Chapter Text
Skye couldn't think, couldn't breathe, could barely even feel the pain in her arms. All she could do was hold onto her mother as she watched the life bleed out of her, felt the beating of her pulse slow. In a span of a few short weeks, Daisy Johnson had found her mother and lost her again.
"Hey," a voice said softly behind her. She didn't turn, but she knew the blonde woman was behind her. "Daisy, right?"
Skye knew she should correct her, but for some reason it didn't feel wrong. The woman continued. "Daisy, I'm really sorry about your mother. But we need to get out of here. There's soldiers all over the ship and Whitehall probably has a second who will take charge. We need to find a way out. Can you walk?"
Skye didn't reply.
"It's fine, I'll carry you," the woman said. "Do you need help standing up?"
"I can't leave her," Skye whispered. "Not here. She'll be forgotten."
"She won't be if you make it off the ship alive," the woman promised. "But we need to make it out. It's what she would have wanted."
Skye didn't want to respond to that. "I can't feel my arms." She said instead.
"It looks like you've really damaged them," the woman agreed. "You need to let go, holding her will only make it worse."
"I can't let go."
"You can, Daisy, I promise you can. Do you mind if I take a look? I'm a biologist. Sort of. I know a thing or two about broken bones."
"Go ahead," Skye muttered. She couldn't care less.
The woman knelt down next to her and placed her hands on Skye's arms. This close, Skye realized how stunning the woman was, even covered in dirt and blood. And she was beat up herself, but still trying to help. She was more than just a helpless prisoner.
"You've got a ton of fractures, by the look of it," the woman informed her. "Your powers seem to have an averse effect on your body."
"Yeah, no shit."
"We'll get you help," the woman said confidently. "I have a few friends on the outside, and we can find you some good medical care."
"What are you doing here?" Skye asked, starting to feel curious. Well, more like skeptical. "Internship gone wrong?"
The woman laughed, pulling Skye to her feet. "No, mission gone wrong. Very wrong. I'm a SHIELD agent. That's the-"
"I know what SHIELD is," Skye cut her off, leaning against her. "I'm a SHIELD agent too. Which division do you work in?"
The woman looked surprised. "You work for SHIELD? But you're an inhuman."
"That was a recent development."
"So you weren't trafficked then?" the woman asked. "But what about your mother? Were you separated?"
"A long time ago," Skye whispered. She didn't want to talk to this stranger about Jiaying. "You didn't answer my question. What division are you in? What's your mission?"
"I don't have a division," the woman told her. "I work directly for Fury. And currently, my mission is to find Carol Danvers."
"No it's not, and no you don't," Skye said. She was regretting trusting this woman already. "My mission is to find Carol Danvers. And I work directly for Fury, and I've never met you."
"I've been gone a while," the woman replied easily. "Things may have changed. I've never seen you before either. Are you new?"
"Newer than most," Skye admitted. "But I've never heard about us losing an Avenger before I showed up."
"An Avenger? Like Fury's pet project that never got off the ground?"
"It's off the ground now. Off the planet, you could say."
The woman looked surprised. "And I bet you're the star member."
"Oh, he doesn't know about the powers," Skye replied. "I think Captain America's the star."
"Captain-" the woman cut off. "I've been away way too long."
"How long have you been off-planet?"
"Four years. You?"
"January. Four years?!"
"I told you it's been a while," the woman said. "But I have every intention of getting back some day, so how about we get out of here and you can catch me up on everything that's been going on since I've left?"
"I told you. I can't leave her."
"Daisy, I'm sorry, but I can't carry both of you," the woman insisted.
"I can walk," Skye assured her. "Carry her, and I'll walk."
"Daisy, I don't think that's a good idea."
"My legs are fine."
The woman sighed. "If that's what it takes."
The woman leaned down and pulled Jiaying's body up, tossing her over her shoulder. "So, we probably have quite a few bad guys in between here and wherever they have escape pods. I think our best bet is running."
"My friends are here somewhere," Skye said. "My SHIELD team, and about half a dozen powerful inhumans. We have to find here."
"You couldn't have mentioned that earlier?" The woman asked skeptically. "Who's your team leader?"
"Agent Coulson. Do you know him at least?"
The woman's face brightened. "Coulson. We're saved."
"Who are you anyway?" Skye asked, realizing she didn't know the woman's name, and that she had a burning desire to find out. "Why do you know every high-ranking agent despite being gone for four years?"
"I'm Bobbi Morse," the woman introduced herself, placing her body against the door and listening.
"Wait, I've heard of you," Skye realized. "You're supposed to be dead."
"I'm sure a lot of people want me to be. I have a bad habit of disappointing them."
"Well, I know a few people who won't be disappointed."
"That's a relief," Bobbi said, a pained smile on her face. Then it turned into a frown. "I hear footsteps. Do you have a gun on you?"
"No, I'm an escaped prisoner," Skye pointed out.
"Yeah, same," Bobbi muttered, putting Jiaying's body on the ground. "Well, guess I'll have to do it the old fashioned way."
"The old-" Skye cut off as Bobbi roundhouse kicked the door open, landing in a fighting stance similar to what Skye had seen from either May or Nat. Well, she was sure that's where she'd learned.
Only, Bobbi didn't start a fight with whoever was on the other side of the door. Instead, she only stood and stared, slowly putting her fists down. Eventually, in a small voice, fear and hope mixed in her tone, she said, "Mack?"
Suddenly, the large burly man burst through the doorway, picking Bobbi up and spinning her around, then holding her tight. "You- you were dead," he said.
"Thankfully not," Bobbi laughed. "But I will be if you keep squeezing me so tight."
Mack stepped back but continued holding on. "I swear to god if you ever try to play hero and sacrifice yourself again I will kill you."
"That seems slightly counterproductive," Bobbi pointed out.
"Bobbi, you're alive!" An unfamiliar woman's voice cried out.
"Yes, Darcy, everyone seems to keep mentioning that out today. What the hell are you doing here anyway?"
"Skye!" Simmons cried, noticing her and running past Mack and Bobbi. "Are you alright? Your arms! They're worse then before!"
"Yeah, apparently they're completely fractured," Skye laughed weakly.
"What happened here?" Gordon's voice cut through the room, and Skye turned to where he was standing over Jiaying's limp body.
"Whitehall," Skye told him, and if he had eyes, she knew they would widen. He of all people knew what Jiaying had experienced at the monster's hands.
"And I assume that's him?" Gordon clarified, pointing at Whitehall's body a few feet away.
Skye nodded. "Jiaying did that. Her last act."
"Good," Gordon declared.
"I'm updating Coulson about everything," Alisha announced, her eyes white. "He and May found an office and some intel, and a car, apparently, but nothing useful. They're coming back this way. They want us to find the nav and command center, complete the takeover."
"Takeover?" Skye asked.
"Oh, yeah, you don't know Coulson's new plan yet," Mack told her. "We're staging a coup, taking the ship."
"Well, their leader's dead, so that's have the coup already," Bobbi pointed out. "So, nav and command?"
"Skye should not be walking, or moving at all," Simmons told everyone.
"Skye?" Bobbi asked, confused. "But I thought-"
"I've got you, Tremors," Mack said, walking over and picking her up like she was weightless, carrying her like she was a princess.
"Well this isn't humiliating at all," Skye muttered.
"Thanks, Mack," Simmons said gratefully.
"I will carry Jiaying," Gordon offered, and Skye nodded at him gratefully.
"But, if Jiaying's dead, what does that mean for us?" Joey asked, sounding scared.
"It means we fight even harder," Alisha declared. "Let's take the ship. Let's survive. Find more of us. Continue our mission. It's what Jiaying would have wanted."
The command center turned out to be right down the hall, and they burst in guns blazing, fighting through several guards and mid-level ranked men who didn't stand a chance against the combined force of two Alisha's and a Bobbi. But then they saw Giyera.
"Now how did you escape?" he wondered, but didn't seem to want the answer. Already, two guns were floating in the air next to him.
"What the he-" Bobbi began, but Alisha cut her off, yelling "Duck!" and then there was a woosh of air and the guns were in Yo-Yo's hands. Mack took the order to duck to heart, ducking back behind a table with Skye still in his arms and Simmons and Darcy next to him.
"I hate powers," he muttered.
"Rude!" Yo-yo called.
"Except yours darling!" he called back.
"Darling?" Skye smirked.
"Don't start."
Suddenly, the floor started rumbling beneath them. "Skye! You shouldn't be using your powers!" Simmons cried.
"This isn't me," Skye protested, confused. "What the-" She cut off as the sound of an explosion rang through the air and Mack stood to see what was going on, letting her see as well, just in time to watch the floor crumble beneath Giyera and him fall through the cracks. Everyone watched as the dust settled around them, and Alisha and Yo-yo scrambled away from the large hole in the center of the room.
Then Skye heard the sound of an engine, and then she was convinced she was hallucinating as she watched Coulson and May appear through the hole in what seemed to be a flying bright red corvette.
"Hey guys," Coulson said, his hand on the wheel. "Great coup everyone. Good to see you, Agent Morse."