AN: Hey everyone! It's been forever. I'm really sorry that it took so long to upload. First things first, I hope you're all safe and well. Also many thanks to MegaDiary123 who's still in this crazy ride with me. Hopefully, now that summer closes in and I will have hand in the things I need for the university I will have more time to write. Thank you for anyone who still reads this story. Until next time...

All rights go to Marvel

Skye's POV

After reuniting with Coulson and May, we went straight back to the Bus, where the others were waiting for us. As soon as we stepped onto the hangar Jemma rushed us into the med-bay in order to make sure that we were all alright.

She first cleared the other two agents, who left to go to the briefing area in order to bring Ward and Fitz up to speed to what had happened. Miles was still locked in the Cage, my mental map told me as much.

My mind had drifted off to what the other people were doing on board and I hadn't realised the silence that had stretched in the room. "Don't do anything like that ever again" Jemma's whisper brought me out of my head and back to the place I was currently in. She was still looking away from me, as she fiddled with something in her hands, trying to find the stitches that she would need to close a cut that I got on my forehead. I hadn't even realised that it was bleeding until she mentioned it. "You don't just jump off a building like that" she continued as she turned around and closed in to disinfect the cut.

"I didn't—" I started but she pressured the cut more than necessary, making me hiss.

Her pointed look was enough to shut me up. "No-one saw if that's what you're wondering. At least I don't think they did. But I know you too well to understand what you plan to do. Please don't lie to me". She paused once more before starting to stitch up the wound. "You know agent Coulson and agent May would have worked it out if Miles helped. Ward was here to keep an eye on him. Nothing would have happened" she reasoned.

I searched her eyes as she worked. "You don't know that. I had just betrayed Miles. And though Ward was here, as you mentioned, you don't know what he could have done had he had access to a computer". As soon as she stopped working on my forehead I took her hand in mind. "I couldn't let anything happen to you" I honestly said, my voice coming out only as a whisper. I could tell that there was more she wanted to say, but the mission hadn't really finished yet. "Tell you what, as soon as we get debriefed and Miles is dealt with, we will have that talk that you owe me, okay?"

The small upper title of the corner of her lips was enough of an answer and I smiled back, getting off the table that I was sitting on top of, and made my way upstairs.

When Jemma and I stepped into the room where the others were we listened to Coulson explaining what happened from his and May's point of views after we parted and infiltrated the building. After that finished he turned to me. "Skye, where are we with the files? Did you manage to get anything?"

All eyes turned on me as I walked around the table and placed a hard drive on top of it. "The files were transferred remotely here. I wasn't there for the whole transfer so I can't know for sure how many files were successfully transferred before the building collapsed. I also need to have a look at them before telling you anything for sure, just to make sure that they haven't placed any nasty virus and try to hack us back. As soon as I have the files secured and open I will transfer everything to you" I said looking at Coulson. "I'm gonna use my personal laptop just so that it isn't in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s serves just in case". I looked over at May and she seemed to understand.

Of course, I had gotten most if not all files from there, I have full and utter trust to Tee. I just needed to check the files and see which ones could be shared with the team and which ones withheld too much valuable information. An update with the pirate was gonna happen sooner rather than later.

Ward nodded from his corner. "Good. Even if it's not too much it can give us a fix on Centipede". Despite speaking aloud, it seemed more like he was talking to himself.

"Yes," Coulson agreed. Looking around the room until his eyes fell on me again. "Even the smallest information can be very helpful. See what you can save, the more the better". I took that as a cue that we had finished the talk about the files and took the hard drive off the table. "Now" he exclaimed and clapped his hands. "We need to decide what we will do with Miles".

"Sir?" Jemma asked and he turned to look at her.

"Yes, Simmons?"

She cleared her throat at the sudden attention. She looked almost like she didn't mean to have spoken out. "I mean, doesn't S.H.I.E.L.D. already have procedures and protocols for almost every possible scenario? What is there for us to decide?", she asked.

"Well, he hacked into S.H.I.E.L.D. So what we would normally do is send him to the Fridge. But…"

"You want to keep him monitored" May cut in. "Keep tabs on him and hope he can lead us to other members of the Rising Tide and, maybe, even Centipede"

"Exactly" Coulson replied with a smile wide on his face. "The only problem is that he isn't like any other person we had to monitor. He's a hacker and a good one at that. We need to find a way to restrain his access to electronic devices".

I could feel the smirk spread on my face. Oh, how I would enjoy this. "Sir, if I may?"

(Line Break)

It was Miles and me in the hangar, as it was lowered down in the airfield that we would take off from. "You have two choices. Either put on what's in this box, or we put you in a slightly bigger one" I told him as I extended the case.

It was a no brainer for him, of course, and he took out the bracelet and put it on. The sound of it clicking shut was really satisfying. "You gonna give me a hint? What's it do?"

"Whatever we tell it to do. I'd avoid any unlawful activity if I were you. Oh, and I think you might need to buy a book or something that doesn't run on electricity. I don't think that electronic devices are gonna be your friends for a while"

He sighed but didn't do anything else about it other than lower his hand. He didn't say anything for a while but didn't leave either. I knew he wanted to ask something and soon did so. "Was any of it real?"

I took a moment to look like I was considering it. But then just shook my head. "Nope," I said, popping the 'p' emphatically. "None of it"

He looked at me in the eyes, as if trying to understand if I was lying. Like that would help him if I were. "You're not who you used to be"

"Ah! Correction" I exclaimed. "I'm not who you thought I was," I said and took a step back, singling that this conversation was practically finished. "Oh, and by the way. Agent Kwan's family thanks you for the anonymous donation" I pointed to the airfield for him to leave.

He let out a breath and shook his head at my last sentence. He made a move to leave but stopped after a couple of steps. "Cool, but we're still in Honk Kong" he turned to look at me.

"Yep"

"But I live in Austin, Texas" he tried to clarify.

"I know" I smugly smiled. "Have a good one Miles"

When we left from Honk Kong it was in the middle of the night so as it was expected, and especially after such a mission, people have gone to their respective bunks so as to recharge their batteries. Not me though. While I was in my bunk, I had my computer open and I was going through the files that I had managed to get from the Centipede facility.

My eyes were travelling all over the screen as I was speed reading all the information to see what I could allow Coulson to see. I only briefly looked outside of the small window in my room to see the sun start to rise. So absorbed I was in what I was doing that I didn't notice someone had come up to my door until a light knock startled me.

I looked at the door as if I could see through the metal while focusing my vibrations. "Jemma?" I asked no-one in particular and after shutting my laptop I went to unlock said door. "Hey," I said quietly as soon as she was standing in front of me. "What are you doing up so early? Did something happen?"

"Uhh- no, nothin- everything's fine" she kind of rushed out.

"Okay?" I was a little bit lost. Not just by her sudden appearance, but also from the way she answered. For all the years I've known her she has always been very put-together and proper. At this moment, however, she was almost fidgety. "Was there something you wanted?" I asked, not sure what was going on.

Her eyes snapped from the ground, where she was looking all this time, to my face. Then her gaze travelled inside my bunk, possibly at the shut laptop and then back to me. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't realise you were busy. I mean, of course, you were, why else would you be awake so early?", she quietly laughed at that, making me frown. "I'm sorry, I'll leave you to it" she made a move to step away but I didn't let her, my hand gently gripping her wrist.

"I wasn't really. I mean, I was doing work, but I should probably take a break" I released her hand and shut the door behind me, locking it while doing so. "Join me for some tea?"

We started walking towards the kitchen when she spoke again. "But you don't like tea" she seemed to almost talk to herself.

I smiled and motioned for her to take a seat at the island, while I prepared everything. "No, but you do," I said as if it was obvious. "I'm just gonna have some hot chocolate".

I made the tea first and slid the mug to Jemma. We both stayed quiet while I was making the second drink and for a while after it was prepared and we were just sitting there. "Couldn't sleep?" I spoke after a while, breaking the silence.

Jemma took a while to answer. "No, not really".

"Hmm" I took a sip, looking at her. "Something on your mind?" When she still didn't say anything I resumed talking. "You know, when we said that we would talk I meant it. It was just really late and I thought that you'd prefer to talk tomorrow. Or more like, today. You know what I mean"

That drew a burst of small genuine laughter from her and it made me happy. I gave myself a mental pat on the back. She opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by another voice.

"Oh, good. You're both awake. We were just called in for another mission, briefing in 10" May said from the kitchen entrance and then left, probably to wake the others. The door knocks that echoed through the Bus were enough to verify my suspicions.

I turned back to Jemma and saw that she had taken both mugs and placed them in the sink. As she made a move to leave she placed a hand on my shoulder and gently smiled. "Raincheck?"

I smiled back. "Of course"

She left and I still stayed there for a while until I picked up another presence behind me. I didn't even need to look to see that it was May. But when I did, she had an unreadable expression on her face, not that that was uncommon or anything. I sighed. "What?"

"Nothing" she shrugged. "You gonna stay here all day or grace us with your presence in the briefing room?" She, ever so slightly, lifted her eyebrow.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," I said as I got up. "You know, Mel, I preferred it when you didn't say anything" I passed her and she followed.

"Oh please, you missed it". It wasn't even a challenge.

"Yeah, I missed it" I verified. "What the hell happened to call us in? We are always supposed to get a day off after every mission, right?"

"That's what the briefing's for, Skye. We're heading to Pennsylvania"