It's been eighteen hours, and Skye still hasn't regained consciousness. Coulson may hide it well, but May knows better than to let her friend's calm demeanor fool her. He's been unconsciously adjusting the watch on his wrist for the past hour and a half. And save for his brief stay in his office to watch the surveillance video taken from the quinjet Hunter has commandeered, he hasn't really left the observation area. Hell, he hasn't taken his eyes off Skye since she re-entered the room, and it was what, three hours ago?

"She's not going to disappear, Phil." May mumbles as she hands his friend a fresh cup of coffee. Bless Fitz for having the foresight to install a coffee machine in the room. She may not like coffee, but his former partner sure does. "She's going to be fine."

Phil stares up at her. "Will she?"

May's not used to being the more optimistic side of their friendship, but something tells her that for this case, she really has to exert a lot more effort into being one. "It's Skye."

Some other time, they both may think that that is reason enough. Skye is, after all, one of the strongest people she knows. But now, after what happened in that cliff, after what she tried to do, she's not so sure anymore. Not that Coulson needs to know that.

"I don't know, May."

"Why don't you take a break?" May asks. "I'll stay with her."

He shakes his head and gives her a sad smile. "I'm fine."

May just gives him the look.

She knows that he hates it when she does that, but she does it nonetheless. He sighs in defeat. "Okay. I must check on Simmons, anyway. She should have something by now." He slowly removes himself from his chair and walks towards the door.

"I'll call you if anything changes."

He nods. "Do that."

Sometimes she wonders if Skye is better off if they all just left her alone in her van all those years ago.


Two hours after leaving Skye's side, Coulson finds himself standing inside the lab. No one's in, if the dim lights are of any indication. He spots the digital clock on the far side of the room. It's only then when he realizes that it's already way past midnight.

"Sir?" A voice suddenly calls him from behind, startling him.

It's Jemma.

"What are you doing here so late at night?"

Coulson shrugs. "I could ask you the same thing."

"I couldn't force myself to sleep." Jemma admits. "I have been staring at the ceiling of my bunk for the past hour, trying to put my mind to rest. I can't, obviously." She chuckles half-heartedly. "But then, out of nowhere actually, I remembered one of the philosophy lectures I've attended while I was still an undergraduate student. Well, it's not exactly similar, but somehow, I couldn't think of another explanation more fitting. For Skye's case, at least."

Coulson nods. "Tell me."

"For the past few days after San Juan, what has Skye been desperately trying to do?" Simmons asks. "What does she badly want to achieve?"

"Control." Coulson replies quickly.

"Precisely." Jemma agrees. "When most people think of control, what they really mean is just conscious control. But control, in reality, is governed by two things—the conscious, and the subconscious."

The director's eyebrows furrow. "So what are you trying to say?"

"I think that while her conscious mind is still stuck trying to make sense of everything that's happening to her, her subconscious tries to take over. That's why strong emotions like fear or guilt could easily trigger her." Jemma began; hope clearly brimming from her eyes. "I posit that if we could find a way to bridge the two, I mean, elucidate her conscious mind on what exactly she can or cannot do, we can help her harness control. We could finally shift the command of her seismic capabilities from one to the other."

"And how do you suggest do we do that?"

The excitement in Jemma's face dies and it is suddenly replaced with trepidation. "Sir," she begins, "what are your thoughts about possibly dying a very painful death?"


A/N: I've reached the point in my fic (the chapter I'm currently writing, not the next one to be uploaded) where I need to decide whether to put a ship or not. Do you guys want me to add in a ship here, or should this story remain shipless? The ship won't be driving the main plot though, so the story could survive with or without it. Thoughts?