CHAPTER 07:
Sleepless Nights
Skye knew that she was dreaming. Everything about her surrounding was off. Everything was distorted and the sound was muffled, as if she was underwater. And yet, something about it felt awfully real. But there was a part of her that just can't bring herself to wake up. Not with all these alien symbols illuminating her path like crazy.
In the beginning of the dream, Skye was lying on her bed when she heard it. It was the same sound again, the same pounding sound that she heard when she first touched the diviner. It was like an itch to her - the sound - that even though she tried so hard to ignore it, a part of her just couldn't resist to give into it.
She got off her bed slowly, making sure not to wake up anyone.
That's weird, Skye thought in her dream. Why would she worry about waking anyone when she knew that this was only a dream? But Skye still tried to be as quiet as possible.
When she got out of her room, Skye realized something. She didn't know where to look for it. As if on cue, the floor beneath her started to glow with the alien symbols that Coulson has assigned her with, to find out what they mean.
Skye was puzzled at first, and quite frightened too. But she was lying if she didn't say that she wasn't curious either.
This is only a dream, Skye thought. And with that in mind, she followed the symbols.
The symbols led her to the lower levels of the base. It took several minutes later of following the symbols when all of a sudden they just disappeared together with the pounding sound. But in exchange, Skye found herself facing one of the too many containment vaults of the base. And displayed on it were the words "off limits" and "haphazard".
Skye rolled her eyes at that. Didn't Coulson know that putting those words were only going to make people more curious to learn what's inside it? But Skye knew exactly what it was inside the vault. Skye studied the vault. She knows that she doesn't have access, but she knows as well that she could easily hack her way into it. The sad thing here, she wasn't allowed to use any electronic devices unless Coulson gave her permission to.
But this was a dream, Skye reminded herself. She could do anything. The door might even open by itself.
But the door remained locked. And Skye frowned at that. But all her thoughts suddenly disappeared from her mind, except for one thing: that she needed to get inside and bring the diviner to the city.
So Skye stepped forward and reached for the door. The pounding sound suddenly returned, and this time it was getting louder and louder as she got closer and closer to the door.
She stopped then, and looked behind her. For some reason, she felt as if someone was in her dream, watching her. But she found no one. She faced the door again and though she hesitated at first, Skye decided to touch it. No. More like there was something inside her that desperately needed to touch it.
When her hands finally touched the door, the pounding sound died and was replaced by the overwhelming sensation when she first touched the diviner. Skye almost gasped at the sensation, but she welcomed it nonetheless. She was too overwhelmed by it that it took her several seconds to realize what was happening around her.
Skye panicked. Her surrounding was shaking, the walls were cracking, and the ceiling above her was starting to crumble. Skye wanted to warn everyone at the base, but before she could even take a run for it, she realized that she couldn't breathe or move. Her body was turning to stone. She wanted to cry for help but she found herself incapable to do so. And suddenly, everything around her was being swallowed by complete darkness as her body was almost turned to stone. But before she was completely petrified, Skye couldn't help but smile however twisted it might seem. Because even though there was destruction around her, and she was sort of dying, Skye felt powerful.
"Morning, Skye!" Jemma chirped the moment Skye flopped on the chair next to hers and laid her head on the dining table. She was reading a newspaper while she was waiting for Skye to wake up. But now that other agent was awake, it was time to resume her assignment, which was to keep an eye on her. Jemma tried to keep herself from cringing just thinking about lying to her friend. "So..." she started weakly, as she took a small sip from her coffee while her eyes were focused on the newspaper that she was pretending to still be reading. "You weren't at dinner again last night." she said, but hoping that she didn't sound like she was snooping.
Skye, with her head still on the table, answered her but her words were indistinguishable, not with her mouth basically kissing the furniture.
"You said something?" Jemma said, trying to peek at Skye's direction.
Skye lifted her head as she placed her arms on the table instead and sighed. "I wasn't really in the mood for Chinese." she pouted and then yawned.
Jemma couldn't help but chuckle. "Skye, we had Italian last night. In fact, you're the one who insisted we hire an Italian chef to come over just so we know that it's genuine Italian food."
"Yeah, but then we ended up with Hunter cooking while faking an Italian accent." Skye groaned, and then yawned again.
Jemma regarded her friend before she continued the conversation. "If you remember that, then why did you give me the Chinese food excuse?" She said as she finally put down the newspaper she was 'reading'. When she faced her friend, she couldn't help but give her friend a concerned look. "This is about the other day, isn't it? You're still angry with Coulson, aren't you?"
Skye shrugged. "I don't really want to talk about it." she said and then buried her face on her arms again.
"You can't ignore him forever." the young scientist stated. "I know what he did was upsetting but he was just doing his job. You did go against protocol. He was just doing the reasonable thing he knew he should do." Jemma said but the moment those words escaped from her mouth, she wished that she never spoke them. She immediately looked at her friend to see her reaction but the other agent didn't even look up at her. But she saw how her shoulder went stiff for a second. "Skye, I me-"
"It's okay, Jemma." Skye said with a smile on her face, making the scientist think that the other agent had really moved on from the issue. But Jemma was still concern because Skye wasn't looking at her when she spoke to her. "Really. That was days ago. We don't have to talk about it. And you're right, he was only doing the reasonable thing because I obviously wasn't."
"Skye, that's not what I-" Jemma tried to explain herself but Skye interrupted her again.
Skye shook her head. "Just... just let it go." Skye said, defeated. And that was when Jemma really looked at her friend.
At first glance, you wouldn't see how exhausted the girl looked. But if one paid attention, they would notice the dark rims forming under her eyes and how disheveled she was in general. She didn't look like she lost any weight, but just the sight of her worried Jemma.
"You look awful, Skye!" Jemma exclaimed, but soon found herself rephrasing her statement so not to offend Skye more than she already had. "I mean... you don't look alright. Are you feeling ill?"
Skye sighed. And though she knew that her friend was only concerned about her well-being, she couldn't help but be frustrated at the young scientist, or anyone in general. But she couldn't afford to add more drama on her list, she had enough of it for the week, or at least for a lifetime.
"I'm fine. Just woke up on the wrong side of the bed I guess." Skye said as nicely as she could manage.
"Bad dream?" Jemma asked, curious.
"I wish. But it's more like I was up all night and only had an hour of sleep before the stupid alarm clock went off." she groaned.
Jemma nodded, understanding. "So... coffee?" she then offered but she didn't wait for Skye's response as she immediately went to make thr other agent a cup of coffee.
"Please." Skye pleaded. "And please make it strong. I want to at least be awake when May is trying to kill me later."
"Are you sure you're up for your sparring sessions with her? I as the team's doctor can vouch for you for a sick day." she said as she handed Skye the cup of coffee.
Skye immediately took giant gulps of the coffee before answering her. "I'm okay. Really. You don't need to worry. I just didn't have a good night sleep." Skye said and got off her chair. "Anyway. I have to go now. I'm already late, and I don't to give May anymore legit reasons to kill me. Thanks for the coffee."
"You are welcome." Jemma replied with a huge smile. But the smile was soon replaced by a worried frown as soon as the other agent was out of the room.
"I can't watch this." Trip whispered as he looked away from the two sparring agents.
"Does she have a death wish or something?" Hunter groaned as May flipped Skye again for the umpteenth time that day and fell face first on the mat. The younger agent groaned in pain but immediately forced herself up to her feet and positioned herself in a fighting stance, as she ignored May's offer to quit for the day.
It was an unfruitful day that day, making all the agents of their team thirsty for some form of entertainment. Not all of them wanted to watch the sparring match, but everyone couldn't help but go and see what was happening in the training room. It was Hunter who got there first to witness Skye's ungodly defeat over and over. And for some reason, one by one, the rest of the team filed inside the room except for Coulson who was nowhere to be found.
It was the strangled cries of Skye that mostly caught their attention, and how she stubbornly refused to back down even though it was obvious that the young agent wasn't faring so well.
"Is she always like this?" Bobbi asked Mack but he only shrugged his shoulders as a response. She didn't know how long they've all been watching the sparring session, but she knew that this has been going on for too long now that it wasn't just about Skye trying to prove to anyone that she doesn't easily give up. Because if that was the case, she already proved that too anyone on the 15th time she went down since they all got there. Bobbi knew that the young agent was frustrated and that it had something to do with the mission that caused Skye to be suspended indefinitely and was trying to take it all out on her training.
May stood still as she watched Skye try to catch her breath before finally deciding that she had enough. May lowered her hands and started to walk away.
Skye frowned. "Where are you going?"
"We're done for the day, Skye." May said without looking back.
"Well, I'm not." the young agent responded as she followed May out of the sparring ring.
"If you want to make a fool out of yourself in front of everyone, be my guest." the older agent exclaimed. "But do not think that I will let you waste my time by trying to take all your daddy issues frustrations out on me."
May didn't even bother looking at Skye's reaction, just seeing everyone else staring at her with those uncomfortable looks were enough an answer already. She hit a bullseye there, and though she was telling the truth, a part of her wished she didn't say those words out loud. But she meant it when she said all those stuff, especially the part where Skye was acting like a kid. Because she needed the young agent to wake up and stop acting like one.
"Don't you have things to do?" May then looked at the other agents.
"Actually, we don't- Ow!" Hunter exclaimed after both Trip and Bobbi nudged him at the same time.
"Well?" she said and spun around and raising a brow at them. Mack was the first one to leave, followed immediately by the others except for Fitz and Simmons who were still looking at their friend. May was going to tell the two agents to leave the room as well, but there was something with how Fitz stared at her that she knew the two were just going to ignore May this time. May sighed but before she decided to leave, she gave Simmons a knowing look that made the young scientist nod her head weakly before she left the room. Fitz noticed the small exchange, but he ignored it this time, just like how he ignored the other times he had seen those exchanges with May, if not with Coulson. So as Simmons watched May leave the room, Fitz immediately went to Skye's side.
"Skye..." he started but had no clue what to say next. He was at a lost for words. Well, he has been for a while, but it upset him that even at that moment he couldn't make himself finish a thought without faltering, not when he knew that his friend needed someone to comfort her more than anything.
But as he tried again to say something to her, Skye looked up at him and surprised him when she smiled. But could he even call it a smile seeing how her chin was trembling? Skye was trying so hard to keep herself from looking hurt that made the situation ten times worse.
"Well, that escalated quickly." Skye said as if it was not a big deal. "'Daddy issues'. Wonder where she got that from."
"M-Maybe you don't have issues-" Fitz said weakly
"That's because I don't." Skye huffed.
"-with your b-biological dad, I mean." he finished causing Skye to narrow her eyes before understanding dawned on her.
After a few seconds, Skye snorted. "If you're saying that I have 'daddy issues' with Coulson, you're wrong. I don't have issues or whatever it is that you guys want to call it. I'm just-"
"Avoiding him?" Jemma asked while Fitz said. "Giving him the cold shoulder?"
Skye rolled her eyes at them. "I was gonna say that there's nothing to talk about so really, you don't have to worry. It's not like this is my first time being punished for going behind your backs." she said and then added, "Remember the incident with Miles?"
"But that was a different matter." Simmons said.
"And how is this one different?" Skye asked, audibly exhausted. Then sighed, "Look. I'm fine, you guys. May was just obviously annoyed at how I didn't give my all during our session; I obviously wasted her time. It's all good." she smiled, wearily.
"But-" Fitz started but Skye cut him off.
"Fitz." she said, her voice pleading. He stared at her, and he realized how exhausted she must be with everything that has happened. And though all he wanted was to make things better for her and Coulson, he knew that there was nothing he could do. Not when Skye was obviously pretending that everything was alright. Just like that, Fitz sighed in defeat. Skye gave him a small smile in return.
Simmons watched the two. She wanted to talk to the other agent too, but it felt like no matter what she'd say, Skye would just shrug her off. So instead, she studied her during the small conversation. She didn't want to but had to because she had to give her daily report about Skye to Coulson eventually. Simmons sighed.
"Well.." Skye started as she made her way to the door. "I gotta go take a shower."
The two scientists nodded their heads.
There was an awkward silence when the agent left the training room, and though Simmons wanted to have a small talk with Fitz, she was scared to only be ignored once again.
It had been four days since she returned and all the time that she found herself alone with Fitz, the engineer would pretend that she wasn't even there. She knew that he felt like she abandoned him. She had in a way. But she thought it was what was best for him. As a doctor, she knew that it wasn't recommendable knowing that her presence would help in his recovery, but as the person who felt responsible for what had happened to him, leaving him in the care of other experts and the rest of the team was the best choice. She couldn't help him anyway, not with her crying every time she stared at him. He may have had gotten brain damage, but she was as damaged as well as he was.
Simmons fidgeted, unusure of what to do. She was waiting for Fitz to leave the room first because that's what he usually does these past few days. So when she glanced at him and saw him staring at her, she almost jumped on her feet.
"Fitz!" she gasped, her hands on her chest as she tried to regain composure. After a few seconds, she smiled shyly. "Y-Yes, Fitz?"
But Fitz just gaped at her, contemplating on something. His eyes narrowed making her think for a second that there was something on her face. But Simmons knew every facial expression of his and what they meant, and a smudge on her face wasn't it.
After what seemed like a murderous hour of silent staring, Fitz finally spoke. "I... I saw that..." He snapped his fingers as he tried to find the right word. An action that he does now when he tries to remember something. "... look May gave you. "
Simmons blinked, surprised that he caught that short exchange. "What about it?"
"Nothing." Fitz shrugged, like he really didn't mind. "Just... It's weird that you come back... so suddenly yet you still disappear every now so often to report to May and Coulson..."
"What's so weird about it?"
"You're never in the lab... Nothing for you to report."
Simmons blinked once again but tried to keep her face void of any expression. Of course someone would have noticed, she just didn't expect it that it would have been him considering how little time they've spent in the same room. She was thinking of what to say, any excuse at all, but she was so bad with coming up with one that she just shook her head as if she had no idea what he was talking about.
Fitz then shook his head before he decided that it wasn't really his business to ask in the first place. He didn't want to pry; just the mere idea of talking to her made him anxious, but there was something about her reporting to May and Coulson that just didn't feel right. And with the recent things concerning one of his teammate, it made the situation a bit more worrying.
"Sorry... I just.. It's nothing..." he sighed, then after a long pause he decided to head for the door. He spun all of a sudden before he reached the doorway, only to see Simmons staring at him with a look that expressed so many emotions, but guilt being the most profound of them all. "I just hope this thing has got nothing to do with why you're spending so much time with Skye..."
As soon as Fitz left the room, Simmons released a heavy sigh. Her hands shaking as she passed her fingers through her hair. If Fitz, who she never spent time with these past days could see through her charade, she wondered if Skye could also see through her? Just the though of her friend knowing about her act and yet pretending that everything was normal frightened her.
Simmons took a deep breath, and as much as she was already feeling guilty, it was time to report to Coulson.
"Just like the last time." Coulson said as he glanced at May, who regarded him with the same intent look. He crossed his arms over his chest as he stared at the young scientist. "How can she find the vault where we're keeping the obelisk in such near-unconscious state?"
Simmons knew he was more like stating a thought than asking a question, but her scientist mind was just as full of questions as he was. "Sir, I think the obelisk has a pull on Skye. Maybe we don't see any signs when she's awake because there's a high probability that she's trying to fight it - her mood swings and mental exhaustion could be linked to it - without her knowing."
"But she cannot fight that pull when she's asleep." May said.
"Or as soon as her mental defenses are down." Simmons added with a frown. "Last night, Sir, Skye stared at my direction. I believe she sensed me."
Coulson nodded his head. "Were there any other weird behavior that you have observed last night?"
"No, Sir." Simmons said weakly. "As soon as she touched the vault's door, she completely lost consciousness. Just like the other times."
"And she still hasn't shown any sign that can tell us she was aware Of what happened last night?" May asked.
Simmons shook her head. "Skye hasn't shown any sign that indicates she has any idea of what happened these past nights. She thinks it's just exhaustion."
Coulson glanced at May. "Have someone place the obelisk in a different vault, this time in one of the lowest levels of the base. I want it to be unreachable as possible from Skye."
"I strongly don't recommend that, Sir." Simmons suddenly cutting in.
"And what do you think we should do, Agent Simmons?" Coulson asked.
Simmons took a step forward. "I extremely recommend for the alien relic to be transferred, Sir. I think it's affecting Skye in ways that I cannot explain." She paused, then sighed. "I just... I don't think Skye's safe as long as the obelisk is in the headquarter, Sir."
A/N: I wrote two versions of this chapter. But I thought this one suited best. The other one was too angsty and I didn't want my story to get there just yet. But I decided that the scenes I wrote on that version will come in handy soon. But I hope you liked it. :)
Anyway. i mentioned last time about a fic idea and I can't get the story out of my head. So I decided to show you guys the synopsis and ask for your opinions. So here it is:
"Skye hasn't been acting the same since the war with the Inhumans, and everyone on the team noticed it. Only Coulson and May knows what really happened on that day - how Jiaying tried to kill Skye. But the way she's been acting now -isolating herself from the group; devoting most of her time going after Inhumans; and basically walking around the headquarter with an empty expression- worried them all. Can Coulson and the team help Skye before she completely loses herself to the rising darkness inside her?" (post s2 finale) (jemma didn't get swallowed by the rock)