Chapter 22
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AN: Thank you to all who have added to alerts, read, reviewed or any combination of the three. It means a lot to me.
AN2: So I was informed by Starlight Angel 12 that this story is the most Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D story on Fanfiction net. THANK YOU SO SO MUCH FOR THAT. That is more incredible than I can put into words, thank you.
Five minutes later everyone is in the command centre, Melinda and Natasha having quickly towel down first, being briefed by Director Fury and Agent Hill about the latest events.
"Forty five minutes Ian Quinn's guards checked his cell to find this." Fury informs everyone putting a picture on the screen off Quinn's cell completely empty.
"He escaped?" Ward asks surprised. "How did he manage that?" He asks shocked.
"Don't know, we're still working on it." Fury answers. "All the security footage shows Quinn in his cell. He somehow managed to get out without being seen by a single person or camera." Fury explains "But that's not the worse part." He informs the others.
"What could be worse?" Coulson asks really angry that the person who took his daughter has escaped.
"Rania is also gone." Fury explains.
"WHAT?" Everyone says surprised.
"It's the same thing. The security footage tells us that she is there but she isn't." Fury explains.
"We've had Rania for months, if the Clairvoyant could get both her and Quinn out so easily why would he have waited this long?" Skye asks curious.
"The goal wasn't Rania, it was Quinn." Clint comments "Rania was just an added bonus, like you said we've had her for months and didn't worry, but we have Quinn for only a couple of days and there is a rescue like this, he's matters. Whatever Quinn does for the Clairvoyant, whatever the connection there is the Clairvoyant couldn't risk Quinn being in S.H.E.L.D custody for too long." Clint explains.
"Did he talk at all?" Melinda asks Fury and Hill.
"No, and we had our best interrogators in with him." Hill explains.
"He didn't say anything, really?" Skye asks surprised.
"Why does that surprise you?" Clint asks interested.
"Because when he had me he didn't stop talking." Skye explains
"What did he talk about?" Natasha asks.
"About the Clairvoyant mainly, he said that he was great, powerful and all seeing. When I made him think that I thought the Clairvoyant was a big joke because he couldn't find me he told me everything that happened when I was a baby, and he was certain that you wouldn't be able to find me, and he tried to get me to believe him." Skye explains looking at her parents "But I didn't, I knew you would come." Skye tells her parents showing how far she has come from the girl who wouldn't count on anyone.
"We always will." Coulson tells his daughter.
"Rania, she was the one who captured you right?" Clint asks his friend who nods "Did she say much."
"Not really, I got the feeling that she wasn't very high in the chain of command, she said that she hadn't even talked to the Clairvoyant before he killed Poe." Coulson explains "She was more interested in manipulating me to get me to talk, than talking about herself, but she also knew a lot things about me, things that she had no way of knowing." Coulson explains.
"Sir, permission to extend assignment to Agent Coulson's team until Quinn is found and the Clairvoyant is dealt with." Natasha requests.
"Reason?" Fury asks interested.
"We don't know what The Clairvoyant's overall goal is but we do know that for some reason he want Phil and Skye, and it is very likely that they will try again. At the moment, from what I understand, there is only three agents on this plane who are actually trained in Combat, yes Skye has proven that she is capable of protecting herself but she is also hurt." Natasha comments, "That's not good enough. We know that the Clairvoyant has what he needs to create Super Solider, which if he does truly need or want Skye and Phil he will send after you, and three people can't fight against them to protect six, even if one of those three is Melinda. Sir it would be in everyone's best interest if Clint and I are assigned here until the Clairvoyant is found. It's the best way that there is to protect everyone and make sure that the Clairvoyant is unable to use Skye and Phil for whatever he wants to use them for." Natasha argues.
"I agree." Fury comments. "Permission granted."
"What are the rest of our orders?" Coulson asks "What do we do?"
"Natasha is right. As far as we know you and Skye are what the Clairvoyant wants and he has gone to drastic lengths to try and get you both; which I why I think it would be best for your team to go off book temporarily." Fury suggests.
"Off book? What does that mean?" Skye asks because she is sure that it's not the normal 'off book' that Coulson talks about.
"No contact with HQ, we become our own support, our own backup. We have no red tape, complete freedom to act as we see fit, but we also don't have the protection that we currently have." Coulson explains.
"Is that the best choice Sir?" Ward asks not sure if it is the best idea.
"I'm not sure." Coulson comments still going through the pros and cons in his head.
"It also means you're going to have to dis engage a lot of this tec." Fury comments "Anything that can be traced or hacked."
"Not necessarily." Skye comments causing everyone to look at her, "If we change all the systems to closed circuit have all our firewalls and encryption being connected to this plane with absolutely no remote access or connection to outside severs or databases, then we can still have the majority of our Tec, but it won't be able to be traced or hacked or at the very least a hell of a lot harder to be." Skye explains.
"Can you do that?" Melinda asks her daughter.
"With FitzSimmons help, easily." Skye explains "Plus I know were still debating the whole precognition thing, but Quinn was certain that the Clairvoyant couldn't see me, and that's why I've been safe from him my whole life. So if I do the encryption then maybe however the Clairvoyant is seeing things he won't be able to." Skye explains.
"Sir, what if Quinn is the money." Simmons suggests "I believed that I thought that the Clairvoyant was the money behind the operation, but what if that is Quinn? And the Clairvoyant plays another part. It would explain why the Clairvoyant wanted Quinn back so badly, he needed his money."
"Makes sense." Ward comments.
"All his accounts are frozen." Hill reminds everyone.
"Someone managed to sneak Quinn and Rania out of a S.H.I.E.L.D facility without anyone realising it, I don't think a few holds on bank accounts are going to stop them." Coulson comments "I think you're right Sir, off book is the best option we've got." Coulson comments realising that it is the best way they have to keep everyone safe especially with Clint and Natasha on bored.
"You'll need a go between." Hill comments "Someone who can go between you and us. Pass on Intel and status reports."
"We'll use Stark." Natasha says causing everyone to look at her surprise. "He's the best man for the job, his Tec is more advanced that S.H.I.E.L.D and no one has a better security system. He could meet us anywhere if needed and help if we get into too much trouble. Plus he feels that he owes you after what you did" Natasha comments looking at Coulson.
"He does?" Coulson asks surprised.
"We all do." Clint tells him. "Nat is right, Stark's the man for this job."
"How long do you need to get the system of line?" Fury asks looking at Skye and FitzSimmons.
"Three hours?" Skye asks looking at FitzSimmons.
"Between two and three, yes." Fitz answers.
"That gives us enough time to contact Stark and get supplies and whatever else we need." Melinda comments.
"Good. Coulson if you come with Maria and me we can get you some of the more restricted items you will need." Fury tells Coulson who nods.
"Natasha and I can go on a supply run and get everything else we need and contact Stark. Clint, Agent Ward you can stay on the bus and provide protection for Skye and FitzSImmons while they get us off line." Melinda instructs and Clint and Ward nod.
"Meet back here ready to go in three hours." Coulson instructs and he, Melinda, Natasha, Fury and Hill leave the command centre leaving Skye, FitzSimmons, Ward and Clint.
"Where do you need to start?" Ward asks FitzSimmons and Skye.
"Down in electronics. We've got to disengage all the current functioning remote access points and assure that they cannot be turned on again." Fitz explains.
"I can get started on changing all the servers and firewalls while you do that." Skye tells Fitz.
"Okay then. Agent Ward why don't you go down to electronics with Agent's Fitz and Simmons and I'll stay up here with Skye." Clint suggests.
"Yes Sir." Ward responds even though he would have preferred to stay with Skye, "Come on." He instructs FitzSimmons and the three of them leave the Command Centre.
"Anything I can do to help?" Clint asks Skye.
"Do you know much about computer systems?" Skye asks curious.
"Not a lot." Clint admits "But if you need another set of hands I'm a quick learner." He comments.
"I might just take you up on that." Skye tells him as she starts working.
"I'll handle weapons as well, you just get all the other supplies that we will need." Coulson instructs Natasha and Melinda before going in a different direction with Hill and Fury than the one that they are going in.
"How are you doing?" Natasha asks her friend curious once they are far enough away from Coulson, Hill, and Fury to be sure that they can't hear, she has wanted to ask Melinda that since she woke up but she couldn't earlier, even when they were talking in both Russian and Chinese because Clint and Coulson know a lot of both languages.
"I'm… I don't know. It's been an interesting few months." Melinda tells her friend, "I found my daughter and I'm in the field again. I'm working with Phil again and I've almost lost them both. So how I'm doing isn't an easy question to answer." Melinda explains to her friend.
"How is it being back in the field? Seeing combat again?" Natasha asks concerned.
"When I first joined this plane I did my best to avoid combat, but I still saw it, still fought, and I handled it, but then Phil and Ward went in as a two man team on an operation and we lost contact for a while, and there was nothing I could do to help." Melinda admits, "I realised I feared something happening to Coulson because I wasn't there to watch his back more than going down that path again, and now I want to do whatever I can to protect Skye as well. I'm okay because of them, I'm okay for them." Melinda explains.
"You found your reason." Natasha comments remembering a conversation that they have had a lot over the years.
"I found my reason." Melinda confirms.
"What about the new man how does he fit into this?" Natasha asks interested.
"What new man?" Melinda asks confused.
"Skye said that you and Phil didn't say a single word to each other for a week and then one day you were fine again. We both know that only happens when you have a new man and Phil finds out and he gets overprotective and does something he shouldn't." Natasha reminds her "So what's the story there?"
"It's over, and it wasn't really a big deal. I was having sex with Ward but it was nothing serious, it was just sex, but then I told Phil because he was saying that he didn't want any more secrets, but things got complicated so we ended things." Melinda explains simply.
"You told Phil?" Natasha ask.
"Don't." Melinda tells her friend very well aware of what the tone of voice Natasha is currently using means.
"You knew what he would do and yet you still told him, interesting." Natasha comments.
"Come on." Melinda says pulling Natasha into a deserted corner so that they can talk without being overheard "You're going to figure this out anyway so instead of wasting time I am just going to tell you. As of yesterday Phil and I are attempting to give us another shot, but we agreed not to tell Skye until we've figured things out. Are we done with this now or would you like to continue to analyse my actions about Phil?" Melinda asks curious.
"We're done." Natasha answers not even surprised by Melinda's reveal because she knew it would only be a matter of time before they got back together "But make sure he understands that things will not be pleasant for him if you are hurt again." She comments as after all their years of friendship and everything that has happened she is very protective of Melinda and Melinda is just as protective of her.
"I think he is already well aware of that, or at least he should be." Melinda comments as they leave the corner that Melinda pulled them into.
After leaving Melinda and Natasha, Coulson, Hill and Fury have headed down to the vaults, to get the weapon and the other restricted equipment that they will need to go off book.
"Here." Fury says handing Coulson a box "Inside is a phone, unregistered, untraceable but only use it if it an absolute emergency, only if you desperately need us."
"Yes Sir." Coulson answers.
"What weapons do you want?" Maria asks Coulson.
"Enough of both Clint's and Natasha's normal supply to last us for at least a few months just to be on the safe side, plus enough for Agent Ward and Myself and even though she usually just takes the weapons she needs enough to cover Melinda as well." Coulson answers.
"We're going to have to load them ourselves. No one apart from those who have been told or who we all know are going to get told can know." Fury comments.
"Guess we should get started then." Coulson comments and that's just what they three of them do, start to collect the weapons and other equipment that is needed and being to load it onto the plane.
Back at the bus Skye is continuing to work on getting the serves and systems of line while Clint watches her and keeps an eye out for danger.
"How did you learn how to do this?" Clint asks Skye curious.
"I taught myself. I needed answers and hacking systems is the only way I could try to find them." Skye explains.
"Did you find what you were looking for?" Clint asks curious.
"In a way." Skye answers.
"What do you mean?"
"Hacking systems led me to S.H.I.E.L.D, it got me on Dad's radar, though not in a good way and in time I became a part of this team, I had people I could count on for the first time in my life, and I found my parents, where I came from, a home. None of that would have happened if I didn't know how to hack systems." Skye explains.
"What happened to you after you were taken?" Clint asks curious "You parents tried everything to try and find you, believe me I know, I helped, and we could never find a clue to where you were. Where were you?" Clint asks curious.
"You did?" Skye asks surprised as she didn't know that.
"Yeah I did." Clint answers "I don't get close to people, except Nat. You're parents are the only other people that we are truly close to, yes The Director and Hill and now the Avengers are friends, but not like you parents. We're the family to each other that we all lost long ago, and you being taken and not being able to find you almost destroyed you parents. We met them four years after you were taken and in a lot of ways they were barely hanging on, your Dad says that we saved them but we really saved each other. A few months after we became a team we found out what happened to you and Nat and I promised to do whatever we could do to help, but we couldn't find you. In all the years I have known your parents they have never giving up looking for you, I don't even think Nat and I could truly comprehend how much having you back really means to them." Clint explains.
At Clint's words Skye has no idea what to say, so instead she answers his earlier question "At an Orphanage." She explains.
"What?" Clint asks confused.
"That's where I spent most of my childhood. Someone snuck me out of the place the Clairvoyant was holding me at as a baby, and took me back to his home village. I'm guess the Clairvoyant sent a team after me because a whole village died to protect me, and so did an S.H.I.E.L.D team. One of the last members of the S.H.I.E.L.D team faked a high clearance and set up an invisible protocol to assure that the foster system constantly moved me. I spent most of my childhood at the same Orphanage." Skye explains.
"What do you mean a member of a S.H.I.E.L.D team faked a clearance? How did a S.H.I. team find out about you in the first place? And why didn't you parents know?" Clint asks interested.
"I don't know if the team knew who I was, they went in to investigate a 0-8-4. Mom and Dad weren't sure if the Director knew who I was when he sent in the team. I'm assuming that they asked when I was taken but I don't know what they found out." Skye explains and at her explanation Clint can help but wonder just how much the director knew. "I could use that extra set of hands now." Skye tells Clint.
"Of course, what do you need me to do?" He asks.
"Just do everything I tell you to." Skye answers, "You know you do what Mom and Dad do." She comments.
"What do you mean?" He asks interested.
"Mom and Dad say 'we' when there taking about them, almost like they are one person. You do the same when you talk about you and Natasha." Skye explains "Type everything I tell you to." She tells Clint and they both get to work on getting everything offline
Two hours and forty minute after Coulson, Natasha, Melinda, Hill and Fury left the bus everyone is once again back in the command centre.
"Sky, FitzSimmons? How's it going?" Coulson asks the three.
"About five minutes to go." Fitz answers "Skye is just finishing the encryption and Simmons and I are almost finished double checking to make sure that we aren't still connected to any other server, remote access point, or database." Fitz explains.
"Did you contact Stark?" Fury asks Natasha.
"Of course." Natasha answers "He's meeting us tomorrow. He's confused about why I wouldn't tell him where exactly we're meeting or why I wouldn't tell him what's going on, but it's Stark, being vague and confusing, that's guaranteeing that he will be there." Natasha tells everyone.
"Good." Hill comments "Is everything else ready?" She asks.
"Melinda and Tasha have gotten all the supplies we need. We've the weapons we need and other supplies. We're ready." Coulson confirms.
"Then it's time for us to leave." Fury comments "We only communicate through Stark. You are on your own, we can't protect you if needed, but I will have decoy planes out an about so it's harder to discover where you are but not even the other agents will know what they are really doing. You have the credentials and the funds to operate anywhere but do the best you can not to draw attention to yourselves, and you four." Fury says looking at Coulson, May, Clint and Natasha, "No international incidents, no killing each other, no throwing each other out of airlocks or maiming each other and no destroying the plane. You are an extraordinary team when you work together but don't make me regret allowing you to have this chance again." He comments knowing that the most risky part of the team going off book is that it means Natasha, Clint, Melinda and Phil will be together in a small confined space for a long period of time.
"Don't worry Sir, we'll be fine." Melinda answers.
"Good." Fury answers.
"We're done." Skye says "We are completely off line, all serves are internal and no outside access." Skye explains. "I've put everything I've got, everything I know, into this so we should be good." She informs everyone.
"Melinda?" Coulson asks.
"Wheel's up in five." Melinda says leaving the command centre.
"I'll walk you out." Coulson says to Hill and Fury.
Coulson, Hill and Fury walk to the Cargo bay in silence.
"Good Luck." Fury tells Coulson.
"Thank you Sir." Coulson responds.
"Be careful." Maria tells Coulson.
"We always are." Coulson responds as Fury and Hill leave the plane, leaving the eight agents alone to face whatever it is that may come.
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