- 2 Days after Grant's pickup -
"Again, Skye." An aggravated May instructed. Ever since Grant's betrayal, Melinda May has taken up the duty of Skye's SO. In order to better Skye's capabilities as a Shield agent, May trained Skye everyday in the cargo bay for hours. Following the betrayal, Skye's attitude towards training greatly intensified as she took it more seriously, but after reacquiring Grant, Skye's focused decreased as anger consumed her.
"Fine." Huffed Skye. May had her practicing a takedown, something Skye is more than capable of performing with ease. But Skye was sloppy. Rather than performing her actions swiftly, she was forcing way too much. Skye paid little to no attention to possible counter moves. After trying to take May down, May countered with ease forcing Skye on her back.
"Again." Was the only thing the senior agent managed to say. As Skye gave it another go, it ended in the same result.
"What's going on with you, Skye?" There was a hint of concern in Melinda's voice.
"Lets just do it again." Skye stood up and repositioned herself.
"It's him isn't it?" May didn't need to ask; she clearly knew the answer already.
Skye didn't respond. Instead she tried to takedown May, but Skye was no match for the senior agent. She ended up flat on her back once again.
"Training is over." May began packing up her things. Skye sat up on the mat.
"No." Was all Skye managed to get out.
"You're too angry." May turned to look at Skye. "You either calm down and talk to me, or you're on your own."
"That's not fair." Skye's voice was quivering.
"Suit yourself." May began to walk up the stairs.
Angry, Skye shouted, "Yes, it's him!" She stood up and grabbed a hand towel to wipe off her sweat. "How the hell are we supposed to trust this guy?" There was no calmness in Skye's voice. She was angry and broken.
May turned around to see Skye shaking. Comforting wasn't one of May's strong suits, but she had to say something. "I despise what he did just as much as anyone else."
"So why are you letting this happen?" Skye was extremely flustered. "Can't you talk to Coulson and convince him that there's got to be some other way?"
"No." May said sternly. "I may not agree 100% with Coulson's decisions, but I will always stand behind him." May continued to walk up the stairs. "You should too."
Skye stood there silently. She had no response to May in regards to Coulson's decision. "Wait, what about training?" Skye asked.
"We're done for today. You need to learn how to control your anger." May exited the cargo bay.
- 5:00 AM the next morning -
Grant awoke in an all too familiar bunk. Sitting up and rubbing his temples, Grant was preparing himself for his usual 5 AM workout. Looking around his small room, he never would have thought he'd find himself back on the bus. After Skye put 3 bullets into his side, Grant vowed to himself that he would never get himself involved with Shield or Hydra, but that only proved to be short lived.
Grant got dressed, grabbed a water bottle, and headed down to the cargo bay. Upon reaching the cargo bay, he heard what sounded like someone using the punching bag. Looking down into the bay, Ward discovered that it was Skye getting some punches in. In that moment, Grant didn't know what to feel. Hell, he still loved Skye, but the 3 bullet scars on his body is a daily reminder of what she did to him.
Grant slowly walked down the stairs and put his stuff down by the mats. Skye didn't seem to notice him until Grant opened his mouth.
"Skye…" was all Ward managed to say. Skye turned around to look at him. Following her gaze, Skye walked over to her things, gathered it up, and left the cargo bay leaving Grant Ward alone.
Grant sighed and began his typical training routine, mentally preparing himself for the mission ahead.
