Seeing how her phone screen light up, Skye looks down at it in surprise. Seeing that a number she hasn't saved as a contact, she is a bit hesitant to answer the call. Thinking that it could be Clint and Natasha calling her from another phone, she grabs it. It wouldn't be the first time something like that has happened when they are out on a mission.
"This is Skye."
She answer the call, leaning back agents the wall.
"Hello Skye, I know we haven't spoken before but my name is Pepper Pots, I got your number from Tony. I hope it's alright if I call you like this."
The female voice says on the other end of the line and Skye sits up properly once more. Having Pepper Pots calling her is the last thing she would expect to happen. Blinking a few times, Skye glance to her phone to make sure all of this is real.
"H…Hi."
She somehow managed to get out, it was her own idea to let Stark tell Pepper everything he learned, this was a while back now and Skye hasn't even heard anything from Stark himself.
"I'm sorry, am I call in a bad time?"
Pepper ask and Skye can hear that the other woman sounds worried. Taking in a deep breath, Skye pulls herself together. She can freak out over the fact that Pepper is calling her later.
"No, no. It's alright. I'm just a bit surprised over the fact that you are calling me. So, what can I do for you?"
"Well, I want to talk to you about something I just found out, but I'm not fully sure how to start."
And right there Skye get's a bad feeling about this call.
"Just hang on, I'm going to move to a more, secure location."
Skye informs Pepper as she rises from her bed. Unlocking the door, she heads directly for one of the bathrooms. Making sure the door is locked properly, she sits down on the toilet.
"Alright, what is going on? Is Tasha and Clint alright?"
She asks, her thoughts going directly to her siblings. But something tells her that if they have ended up in a bad situation, it would be Maria or Victoria calling her and not Tony Starks girl.
"What I know they are alright, no, I'm calling about something I found when going over a few files."
Pepper explains and Skye starts to grow worry once more.
"Look, I only hacked into the system because Gwen dared me to do it when we realised how good of a hacker I am. We didn't touch anything."
Skye starts to defend herself, not with the truth however. When Natasha found out what she and Gwen was up to, she asked Skye to create a backdoor into Starks system. Saying it would probably come in handy one day. And it did.
"No, this isn't... you hacked into our system?"
The complete surprise in Pepper's voice makes Skye relax slightly, but only slightly since she now knows she will be in trouble for that.
"Yeah... sorry about that. So if its not about my siblings or my hacking, then why did you call?"
She asks, turning the conversation back to why Pepper made the call.
"Coulson is alive."
Skye freezes up at this, she knows Phil is alive, it would be weird since she is on the same plane as him after all. The fact that Pepper is telling her that he is alive, when Maria told her specific that only level 7 agents knows this fact.
"Pepper, how do you know this information. Its supposed to have S.H.I.E.D agent level 7 clearance."
Skye asks, suddenly very happy that she decided to take this conversation in the bathroom and not in her bunk where everyone can hear her.
"I have level 8 clearance..."
"You what?"
And in this moment Skye is happy that she is sitting down for this information.
"How can you have level 8 clearance? Your not a S.H.I.E.L.D agent, at least not when I last checked."
"I have a level 8 clearance for the same reason as to why you told Tony that he could tell me everything he learned about you after the battle of New York. Tony can't keep silent, something that both Fury and Coulson knows, that's why I can read up to level 8 files."
Pepper explains which, actually makes a lot of sense for Skye. Even if she know Pepper can keep a secret, she grows worried that she has already informed Stark about what she has found.
"Wait, you don't seem as surprise over this fact as I thought you would."
Pepper suddenly points out, making Skye roll her eyes. They are all over the place this day apparently.
"Before I answer that, I need to know if you have told Stark or any of the others about this yet?"
"No, I'm still in the office. I decided to call you first..."
Skye can hear how Peppers tone takes a suspicious note.
"Good, you can't tell them Pepper. At least not right now. Yes, I know that Phil is alive, I found out about this a few days ago. I'm actually with him right now. But Pepper, there is a very good reason as to why Director Fury has put his life status a level 7 knowledge and why the Avengers are not allowed to know. We still don't know what the side effects of his treatment is going to be. I mean, he doesn't even realise I'm the same girl he used to take care of and..."
Skye starts to explain, feeling how she works herself up at the end. With a deep breath, she tries to calm down once more. She can't afford breaking down over that fact, or the fact that Melinda doesn't know anything either.
"He doesn't recognise you?"
Peppers question is low and Skye isn't sure she was meant to hear it to begin with.
"No, he thinks I'm just a hacker that they picked up that has potential to be a good asset. Maria gave me all the information about Phil's recovery and trust me, you don't want to know. So please, don't tell Stark or the others what you have learned."
Skye begs of her, hearing how tired she sounds. And she is, ever since Maria gave her Phil's large file on his recovery and what they did to him, Skye have spent most nights reading and rereading it. Just to try and figure out what is going on.
"I will keep quite. But Skye, call me if you ever need to talk to someone. This most be extremely hard on you and you shouldn't have to suffer alone."
Pepper tells her, making Skye smile slightly. She was starting to like this woman.
"And you make sure to call me the moment Phil finds out he used to take care of you, I want to have a long conversation with him."
Pepper then adds, which pulls a small laughter from Skye. She definitely likes this woman.
"I will, and thank you Pepper."
"It's nothing, you are part of the crazy family group Tony created with the Avengers, and we do anything for that family. But I should let you get back to what ever it is you are helping Phil with at the moment. I look forward to speak with you again, especially about the fact that you hacked Stark system."
Pepper explains before ending the call. Hearing the disconnect sound from her phone, Skye moves it from her ear to look at it. It takes her a few seconds to fully register what Pepper just told her, a large and warm smile takes over once it does. A smile that drops when she feels the plane changing.
"Changing course, briefing in three."
Melinda's voice can be heard from the intercom system. With a deep breath, Skye makes sure to save Peppers phone number before collecting herself. Once she is sure she is able to handle what is outside of the bathroom door, she opens it.
Seeing Ward a few steps in front of her, Skye carefully follows after happy to see that Simmons, Fitz and Coulson is already in the lounge area.
"A few minutes ago, a S.H.I.E.L.D transport was attacked while carrying a priority red protected asset off route 76 near Sterling."
Coulson starts to explain as Skye takes one of the air chairs. Simmons and Fitz has taken over the couch beside her.
"Priority red."
She hears Simmons say in a low voice, a small whistle sound along with it.
"The asset was Canadian physicist Dr Franklin Hall, know for his work –"
And more than that was Coulson not able to say as Simmons and Fitz interrupts him.
"Oh, no, not Franklin."
"Dr Hall? He was our chemical kinetics adviser our second year."
"Yeah, he's so enthusiastic about science, we just adored him. We can rescue him, can't we?"
Simmons and Fitz explains, looking towards them, Skye can see the sadness in their eyes. Remembering that sadness herself, she feel for them.
"He's one of ours. We're gonna try."
Coulson reassures them and Skye can see how FitzSimmons relax slightly at this news.
"And the attackers?"
Ward speaks up for the first time since entering the room.
"Invisible."
Coulson informs them and Skye can fell how her eyes grows large at this information. She was expecting a lot of things hanging around this group, meeting invisible people isn't on the list.
"Wait, invisible?"
She hears herself ask out loud before letting out a laugh.
"Cool."
She adds in a lower voice, feeling a pair of eyes on her, Skye glance up to see Ward looking down on her and she shrinks down in the chair.
"But terrible."
She quickly adds in the same low tone, turning to look down at the floor. This was going to be a oh so fun mission, she can already tell.
And she had been right, pushed to the side line as quickly as they could. Making her look through the enormous book of communication going out of S.H.I.E.L.D since they decided to move the man and listening in on Fitz and Simmons trying to explain what they had seen at the scene of the crime.
She knows she would be able to find out exactly what happened if they just let her use her computer skills. But at the same time, she can understand why they won't let her. If she was either Coulson or Melinda, she's quite sure she would do the same thing.
With a deep breath, she starts to flip through the book once more. Her time will come, all she has to do is wait. And luck would have it, she didn't have to wait for long.
"The man's a prisoner, and it's up to us to get him out."
Coulson informs us all, after calling the team together in the briefing room. She places herself near one of the doors, leaning towards the wall as she watch the agents in front of her work.
"We've checked the specs. There's no way into Quinn's compound without a large S.H.I.E.L.D strike force or a man inside. He's got neodymium laser fencing surrounding the property."
"They'll never allow a strike force into Malta. Plus, this weekend, Quinn worldwide's got its annual shareholders gathering. We'd risk global outrage, but..."
"If we go in alone..."
"S.H.I.E.L.D can disavow us, claim ignorance."
Listening to Coulson, Ward and Melinda, something clicks for Skye. With a small smile, she pulls out her phone and starts working. Her time has come, even if she doesn't like what she will have to do.
"Without a man inside it's impossible, unless you are immune to pulse laser emissions."
"If we had a monkey, we could get in."
Hearing Fitz mention a monkey, Skye can't help but to look up from her phone. Seeing the look on Fitz's face, she realise the rocket scientist is deadly serious about the monkey.
"Ugh, Fitz."
Simmons complains and Skye can only agree with her.
"If we had a small monkey, he could slip through the sensors and disable the fence's power source with his adorable little hands."
Fitz starts to explain, making Skye roll her eyes.
"I could go."
Skye speaks up, only to be ignored by the team.
"Drop me in the hills outside of Valletta. I'll spend a few weeks establishing a cover, gathering intel-"
"Hall doesn't have a few weeks."
"And to restate, any Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D caught on Maltese soil can be shoot to death with bullets –"
"Yeah"
"- legally."
"Not me. I could go in."
This time, Skye can feel all attention turning towards her. Ignoring them, she keeps her own eyes on her phone, working the last few things.
"Skye, this is serious."
Ward tells her, but she can feel that someone moves towards her.
"Wait. What are you saying?"
Coulson, she should have known.
"Well, I'm not an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D, so I can go in without breaking all these stupid rules."
Skye explains, smiling slightly as she finally got what she was working on.
"International laws."
She hears Simmons point out and she rolls her eyes.
"This isn't something Rising Tied can hack, Skye."
"Did you hear the deadly laser part? Without a brave monkey-"
"You said you could go in with a man inside."
Skye quickly interrupts Fitz, she was already tired of listening to him about a monkey.
"And you want to be that man?"
Melinda asks, making Skye turn her attention directly towards the older woman. She tries to keep any emotions from her eyes, but she is quite sure Melinda can still read the no.
"FitzSimmons loved the guy, and he needs help. They could be torturing him, or worse."
Skye answer the question instead. Hearing a small noise from her phone, she looks down on it again.
"But you don't have the background or clearance or experience with any of this."
Ward points out and Skye managed to stop rolling her eyes, if only he knew how wrong he is in that moment. But she promised Maria not to tell and she is quite curious to see how long it takes Coulson and Melinda to figure out what is going on.
"I know."
She says instead, before she starts to smile and holds up her phone so the agents can see it.
"But I've got an invitation."
She explain, seeing the surprised look in their eyes, Skye can't help but feel proud over herself.
"Well, technically, it's an e-vite."
She corrects herself with a shrug.