A/N: *peaks head from behind a corner* I know, I know it's been a really long time since I last updated (again) and from the bottom of my heart/ depths of my soul I am truly very sorry (again) for that because I don't want to abandon this story and I want to see it to the end, but due to some personal reasons and unpleasant associations, this is taking a very very (very very) long time. But, I can honestlyguarantee that this story will be complete by the end of the summer and you guys will have a proper ending that you each deserve. So thank you guys for bearing with me.
Summary: Agents Melinda May and Phil Coulson are put on a new assignment to look after an object of unknown origin, an 0-8-4. The only catch is this 0-8-4 is a person. A fourteen year old girl who's spent her life in the foster system is now in more danger than ever. A man beast is hunting her and SHIELD has to make sure that it doesn't get close to her. AU, MCU characters will be used.
Chapter Twenty Three
Skye didn't want to say she watched helplessly as her friends each left their cells with a stranger, but she didn't have any other way to describe it. After all, she sat in her spot looking through the gaping holes that allowed her the chance to see them all leave and she did nothing to stop them. There was no telling what danger they were, who these were and what they wanted with them. It didn't matter that they seemed to be telling the truth that they didn't want trouble, didn't want to hurt them because it could be fake. This whole thing could be an act of some kind.
Skye knew that someone would come get her soon enough, her stomach knotted at the thought, but she forced herself to remain calm. All the breathing exercises May taught her came to the forefront of her mind, she would not lose control unless absolutely necessary. If they tried to hurt her friends, if they tried to keep them here forever, she would unleash the biggest quake she possibly could.
Of course she didn't want to hurt anyone, but she would not be their lab rat or let her friends be experimented on. If some people got hurt while she was protecting herself and friends, then that was how it had to be. The door in front of her opened, she lifted her gaze from the floor to see girl who looked around her age with short wavy hair and wearing a flower dress.
"My name's Raina," the girl said with a too sweet smile for Skye's taste. "I know you must be frightened or perhaps freaked out, but I promise you and your friends are perfectly safe. No one hear wants to see any harm come to you. I was in your shoes not too long ago, so I know it will take time before you believe me."
Skye rose from her seat. "How long have you been here?"
Raina answered plainly, "A couple years. They rescued me the same as they rescued you and your friends."
"We didn't need to be rescued," Skye hissed at her.
Raina raised an eyebrow at that, "Really? You were being held against your will by SHIELD, locked in glass cages."
"It was for protection," Skye defended with a scowl.
"Protection of others from you," Raina asked, she tilted her head. "It certainly wasn't to keep you safe. Instead, they planned to keep you locked up and try to work out your powers."
"To get them under control, they're dangerous," Skye argued, her anger growing.
Again, Raina spoke plainly, "Your powers are a gift and should be treated as such. What SHIELD was doing to you was quite the opposite of what should have been done. We can argue this all day, but I imagine you're hungry and tired, in need of rest."
"I'm fine," Skye said sharply, "Answer my questions. Where are we? Where are my friends?"
"Somewhere in the mountains. Your friends have already been taken to their rooms where a healer will meet them to make sure SHIELD didn't do any damage," Raina explained, there was a bit of venom in her tone.
Skye narrowed her eyes, "SHIELD wouldn't hurt us. They're trying to keep everyone safe."
Raina looked unconvinced, "Is that why you and your friends have trace amounts of dendrotoxins still swirling in your system? Meant to keep you weakened because you are, as you said, dangerous? Face it Skye, they had you guys trapped like freak experiments instead og treating you the way you deserved. Like children with talents. Let us show you the right way you should have been treated the moment your powers came to life."
Skye stayed in her spot for several long moments, time stretching as she could only stare at the other girl who seemed to believe in whatever this place was selling. But she wasn't a fool. The girl was just trying to twist her words and make her think that SHIELD only wanted to hurt her and friends, but she knew that wasn't right. Phil and Melinda would never have let her stay there if they thought it would hurt her.
Yet, there was a whisper of doubt floating in her mind. The only reason they had taken her in after wall was because of freak status in SHIELD's database. If they thought she was that dangerous, would they have really just locked her away? Everyone else always abandoned her for one reason or another. What if they would abandon her because she was this different person, capable of making earthquakes?
Skye forced those thoughts from her mind, she wouldn't believe these lies. Not now, not ever.
Wordlessly and keeping a scowl on her face, she followed Raina out of this place down a series of red hallways. She did her best to memorize the turns, but there were so many and she was so frustrated with the situation that she eventually lost track and decided that if she was going to get out, she'd likely to tear down some walls. And you know what, that didn't bother her in the least. She wanted to go home, she finally had a home and she was not about to let these people keep her away from it.
It had been ten hours since Skye and the others had been taken, three since Stark said he would be able to trace their vanishing friend. So far, his system was silent. Whoever had gotten their kids hadn't done anything yet which was understandable. If his only goal was to get the kids, then he wouldn't need to leave anytime soon which left everyone in a state of waiting.
Natasha wouldn't have described herself as an impatient person, he opposite actually, she had always been very good at biding her time and the Red Room taught her the art of waiting, when and how to use it. However, that didn't mean she was very patient when it came to rescue missions. She'd been on a bunch of them in the past, sometimes she knew the person and other time she didn't, but being patient during the times she knew the person often left a bitter taste in her mouth. Knowing that her little sister had been taken and the only thing she could do was wait for Stark's system to pick up a signal hurt, it ached so very much. She was going soft, but at the moment staring at the screen behind Stark, she didn't care.
Skye was important to her and she wanted to gut the people who took her and maim the people who hurt her. Coulson and May were beside themselves with worry. Coulson she expected to see it clearly on his face, but to see May visibly shaken and seething with anger was not. Granted Natasha had been aware that May had been doing better with Skye, but she hadn't realized how much. Though maybe she should have considering the woman was willing to abandon SHIELD if she thought it was best for Skye.
Natasha had been surprised to hear that, but she had always been happy about it because it meant that May was able to branch out of SHIELD, to see a life out of it. Maybe it was a bit hypocritical on her part considering she didn't see a life outside of SHIELD, but pushed the idea onto others. That didn't matter now though. What mattered was finding Skye as soon as possible.
"Glaring at the screen won't make it work faster," Stark remarked as he glanced at her. "What's the deal with this kid? I didn't know Agent had a wife or daughter."
Natasha answered him plainly, "For one, he doesn't have a wife. Him and May aren't married. And Skye was a foster child they were supposed watch for classified reasons."
Stark groaned, "Seriously? What is with you guys and all this red tape? Plus I am searching for her and doing what I can to help. Shouldn't that give me some kind of pass to know more information?"
"No," Natasha said flatly, her eyes scanning the screen again. "I know we have to wait for this guy to do something, but can't we just go to the last place it popped up?"
Stark leaned forward in his chair. "It'd be nice, but without a proper sample from this guy or a tracker on his person, there's no way to do that right now. This tracking is going off based on the readings from this building that weren't focused on them and without a proper sample or tracker, this is the best that can be done." Stark glanced at a different monitor. "Though hopefully in an hour this second algorithm can pick up where this guy last appeared. It's having to circulate the position of the source, but we're in the Chinese mountains right now."
Natasha nodded, that was something at least. It waasn't definitive, but it was more than what they had before and that was what she cared about. There were one step closer to bringing Skye home.
"While we wait for that, tell me about her," Stark said next leaning back in his chair again.
Natasha glanced down at him, "What makes you think I know her?"
Stark made a face, "Considering your close relations with both Agent and Agent May, it would be surprising that you didn't know her or at least meet her on one occasion or another."
"They were undercover, I wouldn't have gone to them," Natasha said dryly.
Stark rolled his eyes, "Okay, sure you didn't. But I'm assuming you did based on how worried you are about her. We may not have known each other that long, but no one can really hide the fear of losing a child. Even if it's not their own."
Those words gave Natasha pause. Fear was for children, that was what she was taught to believe for most of her life and even her brief time at SHIELD so far, she sometimes still believed that. Whenever she was afraid, she was forced to push it aside and feel nothing. That was what she was meant to do, but in SHIELD, at least the people she worked with, admitted their fears and didn't let them take control. They sometimes even used that fear to push them forward.
In some situations she could understand that. After all, fear could be one powerful motivator and she knew the fear that burned in May and Coulson would push them to the ends of the earth if it meant Skye could come home. Natasha could even silently admit to herself now that she was worried, scared, for Skye. They knew nothing about who had taken her or why which left openings for all kinds of terrible scenarios on the assailants. Finding her was priority, a new enemy had likely come to the table and they would stop them and save her.
"You going to say anything or we just stay in silence," Stark questioned when she offered no answer.
After some deliberation, she decided to say, "You'd like her I think. Both of you have a bit of a rebellious side, struggle to play well with others though she is much better at it than you. She's really into computers and a great hacker, she hacked into the Pentagon and a SHIELD database without detection for half an hour."
Stark's eyes widened at that, "What? My record was beaten and no one bothered to tell me? How old is she?"
"SHIELD needed to keep that information hidden to keep her safely tucked away in the system. And she's fourteen, going on fifteen," Natasha told him with a smirk.
"Huh," Stark said. "I like her already. Can't wait to meet her, maybe she can do a summer internship at Stark Industries, we always need more computer people. Si that what she wants to do?"
Natasha shrugged her shoulders, "Last time we talked she was thinking about being a SHIELD agent like May and Coulson, but I don't know."
Stark hummed, then a glint formed in his eyes when he met her gaze. "Maybe when she's older she could join Fury's little hero boyband. Sorry, co-ed band. And hey, then you wouldn't be the only woman on the team. I'm promoting gender equality."
"The Avengers Initiative is not for children, I'm looking at exhibit A," Natasha said, her tone somewhat playful.
"Yeah, you're report got me disqualified, though your reasons were pretty fair," Stark replied as he swayed in his chair. "Regardless, maybe that's something she can do when she's not a kid. Plus, the initiative is only going to be active if there's a crazy big event. Would this count as a crazy big event? Say we start the program right now."
Natasha shook her head, "I'm not entertaining this conversation anymore."
Stark raised his hands in surrender, "Whatever you say, but I wouldn't discount the idea."
Natasha didn't say anything to that. Maybe she'd mention it to Fury, his thoughts on having a separate team of powerful individuals to take on the threats of the world. Maybe not at the level the Avengers were supposed to face, but something similar to it perhaps.
Skye would probably be thrilled at the idea, she absolutely adored superheroes and would no doubt want her own shot at being one if the opportunity presented itself. So the agent made a little note to herself about the subject. When Skye was safe again and everything was settled down, maybe she would mention it to the younger girl. For now, they needed to bring her home first.
Skye never imagined that being a captive would be boring. But considering she was locked in this room, a very nice room she might add, with nothing to do except either sit on the bed or explore the area, she was bored. And not only that, she was nervous. There was no way for her to really tell how much time had passed since she had been separated from the others, even less time to determine how it had been since she was taken. She wished Phil and Melinda were here with her, they'd know what she should do.
In her self defense classes, she had been taught all kinds of useful stuff and one of them was what to do when kidnapped. Granted, they had only gotten to the first parts of capture, stopping the assault before you could be taken away. They hadn't gotten to the part what to do once you were at a new location. A frustrated sigh left her and the bed beneath her shook the tiniest bit sending a jolt through her.
These abilities she had, she didn't fully understand them and they did frighten her more often than not, but she believed they could be her saving grace. If she could let her powers out instead of holding them in like she often did, then maybe she could tear this place down, stop these people from hurting her and her friends and maybe if the quake was big enough, it would let Phil and Melinda know she was here.
The idea seemed nice in theory, but she knew it was too risky. Her control was tentative at best and non existent at worst. If she let go of her powers completely, she might create an earth quake so bad that not only would this place fall part, but it would get everyone here killed. Plus there was the matter of what she would do to stop it. She barely knew how to start it, let alone make it stop when she wanted to.
What if she lost control trying to get out of here? What if that kills her and her friends? What if she never gets back home again? Her mind kept spinning with every scenario she didn't want to happen, her fear continued to rise and before she knew it not only was the bed shaking, but so were the objects around her. If she didn't calm down soon, the ground would shake and if the ground shook, she would cause an earth quake and if she caused an earth quake everyone would die. She had to calm down, she had to get her heart rate down.
Skye tried to take in breaths, but they came out panicked and uneven, making her feel worse. She had to stop, she had to make it stop. Skye had been so lost in her mind that she didn't notice when three people entered her room. It was only when two hands gripped her shoulders and forced her to look up did she realize she wasn't alone. An older woman with brown eyes and wavy hair gripped her shoulders tightly, but the squeeze was reassuring.
"Skye, you are safe here," the woman said to her. "Breathe with me."
Skye wasn't sure what it was, but the way the woman said it made her think she was telling the truth. Even her heart rate began to slow slightly. The realization of that freaked her out, but she couldn't fight the relaxing feeling that was coming over her. Instead, she just breathed in time with the woman until the shaking stopped.
"Very good," the woman said as she lowered her hands to her side.
Soon as she let her go, Skye stepped back. "Who are you? What do you want? Let us go."
"My name is Jiaying, I am one of the leaders here in our community," the woman, Jiaying said. "We only want to help you and your friends gain control and understanding of your gifts."
Skye scoffed, "Oh yeah, cause kidnapping is the way to do it."
Jiaying's expression did not so much as twitch. "They were keeping you locked away and feeding your systems sedatives. That is no way for you to embrace what you have become."
"Oh and what exactly have I become," Skye asked, arms folded over her chest.
"You and your friends have gone through what generations of our people have experienced, Terrigenesis," Jiaying explained with a soft expression. "Certain humans have a gene in them that when activated by the mist, gives them extraordinary talents. Gordon is able to travel anywhere in the world with a thought. Raina here can see the future in glimpses. You can control the vibrations of the world around you. We merely want you and your friends to learn them."
Skye remained silent, glaring at the woman.
When she did not speak, Jiaying continued, "I understand why you would feel upset and you do not have reason to trust us, but we intend to change that. Please, allow us a few days to show you and your friends that we do not mean any harm. If you feel that there is nothing here of worth, then you have my word we will let you go and we will not bother any of you again."
Skye scrunched her brow at this, not believing the woman's words to be genuine. Her gaze flickered past the woman to Raina and an older man she didn't recognize with brown hair. Who he was supposed to be and why he was here was beyond her, but she supposed at this second, it didn't matter. Skye brought her attention back to Jiaying, considering her words.
Granted, it wasn't as if she really had a choice in the matter. Perhaps she could bide her time. Maybe if they walked her around, she could be taken to her friends and they could devise a plan to get out of here or even find some way of communicating with the outside world. It wasn't a perfect plan, but it was the only one she had right now.
"I'll hold you to that," Skye said finally after some moments of tense silence. "I'll try."
Jiaying smiled sweetly at her, "And that is all we can ask of you."