Infected

Over the next several days, Skye found herself constantly reconsidering her thought that there was any positive aspect to the coronavirus. The week dragged as it seemed like time itself had stopped. Nothing was happening with SHIELD as they all appeared to be collectively holding their breath. Would they be safe or would the virus spread like wildfire through the base? There wasn't much they could do personally either. No one felt much like cooking, larger gatherings were banned and working out was difficult given the restrictions.

Skye found that having to schedule gym time was a pain as was taking her temperature daily. Not being able to spar with anyone seriously cut into her fun and the moratorium on gatherings larger than 5 people was terrible. She missed movie nights, game nights and nights in which they sometimes just played music and took turns showing off their dance moves. None of this was allowed under the current restrictions, leaving a pall of worry and boredom hanging over the entirety of the Playground.

Skye's thoughts dwelt resentfully on Bakshi and his minions since they were the ones responsible for bringing the infection into the base. And she still hadn't been able to communicate with Grant. The lure of calling the phone number he gave her was strong but she knew she should only do that in case of emergency.

A week after Bakshi was captured, Skye found herself walking slowly down the hallway in no particular hurry. There wasn't anywhere she wanted to go. She'd just finished some gym time and had nothing else planned for the day. There was a curious feeling of listlessness throughout the base, like everyone was tired of nothing happening and Skye wasn't immune. She considered trying to find another book or podcast but had no real desire for either. She was entertaining the idea of talking with Fitz, maybe figuring out how he was feeling about Grant these days, when the outer door to the base opened and in walked the Black Widow and Captain America.

Skye stopped in her tracks, her eyes going wide. What's going on? No one had seen much of either of them since the fall of SHIELD. Rumor had it that they'd been doing missions to take down Hydra and training with the Avengers. And, of course, they'd been working on developing their Spies R Us team but few people knew that. They were extraordinarily busy, so their unexpected visit to the Playground did not bode well.

Despite the ominous overtones their presence at the base indicated, Skye couldn't help but geek out a little. Here were two of the Avengers, people she'd constantly heard about since joining SHIELD! Seeing them walk towards her, Skye couldn't help but notice how much shorter and more delicate (if such an observation could be made about such a deadly person) Natasha Romanoff was compared to Steve Rogers. This was surprising given just how big the Black Widow had always seemed to Skye. Maybe if I became a superhero, I'd seem taller too.

Once she got over her initial shock, Skye took the opportunity to size up Steve Rogers. She'd been privy to a number of conversations about Captain America by the female agents over the last few months. His romantic life was hashed over endlessly by those hoping to be noticed by him. They went over and over the fact that he didn't seem to date. Skye found it sweet that Steve seemed to be faithful to his one true love who, although afflicted with Alzheimer's, was still living. On the other hand, it sounded lonely. Despite all the talk about him (and of course, she'd seen endless pictures in Coulson's office), she'd never had the opportunity to see Steve in person.

The Black Widow occasionally dropped by the base but Captain America was more elusive. After her first glimpse, she was sorry she hadn't been seeing him on a regular basis. Whoo, boy! A sudden urge to fan herself swept over her and she made certain her jaw wasn't hanging open. No wonder the female agents went crazy for this guy! If Skye wasn't already in love with Grant, she easily could've had a thing for Steve Rogers. His yummy pecs, slim waist, beautiful blue eyes and the confidence in which he held himself all served to make him an incredibly handsome man. Combine that with his high standard of morality and loyalty and he was definitely dreamy.

However awesome Captain America was though, this was not the time to get to know him better. He clearly was on a mission and had no time for Skye to gush over him. Both Steve and Natasha had serious expressions on their faces, something Skye noticed because neither had on a mask. Coulson's going to rip them a new one over that! Ever since the captives with Corona showed up, Coulson had been on a tear about safety, yelling at people who weren't social distancing adequately or who, when leaving the base for the odd grocery run or meeting, weren't wearing their masks appropriately.

Skye opened her mouth to point this out to the Avengers but closed it abruptly. She didn't want to antagonize them, especially since they were supposed to be helping figure out when she and Grant could meet again. And, to be honest, it would've been a shame to cover up Captain America's face. Skye looked down at the floor, feeling disloyal to Grant for even thinking that, but looked up just as both Avengers nodded to her as they passed, striding purposefully towards Coulson's office.

Why are they here? Skye was so desperate for something new to focus on, she didn't even care if it meant eavesdropping on Coulson and the two Avengers. She had to know what was going on! Without even thinking, she turned on her heel and followed Natasha and Steve, trying to stay far enough behind that they wouldn't notice her. Although, given her status as a spy, Natasha totally would. Clearly, since she didn't bust Skye for it, she didn't care.

Skye scooted as close to Coulson's office as she dared without being seen. Thankfully, the door to his office wasn't shut, so she was able to hear everything even from a few feet away.

"Natasha. Capt…Steve," Coulson said with a lilt of surprise in his voice. "I wasn't expecting you until next month. While it's always a pleasure to have you visit the Playground, I have to point out that you're flaunting our safety protocols."

"Sorry," Steve said, "but we don't have a lot of time."

"This wasn't planned, Phil," Natasha added. "Normally we'd go through the usual channels but two members of our team are in trouble and we need your help."

"Two of the Avengers are in trouble?" Coulson asked, alarm causing his voice to be higher than usual. "I don't know if we're equipped to help them here. Can't Stark do anything or is he one of the ones needing help?"

Skye smirked to herself, thinking about Tony Stark needing help. He was a brat in the best of circumstances but add in the kind of vulnerability illness or injury would bring and he would be insufferable.

"It isn't any of the Avengers," Steve replied. "I know you haven't been briefed on this but we've been building a new team, one made up of formerly brainwashed people."

"Brainwashed spies? That seems dangerous," Coulson commented.

"It isn't as dangerous as it sounds and, quite frankly, with Hydra's infiltration of SHIELD, we need the help," Natasha explained. "We've identified a number of people with special skills who either were actively brainwashed or gradually indoctrinated. They've been able to get rid of their original training and all are grateful and willing to work for us."

"I'm glad you're trying to help them but are you sure they're reliable?" Coulson didn't sound convinced.

Given what she knew of Coulson, Skye didn't blame him. He was always so steadfast and sure in his beliefs that it would be difficult for him to understand how someone could so drastically influence his thinking. He also didn't have the vulnerability many people susceptible to brainwashing had. Grant, for instance, struggled with believing that people might like him just for himself rather than because he was what they wanted him to be. Skye was self-aware enough to know that she could've ended up brainwashed as well; she was just lucky that she hadn't met the wrong person. She resolved to have a conversation with Coulson about brainwashing later. He needed to be less judgmental and more open to the idea that people can change.

"I don't know," Natasha said with an edge in her voice. "Do you consider me reliable?"

Skye would've given a lot of money to see Coulson's face but, sadly, she had to stay hidden if she wanted to continue eavesdropping. She was grateful Natasha seemed to be building the groundwork for her upcoming conversation with Coulson about compassion, change and trust.

"That's not what I meant, Natasha. You've proven yourself to be vitally important to SHIELD and to the Avengers. I just worry that other people may not have the same kind of dedication."

"We can argue about this later," Steve cut in impatiently. "Right now, two members of our team have been infected by the coronavirus and they need assistance. Director Fury said that the Playground was best equipped to handle the virus, so we brought them here. Can your team help them?"

"Of course," Coulson replied quickly, "we'll give them whatever they need." There was a long pause and Skye cursed her inability to see what was happening. "Is there a problem?"

"We're aware that your team has a…history…with one of our agents and we don't want that to be an issue," Steve said carefully.

Skye felt like someone punched her in the stomach as she connected the dots. Bakshi and his aides had the coronavirus. Grant and Kara captured them. They were the agents who were infected! "No!" she whispered. Fear knotted her stomach as she struggled to remain calm. It took everything she had not to run into Coulson's office and demand he save Grant and Kara. In that moment, Skye channeled all her hope into Captain America. If anyone could convince Coulson, it would be him.

"What do you mean, history?" Coulson sounded puzzled. He clearly hadn't figured it out yet.

"Our sick agents are Kara Palamas and Grant Ward," Natasha said with the air of someone pulling off a bandaid to get the pain over with. "We know your team had a bad experience with Agent Ward when he was with Hydra but we've been working with him, helping him throw off his brainwashing, ever since. Phil, we're the ones who've had him deliver packages to you for the past few months. And now he's sick and needs your help."

There was another pause, a longer one this time. "Are you telling me that you want me to ask my team to provide assistance to Grant Ward, the man who killed any number of SHIELD agents and dropped two of my people into the ocean?" Coulson asked incredulously.

"That's exactly what we're telling you," Steve said calmly. "We know this is a lot to process and we aren't discounting the pain Agent Ward caused you and your people. Nat and I are more than willing to discuss our new team and how they're no longer the people they were but it'll have to wait as Grant and Kara need help immediately. They're dedicated agents who've been doing a lot of good work and they deserve a second chance. We'll take them somewhere else if we have to but we hoped you'd do the right thing. Will you help them?"

Skye closed her eyes, praying Coulson would agree to it. Steve made a good case. His voice practically radiated sincerity and Coulson was a sucker for that but his antipathy towards Grant was strong. She honestly had no idea which way he'd go. Her eyes popped open when she heard the sounds of movement coming from the office and she scurried backwards. She barely had time to back up enough to make it look as though she was just happening to walk down the hall. I shouldn't have bothered, she thought as Coulson passed her without even a glance in her direction. Skye slowly let out the breath she'd been holding. Thank goodness!

Steve followed closely behind Coulson with only a nod in her direction but Natasha made eye contact with Skye as she rounded the corner from Coulson's office. "Stay close," she said in a low voice as she passed. "Grant will want to see you."

Skye didn't need any further invitation. She could feel her stomach roil as the implications of Grant's illness hit her. He has Covid19, the virus we've all spent weeks in isolation to avoid! It was all she could do to keep from crying as she trailed behind the Black Widow as they entered the hangar. They wouldn't have brought him here if it wasn't serious.

Two hospital gurneys sat at the top of the ramp leading into the Avengers' aircraft. They hadn't pushed them into the Playground's hangar, as they were waiting to see if they had to seek help elsewhere before they made a huge effort.

Skye felt her knees weaken when she saw Grant lying on one of the beds. She grasped a nearby table, leaning on it for support as she gathered the energy to rush towards Grant. Get it together, Skye! He needs you! Just as she started to push off from the table, two very powerful arms held her back. His grip felt like concrete but was also light, as if Captain America was making sure he didn't crush or even bruise her skin as he kept her restrained. Skye swung her eyes in his direction, ready to yell at him for preventing her from going to Grant.

"You can't get close without a mask, face shield and gown," Steve told her, his blue eyes serious. "And you can't touch him. This virus is highly contagious. Grant would never forgive me if you got sick."

Skye felt her anger deflate, her fear once again filling her with dread. She nodded and ignored Coulson's wide-eyed look as she rushed to put on the N95 mask and face shield that Natasha gave her. It looked like this was now standard issue in the hangar, no doubt as part of the extra precautions put into place days ago. While she hurriedly put on the PPE, a small part of her brain wondered why Steve wasn't bothering to put on protective gear. Natasha was standing back, the tiniest bit of apprehension in her eyes, but Steve didn't look bothered.

He gave her a faint smile. "My regenerative abilities make catching a virus impossible. I haven't been sick at all since the 1940s."

Skye placed the N95 mask over her face, wondering how anyone could stand wearing it, especially for the long periods of time medical professionals were enduring across the world. She hated the feeling of her breathing being constricted but she ignored it. If this was what it was going to take to see the man she loved, she'd bear it.

She carefully sidled up to Grant and stopped, horrified by how terrible he looked. His face was flushed and sweaty and it sounded as if his breathing was slightly labored. His eyes were closed. Kara Palamas was in the other bed. While she certainly didn't appear well, she didn't seem as bad off as Grant. Kara looked tired, feverish and uncomfortable but she didn't look critically ill.

Skye returned her attention to Grant. "Hey," she said softly, wondering if he was even conscious or if could even hear her through the layers of material.

Grant's eyes popped open at the sound of her voice. He tried to smile but all he could manage was a sickly upward twist of his lips. His eyes never left her face.

Skye did her best not to cry, knowing that her tears would fog the face shield and make the mask less effective. Seeing her cry would also disturb Grant, so she put on her biggest fake smile, hoping he could see it through all her face coverings. "If you wanted to see me, all you had to do was call."

He opened his mouth to reply but shut it when Steve said firmly, "Don't try to talk, Grant. Save your strength."

Skye kept looking into Grant's eyes but listened as Natasha talked with Coulson. They were standing some distance away but, in the empty hangar, their words carried. "You can see how bad off they are, Phil. We need to get them treatment or they're going to get worse."

Coulson hesitated, looking over at Skye, Grant and Steve. She sensed that this was a turning point for both of them, that she wouldn't be able to stand it if he turned them away. Her eyes met Coulson's. "Please, AC," Skye said, her voice breaking. "We have to help them!"

Skye held her breath, hoping Coulson could see her desperation and grief through all the layers. This was it. This was when he'd decide whether he would take the road of compassion and forgiveness or if he lost his soul and became as unyielding as Hydra. She felt a shiver of dread as she considered that she didn't truly know what he'd decide. The Coulson she knew, the kind man who recruited her, would've already agreed to help but the Coulson who emerged after the fall of SHIELD was a different person. That guy was broken, angry and bitter. She just hoped that the Coulson she loved wasn't yet lost.

When Coulson sighed and nodded, Skye almost collapsed with relief. Not only was her Coulson back but he was going to save the man she loved.

"Skye, since you're already prepared and Captain Rogers isn't in any danger, why don't the two of you push Agent Palamas and Agent Ward's beds to the Covid unit? I'll make sure they get treated immediately." Coulson didn't even wait for their nods as he turned around and headed to the hallway.

Natasha gave them a lopsided smile before following Coulson.

"Are you ready?" Skye asked Captain America, her relief almost making her feel almost giddy. At his nod, she answered, "Then let's do this!" She pushed the bed – surprisingly light even with Grant in it – down the gangway. "Hold on, Grant," she whispered to him. "Things are about to get better!"