Previously: Skye and Fitz have been rescued from the Skrulls clutches and are back on the BUS. While the scientists work on a machine to help to defeat Graviton, Coulson and the rest of the team has gone to Rome to try and deter him.

Chapter Thirty Eight

Skye was out of the jumpsuit, searching her closet for the loosest material she owned. It wasn't too hard, considering that's what made up a large percentage of her wardrobe. Big sweaters and comfy flannel were her forte. Almost like a leftover reflex from when she'd get hand-me-downs at the orphanage, as she'd always manage to be too small for them, so had to grow into the outfits. Still, the loose-fitting clothes felt like another step towards freedom, somehow.

When she walked downstairs she saw Mack, Fitz, and… her father all working on something that was sitting in the middle of the lab table. It was a machine of some kind, about the size of an engine and having some similarities to one. From Skye's point of view, at least. She didn't really know much about engines.

She sauntered into the lab to observe the scene. Wolfe appeared to be explaining something to the other two, who looked like they were trying to absorb every word with so much intent they might have thought he was the second coming.

As the hacker made her way inside, she noticed the monitors held vastly different information: a few seemed to hold specs of the object they were working on, while one held a feed to the medical room.

Simmons was lying on the bed and still passed out. She'd merely been set there, nothing present on her body that someone would have if they were truly hurt, like IVs or a medical gown. Skye supposed it had only been a couple hours since she'd been knocked out, but she was starting to become worried for the scientist. She decided to see how the boys were faring, then go check on her.

When she actually began to listen in, Wolfe inadvertently gave her the only information she really cared for.

"Give it two hours to charge up and we'll have a device to take down this doctor."

Mack looked somewhat overwhelmed, but impressed. "Well damn. Kind of feel like I've been wasting my time."

Wolfe shook his head vigorously. "No, no, you got it pretty far. I would have had to build the thing from scratch if you didn't already have what you did."

"Well I did absolutely nothing…" Fitz mumbled.

"The specs-" started Mack. "Oh, right."

"What?"

"That just… wasn't really you."

Fitz sort of concaved in on himself for a moment, pursing his lips together nervously as Skye felt his anxiety. It couldn't have been a very pleasing thought: that someone had been walking around as you while having people create memories of being with you, when it wasn't you at all. Skye had had actual fun with the Skrull she now knew as Bartak, playing tag with the DWARFs and just enjoying Fitz's company, right before the fake tricked her into giving herself up…

"So that's it?" Skye stated eagerly as she pressed forward into the room, effectively pulling the spotlight off of Fitz and she herself out of her thoughts. "We have something to defeat Graviton now?"

"If what this guy says holds true," Mack told her, gesturing at Wolfe.

"Oh, you're an engineer now?" Skye asked shortly.

She was being snippy with him, arms crossed and tone abrasive. She wasn't even sure why, when the man had obviously been in the same awful predicament as her in being a Skrull prisoner. He'd even been there for much longer.

But how could she really know that?

He wasn't a Skrull. He wasn't squiggly. He wasn't even sporting a feeling of distrust, or the dark orange she'd come to associate with it. It was just getting hard for her to take anything at face value lately. It was particularly hard with this person. Images of his smiling face while chaining her up or calling her a disappointment rushed forward.

That hadn't been real. She knew that, in her heart. But she didn't know this man. So when she looked at him…

That's all she saw.

He shook his head, grinning placidly. "I'm not an engineer. But… I was interested in weapon technology, being a soldier. I'm not saying I can build a rocket or anything, but slightly more than basic knowledge on Hala equals a higher level of intelligence here."

"So you're saying we're stupid? Gee, thanks," Skye jeered.

He sighed. "You're not stupid. Neither are humans, they just aren't there yet in some aspects. And the Skrull technology is more closely related to Inhuman tech than yours."

"Inhuman tech is closer to Skrull technology than humans'? That seems backwards."

"Look," Mack said, stepping between the two of them as Wolfe opened his mouth to say something. "The important thing is we have something, isn't it? Don't get me wrong I think this guy being an alien is crazy too but… if he helps." Mack shrugged.

From the way he'd worded it, Skye concluded he didn't think she was an alien too, and probably didn't even know this man was her father. Wolfe looked at her curiously, making her think he shared that particular thought. She ground her lips together and shook her head; a firm yet mental "don't you dare tell him."

He didn't.

Fitz suddenly seemed to be by Skye's side, having crept closer to her over the course of the conversation. Maybe she'd done the same to him without even noticing. They were really feeling the need to be next to each other at the moment… Skye wondered if it would be different when Simmons woke up.

"Fitz, why don't you go change," she told him, trying to give him an out. He'd been ushered in to work on the device so quickly he hadn't had a chance to do so. And honestly, after people kept pointing it out, that was all she'd wanted to do. Wolfe's was still on, though.

Skye gave him no such out.

"Yeah ok," the scientist mumbled and began to walk away.

"And Fitz?"

He turned around. "Yes?"

"Check on Simmons? Please."

Fitz gave her a shy smile and walked away, making Skye feel almost empty. She turned back to the two men, who had small looks of puzzlement on their faces. Maybe it seemed like a random or unimportant conversation, but Skye had had her few minutes to herself and she wanted to offer the same courtesy to Fitz.

"Alright then," Skye said, slapping her hands on the table. "Let's tell the rest of the team what you boys have got here."

"You just missed them, sweetheart."

Skye turned to see Hunter strolling over, a swagger to his step. He came into the lab and looked the glowing blue machine up and down. "But you got something? That is exciting, because Rome is kind of panicking."

"What do you mean?" asked Skye curiously.

"Well you see, when someone who could be described as a super villain rips a massive ancient building out of the ground, people tend to get a bit nervous that-"

"Not that! Where's the team?"

"They went to stop the gravity man."

"What?" Skye exclaimed, about to ask why they'd left without telling her.

"And before you ask why they left without telling you, Coulson said it was because you'd insist on coming."

"Of course I'd insist on coming! They need all the help they can get."

"You're not a field agent, though," pointed out the mercenary.

"I could run communications! We always have someone overlooking the op," protested Skye. She could feel his mind become puzzled as he began to consider.

"Huh, you've got a point… well, I don't know. Maybe he just didn't want to push you after just having been a prisoner for a week."

"And why aren't you out there, field agent?" Skye growled.

"Well someone's got to get you guys there when whatever that thing is gets ready." He gestured to the machine. "Plus, I don't really fancy dying."

Skye felt fury build up due to his flippant attitude, but concern boiled over as well.

"Dying? What are they going to do out there!" she exclaimed. She quickly looked around the room as if someone was going to give her an answer. No one did. Wolfe just had his mouth pressed together in worry.

"Listen! Skye, right?" Hunter asked, and she nodded. "They're just going to try and distract him to make sure he doesn't hurt anyone for a bit. If they need our help, they'll contact us. And that machine sounds like it will be up and running sooner rather than later."

"Two hours," Wolfe informed him.

"Right. Not too long a wait. So just sit tight, love."

Hunter walked away, ending the conversation on such on nonchalant tone that Skye's mouth was hanging open. She turned to Mack and Wolfe, mouth still agape.

"Coulson literally just told me I'm not allowed to go give myself up and then he basically does the same thing!" she shouted.

"That's because they're doing something worthwhile and you giving yourself up would be idiotic, at this point in time," Hunter said. The annoyance was sticking his head back into the lab. "We've already explained to you the reasons on the ride over here. Your memory quite that short?"

"Oh my god…" Skye muttered. She turned towards him laced in irritation. "Would you just… go away?" she snapped.

"Fine. I can sense when I'm unwanted."

She squinted. "Because I literally just asked you to go away."

Hunter shrugged, heading back in the direction he'd originally went off in. He may have been acting as though nothing fazed him, but Skye could feel his worry. She saw the yellow aura – her new word for the colors- as well. He was masking it, but he was concerned. For the team or what Graviton was going to do in general.

Everyone was worried. Everyone was sporting that dingy yellow, in part, and Skye could feel it wrap around her mind. The headache had gone away when she'd gotten out of closed quarters with everyone, but she could still feel what they were feeling.

Mack had begun observing the object in front of them when Wolfe suddenly stepped up to Skye. He was very close to her, but when he spoke his voice was so quiet if he'd been any farther away she wouldn't have heard him.

"Can we talk, please?" Wolfe asked her. He spoke so sincerely with pleading eyes that she felt as though she'd been scooped up into them, near forcing her to nod her head yes. She followed just behind when he led her out of the lab.

A/n: Ok so we have are team split up now, and the next three chapters take place and roughly the same time. Would we like to see Skye talk with her pa, Fitzsimmons reunion (they haven't actually spoken with each other with both of them being real this entire story!), or Coulson going to check in on Graviton?

Thanks for reading!