"Wait, more centipede?" Skye groaned. "I thought we were done with these guys."
"Apparently not." May said flatly.
Jemma looked closely at the footage from the jailbreak. "It looks like they've solved their combustion problem! Now they can make their soldiers with no fear of explosion." Her excitement faded quickly when she caught Skye and Fitz's thoughts.
"Who'd they break out?" Skye asked, leaning over the conference room table.
"Edison Poe." Coulson said, pulling his file up. "Former marine. Expert on tactics and rapid response. Was incarcerated eighteen months ago for attacking his friend."
"With a steak knife." May said sardonically, noting Fitz's averted eyes.
"Tracking him down is top priority." Coulson said, "That's why we won't be working alone."
Skye and Fitzsimmons perked up. "Are we gonna be working with Bobbi?" Fitz asked.
"Or Izzy?"
"Agent Hand?"
Coulson shook his head. "Sadly not. The only sensates on this mission are us."
Skye frowned. "Then who are we working with? Another team?"
"Just one man. One who I think left an impression on all of us."
"Literally." May grumbled, rubbing her head as if it still hurt.
Skye grinned. "Mike?"
"Well," Coulson said, "We might as well fight fire with fire."
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
Phil could feel Melinda's annoyance with the situation a mile off. "I know." He said, watching Mike approach the plane. "But he just wants another chance to prove himself. Don't you think he deserves that?"
She refused to look at him. "And how much are you going to risk giving him that chance?" May asked. "Our team. Your life?"
"The kids are way less combat ready than Mike. Even Skye doesn't have super strength."
She shot him a poisonous look. "The kids are our responsibility, Mike isn't. Having him here puts them at risk."
"So what, it'd be better for him not to be here? You know that would mean Skye going in instead."
Melinda set her jaw. "If it's an emergency, I can get her out." She said firmly. "I'm not letting anyone else die because I wouldn't help."
Phil opened his mouth to reply, but Mike reached them and May walked away. He shook Coulson's hand warmly, "Thank you so much for having me sir."
"Thanks for joining us." Coulson said, "We'll be meeting in the briefing room in five."
He tried to not hurry after May. It didn't really matter anyway. She never wanted to be found after she said something like that.
Skye wasn't sure if she was happy to see Mike again or not. On one hand he was a nice guy, with superpowers. On the other hand he had kidnapped her. She kept polite. Nice. Didn't mention anything about telepathy. She even kept Fitzsimmons in line. It was fine.
She smirked when she felt Jemma's babbling over Mike's physical, and Fitz's reaction. It was kind of cute. Even though she had no idea how Jemma could be oblivious to Fitz's feelings for her.
"Hey," Coulson's voice interrupted her thoughts. "Feel like going for a ride?"
Skye eyed him nervously. "Only if you promise it's not to the shelter." She said.
Coulson raised an eyebrow. "No." He said, "We're going to tell someone that they've won the lottery."
Skye grinned. "Can I win the lottery too?" She asked, following him to Lola.
"Maybe when you're older."
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
Skye liked driving with Coulson. It felt nice, normal in the middle of their weird lives and team and plane. "She's in a psychology class on the female mind." She said, tapping at the tablet.
Coulson glanced at her. "That's a class?"
Skye smirked. "Well not everyone shares a mind with three chicks Coulson. You stud."
He snorted. "Sure. If you want to call me that. Just don't tell the girls."
Skye laughed. "The girls, really?"
Coulson shrugged.
Skye leaned back in her seat, relaxing. "Hey, have you ever... I mean, you and the others."
He raised an eyebrow. "Are you asking if I was even involved with a member of my cluster?"
Skye shrugged. "I mean, you and May have that weird look sometimes."
Coulson rolled his eyes. "No."
"Okay. I was just wondering... how do those kinds of feelings work in a cluster?"
"Why do you ask? Are you and Jemma thinking of taking things to the next level?"
Skye spluttered a laugh, "What, no, I just- Fitz, he's clearly got a thing for her, and I don't know- how doesn't she know?"
They stopped at a red light. "Well sometimes people don't see something when it's staring them in the face." He said softly, staring off into the distance. "Jemma's too close. Maybe she doesn't want to see it. They've always had a great friendship, even before this. Maybe she's scared of losing that."
He looked like he was on another planet. Skye hesitated. "You sure you're just talking about Jemma?" She asked carefully as they pulled in to park.
Coulson said nothing except, "Wait here." Walking towards their target.
Skye smiled. "I'm taking that as a no." She muttered.
When he returned to the car, Skye already had the tablet up. "Did she buy it?"
"Of course not." He said, "Who believes a man in a suit telling them they won free money?"
"I'm surprised she even took the card to be honest. Oh, she's making the call to her brother."
"You tracking it?"
"Please. Who do you think you're talking to?"
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
"The clairvoyant, are they joking?"
Skye stifled a laugh. "I mean, I think they meant for it to be... scary?"
Fitz threw up his hands, "Oh, that's just bloody typical, taking credit for someone else's talents. Wouldn't be surprised if they were a bloody ops graduate."
Coulson smirked, pulling the video footage back up. "Fitz, we need an ID on this woman, not a rant about who is and is not clairvoyant."
Fitz grumbled.
"Her name's Raina." They all looked up at Mike's voice.
"You know her?" Skye asked incredulously.
He nodded, entering, "Yeah. She recruited me for centipede. Came to me when I was in hospital. She said she could change my life." He snorted. "I guess she was right."
"Well maybe we can work out a way to thank her if she's in California." Coulson said. "It won't be too long now."
"Great." Mike said, heading to his room. "I'll be ready."
Skye followed him quietly. She waited a moment before knocking on the cage door. "Hey." She said, gently pushing it open. "You okay?"
Mike looked up, surprised, and smiled. "Fine." He assured as Skye sat beside him. "Are you?"
Skye frowned. "Why wouldn't I be?"
He shrugged. "I don't know, you just seem... different."
Skye looked down. "I dunno. I guess I was looking for a place I could fit in." She smiled. "I never thought it'd be somewhere like SHIELD."
"Yeah." He agreed gently. "But it's good."
"Yeah." She said softly. "I- really like this team."
Mike smiled. "Seems like they like you too. Don't let go of that."
"I won't." Skye murmured. "How's Ace?"
Mike pulled a picture out of his pocket. "Still with my sister. He's good though, happy."
"That's great." Skye said, smiling at the picture. "He's such a cutie. It's gotta be so great to have someone looking up to you. Wanting to be just like you when they grow up."
"I could do without the growing up." Mike said quietly. "I feel like I'm missing so much. Who knows how big he'll be the next time I see him?"
"Hey." Skye put one hand over his. "He knows you love him. At the end of the day that's what's important."
"I hope so."
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
Skye wouldn't go so far as to say that their attack on the warehouse was a total disaster, but she definitely didn't feel good about it. Mike was hurt. May was hurt too, but she wouldn't admit it. And centipede had forced people to attack them. Skye couldn't help but feel responsible. A man had died.
"Hey," Fitz put a hand on her shoulder. "You okay?"
Jemma was patching Mike up across the lab from them. "Yeah." Skye said weakly, "Just... well, it's a bit more... real than what we've had to deal with lately."
"Yeah." He said, "But we can handle it, right?"
"You know it." She said, feeling a little better. Skye bit her lip. "I'm gonna go see if I can annoy May into getting checked out."
Fitz grinned, "Better you than me."
Skye scoffed, punching him gently on the shoulder. "She's not that bad."
"Okay."
"She's not."
"Whatever you say Skye."
She tried to glare at him as she walked up the stairs. She found May seated at the bar. "Hey."
May rolled her eyes. "I'm fine Skye."
"Okay."
"It's just some bruising."
"Sure."
She glared. "Stop it."
Skye grinned. "I'm not doing anything. Maybe it's your guilty conscience telling you that you should get checked out."
Melinda sighed. "I'm fine."
Skye dropped the look. "I'm just worried about you. I know it hurt. What's the harm in getting checked out?"
"Trust me." May said, "I've been hit enough times to know when it's bad. This isn't bad. You've got more important things to worry about."
"You're important."
"Oh shut up."
They both looked up when Mike staggered out of the cage, clinging to the wall. He was sweaty and pale and looked scared out of his mind.
"Mike!" Skye exclaimed, running to him, "What happened?"
He stared, like he had only just noticed she was there. "They- they have Ace." He gasped, "Raina, she took him."
Melinda cursed in Chinese.
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
"They want to trade, Ace for Mike."
"Bloody savages." Fitz muttered.
"They want to experiment on him!" Jemma said, "Determine how he still has his powers."
"We need backup." May said grimly, "We can't do this alone."
"No!" Mike shouted, sobering immediately. "They said they would murder my son."
Skye's eyes flickered to May at the pang of emotion that elicited. It was... potent. Stronger than anything she'd ever felt come from May before. She didn't say anything. They needed to save Ace.
The road was dark. Skye couldn't help the uneasy feeling in the car. She knew it was spreading across their cluster and amplifying back to her in an anxious loop. She couldn't stop it. She couldn't even talk about it in front of Mike.
Suddenly May was between them at the same time as driving the car. "Calm down." She said firmly. "This isn't helping."
"Sorry." Skye muttered, trying to force her heart rate to cooperate.
"Just not a fan of this situation." Fitz muttered.
"None of us are." May said, "But if you're all so worried about it you make a mistake, it'll only get worse."
"Copy that." Skye mumbled, straightening out their connection as best she could. She could feel Fitzsimmons helping too, and she did feel a little better.
When the car stopped, Melinda sighed. "At least let me escort him out for the exchange." She said to Coulson, privately.
He was grim. "He requested me. I'm comfortable with that. Besides, there's not much difference, is there?" He could feel her worry and surreptitiously put one hand on hers. "I'll be careful."
"I'll be here."
Mike and Coulson walked out across the bridge slowly, eyes fixed on Raina and her guards. "Lovely night." Raina said, "I haven't seen you in a long time Mike. I have to thank you for holding up your end of the bargain."
Coulson forced himself not to get angry. "Let's just make the deal. Give us Ace and you can have him."
Raina smiled. "Oh," She said, "That wasn't the deal."
May felt Coulson's surprise and fear. "Something's wrong."
She stopped the three of them for going for the doors when Mike grabbed Raina by the throat, watching Coulson talk him down. Melinda knew that he was putting on a calm face, but she could feel the fear bubbling underneath. He was still just Phil underneath it all.
She appeared beside him to watch, to see what was going on. "Phil."
His head turned, but he made no other motion to indicate he knew she was there. "Let's finish this." He said to Raina.
She gestured to the guard by the car, who opened the door. Ace immediately ran to his father, getting swept up in his arms.
May frowned when Mike looked at Coulson. "I'm so sorry." He said, "If there was any other way..."
"You made the only choice you had." He said softly.
Mike ran back towards the car, Ace in his arms. Just as Melinda tried to seize control of Phil, fight to run away, she grunted. There was a tranquilliser pumping through her bloodstream.
No.
Not hers.
Suddenly she was back in the car, shaking her head to throw off the feeling.
"What happened?!" Skye asked, going for the door, "They took Coulson!"
"Stand down!" May shouted before Skye could run after him, "Do not engage, they'll kill Coulson, Fitz, contact HQ, now."
Skye took Ace as Mike made it back to them. "Ace, I have to make something right, okay? I love you so much. Stay with Skye, you remember her, stay here." He stood, "Keep him safe!" He cried, running back towards Raina and the car.
A moment later the bridge went up in flames.
Skye screamed, clinging to Ace to keep him from seeing. "Mike!"
Jemma fell backwards from the noise and the heat. "Where's Coulson?"
"Coulson." Skye breathed, her heart in her throat. When the car exploded a moment later, it was like the ground had given out from under her. Not again. Not again. Please, God, don't make me do this again.
Wait, again? Skye focused on her emotions and realised that that wasn't her. That was... She turned and saw the look of utter shock and panic on May's face. Oh no.
They all looked up when the helicopter flew past, and Skye was thankful that May's panic faded slightly, giving way to determination and anger.
Someone had taken Coulson, but they were going to get him back.