"It has a port." Fitz said in confusion. He, Jemma, and Ward were standing around the observation table. Skye was still unconscious and she was placed on her stomach with her hair moved off to one side so Fitz could get a good look at the centipede tech.
"What does that mean?" Ward asked.
"She's supposed to plug into something." Fitzsimmons said simultaneously.
"What does it do?" Ward asked.
"I don't know, but it attaches Skye's brain to a computer, and knowing Skye, that is probably a very powerful thing." Jemma told him. This was the first time Ward considered that the events of the last eight months hadn't been Skye's fault. That maybe she was a victim.
Ward began to hope that Skye had been an ass and had ran to the Rising Tide headquarters, because he didn't want to believe something horrible had happened to her. If it had it would have been his fault. All of their faults.
Then it all began to click into place. Ward understood Skye's anger towards him and the team, understood her tears.
"Did you ever once consider that I didn't leave the plane of my own free will?"
"You knew where I was the whole damn time?!"
Skye's words began to make sense. Skye hadn't abandoned them, she'd been taken. He hadn't said anything, but he'd seen Skye on the surveillance cameras when she took off her shirt and he now knew. For some reason, a reason he intended to find out, Skye had been tortured. She had been kidnapped and tortured and the whole time she believed her team was going to save her. No one had come for their team or had any inside knowledge since she left, showing that Skye hadn't even cracked a bit. She endured torture to stay loyal to the people who thought she was a traitor.
He didn't blame her for hating him when he ran into her, especially when she found out they hadn't even tried to save her when they knew exactly where she was.
Ward took a step back from the unconscious girl on the table in front of him. Ward was a horrible, horrible person and he knew it. Every mark on his rookie's body was his fault.
Loyalty is a strange thing. It's the bondage between two people or groups of people. Loyalty is giving constant support and allegiance. In that respect, he was the traitor. He assumed the worst about Skye's intentions when really it was him who should have been double checking his own actions.
When Ward informed Coulson of everything they had discovered, like Skye's scars and her centipede, the look on his face was heartbroken. He too blamed himself for Skye's misfortune.
Coulson and Ward went back to the lab to see Skye. There was so much they had to fix.
When they walked through the doors the first thing they noticed was that Skye was no longer there.
"I swear, we only left for a second." Fitz said apologetically. They both looked guilty.
"Where's Skye?" Coulson asked.
"She's gone, sir." Jemma said as she wrung her hands together in front of her.
"Search the bus!" Coulson ordered.
"Wait, sir." Jemma interrupted. Jemma and Fitz spoke in intervals, each taking a turn as they explained.
"From what we've gathered, we fear that Skye is in danger."
"The centipede on her neck, it's purpose is to connect her brain to a computer."
"We thought Skye was a good hacker, but now she's much, much more."
"Because of Skye's wealth of computer knowledge, when she's connected to a computer her brain enters data a hundred times faster than she could before."
"Her brain is basically a computer." Jemma finishes.
"In the hands of the people who made her-" Coulson starts.
"She's a weapon." Ward states.
"Alright. New mission, meet in the briefing room." Coulson ordered as he stalked off.
"Skye's more important than whatever bastards we were chasing before." Coulson told his team. "This mission needs to be off record. Centipede is looking for their weapon, which means SHIELD will be looking too. We need to find her before anyone else. If centipede finds her, who knows what they'll do. If SHIELD finds her, they'll treat her like any other weapon and lock her up for good." Coulson explained.
"What do we do once we find her?" Jemma asked.
"I don't know yet. That's your job." Coulson told her.
"Do you have any idea where to start?" May asked.
"I have one idea." Ward said. "But only I should go in, I know someone who might know Skye and I don't want to scare her off."
"You! You're the one who took Catherine!" Was the first thing out of the waitress's mouth when Ward entered the cafe. The cafe was empty because it was nearly closing time. It was a good thing, Ward assumed they would need some privacy.
The waitress picked up a phone to call 911, but Ward held his hands up in surrender.
"It's not what you think. I'm trying to save her life." Ward tried to say. She froze. Ward didn't get an objection, so he tried to elaborate.
"There are some very bad people after Sk-... Catherine." Ward told her.
"There is something special about her, isn't there?" The waitress asked, intrigued. She slid into a booth and Ward sat across from her.
"You have no idea." Ward rolled his eyes when he thought of how special Skye really was.
"Can I ask, how did you meet her?" Ward crossed his arms on the table in front of him and listened intently as the waitress recounted her first time meeting Skye.
"I was walking from my apartment to the cafe to open up one rainy morning, about six months ago. Some strange girl was walking down the street, soaking wet and covered in blood. I offered her help, but she only accepted once I promised I wouldn't ask any questions. I brought her into the cafe and kept her in a booth while I was working the whole day, filling her up with hot chocolate and anything I could give her. She asked for work and where a good place to stay was. We made a deal, she worked here for room and board at my apartment. Before I knew it, Cat and I were friends. I've been worried sick since you dragged her out of here. Where is she, is she ok?"
"She will be." Ward answered. He was disappointed that Skye hadn't been here, It would have been so easy.
"You asked me a question about her. Even though I promised her I wouldn't ask questions, can I ask you one?" The waitress, whom Ward found out was named Ashley, was nervously tapping her foot on the ground.
"You can ask, but I can't guarantee that I'll have or be able to give you an answer." Ward replied after consideration.
"What's got Catherine in so much trouble? What was she before she got to me?" Ashley asked the inevitable question. Ward sighed, he couldn't give SHIELD information to civilians.
"You've got to tell me, it can't be worse than I've imagined." Ashley told him. Ward almost smiled. The two girls were alike in more ways than one.
"Sk- Catherine. Catherine is a professional hacker. She's a valuable asset to our enemies, they want to exploit her talents."
"Catherine?! A hacker?!" Ashley let out a laugh. "Catherine won't go near computers, she can't even turn on the television without it going to static." Ashley told him. Ward assumed Skye had been trying to maintain a cover by staying away from tech, it was probably smart.
"Is her name really Catherine?" Ashley suddenly asked in a gloomy tone.
"No." He answered simply.
"Can you tell me her name?"
"Skye." Ward said. Saying her name softly made him even more remorseful.
"Skye." Ashley said, trying out the sound of it. "It suits her."
"As much as talking about Skye is delightful, I really do need your help." Ward interrupted the friendly chat. "Do you have ANY idea where she is or any idea where she would go if she was in trouble?"
Ashley suddenly tensed up.
"How am I supposed to know you're not the one after her?" Ashley asked. It was a valid question, Ward didn't blame her for asking. He would have asked too if the situation was reversed.
Ward fumbled around in his jacket pocket for a moment before pulling out a picture of him and Skye he had been keeping with him recently. Skye had taken it on her phone while they were training. Ward had Skye in a headlock and she somehow had thought this was the perfect time to hold out her hand and take a picture. Ward had found it so amusing, the both of them were grinning widely, Skye's head stuck in his arm.
He hesitantly handed the photo to Ashley.
"There's a park down the street thataway." Ashley pointed in the direction she meant. "Cat goes there after work almost every day." Ashley says. Ward pitied her, Ashley still spoke like everything will be back to normal for her soon, that Skye always has and always will work in the cafe with her.
"If she's at the apartment or I see her anywhere, how do I contact you?" Ashley asked him. Ward wrote a phone number on a nearby napkin and slid it across the table towards her.
"Keep in touch?" he checked with her as he stood up.
"Keep Catherine safe." She responded affirmatively. Ward nodded and left the cafe.
Jemma had been working in the lab, looking for any clue Skye may have left knowingly or unknowingly. She turned at just the right moment and saw Skye trying to sneak across the cargo hold. Skye was smart, she hadn't even left the plane yet. She had hidden and waited for everyone to search for her before she made her escape.
Skye wasn't yet aware that Jemma had spotted her, and Jemma used this to her advantage. Jemma couldn't let Skye slip through her fingers when there was so much at stake. Jemma discretely grabbed a night-night gun. The moment Skye tried to cross the cargo hold Jemma opened the lab door. Skye whipped her head around, but Jemma already had the gun pointed at Skye's chest.
"Come here Skye." Jemma said. "Please." She felt like she was coaxing a stray dog, and in a way she was. Skye was obviously unstable, Jemma just didn't quite know why yet.
"They tried to get me to work for them again, but I wouldn't do it." Skye suddenly blurted out.
"Did Rising Tide do all of this to you?" Jemma asked her. She had slowly started lowering her weapon and Skye had slowly been taking small steps back to the lab. Skye wanted to stay, she wanted it more than anything. She missed Jemma the most, and after finally seeing her Skye never wanted to leave. But she had to protect them, she couldn't be selfish. Skye walked over to the controls and opened the cargo hold. Thankfully, they were on the ground.
"Skye, get back in here." Jemma held up the gun again.
"I know you won't shoot me." Skye told Jemma. "You wouldn't hurt me." She says. Jemma' heart breaks and tears brim in her eyes. She almost lowered the gun, but her fingers quivered on the trigger and her brain was winning the war against her heart. Jemma squeezed her eyes shut and mustered up the courage to press the trigger. Her hands shake and her body jumps involuntarily when she hears a loud thump that confirms her shot had hit its target.
"I would if it means saving you." Jemma whispered. She opened her eyes to see Ward and Fitz staring at her in shock. When she saw Skye on the ground she instantly felt guilty. She just shot her friend, even if it was only a night-night gun, she shot the one who already felt betrayed by her.
Skye's face wasn't visible, her dark hair hung over her face. Jemma's hands shook so badly that the night-night gun slipped from her hands and clattered on the ground.
"You did good." Ward lifted Skye's body and her head lulled back. Fitz pulled Jemma into a hug and tried to calm her nerves.
"Don't let her out again." ward told Jemma as he passed her by with Skye's body in his arms.