A/N: Ok, first things first: GERMANY ACTUALLY WON THE FOOTBALL WORLD CUP! This is so amazing! Took us 24 years, but now we finally have the Cup again. And a big 'Thank You' to everyone from Brazil for an amazing tournament!

But now back to the story. I'm really sorry that it took me this long again to update, but I was battling a rather persistent case of writer's block (and all those world cup matches on tv didn't help, either) ;), but I hope that I'm back on track now.

Chapter 25: Considerably Well

"We found Skye. She's alive and considerably well, given the circumstances. Ward and I are bringing her out now."

There were no words to describe the amount of relief that washed over Agent Coulson as he heard May's voice coming over the radio, telling him and everyone else who had been part of the rescue operation that they had been successful. Skye was safe.

He pulled himself away from the surveillance monitor for a moment, where he had been tracking the movements of a group of Talos soldiers that were still on the run, and stepped over to Fitz. One look at the engineers face and Coulson found his own emotions mirrored tenfold, a broad grin plastered on the younger man's lips and his eyes glistening with unshed tears of joy and relief. The tension that had filled the room so far was gone now, evaporated in the light of Skye's discovery.

"See, they got her." Fitz diverted Coulson's attention towards a camera feed on the screen in front of him, which was currently showing the agents May and Ward making their way down a long corridor. The latter was carrying Skye in his arms, not taking any chances now that their missing rookie had finally been found.

A deep sigh escaped Coulson's lips as he followed his team members' progression and he could feel a massive weight fall from his shoulders.

"And for a moment there I was afraid we were too late," he admitted quietly, unable to tear his gaze away from the monitor as he remembered the way Ward had looked at him earlier with pain and sorrow in his eyes. "That Skye was…" But the agent let his voice trail off, unwilling to finish the sentence as he tried not to think about what-ifs any longer. Instead he chose to focus on the one task still ahead of him: To bring not just Skye, but every agent on this mission back home alive.

When Fitz had found Skye's location only a few minutes ago, and Ward had immediately left to get to her, Coulson had wanted nothing more than to go with him. Not only to see the young woman's condition for himself, but also because after everything she had been through these past few days, he had felt that he had to be there for her when she was rescued, that he owed her that much.

However, the second he had turned around to follow Ward, who had already rushed off towards Skye's cell, Fitz had held him back, indicating the once again working surveillance monitors in the room. There had still been intense fighting taking place in parts of the compound and some of their men had even been pinned down by the few remaining Talos soldiers, who had still been putting up resistance.

Coulson had wanted to go to Skye, to make sure she was alright, but he had also known that he was responsible for more than just her wellbeing. He was in charge of this entire rescue mission, and while some of the agents under his command had already been injured, there had been no casualties on their side and he wanted to keep it that way.

So in the end Coulson had forced himself to stay behind and had instead sent May after Ward to serve as his backup, knowing that the female agent was just as anxious as the rest of the team to finally find their missing hacker.

Even though Coulson still hated not being a direct part of Skye's rescue, seeing her being carried to safety by Ward now finally eased his remaining worries and confirmed that he had made the right decision. Their rookie was safe, just as the agents who had been under attack earlier and they were now a good step further in securing the facility.

However, as Coulson quickly reminded himself, if he wanted to achieve that goal quickly, he had to get back to coordinating the field teams, and so he turned his head to look at Fitz, giving him brief orders.

"Get in radio contact with May. Make sure that they take the fastest and safest route out of the factory."

After a quick glance at the map of the compound, the scientist answered immediately.

"Actually, I think there's a staircase not far from their position," he pointed out, but seemed slightly reluctant to send his team mates in that direction.

"But?" The older agent asked in return, sensing the engineer's hesitation.

"But, if they don't go up there, they'll come by this room again, which would mean that we could see Skye. You know, make sure she's alright," Fitz explained, his voice fading somewhat towards the end.

Coulson smiled softly as he looked at the scientist for a moment, entirely sympathetic towards his motivation. In the end, however, he shook his head negative.

"No. I understand that you're still worried, Fitz, because so am I, but the best thing we can do for Skye right now is to make sure that she can leave this place as quickly as possible. Ward and May are taking care of her right now, so she'll be okay, but we have to make sure that the rest of our men will get home safe and sound as well. We haven't lost anyone yet, and I'm going to make sure that it's going to stay that way."

He pointed at the monitor displaying Skye and the others as he went back over to the one he had been watching earlier.

"You make sure that they'll find their way out of here, while I'll coordinate the rest of the assault team. We have a few agents wounded already and a team of medics waiting outside, but I won't be able to call them in while there are still some members of Talos putting up a fight."

Fitz's face was scrunched up with indecision for a moment until he finally nodded reluctantly.

"Okay, well, I guess you do have a point. Plus, I suppose I can wait a bit longer if it means that Skye can leave this hellhole as soon as possible." At this point Fitz activated his comm again and turned his attention back to the monitor, where he gave instructions to Agent May, while watching the progress she and the others were making. Now that they had finally found Skye, he couldn't wait for this operation to be over, because all he wanted to do right now was to pull her into a tight embrace, making sure that she knew she was safe.

"We found Skye. She's alive and considerably well, given the circumstances. Ward and I are bringing her out now."

Agent Haze froze for a moment as May's voice came over her earpiece, not sure if she could believe what she had just heard. One look over at Agent Simmons, whose face was still tear stained, told her that she wasn't the only one who felt this way. Despite her confusion, however, the computer expert managed to keep herself focused enough to continue pressing the respirator in her hands at a steady interval, making sure that the man on the ground next to her wouldn't suffocate.

His entire face swollen and bloody, Curtis Tyler was barely recognisable after the beating Ward had given him. While Simmons' resuscitation attempt had been successful, the mercenary still wasn't breathing on his own and right now Agent Haze's effort to give him artificial respiration was the only thing keeping him alive.

"Do you think May is telling the truth, that Skye is alive?" Simmons finally asked, completely bewildered and reluctant to let herself believe the good news, after having struggled so much to keep her composure, when she had heard that her friend was dead only minutes ago. "But how is that possible? He said he killed her!" the scientist added, looking down at the blond man on the ground in confusion.

"I have no idea why, but I guess he must have lied to Agent Ward." Agent Haze still sounded utterly surprised as she tried to make sense of the situation.

"Then what about everything else he said," Simmons continued, looking noticeably uncomfortable at the subject, "you know, how he tortured Skye and that he… that he broke her." Her voice had almost trailed off completely at the end and the biochemist was now looking at the other agent with uncertainty, as if she was waiting for her to tell her that those claims must have been lies as well.

In the end Agent Haze merely shook her head in reply, unable to give a satisfying answer herself.

"I honestly don't know, Jemma."

The young woman nodded slowly, her brow deeply furrowed. For a moment she remained completely silent as she pondered the other agent's response. Then, however, she suddenly jumped into action and packed up her backpack, taking almost all of her supplies except from the respirator Haze was still using. Her movements were brisk, but controlled, and Simmons halted only once or twice to wipe the remaining tears from her face, the only remaining evidence of any lapse in professionalism on her part.

"Well, Agent May said that Skye is 'considerably well', which probably means that she has at least a few injuries. I mean, of course she has, after everything she's been through. I know his condition is still critical," the scientist admitted, glancing at Tyler, "but I have to get to Skye. My responsibility on this mission is to take care of her medical treatment, so I really should have been there the moment she was found."

After she had grabbed the last of her things, Simmons hurried back to her feet, but then she hesitated, her eyes fixed on the two people she was going to leave behind. Agent Haze nodded in understanding, however, not in the least surprised by the scientist's decision.

"We're here to rescue Skye and to make sure she's alright, so of course you have to go to her. It's not like I'll be completely on my own," she reminded Jemma as she nodded in the direction of the field agents guarding them, "and I'm sure Coulson is going to send more medics in once the building is secure. Until then I'll hold the fort here. And don't worry, I promised to bring this asshole in alive, so I'll make sure he keeps breathing until help gets here," she finished, looking down at Curtis Tyler with contempt, before motioning for Simmons to leave already.

The biochemist quickly nodded, a grateful smile tugging at her lips, before she ordered two of the field agents to come with her to escort her to Skye and the rest of her team.

After Simmons was gone, there were still three heavily armed SHIELD agents standing guard at the entrances of the room, making sure that none of the remaining Talos members could stumble upon them. Agent Haze was barely aware of them, however, as she was completely focused on the unconscious man next to her, doing her best to keep him alive.

She studied his face in silence for a while, or rather the bloody mess that was left of it, and a part of her couldn't help but feel responsible for his condition. She had promised Olivia to make sure her brother wasn't killed during the rescue mission and yet she hadn't done anything to stop Agent Ward from taking out his rage on the already injured mercenary. If it hadn't been for Agent Simmons, she was sure that Tyler would be dead by now, and the agent marvelled once again at how the other woman had even been able to pull herself together the way she had.

Jemma hadn't just stopped Ward's assault on Tyler, but had also revived the mercenary and treated his injuries, including the bullet wound in his shoulder, all the while believing that he had killed one of her best friends.

Agent Haze had always considered herself a professional at her job, keeping her emotions out of it if they threatened to get in the way of a mission. Even though she didn't actually know Skye herself, however, Tyler's proud confession to have killed the hacker had struck her so unexpectedly, that she had simply stopped caring about her promise, convinced that if the young woman was dead, her killer didn't deserve to live, either.

And yet here she was, essentially breathing for the mercenary even before she had found out the truth; that his confession to Ward had been a lie.

The agent shook her head in disbelief and began to talk to the unconscious man, not caring that they weren't alone.

"Honestly, I have no idea why you provoked Agent Ward the way you did; if you actually wanted him to shoot you or if you simply enjoy hurting and manipulating people so much that you just had to get the last word, no matter the consequences. Not that it matters, really, because you're not getting out of this that easily. Your life for Skye's location, that was the deal I made with your sister, so whether either of us likes it or not, I'm not going to let you die here today. No, I'll make sure that you'll spend the rest of your life in the Fridge, where you won't be able to hurt anyone ever again."

Falling silent once more, Agent Haze slowly shifted into a more comfortable sitting position on the cold concrete floor. She prepared herself for the wait until help arrived, more than eager to pass the responsibility for Tyler's life to somebody else. She was going to fulfil her promise to keep him alive, but once this was all over, she would gladly bring as much distance between them as possible.

At first she had been afraid, terrified really.

When Jack had left her in her dark cell with the dead body, essentially blind and deaf, she had known that he wasn't going to come back. His "so long, Skye" had been his final goodbye to her, and even though of course she had been glad to see him gone, the uncertainty and hopelessness of her situation had kept her from feeling anything but dread.

With Jack gone, she hadn't known what had been going to happen to her next; maybe somebody even worse would have come and taken his place, or, as Skye had realised in horror, maybe nobody would have come at all. Then her fate would have been to die an agonisingly slow death of dehydration with no one but the corpse of Jack's dead boss to keep her company.

But it hadn't come to that.

Skye wasn't sure how long it had been, less than an hour most likely, until the door to her cell had opened once again and a difference silhouette had blocked out the light from the corridor. There had been something vaguely familiar about it, but in her terrified state she had only seen another tormentor in the man who had approached her so decisively and had crouched down in front of her. The fact that she hadn't been able to hear his voice had only increased the intimidation she had felt.

However, once the light had been turned on again and she had finally recognised the intruder, the constant fear that had become a part of her over the past few days had finally begun to release its hold on her. There had been a short moment of disbelief that Ward was really there, which hadn't been all that surprising, given the fact that she had been hallucinating earlier, but once she had felt his touch on her cheek, all her doubts had been erased. At least for the moment.

Back there in her cell, Ward's presence had been her anchor, the rescue dispelling all the fears and doubts of her imprisonment. Now, however, even as they were still making their way through the corridors of the abandoned factory, a nagging feeling started to grow in the back of Skye's mind, not allowing her to fully enjoy her freedom.

Even though she could feel Ward's arms holding her tightly as he was still carrying her, and she was burying her head against his chest, a part of Skye kept insisting that this wasn't real. To have Ward and the rest of her team here to save her, somehow it just felt too good to be true. As she took a quick look at her surroundings at this point, the feeling intensified, leaving her breathless with fear.

For a moment, Skye didn't know why she was so afraid all of a sudden, but then she realised that she had started to recognise the area they were now in. The grey corridors of the factory had all looked the same at first, but they had just made their way up a familiar looking stairwell and sure enough, Skye quickly found herself back in the abandoned office section of the factory.

She closed her eyes tightly, but the memories of her failed escape attempt came back relentlessly, making her afraid that somehow all of this was just another elaborate plan of Jack to torment her, to lock her back up just as she thought herself free once more.

This time, however, he did not show up to stop her. Nobody did. Ward carried her out of the office and down the corridor leading outside without incident, Agent May at their side the entire time, barely saying a single word, a silent guardian making sure that nothing happened to either of her team mates.

As the front door of the building finally opened in front of them and Ward stepped outside, Skye's grip around his neck tensed and the agent looked down at her as he noticed her reaction. The young woman was looking up at the sky now, the bright morning sun shining in her face, making her wide eyes sparkle with emotions.

"It's over, you're safe now," Ward repeated his words from earlier, somehow getting the feeling that Skye might not have been able to completely believe him back in her cell.

"Yeah," she finally replied hesitantly, but as Ward was already about to keep moving, Skye suddenly pushed against his chest, stopping him.

"You can let me down now, okay? I'm alright, I just… needed a moment, I guess."

"Are you sure?" Ward asked, concern creasing his forehead as he took a close look at his rookie. Despite her earlier failed attempt at walking on her own, the hacker remained resolute.

"Yes, don't worry. I'm already feeling better out here in the fresh air and seriously, my injuries aren't that bad that you have to carry me all the way, Ward."

"Alright, suit yourself," the agent replied shortly as he set the young woman down. He didn't show any particular reaction to this exchange, but Skye somehow had the impression that he was very reluctant to let go of her. She gave him a weak smile as she looked up at him.

"But thanks anyway. I really don't think I could have made that way on my own; not again at least."

"Again…?" Ward began, but was interrupted as a familiar voice erupted from the corridor behind them, causing the small group to turn their heads simultaneously.

"Skye!" Of course the hacker recognised the voice shouting her name immediately, but before she could get a good look at the young woman running towards her, or really knew what was happening, she found herself wrapped up in a fierce embrace. The blond strands of hair falling into her face belonged to Agent Simmons, who was now clinging to her tightly.

"Jemma," Skye whispered, not really knowing what else to say as she returned the embrace and wrapped her arms around her friend's back in relief. She took a deep breath and did her best to fight back the tears that were threatening to spill from her eyes once again, tired of crying, as she held onto the equally emotional biochemist.

The two women remained like this for a long moment until Simmons suddenly let go of Skye and took a step back, her eyes wide and her voice fluttering as she finally spoke.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to assault you like that. My job on this mission is to make sure that you receive the proper medical treatment, and here I am, possibly aggravating your injuries. That was very unprofessional, I'm really sorry," Simmons apologised profusely, looking her patient over in the process.

Skye let out a small laugh at her friend's nervous behaviour, actually slightly startling herself with the noise. She knew that her imprisonment probably hadn't been as long as it had seemed, but to her it still felt like an eternity since the last time she had been able to laugh.

"No, don't worry, you didn't aggravate anything, Jemma. I'm not actually that heavily injured, just really thirsty. And I guess I could use a bite to eat or two," she explained, trying to reassure the scientist, but Simmons was still looking at her with doubt written all over her features.

"Seriously, stop looking at me like that," Skye finally ordered, already annoyed by her friend's overprotectiveness. "I already told Ward that I can walk on my own and I can definitely get a hug without breaking apart. It's okay, really, I'm fin—"

That last part had been more of a reflex than anything else, really, an empty phrase to stop her team mates from worrying about her, but Skye felt the words die on her lips. She shuddered unnoticeably as she realised that that was possibly one of the most blatant lies she had ever told.

True, her physical injuries weren't as severe as Jemma seemed afraid of, but she certainly wasn't fine. In fact, she had never felt this far away from 'fine' in her entire life and Skye could tell that the others were seeing that now as well, going by the upset looks on their faces.

She could see that Simmons was struggling to find the right words, searching desperately for something to say to console her friend, and that Ward was looking at her with pain and helplessness in his eyes. In the end it was Agent May, however, who stepped forward, grabbed Skye gently by the shoulders, and spoke to her in a soothing tone.

"No, you're not fine. But that's okay. We're here for you, Skye."

The young hacker didn't know what to say to that, as she was completely dumbfounded by May's kindness. But as, despite her best efforts, tears now started to spill from her eyes once again, it was her, who initiated the embrace this time. She wrapped her arms around Agent May as if she was holding onto her for dear life and buried her head against her shoulder.

The specialist hesitated for a brief moment. She hadn't expected this kind of reaction, given the rather distant relationship she had always had with Skye so far. In the end, however, Agent May returned the hug and held the shaking woman tightly, knowing that that was the only thing she could do to help right now.

To be continued…

w121362: Could you maybe sent me a link of your translation? I just think that it is so cool that you actually go to the trouble of translating my story, and I would really love to see it!