trying to figure out how to stop it."

"Wait, what?" Fitz frowned. "Skye. He's - he's gone off to die?"

Skye blew out a breath. "Coulson got Intel about this base and he and Grant were trying to figure out how to stop them from completing the particle research." She waved a hand at the schematic in the air. "He ran through all of it with Coulson. They figured out exactly the flaws you're pointing out. So Grant volunteered to go in as head of HAMMER and trigger their self-destruct himself."

Mack frowned. "He volunteered, he knows the risks. He's a specialist, it's on him in the end."

Skye threw her hands up. "That's exactly what he said. And you know what? It is. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't try." She turned to Fitz. "Fitz, I need your brain. Help me think this through."

Fitz cast a slightly wounded glance at Mack before turning his attention to the schematics. "Well, the depth underground is the first problem. No radio signal will penetrate that far below ground, especially if it's shielded enough that radar can't get through. You need to be able to trigger the self-destruct from the most central location to the labs and the data servers, so..." He shrugged. "I have no idea how far in the facility they would be."

Skye sighed. "Yeah, that's definitely a problem. But if you were setting up your dream lab, where would they be?"

Fitz zoomed out to a topographical map. "Well, we're in a mountain range, so we'd want to be as protected as possible from any scan, even with the shielding." He frowned thoughtfully. "They'd probably be straight down from the apex of the nearest mountain." He spun the map and considered. "Uh...there." He dropped through the topographical map to the big blank outline of the shielded area. "The southwest corner."

"So to get back out, he'd have to get through the entire length of the place," Skye murmured. Without anyone noticing he's about to make everything go boom.

"Unless there's another exit," Fitz offered. He spun the map to show the depth to that corner of the base. "It would take some time, but you could drill through to the southeast corner of the base with the modified Mouse Hole."

Skye blinked at him. "I didn't know you were modifying the Mouse Hole."

Fitz shrugged. "It's not official, but Director Coulson asked if we could adapt the Mouse Hole to be a deep dig drill, felt there were a number of strategic advantages to having a tool like that."

Skye frowned. "And how are the tests going?"

Fitz examined the plans again. "It'll take us about twenty minutes to drill down, and that's if there's the basic strata of rock and not, you know, reinforced steel and concrete."

"And if it is super-reinforced?" she asked warily.

"Extra...ten minutes, maybe?" Fitz guessed. "Depends on the type of reinforcement, but it'll cut through."

Skye bit her lip. "I can't ask you to go, knowing how dangerous this could be. I won't."

Fitz ran a hand over his head, rubbing the back of his neck. "I was - I was with Grant just this morning. You asked where I was - I was with him. He didn't say a bloody word about this!" He subsided as he remembered how many times Grant had thanked him for being a friend, and the unexpectedly tight hug. "He didn't even say goodbye..."

Skye frowned softly. "He didn't even tell me, Fitz. I had to guess when I saw him leaving AC's office. He didn't want to ask for help, didn't want to risk any of us."

Mack looked from Fitz to Skye and back again. "You sure about this?"

Fitz nodded. "I am, Mack. I - I never saw any reason to give him the benefit of the doubt before, but the past few days...what he's told me, what I've seen - I have to try."

Skye smiled at him. "Thank you, Fitz." She looked to Mack. "You don't have to be involved."

Mack gave a short nod. "Thanks." He raised a brow at Fitz, a slightly sheepish look on his face. "Do you need help with that thing?"

Fitz exhaled shakily. "It - it would be nice." Fitz frowned. "I can't ask you to, though. If you're not willing to."

Mack sighed. "Yeah, I know. But I won't have you field testing tech without backup." He looked at Skye. "You still need a pilot."

Skye grinned. "That one, at least, I think I have handled." She tapped a few keys on her pad and sat down. "Thank you, guys. I'm glad you wandered in."

Fitz shrugged. "What would you have done if we hadn't?"

Skye shrugged in return. "Would have called the same pilot and gone in with a Quake and a prayer."

Mack winced. "Don't ever say that again."

Skye sighed. "Yeah, fine, I know. But I've got to get used to it somehow, right? What better way than cheesy puns?"

Fitz gave a soft laugh. "You know who appreciates cheesy puns?"

Skye and Fitz exchanged a look. "Grant."

Skye reached over to squeeze Fitz' hand. "We'll have to tell him that one when we get him, then."

Fitz nodded. "We will. Now come on." He led the way to the storage vaults.

Grant set his approach trajectory and took a deep breath. One last good deed.

"Quake to Hellfire. Do you copy?"

What in the - He stared at the radio.

"Quake to Hellfire. Come in, jackass."

He laughed despite himself and picked up the handset. Even as an SO, still the same Skye..."Excuse the hell out of me, Boss Lady. Hellfire, copy."

"Southeast corner of the base for extraction." Skye smirked as she said it, imagining the look on his face.

He froze. That can't be right. "Repeat?"

"Southeast for extraction. Take a comm with you, activate it when you're done. We'll need about twenty to thirty minutes to make you a new exit, but that should be fine if you're touring the facility front to back," Skye said casually. "And if you could drop speed to let us catch up, that'd be great."

"Who - how -" Grant shook himself. "Quake, who else is on backup?"

She grinned. "You'll have to make it to the southeast corner to find out. Now throttle back by half, we're right behind you if you do."

Who in the hell is 'we'? He shook his head but throttled back. "I told you I wouldn't ask anyone."

"I didn't either," she offered. "Now isn't that something worth seeing?"

He winced at the reminder of his hopeless rant to her. Guess no one went to my temporary bunk yet..."Quake -"

"Nu-uh, you'll have to say it face to face," she interjected. "See you on the Southeast."

Grant exhaled roughly. I don't know if I deserve this. "You still don't have to."

"I know," Skye replied softly. "See you in a bit. Quake out." She cut the radio and sat back with a sigh.

Mike Petersen looked at her and shook his head. "You two are the worst, you know that?"

Skye flinched. "I'm sorry?"

Mike rolled his eyes. "You forget how long I've known you guys, Quake." He eyed her. "The two of you are completely messed up, and completely messed up for each other."

Skye folded her arms. "One out of two isn't bad."

Mike sighed. "It's not - I'm not trying to mess with you, Skye. I just want you to be prepared in case this goes south. Don't kid yourself about what's at stake."

Skye looked him over. "What does that mean?"

Mike sighed. "We're going off half cocked and with no other backup. He's prepared to make this a one way trip. You know how he feels about you. Don't trivialize his sacrifice by running in and making your own for no reason."

"I don't know anything about how he feels." I don't, damn it. Skye glared at him. "I called you because I thought you would appreciate the chance to save him after he saved you. Maybe I should have called May."

Mike held up a hand. "Easy, killer, I just meant -" He cleared his throat. "I know he wouldn't want you risking your life for him. He told you not to come for him. He doesn't want you to die."

"Because he thinks he doesn't deserve -" me "- for us to try." Skye grimaced. "He sees this as his long delayed death sentence for being a traitor."

Mike frowned. "I thought you said HAMMER was a diversion to keep HYDRA from growing. Sounds like he was on our side, and has been for a while now."

"Exactly," Skye agreed. "And that's why we're going in." She turned to Fitz and Mack. "Any questions?"

Mack looked around at all of them. "Y'all sure you're not brainwashed or nothing?"

Fitz scoffed. "My brain is far too convoluted for me to be brainwashed, Mack."

Mack considered the engineer. "Yeah, you're right about that." He looked to Skye. "I got nothing."

Fitz bit his lip. "How long is Coulson willing to let us try?"

Skye took a deep breath. "Grant isn't going to delay the detonation for us. If we get it together before he sets off the self-destruct, we're good. If I feel the explosion happening, we're out."

Fitz nodded. "All right then. Let's hope in the time we've been apart, he's learned some people skills."

Grant looked at the radio, shaking his head. She wasn't supposed to find anything. He took a deep breath. Who did she tell? Hell, did Coulson even sign off on this? He grimaced as he considered the real possibility of being saved by Skye's boyfriend. My life or my pride. That shouldn't be as close a contest as it is. He rubbed a hand over his forehead. "I am not going to count on an exit," he declared aloud. I can't.

But I really want to.

A.N.: Ahead, Carson's mountain base...any bets on how that extraction plan plays out? Working on the next chapter now, hope this satisfies till then. 3