Previously: Previously: Coulson killed Carl Creel in order to get to Skye, where he was offered an antidote to her previously poisoned condition. She was becoming horrified at the fact that she was back in this place when Jemma showed up.

A girl named Tessa worked at the museum Skye and Lincoln were forced into; she was the tour guide and Kane's helper.


"Bloody hell!" Simmons shrieked, moments after appearing in the room. She was facing away from them and was nervously observing her immediate surroundings. Skye wasn't entirely sure when she'd gotten into the arena, but she was sure as hell happy to see her friend.

Skye was still choking back tears. "Jemma?"

She spun around. "Skye? Coulson! Oh thank god you're alright." Jemma began running towards them.

Another "vwarp" noise later, she was… right in front of them?

"Whoa!" shouted Skye.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Jemma exclaimed and huddled her arms around herself. "I don't know how to control it!"

Skye was puzzled for only a moment before her face contorted to rage. "Kane did this to you?" she demanded, standing up with her anger. Coulson helped haul her though.

Simmons nodded. "I suppose…"

"Is it permanent?" asked Coulson.

"I… I don't know."

Skye didn't know either. Skye didn't know what to think. She'd wanted to help people adjust to their powers, to help them learn they were a burden… but Simmons was never supposed to have powers! She wasn't inhuman. At least… Skye didn't think so.

"How did this happen?" said Skye.

"Surgery? The… CAMI said surgery. She went on that mine was easier because I'd gone into the monolith. "

"They did something to Mack too," said Coulson. "But his is more… visible."

"Oh, May!" Jemma exclaimed as though just remembering. "She has empathetic powers. Hunter hasn't shown signs yet, and Lincoln's-"

"Lincoln?" Skye uttered in urgency. "You've seen Lin- you've seen them, too?"

Skye was concerned for everyone, really. It sounded like Kane wasn't only using them to play a game, but as though they were test subjects in an experiment. Clearly he happened to enjoy watching the mice suffer as they'd try to figure out the puzzle.

But Lincoln had been her rock. And as much as she wanted to admit she yearned for all of them equally, there was something in her heart that told her she needed to see him.

"If you've seen Mack, I'm afraid the only ones I haven't seen are Fitz or Bobbi."

"Raina?" inquired Coulson.

"Oh. No I've… I've not seen her either." Jemma glanced at Coulson's wrist, causing Skye's eyes to flick that way as well.

"Hey, what happened?" Skye exclaimed. Simmons lifted his sleeve.

"Creel. Apparently his body could change temperature as well as substance."

"Creel?" asked Skye. "When did you see him? Is he-? Oh."

Skye had begun surveying the room when Coulson had brought up the man. And he was there, but the hacker was fairly certain he wouldn't be waking up.

"Hey!" came a shout from the side. "What's going on in there?"

"That's Mack," Coulson explained. "Probably should clue him in."

"But your wrist!"

"It's fine," Coulson insisted. He then yanked his shirt so that a portion tore off, quickly wrapping it around the red area. "See?"

"No but…" Jemma sighed. "Honestly I don't know what else I could do for it here anyway."

"Right. So let's go see Mack and figure out our next move."

The girls nodded and they began walking to the edge of the arena.

"Is everyone ok?" Skye asked Jemma quietly as they walked.

"Well yes, but considering the circumstances… it's just odd." She paused, then looked up to Skye imploringly. "No signs of Fitz?"

Oh god, poor Jemma. This was a horrific place not to know where your best friend was. To not know where someone you cared so deeply about was. What was happening to him.

But as much as Skye wanted to give Simmons good news, she had to shake her head.

"Simmons!" shouted Mack. "They found you?"

"She found us," said Coulson.

Jemma might have said something then, but the scientist's gaping mouth and wide eyes showed she was too distracted.

"Mack… your… your head!" she stuttered as he held the door open for them.

He sighed. "Here I was hoping you wouldn't notice…"

"Hah," scoffed Skye. "How could she not notice?"

Simmons looked uncomfortable as Coulson just leaned into Skye and whispered, "sarcasm."

"Oh." She coughed, regaining composure. "Uh, well, Jemma's one to talk! She has… moving quickly powers?" Skye said uncertainly, realizing she wasn't entirely sure what had happened.

"I think it may be short-range teleportation? I'm not positive… it activates more when I'm near walls…"

"That how you got in here?" asked Mack. She nodded.

"We have to get to the rest of them," said Coulson. "Simmons, know where to start?"

"Yes. Yes I think so," she said. "Follow me."

Vwarp!

"Oh," said Coulson.

Because Simmons was gone.

"There's a trail leading around the arena," said Mack, pointing. The air seemed to be off-colored nearly. As though tinted to the hues of Jemma's clothes.

"A… trail? A Simmons trail?" asked Skye.

"Look at the air," Mack said, pointing. "It's disfigured."

Coulson shrugged. "Let's give it a shot."

Mack asking Skye about her injury was all that reminded her that she'd ever had it. The poison had completely gone away and she felt fine.

She didn't understand why they'd do that.

Since it had been such a short-term incentive, she wondered if there were other incentives that were going to pop up along the way. Skye feared for every single one of her friends.

"Skye!"

She halted at the voice.

"Lincoln?" she gasped.

Ok, she might have feared for this one just a little more.

Her mind went blank for a moment as she ran forward and wrapped him into a hug. They'd been hanging to each other so much the day they had been rescued, even when she'd thought to herself that she was being too clingy. Now that seemed ridiculous. She had already been separated from him!

She wasn't planning on letting it happen again any time soon.

Skye sighed in disappointment as she rubbed over Lincoln's gloved hands with her own and couldn't help but sigh. They were disabled again, birds with clipped wings.

And now it was as though Kane had stuck said wings onto her friends, but they were struggling to fly.

Soon enough the friends that Simmons had mentioned earlier came trotting forward. May had cuffs on, which made sense given what Jemma had said. But Hunter did to. He probably had powers now as well, even if he hadn't shown signs of it yet.

Skye couldn't believe this was happening.

"Oh good, the gang's all here," commented Hunter, glancing around. "Wait, where's Bobbi?"

"She wasn't with them," explained Simmons. "Neither was Fitz…"

Hunter went from casually to angry in an instant.

"So is that was this is all about?" Hunter exclaimed. He searched the ceiling. "Is that was this is! All of us trying to find the people we care about before they're chopped to bits?"

There was a moment of silence as Hunter seethed. Almost surprisingly, CAMI showed up to answer.

"'Chopped to bits' is too precise to be an accurate presumption, Lance Hunter."

"Are they in danger?" asked Jemma desperately. The two Englanders clearly were the ones with the most to be nervous about. Skye moved closer to Lincoln.

"They are in danger. They are in the game. This game is dangerous. You are in danger, as well."

"Why?" Skye bit out. "I don't understand!"

But then again, she'd never understood. Why had her life been turned upside down for amusement and profit? It had never been a fair trade.

"Experimental programming," said CAMI. "After working for Tivan, Tanaleer at his earth-based museum, Kane, Tobias, worked out how to make more profit. You are all running the beta of the game." She paused, and Skye could have sworn it was for dramatic effect. "You are not all predicted to survive."

"And in order to survive at all we have to kill, right?" Lincoln said presumptively, holding Skye's hand harder, making her realize he'd never let her go in the first place.

"There is zero chance of survival if the players do not end lives."

"Then maybe we should quit now," Skye muttered venomously, damn sick of sacrificing her humanity.

"Whoa, hold up!" said Hunter. "No thanks. I fully intend to find Bobbi and get the hell out of here, no matter what."

"This is insane…" mumbled Jemma quietly. She was nearly crying. "This is insane!"

CAMI beeped. "This was not an inquiry. CAMI will deactivate, now."

"Wait! What about my powers? Do I have powers?" screeched Hunter.

But the light was gone and gave no answer.

"Seriously!" he looked around at everyone. "Am I the only one without bloody powers?"

"Calm down," said Mack. "You've got the cuffs on, you probably do."

"Not that it's necessarily a good thing…" May said grouchily, arms stretched across her chest. Odd sight.

Hunter's mouth was gaping as he examined himself. "Holy… how in the hell did I not notice that sooner?"

Mack then crossed his arms. "A talent in being extremely unobservant?"

Hunter scowled. "Well that's just rude… man Mack. Never known you to be so-"

"Bullheaded!" yelped Skye. The whole team looked at her. She realized she'd been a little too enthusiastic and sort of receded into herself. "I… it's just, I used that one already."

"Ah, of course you did," said Hunter, then paused. And smirked. "What a bunch of bull."

Skye smiled, though was possibly the only one. Everyone else was basically in the middle of a collective groan.

"You're both going to get jacked in the face if you keep this up," Mack threatened.

"Twice," added May. Right. She was probably feeling what Mack was feeling…

"May, how are you?" asked Skye in concern.

The woman let annoyance play on her face. More visible emotion than Skye had ever seen, really. "Been better, Skye. How are you doing? Having fun?"

Skye winced. Who the heck was so annoyed here that was making her act that way?

Well… maybe all of them. Frustrated and scared and annoyed. So May was feeling it times seven.

Skye nodded. "I've been better too. I wish… we were still home."

Apparently she caused some awkward feeling because silence took hold as the team looked over everyone, not needing to be an empath or a mind reader to share the thought.

"What's the game plan, then?" asked Mack.

Coulson shook his head. "I don't know. I don't even know what we're supposed to be doing…"

"Finding Bobbi!" Hunter insisted around the same time Jemma exclaimed "finding Fitz of course!"

Phil nodded. "Ok, so we have a goal in mind. Good start."

"And the rest of them?" asked May. "Ward's here, somewhere. Naja, Raina… all the inhumans."

"They could be players like us," mused Lincoln. "Or… obstacles."

"Or perhaps Kane is saving them said we're apart of the beta test, remember?" said Simmons. "We're clearly expendable."

What followed those words was all too perfect of timing, and Skye wouldn't be surprised if Kane was behind some set of controls to make it so well-done. Because the moment Jemma finished the word 'expendable," the floor beneath their feat decided to take a little field trip. It disappeared.

Skye yelped as she fell, still holding onto Lincoln when they descended. It wasn't too far, she surmised, perhaps ten or fifteen feet. But her rump still hurt when it hit the ground.

She looked up immediately and watched the ceiling close them in.

"Is everyone ok?" she asked, finally getting a look around. In doing so she realized that 'everyone' wasn't much of any of them. Only Lincoln and Hunter had plummeted with her.

"Fine, fine…" mumbled Hunter. "Could do with some nice powers to break my fall though."

She realized he was joking, but had no time for smiles as she searched the face of the man next to her. "You ok?"

"Been through worse," he assured her. They helped each other off the ground of the oddly decorated room.

It had bright pink walls with white polka dots accompanied by a red and pink bed. There was even a pink dresser in the shape of a heart.

To top it off, what Skye could only explain as the real-life version of Strawberry Shortcake came hurdling towards them.

"Visitors!" the pink-haired girl screamed, clapping her hands. Her frilled dress swayed as she advanced. "It is so nice to meet you! I've never had visitors. Of course, I've only had this room for, hmm… a day! But then I never had visitors before at my last place either. Though that had been the point of course!"

Skye recognized this girl, she thought. After sharing a look with Lincoln, it was confirmed she wasn't just seeing things. His face easily told that he knew her as well. After staring at Lincoln for a little too long –his eyes were enticing, ok?- Skye turned back to the girl.

"Tessa?" Skye inquired, cutting off the girl's rambling. Skye wasn't even sure what the girl was going on about… something to do with cookies?

Her mouth gaped. "Oh, no! Silly… that's my twin!"

"Your twin?" asked Hunter. "Wait, I don't even know who you are."

"Ah, I'm sorry I'm so sorry! I am Priya," she sang happily, and then curtsied. No joke. A low, holding-out-her-skirt, curtsy. She giggled. "Kane prefers me to be called Aphrodite, but he just loves those nicknames by the sound of it! Anyhow, would you all like some tea? And cookies! You never answered me about the cookies."

Priya beamed.

The rest of them blinked.

"Is this serious?" Hunter screeched. "What the hell is happening!"

"Serious? Nah, I think you are too serious!" she laughed. "Sit. Sit! I'll get you some tea."

"I don't want any bloody tea!" exclaimed Hunter. "In hindsight, I can't believe I just said that…"

"C'mon Hunter," Skye scolded quietly. "We can get some information out of her."

"Yeah," agreed Lincoln. "She doesn't seem threatening."

Skye gave him a pitying look, but felt something akin to anger in her stomach at the naivety of such a phrase. Though, the longer she looked him over, she couldn't help but feel more like stroking his skin.

Wait what.

Skye shook her head of her own thoughts. "Lincoln, everything here is a threat. Don't forget that."

They'd all sat down at the small pink coffee table. (Skye almost missed it!) Pink princess soon brought them a tray full of tea and cookies. As she loaded them onto fine china to disperse for each of the SHIELD agents Skye couldn't help but wonder if she'd been drugged once again. Pink room and tea party? Definitely weird.

"Ah yes, this is nice," said Priya, settling into a seat. "So what are your names?" she asked daintily, sipping her tea.

"I'm Skye… and this is Lincoln and Hunter." They waved, awkwardly. The way Lincoln did it was adorable though. He almost twirled his fingers in succession. So cute!

"How nice! You seem lovely. I do hope we won't have to fight or something."

"You were told to fight us?" asked Lincoln.

"Hmm, not exactly. I was told someone may try to hurt me!"

"We won't," Skye promised, despite a warning look from Hunter. He really was prepared to do anything to get out of there.

"That's perfect!" she said. "I won't hurt you either."

Skye didn't understand. There was no door to this place… what were they doing in there?

"So, Tessa is your sister. She um… worked at the place Lincoln and I were held…"

"I don't think she worked there willingly…" Priya mused. "The collector had her because he couldn't find me."

"Why would he want you?" asked Hunter. Skye was happy he'd had enough tact so not to add 'to plan his parties?' or something.

"For my power," she said simply, taking another sip from her cup. "When my sister went through Terrigenesis, her gift was… less than to be desired."

"Which was…?" asked Hunter.

"To mimic any accent she's shown," explained Priya. "It didn't excite the collector and he took her in as a slave instead of an artifact."

"That's horrible," Skye breathed.

"Really is... And he only kept her because he thought she could help get to me," she said, so casually. As though conditioned to look on the bright side or to have just stopped caring at all. "But I of course did not know this, shipped off as I'd been. No contact with living beings. Ever."

That… did not sound good. Because, as of the moment, they were living.

Lincoln, Hunter and Skye shared glances. Skye caught Lincoln's eyes in her gaze and felt her heart beat faster.

"Why's that?" said Hunter, his tone raising an octave. "Do tell, I'm quite curious."

"Well, my power is dangerous for me of course. If I were ever to be alone in a room with someone they would be persuaded to take me."

The story was turning dark, this girl's chipper tone adding to what was quickly becoming horrific.

"They'd want to kidnap you?" asked Lincoln. "Why?"

"Oh no. Not captured. Take… in the like… biblical sense? I think that's what it's called…"

Skye's eyes grew wide.

"It was never their fault!" Priya insisted on their behalf. "They were under my powers… my spell, as my father put it. That's why he took me away, so no one would touch me."

"So what is your power?" Skye asked, feeling near flushed. She wasn't' entirely sure why.

She also didn't get the answer from Priya, because Hunter began shouting in quite an urgent tone.

"Hands on the table. Hands on the bloody table!" Hunter suddenly ordered.

"What? Why?" asked Skye.

"Because I'm pretty certain I know what her powers are," Hunter said, eying at Lincoln and Skye's laps.

Skye gasped at the sight. She'd barely so much as felt Lincoln's hand… and it was kneading her inner thigh pretty insistently. She'd known in the back of her mind, she supposed, but it had seemed too natural to take note of.

She certainly didn't notice her hands on the buttons to his pants…

Both inhumans shot their hands up and put them on the table instantly. Skye felt embarrassed… but syrupy feelings were beginning to intrude as she took in Lincoln's enticing form.

She wanted to do it again.

"Well," said Hunter nervously. "I suppose we know why Kane likes to call you Aphrodite."


Author's Note: I rushed Lincoln and Skye getting together because it appeeeeared people were waiting for StaticQuake! Tell me how ya like :)