Skye wheeled the SUV around the corner into the Playground and smiled as the Bus came into view. Since Grant was in the passenger's side relieved from any need to be alert, he'd been relaxed. In contrast to Skye's reaction, he realized that seeing the plane – the place where he'd been the happiest – was actually making him tense. Maybe I just don't want to give up time alone with Skye. But he didn't truly believe that.
These were feelings he'd need to examine later, especially since May was heading towards them with a serious expression. He almost groaned out loud. Welcome back!
She nodded curtly. "Good timing, you two. Coulson wants all of us in his office for a briefing."
Skye did groan out loud. "Can't we at least drop our stuff off in our rooms first?"
May smiled slightly. "If you hurry."
Grant grinned at Skye. "I'll meet you there. Since you've got that long walk and all." Skye just rolled her eyes.
Grant unceremoniously dumped his duffel in his closet then walked quickly to Coulson's office. The need for punctuality was still strong and he had to admit to some curiosity. What fresh new hell will it be today? As he walked through the Playground halls, he tried to analyze if he felt any contentment about being back. Not really. Then again, analyzing his feelings about a place was a new experience for him. Agent Ward never considered his feelings; his only thoughts were about how best to get the job done. So maybe he was just out of practice.
When he turned into the office, he noted that everyone but Skye was already there. Coulson was busy doing something behind his desk and May was fiddling with the screen while everyone else stood or sat, awkwardly waiting. That felt weird. Even up to a few weeks ago, people would've been conversing in pairs or trios, so the silence felt oppressive. It had the aura of a briefing following a bad mission but, as far as he knew, nothing like that had occurred.
Kara was lounging in one of the chairs looking bored but sat up when Grant came in. "Hey! You're back! How was your trip?"
"It was great." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Fitz furrow his brow. Grant could almost read the questions on his face. He found a free space of wall next to Trip to lean on.
"Can't say I'm not jealous, man," Trip drawled. "Are you well rested? Ready and raring to go for all the new missions we're sure to get?"
Grant gave him a quick smile. "Yep. Slept in every morning and," he shifted his eyes so that he could meet Fitz's, "worked some things out. I think we're both good to go." Fitz smiled a little in response.
Skye skidded into the room, her entry quickly followed by the high decibel of Jemma's voice saying, "Skye! You're back!" as she rushed to throw her arms around the other woman. Skye staggered a little under the force of Jemma's embrace. Jemma didn't seem to notice. "You have no idea of the number of computer problems we had when you were gone. I mean, Fitz tried to fix them and he and Mack eventually figured them out but it took twice as long as it would've taken you!"
"Hey!" Mack said in mock outrage.
"Well, you know what I mean," Jemma said, glancing at Mack in semi-apology. She turned back to Skye, opening her mouth to say something else but then stopped short. Jemma pulled back so that she could look Skye up and down more thoroughly. Grant only had a second to experience a shudder of discomfort before Jemma smiled and said approvingly, "Skye! You're glowing!"
"Well, what did you expect?" Bobbi asked. "She just spent an entire week with Ward. Alone."
"I hope you packed a lot of protection, mate," Hunter said to Grant. Skye blushed as Grant tried not to roll his eyes. Sometimes Hunter was truly the limit.
Coulson stood up from his chair and cleared his throat. Grant watched Skye smother a grin. Coulson always got uncomfortable whenever the subject of Grant and Skye's sex life came up. "OK. Now that everyone's here, we can get started. Some of you may know about current events but I need for everyone to be on the same page." Grant smirked as he watched Coulson come out from behind the desk and lean on the front of it, something he'd labelled as Coulson's Lecturing Position. "The good news is that Hydra's coming out party didn't go as well as they'd hoped. They managed to take down the Triskellion and capture some of our facilities but they didn't get the Hub, several of our secret bases or, as we recently discovered, The Iliad."
Grant straightened. That was indeed good news. However, Skye was clearly puzzled. "Like the book?" she asked. Grant was hit with another reminder of just how much she still didn't know.
"No," Coulson told her. "The Iliad is a ship, a big one. It was carrying very sensitive cargo, so when we didn't hear from them, we assumed it either was sunk or in Hydra's hands. Fortunately, neither is true. Not only is it intact but a number of high-ranking agents managed to get on board during the Hydra revolt including," he nodded in FitzSimmons' direction, "Agent Weaver from the Academy."
Jemma's eyes lit up. "Oh, this is fantastic news! When Trip and I went to the Academy to look for her and she wasn't there, we feared the worst."
"How did you find out?" Grant wanted to know.
Coulson smiled at Bobbi and Mack. "As it turns out, Commander Gonzalez wasn't sure who could be trusted, so they laid low and he sent two of his best agents undercover to determine that I'm trustworthy. Thanks to Agents Morse and Mackenzie, he now believes that I am. Gonzalez got in touch yesterday."
"Wait," Skye said slowly. "So that means…"
"That we were undercover here," Mack finished for her. "Yeah. But we were only following orders. It…"
"Wasn't personal" Skye said in unison with him. She gave Grant a half smile. "Yeah. I get it." Then she frowned. "Kind of." Grant could almost read her mind. It seemed like Team Bus was constantly being spied upon from within. What Skye didn't understand yet was that never being able to trust people completely was part of the job.
May crossed her arms, a sure sign that she was angry. "We may have some additional resources we didn't know we had but Hydra still dealt us quite a blow."
"Yes," Coulson concurred. "We're still considered a rogue agency, at least until we can convince General Talbot that we're just as focused on law and order as we always were. That's why Agent Ward's work on capturing Hydra agents remains so important." Grant nodded. "That's also why Agents MacKenzie, Morse and Hunter will focus on recapturing all the prisoners Hydra released. Once we get everyone back where they belong and return to investigating threats, it's possible we may be able to regain some of our standing with the governments that were working with us before."
"Working with us," Bobbi said in a flat voice. "You mean funding us."
Coulson nodded. "Yes, that's definitely part of it. I won't pretend that Hydra's emergence hasn't cost us a lot of money. Many of our previous funding sources stopped giving us money, so now we have to make do on less even though our needs are larger than ever. We're going to have to get creative since we still have to rebuild facilities, replace our inventory of weapons and equipment and train new agents."
The silence in the room was deep. Grant clearly wasn't the only one in the room who hadn't considered just how much Hydra had stolen from SHIELD as an institution.
"I get that money's a problem," Trip said slowly, "but so is personnel. You listed off a bunch of things that we need to do to get back up and running but how are we going to do that? We barely have enough agents as it is."
Coulson nodded. "That's why you, Skye and Agent Palamas will be in charge of recruitment. A number of SHIELD personnel escaped during the fight with Hydra and may not know that it's safe to come back. We need you to find them. Agent Weaver's taking care of general recruitment, just like she did when she the head of the Academy. We hope to get that program back up and running in the next six months."
Jemma half raised her hand. "What will Fitz and I be doing, Sir?"
"You will be rebuilding the Science Division," Coulson replied. She nodded and gave Fitz a small smile that he returned. Grant was glad to see it. He wasn't sure what the situation was between them these days, particularly since Fitz had been so upset with Jemma's anti-alien rant. Grant just hoped that her feelings weren't going to be a problem for anyone, especially since he and Skye couldn't keep their status as Inhumans secret much longer.
Coulson looked around at all their grim faces. "I know this news isn't easy to hear. Our mission may seem daunting but I personally think it's exciting. When Hydra came out from the shadows, it became clear that we had a lot of people working with us who were weighing us down and keeping us from being as great as we can be. But they're gone, so now we have an opportunity to rebuild SHIELD better than it's ever been before. We've put together an amazing team and I have faith in each one of you to get the job done." He again scanned each of their faces. "That's it for now. If anyone has questions about their assignments, please see me later."
Despite his pep talk at the end, no one appeared energized as they quietly left Coulson's office. FitzSimmons turned almost as one to head to their Lab and the others (except May who stayed back to talk with Coulson) went their own ways. Grant automatically fell in step with Skye as she walked back to her room. She looked sad. "You OK?"
She nodded. "I was just hoping that we'd be paired together for some missions. I feel a lot more confident than I did before we went on vacation but I'd feel better if I had you around for back-up."
Grant was pleased that Skye's verbal subterfuge skills had improved. There were times during their days on the Bus that he despaired of her doing anything besides telling it exactly like it was. "I've been thinking about that. Maybe we can make a point of training together off-base several times a week, keep our skills from getting rusty."
Skye smiled a little. "That sounds good." Grant smiled back, feeling like that they had things under control.
The next few weeks were some of the best that Grant had experienced in SHIELD. For the first time, he was enjoying the rush of exhilaration and sense of satisfaction that being a good agent of SHIELD brought. Sure, he'd relished using his intelligence, physicality and unique skillset in the service of Hydra but it perpetually came with the price of pain, constant vigilance and the shame of hurting people he wished to help. With his loyalties torn and minimal comfort, Grant's previous tenure as a Special Agent came with a lot of mixed feelings. All that was gone; the Black Shadow had faded away. Now he was free to delight in his missions and come away with the belief that he was, at last, one of the good guys.
Grant threw himself into his work with gusto. He and Skye agreed to keep their powers secret for a while longer, just until they could find the right time and the right way to tell Coulson. They continued to train together off-base as often as they could (Grant telling May some story about training while Skye whispered to Coulson about them needing to spend time together) and both of them felt increasingly confident in their abilities. Unfortunately Skye still had to keep her powers under wraps. Grant had more freedom.
Since his missions were generally solo, he found that he could use his fire powers as long as no one spotted them. The Hydra agents he captured may have wondered why they were suddenly entrapped by fire or how their clothes began smoking (causing most of them to panic) but they seemed to believe that SHIELD had developed some new fire-based weapons. They even said as much to Grant when he was taking them in but he never responded and never passed it on to Coulson. But he delighted in how easy and fun his missions were now.
He should've known it was too good to last. First came the news that, with the death of Whitehall and the capture of Bakshi, the remaining Hydra heads in the region were at war with each other. Coulson decided to use the opportunity to take them all out.
Grant first heard the update from Kara. The two of them were sitting on one of the couches in the lounge having a beer together after a long day. "Isn't that great news?" Kara asked him after she'd explained the details of the mission.
He didn't smile back at her and wondered about the sinking feeling in his stomach. "Let me get this straight. Bloom took out the Baroness, the Banker and the Sheik so he could take Whitehall's place. Then Hunter killed Bloom. And now General Talbot has Bakshi in custody." Grant sat back and took a sip of beer.
Kara nodded. "Yes. Maybe we're finally rid of Hydra…" she noticed Grant's skeptical expression, "…at least here in the States. I know Dr. List and Strucker are still alive but they're mostly operating in Europe."
Grant shook his head. "I don't think Coulson thought this through. What we have now is a power vacuum and that's never good." He grinned slightly at her. "You remember what they said at the Academy about that?"
Kara rolled her eyes at him. "Grant, please. Of course I do. Agent Smith drilled it into our heads so much that I swear I dreamed about it."
"Nature abhors a vacuum," they both chanted in unison, laughing.
"So nature hates vacuuming," Skye interrupted as she came down the stairs. "Big deal. So do I."
Kara got up and grabbed a beer from the refrigerator, handing it to Skye after she sat down next to Grant. "Funny," he replied, taking a sip of his beer. "Nature doesn't like emptiness, so she'll always exchange it for something else. The problem is that sometimes you don't like the replacement."
"And in the case of organizations and governments, sometimes the rush to fill the empty spot creates more chaos than you had before," Kara added, plopping back down on the couch. "One of the many things we had drilled into us at the Academy was that one of the most dangerous times for a mission was during an unplanned transition of power." She saw Skye's puzzled expression. "We were just discussing the Hydra leader elimination."
Skye nodded, slowly drinking her beer. "So you don't think killing off the leadership was a good idea."
"I do," Kara said. "Grant doesn't."
Grant sighed heavily. "All we've done is cut off the top," he grinned slightly, "the heads, if you will. Hydra's body is still in place and can operate for a while without them. That's why cutting off the heads of the mythical Hydra creature never worked. Hercules had to burn the neck in order for it to stick."
Skye suddenly sat up to face Grant and put her hand on his knee. "You talking about Greek mythology is soooo hot!"
Kara just rolled her eyes. "Do I need to leave?"
Grant laughed. "Skye will behave. As I was saying," he said with a mock stern look at Skye, "if we'd done a complete assault on the whole operation, then maybe we could've gotten some traction. But we didn't, so someone is going to step up to take their place. And while Bloom, the Baroness, the Banker and the Sheik were bastards, at least they were known entities. We knew how they operated. We won't know anything about the new person."
"We'll just do what we always do and research," Skye said airily.
Grant noted Kara's thoughtful expression. He resisted answering Skye right away to see if Kara would answer first. After all, she'd been in the Hydra belly more recently than he had. "The problem with that though is that Hydra's notoriously secretive," Kara said slowly. "The best way to get information is to hear it from someone in Hydra. And our best source of information…"
"…is no longer in our custody," Grant finished for her. He saw Skye frown and hoped it wasn't because he and Kara seemed to be in sync with each other. From his perspective, that was inevitable. They'd attended the Academy during the same time, were both specialists and had been in Hydra. There were a lot of similarities, so it was only natural that they'd think alike.
"Well, I'm sure that AC will figure it out," Skye said with forced cheer. "He always does."
But Grant wasn't so sure. The takedown of the Hydra leadership seemed like an impulsive move on Coulson's part, more a rookie mistake than a calculated decision. It wasn't a good move in the best of circumstances and things definitely weren't at their best right now. It almost seemed like Coulson had lost his famous level-headedness and was instead making decisions based on emotion. Grant wasn't sure what this was going to mean but he was certain that it wouldn't be anything good.
And if that wasn't enough to worry him, Lady Sif arrived in Portugal and they all took off to help her. Grant groaned when he heard she was back. It wasn't that he had anything against Sif per se but her last time on Earth didn't end well for him and he had a feeling this trip wouldn't do him any good either. His bad feeling intensified after he, Skye, Coulson and FitzSimmons analyzed the video of the unknown man's fight with Sif. The man tossed Sif around like she was a rag doll, so clearly he was either alien or Inhuman. Neither boded well for the team.
Coulson immediately went into boss mode. "Once we land, Fitz, you go with Hunter and Mack, handle forensics." He turned to Skye. "I need you and Ward to talk to witnesses in the area, see if we can track down where this guy went."
Grant got up to go and Fitz crossed the room, preparing to leave, but both stopped when Jemma stood up straight and tall. At first, Grant was amused. Jemma really seemed to be taking her duties seriously. "Sir, the Science Division has loaded the team with heavier suppression artillery. After Raina's vanishing act, we advise that when you find this…man…you contain him first, ask questions later. New ICERs are still in development."
"Very good," Coulson replied. "Keep me posted."
New ICERs? Suddenly Grant felt a tingling at the back of his neck. Something about this wasn't good.
Jemma smiled in satisfaction and started leaving the room. But Fitz hadn't moved. He seemed puzzled. "New ICERs?" Grant's bad feeling intensified, especially when he saw Skye move to join the Science Twins, a worried look on her face.
Jemma seemed flustered at Fitz's question. "Oh, the mechanical design is still top notch but we're looking into a more concentrated dendrotoxin formula." Uh oh.
Fitz crossed his arms. "And wouldn't that be dangerous?"
"But effective," Jemma replied softly. Skye's body language got even stiffer but Jemma didn't seem to notice. "Given these elevated threats, we can't risk it not being." Jemma stepped around Fitz and left. Grant, Skye and Fitz just looked at each other. So Jemma hasn't given up on her vendetta against gifteds. Good to know.
Grant slipped his hand into Skye's. "Come on," he told her quietly. "We've all got a job to do." He nodded to Fitz as they walked away.
A short time later, Grant and Skye entered the hospital closest to the pier where the fight occurred on the assumption that the guy who'd been fighting with Sif might've been hurt and sought medical attention. The entry area had soft lighting from lamps, couches, big plants and a number of colorful flyers posted on the walls.
Skye looked around in amazement. "This is the coziest looking hospital I've ever seen."
Grant smiled. "It's nice, isn't it?"
"So what's our plan? Is Portugese one of the six languages you speak?"
"Yes. Portugese and Spanish are two of the most spoken languages in the world, so it makes sense for SHIELD operatives to speak it. You should learn it too."
Skye shook her head. "English and computer are the only languages I need to know."
Grant laughed. "Would it help convince you if I mentioned that Portugese is also part of the Romance languages?" He leaned closer to her and said in a low voice, "Você está muito bonita hoje. Fico feliz por estarmos trabalhando juntos nessa missão. Eu senti falta de estar com você."
Skye looked up at him, the desire evident in her eyes. "You do know how sexy that makes you, right?" Grant grinned wickedly. "What did you say?"
He straightened back up and said in his normal voice, "If you learned Portugese, then you'd know." He walked toward the reception desk which, with all the dark wood, cubbyholes and non-medical equipment, looked more like a hotel than a hospital. The attendant, with her nursing uniform and stethoscope, was the only jarring note.
Skye followed, hissing at him, "Are you seriously not going to tell me?"
The matronly attendant strode towards them briskly. "Can I help you?"
Grant smiled charmingly at her, leaning down on the desk in a friendly fashion. "Hi. I'm hoping you can help us. We're looking into the incident at the pier this morning. I'm guessing you're familiar with that?"
The woman's expression became knowing and she nodded. "Oh yes, we heard about it."
"We're looking for anyone who may have been injured or may have seen this man." Grant held up the digital notebook with the picture of the man fighting Sif.
The nurse looked closely at the picture. "Hmmm….no, he does not look familiar to me. As far the injuries, I can ask around. The nurse who was working earlier took ill, so we are short-staffed. It may take a while."
"OK. We'll be here," Skye replied.
She and Grant were both about to leave the desk when a young woman behind the attendant sat down in a chair by the nurse's desk saying in Portugese, "You keep calling me that. Is that my name?" A nurse handed her a cup of coffee. The attendant glanced over her shoulder at the two women.
"Wait. Is that woman all right?" Grant asked. "What happened to her?" He and Skye exchanged significant looks.
The attendant appeared conflicted then said, "She was fine when she came to work this morning but now…" she waved her hand at the young woman, "…she doesn't seem to know who she is. We don't know what happened."
"This seems like the same thing that happened to someone else who was involved in the incident at the pier. I know this sounds strange but would you let me talk with her? I might be able to help," Grant said.
The attendant paused, then shrugged. "I don't know if it would help but it doesn't seem like it would hurt." She gestured the two of them to a door leading to the interior of the office.
Grant drew up a chair across from the young woman with the memory problems and sat down on it. Skye hovered nearby, trying to keep out of the way. He said in Portugese, "My name is Grant. I know everything seems really scary right now but I need to ask you to tell me what you remember." Unfortunately, just like Sif, the woman didn't remember much but she was able to tell them when her colleagues discovered her which was just half an hour earlier.
"That probably means he's still somewhere in the area, most likely still in the hospital," Grant said to Skye as they left the nurse's office. "Let's have a look around."
She nodded. "So I kinda see your point about speaking Portugese. I don't think you would've been able to get much out of her if you only spoke English."
He noticed that she was looking a bit sad. "Maybe not but we all do the best we can with what skills we've got." He paused. "What I said earlier was 'You're looking very beautiful today. I'm glad we're working together on this mission. I've missed being with you.'"
Skye smiled and drew him down for a kiss. "Thank you," she whispered. "And for the record, I've missed being with you too. I'd tell you that you're always beautiful but I don't want you to get a big head." Grant laughed.
The two of them started looking down various halls and in a few rooms. Skye poked her head into a supply closet, then rejoined Grant at the end of the hall. "I already knew that you spoke Russian and Italian. Now I can add Spanish and Portugese to the list. What other languages do you speak?"
"If I told you that, then there'd be no more mysteries for you to discover and you might leave me." Grant grinned as Skye shoved him lightly. He got out his cellphone. "We're not really getting anywhere. We should call Coulson and update him."
Coulson answered immediately. "Ward? Anything?"
"Sir, we have evidence he's here at the hospital. It's a big place though. He might be hiding anywhere."
"Well, we know he needs nitrogen and they use it in hospitals to power surgical equipment. Let's start there," Coulson ordered.
"Roger that," Grant replied as he hung up. "We need to find the areas where they store nitrogen," he told Skye.
"I just saw one close by."
The two of them slowly opened the door, determined to take the man by surprise should he be in the room. Sure enough, the man – dressed in jeans and a hoodie, now with blue skin – was doing something with a nitrogen valve. His back was to them but he looked over his shoulder as Grant and Skye stepped further into the room. He turned to face them just as he clicked something onto his hoodie and his skin started turning pink again.
Grant got into a fighting stance, a fact clearly noticed by the alien since he said, "You do not want to fight me."
"You're right. I don't want to." This was the truth. He'd seen Sif's fight against this guy and she'd gotten pummeled. Grant also didn't want to fight because he realized that, with all the nitrogen gas around, he couldn't use his powers. "But we do have some questions for you."
The man didn't seem inclined to be questioned though, so he threw the first punch at Grant instead. For a while, the two of them seemed evenly matched. Grant once more felt the euphoria of being stronger and faster than he'd been before he'd gone through the chrysalis. He even was able to throw the guy against the wall. But then the alien got his second wind and easily threw Grant across the room. Grant crashed into a table before slamming into the wall. He lay on the floor for a moment, wondering how hard he'd hit his head since the room seemed to be shaking.
He shook his head to get the shaking to stop but then realized that the room actually was shaking. Skye! He glanced over at her just in time to see the gun she was holding break apart in her hands, bullets scattering everywhere. A shelf fell on top of her. The alien took the opportunity to vault over the downed shelf and race out of the room. Grant got up as quickly as he could and made his way over to Skye. He was relieved to find that the shelf wasn't very heavy, so he was able to quickly get it off of her.
"Are you OK?"
Skye looked at him, her eyes big in her face. "I'm fine," she whispered shakily. "I just lost control." Then she burst into tears.
Grant gathered her up in his arms and started rocking her like a baby. "It's OK, sweetheart. You're going to be fine."
But he wasn't as sure about that as he'd been before. If Skye couldn't hold it together on stressful missions, then it looked as though they'd be telling Coulson sooner rather than later. Grant's tactical brain led him to suspect that the news would go over better if they could show Coulson how their powers could be controlled and used to benefit missions. Having him see their powers go awry would be the worst possible way for him to find out. If they were in charge of the unveiling, then they could spin their secrecy as them just working to control their powers first. However, if Coulson found out by just seeing uncontrolled powers, then their silence looked like duplicity. Not ideal. If he could just get Skye to calm down, Grant could start working on a plan.
Much to his relief, Skye managed to pull it together enough so that she seemed calm enough once they got back to the Bus. Grant shook off Simmons' desire to look him over (there was no way he was doing that!) and joined the debriefing with Skye, Coulson, and Sif in the lounge. He sat back and listened as they determined that the man was Kree and hypothesized that he might be on Earth to find the keys to something. Although Grant didn't have any real reason to be at this meeting, there was no way he was letting Skye out of his sight, not while she was so upset.
That's why he again found himself listening in at Coulson's next meeting as they discovered that the Kree must be headed to Chaves, Portugal, a city that means "keys" in English. Grant was just starting to relax – there was nothing there that seemed harmful – when Coulson looked thoughtful.
"Chaves, Portugal…we've seen that name before." He looked down, clearly trying to remember.
"It was in Whitehall's SSR file," May supplied.
"The site of his dig back in 1945," Coulson remembered, "where he first found the obelisk. That's where we have to go." He, Sif and May got up to leave.
Oh shit! Grant glanced at Skye and saw the same distressed expression on her face that he'd gotten used to seeing since they'd gone through the chrysalis. He debated what he should do. Joining Skye risked drawing unwanted attention but doing nothing meant she had to figure it out on her own.
Before he decided on a plan, Skye called out, "AC?" Coulson, May and Sif all turned around, puzzled looks on their faces. "I'd like to sit this one out, please."
Coulson stepped closer, his confusion morphing into concern. "You all right?"
"Yeah," Skye answered casually. "Just after my run-in with Blue Man Group, I still feel a little banged up and I'm just worried I'm not gonna be much help out there, so…"
"OK," Coulson answered lightly. "Whenever you're ready. Ward, are you all right to go?"
"Of course, Sir." Grant stood up and joined the departing group. He'd thought about trying to stay on the Bus with Skye but, with her trying to make light of not going, that would be worse.
Apparently May wasn't ready to let it go yet. As a SO, Grant didn't really blame her. He probably would've done the same but for now, he was on tenterhooks waiting to see how Skye would manage it. There was too much pressure on her, so much so that he had no idea how she was going to handle things minute to minute. He could feel his anxiety ratchet up a notch but kept his face blank. Skye didn't need to feed off his worry and the others definitely didn't need to view his concern.
"Is it really about being hurt or is it about your nerves?" May asked.
Skye smiled. She looked just as nonchalant as Grant could've wanted. He almost breathed a sigh of relief. "I promise, it's just about the guy making me see cartoon birdies all around my head. That's it."
"Have Simmons give you one more check while we're gone" Coulson insisted. "Let's make sure there's nothing serious."
Skye nodded. "OK."
Coulson and May started walking away, talking about how exactly to find where the Kree was going. Grant noticed that Sif gave Skye a searching look before following Coulson. He too hung back for just a moment, giving her an encouraging smile, before leaving. He just hoped that she'd disregard Coulson's order and spend her time meditating instead.
Much to Grant's relief, the mission itself wasn't difficult. The Kree refused to come peacefully but was easily incapacitated with their new net gun. That was something to consider. Grant had previously thought that, with his new powers, he was pretty unstoppable but leave it to SHIELD (and maybe Hydra) to keep up with weaponry.
After Sif and Coulson's talk with the Kree (whose name was Vin-tak) in The Cage, the alien became more cooperative. He gave Sif back her memories. Grant hoped he'd give the Portugese nurse her memories back too. Vin-tak and Sif argued about how much the Kree and Asgardians dislike each other but then Vin-tak said something really interesting.
"Well then, if you know Kree history, perhaps you've heard the tale of terrigenesis." Terrigenesis? That's what Cal was always talking about.
"Of course," Sif said arrogantly. "Ancient Kree descending on planets altering the inhabitants to fight their war."
"And Earth was one of them."
Sif explained. "Eons ago, the Kree waged a very long war. The casualties were high and they needed more soldiers."
"You mean cannon fodder," May added disgustedly.
"We needed killers," Vin-tak said. "One vicious faction among the Kree genetically modified other creatures' DNA. These modifications can be activated with terrigen crystals."
No! During their time in Wyoming, Grant spent a lot of time wondering why he and Skye had gotten powers. His favorite theory was that they'd been chosen to become superheroes, their bodies altered to help save people. Now it sounded like the opposite was true and fate was once again having a laugh at his expense. Once again, an evil organization was trying to use him badly and prevent Grant from being the hero he knew he could be. He immediately began his calming routine when he felt the heat within him start to build. Now would be the absolute worst time to show his powers.
"We know these torturous experiments failed," Sif sneered.
"Not on Earth," Vin-tak replied. "Here we had to shut them down. This faction had built a city. They brought with them the diviners which hold the crystals. Their plans were discovered and thwarted by the better of my kind putting an end to that dark chapter of our past."
"Until now," Skye murmured, looking freaked out.
Oh shit! Grant knew that if he was having problems, Skye would be having more but he couldn't calm himself and look out for her too. He focused all his attention on dampening his internal fire.
"When I saw that an ancient signal had been triggered, I knew it had to be a diviner. If the Kree empire learned that these experiments were a success, they would be likely to renew them."
"Why did you come here?" Skye asked him.
"These transformed beings are…abominations. I knew that I had to find the remainder of the diviners before another monstrosity occurred and erase any knowledge of it."
"How many diviners are supposed to be in that crate?" May asked.
"Enough to create an army," Vin-tak replied.
As if on cue, Simmons' voice filled the silence that followed Vin-tak's pronouncement. "Sir, the crate is empty."
Of course it is. Grant shook his head in disgust. He should've expected this. This is why Gordon wouldn't answer our questions.
Flashback
"We," Skye repeated in a hard voice to the man who'd suddenly appeared in their house. She hadn't moved a muscle since Grant ran into the kitchen. "Who's we?"
The man smiled charmingly. "Please, allow me to back up. I didn't handle this as well as I should have."
Grant crossed his arms. "No kidding," he muttered.
"It was rude of me to just appear in your kitchen. Normally I would use the front door but I was afraid that, being so far away from everything, I might've had difficulty being allowed inside." He shrugged. "This just saved time."
Skye's mouth dropped open as the man sauntered over to the cabinet, got a glass, poured water from the faucet into it and casually drained it. Grant's forbidding expression remained in place but he too was rather taken aback. This man moved like a sighted person and clearly had no fear of them. Time for that to change.
Grant shifted to the counter and leaned on it. His actions appeared casual although they were anything but. Putting something hard against his back was a sound tactical move since this guy apparently could travel through space and appear wherever but it was unlikely he could go through solid material. Grant also could use the surface to push off on if necessary, giving him extra momentum. However, most of all, he didn't want the man to think he had the upper hand anymore, so being proactive instead of reactive was the smart move.
"Well, maybe you could use some of that extra time you just saved explaining who you are and what organization you represent," Grant said in a light tone. Out of the corner of his eye (since his entire gaze was focused on the stranger), he saw Skye glance at him in confusion. Even though they were no longer SO and trainee, he wished he could tell her that this was Spycraft 101. Always use a similar tone as your adversary. That way they're lulled into complacency by thinking you're on the same page when in reality they have no idea what's going on in your head.
"Of course. My apologies," the man said with a slightly mocking bow. "My name is Gordon."
Skye mimicked Grant's actions and leaned casually against the counter. "Great. So you're Gordon. Who is the rest of the 'we' you mentioned."
Gordon moved his head around, almost as if he was glancing around the kitchen. "Would it be possible for us to move into the living room so we can sit down? I don't mind standing if it makes you feel more at ease but I'm worried that I might accidentally step into the glass. I certainly don't want to cause any more trouble than I already have."
Weird. It's almost as if he can see. Grant noted that Gordon still hadn't answered Skye's question even though she'd now asked it twice. It seemed clear that Gordon was going to deliver information in his own way and on his own time. He felt a twinge of admiration. Controlling the conversation, especially as easily as Gordon was doing it, was a skill they'd been taught at the Academy. Many of the cadets struggled to learn it, some never being able to master the skill, because it required quick thinking, a relaxed manner, and charm. Gordon was making it look effortless when it was anything but. Well, two can play at that game.
Grant smiled in a friendly way at Gordon. "I would apologize for my manners but you can hardly expect us to respond well to such an intrusion. But please…" he waved a hand toward the living room, "…after you."
Gordon bowed his head slightly in thanks, then walked purposely to one of the comfy looking chairs. The open floor plan allowed Grant to track his path. This guy must be able to see somehow. He glanced over at Skye who was looking at him, her eyebrows raised, the slinky teddy she wore clinging to her curves. "Why don't you get changed while I entertain our…guest?" She opened her mouth to object, so Grant held up a hand slightly. "And could you grab me a shirt and pair of sweats?"
To his relief, Skye simply nodded and left to go to the bedroom. Grant walked slowly into the living room, observing how Gordon appeared again to be looking around. He sat down in another one of the chairs. He would've liked to have sat on the couch with Skye but he needed to know that Gordon couldn't suddenly appear next to him.
Gordon finished his perusal of the room, turning his head toward Grant. "Isn't Skye going to be joining us? She's going to want to hear what I have to say."
"She'll be down shortly. She just went to change. We weren't expecting any…visitors." Gordon nodded. "Tell me Gordon, how is it that you can see?"
Grant was hoping to catch Gordon off guard but Gordon merely smiled. "You've noticed that? It takes most people a while to realize. I can't see in the usual way of course, not the way you do. It's more of a sense, a forming of objects in my mind. The most frustrating thing, to me at least, is that I can no longer see in color."
Gordon was trying to distract him again. Most people would ponder the lack of color in his sight but Grant remained on task. "So you were able to see normally at one time?"
"You are direct, aren't you?" He paused, clearly waiting for Grant to respond. Nope. My house, my conversation. Gordon smiled slightly, as if acknowledging Grant's win. "Yes, I was just as normal as you were before undergoing the chrysalis. Fortunately for me, I had a lot of help after my transformation."
Skye came into the room, taking a seat on the couch after throwing Grant his requested clothes. Grant tried not to sigh. She should know better than to impede my vision or my hands when we're dealing with a potential enemy. He admitted that Gordon was seeming less and less like a dangerous adversary but they still needed to be cautious.
"Who helped you?" Skye asked. Grant took advantage of Gordon's attention to Skye to quickly slip on his shirt and sweatpants.
"The same person who should've been there to help you." He leaned forward in his chair, projecting sincerity in every action. "Your transformation was not supposed to happen the way it did. Your father went rogue when he took it upon himself to change you. I can't even imagine what it must have been like to have gone through the mist unprepared."
Skye looked down. "It's been really hard."
Grant bit back a curse. Skye should know better than to give a potential enemy any information he could use against her. Not only that but she was allowing him to work her instead of getting information from him. Not for the first time, Grant wanted to shake Coulson for his stupidity in the way he went about integrating Skye into his team. Sure, she was highly intelligent and had worked hard to learn what she could but there was still so much that she didn't know. No amount of brainpower or hard work could make up for the years of instruction and training the Academy provided. Coulson was so invested in her value to the team that he'd overlooked the great deal of risk she accepted merely by being in the field.
"I'm not surprised." Gordon replied. "You don't have the tools or the understanding that you need just yet."
Uh oh. Skye! Don't get lured in. Grant could see how this line of discussion was like catnip to her. She was so desperate for answers, so determined to figure out who she was, that she would overlook any security issues for herself or for the agency. Maybe I can head this off, retake control. "What did you mean when you said that Skye's father had gone rogue?"
"The chrysalis is not a process to be used lightly or without permission. Cal knows this yet chose to disregard it."
He considered Gordon's answer. "Permission? There are rules around using it?"
"Yes."
Out of the corner of his eye, Grant saw Skye lean forward, on the edge of the couch. "You said we don't have the tools or the understanding. To do what?" Damn it, Skye! I was just starting to get some answers.
Grant couldn't be certain but he thought he saw Gordon throw a small smirk in his direction before giving Skye his full attention. "To be who you were always meant to be. Without fear, without pain. We can offer that to you."
"We? Who's we?" Grant asked. Neither Skye nor Gordon even looked in his direction.
"How?" Skye asked. Grant almost groaned at the earnest expression on her face. There's no stopping her now. He decided to sit back and see what happened.
"I'll take you to a place where you can be with people like us," Gordon told her.
Grant didn't like the sound of that. Who are these people and what do they want? Why did Cal go rogue? Why didn't they come to visit us sooner? Do they know why and how we've developed powers? He had so many questions, all destined not to be answered if the current conversation was any indication.
"Us?" Skye mulled that over for a moment, rising excitement in her eyes. "How many are there?"
"You can learn about yourself, your gift. You can be safe. But only if you want to come," Gordon said.
Grant tried to keep his skepticism off his face and retain his usual neutral expression. But it was difficult, especially when Skye seemed almost entranced. Come on, Skye. We've already learned a lot on our own. Don't give him the edge!
Almost as if she'd heard him, Skye glanced over at Grant. Her expression shifted to one of more caution. She sat back on the couch, her excitement dimmed.
Gordon sighed. Grant was sure that if he could have, he would've rolled his eyes. Even without eyesight, he could read the room. "When you're ready, I'll find you."
Skye looked puzzled. "How will you find…?"
"Trust me, I'll know," Gordon replied. Then there was a blinding light and a crack and he was gone.
Both Skye and Grant remained in their seats, silent, refusing to look at each other. Grant was trying to contain his temper. He wanted to throw things and yell at her but he knew that wouldn't be helpful. We were doing so well on our own, becoming even closer. But it wasn't enough. They didn't know anything about Gordon or the group he represented yet Skye had almost been willing to drop everything and leave with him. In fact, he wasn't quite sure why she didn't. The agitation rose within him and Grant knew he couldn't keep still any longer. He rose, went into the kitchen and started cleaning up the mess Skye made when Gordon arrived.
After a few minutes, Skye came into the kitchen and started helping him. Grant briefly glanced at her and saw that she'd been crying. His anger lessened. This is hard on her. His anger came roaring back. But it's hard on me too! If she hadn't butted in, I could've gotten some answers! He averted his eyes and concentrated on getting all the glass picked up. After he was done with the glass, Grant washed his hands and returned to the bedroom, leaving Skye to finish up.
He had just removed his clothes and gotten under the covers when Skye came into the bedroom. She stomped over to his side of the bed and stood there, her hands on her hips. "Are we never going to speak again or are you done pouting?"
Pouting?! Grant sat up quickly, his first instinct to lash out at her, but then decided to impose his own control. I couldn't control the last conversation but I damn sure will control this one! Let her learn a thing or two; he still had things to teach. He leaned back against the bedboard, willing his heartrate to slow down.
"It sounds like you're angry," he said calmly.
"You're damn right I'm angry!" she snapped. "You haven't said one word to me since Gordon left. Are we going to pretend that it didn't happen? We've been waiting for days to figure out what's happening to us and just when it looks like we might get some answers, you stop talking!"
"You were doing enough talking for the both of us."
"Is that why you're mad? Because I took the lead for a change instead of just following you? Well, newsflash buddy, you're not my SO anymore and you don't know everything!"
Grant was surprised by the flare of hurt he felt at the SO crack. He'd thought that she'd severed their professional relationship so that they could strengthen their personal one, not so she could be free of him as a teacher. He hoped that he'd kept the emotion off of his face but, given the softening of Skye's eyes, he probably hadn't. He pushed down his anger with difficulty.
"No one wise ever thinks they know everything; there's always more to learn." Grant knew that would rankle Skye. Sure enough, her eyes narrowed and he felt a momentary thrill of satisfaction. "That's what I thought we were here to do: learn more about our powers. Together. I even thought that we were succeeding." A wave of bitterness washed over him, loosening some of his control. "But it wasn't enough, was it, Skye? It never is with you. I'm never enough."
Skye's mouth dropped open, her eyes widening. She took a step towards him. "Grant. That's not…"
Suddenly he could stand it no longer. He felt the heat building up in him and knew that he had to do something to contain it. Staying in bed was no longer an option, not if he wanted it to stay unburnt. Grant swung his legs over the side of the bed and stomped out of the bedroom, away from Skye, battling the inferno within him. I can't lose control! He marched to the fireplace, still merrily burning away, and concentrated on making it slightly bigger and hotter and back down again. He could feel Skye come into the room but she wisely keep her distance and her silence, letting him work it out on his own. Well, at least she's learned something from me.
After a few minutes, she spoke, this time in a much softer tone than before. "We were doing a great job on our own. That wasn't what me talking with Gordon was about. I just need answers, ones we won't find on our own. I had to know…"
"That's the thing, Skye," Grant interrupted, finally feeling somewhat in control but still angry. "It's always about you. What about what I wanted, what I needed? I have powers too." He turned to look at her, trying to keep his voice calm and his temper leashed. "You always rush forward, never stopping to think about what you're doing or if there's a better way." Her mouth opened to answer but he rushed on. "And it clearly never occurred to you that maybe I wanted answers too but just was going about it differently, smarter." He tried to ignore the hurt look on her face because if he thought for a second about her feelings, he wouldn't be able to get his own out. "Did you stop and ask yourself why Gordon wasn't answering your questions? You kept asking who he was working with, how many others there are, but he just changed the subject and you let him."
"I…"
Grant walked a few steps towards her then stopped, wary of getting any closer. "You gave him information he could use against you. You let him work you and you completely ignored what I was doing. I may not be your SO anymore and you may not have to listen to me but that's not how a team works. A team works together and you were clearly doing your own thing."
Grant prepared himself for the onslaught of words Skye was sure to launch at him, his tactician's brain already thinking of responses and examples to bolster his argument. That's why he was so surprised when, after she'd stared blankly at him for a few moments, Skye's expression softened and she crossed the distance between them so that she could stroke his cheek lightly and kiss him gently. Grant's emotions shifted and he felt lost, uncertain about what was happening.
"You're right," Skye said softly, taking Grant's hand and leading him to the couch so they could sit down, facing each other. "I was being selfish and impulsive and I wasn't thinking at all like an agent." She smiled slightly, squeezing the hand she was still holding. "I wasn't even letting one of the smartest men I know do what he does best."
"Skye…"
She put her finger to his lips. "I let you have your turn." She waited until he nodded and made a "go on" gesture with his free hand. "I've been so scared, Grant. Ever since we got powers, I'm been so freaking terrified." Her eyes filled with tears. "First I was worried that I was going to hurt someone. Now that I have some control, I'm scared that once the others know what I am, they'll hate me. They'll see me as a monster and no longer want me to stay. You heard Jemma; aliens need not apply. I searched for a family all my life and just when I find one, it turns out I might lose them. Where would I go then, especially given who I am now? Gordon gave me hope that I might not lose everything." She looked down at their joined hands. "So I got carried away."
Grant gently tilted her chin up so she could look him in the eyes. "Not that I think this would happen but if SHIELD did kick you out, do you really think you'd be alone? Our recent performance notwithstanding, we're a team, Skye. Where you go, I go." Grant glanced down, gathered his courage, then looked back up at her. "That is, if you want me to."
Skye's smile started small but quickly took over her whole face. She withdrew her hand from his and smacked him on the arm. "Oh my god, Robot! How could you ever think I wouldn't want you?"
Grant smiled slightly, both relieved at her reaction and confused. "Well, when you start talking about SHIELD kicking you out without mentioning me, I started to wonder. We both have powers. Why would they keep me if they're getting rid of you?"
"You know all the top people and, as you're always reminding me, you're the best since Romanoff. You could grow three heads and they'd still want you. Besides, SHIELD's been your family for years. I'm kinda new."
"You may be kinda new but you're also kinda awesome." He laughed when Skye rolled her eyes at him. "Baby, trust me when I tell you that SHIELD isn't kicking either of us out. It may be hard at first but they're going to recognize the benefits of having agents with powers. But if they don't or we don't want to stay, then we'll leave. Together. You're my family, Skye. I hope I'm yours too."
"You are," she replied softly.
"Good." Grant stood up, holding out his hand to Skye. "Now, why don't we go back to bed and I'll demonstrate how I don't need three heads to show you a good time."
Present
Upon hearing Simmons' pronouncement, Coulson and Skye stared at each other in dismay while Vin-tak looked down in horror. Grant's tactician's brain was racing. Does this mean that Gordon's group has the rest of the diviners or does Hydra? Gordon didn't make it sound as though they were even violent but we don't really know yet. We need to get in touch with them to find out.
"My worst fear has come true," Vin-tak said, interrupting Grant's train of thought. "We must find the remaining diviners as well as anyone who's transformed."
"We drowned the temple where the diviners were activated, so that's a plus," Coulson replied. "And we do know the woman who was changed."
Sif perked up immediately. "So someone was transformed. A Kree slave warrior created. Have you put it down?" What? This isn't good. Grant started his calming routine again. If Skye and I can just get out of here without losing it, we have a chance to figure out what we're going to do. We may have to contact Gordon sooner rather than later.
"No," May replied. "She disappeared."
"What do you know of her?" Sif asked.
Skye who was looking increasingly panicked and Grant could stand it no longer. He thought that he had himself somewhat under control, so he risked going to her. This can't get out of control! He put his hand surreptitiously on her back, hoping it would soothe her but, given her stiff posture, he doubted she even felt it. He had a sinking feeling that this was going to be the moment where the others found out about her powers.
"We don't know much about Raina's transformation," Coulson told Sif. "Skye and Ward witnessed it but didn't see much."
Sif faced them. "You were there. What did you see?"
Grant said, "Nothing" at the same time Skye answered, "I…I didn't. I mean, n-nothing."
"Were there others with you?" Vin-tak asked. "The changes may not be on the surface but buried inside." Out of the corner of his eye, Grant saw water in a glass start shaking. Oh shit! He could tell that Skye could see it too. "You must understand. These creatures are weapons, …abominations…even if they don't know it."
Oh come on! Grant had had enough of Vin-tak's stupid pronouncements. The guy doesn't even seem all that smart. "How can you be sure that's true? You just said that all this happened eons ago. What if the history books aren't accurate and the modified humans evolved?"
Grant felt Skye shudder and the shaking in the room intensified. Now it was rattling dishes and the floor, playing havoc with the lights. Grant moved carefully so that he was standing beside Skye. He wanted to get in-between her and the others but knew that would look bad. He recognized that they'd passed the point of no return. It was no longer a matter of if she'd show her powers but for how long.
Sif looked suspicious. "Son of Coul. What is this?"
May's suspicions seemed to have some focus to them. "Skye. You want to talk to us?" May asked in a voice used to soothe children and animals.
Coulson approached Skye. Grant tensed, ready for anything. "Skye," Coulson said in a gentle voice. "What's doing this?"
"I am!" Skye answered miserably.
Sif tried to grab her but Grant blocked her with his body, stepping in front of Skye to shield her. "Don't!" he snarled.
Skye backed away, putting her head in her hands. She looked up at them all. Despite of all the tension and worry about what would happen next, Grant was lost in admiration. Skye looked like a goddess as she put her hands down, her hair flying from the vibrations as the glass in the windows and door behind her shattered. Grant rushed over and thrust her behind his back as he drew his weapon and aimed it at Sif and Vin-tak. To his surprise, both May and Coulson were right beside him.
"Hand her over," Sif said in a dangerous voice. "I will take her to Asgard. It will be safer for all of you."
"We will do no such thing," Coulson said angrily.
"The weapon has been activated," Vin-tak said. "It needs to be eliminated before it hurts someone." It? Oh hell no!
"Skye is not a weapon," Coulson insisted.
"Coulson, no one is saying Skye chose this but she is dangerous," Sif replied.
"I don't want to be this way," Skye told her. What? No baby, don't say that!
"Imagine what will happen if your powers grow," Sif said to her urgently. "It may not stop at breaking glass. You could bring down buildings, tear continents apart."
"I can get a handle on it," Skye replied.
Grant was terrified that she might confide everything, about their extra training sessions and how they'd spent their time in Wyoming. All was not yet lost but it certainly would be should everyone to know that they'd been working on managing, not dampening, their powers. He was almost glad when Vin-tak spoke up again.
"That's not what you were designed for. You were designed to destroy which is why you must be put down," Vin-tak said as he moved towards her.
"Yeah, well, that sounds an awful lot like killing to me," Fitz said as he appeared from behind the ruined window.
"This is not your concern," Vin-tak said confusedly.
May grabbed Skye and shoved her through the door. "Skye! Let's go!" Grant followed them, determined not to let them out of his sight. May seemed like an ally right now but there was no telling when that would change.
"Fitz! We need Bambino! You want her, you go through me!" Coulson yelled at Sif and Vin-tak.
May, Skye and Grant left the others behind as they raced down the hall together. As they passed the lab, Jemma came running out. "What's going on?"
Grant didn't feel like she deserved an answer but apparently Skye felt differently because she said, "Jemma, I am so sorry!" as they rushed by. Jemma just stared after them.
May guided them into Vault D, down the stairs and into the tiny cell. She pushed Skye onto the cot and activated the barrier. Grant grasped that she was offering Skye some protection but he couldn't understand the endgame. There was no way this was going to work. But that was a problem for later. The biggest problem right now was that the rumbling still hadn't stopped. Skye needed to calm down.
"Skye," he said gently. "Look at me." Her eyes, big and wild, swung to his and her panting slowed down. "Good. That's good. Now try breathing with me. Listen to the sound of my voice. Breathe in through your nose. Breathe out through your mouth. That's it. You can do this."
The rumbling decreased in intensity and Grant felt a moment of triumph. May hadn't said a word since they'd entered the vault. He was grateful that she was letting him handle Skye because he didn't think she'd be very good at talking someone down from a panic attack and he needed her to manage everything else. Just when he thought they would get the shaking under control, the tip of a sword sliced through the barrier, almost poking May in the head.
"Agent May!" Sif yelled. "Release the girl!"
"May!" Skye gasped. "She'll get through." The rumbling started back in full force again.
"Ignore it," May told her as she took up a fighting stance. "Just focus. Listen to Ward."
Grant stroked Skye's face in an effort to get her to concentrate on him again. "Skye. Just breathe. You can do this."
"I can't, Grant. I can't make it stop," Skye sobbed.
The barrier came down and Sif stepped into the cell. Grant stood in front of Skye, pulling his gun and aiming at Sif, ready to defend Skye any way he could. Even though no one seemed to remember that he too had been present during the chrysalis, that realization would come soon enough. So he might as well use his powers if he had to. May moved to stand beside him, hip to hip, creating a human shield.
As Sif stood just looking at them, probably planning her next move, Skye grabbed May's ICER and shot herself, the blue streaks traveling up her face. The rumbling stopped.
"Skye!" May whispered as she moved to check on her. Grant kept his focus on Sif, not knowing what she would do but determined not to let her take Skye.
Once again, Sif looked freaked out. "She harmed herself!
Coulson ran into the room, his gun also trained on Sif. "Even though she knew it meant giving up her freedom," he told her. Grant wasn't willing to go that far. He suspected that Skye just wanted the shaking to stop and didn't know what else to do. But Coulson's interpretation of Skye's actions seemed to be having an effect on Sif, so he let it stand.
"All to save the rest of you," Sif whispered.
"Don't you see? She wants to get better," Coulson said. Grant glanced over at May and was heartened to see her leaning over Skye, one hand protectively on her shoulder. "If you take her away from the people she loves, she'll only get worse."
Sif nodded and Grant felt himself relax for the first time in hours. Bobbi burst into the room. "Sir! We just used the truncheon on the alien in an effort to subdue him and now he has no memories. He's calm but is asking what he's doing here. What should we do with him?"
Coulson looked at Sif, eyebrows raised in query. She sighed. "I will take him back to his planet." She glanced back at Skye. "I do not believe it is wise to leave the girl here on Earth but since you are determined to help her and she wants to get better, I will." She put her arm on Coulson's shoulder. "Come, son of Coul. Let us make preparations for my departure."
May stood up. "If you can take Skye back to her room, I'll tell the others what's happened."
As he waited in her room for Skye to wake up, Grant wondered when it would occur to everyone that he too might have powers. He pondered the idea of telling them himself but decided to lay low for now. Skye needed him and dealing with everyone knowing about him would be a distraction. Besides, he had his hands full with Skye's utter distress when she woke up that she might be putting her team in danger. Despite his best efforts, she made the decision to go live on the Bus in the Cage, just in case she couldn't control her powers again. Grant tried to convince her that she didn't have to go immediately but she shook him off and continued throwing her things in her duffel.
Before she left the room, she put her hand on his face. "I know you did your best for me in there but I'm too screwed up right now. I'll talk to you later."
Grant took a second to control his fuming. If she thinks I'm just going to let her walk away… He quickly went to his room, threw a few of his things in his duffel and started down the hallway to the Bus. He could see Skye stopped ahead of him, clearly listening to the conversation of their teammates cleaning up the lounge. Grant stopped too but far enough back that neither Skye nor the others could see him although he could see and hear them. The others clearly didn't know that Skye was there either because they were having an argument about her.
"Skye should've just come clean," Mack was saying to Fitz.
"What and risk being locked up, studied, or who knows what else?" Fitz asked angrily. "No, I wouldn't let her."
"Oh, you wouldn't let her," Jemma burst in. Uh oh. It sounded like Jemma discovered that Fitz knew and hid it from her. There was going to be hell to be for that.
"We could've handled her in a way that would've kept everyone safe," Mack insisted. Grant almost lost his temper, already simmering, when he heard that. Handled her?
Luckily, Fitz was taking care of it for him. "You would've handled her, like Skye's something to be locked away in a cage somewhere," Fitz yelled. "We should be protecting her." Damn straight.
"No, Fitz," Mack ground out. "We're the ones that need protection from her." He stopped talking, having just seen Skye listening to their conversation.
Skye's back was to Grant so he couldn't see her expression but he could guess. He was viciously pleased that, except for Fitz, the others seemed embarrassed. Skye quickly continued on to the Bus, even ignoring Fitz who ran out to try and talk with her.
Grant came up behind Fitz and put his hand on his shoulder. "Thanks, Fitz. You're a real friend."
Fitz turned to face Grant, tears in his eyes. "That was bad." He paused and then lowered his voice. "Do they have any idea about you?"
Grant shook his head. "Not right now."
Fitz glanced down the hall where Skye had gone. "Maybe you should keep it that way."
Grant swung his duffel over his shoulder and gave Fitz a sad smile. "I'll do my best." Then he hurried after Skye.
When Grant entered the Cage, he saw Skye sitting on the cot crying softly. She looked up when he entered, her expression changing from fear to confusion. She wiped her eyes. "What are you doing here?"
Grant threw his duffel so that it landed near hers. "I told you before. Wherever you go, I go."
