Chapter 34

Simmons sat in her apartment, a nice little place Raina had given her as soon as she accepted the job. Simmons kept looking at the picture Doctor Bakshi had sent her, after he'd shown it to her. She couldn't help feeling like the girl in the picture was indeed Skye.

Simmons shakes her head, and closes her laptop. She had to stop obsessing over this and actually focus on her other problems. But still the aching feeling in her chest was leaving it harder than not.

Simmons goes into her bedroom and stares at the drawer.

Open it, or leave it closed?

Simmons walks over and drags the wood. She looks at the object she'd been avoiding since she arrived. Simmons bites the inside of her check as she reaches her hand in and pulls out the phone.

100s of text messages and more than enough voice messages had piled up. Simmons went to check the recent ones from Skye.

She texted her about the ski trip, but hadn't texted since. Skye and her hadn't been so close they would text every day, but still. Simmons sighs and calls the number, hoping that Skye will pick up. But it heads into her voice mail, and Simmons doesn't bother to leave her one.

What was she going to bother asking her?

Are you actually an alien?

That wouldn't exactly go over well.

Simmons looks at the recent numbers she'd dialed, and Fitz came up most often. They'd grown up together, and all that Simmons wanted to do was hear his voice. Simmons presses his name before her body protests.

"No Jemma, what are you doing." Simmons says to herself, but she's already putting her ear to the phone. Even though it was close to 5 in the morning, that was okay, Simmons believed that Fitz would pick up. He would, for her.

After two rings Fitz picks up.

"Jemma, that really you?" He says on the other end.

Simmons is quiet for a moment, but she answers. "Yeah it is, sorry I haven't called in so long." Simmons says casually hiding the awkward tone.

"It's fine, I was waiting for you to call after you got one of our messages. I'm sorry we didn't tell you sooner." Fitz mumbles.

Tell her sooner?

"Wait what Fitz, I haven't checked my messages yet, I just wanted to call you…. And I couldn't listen to the messages you or anyone sent, I'm sorry." Fitz is silent on the other end. "But what did you not tell me?"

"Uh no it's just I'm sorry you haven't heard it's just…. Ah….it's Skye." Fitz explains.

Her stomach drops. "What about Skye?" Simmons tries to stay calm, hoping it's nothing serious.

"She's uh… been kidnapped." Fitz muttered. "I'm sorry you didn't hear from me sooner, but I uh…"

"How long?" Simmons asks now paranoid. "How long has she been gone?"

Fitz is silent on the other end. "Three days now."

Simmons drops her phone, Fitz's voice calling out on the other end. "Simmons, Simmons, Jemma?!"

Three days ago the specimen arrived. This was not a coincidence.

Simmons pulls up a selfie that Skye and her took. She uses a program on her computer to compare the photo of Skye, and the one of the specimen. The match comes back at 94.5%.

"Oh no, oh no, oh no." Simmons hyperventilates. "NO!" She cries, it can't be true, it can't.

Simmons grabs her jacket and heads out the door and a block over to the facility. She needed to know, she couldn't just leave it, she couldn't just not do anything. She had to be sure, she had to be sure and make sure.

Simmons rushes over; she starts as a fast paced walk, but then starts running. Using her key card to get into the facility, she runs upstairs, and goes to the most rumored place that she'd heard the specimen was being held.

Using the elevator, Simmons is grateful her key card works, even though she doesn't have clearance for the 9th floor. Stepping off onto the floor, Simmons follows the emergency lights to a very alive hallway, full of staff working away.

Simmons knew that they had staff for night shifts, to guard and also do other scientific research, but now?

Simmons acts casual, trying to blend in, even without wearing her lab coat.

"Excuse me, but are you supposed to be here?" A woman in a lab coat interrupts her.

"I was… I was." Simmons calms herself.

'I'm sort of…allowed here, there is no reason to be nervous'

Simmons puts her hands behind her back, and smiles. "I'm Jemma Simmons; I work under professor Raina as an intern." She explains in a hit of a panic, but tells the truth with it.

"Yes, well the 5am shift isn't exactly the one for visitors." The woman replies. "Do you have a shift?" She asks.

"Well, I…" Simmons clears her voice. "I do."

"Let me see your ID badge." It was already in Simmons hand, so the woman practically grabs it. She frowns studying it. "An Intern in the scientific research department, do you really expect me to believe you to be allowed on this floor, I'm surprised you were even given clearance." She grabs her walkie-talkie. "Security…" A man grabs the woman's shoulder. It was Doctor Bakshi.

"Natalia, it's alright. She came to meet with me." Doctor Bakshi explains. Behind him was a man with glasses.

"Ah… sorry… sir." She mutters stupidly, leaving the hallway and looking at Simmons in an odd way.

"Well Simmons you impress me, leaving at 12 and arriving at 5." Doctor Bakshi says with a smile, almost flirting with her.

"Ah well…. it doesn't look like you've left yet, or even gotten sleep?" Simmons guesses, while studying the man behind him.

"Same goes for you."

"Bakshi, please introduce me." The man in the glasses asks.

"Oh certainty." Bakshi almost gets nervous, as if this man were a king or something. "This is Jemma Simmons; she's a very brilliant scientist who graduated early from Shield Academy to work for us. She came on Raina's recommendation."

"Well how nice." He brings out his hand. "I'm Doctor Whitehall."

"It's a pleasure." Simmons shakes the man's hand. Before his name sets in. Doctor Whitehall wasn't that the legendary scientist who'd helped discovers a new element. He'd won numerous awards, and Simmons had never even thought he might be in the same room with her, no matter shake her hand. "Ah it's an honor sir, I didn't know that…"

"Yes well do tell me Simmons why are you here at this hour."

"Well I thought…." Simmons struggles to find the right words. She didn't know what to say. "It's that…."

"I let it slip yesterday about her promotion." Doctor Bakshi explained. "And I invited her here early to see the girl for herself."

"With permission?" Whitehall asks.

"Uh well…."

"Please don't blame him." Simmons goes along with. "I insisted on seeing the specimen, my discovery science is just thirsting, and I so badly want to see her up close. Please don't let Doctor Bakshi get in trouble for this." Simmons improvises on the spot.

"Well, I see it's alright. In a few hours you'll have clearance to be on this floor anyway." He offers. "I was just taking Bakshi to see the girl now. Our funder Ian Quinn came by to see her to wish us good luck on starting the project." Whitehall explains.

Quinn? Ian Quinn wasn't that Roy's father, wasn't he going on the ski trip, which would mean…. There was no proof yet, she couldn't jump to conclusions no matter where the evidence lay. "Raina has told many people good things about you Simmons, and your little work has impressed even me, I hope that you'll be able to become a trusted advisor for me on this project. Alien fields can even become your specialty."

"Wow sir, that's an honor."

"Not at all, not many scientist have what it takes, which is why when we discover one, we must make use of them. Meaning Raina had to snatch you up before someone else could discover you." Simmons blushes, almost forgetting about Skye, and everyone else back at the academy.

Doctor Whitehall was legendary, and he was praising her, he wanted her as an advisor. Her!

The group makes their way to the end of the hall. "Well here we are, the girl is just through that window."

Simmons stomach drops. Simmons is scared to turn her head in and look.

"It will be fine." Simmons tells herself quietly, and mostly in her head.

"If you're worried don't be, it's a one way glass and the girl is fast asleep." Simmons breathes in, unsure if she really can turn and look. But she knows that she has to know the truth, she has to see.

So when she turns her head, the shock isn't expressed enough on her face.

Skye.

So Simmons now knows the specimen is Skye, what will she do? Simmons knows a lot, and what she does with that information could cost her, but also save Skye. Review to let me know what you think.