Chapter 2
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"I'll be there in a minute." Skye informs Ward once they reach the upper level of the plane. Ward nods and heads into the command centre while Skye heads to her bunk. Once she is in her bunk Skye pulls out a lock box that her Dad gave her to keep important thing in, she opens it, puts the ring insider and locks it. She puts the box back in her cupboard and then leaves her bunk and heads over to the command centre.
When she gets to the command centre everyone except Natasha is there.
"Any idea what's going on?" Skye asks her Uncle curious.
"No." Clint answers, "Nat got a call from Fury five minutes after you left, she's been in Phil's office ever since." He explains.
"Huh, wonder what's going on?" Skye asks and just as she finishes Natasha walks down the stairs from Coulson's office with several files and walks into the commander centre. "тетя Наташа, what's going on?" Skye asks her Aunt as she walks in and stands between Ward and Clint and puts the files on the table.
"We've got a mission, in Bahrain." Natasha explains to the others surprise.
"Guess that explains why Fury wanted Mom and Dad at a conference when they made a drinking game out of the last one they went to." Skye comments.
"Yeah, guess it does." Clint comments frowning, "What's the op?"
"There is a British run company in the capital that has gotten on S.H.I.E.L.D's radar, it is believed that they are working with alien tec and formulas but that hasn't been confirmed. Fury wants a three man team to go in covertly and find out if they are or not." Natasha explains.
"Three man team, so you guys." Skye realises looking at her Aunt, Uncle and Boyfriend.
"No." Natasha answers, "The Company makes tec and computer systems. Those who go in have to have the knowledge and skill to pass as experts." Natasha explains.
"So us." Skye realise referring to her Fitz and Simmons, who she is standing between, "We're going undercover." She comments surprised.
"That was Fury's plan but I will not send in three Agent who aren't trained in compact alone." Natasha informs them, "Two of you and me will go in, I have enough skill to pass, I'm not as good as the three of you but I'm good enough." Natasha tells everyone.
"So, who's going in?" Skye asks exchanging a look with Fitz and Simmons.
"You tell me." Natasha tells them putting something up on the big screen, "This is the company, which two out of you are the most suited to pretend to be employees." She explains.
Fitz, Simmons and Skye each take a step closer to the screen to read the information, "Me and You." Fitz says to Skye.
"Defiantly seems like it." Skye says agreeing, "Simmons?"
"I agree." She says.
"Okay, Skye and Fitz it is." Natasha comments as she starts to open the different folders she has set out, "Skye this is for you." She says handing Skye one of the files, "Fitz this is for you." She says handing him another one.
"What is it?" Skye asks interested.
"Your mission briefing and cover." Natasha tells her, "I want you both to go over the briefings and learn your cover, I will see each of you individually in Coulon's office in an hour to see how you are going." Natasha tells her Niece and Agent, "You're both dismissed." She says and both Skye and Fitz nod and leave.
"Seeding Skye and Fitz on an undercover mission are you sure that that is a good idea?" Clint asks his partner concerned.
"No." Natasha answers honestly, "But Fury wants us on this, but that being said I'm not sending either of them in if I don't think they can handle themselves." Natasha explains.
"Do you think this is the real reason Fury wanted Mels and Phil at the conference? So that they wouldn't be here to argue about this mission?" Clint asks curious.
"It's possible." Natasha answers.
"What will we be doing Agent Romanoff?" Ward asks interested.
"You'll be running back end." Natasha comments, "The specifics of that are up to Agent Barton, here's everything you need to know about the op." Natasha says to Clint handing him the rest of the files she has. "Figure out the best way to keep us safe, I'll be upstairs." Natasha tells her partner before leaving the room.
"You heard Nat, let's do this." Clint says spreading the files over the table for him Ward and Simmons to look through
"You want our help?" Simmons asks surprised.
"Of course. How well you know the agents is important when comes to running back end, you both know Skye and Fitz well and I know Nat, our system has to suit them." Clint explains.
"Okay, let's get started then." Ward comments and the three of them get started on trying to figure out the best way to run back end for 'their' agents
After they leave the command centre both Skye and Fitz head downstairs.
"Why does she want to see us in your Dad's office to see how we are doing with our covers?" Fitz asks curious as its unusual thing to do most agents just ask if you feel comfortable.
"Because she wants to make sure that we fully understand them." Skye explains, "Undercover is what тетя Наташа does best and that hasn't always gone well for her. She just want to make sure that we are as prepared as we can be." Skye explains.
"And she thinks that quizzing us about our covers is going to do that?" Fitz asks interested.
"Fitz you rock when it comes to tests, just think of this as a test." Skye reminds him, "She's doing this to protect us, it's one of the few ways she knows how." Skye explains to her friend. "Now if you excuse me I have a cover to learn." Skye says walking over and getting in the back of the S.H.I.E.L.D. SVU.
An hour later Clint has gotten them in the air and Skye makes her way up to her father's office to see her Aunt.
When she walks in she see Natasha sitting on the couch so she walks over and sits next to her.
"Any questions?" Natasha asks her Niece curious.
"No." Skye responds. "The missions' simple enough." She comments.
"Okay let's start with the basics." Natasha tells her niece, "Name?"
"Sam Clark."
"Age?"
"23, birthday Fifth of January nineteen ninety one." Skye answers and for twenty minutes Natasha questions Skye about her cover and Skye answers every single one of her questions correctly.
"Good." Natasha tells her niece feeling that Skye knows her cover well enough to go in but still a little hesitant about sending her in because she is her niece but Natasha doesn't allow herself to focus on that, "Do you feel comfortable enough with your cover to do this?" she asks as she will not send Skye or any other agent into a mission if they don't feel comfortable doing it, no matter what Fury says.
"Yeah, I'm good. Expert in Computer Science I can do this in my sleep." Skye responds.
"Confidence is good, but don't get cocky, that's when mistakes happen." Natasha tells her.
"I'm just confident, promise." Skye assures her Aunt.
"Good, I'll be around if something happens but we've got to pretend not to know each other so only come to me if it's an emergency." Natasha explains.
"I'll be okay тетя Наташа, this isn't the first time I've pretended to be someone I'm not, I can handle myself." Skye assures her.
"I don't doubt that Skye." Natasha tells her niece, "I just worry." She admits.
"I know." Skye responds with a smile and the pair drift into silence.
"I need to make sure Agent Fitz is as comfortable and prepared as you, can you go get him?" Natasha asks curious.
"Of course." Skye says getting up and leaving her father's office.
When she walks downstairs she sees Fitz sitting at the table, "Your turn." She tells her friend.
Fitz nods and heads upstairs while Skye debates going into the Command centre to see how the others are going but decides to go to her bunk instead.
When she gets to her bunk Skye sits down and pulls out the box of things she has kept over the years out. She looks through it until she finds what she is looking for. The picture of her Jess, Lisa and Emma together, it was taken by Mr Carmichael one on of the few times he was around. After telling her Mother and Uncle about what happened to them she has been thinking about them a lot and her nightmares have increased, something which her mother has been doing her best to help her with. It also probably doesn't help that in a little over a week it is the Anniversary of when Jessica and Emma died but she hasn't even told her Mother that.
"No, I've got to focus on the job." Skye says to herself before putting the picture back in the box and putting the box away, "Okay, let's go over this again." She says to herself opening the file from her aunt to focus on that instead of all the death she has seen and caused.
Skye has been attempting to distract herself for almost an hour when she hears a knock at her door.
"Come in." She says and the door opens and Ward walks in.
"Hey, Romanoff and Barton want you in the command centre." He tells her, "Are you alright?" He asks concerned.
"I'm on my way." Skye tells him, "And I'm fine." Skye assures him as she closes the file.
"Are you sure?" He asks as he can't put his finger on what but he just has a feeling that something is wrong.
"I'm sure." Skye tells him, "Come on we don't want to keep Uncle Clint and тетя Наташа waiting." She says walking past him.
When Skye walks into the command centre with Ward right behind her Natasha, Clint and FitzSimmons are already waiting.
"Now that everyone is here I just want to go over a few things." Natasha tells them, "We will land in about ten hours, in nine hours I want everyone back here so we can go over final details. Until then I want everyone to get some rest, it is going to be a long few days, we're all going to need it." Natasha instructs.
"Yes Ma'am." Ward says and FitzSimmons and Skye nod and they all leave the command centre.
"Honestly, how do you think they are going to do?" Clint asks his partner once they others are all out of hearing range.
"I think they will do well." Natasha answers, "They both know their covers well and they are comfortable in the rolls they are going to be playing. I feel comfortable sending them in but you and I both know that undercover work rarely goes as planned." Natasha explains to him.
"Well it's a good thing you've got us watching your back then." Clint comments trying to make her feel better.
"What your plan for that?" Natasha asks curious.
"I'll show you." Clint says and he pulls a lot of different things up on the monitors and spends the next hour going over the very detailed plan that he, Ward and Simmons came up with.
Six hours later most of the plane is asleep. Skye is one of only two people who isn't and that is because she hasn't even attempted to because she knows she will have a nightmare and she doesn't want anyone to worry about her which is guaranteed to happen when she wakes up petrified from a nightmare.
Not being able to stay in her bunk any longer Skye gets up and heads out into the living room where she is surprised to find her Uncle Clint doing something to his arrows.
"Hey, trouble sleeping?" Clint asks concerned when he sees his niece.
"Trouble sleeping would imply that I have actually tried to." Skye comments sitting down next to her uncle, "What are you doing?"
"Inspecting my arrows, making sure that they are all in working condition." He explains.
"You do realises there is a comment there right?" Skye asks her Uncle amused.
"I know." Clint assures her. "You going to make it?"
"Nah, it's too easy." She responds.
"So, why are you avoiding sleep?" Clint asks curious.
"Can't you guess?"
"Nightmares." Clint guesses.
"Bingo, do you want some coffee?" Skye asks her Uncle curious.
"How about you try talking to me first?" Clint suggests, "If you don't want to or can't, or if that doesn't help then you can drink as much coffee as you want. Just give it a try, please." Clint requests.
"The night you left the house after everything that happened with Mom, I had nightmares, so I did what you told me, I talked to Mom." Skye reveals.
"And did it help?" Clint asks curious.
"It helped Mom understand me more but I've been remembering what happened more often, having more nightmares." Skye explains.
"I'm sorry." Clint tells her hating that his advice lead to her having more nightmares.
"It's okay, it's not your fault." Skye assures him, "It's always been rare for me to go more than a few days without nightmares, now I just tend to know what they are going to be able." Skye explains then notices the look her Uncle has gotten on his face, "What is it?" she asks interested.
"Do you sometimes not know what your nightmares are about?" Clint asks curious.
"Yeah, quite often, why?" Skye asks confused.
"I think maybe your power is part of the reason behind you having so many nightmares." Clint comments knowing that everything Skye has been through is part of the reason but that it may not necessarily be the whole reason.
"It's possible." Skye admits, realising that her Uncle may have a point. "But if that's true then I'll always have nightmares, and there is nothing I can do about it." She realises.
"Maybe there is." Clint comments looking thoughtful.
"Well if you've got a suggestion, please tell me." Skye requests.
"How about if before you try and go to sleep you get yourself into the state of relaxing you get yourself into before you use your knowing power but you don't go the step further and focus on something. You attempt to sleep instead." Clint suggests.
"That might work." Skye realise though she isn't certain.
"Why don't you try? There's no harm in trying." He tells her.
"But what if it doesn't work?" Skye asks. "What if I do have nightmares? I don't want everyone else to worry about me." Skye admits.
"What about if I sit out here and keep and eye on you and promise to wake you at the first sign of a nightmare?" Clint offers.
"But then you won't get any sleep." Skye tells him.
"I've already got a couple of hours, I'm good." Clint assures her
"Are you sure?" Skye asks wanting to make sure.
"Positive, go get some sleep Kid." Clint tells his niece.
"Thanks." Skye tells him sincerely before getting up and walking over to her bunk and heading to bed.
For an hour and a half Clint stays outside Skye's room, inspecting his arrows and continually checking Skye for signs of a nightmares. He is quite fine by himself until the door to Melinda's bunk opens and Natasha walks out.
"Hey, have you gotten any sleep?" Natasha asks curious.
"A couple of hours." Clint answers.
"We've still got over an hour before I want everyone in the command centre maybe you should try to sleep." She suggests.
"Can't, I made a promise to Skye." Clint answers.
"You promised Skye you wouldn't sleep?" Natasha asks confused, "That doesn't sound like something Skye would ask of you."
"She didn't." Clint tells her, "She has nightmares Nat, pretty bad ones so bad that she's avoiding sleep because she doesn't want anyone to worry. I got her to agree to get some sleep but on the condition that I wake her at the first sign that she is having a nightmare." Clint explains.
"She's too young to be afraid of sleep." Natasha comments quietly to herself.
"She's too young for a lot of thing that have happen to her." Clint says hearing his partners comment.
"I know." Natasha comments remembering the conversation she had with the young girl in Stark's plane on their way back from Egypt about something she is pretty sure Clint doesn't even know. "You go get a little bit of sleep. I'll watch her for nightmares."
"No need, I'm fine." Clint assure her.
"Go or I'll make you." Natasha tells him.
"Yes Dear." Clint responds with a grin
"Do you want an arrow in your eye?" Natasha asks curious
"Hey! that's my line." Clint comments quickly giving Natasha a kiss before she can say anymore.
"Go get some sleep Clint, before I change my mind about the arrow thing." Natasha tells her partner, "I'll watch Skye, wake her if there is a sign of her having nightmares." She tells him.
"See you in a couple of hours." Clint says getting up and walking over to Melinda's bunk to get some sleep leaving Natasha the only one in the plane who is awake.
An hour and a half later everyone is gathered in the Command centre to go over last minute mission details. Natasha has once more gone over the missions plan and Clint has gone over the back end plan so that everyone understands what is going on.
"Okay so let me check if I've got this right." Skye comments, "Fitz, тетя Наташа and I go in. We blend in among the employees and we attempt to find out if this company is using Alien tec or formulas. While we do that you guys will be watching our back, making sure we are safe."
"Correct." Natasha tells her, "Does everyone feel comfortable with what you have to do?" Natasha asks the others and they all nod, "If that changes before we land and anyone no longer feels comfortable with what they are doing then we will discuss it before the mission and alter the plans if needed." Natasha tells them all.
"I think we're good, тетя Наташа." Skye comments and the others nod.
"Good, suit up and good luck." Natasha tells everyone and everyone nods and leaves the command centre.
Once she leaves the command centre Skye heads back to her bunk she hasn't even been there a minute when Ward follows in after her.
"Hey, be careful okay." Ward requests.
"I will." Skye assures him, "I'm always carful, you know that." Skye reminds her boyfriend.
"I know, that's what I'm worried about." He tells her.
"Hey, now that's just mean." Skye tells him pouting.
"But it's true." Ward says taking a step closer to her, "I'm serious Skye, be careful." He says his voice turning serious.
"I will." Skye says as she takes a step closer to Ward and they kiss.
"Hey now, none of that on the plane." Clint voice says breaking their kiss.
"I am going to get you for that." Skye tells her Uncle as she looks over her boyfriend's shoulder.
"Like to see you try kid." Clint tells her with a grin knowing that he is asking for trouble.
"You're on." Skye says before starting to chase her Uncle.
For the next half an hour, until Clint has to go land the plane, Skye chases him around the plane.
Once they land after they say their goodbyes to the rest of the team, Skye, Natasha and Fitz go to their respective civilian cars and Simmons, Ward and Clint watch them drive away.
"We're on. Let's go." Clint says and the trio head to a surveillance van they have waiting.
While the team back on the plane are preparing for their mission Melinda and Coulson are in their hotel room preparing for the pre-conference cocktail party.
"Look on the brightside, at least there will be drinks." Coulson comments from where he is fixing his tie in the main room.
"True." Melinda admits, "But I doubt we'll get to enjoy many of them. Fury will likely cut of us of before either of us will like." Melinda reminds him from the bathroom.
"True, but when that happens we send Maria to the bar for us." Coulson jokes, "It's nice to have a friend to share in our misery." Coulson comments.
"Yeah, it is." Melinda confirms. "From what she said she clearly doesn't want to be here any more than we do."
"Are you almost ready?" Coulson asks, "We're going to be late."
"Yeah I'm almost done." Melinda comments as they hear a knock at the door.
"I'll get that." Coulson says walking over to the door and opening it to reveal Maria Hill standing in the hallway wearing a black dress that goes just above her knees with a very small v neckline, with straps that just go over the shoulder and her hair down and wavy.
"I'm getting the feeling that Fury assigned you to be our baby sitter." Coulson comments seeing his friend.
"He did, but that's not why I'm here." Maria comments, "I really don't want to enter that party alone." She explains, "At least if I'm with people then I won't be harassed as soon as I walk in." Maria explains.
"Ahh the curse of being deputy director, well then come on in. Melinda's just finishing up." Coulson says moving out of the way to let Maria into the room, "You look lovely by the way." He tells his friend.
"Thanks Phil." Maria tells her friend with a smile.
"Why exactly are you at this thing if you hate it as much as we do?" Melinda asks interested walking out of the bathroom. Melinda also has her hair down and wavy but she is wearing a royal blue dress that goes below her knees with a large V neckline.
"Because even I have to follow Fury's orders." Maria explains.
"I stand by my accusation that he is doing this to torture us." Melinda comments.
"I think your right." Maria says, "I think if he could have found a way for them to legitimately be here then Clint and Natasha would be here as well, his own form of punishments for his favourites." Maria explains.
"He certainly knows us well then." Coulson comments, "We should go." He says.
"Yeah we should, the sooner we're there the sooner we can't start with the open bar." Melinda comments walking over to Coulson.
"Then let's go." Coulson says sticking his arm out for Melinda to put hers though, "You look incredible." He informs Melinda giving her a kiss on the cheek.
"Come on you two." Maria says amused, smiling at the pair, glad to see them together and happy like she has always though they should be.
"So after how many drinks has Fury ordered you to make us stop?" Melinda asks interested as the three friends leave the hotel room.
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