A/N: It took forever, way longer than I would have liked, but at last here is an update. I've been in a huge writing mood and have written a lot for my stories and added a lot of planning/outlines. So fingers crossed the next chapter comes out soon. Keep an eye out for it next week ;)
Warning: Implied suicidal actions. The "XXXXXX" is the start and end. It's not in detail or anything, but for anyone who is worried they might be triggered or is uncomfortable with it, they have an indication of where it starts and ends.
Summary: Skye had spent all her life looking for her parents, only fate would have her move down the hall from her mother, Agent Melinda May, the Cavalry. In SHIELD Skye had found the one thing always wanted, a family. She had it all, until it fell apart and now she will do everything in power to hold on and never let go
Chapter Three
"You sure everything's alright," Skye asked for what felt like the thousandth time that morning.
May knew that she was getting easier to read from Skye's perspective, but that was becoming painstakingly obvious. While May could still hide all her emotions and thoughts from everyone else, Skye could read her better than even Coulson had been able to.
A strange occurrence if there was one, but May knew it was because of all the time the two of them spent together. From training, to late night movies to missions and just about everything else Agent mothers and daughters did together.
Not that either of them would complain, though Skye would joke that she was like a child stuck under her mother's watchful eye. The quip was light hearted and the two were not upset by the comparison in the least. May a bit more so than Skye.
May nodded her head, "Yes Skye, as I said before I am fine."
Skye raised an eyebrow, "You don't seem fine. Something's eating away at you."
May shrugged her shoulders, "SHIELD's on the verge of recovery, the director is not here, the latest missions seem to be doing less than okay on a daily basis, plus with Simmons gone and Fitz's worsening condition, not much is really okay."
Skye had to agree, "Yeah, things aren't looking to hot, even still, your energy is off."
"My energy," May deadpanned.
Skye sighed, "Don't give me that look, you know what I'm talking about."
May smirked slightly, but made no verbal comment. May could never tell Skye what was really eating away at her, the conversation she had late last night had left her rattled.
The messages hadn't stopped, from the man she deeply cared for, but held nothing more than hatred for. The man who may have fathered her child, but he was the one who stole her. That was something she could never forgive him for and she had been willing to forgive him for a lot.
He had sent her a message days before to meet in person. Though all of May's instincts told her not to go, she knew she had to because if not, she didn't want Skye to get caught in the crossfire and see her biological father destroy what little they had.
May let the memory play out in her mind as Skye left the room, no doubt called to another mission of some kind or update that May would be bothered with later. Her attention was on the chilling conversation from the previous night.
Flashback
The night air was chilled, the breeze cool enough to send chills up May's exposed arms. Though she wanted to blame the air for the reaction, she knew it was the nerves she refused to show in the face of Cal. The cause of her pain and ever present nightmare.
If she didn't look closely at him, she could pretend he was the same Cal she met those few times across the world. The kind and gentle man with dorky humor. Skye reminded her of him, with her usually quirky attitude though lately she had seen less and less of that girl, May couldn't tell whether that were good or bad.
"Why the cold greeting Mel," said Cal with a grin, "We're friends aren't we?"
May narrowed her eyes, "My friend died in that explosion. You aren't the man I knew. What do you want, why are you here?"
Cal exhaled sharply, clear sign of his annoyance. May kept her gaze steely.
"Isn't it obvious, I'm here for Daisy," Cal replied tersely. May forced herself not to growl, "You can't go anywhere near her."
"I can do whatever I want, me coming here is a formality at most," said Cal, his tone bitter.
"You stole her," May said through gritted teeth, "As long as I breathe, you won't get near her."
Cal clenched his fist, though he forced a smile, "That's harsh don't you think? She is my daughter after all."
"Who you not only kidnapped, but lost and neither of us got to see her grow," May said her voice rising with barely restrained anger.
"You never found us and losing her wasn't my fault," yelled Cal, his nostrils flaring.
May rolled her eyes, "I tore myself apart looking for her. You took her from me then lost her where she was off God knows where only to grow up horribly."
Cal's expression softened, "I never meant for that happen, none of it. I just, I just needed to get her to a safer place. Then, then I needed to you get close enough to trail so i could bring you in as well. It didn't, it didn't work out that way. I'm sorry about that Mel, I truly am."
"Too little too late Cal," May said shallowly, "Leave and don't come back."
"You can't keep me away from her Melinda," stated Cal.
May glared st him, "Just watch me."
"Daisy will be awakened, both of you will," said Cal simply, "And when you both do, I will be ready to take you both home."
May opened her mouth to say more, but he was gone in a flash of blue light leaving May alone in the night. The agent took a quick breath to steady her nerves, anger and sorrow leaving a bitter taste in her mouth. He would not get near her. As long as she breathed, he would never touch her.
Flashback Over
"Mom, you ready to go," Skye asked suddenly.
May forced herself not to jerk or appear startled, she looked up at her daughter with fierce eyes. Cal would not lay a hand on her girl, it was out of the question as would never happen.
"Let's get moving," said May walking past Skye to get going on the next assignment. Skye watched her mother walk away with a slight frown, something was eating away at her and she was getting worried. The hacker took a breath, whatever it was would have to wait. For now, there were other matters to attend to.
Fitz was standing in the lab looking over the blueprints that would help with the claiming technology the team needed. It was taking him much longer than he would have liked, he cursed his mind for that, the stutter that refused to leave him and the slowness of his head.
The words were there, he could see their image in his mind, but it rarely made it to his tongue. It was pre agony for him. All his life he had been in the fast line with whatever was around him. Learning quickly, understanding more than the average person at rapid rates. Yet now he was like a shadow of that person and it was killing him on the inside.
Having 'Simmons' here wasn't helping him either. He knew the Simmons standing next to him wasn't the real Simmons. The girl beside him, asking about his medication and finding the words he couldn't say, was not real. A figment of his imagination because when he learned that Simmons had left the base, that she was gone, he broke down.
He was like this because of her and though he didn't regret that decision, he was upset that she wouldn't be here to help him. After everything they had been through, it was breaking him on the inside to know that even though she had been there the whole time, she was gone now.
When or if she was coming back was beyond him. No one else seemed to have the answers he was looking for, but that neither here nor there. He really needed to finish this cloaking technology. Some agents were going out today to get a jet, one that no doubt would have cloaking on it. While that was meant to be a secret from him, it was Skye who told him that.
We're going out to get one soon. I know you're working as fast as you can, but without that tech we can't run as many operations and we're too exposed. Having one will be a game changer and you getting to look at the technology already operational might help you. Seeing the final product might make the process easier.
He knew he shouldn't be as hurt by it, but he knew their reasoning. Besides it was good that they would get the tech so they could stay out of sight. However he useless feeling was welling up in Fitz the more he thought about it.
It wasn't true, he could still help and do things, but it was taking a bit longer. And in this line of work, those who can't keep up are often left behind. Of course he knew no one on his original team would actually leave him behind, it was just hard not to think that way when there was so little he could do help them in a timely manner.
"Any update on the metal we found?"
Fitz jumped at the new voice, but relaxed when he saw it was Agent May. Over these last few weeks she had been helping recover from his injury and out of everyone she was the most patient with him. She wouldn't push him too far, just enough so he couldn't quit when it got hard.
"Um yeah, yep, yep," he said as she walked to the table, "Um, no actually no. Not at all. I'm just having a bit of trouble identifying… a bit of trouble identifying… the material."
May nodded, "Okay."
Fitz swallowed, "So uh this is the same lead we use in bullets, but there's- there is something uh, bleeding uh."
May leaned over to look at the sample that was collected from their earlier operation. A man had stopped bullets without a problem, he as strong as an ox as the saying goes. Whoever or whatever he was, was dangerous and needed to be contained.
Fits looked away, "Ah, okay uh. Are you, are you seeing that?"
"It looks like flesh," 'Simmons' said beside him.
May nodded in surprise, "Yeah, that looks like blood."
"Okay good," Fitz with a sigh of relief, "I mean good you can, you can see it, but what? I mean that's, that's weird."
"Can you figure out whose blood," May asked, her attention now on the scientist.
"That shouldn't be too hard," said Simmons.
Fitz echoed her, "That shouldn't be too hard."
May nodded, "I'll stay and help anyway."
Fitz wanted to her that he didn't need her help, but he knew she only wanted to make sure he was alright. He couldn't be angry at her for that. Especially with everything that has gone on, not to mention the conversation he deleted on the security feed the other day.
When May told him about it, he was surprised that she would seek his help and that she wanted to keep it a secret. Fitz wasn't terrible with computers, but it was far from his forte.
"Are you doing okay," May asked as Fitz began his work to get a sample of blood.
The scientist shrugged, "Fine, fine. Just fine."
May raised an eyebrow, not believing it, "Do you still see-"
"Yes," Fitz answered, "I do."
May studied Fitz for a moment, she felt a pang of sorrow for him. It wasn't easy for him fighting this battle, especially not with his partner in crime gone. This was a nightmare for him, but May had to admit she was impressed by how far Fitz had come.
She was proud of him, all of them were.
Once a match had been found, May brought it up to Coulson who had been talking to their mercenaries.
With the papers in hand, May walked in, "DNA match."
Coulson stood fork his leaning position at the desk and took the papers from her. There he saw the image of a bald man, someone he knew from the Index.
Coulson explained, "Carl Creel, he was on the Index with SHIELD."
"More importantly, crossed off The Index," May pointed out.
Hartley looked at Hunter and Idaho to explain, "SHIELD protocol. Sometimes hostile gifted individuals are put down."
The mercenary Idaho commented, "Well they didn't do a great job here."
May shook her head, "They didn't try. Check who was the supervising agent."
Coulson looked and saw it, "Agent John Garrett."
Saying the dead man's name left a sour taste in Coulson's mouth. It had been months since the entire incident, but still Coulson could hardly let it go. The memories of that event had haunted him at times. Garrett had been a great friend and now he was nothing more than far away memory.
May spoke next, "They must have faked Creel's termination, recruited him."
Hartley sighed, "Well now we know he's HYDRA."
"Wait John Garrett," Hunter questioned as he stood from his seated position and looked at Coulson, "Isn't that your mate who, you know…went to the dark side?"
Coulson answers him, "Oh, yeah. Then he went nuts."
There a pause. May broke the silence, "Have Skye start digging what she can on him."
Coulson nodded, "Yeah. I'll bring this to her now, in the meantime get ready for the next assignment."
Coulson left the his office then to find Skye. More often than not she could be find in her room or the BUS. The days on the BUS seemed like a lifetime ago despite it not even being half a year.
Coulson found Skye lying on the Holotable, he would have made himself known, but was content to watch her for a moment. It had been awhile since the two last spoke and had a real conversation. Sure they had a few passing words, but it wasn't enough for either of them really.
Agent Triplett walked in, causing Coulson to wait a bit longer in case Trip had something important to tell.
" It's a little bit strange," Trip said walking in with two beers, "I mean they're exactly the same. You really think they were just twins? Come on."
Skye released a sigh as she sat up on the table, "I have heard all your theories, Trip."
Trip handed her a beer, "And Koenig's always mentioning other brothers. Every day, another brother. If he brings up one more brother I don't know what I'm gonna do."
"Coulson said we can trust him," Skye reminded Trip before drinking some of her beer.
"There's something fishing going on there," Trip commented, "You'll go crazy staring at this crap. What is it again?"
Skye shrugged and slid off the table, "Not sure. Something Garrett was messing with." She pauses to study the markings, "Coulson put me on it a month ago, searching deep web contacts, even Rising Tide, looking for a match. I've got nothing."
Coulson decided then to make himself known.
Trip could only laugh, "Speak of the Devil and he will appear. There he is."
Coulson grinned, "Agent Triplett, Skye."
Trip smiled back at him, "Happy to see you, sir."
"Likewise," Coulson said, he glanced at Skye, "Can you give us a moment?"
"Watch this," Trip said before walking out the room without a word.
Skye and Coulson shared a brief chuckle at that. Having Agent Triplett around was a definite positive to all the chaos of these past few months. He was a happy and upbeat person with a colorful personality. Trip was like the fun older brother.
Skye smiles half heartedly at Coulson, "What? No hugs? He was really looking forward to it. I've cross checked the writing from the lab with the new images you've given me. Mostly the same, but the code breakers haven't found anything-"
Coulson interrupted her, "That's not why I'm here." He extended the papers May gave him roger, "The bulletproof assassin you encountered on the sting earlier today? We know who he is."
Skye raised an eyebrow at that. She took the papers from him and scanned them over. Just another research project she would have to deal with, sometimes being the computer expert had its perks. It was taxing and tedious at times, but Skye loved it.
"I'm on it," Skye said with a grin.
Coulson could tell the grin was forced, though he didn't know why. Without another word, she walked out the command center and off to do her search. Several weeks ago, Skye had mentioned casually that she had a new source for any Hydra intel. However she was hesitant to share exactly who or what the source was.
She had claimed it was anonymous, but no one believed her. Though they were content to let her have the secret source for now. May thought it might have been Miles, he reappeared in the hacking world after SHIELD cleared him.
It satisfied the curiosity, but it was still a wonder why Skye was unwilling to share it. Coulson would worry about that later, his attention was needed elsewhere.
Skye found one of her laptops that she kept on the BUS in her old bunk. She left it here because she didn't want anyone to see it and mess around with it. Though she had all her protocols and security stuff protecting the information there, the last thing she wanted was to be questioned why it had so much protection.
All her other laptops, three or five, were usually lying around and open without being locked. Whatever she was working on would be protected via her codes, but this computer was on lockdown. No one could get in except her. All the others just needed a password or eyescan to open.
This one had enough firewalls to rival the Pentagon. It took a few minutes to unlock, it would take weeks or even months for anyone else to try. It was excessive, Skye knew that, but she couldn't let anyone know who she was talking to. Once the computer was unlocked, she found the chat box she was looking for.
Skye: I need information
The reply was instant
Douglas: what else is new? When do you want to meet?
Skye: the sooner the better. A video call would work just fine.
Douglas: that's funny considering you wanted to keep this short so no one would know
Skye: I know what I said, but time is limited.
Douglas: edit your security cameras in the area. I'll meet you at the coffee shop
Skye: I do not have time to meet you
Douglas: find some. I'll be waiting there for an hour before I'm off again.
Skye: Fine. On my way
Skye didn't wait to see his reply and closed the laptop angrily. The man was a thorn in her side, she wondered if he would ever go away, but she doubted it. So far all of his intel had been perfect, gave them everything they needed or wanted to know without fail. It was because of him a lot of their work had gone off without a problem. Despite that Skye knew she could never share his identity with the others.
It would break them, not all the way, but a little bit, to know that former agent Grant Ward was the responsible for a lot of their Hydra intel. Had been helping them recover lost SHIELD objects and find recruits and traitors just the same. Skye was sick just thinking about it, but she forced it aside.
She left the base without a word and hoped that no one started searching for her, or that she would be needed immediately back at base. There were times when she really hated this man.
Currently their relationship was broken, Skye could tell it was rebuilding based on the few jokes they told and poking fun. Skye knew she could never have the same relationship with him, but she felt that it was possible to forgive him.
She spotted him at the Starbucks sitting outside with a coffee in one hand and another drink sitting there. He looked different than before. His skin was a bit tanner and he had beard that made it slightly harder to recognize him. Not perfect, but it did its job.
He nodded as she took a seat across from him, "Aren't you a sight for sore eyes."
"Don't," Skye said with a heavy sigh, "Tell me what I want to know or leave."
"You're the one who needs the information, I'm content to wait," said Ward taking a sip.
Skye glared at him.
She was the only person right now who he has a real repor with, even with his new identity and some friends it was rough being on his own. He went through some hard patches, especially while he was captured and trying to escape. Then when he was free, things didn't get much better for him.
XXXXXX
Always on the lookout, constantly living in fear of being caught, the anger, sorrow, hopelessness he felt brought him darker than ever. The scars on his wrist that were exposed were a testament to that.
He claimed it was to escape the binds, and that was partially true, but deep down he knew if he cut the wrong vein it wouldn't have made a difference. He would have welcomed it.
Deep down he knew he didn't want to die. Yet he wanted to be free of all the pain he felt during his time on the run, with no one there to help and no one in the world caring about what happened to him.
He shook those thoughts away. He was better now, not perfect, but better. Absently he touched the scar on his wrist, he had come a long way and for that he was grateful and proud.
XXXXXX
Skye softened her expression and handed him the papers, "Please just tell me about this man."
Ward leaned forward to look them over, "Creel was a boxer, nicknamed The Crusher. Turns out any opponent has a glass jaw when you have steel fists under your gloves."
Skye blinked in surprise, but made no verbal comment.
"Garrett thought he'd be an asset. Now, once Creel touches a substance, he can absorb it and somehow consciously transform the molecules of his body into that substance," Ward explained, "He wouldn't tell us how, but he enjoys the way it feels….Almost as much as he enjoys killing."
"That's not new information," Skye remarked, "Where do we find him?"
"I don't know exactly, but I have an idea," said Ward.
Skye nodded, "I'm listening."
"When HDYRA was communicating with S.H.I.E.L.D. we'd use white noise in the gaps between S.H.I.E.L.D.'s quantum key distribution channels to hide messages. Now, S.H.I.E.L.D. might be gone, but not those frequencies," Ward told her and leaned back in his chair, "If Hydra is giving the commands, that will lead you to him."
Skye nodded, "Okay. That will help."
Skye stood up and was ready to walk away, but stopped in her tracks. Ward didn't say anything, he figured she would runaway the moment she had what she needed. He couldn't blame her for that. It still hurt of course, but he knew it was something he would have to deal with. One day he would make things right, but the damage had been done.
Skye looked over her shoulder, "Thank you."
"Anytime," Ward said with a wry smile, "Still send me those updates?"
Skye had agreed to send him updates on the others, how they were doing and if anything happened to them. Most of the reports she gave were about Fitz's recovery which Ward was eager to hear about.
It took awhile, but Skye believed him when he said that he didn't mean to hurt Fitz or Simmons. He was guilt ridden over it, it gave Skye some sick satisfaction that it was eating away at him, but as time went on she felt pity.
"I will," answered Skye honestly. Without another word, Skye headed back to base to share her new information.
