A/N: Sorry I've been gone for months, but I promised myself I would complete all of my stories, so here it goes...
Recap: Skye has been taken by an unknown group of powered individuals, and while her team are scrambling to look for her, she is still struggling to get a hang of her newly discovered abilities. Will Lincoln Campbell's unconventional methods help her, or would they just make her worse?
Skye is still practically seething when she bumps into Gordon back in the main square. She is too busy muttering curses to herself, kicking the moist ground underneath her feet to punctuate every harsh word, that she barely recognizes his presence until she almost collides against him.
Thankfully, he is quick enough to sidestep her at the very last second.
Skye lets out a small squeek when she finally realizes that she almost trampled upon the very man she's already spent half an hour searching for.
With tensed shoulders, Gordon silently braces himself for the rather lengthy venting that is sure to come. Judging by the amount of tension coiling underneath her hunched figure, he's in for another entertaining conversation.
"I would kill that man, Gordon. I would!" Skye gripes, her eyes indeed screaming murder.
The severly upfronted look on her face makes it doubly hard for Gordon to muster an expression that could pass, however remotely, as concern. Truth be told, the longer he is forced to deal with those two younger Inhumans trying to bite each other's head off, the more amused he's becoming. With a nicely concealed chuckle, he asks, "What did he do now?"
"Oh, I don't know," she replies acerbically, "nearly electrocuted me to my death. Again."
Gordon had to bite his own tongue to stop himself from smiling. When he first heard Lincoln complain about Skye refusing to talk to him despite normally conversing with everyone else, the teleporter almost couldn't believe his ears. It's not that it is uncommon for the new ones to be especially stubborn towards their transitioners - god knows how he made his own transitioner's life hell the first few weeks he got there - but by the way Lincoln is reacting to it. He's the one of the most level headed and composed transitioners they've got, then this new one comes along, and all of a sudden he's a ticking time bomb of unpredictable behavior. He's never seen him this unhinged.
"I take it your training didn't go so well?"
She glares at the teleporter. "Did not go so well? That's all you're gonna say? He could've killed me!"
He tilts his head as he regards her carefully. "Well, isn't your presence here enough evidence that he didn't?"
"Gordon," she makes a random wave of her hand as she struggles to figure out the right words to say without sounding like she's begging him. "I already agreed to stay here until I can control… this," she gestures wildly to herself, "whatever this is. I already told you I won't try to escape or send messages to anyone. Can't you give me somebody else to train with? Xavier, perhaps? Hell, I'd take anyone."
"I've told you, the elders are the ones who decide the pairings, Skye. It's out of my hands." He explains. "You have similar abilities, in a way. Both of your abilities are elementals. He's the best person in this place to help you."
"He'd kill me first before he could teach me anything remotely useful, surely you know that."
"I can't say I disagree." A distinct drawl suddenly comes up from behind them, startling the former hacker out of her skin. Skye makes a swift 180 turn, glare zeroing on the offensive being that unfortunately decided to make himself known once more just when her anger is beginning to fade.
"You!" How the hell could he escape those ropes that fast? She just spent ten full minutes securing those knots. Even May would have a hard time getting out of those bindings.
He sends her an unnerving smirk as he throws pieces of burnt rope at her feet. "Do you actually believe those things could hold me?"
Oh. Of course. How could she have forgotten about that? Stupid electricity.
She really should've decked him a couple more times when he's down. Now, he is back bothering her again, ruining the few hours of peace she's been planning to spend away from his annoying presence. Since being assigned to her, he's been sticking to her like a disgusting gum. A pleasant smelling one, but disgusting nonetheless.
She steps towards him, jabbing a finger roughly against his chest. "I absolutely despise you, you pesky murderous psycho!"
He mirrors her action, crowding her personal space with his lean frame. "Well, the sentiment is surely returned a thousandfold, miss pigheaded closet bullhorn!"
"Bullhorn?" She gasps, incensed by the quip. "Ha, that's rich coming from an irritating bug which has been blabbering in my ear ever since I got here."
"I wouldn't not be blabbering if your obstinate little self just stopped for one second from being being an absolute diva and talk to me like a proper civilized person!" He snarls.
"Civilized? Now you're demanding me to be civilized?" She questions, utterly baffled by the nerve of the guy in front of her. "You tried to kill me how many times again?"
He rolls his eyes at her. "Oh, don't be so dramatic, I barely touched you."
She gapes at him, incredulous. "Excuse you?" He did not just say that. Barely touched her? He's practically manhandled her every chance he got. Hell, calling it being manhandled may even be putting it mildly. He's practically dumped her naked on a table on her first day in, and his abrasive behavior had escalated exponentially ever since. "You must've been frying your brain dry ever since you started using your powers because let me tell you mister, there isn't anything left inside that thick skull of yours for you to use!"
Gordon clears his throat, announcing his presence amidst the intense screaming contest happening right before his eyes. "This, I guess, is my cue to leave." He announces, backing up slightly. "I see you two have a lot to discuss."
He teleports out.
The whooshing sound of Gordon's departure is enough to jolt the two Inhumans out of their fiery little bubble.
"Now, see what you've done!" Skye shoves Lincoln hard on the chest, eyes darting to all the places Gordon probably gone off two. "It took me a lifetime to find the guy, now he's disappeared again for god knows how long. He could be in as far as Austrailia by now!"
"Can't say I blame the guy. You turn all hysterical over such trivial matters, even the pope would teleport directly to hell just to get away from you.."
"Sorry if saving my own life from an untimely death seems trivial to a nutjob such as yourself.."
"Oh-ho-ho. Here comes dramatic Skye again."
Despite her nose flaring in fury, Skye manages to rein her temper in. Counting slowly down from three, she gives him a resigned sigh. She's getting tired of this. She just wants to go home. Turning her back at him once more, she mutters, "Just leave me alone."
Lincoln shoots a fleeting glance on her face. There's a sudden shift in her tone, like she'd just lost all hope, and it may be nothing, but for a brief moment his insides clenches painfully at the sound.
For the first time in a while Lincoln fears Xavier may really be onto something.
Damn it.
A/N: I'm not sure if I will still have readers after taking a gazillion-years long break, but if you've reached this far, then thanks for reading!