Previously: After going to check out the abandoned carnival, the team find the only living thing there to be Ace! Meanwhile, Skye has just hitchhiked her way away from Graviton.

Chapter Eight

Coulson was pacing. Coulson was pacing a lot.

Too much, and May couldn't take it anymore.

"You do realize they walking around in circles is only going to increase your anxiety?"

"What do you expect?" Coulson exclaimed. "Why the hell was Mike Peterson's kid being kept at some abandoned fair in Ohio? Where is Skye? Nothing is adding up!"

"Obviously someone wants to keep Deathlok under their control," May stated.

Fitz, who'd been sitting quietly in the corner of the room, decided to chime in. "Yeah, someone who isn't Hydra."

"What makes you think it isn't Hydra?" asked Coulson.

"Well, Ward and Garrett came looking for us because they thought we had Ace, and he told us he's been there for five nights. If that's where he's been the entire time, it couldn't have been Hydra," Fitz explained.

Coulson sighed. "While all of that is true, it doesn't put aside the fact that Hydra is full of liars and manipulators. They could have had any reason to come after us, or to make us think that Deathlok was out of commission when really he wasn't."

"We could ask Ward," suggested May, and Coulson gave her a look of sheer disbelief.

"He's the one that sent us there; this could all be a part of his plan!" Coulson told her.

"You're the one that wanted to see if he had any information in the first place," May said as she stood to meet him. "It's gotten us somewhere, and now you suddenly don't think he's an asset?"

Coulson stared at her for a few moments. "I just don't' know what else he could give us," he said stiffly.

"He's proven himself enough that he can get the benefit of the doubt. We should tell him we've found Ace and see if he can give us anything else based on the information."

Though she didn't take her eyes off of Coulson, who seemed to be taking his time deciding on a response, May could feel Fitz watching them; all flustered and anxious as he usually was in these situations.

"You know," Coulson started, his tone suddenly much lighter. "I'm a little surprised you of all people are defending him."

May cocked her head. "I'm looking at the facts. And the facts are telling me it's in our best interest to give him a shot."

Coulson flashed her a small smile. "Tactful as ever."

"Alright!" Simmons announced as she walked into the room with Triplett by her side. "That's all done."

Coulson and May turned towards the new arrivals and Fitz' arms crossed as soon as they came in the room. He walked over to the group, but his eyes were on the ground.

"How is he?" asked Coulson.

"Well, he's a young child that's been locked up for quite some time, the passed five days in somewhere that didn't even have proper insulation. Medically he's fine; not even a cold from the chilly nights. But he's very scared."

"Wants his old man. Bad," added Triplett, to which Simmons nodded sadly.

"That's something we have in common," said Coulson. "With Garrett gone there's no one to activate the eye bomb and Ace is safe. If someone is still giving him orders, they're doing it with false leverage."

"If only we had a way to contact him…" mused Fitz.

"But for now he's eaten a good meal and is currently sleeping," Simmons concluded, interrupting Fitz with her own thoughts. Her words sent a general nodding through the group, followed by a distinct lack of talking.

"So… what now?" asked Fitz.

May let her eyes drift to Coulson, where she fixed him with a pointed stare. A defeated sigh fell from his lips and she knew he'd read her face perfectly.

"Triplett, go get Ward."

"Seriously?" Triplett deadpanned.

"Ward?" asked Simmons, and fear rang through her voice. May couldn't blame her; he did try to cross her and Fitz off.

"Yes. Now would be a good time," Coulson continued a little snappily, so Triplett nodded and took off.

Simmons didn't even bother to ask why; her logical mind had probably already put the answer together. Ward had led them to that carnival, so he was the one that could possibly provide them with more information.

What she didn't understand about Simmons at the moment was why she was standing so far from Fitz. The two were obviously trying to avoid each other's gaze, and the lack of chatting was making the room feel uncharacteristically quiet.

May lifted an eyebrow at Coulson.

"I've noticed too," he whispered.

"I'm Cindy," the woman told her warmly as Skye got into the vehicle. She was blonde with bangs and a yoga body, probably around thirty-five. Perfect soccer mom if Skye ever saw one. There were some kid's belongings in the car as if to prove it. To be honest, she was a pretty comforting sight. "What's your name?"

"I'm… Skye," she told her, thinking for a moment if she should use a false name. She thought this woman looked harmless enough, but she second-guessed her decision the moment the words left her mouth. Anyone could look harmless.

"It's nice to meet you," she smiled.

"You too." Skye looked down at her hands, which were laid on top of her drenched pants. "I'm sorry I'm all wet."

"That's ok sweetheart; it's just water." She paused. "It is water, right?"

Skye nodded, her head quaking a little more than it should have been. Cindy seemed to take notice of her shivering, immediately turning down the air conditioning.

"Where do you need to go? I know there's a woman's shelter close by. I'm not sure where it is but my phone has a GPS…"

Skye caught on to what she was insinuating. "Oh, god no I wasn't- he didn't… do that. I'll go wherever your headed, I just need to get away from there."

"Ok, I understand," Cindy said as she started her car. "But there was a 'he'?" the woman asked. "You don't have to be embarrassed. If anything at all happened, you should really go to that facility."

Skye smiled anxiously. "It really wasn't anything like that. He just tried to drown me."

Skye didn't realize how the sentence sounded until it had already left her mouth, and she saw the horrified expression of the woman next to her.

"Oh my… do you want to go to the hospital? Or the police station?"

"No, I actually really, really would rather not do that. Do you think I could borrow your phone?"

"Of course!"

Cindy looked like nothing would please her more than to give Skye her phone, as she fumbled quickly through her purse to bring out the little iPhone with a pink case.

Skye had memorized the number Agent Wolfe had given her right off the bat. She was pretty good at memorization, something that helped her when she'd learned coding. Lots of things that seemed random and you just had to remember, like learning a language.

"Hello?" she heard the agent's voice on the other end, after only about half a second of ringing.

"Wol… dad, it's Skye."

"Oh thank god," his concerned voice rang through, making Skye smile just a little. "Where are you? Are you alright?"

"Well, I've certainly got a lot to catch you up on Sleeping Beauty, but yeah, I'm fine."

"Can you tell me at all what's going on from your current location?"

Skye thought for a moment, deciding just how much to disclose with a civilian sitting next to her.

"I ran into… a guy. A bad guy. I don't know if you know him but he goes by Hall."

"I've heard about him," said Wolfe. "Dead scientist, I thought."

"Yeah, not so dead. More like, improved," Skye said pointedly, hoping the woman beside her wouldn't be too curious. Though she really couldn't blame her if she was.

"Basically he showed up and was trying to kill me, or kidnap me or something," Skye told him, trying to keep her voice even. She didn't miss Cindy's wince at the word "kill", even though she kept her eyes on the road.

"Not that that's exactly good, but it's fine so long you're removed from the situation," said Wolfe. "And you are, right?"

"Yep."

"What's your current status?"

"A super sweet lady picked me up," Skye made sure to smile at Cindy, "…and she's letting me use her phone."

"Ok good. Where's she headed?"

Skye brought the phone down and looked at the driver. "Um, where are you going?"

"I live in Lindhurst, but it's really not a problem to go out of the way a bit," said Cindy.

Skye smiled, returning the phone to her ear. "Lindhurst."

"Ok give me a second…" she heard Wolfe say, assuming he was looking something up. "There's a 24-hour Kmart in Lindhurst. And that's a good chunk away from the Comfort Inn so that'll be good."

"Wal-Mart and Kmart? As much as I love grocery stores, if this were a real vacation, I'd be a little disappointed," Skye said, momentarily forgetting about Cindy and hoping she didn't wonder why they were one a fake vacation.

Skye heard Wolfe's soft chuckle before he continued. "I'll come pick you up in say… two hours?"

Skye frowned. "It's that far away?"

"No, but if this guy knew you were here he may know about me. I'm going to take the long way."

"Ok. Um, be careful."

"You too, kiddo. See you in a couple hours."

Skye hung up the phone, handing it back to the woman.

"Do you think you could drop me off at the Kmart in Lindhurst?" Skye asked.

"Of course! But um…" Cindy looked for just a moment, almost embarrassed, "Are you sure you don't need to go to a police station?"

"Dad's a cop," Skye said, right away. That wasn't a part of her established cover story or anything; it just rolled right out of her mouth. Seemed to subdue the woman though. "We'll be fine."

Cindy also asked if she could stay with Skye and wait for her father, which Skye really wouldn't have minded at all, but the longer this woman was with her the more danger she was being put in. So she declined.

"What's your address?" Skye asked as she got out of the van at the super-store. "I'd like to send you some money or something for helping me out."

"Oh god no, none of that. You just keep yourself safe."

"Well, thank you. Like, a lot."

"Of course! It was nice to meet you Skye, though I'm sorry about the circumstances," Cindy told her just before she drove away, leaving Skye alone in front of the open 24 hours store.

"Me too Cindy," Skye mumbled to herself. "Me freaking too."

Triplett had fetched Ward from his cell with not so much as a word, and Ward decided he didn't feel like talking much either. When he brought him to the sitting room on the BUS, still in handcuffs, he was met with the stares of Coulson, May, and Fitzsimmons, but unfortunately, no Skye.

Triplett pushed him down onto a couch, where he felt like the entire team was towering over him as they were all standing. Probably a power play, he'd used the technique before.

"So… is Cherry Hill a real place or are you all here to tell me my execution date?" Ward asked, reading a good amount of tension from their faces.

"It was a real place," said Coulson. "It used to be a theme park in Ohio."

Ward nodded. "Ok. Can't say I was expecting that."

"Probably won't be expecting this either, then. Ace was there."

"What?" Ward exclaimed. "Does that mean Raina's had him?"

"We don't know as there was no other living being there," said Coulson.

"And the kid never saw anyone," mentioned Trip. "Told us he got food through a small hole, and that was it."

"God, that poor child…" mumbled Simmons, and Ward had to agree with her. Sounded like the kid was having a rough go of it.

"Based on evidence we found through 3D restoration Skye was there as well, but was gone by the time we were," explained Coulson. "Meaning the two are linked. So the next logical step would be to find Deathlok. Think you can help with that?"

Ward's eyebrows shot up. He'd give it a shot. "Well, Garrett was keeping him knocked out until we found Ace and had a way to control him again. He was in the facility lab with Skye and… you." He shrugged. "If you guys didn't find him, I don't know where he is."

Simmons threw her arms up into the air in exasperation. "Great, he could be still be asleep for all we know!"

"Or worse: someone could be using him to kill a bunch of people," said Fitz.

Ward squinted. "Wouldn't you guys know that?"

"If you haven't noticed, we're not exactly the same SHIELD we were before Hydra came to town," said Triplett. "We're not really getting cases anymore."

"No, but… you have Internet. If there were a powerful cyborg out there killing people, don't you think it would make it onto a few news websites?"

Coulson's face blanched, with what Ward guessed was embarrassment.

"Simmons-"

"Already on it, sir!" Simmons replied as she went to retrieve a laptop. After a few clicks and an amount of time that would have made Skye proud later, she reported, "sighting at a Wal-Mart in Mentor, Ohio, sir. Oh god, we're so close!"

"Any pictures?" asked May.

"Yes!"

"Bring it up on the screen," Coulson ordered.

Simmons did as she was told and everyone crowded around the projector, though Ward stayed seated on the couch.

"It says he was attacking a unidentified woman in the parking lot, but she escaped onto a local bus with a man accompanying her," Simmons explained as she continued to fiddle with the computer.

There was a slideshow of phone quality pictures to click through and most from a far off distance. But it was clear Deathlok was attacking someone, the woman apparently. He had her pinned against a car. When Ward squinted, he could make out that the girl was a brunette, but it wasn't until he saw the outfit she was wearing that his suspicions were confirmed.

"It's Skye," he said. "That's the gown Raina had her in last time I saw her."

"So Raina is having Deathlok attack her… at a Wal-Mart?" asked Fitz. "But she already had Skye!"

"Maybe she got away," Coulson mused. "The article said there was a man with her, any pictures of him?"

"Uh…" Simmons floundered for a moment, searching. "There is! This one's much clearer than the rest, apparently becau…" her thought rolled to a stop as she stared at the screen.

Ward saw Coulson scowl in confusion before looking up at the screen, to which Ward followed. Coulson gasped.

"What the hell…" mumbled Fitz.

Even May was showing the confusion on her face, and Ward could see why. It was because the person on the screen was none other than Agent Wolfe, and like the rest of the team, he'd seen the agent fall into water and never surface.

"He's dead!" shouted Triplett. "What is he doing with Skye?"

"I have no idea," Coulson said as if he were in a daze, obviously dumbfounded. He regained focus. "Simmons, when did this happen?"

"It says… yesterday morning, around 8:00."

Ward's old team leader shook his head with disappointment. "They're long gone. Damn it!" he shouted with a sudden anger that surprised Ward. "We should have been on top of this."

"But why wouldn't he tell us he was alive?" asked Simmons.

Coulson ran a hand over the top of his head. "I don't know! Wolfe could have maybe stayed under the radar to protect Skye, but it seems more likely that he could be working for Hydra, or-"

"Or whoever Raina answers to," Ward filled in, and everyone turned to look at him. The group moving as a collective was honestly starting to get annoying. "I have a feeling she's not in on this alone."

"But what do we do?" Simmons asked, her question directed at Coulson with pleading eyes, and Ward could tell Coulson didn't have an answer to give. If anything, they could go search the Wal-Mart and surrounding areas but Coulson was right, any evidence would most likely be long gone.

Unless…

"Skye's phone," Ward breathed. "I confiscated it. It's here on the BUS in one of the cargo hold's cabinets."

"We can contact Deathlok," Coulson said in realization.

"I'll get it," May stated, already trudging her way out towards the stairs.

Grant could tell everyone was excited by the new information in a situation that was beginning to seem hopeless. If they could get in touch with Deathlok, they could finally get some answers. Maybe he'd know where Skye was. And if so, maybe Ward could convince them to let him help get her.

Because if Ward couldn't convince them he was sincere, he honestly had no idea what the future held for him.

Skye walked into the store lazily, somewhat at a loss of what to do. It was a strange feeling to have so much going on and yet still have down time, in a grocery store no less. It was like the anxiety was creeping on her nerves and she felt the need to be proactive, but could only sit and wait on her someone to help her.

Well, that wasn't entirely true.

She was in a store with an electronics section. A computer section, that usually included some you could play with.

With newfound purpose bursting with excitement, Skye began to briskly walk towards the large electronics sign at the back of the store.

Sure enough, there were a few Windows computers on display, including one touch screen, which she opted for.

Once she'd gotten a browser open she was almost at a loss of what to do. She'd been cut off from the real world for about a week, so she decided the first thing she'd do was see if SHIELD had made any headlines.

They hadn't, but Hydra had. Something in Disney World, though she decided to put that on the back burner for a moment.

Now, Skye didn't have any thoughts that Comfort Inns were so efficient as to upload their video feeds directly from the moment they happen to a more permanent source, but if they were being directly loaded on to a computer (as most were these days) they could be automatically loaded onto a shared server. If this was the case, she should be able to find and rip the data from wherever it was being loaded as long as it was connected to a network.

She began going into the back roads of the internet, just getting the page source info up when she heard someone's voice made her jump.

"Hello! Is there something I can help- oh I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," the young boy said enthusiastically. He looked way too chipper for this time of night, but Skye supposed that was part of his job as the red vest and nametag indicated.

Skye brought her hand down from where it had been clutching her heart. "No, my bad. I'm like super on edge at the moment."

"Oh, uh… I'm sorry to hear that. So, I see you're interested in one of our new touch screens," he said, ever the sales person attitude going on as he glanced at the screen. "What ya doing there?"

Skye's eyes widened. "Nothing," she told him as her hand reached behind her to get minimize the code.

"Oh, I know what that is!" the kid, or Mark, as his nametag read, exclaimed.

"You do?" Skye asked curiously, wondering if he was a programmer in training.

"Sure. That's Hackertyper, isn't it?"

"Uh… yes," Skye decided.

"Don't be embarrassed I recognized it, I go on there sometimes too. It can be fun to pretend you're a secret agent," he told her, looking at the screen. "Well, I don't want to interrupt. If you have any questions, let me know!"

"Thanks." She smiled, watching him walk away before getting back to her work.

Score! Comfort Inn security footage was on a shared server, and after a little bit of digging, Skye was able to open the files from just a few hours ago.

There were only angles on the outside of the rooms and the pool, so Skye wasn't sure how long Graviton had been there before attacking her. The attack, by the way, looked pretty insane on the footage. No audio, just Skye's body suddenly flying through the air. It almost reaffirmed that the bizarre experience had even happened to her.

Though she couldn't see him before he walked into the shot near the pool, she was able to see where he went after placing her in the car.

Straight to the room she'd been staying in.

Skye watched in what would have been horror, had she not known that Wolfe didn't have any knowledge of Graviton when they spoke on the phone and therefore he must have not encountered the super human being.

But he did.

Hall didn't even have to knock on the door when Wolfe answered it, and they stood in the doorway chatting before Wolfe followed him out of shot, maybe to the car. Skye didn't know, as there was no angle in the parking lot.

Skye nearly started to hyperventilate. Was Wolfe… lying to her? And if so, about what? How much was true?

Was he even ever in SHIELD?

Skye's first thoughts went to Hydra, and she immediately clicked to the screen she'd left open that explained an incident in Disney World.

What was there led to even more confusion.

She saw everything, Garrett, the Gravitonium, Ward, Coulson and the team! If that was them undercover they were pretty bad at it. There were even reports on how Hall escaped from the Gravitonium, though the news websites had no idea what or who it really was. Garrett was dead, and Skye couldn't even begin to process the amount of relief that was actually going through her until later.

But most importantly, Wolfe was there. What reason could there have been for him not to tell her about this?

Skye scanned the information as quickly as she could, before deciding she'd seen enough, for now. A lot of digging was going to need to be done later, but Wolfe knew her location, so-

"Hey kiddo, thought I'd find you here," she heard the older man's voice.

Skye pressed control D automatically, minimizing the windows. She then turned around and, plastering a smile on her face, shrugged.

"You've finally seen me in my natural habitat."

"Glad to see you feeling comfortable," Wolfe said, putting a hand on her shoulder, and it wasn't as hard as she thought it might be not to shake him off. She was getting good at this undercover stuff. "Unfortunately, we better go."

"Always on the move, huh?"

"For now. Don't worry, we'll settle down soon."

Skye smiled, nodding, her faux expression fading the moment he turned to lead them out of the store.

And here we go again.

A/n: FINALLY let's find out what this Wolfe dude is up to, right?

I understand that Coulson and the team would not be idiotic enough to forget about the internet but... they have a lot on their minds, ok? Just go with it.

I combined two chapters because I thought they went nicely together, which didn't give me enough time (with my crazy updating schedule) to edit out and Cindy and put in Sharon Carter! Jango27 thought of that, and it could have been a nice easter egg for her to just show up without ever even realizing Skye's an agent, but alas, you get my throwaway soccer mom.

Please give a review if you've got something to say! Thanks for the follows and everything.