SUMMARY: It's ironic that after everything they've been through, it's a car crash that leaves the team worrying. Coulson's not looking too good, but Skye refuses to give up.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: A very short, rather bland piece which I'm not particularly proud of. This was suggested to me by Heretohavefun, who actually based the prompt idea off of the season two promo, in which you can see what looks to be a SHIELD van rolling down the road. Also, Fitz is not in this chapter, as he may or may not be in a very difficult position. As it is unknown what's happened to him, I just assumed that he's in a coma, and therefore cannot be present for this little trip.

And whoo, it's the tenth chapter, already! The chapters have honestly flown by! For me, my personal favourite chapter to write was probably chapter number three; Nazi. What were your personal favourites?

CHAPTER TEN: Irony

It happens quickly. So quickly. One minute they're driving, and the next there's a BAM and the car is rolling, and Skye finds herself upside down, her throat raw from yelling.

She unslings herself from the seatbelt immediately, wincing as her palms dig into shards of broken window glass. The adrenaline rush is pulsing too fast for Skye to register pain, but one thing she does register easily is fear.

"Guys?" She croaks out. To her relief, May sticks her head through the wreckage, although she's patterned in scratches and trails of blood.

There's lots of shuffling, and eventually Skye hears a gasp of pain. Simmons is attempting to wriggle into a better place. Skye notices with a sickening glance that her arm is twisted at a wrong angle, and she swallows. Her head spins, and she wonders mildly whether she's got a concussion.

There's a crash, and suddenly the car rocks back and forth gently, although every movement shatters more glass and creates more mess. Someone throws them self against the door, and it bursts open. It's May, and although she's standing in a hunched fashion, she seems fine. They work together, and soon Skye's been hauled from the vehicle.

She lies there for a while on the asphalt, before picking the glass from her hands and staggering back to the crash site. "What happened?"

May tugs open the door, and Skye helps to drag Simmons out. She too seems relatively okay, although her arm is twisted awkwardly and her face is pale.

"Coulson lost control of the wheel. That, or someone tampered with the controls," May answers briefly. Skye resists the bizarre urge to laugh. They've been through so much, it seems so odd to be in a situation as mundane as a car crash. The laugh dies on her lips however when she sees May's grim expression.

"Coulson. We have to get Coulson out as well."

"Skye.." But she's not paying attention to the warning. Crumpled in the car is Coulson, with his eyes shut and his breaths shallow. There's a wound in his stomach that reminds her bitterly of the time she was shot by Quinn. To think that those had been the better days.

"Coulson," Skye breaths. Beside her, she can hear May yelling for Simmons, who stumbles over. The scientist stifles a gasp and Skye can tell that she's switched into doctor mode.

"Don't move him. Let me have a look." Skye's reluctant, but she moves out of the way for Simmons to squeeze painfully in and get a better view. "Is there a first aid kit anywhere?"

"I don't- I don't know," Skye shakes her head, but May is already running to check. Skye pulls out her phone and checks for a signal. Her hands tremble when she sees the signal sign flash on. "We have connection."

"Call for help!" Skye doesn't need to be told twice; she's already got the phone pressed to her ear. "Triplett? Is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me. What's up?"

"Listen, we need help. We're in a crash, Coulson's hurt."

"Heck, seriously? We'll get moving." He's gone before she can say anymore, and she's left with the monotone beep that signals the end of a call.

"They're coming."

"I can't get to anything without ripping the car apart," May says, kneeling next to Simmons. The bio-chemist is looking fervently over Coulson, despite her worse for wear condition. "The team will be about an hour, even by plane."

"We don't have an hour," Simmons says in a definite tone. She tears shreds from her shirt and presses it to the wound with her one good arm.

Skye set her jaw and shakes her head. "Then I'll call the ambulance-"

She's surprised when May slaps the phone from her hands with a cold glare. "We're not calling the ambulance."

Skye stares at her incredulously. She could feel the anger boiling up already. "What? Coulson's hurt, we-"

"We are working for SHIELD, Skye. Do you know what that means? Right now, that means we're criminals. We're known as the bad guys! If we call services, that means a one way ticket to jail," May hisses fiercely.

It's a long while before anyone speaks again. "What can we do, then?"

"We wait," May replies, "and we pray."