A/N: So here we go. I'm so happy that you guys like this, and don't worry kajtena, Ward isn't a psycho, or at least I don't intend for him to be one. I guess you'll just have to wait and see...Hehehehe.
The team walked onto the elevator with Gwyneth. Skye looked at her once more. Black everything except her fair skin, purple streaks and heels, maybe two inches, that matched her streaks, but with a gold circle at the ankle. She also had a gold bracelet on each of her wrists.
The elevator was a room of mirrors, with a bar waist high stretching against the back mirror-wall. As the team walked on, Coulson and Gwyneth stepped aside to let them on first, and then got on, Gwyneth then Coulson. An eye scanner was attached to the front wall, and Gwyneth leaned over for it to scan her right eye.
The scanner turned green and a panel lifted up to reveal another scanner, Skye assumed for badges, and floor buttons going from one to seven. Skye tapped one of her bracelets on the scanner and pressed the "5" button. The light around it glowed purple and the elevator started moving.
"I see you changed the settings again." Coulson said with a straight face, looking forward to the elevator doors.
"Yeah well," Gwyneth said, also straight-faced, looking forward, "the system isn't that hard to adjust. Besides, the regular white light was kind of boring."
They looked at each other and smirked a big.
"I'm starting to see a theme here." Skye said, trying to break the silence.
Gwyneth turned her head to look at Skye, and grinned sweetly. "Most people do." she said jokingly.
"What are the gold bands for?" Simmons asked.
Gwyneth shifted her entire body to face the team. "I think you'll find out soon enough."
"Where are we going exactly?" Fitz asked, as the elevator stopped and the doors opened.
"Well," Gwyneth said, glaring at Coulson a bit, "this used to be Area 10, although it's apparently Area 8 now."
They all got off the elevator, and Gwyneth started walking down a large hallway, Gwyneth leading with Coulson at her shoulder, with the rest of the team following behind in a semi clump.
"This," Gwyneth started again, "is where a certain project, Project R.E.H.A.B., has been taking place for the last few months. It was originally planned for a year, and then it would become level eight clearance," a glare at Coulson, "but apparently that was changed to a third of that time. As you may have guessed, this project is centered around Grant, and it's making great progress. I've been directly related in Grant's recovery and development in this, Coulson comes in and supervises and observes mostly." They turned left into branch off the main hallway. "This project has been active since about three weeks after your original entrance in the base. Grant has been here the whole time, but he is not aware of where he is. Tracking devices are diverged by this base, and there is a forest above us, so satellites don't detect just a blank area, because that would also be extremely obvious. Grant was transferred here when he was...unconscious as we'll say. The idea of security and his loyalty position, and the element of trust is constantly in question with us, but it's being handled, in my opinion, quite well."
They turned another corner in the hallway. The length of the hallway amazed Skye. They walked a bit down this hallway when Skye saw a teenage boy, maybe seventeen like Gwyneth, but with sandy blonde hair, and green eyes, sitting on the floor, back against the wall. When he saw the group, his face lit up with the toothiest grin, almost touching his ears, as he stood up, taking a few steps to meet them in the hallway.
Gwyneth stopped as she met him, and smiled as well, but not as large. "What do you want Jackson?" She crossed her arms, facing him.
He held out his hand, which was in a fist, and opened it to her. In his hand was a necklace. A silver chain with a silver pendant and a pearl attached. The pendant was engraved with a black arrow with a line through the tail, a bit below the arrow head. The Sagittarius zodiac sign.
When Gwyneth saw it, she put her hand to her to her chest and became wide eyed, smiling even more. "Oh thank you so much. You have no idea how much I need this."
"Oh please," Jackson said jokingly as she turned for him to put the necklace on her, "after seventeen years, I think I do. Although," he said as he pulled her hair out of the way, and putting t he necklace around her neck, turning her to face him, "I wouldn't be against you showing me how much you need me."
He smirked, and she shoved his shoulder a bit, playing with the necklace a little bit. "This. Not you." She grinned at him, and he pulled her by the waist into him, and kissed her.
He pulled back, and smiled at her. "So, who's the gallery over there." He said, nodding his head towards the team.
"Level eight." Gwyneth said, stepping out of his grasp.
"Oh dear god. How much do they know?" He said, immediately dropping his grin.
"Well, I was telling them everything related to the project, and then you distracted me." She turned to Coulson. "Where was I?"
"Ward's liability issues." Coulson said, a small grin playing at his mouth at the teenagers.
"Right," Jackson said slowly, "but with this genius' tech work, it's not a problem anymore."
Gwyneth pushed him a bit again. "Shut it Rogers. Are you gonna come with us or not?"
"And miss the face of Agent Skye when she Grant Ward for the first time since his betrayal? I wouldn't dream of it."
"Wait," Skye interjected, making the two teens turn, "Rogers? You're related to Steve Rogers?"
"Jackson Rogers," Jackson said, holding out his hand to Skye, "son of Steve Rogers, yes."
"Wow," Skye said, amazed at it, "you're Captain America's son. How is that possible? I mean, Iron Man and Captain America don't have any kids. They're not even married."
"Not now," Jackson said, "but, I mean, you're not married to," Gwyneth coughed and Jackson looked at her, then back at Skye, "you're not married, but not forever."
"Wait," Fitz jumped in, "are you saying you used time travel? That's impossible."
Gwyneth rolled her eyes. "Really? You live in a world where you willingly accept that aliens and super humans exist, and with that, you work with the best technology in the world, and yet you believe that time travel will stay non existent forever?"
Jackson chuckled a bit. "Simpletons. Hey, I forgot to ask, how much damage did you do, without that thing." He pointed to Gwyneth's necklace, making small circles with his finger.
"Not too much. Course, it drained me a bit, and Grant helped with it, but I think it's getting better."
"Grant helped you?" Skye asked in disbelief. "Grant Ward helped you with something?"
Gwyneth held up the pendant on the necklace. "Who do you think made this?"
And with that, they all walked down the hallway to an open area, with rooms on every wall with giant glass windows looking into each room. Skye looked at all the rooms, stopping to do a double take at one room in which a man with jet black hair was attacking a punching bag with his fists. She walked over to the room window and watched in disbelief.
"Welcome," Gwyneth said walking over to Skye so they were shoulder to shoulder, "to Area 8."
Skye was wide eyed, shocked out of her mind. There was no visible expression on her face other than disbelief. All that escaped Skye's mouth was one word. "Ward."
"Get some popcorn," Jackson said behind them, "this is going to be good."