Once the two had successfully climbed back within range of the comms, May called back. "Simmons." She said, lightly touching her earcom.
"Oh thank goodness." The scientist's voice sounded, clear as a bell. "I was about to send them after you. She's safe, it's okay." May heard her say to someone else in the room. "Did you find Skye?"
Melinda nodded, looking to her student. "Yes, I found her. She's okay."
"Oh, excellent. Director Coulson can stop worrying so much."
"Tell him we're on our way back."
"I will." Simmons promised.
Before she could disconnect, May said, "Jemma?" She glanced at Skye, who was following her through the streets, but looked half asleep already. Softly, so that Skye didn't overhear, "Maybe get something to help Skye sleep? She's exhausted."
Concern painted Jemma's voice. "But she's alright?"
"She's not hurt. I need to see you Fitz and Coulson when we get back."
"That doesn't sound good."
May looked to her student again. "I'll explain when we get there."
"Okay." Jemma said softly. "I'll tell the others not to bother her when you get back."
May nodded. "Good. I'll see you soon." She ended the call.
"If I'm exhausted then I don't really need anything to help me sleep."
May turned to look at Skye. "It'll keep the nightmares away, trust me."
Skye nodded. "Okay. Nightmares could be bad, I don't wanna get set off again."
"Nightmares are always bad." Skye suddenly remembered May bringing her a glass of water and some pills after particularly bad days, like when she had to interrogate Ward. She wasn't just doing this to help with whatever power Skye had developed.
"Yeah." They both spied the Hydra agent at the same time and ducked into an alley. "We could take him." Skye said.
May rolled her eyes. "Obviously." Skye grinned a little, "But he's probably got superiors. We take him out and they know we're still around."
"Good point."
Their eyes met and Skye knew they had both had the same idea. She took a deep breath, preparing, then released it angrily, stomping out onto the street. "No mum, I don't wanna go hang gliding! God, twenty years in and you still can't remember that I'm scared of heights?"
May followed her, the empty-headed but well meaning mother. She might have gone for vapid and distracted, but that didn't match her black clad beaten up look. "I just thought it would be a fun thing to do together. If you don't want to that's fine, I'll just go alone." Now she was looking like a kicked puppy.
"You can't guilt trip me into doing this!" She stormed past the oblivious Hydra agent. She was gratified to notice that he was avoiding looking at them. Family fights did that. "There's a million things to do here and you go for the one thing that I would hate!"
"They say that facing your fear is the best way to get past it sweetie!" A term of endearment that had no business coming from Melinda May's mouth.
"Fine! See if I hold your hand next time you get a shot!" She walked rapidly along, resolutely ignoring her SO.
"Jess!" May followed her, but once they were around the corner they dropped the act. "Nice upset kid. Next time you can be more subtle though."
Skye rolled her eyes. "Sure thing sweetie."
May grinned and they continued to walk in silence.
It took them less than an hour to make their way back to the Bus, ensuring that they weren't followed.
Skye eyed the open cargo door apprehensively. She was slumped with exhaustion, legs shaking from just holding her up.
"It's okay." May said gently. "I'll handle it for now."
Skye nodded quietly. She couldn't stop feeling like she had done something wrong. Tripp was dead because he had gone to help her.
"Skye." May put one hand on her shoulder. "It wasn't your fault."
Skye nodded again, but a small tremor in the ground beneath them showed that she didn't believe it.
"Say that it wasn't your fault."
Skye took a couple of deep breaths, trying not to start crying again. "I-It wasn't my fault." She said shakily, but it honestly did help a little.
May smiled gently. "Good. Come on. You need to sleep."
They walked up the ramp together and found Simmons waiting for them in the garage. "Skye!" She exclaimed upon seeing them, and hugged her friend tightly, "Oh thank goodness, we were so worried!"
"Sorry." Skye mumbled, barely returning the hug.
Jemma pulled away. "I brought you an antihistamine." She said. "It should help you sleep. There are also some clothes in your old bunk."
The hacker nodded. "Thanks." She said softly, forcing a smile. Jemma handed her a glass of water and the tablet, which Skye took immediately.
"I'll see you and the others in Coulson's office in ten minutes." May said, following Skye.
Now Jemma knew something was wrong. There was always something wrong when May looked more like a bouncer than an agent.
The two encountered Hunter and Bobbi on their way to Skye's bunk, and May was pretty sure that they would ask questions if they hadn't seen the look on her face.
"Sleep." She said firmly when they reached Skye's bunk. "I'll explain to Fitzsimmons and Coulson. It's up to you if you want anyone else to know."
Skye nodded sleepily. She had been nodding a lot, she noted. But she knew she wasn't up to making that decision now. "Thanks." She said, because there was really no stronger word.
"You're welcome." Because there was no other reply.
Skye barely had the presence of mind to remove her boots before crawling into her bunk. May gently closed the door and fixed her eyes Hunter and Bobbi on her way to the infirmary. "If you wake her up you'll have to answer to me." She said, though honestly it was mostly directed at Hunter.
"Yes ma'am." He said, only half sarcastically.
Bobbi only nodded, but May could see the worry for Skye in her eyes. "And stay out of the office until I say so."
"Copy that." Bobbi said, "Come on," She pulled on Lance's arm, "We can take turns on the punching bag downstairs."
"Yes ma'am." Much happier now.
May rolled her eyes and went to the infirmary to face her team. This was going to be a long one.
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
"So Skye can make earthquakes now?" Coulson was sitting in his office chair, but he was pretty severely bruised and battered.
"Yes." May, Fitz and Simmons had dragged chairs over to the desk, sitting in a circle.
"That's what the tremors have been?" Simmons asked, a little in awe. "Skye?"
May nodded. "She was there when Tripp..." She didn't need to finish the sentence. "And a lot of gifted's powers are connected to their emotions."
"Sh-she's okay though?" Fitz asked, eyes filled with concern.
"She's stable." May assured, "And coping, but... She doesn't know what to do."
"None of us do." Coulson said, one hand rubbing his eyes. "I-I mean, she can control earth?"
"Possibly." It was Simmons who answered, "I mean it could be something else entirely."
"Yeah, could be making vibrations, like a sonic wave." Fitz said, bouncing the thought off Simmons. May and Coulson's eyes met and they both wondered if their scientists noticed that they were falling back into their stride.
"Or focusing the movement that's already there, just moving it around." Simmons looked to May, "Did you see anything that might indicate what was happening?"
May thought for a moment. "She crumbled a pile of rocks." She said. "A landslide had us stuck in a cave, and Skye got rid of it."
Fitz and Simmons absorbed the words, thinking it over. "A-and she definitely crumbled the rocks?" Fitz specified. "Didn't... move them or something." He took a moment to find the word.
"No." She shook her head. "They were big rocks, and a second later, just rubble."
Fitz and Simmons looked to each other, much less awkwardly than they had been lately. "So, seismic energy shifts?" Simmons said.
"Seems most likely, yeah."
"What does that mean?" Coulson asked.
Simmons answered. She was careful not to use the word 'dangerous'. Skye was her friend. "It means that she doesn't need to be near earth to use these powers." She said. "She's controlling vibrations, so the earthquakes are more of a reaction than what she's actually been doing. If she could focus them sufficiently then she could destroy very small things from a distance but she needs to control it."
"We've been meditating every day, she's been learning control." May said, "And when she fell back into it, the earthquakes stopped."
"So emotional distress set them off."
"Understandable really." Fitz mumbled.
"Yeah." Coulson said, "But what should we do?"
"Be there for her." The others all turned their gazes to May. She looked away momentarily, not sure if Skye would want the others to know what her father said. "She's scared."
"Of course she is." Simmons said softly.
"Yeah." Fitz said quietly, "She's changed. It's scary when you change."
Simmons drew a breath. She hated being the one to say it, but it needed to be said. "There is the possibility that she could damage the plane. If we were in flight and she caused a large enough shift it could easily knock us out of the air."
They were all quiet for a moment after that, trying to think of a solution. Obviously they weren't going to leave Skye behind, but at the same time... "How long will it take to fly home?" Coulson asked.
May's eyes lit up as the solution was revealed. "Five hours, tops. And Skye just went to sleep."
"Couldn't she wake up during the flight?" Simmons asked.
"O-or when we take off?"
"She was stable once she calmed down. Even awake I don't think she would make a quake bigger than any turbulence we've dealt with." May reminded them. "And she was completely exhausted. You saw her." She said to Simmons. "She could barely stand."
Jemma nodded. "That's true." She said, "I gave her an antihistamine to help her sleep."
May nodded. "She'll be out for at least eight hours."
"Agreed." Coulson said, "And Skye sleeps like a rock." He sighed. "Okay! Let's pack up and go."
May stood and walked to her cockpit, selecting the PA to sound only in the garage. "Lock it or lose it." She said, "Wheels up in ten."