A/N: So sorry that this took so long, I got addicted to The Vampire Diaries and The Originals on Netflix.
It's a bit short this time. But we'll be focusing on Skye's POV in later chapters until Ward wakes up.
Thank you to Alkeni, Agent Daisy Skye Johnson and Brenda for your reviews! :)
WARNING: Some of you may find some of the deaths in here to be violent.
Skye found herself getting increasingly tense as the quinjets neared the location of Ward's prison. She kept clenching her hands into fists, pacing the length of the aircraft and her gaze locked onto the ground; it was easier to keep her head up, and she didn't want to look at anyone. A hand on each of her shoulders brought her uneasy moodiness, and relentless pacing, to a halt. Looking up, first to her left, then her right, she saw both Jemma and May giving her stern looks. May's was the expected 'pull yourself together, we have a mission to complete' expression, which Skye was grateful for as it kept her grounded and helped her clear her head, but Jemma's was a tight form of sympathy. It almost bordered on constipation.
Well, not quite.
Skye understood her friend's hesitation; Ward nearly killed her, but she was appreciative of the effort at comfort. Giving her a tight smile in return, Skye placed a hand over Jemma's.
"It's not that I'm entirely happy about this mission, Skye." the scientist said quietly, but her voice was still firm.
"I can see that." Skye replied in the same low tone.
Jemma gave her a flat look. "But you have to be prepared for whatever state we find Ward in." she continued as though Skye hadn't spoken. "It may be worse than what you saw on the footage."
"I know–" Skye began to answer, but was cut off by May.
"Approaching the five mile radius." She announced over the comms, addressing both the occupants of the other quinjet and Coulson at base. "Engage cloaking." A faint whirring could be heard as the reflector panels on the outside of the craft activated. "You ready?" she asked, lowering her microphone as she spoke to the agents behind her.
Skye finished strapping the single gun to her thigh as Jemma, Bobbi and Hunter gave the affirmative. They all looked her as she straightened up. "Ready." She replied. I hope so.
May nodded once, and redirected the quinjet to fly lower, just skimming over the trees without rustling them too much. It wasn't long before the large ranch house came into view through the jet's visor and Skye hitched in a breath. There was no time to dwell on finally reaching the place, however, as May turned the jet around and landed it gently on the grass. There were guard patrols nearby, but not nearly as much as Skye expected there would be, considering the prisoner they were holding and the recent escape.
"In three…two…one." May counted down as she strode to the back of the aircraft, gathering with the rest of the rescue crew. On the count of three, Bobbi hit the button to release the back door, the patrol nearby jumping in surprise at the gaping maw that opened up no more than a hundred feet from them. The larger one moved to radio in the intrusion, but May and Hunter's quick reflexes with their ICERs brought them down before the alarm could be raised.
No order had to be made to move, the group all hurried forwards as one, bypassing the unconscious guards and running for the building several meters away. Skye pushed her senses back far enough to reach the quinjet and activated the ramp, closing up the craft to allow it to blend in with its surroundings. She thought that part of her abilities was pretty damn cool.
As they approached the ranch house, several guards poured out, most taken out as soon as they left the shelter of the doorway. One managed to avoid the ICER rounds and fired a shot a Jemma, but Skye had her hands held out in front of her, and at the sound of the gun going off, she released a pulse that threw the guards into the front wall of the building. They didn't stop there, the power in the energy wave sending the entire corner of the house away from them. Splinters popped and were flung everywhere, many of the larger pieces of debris embedding themselves into the guards' prone forms. One was very clearly through the heart.
"Whoa." Bobbi breathed, her eyes wide at the explosive nature of Skye powers. Jemma said nothing, her own eyes glued to Skye in horror. Hunter whistled, impressed.
May, on the other hand, just cast a sweeping gaze over the wreckage. "Well, at least that saves us knocking." She drawled, then moved forwards with her ICER up, as though her rookie's actions were nothing to scream about. Skye breathed an enormous sigh of relief, and with a worried glance at Jemma, pulled her focus back to the mission at hand. She followed her S.O. inside, one hand held out in front of her, the other hovering near her holstered weapon.
"Come on, Simmons, focus." She heard Bobbi admonish the scientist. Judging by the slightly louder footsteps just behind her, Jemma was being herded into the middle of their group.
"Heads up." May said quietly from the corner of the hallway. She was glancing around it carefully, checking for oncoming attacks. "Four of them." Taking a step back, she checked the cartridges in the ICER, loading three more in.
"May, let me." Skye whispered. "I want to try something."
Her S.O. looked at her, brow furrowed. But then the guards were on them, and she had no time to reply before they were blown back into the wall. This time, Skye was careful, not trying to destroy the building until they'd found Ward and gotten him out. The guards only just went through the wall, hitting the floor on the other side, unconscious.
"I thought you should save the ICER bullets for the real problem." She said in response to May's flat look.
"Hm." The older woman replied.
Ward woke with a jolt as a sound akin to an explosion rent the air. The fact that Ruta wasn't in the room gave him hope that maybe Kara had gotten help.
A loud crash, muffled by the thick door, was heard mere moments after.
What? He thought groggily, barely managing to blink, or even see through the swollen bruises around his eyes. Swallowing with a dry throat was agonising, but he couldn't clear it enough to speak.
The muffled sounds of fighting didn't sound like they were getting closer; his hearing felt like it was fading. Every heavy thump rattled the chains above him, which was the only way he could track the movements of the building's assailants. Finally, keys faintly jangled on the other side of the door and the thick wooden block swung inwards, revealing two people he thought he just couldn't recognise.
The women took in his appearance with horrified gasps.
"Oh my god!" the shorter one cried out. "What the hell have they done?"
"You saw the footage, Jemma." The taller one replied, moving forwards quickly, but her voice wavered at the sight of his wounds. "And you were the one who said to be prepared."
"I know, but…god…" the other woman replied, breathing shakily before pulling herself together.
"Skye?" he croaked, but it sounded like a grunt. The two figures glanced at each other. "Simmons?"
"Is he trying to say our names?" the shorter one, Simmons, asked the other. "Why can't he speak properly?"
"Ah…" Skye wondered out loud, like she was coming to realisation. Or had an idea. "Ward? We're going to get you out of here. But we need to check your vitals so we don't cause more damage, okay?" At his grunt, she reached out and placed her hand gently over his heart. His body seemed to thrum in response, the pain in his body dimming in some places yet intensifying in others. "Oh…" Skye sighed and turned to Simmons.
"Trauma?" the biochemist asked.
"Yeah. Bad."
"Could you two hurry up?!" May yelled from the hallway, her voice accompanied by splintering wood.
"Right." Skye muttered. Simmons moved closer, gently wrapping her arms around his torso, and Skye raised her hand again. She closed her eyes and the chain above him began to shake. Then the links against the shackles broke, sending him falling into Simmons' arms as they crumpled to the floor.
"Uuughh." His broken voice cracked and his throat burned as the jump in pain caused him to grunt as he hit the floor.
"Sorry!" Both his saviours apologised instantly, using extreme care with pulling him to his feet.
"Come on, Ward, we've got to get you out." Skye pleaded in his ear, even as Simmons roamed her hands over his chest. They twitched with every half-hiss Ward managed to make as she touched the more sensitive spots, but it was clear she was making sure that the only problems he had with breathing was his throat. "Jemma, we good?"
"We can move him." Simmons replied. The women wrapped an arm each around his lower back, holding his arms over their shoulders to prevent him from slumping over too much.
"Guys?" a new voice called out.
"Coming!" Simmons called back. "Did you clear the way?" With Ward dragging his feet, they moved forwards to the door. Skye went through first, though by her harsh breathing, she didn't like what she was seeing.
"A few to chase down." The voice replied. It was a woman, and though it sounded a little familiar, Ward couldn't quite place its origin. Not that he would try in the dim light that filled the hallway. "That gifted Hydra leader ran off as soon as she caught a glimpse of us. Hey, stop!"
Skye froze just an instant before the woman called out, turning to look behind them.
That was the last thing Ward was aware of before an explosive pain on the back of his head ended all feeling.
A/N: So what did you think? Reviews, please!