AN: Happy 2019 everyone! As promised, here is the new chapter. Once again, let me thank MegaDiary123 for Beta-ing this one. Enjoy :)

All rights go to Marvel

Skye's POV

When Natasha punched me, only for a moment, I felt at peace. There was nothing in my head, constantly instructing me of my next move or keeping me on track. But, as I said, that was only for a moment.

The next thing I know, there is a sharp pain exploding in my skull, making me leave the sleeping state that I was in. I wanted to sit up sharply and take in my surroundings only to discover that I was bound on the bed that I was lying on top of. The upper half of the bed was in an angle, allowing me to short of sit up, and not be completely horizontal on the floor. Without a second thought, I directed my vibrations to the shackles, trying to break them from the inside out only to come up empty handed. Startled I looked down, to see inhibitors wrapped around my hands, trying to prevent the use of powers.

"Skye. You're going to be all right" I heard Natasha speaking from somewhere on my right and turned my head in her direction.

A laugh escaped my lips, only making my sister more uneasy. The pain in my head was not leaving and all I wanted to do was get out of those bounds, so I really could not see how I would be all right. "You know that?" I asked. "Is that what you know?" I could tell that my answer was not was she was expecting or, to be more precise, what she was hoping to get.

With my head still throbbing, I couldn't really focus on anything in particular other than this odd feeling that was left in me. I wouldn't be able to describe it even if I wanted to. Slowly, very slowly, I was getting more and more accustomed to the annoying feeling in my skull, and so all the memories of what happened while I was under Loki's control starting coming back to me in waves. Forcefully I hit my head back on the bed, as I recalled everything that I did… everyone that I killed.

Natasha, who had gotten up to get me a glass of water saw my action. "You got to level out. It's going to take time" her tone oh so smoothing and comforting.

"You don't understand–" I said but stopped short before saying anything else. Of course she did. She was the only person who I knew that could completely and utterly understand what I was going through, especially mentally. "Sorry" I added and averted my gaze from hers as she turned to look at me.

At that moment the door opened, and Clint stood at the entrance of the… whatever I was in. It was not a cell, and definitely not the medic bay, so… Why was I not in a cell? After everything that I did, this was the least that I deserved. After Phill… Shit. How did they even stand to look at me?

A hand suddenly landed on my shoulder, startling me and making me flinch away. "Hey there Kid" Clint said as he let his hand fall on his knee as he was crouching next to me. I tried to smile back, but the action seemed alien to me (no pun intended). So I did what I did before with Nat and I looked away, my eyes glaring at me lap so hard as if this would help my case at all.

I knew that they weren't going to let me out of it so easily, so me initiating the talk would at least give me the illusion of control. "Why am I back? How did you get them out?"

From the corner of my eyes I could see them exchange glances when I said 'them' in my final question. After all they had no idea what was going on inside my head while under the influence of the Tesseract, but thankfully they didn't say anything about it. "Cognitive recalibration" Clint said with a smile on his face. And when I shot him a questioning look Natasha elaborated. "I hit you really hard on the head"

I managed to master a small upwards tilt of one side of my lips when she said that and the relief from both my siblings side was evident. "Thank you" I replied.

The small smile must have been enough evidence for Clint that I was 'me' enough to relieve the bounds in my hands.

This brief moment of relief was instantly overpowered as my mind went back to everything that I did in the last day or two. "Guys" I said as Clint finished releasing my second hand. They both stopped and looked at me, taking in the serious expression on my face. "How many agents did I–?" I was about to ask but didn't get the chance to finish as both instantly replied in the same way.

"Don't" there was a command in this single word. Natasha was the one to continue. "Don't do this to yourself Skye" she said as serious as ever. "This is Loki. This is monsters and magic, and nothing we were ever trained for" she turned back to look for confirmation from Clint who nodded without missing a beat.

"We are not blaming you for anything. You know I don't go easy on you, you are my rookie after all. But Natasha is right, as always" he whispered the last part trying to lift the mood of the room a little bit with his classic humour. But when he was met with silence he just continued, "This wasn't your fault" he emphasised every single word with confidence, trying to make his message clear as day. "If there is one person you want to blame, let that be Loki"

"Loki" I repeated the name finally lifting my head to look at my brother. "He got away, didn't he?" I received a nod and let out a deep sigh. I still remembered the plan that I had created for his escape. That and the back-up plan, and the back-up plan to that one. Unfortunately it seemed that I had done my job as his first-in-command too good.

"I don't suppose you know where" he replied, with a hint of question in his tone, though he did see my answer coming from miles away.

I sat up even further and brought my knees up my chest, wrapping my arms around them. "Didn't need to know, didn't ask" I got the glass of water that Natasha gave me. I held it and though my eyes were at its direction I was not really looking at it. Instead I was lost in my mind thinking of what I knew of his plans. "He's going to make his play soon, though. Today" I said and nodded absentmindedly.

"We've got to stop him" Clint tone was confident.

This made me snap my head at his direction. "Yeah?", I asked sarcastically. "Who's 'we'? I told Loki what he needed to know to tear this team apart. I told him about you" I started, my hand pointing at them. "I told him about Bruce, how to aggravate him, to make him lose control. I told him about Stark. He asked, I delivered. No questions asked. Anything he said, I would have done" I continued and didn't notice how I had let my legs fall the edge of the bed and they hung loosely, as I stared at the floor. Or how the other two people in the room sat on either side of me, Natasha's hand on my back and Clint's on my shoulder. "I knew who you were. Oh, I knew very well who you were. I just didn't care. Because for all I knew, only Loki mattered, Loki and his plan. I instructed Loki to get out, as I dealt with you two just as–" I choked on the words as I relived my action of piercing Phil from the back and he never saw it coming. He trusted me and what did I do in return? Stab him in the back.

"Just as what, Skye?" I heard Nat whisper from my right. I shook my head, tears running now freely from my cheeks. I couldn't tell them, how would they stand to look at me if I did? "I know it's hard. But you need to tell someone, otherwise it's gonna weight you down. Whatever it is, you can't carry the guilt with you, you need to let it go" she soothed, talking from experience.

"How can I?" I questioned, and wasn't sure whether what I asked was coherent enough for them to understand. My eyes were tightly shut and my sobbing had turned to hiccups.

I felt Clint squeeze my shoulder. "We are here for you Skye, always. No matter what happened, you will always be our little sister" he sincerely replied.

Shit, I thought as I was so easily persuaded to tell them. I lifted my head looking at either side and got my siblings attention at its fullest. "Just as Phil" I whispered but from the shock in their faces I knew that they had heard me just fine. I knew that they mustn't have known. Especially since I had made sure the cameras in the detention room were down. Their lack of reply had me taking a shuddering breath. "I am a monster" I added my head hanging once again.

This seemed to snap them back into reality as they both kneeled in front of me, Natasha gently grabbing my chin and making me look at them. "Skye, listen to me very carefully. You are not a monster"

I made a move to brush her hand off my chin and shake my head only for my wrist to be grabbed by Clint. "We knew" he smiled gently and sadly simultaneously.

This had me blink a handful of times. "You did?" I asked, my voice a bit hoarse from the crying. "How?"

"Phil left to follow you after you left to go to Loki's cell. You came out of there, he didn't. So it must have been either you or Loki and from your reaction and guilt… Well, we didn't say anything but I think we both understood that it was you"

I looked at them with disbelief. When both met my glare with an understanding expression I knew they were telling the truth. "Who else–?"

"No-one" I was cut by Clint. "It was only us two, Hill and Fury who knew that Phil was following you. Fury told everyone that it was Loki". I shot him a look, as if asking "So, Maria and Fury know?", and he intercepted that. "They don't know the details, so they will probably ask later on though I have a feeling you're gonna tell them yourself after this whole mess if over"

"Yeah". I didn't want to think of that now.

What mattered now was finding Loki. If not for anything else, then for AC.

There must have been a difference in my expression as I was given space to stand up and walk to the side, where a washbasin was and I went to throw some water on my face to clear my thoughts. "So" I said as I turned back to look at the others, a goal clear in my head now as I pushed all other thoughts and distraction to the side. "Who's left? Because if no-one else is going to deal with the alien, I will do so myself" I declared.

Before either had the time to open their mouths and reply, the door opened and Captain freaking America walked in. "Time to go" he declared.

"Go where?", asked Clint.

"I'll tell you on the way. You can fly one of those jets can't you?"

"That, he can" I said and only then did he finally realise that I was in the room as well. "But I'm coming with Capsicle" and heard Clint scoff and saw him smirk at my reply, and especially the nickname. With that he shot me a smile and I turned my attention back to the Captain who was looking questionably at Natasha, who of course nodded.

"You got a suit?"

He asked and this time I actually did smirk at him, taking the inhibitors off my hands and feeling my powers run through my veins. "Yup, that I do". We all left to gear up and met at the take off site, to steal a Quinjet and head towards the Stark Tower of course.

When we did get in the jet and set course to New York, Captain Rogers spoke again. "We need code names for when we are out there. I already know of Hawkeye and Black Widow and I guess you do as well. I also take that you know how to call me in case you need anything?", he questioned and I nodded in reply. "Good. So, what do I call you?"

I thought about it for a second before reviewing the field name that we had prolong decided with Clint I would use in case I was to act outside my 'agent' status. "You can call me Quake"