Bonus Round
The Triskelion
Her appearance was an odd one. She was all of Four foot Eight inches tall, yet muscular, a lot more muscular than any child - male or female - of her apparent age. She looked twelve years old, though she honestly wasn't sure how to calculate that one.
She didn't wear the standard suit of those around her, either. Nor did she dress 'girly'. Much like how she dressed originally around this time, she wore regular pants, t-shirt and a denim jacket. But, half-zipped as it was, combined with the looser fit, just hanging off her frame, it hid that she wore a dual-pistol harness with two SIG compact 9mm pistols, along with two loaded magazines each.
Much like a girl her apparent age on a weekday morning, she had a themed backpack - though this one was Captain America themed, with the Cap's Shield and star taking centre-stage. the side open pockets were stuffed with normal things - a drinking bottle one side, bag of crisps the other. The bag had two large compartments, and a third smaller one. The small carried a set of headphones and her tablet computer, for use on the move, mostly when she's reading or watching movies, though she can and does use it for hacking, since its' got a case and small keyboard she can attach. The middle compartment held her large-ish Laptop, along with a disc reader, various cables neatly wrapped, and a large book between them. The last compartment, was not so normal. Efficiently packed, it contained long rods of malleable explosives (for, you know, just in case), micro timed detonators, micro remote detonators (and remotes), a set of grenades, a cylinder that most wouldn't recognise as a 'Mouse Hole' device,, an extendable rod and two stun pulse wave generator 'grenades', along with some SHIELD specialty devices such as 'lockpicks', flash stun discs, the like. If she ever thought about it, it would have made her feel giddy, having all that hardware, carrying it into SHIELD, while looking like a kid and getting only curious looks of the 'whats a kid doing here' kind. And disappointed in their security checks. okay so that compartment was shielded, but still. they just ran it through an x-ray and 'passed' it, without checking the contents were what they appeared on the scanner.
Her look was completed with her SHIELD Lanyard, though hers was different from every ones in that it only had the SHIELD Logo and the verification hologram covering the contacts on one side, and a black stripe down a long edge on the other side.
That was the only reason why, after the first security checkpoint, she was not stopped.
The Triskelion was a very large facility. There were various annexes dedicated to various roles. To the north, were the vehicle -whole and part - stores, armories, and more. On the D.C. side of the island, were the dedicated carrier drydocks, hidden from view by special hatches. Originally, they were designed for regular carriers, such as the Illiad, only later retrofitted for Helicarriers. On the Virginia side, the storage bays and workshops for cars, and other wheeled/tracked ground vehicles. along the centre, were the Quinjet and other air vehicle hangers and worshops, with Landing pads for the various vehicles between the tall 'spine'-like structure and the Carrier docks.
South of the Triskelion Tower, were the offices for various agency Liaisons. Had she been there during planning, she'd not have sequestered other agencies like that.
Then there was the core facility. The Four/Five-structure tower itself as composed of four columns - a central round column, with three further columns around, all topped by a 'plate' with four floors within. The surrounding columns were, for the most part, housing and offices, while the central column held storage spaces for high-value items (but not too high or dangerous). The 'Plate' was were the offices of the top brass were - the World Security Council, Director and Deputy Director offices, and all Level 9s and some 8s had offices within, those 8s who didn't, had offices in the North Column. Built into the base of the central and north columns, was the Operations facility, the base three floors acting as the secure entry and exit point to the outside world, for regular transport.
Skye's own Security Clearance meant that, should she ask for it, she'd have a large office and housing within the Tower. But she kept up the appearance of being just a kid who happens to have clearance for entry into the Triskelion in general, acting like she was here to meet a guardian. Not unheard of, though a rarity in of itself.
It was meeting one such kid that gave her the idea of doing this on a semi-regular basis. The difference was, a protocol built into her lanyard ensured security scanners 'ignored' her equipment and deleted the records of ever detecting them. The automatically created record for her entry would merely list backpack, computer, books, drink, crisps.
She got into an elevator for entry into the north tower/Operations Facility, and smiled at the suits already in as they called out their destinations. She waited until they all looked at her, winked at them, and spoke, "Floor Forty Two."
They all started to frown at her, then paused as the elevator began to move without acknowledgement. She grinned at them as they realized she was, apparently, authorized for entry to the floor that, normally, is restricted to Level five or above. But, it was not unheard of for kids to be given heavily-restricted access, ignorant of levels but specific to why they're there. Such as to allow a child to get to their guardian's office, or more official capacity, to see some SHIELD agent of whatever sort for whatever reason.
She was glad that no one else boarded as they exited on their floors, one, two and three at a time. When the last left, she held her lanyard to the built-in scanner for override purposes, and confirming it read her badge, spoke, "Priority Override. Floor Fifty-Three. Dismiss call for floor Forty Two."
The top four floors - Fifty one-through-Four, formed the top 'plate'. while Fifty One was mostly plant rooms - water service pipes ran up to the pump rooms on Fifty One, then were pumped to the rest of the entire facility, although there was an intermediate storage tank that could cover eight hours of use with no feed up to the tank, Fifty Two held the Level Eight offices. Fifty-Three, held the Level Nines, while Fifty Four - the top internal floor, held the Directors Office, WSC meeting room, as well as several Level Ten Offices currently unoccupied - well, except for two, but their regular occupants were occupied, additionally, the Deputy Director - regardless of level, but typically nine, enjoyed a roof-top view from Fifty Four. Additionally, with direct access to the Director, Deputy Director, and WSC Meeting room, there was a Helipad, the roof not fully symatrical or flat. And of course, the rest of that floor had a roof that sort of counted as 'Fifty Five'.
She could have called for Fifty Four, but there were systems she daren't trigger there, ones she had no access to.
Instead, she used the service access that, normally was used to get to the roof, though it had access to all floors with the card scanner. That way she got up without being noted by the secure systems pointed at the elevators. Somewhat of a design and security flaw, but then, you'd need a card like hers to get to the areas with the service access points.
She nicknamed it the Jeffries Tubes. using them, she could go almost anywhere - her card get her through secured hatches and the like, and stay off the network that she wanted to be off of, except when she allows.
Entering the Directors office through one such side door, silently, she watched Fury work for a few moments.
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He looked up with a sigh, finishing his 'paper' work as well as his paperwork, and sent off the digital documents like putting the paper hardcopies in an out tray. He didn't look in her direction, nor could he see her, as she stood in his 'blind' side.
"Any particular reason for this visit?"
She tilted her head, curious. Outwardly, she appeared to be a little girl, not getting why, she was being asked that, but really she was wondering at his reaction.
She pulled out her tablet, as she stepped towards the desk in an arc, bringing herself into view before getting closer than he'd like her to without seeing. She shrugged her backpack fully off her shoulders in the same move, and as she stopped at the foot of his desk, lightly dropped it onto the floor and spoke, "I've been having trouble with my homework, Uncle Nick."
He sighed - louder, and much wearier, exhausted. and she thought she heard a mumble of 'why did I' something. She turned the screen on, and then did a finger gesture... and the lights flickered.
"Shadow Protocol active." came a tiny, tinny voice from the tablet.
"Problem?"
"Been exercising my talents, got recruited of sorts into The Rising Tide..." She grinned at his gobsmacked look. After New York, after SHIELD stopped being such a super-secret group, they were just one of several groups of 'hacktivits', though with more success breaking into shield systems. "Anyway, one of them got tapped for a hack into SHIELD. Money changed hands, and now I've got the problem of investigating the group that engaged his services. Calling themselves Centipede. And I might need a bit of support. Or..."
Skye had a plan. When she realized that despite there being no Hydra, (so far as she could tell at least, ever watching out for it), that group still existed - and checking, Garrett is an active Agent along with Ward... though it was odd, Ward's record indicated that he was found guilty on arson, but all other charges dropped and he was never broken out of prison, nor charged as an adult. Both different from, originally. Cybertek doesn't exist, so that brings Garrett as rogue into question. His record is, well, spotless. Though it was his visit to Ward in prison that apparently put Ward on the map - other than that visit, and later becoming his SO, there's no sign, with evidence against, the idea that they knew each other beyond that one meeting.
Some things are different, really different. There's no such person as Whitehall, for instance. Raina, she of the flower dresses, is a nurse at a civilian clinic helping people. Which, is ... weird. With NO suspicious activity. Skye checked, and actually managed to swing checking on her as a routine training Op. The overseeing agent would know that she's a potential, but so far only seems to be such, but since she's not an active threat, well, two birds.
She couldn't presume, she couldn't do, so on, on her own. She needed a team. And she's never wanted to be the leader, though she could do it. Well, with the right team. Too bad the Howling Commandos are dead or retired.
But she needed Fury to put the plan forward, though he would know that that was what she's building to.
"Or?"
"Well, I can't do it alone."
"You want a team. You think anyone would listen to what they presume to be a twelve year old?"
She just smiled a bit, but said nothing.
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Los Angeles Field Office
"Welcome to Level Seven, Agent Ward."
"Uh..."
Skye grinned as she watched the meeting, not sure if this was how it went last time.
"Under People Skills, She drew a, I think it's a... Poop, with knives sticking out of it..."
She laughed out loud at that, thinking Maria Hill was awesome to do that sort of thing in official documents.
She watched as the meeting concluded, yet as Coulson left, she saw that the Doctor who had entered speaking about 'Fitzsimmons', asking if he knew what had happened.
That's something she was going to make different.
She wanted Coulson, because she knew what he was capable of, what was dormant in his head, and this time around, he'd been the one person she'd told the truth to, though conveniently not telling him he'd forget when (if) he died et cetera. Also, she'd worked with him for Tahiti, so she knew all about it, and no, she was not going to keep that from him if/when he brings it up. She wanted May, because she's just badass, and those two have been best friends for years. Ward, because if he's rogue, she wants to see it coming. If not, then yay, though this time around, Ew on a relationship, whichever age to go by. Fitzsimmons are just awesome. But, she'd left the team stuff to Nick... so it looked like everything on that was on track. She didn't want there to be appearance of a heavy hand in picking the team, or to reveal too much. Fury had his cards, she had her own.
Though she had paid attention to the briefing. Her hack, following the trail she'd left behind. Though they'd be surprised when they find the hacker to be a kid.
The problem was the Centipede lab. LA was a bust in terms of 'hooded hero' footage. On the other hand, Mike Peterson was missing, from his hospital bed after an accident at work. It did explode, just no super hero to entice Coulson, though with Fury's nudge, he'd still head for her.
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She didn't have a van - for one, it got trashed by someone who didn't own it in the original timeline, who bought it earlier than she would have from a different one so on and so on - literally, that van with that plate did not match any of the owners between timelines - but she did have an alternate spot.
She sat in the cafe at the very table where she should have met Mike Peterson, laptop out, and coding her 'fall of shield hard drive security' program.
She saw them enter out of the corner of her eye, Coulson - who looked passed her as he looked around, so obviously, not recognising her - and Ward... who looked a little, different. Less sure of himself, somewhat, yet more confident. Odd combination.
Obviously, neither thought she could be their hacker...
Since she was the only one with a laptop in the place, and they were the only official types, in her act, She started to pack up, and managed to 'accidentally' send a worried look at the two agents and pull of a 'trying not to be noticed but failing' act, and the followed her out and onto the street, though keeping their distance.
She put on a panicing act, and looked back at them, then started running. Not at her top speed, no, but what would be for a regular shut-in-nerd.
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The hood came off, and she saw she was... not... in handcuffs. Cool. She felt that there was an agent behind her, though she didn't let that agent know she knew.
She was in the cage on the bus. Not awesome. But as before.
Coulson and Ward entered, and she got a shock. Coulson was smiling in his usual genial way, though more than normal, like he was compensating for her age. Ward, though, he was scowling, why she didn't know. He was, angry...
He took the seat across from her, and looked to be trying to say something, then just blurted out, "Why the hell do you have my Personnel file on your laptop?"
And she just crapped her pants... though not literally. Downside to physically being a twelve year old pre-pubescent.
And normally, she wouldn't have such a file, accessable while it was... turned off.
"W...What?" She squeeked.
She almost hit herself for that, the shock getting to her.
"Ward! Back off!" Coulson commanded, and Ward leant back, but still angry.
And for a moment, she was back in the Hydra base in Colorado, the one HydraLeader!Ward had taken her to after a trip down a Drug-and-alien induced psychopath-lane.
She felt a hand on her shoulder, though it felt like her body was a distance away, and all she could see was a scarred, insane Ward with purple and red eyes.
Then it changed, out of focus, something close, as she heard a distant bang, like that of a bullet and for a moment, she thought she felt the impact of a bullet in her stomach.
Then the object came into focus, close... it was a face, coulson...
At first, she thought she saw blood on his hands as he tried to pet her? no, clean hands... but the blood, where did the blood go?
"It's alright, he's gone..."
Who's gone?
"Look at me, focus on me..."
She tried to shake her head, but that made her dizzy and she almost fell out of the chair.
"You're in shock, easy, easy... We're not going to hurt you..."
"... I... know..." She managed out, though trying to speak made her aware that she was hyperventilating, that and the blackness developing around her sight, and coulson was out of focus and who was stroking her back when she saw coulson's hands were on her shoulder and head and -
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"You just kidnapped her, Phil, of course she was going to be in a panic!"
"She seemed to take it in stride somewhat... I just..."
"Just what?"
"It wasn't the kidnapping that got her. You heard her reply, May. I told her we weren't going to harm her and she said, 'I know'. We didn't set her off..."
May? but it's september?
"Ward... The way he lost his temper?"
Wait, that voice...
"Between that and the bruising Simmons found..."
"You think she was abused."
What? Where the hell did they... wait, bruises? Not... oh.... damn. Well, huh... I guess this can play in my favour, but damnit if it doesn't make it harder when I come clean.
"I... I think she's waking up."
Too late.
"Woke me."
Yeah, I'm tired, so sue me for being short with you guys. and let you guys kidnap me, that was my plan? Sucky plan. And why the hell did I faint?
"Sorry."
She opened her eyes and, yep, she was in the lab, and saw a worried Simmons looking over from one side of the room, while, Agent Awesome and his best friend, Agent Kick Ass - sorry, Agents Coulson and May stood either side of her.
She squinted - the light hurting, and on automatic, called out, "Computer, Reduce lighting to thirty percent."
The lights dimmed, and she blinked as she took in everyone's surprise... oh, she wasn't supposed to know about those controls, yet. Oops.
"So..uh... SHIELD, huh?" She looked around and saw the two cars on an open ramp. "Are we on a plane?"
May took the lead, after a glare at Coulson. "Yes."
Skye looked at her. "May, right?"
Raised eyebrow. Translation: How much did you hear? and What's your name?
"Skye, and uh... Don't be mad at Phil, as far as he could tell, I'm the hacker you guys were going to, uh... arrest..." She scratched her head in thought, "Though I'm grateful for the no cuffs thing. Was it arrest?"
May nodded, as a light in her eyes told me that she knew why I mentioned that as much as what I mentioned. "We'll get to that in a moment. Doctor Simmons found some scarring and bruising..."
To go with, or refute... wait... Centipede did it! Well, it's true for some, like the stom... those are the only scars... She looked down and then at the doctor, and saw the group shift uncomfortably at her own embarrassment.
"I... uh... Cent.." Bang. 'I have my orders.' Bang.
May's there, in my vision as it narrows again.
"Easy, Skye, focus on me, focus on my voice. Take a deep breath, skye, breathe in... and out..."
She followed the agent's lead for a minute, and sighed as she felt calm, and closed her eyes. She knew not practicing her Tai Chi and control would wear on her... but she didn't realise how much it would affect her, those memories, now she was on the Bus.
Maybe it was a bad idea.
"We dont have to-"
"I was shot."
Silence.
Skye gulped, took a deep breathe and tried to steadily exhale as the memory bubbled up again.
"It... It was a while ago. Two shots. Point... Point blank." Focus on May, Focus on May. "The bruising's recent though. Um, well, obviously. Not abuse." Dont look at Coulson, look at May. Focus on May. Calm. Control. Heart rate. May. "They tried to kill me... I was getting too close."
"Who?"
"Centipede..." The group shared a look, and skye realised her eyesight had returned to normal, she had control, for now. "It's a research group, they paid one of my fellow Tide hackers to Hack into SHIELD for information on some guy named Han Chin, or Chan Yin, or something, something to do with Pyrokinesis, whatever that is."
May suddenly seemed harder, and it took Skye a second to realise that May had, let herself feel, to help her regain control. Only now, with mention of powers...
"Anyway It was real, uh, intel, that put a guy in danger. So I followed my supposed friend's breadcrumbs, and put in an order to the Chin guy's SHIELD Liaison to have the guy moved to an off-grid safehouse... Then I went in search of the group, Centipede, to find out just what the hell they are, and why this Chan guy matters when they're supposedly just a think tank researching the insects, centipede. Only, they're not, obviously..."
"Then you got shot."
Thank you coulson for stating the obvious.
"I... I can't go after them on my own."
"And you shouldn't have to, that's our job."
She had to give it to him for leaving such an opening. "Yeah, your job. Yet you guys didn't even know they existed until I mentioned them."
"Skye." May chided.
"Sorry." She looked almost apologetic, but sighed. "I... I can't leave it alone. I tried. I tried to go back into... back to where I was staying, but... they found me. I don't know how."
Which is why Skye went with the team option in the first place, she had honestly tried doing it alone, although the 'back to a foster home' was a lie.
"Where have you been staying?" May asked.
In a SHIELD Safehouse setup by Fury for a Collapse-of-SHIELD worst case scenario, and it's not as big as this room, with no water and no electricity, only useful as a bolt hole, not to work from. "I.. haven't."
-
She felt fit to burst, and it had been only when Simmons had set a plate of food in front of her that she realized how little she'd been eating for months since getting on the case.
Simmons had said she was actually acutely malnourished, and no surprise as a 'run away', and 'living on the street', though that sort of was what happened.
Though she'd also said she had remarkable musculature for her age - though there were signs that she had more muscle at one point and put the loss due to down time during her recovery.
when asked where, she didn't know why, but she answered that some island place called Tahiti, and when Simmons - in the same room as May - repeated the name, she'd added 'It's a Magical Place'... and May had frozen on the spot.
So it was a rather upsetting surprise when May had sequestered the pair after the meal in Skye's new bunk - same as original, though this time she was going to change lots, and add cubby holes - and asked her how she survived.
She struggled to tell the story without, well, revealing truths or telling lies. Just that someone had orders, shot her twice and left for dead, and was found bleeding out, then blacking out and waking up in some medical pod with the SHIELD symbol on it, and being told she'd been to a magical place called tahiti. Only, the way she said it made it sort of clear that she wasn't programmed to respond 'its a magical place' when asked 'tahiti?'
Simmons guessed then that she'd been hurt between a year and half to three years... so Skye told her two and a half, which was when she and Coulson worked the Tahiti project, well, for a short time. Also, from what she'd be on the lookout for, around when Centipede actually started showing up, though the Chitauri stuff was their first 'big break'.
Then May had asked her something she'd wondered about, checked up on, and actually been surprised, pleasantly and not all at the same time, about.
"What about your parents?"
"I... I don't know. I don't know who they are. The people on my birth certificate aren't my parents, they've never even met. I don't know where I come from. That's kind of why I started to..."
"Hack into SHIELD." May finished and Skye nodded.
"Can't even do DNA, because oddly enough, those two are a genetic match. But They've never... welll.. you know." She blushed, thinking about that, and May chuckled a little. "Was... Was that a Laugh"? A raised eyebrow Translation: and what's wrong with me laughing? "Wards' isn't the only file I had. I... when I realised SHIELD had finally tracked me down, well, I thought 'mostly' hence the cafe, I wanted to know who was after me... Ward's scary, and... he reminded me of something, hence that flashback when he..." She gulped, and took a slow shaky breath. "Anyway, I had files on all of you. which is where things get into coincidence territory. The woman who is supposedly but can't physically have ever been my mom? She's sort of a guidance councillor, anyway one of her students who went all dark side... um, well, the whole going dark side happened in a certain place mentioned in your file." Skye rushed the last bit out and bit her lip, seeing the woman lock up. Knowing the reach her hand out thing would be a wrong move, she spoke softly, like May had before, "May, focus on me May, focus on me. I know what you had had to do, but you're not a monster. Okay? okay. We good? good. Good enough for a hug? yeah I know, I had to try. I promise, by this months' end, you'll be Agent Cuddly."
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