Turning Back the Clock

It was the day after Fury came to the Slingshot to scold Coulson for wrecking his prized plane, that May managed to corner Skye in her very small bunk on the military-grade base.

"We need to talk." May said, closing and locking the door. Skye straightens up on her bed, with her laptop still sitting on her legs.

"Is it about Fury? Is he still here? I heard he chewed out Coulson for wrecking the plane." Skye says a bit nervously.

May moves closer, studying the girl in front of her. "What do you know about Coulson?" The words fall before she can silence them. May swallows hard to keep the next set of questions from emerging as she stands in front of Skye, tall, trying to seem intimidating.

Skye sighs, looking up at May and setting her laptop aside. "I know you love SHIELD, you believe in what they do, the good they inspire. I also know that no matter what you tell Fury or the rest of SHIELD, your first loyalty is to the people you believe in, which begin and end with Coulson." Skye chews on her lip for a minute as May waits her out. "Look, he is the best man I know." She says slowly then meets May's eyes. "And despite all the evidence that tells you not to, Coulson deserves to know what happened to him. How long he was really dead for, the drug they used to bring him back."

May glares down at the girl, trying to figure out what to do with her, before finally coming to a decision.

"Come with me." She says and Skye stands up as May turns and unlocks the door. With a few quick taps, Skye shoots out a text and hides her phone into the heavy long left sleeve of her sweatshirt hoodie.

The two women weave their way through the numerous hallways of the Slingshot base until finally arriving at a nondescript office. May opens the door for her and Skye steps inside, slyly tapping away at her phone again before slipping it into her hoodie pocket. May follows, closing and locking the door after her.

Fury stands looking out the large bay window behind the desk and he turns. His entire presence demanding respect and a healthy dose of fear, from the dark wardrobe to the combat boots to the eyepatch and his hardened expression. But Skye doesn't let it get to her.

She takes a deep breath and sits down.

"So, you're Skye." Fury turns to look at her. "The hacker consultant, Coulson brought on."

"That's me." She nods slowly to him. He stares her down, studying her. Just as he opens his mouth Skye cuts him off. "Would you mind waiting just - one more minute? And before you panic-" He and May both stiffen. "I just texted Coulson where I am. He needs to hear this too."

May and Fury exchange a look before she relaxes into a parade rest stance. Fury's dark eyes narrow but he doesn't do or say anything.

Skye pulls out her phone and starts scrolling through her contacts, trying to figure out a game plan of who she needs to see first after this conversation takes place.

It doesn't take long before the doorknob rattles and then a knock comes.

"Skye? What's going on?" Coulson's voice comes through the door.

May slowly unlocks and opens the door. Coulson steps through, confusion and concern plain on his face when he sees Skye sitting down until his eyes meet Fury's. He straightens and his expression goes blank.

"Sir, whatever Skye did-"

"This isn't about what I did, AC it's about what going to happen." Skye interrupts him and he frowns at her.

"So, what is going to happen? Why am I here?" Fury asks her as Coulson stands between his partner and his boss, facing the young hacker.

"Because your secrets have already cost this planet once, and they're about to do it again, this time with much worse results." She tells him.

"What are you talking about?" He asks carefully, watching her.

"Look, there are more people I need to speak to about this and I don't know everything, but you should all know . . . SHIELD has been compromised."

Her three superiors all stiffen at her words.

"But you already know that, or at least you have suspicions about it." Skye tells him, watching him carefully and Fury's eyes narrow at her.

"And what exactly are you basing that on?"

Skye takes a deep breath. "The fact that I'm from the future."

There's silence and Fury's eyes meet first Coulson's then May's, each time exchanging a disbelieving look but Skye plows on ahead.

"The first thing you need to do is stop trusting your World Security Council. They've been compromised too. If you need funding, go to Stark. You know he could afford it even if his massive ego hurts your pride."

"Are you out of your mind?" Fury's voice raises just slightly but Skye doesn't even blink.

"No, but the second thing you're gonna want to do, is move the Iliad to a more secure location until you can have Thor take the Monolith off-world. Third, you need to terminate Project Insight. It's gonna be used against you and you're gonna have Captain America and the Black Widow expose all of SHIELD's dirty little secrets in order to stop it from happening in the first place."

Fury freezes at that and glares down at her with a vengeance Skye has never seen. He takes a threatening step towards her with his mouth open but she interrupts his train of thought.

"Look I get that this sounds crazy, but a week ago it was the year 2016 for me and I had much bigger problems than you. I figure this is my chance at being able to fix everything - and I do mean everything. Project Insight, the Winter Soldier, Stark's Ultron program, Von Strucker and the Maximoff twins, Afterlife, Thor and his stupid war against the Dark Elves over that Aether, even my parents and Coulson's bionic hand. I have a chance to change the world and I'm trying to do that through you."

Fury stares hard at her, trying to determine if she's telling the truth or not and Skye lets out a long breath.

"You want us to believe that you're from the year 2016 and traveled back in time to stop certain events from happening?" May finally spoke up.

"No," Skye tells them. "Because I have no idea how I did it. And I can't give you personal anecdotes about your histories, things that only you three would know because even though you trained me," She turns to May. "And I met your ex-husband, we don't exactly share." May starts at that statement but Skye turns to Coulson. "And I never met Audrey, but I do know you believe in SHIELD enough to know you can never truly have the life you wanted with her." Coulson is stunned at her words as Skye turns back to Fury. "And everything I know about you I read in your SHIELD file. I know that you've been under the World Security Council's thumb for a long time and you're only just now beginning to see where your trust has been taken advantage of."

Skye stares up at Fury for a long moment before he finally asks her, "What are you?"

"That, I'm gonna have to wait til I can speak to everyone about." She says in a resigned tone.

"What do you mean everyone?" May says sharply.

"I mean, once I'm in front of the Avengers, Commander Hill, and you three, I'll answer any and all questions I can about what I know of the future for all of you."

"That's not gonna happen." Fury frowned down at her.

"Listen Pirate," Skye stood up angrily. "This," she circles her finger to the four of them, "was just a courtesy call. There are other people I have to talk to, other things I need to research in depth before I actually attempt to change anything, but I would appreciate any support you could give. I'm not gonna beg and I'm certainly not gonna share what info I do have with you, if you decide to be a jackass about this."

"Skye-" May starts but the girl in question shakes her head.

"No, May. If you guys want my help against the enemies of your future, you're gonna have to let go of the TAHITI program's secret and let the Avengers know Coulson is alive so I can tell you everything I know."

Fury and May stare at her for a long moment as Coulson turns to his boss.

"The TAHITI Program, sir?" He asks accusingly. Fury sighs before turning to one of the few people he trusts.

"You died, Phil. You were dead for eight days, before you were brought back to life." He tells him bluntly.

"How?" Coulson questions shocked.

"There's a medical facility called the Guest House that contains an alien corpse. It was experimented on and the bodily fluids were drained to create drugs that had full cellular regenerative properties including one called GH-325." Skye answers for Fury and he glares at her while Coulson and May both look stunned at the information she was revealing. "You actually led an experimental program, TAHITI, where they tested the GH-325 on six different SHIELD agents with terminal illnesses." She tells Coulson. "The drug healed them completely, but it also implanted fragments of genetic memories of the alien host onto the patients' brains. That caused them to deteriorate mentally resulting in them displaying hypergraphia, aphasia, catatonia, or just complete psychosis - and they couldn't stop drawing symbols. So you used a Memory Overwriting Machine to scrub their brains and give them new lives. And even though it was your recommendation to terminate the project, Fury used it to bring you back to life, including wiping your memories of your role in Project TAHITI and giving you new pleasant memories because, the procedures themselves, were traumatic. They had to keep you conscious on the table while they rewrote your memories. It was so painful that, you kept begging them to let you die." Skye finished quietly.

"Stop." May said in a tense voice and Skye couldn't help looking apologetically to her.

"Tell him." Skye urged May and the older woman stared down the young hacker.

"Tell me what? What else is there?" Coulson asks weakly.

Fury takes a breath and steps in. "Because of the noted side effects of the drugs, I went to May first and asked her to evaluate what was needed and gave me the assessment."

"I gave him the parameters that you needed for your unit." May said with a deceptive calm to her tone.

"Someone who could repair your body, a technician who could reprogram your brain, and a specialist to help her put you down if it had to be done." Skye said softly.

"Coulson-"

"Don't!" Coulson fought not to raise his voice as his mind started to race. "I need a minute." He circled around the three others and paced against the far wall.

After a few long moments, Skye stepped forward.

"Coulson, look at me, I need you to listen."

"Why should I?" He asked pausing in his steps but not quite looking at her.

"Because even though you barely know me, I know you. You're strong and idealistic and want to save the world. You look at people and see the light and the darkness, the good and the bad decisions they've made - and still, every single time, you choose to focus on the good in them, on their potential to be good, and you inspire others to do the same! That's why Fury brought you back. It's why May is here supporting you while you lead an elite team to take on the rest of the world, to save the individuals living in it. You don't have to like what they did, you can even hate them a little, but you do have to work with them. Take your time to come to terms with what's happened, but eventually you will forgive them."

Everyone stares at the hacker in shock and a little bit of awe, and Skye self-consciously tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, her eyes darting around her.

"Am I really that predictable?" Coulson asks to break the ice and she smiles wryly at him.

"Only to those who know you." She answers. "Including the Avengers." She says pointedly to Fury and he sighs. 

"Alright. I'll try to collect the team within the next few weeks so we can all meet. In the meantime I will need something from you."

Skye nodded to him, sliding two fingers into her bra and taking out a microchip, offering it to him. "Since I got back, I began compiling as much information as I could about what I know. This is a list of people you cannot trust. At the top of that list is Gideon Malick, Senator Alexander Pierce, your own prized STRIKE team, and the majority of your level 8, 9, and 10 agents."

"Seriously? That many?" May breathed.

"If they're not SHIELD, what are they?" Coulson asked.

"HYDRA." Skye said disgustedly. "Their organization has been around much longer than WWII. And after the Red Skull fell, Arnim Zola took up his mantle and when he was recruited to the S.S.R. under Operation: Paperclip, he began working at infiltrating SHIELD when Peggy Carter and Howard Stark founded it. They've been among us this whole time."

Fury let out a low breath. "I've had my suspicions since the Battle of New York, but I never imagined . . . Malick and Pierce have both been on my ass about different issues. I just thought-"

"You can't trust them. Pierce has worked with Zola from the very beginning on Project Insight and Malick knows the origin and true history of HYDRA - most of which have to do with that Monolith on the Iliad. There are other current heads of HYDRA that are on that list and I dug up as much dirt as I can so that you can put them in a cell, or at least enough to release on the dark web and have others bury them in the ground for it." She said with such contempt it shocked May, Fury and Coulson.

"You're still holding back." Coulson noticed and Skye nodded slowly to her.

"There are still things I have to explain, other projects you need to be aware of that I can't talk about right now. But you should know," Skye turns to her team leader and old S.O. "You can't trust Ward."

"He's HYDRA?" May asked surprised. Skye hesitated.

"John Garrett is and he saved Ward's life and gave him training and a purpose. Ward thinks he owes Garrett for that. He's loyal to Garrett, through and through."

"If SHIELD fell during your timeline because of these people, I need to strengthen our core facilities with those I trust." Fury thought out loud.

Skye nodded pointing at the microchip she gave him. "That list will get you started. I also put a team of mercenaries on there that have ties to SHIELD that you can use to check up on your other operations and start rooting out traitors. I'd start with your East African headquarters and the Treehouse. Those two locations fell easily when Hydra came out into the open the first time around. Hopefully if you start early in getting rid of the double agents, we'll have a better chance exposing them and keeping SHIELD in a position of power."

"What happened to SHIELD when HYDRA revealed themselves?" Coulson asked and Skye looked disappointedly at the ground before meeting his gaze again.

"It was completely destabilized. The government declared us a terrorist organization and those that were left, they tried hunting down. Everyone thought you were dead," Skye tells Fury and he doesn't look surprised. "HYDRA has the Winter Soldier in their arsenal and what's worse it's someone that we know, someone that Captain America knows. Pierce sent him after you, and you faked your death. Helped the Captain and Black Widow and their friend load all of HYDRA and SHIELD's secrets onto the web and destroyed Project Insight's helicarriers. Then you came for Coulson. Gave him your toolbox and told him to start over. Be the new director of SHIELD and recreate it from the ground up in one of your secret bases."

"Coulson, the director?" May can't help smiling. Skye turned to her.

"You lost his trust for a while when he figured out you knew about the TAHITI Project and didn't tell him. But you earned it back eventually and you've always been his right hand. Just like Coulson is your right eye." She said to Fury.

They were all silent for a moment, Skye moving her hair behind her ear self-consciously before Fury stepped up to her.

"Thank you." He told her and Skye stared at him, stunned at the words that just crossed his lips. "With your help, we'll be able to root out HYDRA and expose their evils to the world."

"The right way." She says and he smiles wryly at her.

"You're just like Coulson."

"He's the only real father figure I've ever had in my life." She turned to Coulson. "You were the first one to ever care about me for me and not just for my skills." Skye admits.

Fury turns away thinking out loud. "Well, I'm going to start putting plans together. I'll speak with Stark, make sure he can-"

Skye put a hand to her head, her vision swimming as a pressure seemed to appear and increase inside her temple. She could hear voices speaking, only getting snippets and flashes as, even with her eyes closed, colors and figures began to appear forming awful scenes inside her mind - most of them were of her looking pale and sickly, acting against her team. The last one always lingered in her mind, Lincoln's voice weakly cutting off at the last word.

"Skye. Skye!" May grabbed her shoulder shaking her and the younger girl swayed in her spot as she opened her eyes, the scenes disappearing.

Fury looked down at her concern lining his features and Coulson leaned down, trying to draw Skye's unfocused gaze to his own.

"Sorry." Skye shook her head, "I, uh. I've been having weird dreams since I got back. I think they're visions of what would have happened if I hadn't traveled through time. Except now they're manifesting during the day. That's not pleasant." Skye couldn't help wincing at the current headache.

"Are you okay?" Coulson asked.

"Yeah, I should be okay. I think it might just be a side effect of traveling through time, that or just the aftermath of that damn Monolith affecting me."

"Wait a second, that alien rock - Monolith or whatever - is what you used to travel through time?" Fury asked curiously and Skye looked up, alarmed at his eager tone.

"No, but the way it reacted to me-" Skye sighed heavily. "Look I've barely touched on just a few of the things that we need to talk about. That Monolith currently on the Iliad is one of them. But you cannot go near it, do you understand me?" Skye told him as a warning. "It's too dangerous and this is one of the times that I need you to actually listen to what I'm telling you and not experiment on it, touch it, or open the damn cage to that rock! Wait til Thor gets here, I'll explain everything you want to know then. Okay?"

He, Coulson, and May glanced at each other in surprise but the Director nodded to Skye. "Alright, we won't touch it. We'll move the Iliad to a more secure location."

Skye heaved a breath in relief, still rubbing her forehead because of the irritating headache. "I need some time off between cases. Possibly now, there's a couple people I need to see before I can talk to Thor. I need more information, stuff that I can't find on the dark web or hacking into different secure systems."

"When?" Fury asks her and she contemplates for a moment.

"The plane won't be fixed for at least another week or so." She muttered to herself before she turned to May and Coulson. "Do you guys mind if I take off for a few days?"

Fury's eyes met first Coulson's and then May's, a silent conversation occurring between the three before he gave Coulson a barely-there nod. "As long as you check in regularly." He told her.

"Great." Skye seemed to disappear into her own head again, thinking quickly of the visions she'd been having and the dreams of the terrifying future she would've participated in if she hadn't traveled back. The people she'd met and who knew what, was crucial to explaining what she knew about Maveth and the Monolith as well as that dreaded whisper, "HIVE."

"I'm gonna get some of my things together and then would you mind dropping me off in the Badlands of South Dakota?" Skye asked Fury.

"Sure." He answered slowly, watching her with sharp eyes as she retreated back into her thoughts. "Who are you gonna visit?"

She shoots him a mischievous grin. "We're on a need-to-know basis right now, sir - and right now, you don't need to know." He can't help huffing in frustration and Skye outright laughs at that. "Sucks not to have all the information, doesn't it?" She asks and he rolls his eyes, cocking one eyebrow at her. She schools her face into a serious expression before explaining her plans. "The BUS is going to take at least another ten days to get running again. I'll be back in six."

"Don't you need some form of transportation?" May asks and Skye shakes her head.

"No, I've got a friend who is good at getting places quickly." The three of them each gave her a look and Skye rolled her eyes. "It's not illegal, I swear."

"Alright. Go ahead and pack. Meet me back here tomorrow and I'll take you myself." Fury told her and she nodded quickly leaving the office.

There was a silence for a moment before Coulson turned to Fury. "You believe everything she's told us?" He asked the Director and Fury nodded.

"Yes. As strange as she is, I think she's on our side. I also think she's not entirely human."

"Sir?" May asked trying to keep the anxiety from her voice.

"The way she was speaking about the Monolith we keep on the Iliad - how it reacted to her when she traveled back through time and wanting Thor to take it off world. Her knowledge of the alien drug and medical procedures we used to bring you back to life." He nodded to Coulson "Whatever extra abilities or powers she keeps alluding to . . ."

"You think they're alien in nature?" She asked.

"Possibly." Fury confirmed quietly.

"So, how do you want to deal with her demands?" Coulson changed the topic quickly.

"I'm gonna place a tracker and a bug on her when I drop her off in South Dakota. Just because I believe her, doesn't mean I trust her . . . and I really don't like her calling the shots." Fury admitted.

May couldn't help but smirk at him. "You really do hate not having all the information."

"I hate that she's so smug about it." Fury growled lowly, then sighed. "Alright, you two are dismissed."

"Yes, sir." Coulson said hiding his grin and he and May proceeded to leave, heading down the hall together.

It only takes a few moments for May to address the real matter at hand. "For what it's worth, Phil," She begins staring straight ahead while her partner peeks at her from his peripheral vision, "I'm sorry that we didn't tell you the truth." It's subtle but she can feel him stiffen as they walk down the hallway together. "When Fury came to me told me what he had done, my immediate reaction was to follow orders. But I didn't do it for Fury, I did it for you, Phil. To protect you, I-" She swallowed hard glancing away for a vulnerable minute. "You mean a lot to me - a lot." She turned her head towards him, still not completely looking at him even though she could feel his gaze on hers. "To hear you were dead . . ." Her voice cracked and Phil reached out, grabbing her by the wrist and swinging her around, pulling her into a hug.

She was stunned for a moment before allowing herself to relish that one long moment. Then she cleared her throat loudly and pulled away, her mask easily slipping back onto her face.

"I'm not gonna pretend to understand what it was like for you, hearing I was dead and then having Fury come to you about creating a team for me." Coulson practically whispered to her. "But I am pissed. I probably will be for a while. However, I'm glad I found out now, rather than later, otherwise I'm sure I would've come to resent you for keeping secrets from me for so long."

May gave him just the tiniest of smiles before they continued back on their way to their respective rooms.

Skye, on the other hand, was packing her bags, and - after having swept her room for bugs she suspected Ward might have planted - was talking on the phone with someone she hadn't spoken to in years.

"Scott, hand the phone to Kurt." Skye says frustratedly. "Just do it."

"No! That means you need to use his powers to get around!" Scott Summers argued.

"Of course I do! But it also means that I want to see my friend, whom I haven't seen in three years." Skye sits down on the bed.

"Fine, fine! But I have to tell the Professor." Scott sighs.

"I know. I just want him for a week. Five, six days tops." She tells him and he's silent, waiting for her to elaborate while he walks the hallways looking for his blue friend. "Scott, something happened. Something totally and completely bizarre that I need the Professor for."

"Skye-"

"Look, you're my soul mate and my best friend, Scott, but this is beyond even you. Only the Professor can help me work through this and even then, I might not be able to tell you everything."

"You mean you won't want to." Scott says as he turns into the kitchen and finds the person in question.

"Scotty, you are one of the most stubborn, judgmental, and pig-headed person I know, and I love you, but this is too big." Scott blew out a low breath before he nodded  to himself.

"Fine, I'll just ask the Professor later. Hey Kurt! Skye's on the phone for you!"

"No way! Really? Awesome!" The furry blue man bounded over happily to Scott and the phone was handed off.

Scott frowned as Kurt begins to talk at hyper speed towards the girl with his words circling her right ankle. He'd always regretted how he'd handled Skye. She'd finally ran away from the foster system because of him. But he was grateful that they'd built their friendship back up without any hard feelings. 

Badlands of South Dakota

The next day, Skye was walking down the ramp of the quinjet Fury was flying. "So, I guess you'll be back in-"

"Six days." Skye finished for Fury. She met his dark gaze evenly. "I know you probably placed a tracker somewhere on my bag or person, but I'm going to deactivate it and the other one." She mentioned but the Director of SHIELD didn't flinch. "I said that I'd tell you guys everything eventually, and I will. But you will have to trust me - despite your instincts that are telling you not to." She closed her eyes as her headache suddenly came back in full force and more images flooded her mind, voices echoing in her ear. Skye gasped in pain as Fury moved forward.

"Breathe." He murmured in her ear as he grabbed her by the arm firmly holding her in place as she looked ready to collapse.

It took a while for the future scenes to clear her mind this time and Skye sighed in relief, rubbing at her forehead, before glancing up at Nick Fury.

"New York, a northeast province of China, Hong Kong, Delaware - I think - and Texas." She named the locations she was going to visit quietly to him. "That's where I'm going to be for the next six days." She slowly pulled away from his grip and he nodded slowly.

"Alright. Just call and check in regularly with Coulson or May." She nodded to him and then quickly left.

As she walked she gently reached out with her senses, locating the tracker and the bug easily within her bag and phone, flooding them with the right vibrational frequency to destroy them. It took her a while to find him and when she arrived outside the misshapen electrical fence his voice came out of the loudspeaker built next to the door.

"I don't know who you are girlie, but I'd keep walking if I was you." The Australian drawled. Skye just rolled her eyes and opened the unlocked door. She immediately reached out with her senses, finding the land-mines she knew were planted all over the small desert yard, and carefully making her way to the trailer.

The man in question stepped out of his trailer with a rifle in his hands, his long hair swept back behind his ears and his leather jacket impractical in the heat.

"My name is Skye, I'm just here to talk, James. I know you don't know me, but I am Jiaying's daughter."

"Jiaying has a daughter?" James was astounded. "Since when?"

"Since twenty-five years ago." Skye told him evenly. "She didn't send me but I wanted to learn about Inhuman history and I understand you would know more than most."

"Ah, you want to know about our first descendants." James assumed.

"More importantly, I want to know about Alveus, and the Kree device you stole." Skye remembered the name from her future vision and James blinked in surprise at that.

He narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously for a long moment before setting his rifle down and gesturing her inside.

"Alright then, come on, we don't have all day." He opened the door and let her in first.

"No, we most certainly do not." Skye muttered to herself.

New York

They appeared in a flash of blue smoke that had Skye coughing despite her previous experiences with the mutant in front of her.

"You've been . . . you've been getting better." Skye had to clear her throat at the taste and burn.

"I haven't tried crossing oceans yet, but for you I would." Kurt beamed at her and Skye couldn't help returning his smile.

"Thanks, Kurt."

"I suppose you would like to see the Professor." Skye nodded, taking note that Kurt's accent was not as heavy as it had been before.

Together Skye and Kurt crossed the large green lawn, walking up the steps of the mansion and heading inside. A few kids ran through the hallways as Kurt explained some of the changes and improvements they'd done to the mansion.

Skye, meet me in my office, please. The hacker had to fight not to flinch at the foreign thought projected into her mind.

Kurt paused, cocking his head as if listening to something and nodded. "The Professor just contacted me, he mentioned I was needed in the kitchen. Meet you there after your meeting for dinner?" Skye nodded and he immediately teleported elsewhere.

Skye hurried through the busy hallways, greeting a few of the older students and teachers before reaching Professor Xavier's office. She pushed through the doors, automatically running into a chiseled hard chest covered in a white wife-beater tank. Recognizing him from his scent and muscles alone, Skye smiled and wrapped her arms around the animalistic man in front of her.

"Hi Logan, it's been a while." She murmured and she felt him stiffen, hesitating before his arms tightened around her giving her a nice squeeze before pulling away.

"Hey kid, long time no see." Logan stood with his jacket and motorcycle gloves in his hands.

"You taking off?" Skye asked a little disappointed and Logan shook his head.

"Just getting back actually. Took a little trip, picked up an interesting piece of cargo I thought the Professor would like."

Skye laughed. "Don't tell me you recruited someone?" Logan shrugged.

"A young girl I met. She ran away from her foster home and Mystique actually found her, took her to the Brotherhood but it wasn't working out. She left and I found her instead."

"She's a mutant with extraordinary abilities." Professor Xavier rolled forward. Skye turned to him with a smile and knelt down next to his special wheelchair to hug him warmly.

"I'll, uh, leave you guys for a moment." Logan said lowly and Skye pulled away smiling at the Professor. She crossed to one of the couches in the middle of the room and the Professor wheeled over after her.

"So, uh, a lot has happened since I've seen you last, and I need your help sorting out everything in my head. It's a lot - too much, actually and only you can help me." Skye told him in a stressed tone.

"Alright, my dear. Don't worry, everything will be alright." He leant over and pressed his fingers to her temple. "Just calm down, and relax. Allow me to see what's going on in there that has you so worried and confused." Skye did as he said, sighing deeply before closing her eyes and trying to destress from the last week alone.

It didn't take long for the Professor to gently prod her consciousness but when she let him in, the images and visions and emotions and power within her flooded to the forefront and he nearly fell out of his chair at the sheer amount of memories that were overwhelming them both.

Alright, Skye. His voice was clear in her mind. Slow down your thoughts, put your memories in order for me, I'm a little unprepared here.

Skye breathed deeply before letting him guide her through the process. It took the Professor, nearly half an hour to realize that he was rolling through her memories of a completely separate timeline. That is, until he saw her in traumatic life-threatening situations, her first in a hyperbaric chamber, barely surviving two gunshots to the gut, her second in a cocoon with her partner dying underground, and her third in a HYDRA castle trying and nearly failing to rescue her teammates from another world. When he saw her travel through time, wake up back in her car and her second surrogate father and traitorous teammate take her to what had become a second home to her, he nearly pulled out of her mind entirely at his shock. Instead, he pressed closer, watching her understand what had happened, what the knowledge of the next three years was doing to her, the choices she was making, how alone and guilty and grief-stricken she felt. The visions of the future if she hadn't left, hit them both hard bringing only terror she'd betray her team and Lincoln again as well as the fear of what was to come. Finally he saw what she had planned for the next week and where she planned to go, the things she needed to learn and who she needed to see and the weight of that pressed down on the both of them as she knew whatever was coming, whatever she changed would have good and bad consequences.

The Professor and Skye both opened their eyes at the same time and he reached forward, pulling her off the couch so she was kneeling on the ground and wound his arms around her tightly.

"I'm so sorry for the things you've had go through, Skye. I wished you'd contacted me sooner. I've come across Jiaying in the past and I could have sent you to her so you could learn from her, allow you both to grow your relationship. I would like to help you change the future, and I know how terrible the ramifications could be, but I know you can help make our world a better place with your knowledge." The Professor murmured in her ear.

Skye couldn't hold back the tears anymore. "Thank you, thank you!"

She broke down, sobbing into his shoulder as everything seemed to crash down on her. All the choices and decisions she was making, everything that was at stake, people's lives she could save or kill. Having all of this on her shoulders seemed impossible but she wanted to try anyway and the Professor was going to help her. Charles Xavier wanted to help her.

When she could finally wipe away her tears, she pulled away slowly and looked up at him. "So, who do we see first?" She asked hopefully.

Afterlife

Kurt had to make multiple jumps just to get there, but with some great descriptions and Google Earth images as well as rest in between jumps, he managed to land himself, Skye, and Professor Xavier, right in the middle of the patio square of her mother's community of Inhumans in the late night time zone of Eastern China.

There was no alarm, no food lights that went off at their sudden appearance, but a familiar figure apparated right in front of them. A familiar man with skin grown over his eyes and a trench coat.

"Who are you? How did you get here?" He asked harshly as he strode forward towards the three.

"I'm sorry we disturbed you, Gordon but we need to see Jiaying." The Professor spoke calmly and slowly to him.

Gordon stopped up short, recognizing the bald man in the wheelchair as well as recognizing the familiar sense of the young Inhuman woman in front of him.

"Professor, I wish you'd called ahead." Gordon said evenly, tilting his head towards the younger woman and man in front of him.

"Gordon, this is Kurt, one of my charges and Skye. She has been looking for her mother and father for a long time and recently came into some information that led us here. I believe her birth name is Daisy Johnson."

Gordon froze at that name and Jiaying, a tall woman with her hair braided away from her scarred face, stepped out of the shadows. "Gordon?" Her eyes never left Skye's as she stepped up next to him.

"She is Inhuman, that much I do know." He murmured to her.

"My father was Calvin Johnson, but now he uses the last name Zebo." Skye spoke up. "You and he lived together in the Hunan province of China twenty-five years ago until a group of men led by a man named Whitehall destroyed it and kidnapped you. He'd seen you before in the 50s before Peggy Carter rescued you, and you hadn't aged a day." Skye said staring at her mother. "Whitehall did awful things to you but Cal stitched you up and he vowed he would never stop looking for me, to put his family back together, while you focused on creating a new family for yourself - a community of Inhumans."

"Daisy?" Jiaying was crying silently, tears running down her face. "When were you born?"

"July 2nd, 1988. Dad helped you give birth to me in your own home because the car wouldn't start." Skye said with a small smile and Jiaying let out a sob as she rushed forward, scooping Skye into her arms.

"Oh my God." The two women clung to each other. "It's really you!" She pulled away slowly, her hands running over her daughter's face and shoulders. "How - how is this possible?"

"It's a long story," Skye sighed.

"But I think it can wait," Professor Xavier said with a smile. "Gordon, would you be willing to take Skye and Kurt to any available rooms you might have? I want to speak with Jiaying before I get some rest as well."

Gordon waited for Jiaying to nod her approval before doing as suggested. "Of course, why don't you two follow me." He gestured to Skye and Kurt and they slowly followed the eyeless man. Skye stared back over her shoulder at her mother who couldn't take her eyes off her daughter.

Jiaying turned to the wheelchair-bound man and gestured for him. "Come, we can talk in my office." When they were settled, she met his gaze evenly. "I remember the last time we were in the same room together, you tried to invade my mind and correct what my husband had done."

"There were so many scars, Jiaying, physically and mentally. Calvin and Whitehall had both done such damage to your psyche and you asked for my help, you just didn't like what I suspected the end result would be." The older woman sighed looking down into her lap.

"You are right." She admitted, "Over the years I've recognized that something inside me has changed. Whatever humanity I had before Whitehall dissected me has clearly left but . . ."

"I don't think it ever really left, but your daughter might just be the cure for that." The Professor spoke softly and she looked up at him, her eyes damp again.

"You have given me the most precious gift. You have given me back my daughter." She said in a watery voice.

"Jiaying, Skye has been through an enormous ordeal. When she came to me yesterday, she allowed me into her mind and showed me her memories and they astonished me. She did give me permission to show you what has happened and . . . what will happen."

She leaned forward, closing her eyes as the Professor reached out and put his fingers to her temple. "Keep in mind, Jiaying, that no matter what you see right now, Skye has vowed that she will change the future and protect not just Inhumans, but the world at large from themselves."

Jiaying frowned in thought but nodded. The Professor closed his eyes and together they leapt into the timeline Skye had lived through.

It took nearly an hour for Jiaying to make sense of everything she'd seen but she felt the horror slowly creeping up on her of what Skye had lived through, of the original Inhuman HIVE - Alveus - to come. She looked up at her old friend stricken.

"How do we stop this?" She asked him and he looked at her solemnly.

"Slowly and step-by-step, Jiaying. But first, I think you know." She shook her head in resignation before sighing deeply.

"Alright, Charles. I'll let you in my head. I just don't think you'll find what you're looking for."

"You think you lost your humanity when you woke up to your husband telling you your daughter was gone and Whitehall had your new life ahead of him. But I believe you're wrong. I think the amount of trauma you've experienced to your body and abilities, you've grown dispassionate about humans in general. And that can be very dangerous. Believe me, I know. You are a cold and calculating and ruthless leader over the years, but . . . who you are at your core, that woman I met years ago who was so young and idealistic and compassionate is still in there. Just let me unlock her." The Professor said quietly and she nodded to him.

"We'll do this your way, and then you have to promise me, when you come across Cal, make him forget. He's been ruled too long by his serum-addled brain. His obsession and love will never allow him to stop interfering in whatever plans you and my daughter have made. Give him a new life." Jiaying pleaded and the Professor nodded to her with a small smile.

"I will."

Hong Kong

The next two days were long ones for Skye since her mother had unlocked all Inhuman records and history - Skye had spent an entire day and a half researching Alveus, the monolith and Inhuman's history with HYDRA. By the time she felt she'd learned all she could, Gordon took Skye, Jiaying, and the Professor after an early dinner on her second day at Afterlife to where the woman who dressed in flowers would be.

Raina's powers might not have been activated yet but Gordon could still sense his own kind among the swarming humans of the busy city. Without any direction from Skye, he led them to the medical facility Skye knew they were trying to perfect the Centipede serum. They only had to wait for half an hour at a coffee shop down the street before they saw Raina leaving the facility. Gordon let her disappear down the street and waited another five minutes before he nodded to Jiaying.

"You have her position?" The older woman asked and he nodded. They left and turned into an alley so that Gordon could take them to her apartment. They appeared in seconds and Skye moved forward to knock on the door but Jiaying grabbed her shoulder to stop her.

"Skye, I know this is your plan, but your mother is more experienced in recruiting Inhumans to her community. It might be better for her to take the lead on this." The Professor said evenly and Skye sighed, recognizing he was right. She gestured to Jiaying and her mother stepped forward, knocking on the door.

They could hear shuffling from the other side of the door, before it swung open. "Yes?" The petite woman with curly dark hair and large almond eyes asked looking curiously at the strange group of people in front of her.

"Hello Raina, my name is Jiaying and I understand you know my husband, Cal?"

Raina froze at her words staring in a mixture of awe and fear at the woman in front of her. "You are like me." She said excitedly.

Jiaying gave her a small smile. "Yes. I only recently learned of your ancestry and understand that you are an Inhuman. Would you be willing to come with us, to our community and learn about our history and heritage?"

"Yes, of course." Raina gushed then stopped abruptly. "It's just, I'm in the middle of a project-"

"A project that is trying to immerse impossible chemistry into humans," Jiaying stared down at her. "Something I'm sure you've seen with my husband." She scolded.

Raina looked down at her feet as if in shame but Skye could see it was just another ploy to seem meek and willing. Jiaying could see it too but she didn't say anything.

"He found me years ago on the streets, fed me, clothed me, gave my life meaning. He told me the stories my grandmother used to tell me were real and that he'd help me achieve all that I hoped for if I helped him find his-your daughter." Raina corrected herself quietly.

"And I have found her." Jiaying gestured to Skye and Raina's eyes widened. "We would like a proper reunion so Daisy can meet her father, but we don't know where he is. Can you help us?"

"Yes, of course." Raina agreed quickly. "If you give me a few days, I can wrap up my life here, make sure no one comes looking for me. The people employing me are very-"

"Cruel." Skye spoke up, trying not to glare at the woman in the flower dress.

Raina eyed her before glancing finally at the wheelchair-bound man as well as the man with skin grown over his eyes. "They can be yes. Discovery requires experimentation."

Jiaying froze at those words from her most devastating memory and glared down at the young woman in front of her. "Do not ever say that again. Do you understand me, Raina?" She said in an icy tone and Raina looked surprised at her.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you."

"The man who speaks those words like his religion, Daniel Whitehall, is a madman." Skye told Raina harshly. "He cut up my mother, dissected her and stole her youth. He's the man my father has vowed to kill and you willingly work for him."

"No, no!" Raina tried to reassure them. "I work for the Clairvoyant."

"No, Raina. His abilities aren't real. He's a double agent within SHIELD who has unlimited resources at his disposal to see everything he needs to see. He's dying and he thinks if he uses you and that redheaded doctor to create a super-soldier serum, it will cure him and make him invulnerable to practically everything. He's just one cog in the machine of the organization that Whitehall works for." Skye told her.

Raina blinked in shock at the amount of information Skye was giving her and the Professor wheeled up and gripped Skye's hand tightly. She visibly relaxed before stepping forward and grabbing Raina's hands in hers.

"Raina, listen to me." She looked up at the hacker. "You grew up on the streets, you've had to learn how to survive - how to numb yourself to others' pain just so you can live another day. You manipulate those around you to find the impossible, to see miracles and evolution, but you're doing it the wrong way. You might pretend at work, but you aren't sadistic. Let us help you. Not because you want be special and have powers. Let us help you because you want better for yourself, because you want to be better in life. I'm not gonna lie, you have a very long and hard road ahead of you. But I think you'll actually be happy in the end, with yourself and with who you become."

Raina stared at the young woman in front of her. "Really?" She asked in a small voice and Skye nodded.

"Yes."

"Thank you." Raina said with tears in her eyes. She launched herself into Skye's arms and hugged her tightly. Skye was taken aback but relieved that Raina was on board.

Delaware

The next morning, after listening to Raina's specific directions, Gordon teleported himself, Jiaying, Skye and the Professor to a small town in Delaware. This time, Jiaying would go in alone, with the Professor out of sight, but on standby.

Jiaying and the Professor entered the small open loft with little fanfare but Cal was on his feet escorting his client to the door as he wiped blood off his hands with a rag. The Professor stopped short and hid outside the doorway while Jiaying stepped through. Cal froze when he saw his wife and his face lost all solemnity and he beamed at her.

"My love, you're-you're here." He stammered as she stepped into the room.

"Cal, Raina found her." Jiaying cut straight to the point, returning his smile but with a sad tinge to it. "She found our Daisy." Cal looked shocked.

"Then where are they? Why aren't they here?"

"Because, the last time we were together - you were dangerous, Cal." She told him. "I didn't want to risk Daisy's safety in case you were still using that serum you created."

"That old thing?" He said nonchalantly, but his wife shook her head at him.

"Cal!" She said warningly and he hung his head.

"I'm sorry, Jiaying, but I promised you that I'd put our family back together. I wasn't strong enough to protect my family! But with that serum, I am!" He was working himself up. "I can do things that no one else can do! I can protect Daisy and I can protect you! I would never hurt Daisy! Never!"

Charles. Came the thought and her counterpart wheeled into the room.

"Calvin, you need to calm down." Xavier spoke evenly and Cal whipped around.

"You!" He sneered at the older bald man. "I remember you! You tried to wipe my mind, last time! You made me forget my formulas! I had to start all over!" He started to rush the mutant but Gordon was there in a flash. He hugged the desperate father to his chest and forced him to his knees in front of the Professor.

"No! No! I want to see my daughter! Let me see my daughter!" Calvin cried as Xavier reached out, but he paused.

Please, Professor. Let me meet with him, I can make him see reason. Skye's voice echoed in the Professor's mind and he sighed.

Alright then, Skye. Quickly.

Skye came rushing through the door. "Dad!" She blurted out and Calvin froze in Gordon's grip.

"Daisy?" He asked hopefully.

"Dad, look at yourself. You're acting like an animal!" She told him bluntly and he looked startled at her words. "You're better than this." Gordon slowly loosened his hold on the scientist, finally retracting his arms.

"I'm sorry, Daisy! I'm so sorry." He fell over himself trying to get to his daughter. He scooped her up into his arms and Skye let a tear escape at the emotions threatening to overwhelm her before she slowly pulled back.

"Dad, I know what you've done. The people you've hurt, the ones you've killed."

"They took you from me-from us!" He protested but she shook her head.

"I know. But I also know that deep down, you hate yourself for doing that. You have always been a doctor first." Skye told him solemnly and he stared at her with wide eyes. "You swore to always help those who were hurt and but you didn't. You ended peoples' lives."

"I know, but I-"

"I have been where you are, I was responsible for my partner's death. He died because of me and I have to live with that every single day. And so do you, and it's eating at you. It's been eating at you for twenty-five years, Dad. You're angry and filled with hate all the time. But Professor Xavier can make all of that go away. He can erase all of that pain, all of that anger, all of that hate. He can give you a new life."

"But I don't want a new life. I want you!" He cupped her face in his hands, tears streaming down his face.

"The serum you created, Dad, it's making you sick. It's fueling all your volatile emotions. You'll never truly be happy and I want you to be happy." Skye said sincerely. "Even though I'm meeting you now, I know you're a good man deep down and you deserve to be happy without any of this life's pain you've been given."

"You want me to forget you." Calvin said sadly.

"I want you to have a fresh start." She told him quietly.

They stood there for a long moment before he sniffed, pulling his hands away and wiping at his face. Skye stared up at her father, broken and sad before reaching up and tugging him down into another hug.

"Okay." He breathed in her ear and she couldn't help the small sigh of relief escape. "I'll do it." He said, looking over at Professor Xavier and his wife.

"I love you, Dad." Skye told him and he beamed down at her.

"I love you too, kiddo." He hugged her once more before glancing at his wife. "One dinner as a family. Before I let him into my head." He told her and she nodded.

"Alright." She sighed and smiled at him.

Texas

It had only been a few days but Skye was exhausted mentally and emotionally, but she knew she had to make one more visit to her current boyfriend, Miles Lydon. This time she let Kurt - who'd of course been fascinated by the Inhuman community but had been stir crazy for days - take her stateside. After multiple promises to her mother, the Professor, and even Raina, that she'd be back to visit frequently and call often, Skye left Afterlife, making several jumps with Kurt to make it to Dallas.

She had him wait downstairs while she went up to his apartment and knocked on the door. She could practically see him from the other side just freeze in his tracks, staring at the door before calling out. "Who is it?"

"Your girlfriend, dumbass." She called back teasingly and he laughed. When he opened the door, his shirt was unbuttoned and he still had shaving cream on his face. He looked her over with an eyebrow cocked before his eyes narrowed.

"You look different - and I don't just mean your hair." He said before stepping aside and letting her pass. He closed the door behind them and she turned to face him.

"You're right. I am different, because I've changed Miles. I've changed a lot." She tells him seriously even as familiar feelings began to rush forwards.

"How so?" He asked her still studying her with his sharp eyes before walking past her to the bathroom. She followed him and watched him in the mirror as he went back to shaving.

"I can't actually tell you." Skye says hesitantly he barks a short laugh before sobering at her expression in the mirror.

"You're serious."

"I am." She agrees with him.

"What happened to the truth sets you free? Free information?"

"And how's that working for you Miles? Still hacking for free?" Miles recoils guiltily.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means, I know about the lady in the flower dress who contacted you." He looks away sheepishly.

"Come on, Skye. You've been living in your van long enough to understand-"

"That was by choice, Miles!" Skye interrupts him. "I know you're better than this. So whatever that lady asked you to do, I really hope you haven't done it yet."

"No!" Miles protested loudly and turning around to face her. "I wanted to make sure she was legit first. I traced the account the money came from to make sure it wasn't some evil corporation or something. The project she works for is just some eco research lab on insects - some study with Centipedes."

"She already paid you?" Skye said anxiously. Miles paused as if caught in a lie before sighing.

"She found me in the coffee shop around the corner, she said she was a fan of the Rising Tide. She knew all about me, said I had a gift, said people like us deserved more." He was staring at her pleadingly now, trying to make her understand and Skye shook her head at him. "She pointed me to a Chinese SHIELD feed, wanted me to crack it. I checked the data stream, it didn't seem like anything else we hadn't already put out there, Skye. She transferred half million dollars upfront, told me I'd get the other half after I sent her the information. I haven't yet."

Skye closed her eyes and sighed in relief. "Thank God." She muttered. Miles frowned down at her.

"What's going on Skye?"

"I texted you, told you to make sure everyone knew that SHIELD was off limits."

"You said you were out." He began to get angry at her.

"Because I am, Miles! I'm done with the Rising Tide!"

"Does that mean you're done with me too?" He asks her harshly and Skye tries to laugh but ends up huffing out a scoff. "You are!"

"Miles, we've been drifting apart for a while now and I have bigger priorities than you."

"So what you're saying is you want to break up with me, and the only real reason you're here is to make sure I didn't-"

"Sell information!" Skye quickly interrupts him. "Miles, I don't care how much money it is, this isn't who you are. Look, we've been through a lot. You were there for me when I was at my lowest and I'll always care about you. I just don't think we can work this out right now. We're in completely different places."

"You know I thought we were gonna make it." He tells her sadly. "We both lost our soulmates to someone else and fell in love with coding. You could've been it for me." He says wistfully. Skye shakes her head at him.

"Miles, you don't see it now, but you will find your true soulmate. You and Sara were always meant to be platonic. Just like me and Scott."

"Scott broke your heart!" Miles says angrily. "Just because he didn't have your words, didn't give him the right to make you fall in love with him and then turn around and-"

"Miles, I had Scott's words, but he didn't have mine. He needed to bond with Jean first before his platonic mark ever showed up. We both misinterpreted my mark early on and we both handled things terribly, but we were lucky. Scott's professor helped us reestablish our relationship and we've been best friends ever since."

"Did you ever get another soul mark?" Miles asked quietly and Skye looked taken aback for a moment.

"I don't think so," She said thoughtfully, glancing down at her covered body. "I figured, one was enough for me."

"But then, what's on your neck?" Miles asked and Skye froze.

"What?" She asked quietly.

"You didn't see it?" Miles asks, stepping closer and pushing her hair to the side. His finger touches her skin and something cold seems to wash through her senses. She shivers as he walks around her, trailing his finger down and around the back of her neck like the scoop of a collar. "It curves down, but it's right here. It's another soul mark, Skye. I wonder when you got it."

"What's it say?" Skye whispers.

"So you're the one that's got Fury running scared."

Skye can't move. She's stricken as she realizes she has another soul mark now, wondering if she'd gotten it coming out of Terrigenesis and never realized or - no, Lincoln would've noticed when he helped her finish transitioning. So she must've acquired this one after traveling through time. This was . . . completely unnecessary and not wanted at all. She didn't need the distraction after all the rejection she'd faced in her life, she didn't think she could handle one more person - someone who was made for her - tell her they didn't want her again. 

Because face it, with your luck, it'll be someone who doesn't believe in soulmates and wants nothing to do with you. She couldn't help flinching at the thought that ran through her head.

"Skye?" Miles asked her and she spun around, hugging him tightly.

"I'm sorry, Miles." She muttered into his neck and he took a breath.

"It's okay. You were right, I've known this was coming for awhile. I just didn't want to believe it." His voice is a bit muffled into her hair. His arms tighten around her for a moment and then he pulls away to look down at her curiously. "Have you been working out? I thought you hated any form of exercise." He tells her and she finally starts to laugh, nodding her head.

"Yeah, I've been getting into shape. Trying to learn some self-defense." She says it nonchalantly enough that he smiles at her.

"Oh, is that all?"

"Yeah," She smiles at him and then punches him in the arm. "Don't ever sell out, Miles - and don't let anyone else sell out either. There are still plenty of secrets out there that the masses deserve to know about. Just remember, there are some things that people just aren't ready for yet." She tells him seriously and Miles nods to her.

"Alright, I'll keep that in mind." He tells her and she smiles at him.

"Take care, Miles."

"You too, Skye." He smiles back.

Slingshot

On her last day, Skye let Kurt take her to back to New York. She spent the day with him at the school, getting to know new students and catching up with old friends. She only told Kurt and Scott of her new powers and a vague account of how she got them. It was nice but didn't last long. She had Logan drive her into the city where she had told Fury to pick her up. They were back at the Slingshot by nightfall and she slipped into her room unnoticed by her teammates.

Fury had explained what they'd told the rest of the team: that he'd taken her with him to be vetted by SHIELD and for a specific non-combat mission that required skills of her caliber.

The next morning, when Skye exited her room, Ward did too. He looked up in surprise at her appearance.

"Skye, you're back." He said rather obviously and she raised an eyebrow at him. He shook his head as if clearing his thoughts before stepping closer to her. "When did you get in?"

"Last night." She answered easily.

"Where'd you go? Coulson said Director Fury took you with him." Ward asked her curiously.

"He wouldn't actually tell me where we went, but I assumed it was SHIELD headquarters or something. Had me go through an extensive lie-detector, interrogated thoroughly - and I do mean, thoroughly," She smirked at him suggestively and Ward coughed into his hand to cover a smile. "And then he pulled me into a conference room sat me down with a laptop and told me to hack something for him. It took me hours. Running algorithms, cracking lines of codes, god I think I might have carpel tunnel at this point." She said looking down at her fingers. "Then when I was done, he said I had to do it again, but in the field. I mean seriously, to think that had just been a warm up was ridiculous. And then he had me complete a mission to prove my loyalty to SHIELD. Totally unnecessary by the way," She said loudly. "But yeah, I'm back." She smiled up at him and he nodded to her.

"Well, I'm glad you enjoyed the mission." Ward said sarcastically.

Skye made a face at him and headed towards the dining hall. Fitz and Simmons greeted her cheerfully questioning her whereabouts and Skye gave them a recap of what she'd told Ward. She made eye contact with Coulson and May across the room when they walked in and smiled at them. Coulson nodded to her in greeting and May just gave Skye one of her non-expressions.

It took a bit of working but Coulson managed to get Skye alone in his own compartment. "So how did it go?" He asked when she was sitting at the table with his files and paperwork at. But before she could answer, there was a knock at the door. "Come in!" Coulson called out and May entered the room, locking the door behind her.

She nodded to Coulson in greeting then turned her gaze to Skye. The hacker sighed before responding.

"My week went well." She told him. "I spoke with everyone I needed to, got as much research done as possible and I think I'll be ready when Fury can have us all meet."

"Good."

"I also made sure that SHIELD will have some allies for the future. Allies I know Fury won't like but, he'll appreciate in the long run." She said watching Coulson closely.

Coulson stared her down for a long moment before May finally asked quietly, "Powered allies?"

Skye hesitated before nodding her head to them. "Yes."

"Interesting." Coulson said with a blank face and she rolled her eyes at him.

"Look, I know you guy still have questions for me, but all will be revealed soon." She said and he gave her a small smile.

"I understand."

"Now, do you have any information you'd like to share with us?" May questioned.

"Let's worry about that on a case-by-case basis." Skye told him slowly. "I don't think I should interfere too much, unless it's too dangerous. I honestly have no idea how things are going to pan out this time around, I'm already changing things and I'm worried about the repercussions."

"That's reasonable." Coulson sighed and exchanged a look with May.

"I get it, you guys still don't trust me."

"It's not a matter of trust." May told her. "It's knowing the difference that you're familiar with us, comfortable even, but we're still getting to know you. And that's something we're still trying to get used to." Skye swallowed hard, pushing away the sting of her words.

"I'll try not to overstep any boundaries you guys might have." She said with a tight smile. "I just want you to remember, we're all on the same side here."

She stood up and walked to the door nodding to both her Superior Officers and left the room.

May stared after her before Coulson stepped in front of her, drawing her gaze.

"What do you think?"

"I think this is weird for all of us." She told him and he nodded.

"Yeah, it is. But you need to go easy on her. She's all alone in this right now. The relationships she built with everyone after three years have all disappeared and she literally has to start over from scratch with all of us. That's devastating to someone like her, who thrives on relating and connecting with everyone."

May stared at him for a bit before taking a slow breath. "You've changed." She observed and he nodded.

"I died and came back to life. Of course I did." She cocked an eyebrow and her lips turned up just a tiny bit.

"I'm not just gonna be the pilot, am I?" She seemed to be thinking out loud.

"I get the feeling you won't be after the next case or two." Coulson's told her.

"Somehow I'm not surprised." She said dryly. Coulson grinned.