The Storm
Jemma turned over and yawned, her hair was tangled and everywhere and her eyes were droopy and hazy from sleep, beside her Skye was still sound asleep.
The Captain was laying on her back, her mouth slightly open as she lightly snored. jemma took this chance to look at the other woman without her noticing.
She was overwhelmed by what had happened the night before and she didn’t know where they were going to go from here, but she had to admit that she knew that it was coming for a while. Skye had awakened something in her and as much as she wanted to push away the possibilities that the captain opened up, she couldn’t resist the way Skye made her feel alive in more ways than she had ever dreamed.
She had no idea what was going to happen and she didn’t even know what she wanted to happen after this ordeal but as she stared at Skye’s slightly switching face she smiled and one thing that she did know was that her life had been changed forever. Suddenly she wasn’t thinking about going home constantly, she had been thinking about the wonders she had yet to experience in space and the possibility of Skye experiencing them with her.
She decided that she wasn’t going to waste her time resenting Skye or her situation though, and for once in her life she was just content to go wherever the future took her.
“Captain, Helen needs you on the bridge.” Alecta’s voice buzzed through the room and both Skye and Jemma jumped. The captain’s mouth snapped shut and she sat up quickly, disoriented, and wiping the drool away from the corners of her mouth.
“Is everything okay?”
“There’s been some interesting weather patterns in the area for a while now but Helen urged that I didn’t interupt you two while you were fornicating.”
Skye cringed at the word “Fornicating”.
Alecta continued, “Honestly, the mating practices of organic organisms never ceases to make me wonder how creatures with such urges ever made it this far.” Alecta laughed, “It’s impressive you made it to space actually. I--”
“We’ll be in there in a minute, thank you.” Skye rolled her eyes and she laid back, turning her head to look at Jemma who had a blush creeping it’s way down her chest as the AI spoke.
“Don’t let her bother you, she’s a little..” Skye didn’t finish and instead simply shrugged instead of giving an actual explanation.
Jemma ingored her and instead went straight for the elephant in the room, “What now?”
Skye took a deep breath, “I don’t know.. “ She laughed and rolled over, “I am the worst pirate ever! Ugh--” She said, speaking more to herself than Jemma, “This wasn’t supposed to happen.”
The smaller woman smirked, “Tell me about it.”
Skye laughed, she rolled to the side and shook her head while she giggled over how ridiculous their situation had become, Jemma followed her lead and huffed out a laugh a second later.
“Well, I guess we better go and see what’s up in the rest of the world.” The captain rolled over and sat up on the edge of the bed, “You know it’s been a while since I’ve slept in this bed..” She mentioned more in passing than anything.
Jemma took a moment as she lay on her side to appreciate Skye’s body in the morning, She guessed if she had to sleep with her captor it was good that it was Skye. “So now it’s a “We”?” The shorter wman asked with a smirk.
The captain looked back at her, grabbing a shirt and slipping it over her shoulders, “Hey, if you wanna stay in bed, more power to you. I just though you’d want to see what was going on but if you don’t—“
“I didn’t say that.” Jemma broke in.
Skye looked back at her, “Besides you’re practically crew now, and you’re damn good, there’s always a place on my ship for you, I want you to know that. I mean, I know you had a life before this but..” She trailed off.
“I do. I had a life before this.” Jemma’s voice was losing the post coital charm and was slipping back into her logical doctor voice as Skye called it, “And I still want to get back to it. Soon. So let’s focus on that” She stated, it sounded less convincing than she was hoping, however, Skye’s eyes dropped when she said it and the shorter woman couldn’t help but feel slightly guilty.
“Fair enough.” The captain stood up and strapped on her holster, before stepping into her boots, “I’ll meet you on the bridge.”
Jemma waited until she was out the door before she moved from her position on the bed and sat up. She ran her hand through her hair and groaned, before shaking herself and then getting ready.
She pulled on some of Skye’s old clothes, the one jumpsuit that had been efficiently worn in and the one that fell past her feet and hands, making her feel like a child. She put her own belt on and then headed into the rest of the ship. However, before she left she turned around and glanced at the empty room that had a messy bed and a trail of clothes leading to the shower and still damp foot prints going towards the bed.
Whenever she arrived at the bridge Skye and Helen were already moving quickly from one side to the other, calling out wind speeds and calculations. Helen had completely cleaned up and she was back to her meticulously groomed self.
Despite what Jemma had said before she jumped right in, “What’s going on?” She moved next to where Helen was leaning over what appeared to be a map of the surrounding area.
She looked at the android curiously, “Did you get the sensors working?”
Helen’s head turned toward her and she smiled, “Yes, I was working on the sensors while you and the captain were engaged in coitus.”
Jemma groaned.
“Congratulations by the way.” Helen added, even going as far as to pat the brunette gently on the shoulder proudly.
“Nothing is private in this place is it?” Jemma asked, although she no longer sounded disturbed.
“I’m afraid not. However, we do not have time to celebrate, there is a storm system developing just to the south. I am afraid that if it hits us in the condition that we are in right now, we will not survive.” Helen pointed to a buildup of clouds on the map, before adding, “I am afraid we crashed here in a calm time, I believe that the subterrainian predator that attempted to eat me may not be the only reason we have found no colonies on this planet.”
The captain joined them a second later, “Yeah no kidding, these wind speeds are going to tear us apart.”
Jemma nodded seriously, turning the holographic map around, “If the lightning and tornados don’t do that first.”
Jemma and Helen both turned to the captain, “What’s the plan, Skye?”
Skye took a deep breath and covered her mouth, thinking, “Is there any way we can get the ship flying before the storm hits?”
Helen shook her head, “Negative, we need at least another week to get off the ground. The storm will get here within 24 hours.”
“Then we need to stabilize and reinforce the ship, it’s the safest place we can be but we won’t last in these conditions. Helen, you’re with me on reinforcing the outside of the ship. Jemma, I need you in here working on trying to get the shield up and running.”
Jemma was amazed how in control The captain sounded there and she nodded, slightly in shock as Skye and Helen began grabbing supplies to take outside. She was about to do the same.
There wouldn’t be any future if they couldn’t protect themselves from this storm, Jemma knew that.
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“Bobbie Morse has been arrested, Captain.” Ward’s second in command walked up and sent the message silently though his telepathic communication.
Ward’s face lit up, “You’re kidding me.”
The other man shook his head, “She stole the paper books from the O-Nah government. The ones that Jemma Simmons was transporting when she was kidnapped by Skye.”
Ward shook his head, “I always knew Morse was going to break eventually, I was just hoping to be the one to bring her in when she did.” A few minutes later he added, “Wait.. We’ve been keeping track of Morse haven’t we?”
The other man nodded his head, “Yes Sir, we’ve been keeping tabs on her ever since she turned in her counterpart to the Tahgatiuhm Heist.”
“And what has she been doing?”
“Coming towards out sector, Sir. After the Doctor, I assume.”
Ward leaned forward in his chair, “Send me the report will you.”
A flash of information moved in front of him and he read through the report carefully, his face only twitched slightly around his eyes as he read until he got to the end of the report then his features fell.
He turned around in his seat, staring at the wall, his second in command looked up from his post as the captain began to laugh.
“What is it sir?”
Ward didn’t answer but shook his head and mumbled to himself, “Widow, you sly bastard.”
His second in command continued looking at him curiously, finally he turned around with an excited grin on his face. “We’ve got a lot to do, Sen.”
“What about the kidnapped woman, Sir? And the bounty on Skye?"
“Oh we’re getting her too, then we’re going after The Black Widow.”
“The Black Widow? That didn’t go so well last time.”
Ward stood up and faced his second in command, “Things are going to be different this time. Trail the Nenuphar, but don'r get too close and let Triplet do most of the work here. The balence of power is about to change in this part of the void."
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“We’re dead, we’re dead, so, so dead. The deadest.” Skye moved quickly through the halls of the ship, they could already hear the wind and rain beginning to howl and slam into the side of the Hula Girl.
Jemma came in from the ramp, pulling her hair back away from her face and taking a breath of calm air. She followed suit behind the Captain, “What was that?” she asked, referring to what Skye had just been mumbling to herself a moment before.
“I said, we’re going to be fine.” The captain gave the librarian a reassuring smile and continued into the control room. Jemma raised a skeptical eyebrow, she was just as aware of the severity of the situation as the captain, no matter what she said to make them feel better about the situation.
It wasn’t good and despite their best efforts, the ship was no where near being ready for the onslaught of this storm. The weather system had doubled in size and it’s power was growing every moment, at this rate, the Hula Girl would be able to last maybe five hours in the storm. From what Helen was able to derive from the radars, this storm could last at least four days.
“Helen, how are the shields coming along?” The captain entered the bridge and stood behind the android who was crouched underneath the defense console, wires and sparking plugs surrounded her efforts.
“They’re at 30% strength, captain.” At that moment they heard what must have been a large tree being thrown into the side of the ship, Helen sighed, “Make that 25%.”
Jemma was standing next to the captain with her arms crossed, before Skye could respond she tugged the captain closer and gave her a serious look, “Skye, we are not equipped to handle this storm.” Her tone was grave.
Skye nodded and swept a hand over her forehead, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes, “I know.” She paced the bridge a few times, Helen was staring at her as well as Jemma now, “Helen, what are the chances of finding something underground you and Jemma could take shelter in?”
Helen didn’t say anything but glanced up at the ceiling of the cabin, a moment later Alecta’s voice crackled through, “ It would be possible to reinforce a cave about a kilometer away from here, however, it will not be enough without any reinforcement, you’ll have to move your asses if you want to get it safe by the time this storm hits.”
“Okay, that’ll have to do.”
Helen slid out from underneath the console and stood up straight, “I can stay on the ship, try to keep her together as much as I can. I will be able to withstand the storm with minimal amount of help.”
Skye nodded, “I’m not leaving my ship so I’ll stay with you. Jemma, we need to get you to that cave.”
The shorter woman’s eyes flashed, and as Skye made to move out the door Jemma stood in front of her, blocking her path. “There is no way I’m getting to safety while you two risk your life to be with your ship, Skye.”
Skye groaned, “You have no reason to risk your life for the Hula Girl, Jemma.”
Jemma scoffed and held her ground, “I’m not letting you go down with your ship like some cheesy paperback, I’m staying and that’s final. I told you I wouldn’t let you die until you payed me back properly, I’ll stand to my promise.
”
“And I promised I’d get you home safe, there is no way I’m letting you stay in danger.”
“Danger!? Where do you think I’ve been in this past month? Danger, that’s where and I regret to inform you that I’m not going anywhere just because you get a little scared.”
The wind had picked up and they were now yelling over the jungle beating against the sides of the ship, “You know, if you haven’t noticed, I kind of like you and I’d like for you to be safe, please, Jemma just go to the cave and wait this thing out.”
“Oh don’t give me that, Skye, I care about you too and you’re not going to get rid of me just because you “like me” .Understand, at this bloody point that we’re going to get out of this together or we’re going down together and you’d better damn well get used to it. I’m staying.” Jemma stomped her foot.
Skye was about to give a retort when a hand with a damp rag slipped over her mouth and she fell limp to the side of the cabin, caught gently and rested on the floor. Before Jemma even had a chance to register what was happening the same hand placed the drugged cloth over her face and she fell as easily as the captain had a moment before.
Helen lowered her gently to the floor next to the captain, stood up, her expression methodical, and set the rag on the edge of one of the consoles.
“You’re too kind, love, if they wanted to argue their way into a tornado then they should have learned their lesson.” Alecta stated, with a hint of a chuckle at the end of the sentence.
Helen smiled, “Perhaps, however, biological organisms tend to get caught up in their emotions, wether or not such expression is beneficial to their survival.”
“Skye will not be happy, you know.”
Helen chuckled, pulling both women easily over her shoulder and standing back up, “Skye understands that sometimes her choices must be overridden if she has been emotionally compromised.”
“Are you coming back to the ship, love?”
“Yes, after I have reinforced their shelter and equipped enough supplies for them to last at least another month.”
Helen had moved to the outer shell of the ship and was about to leave the protection of the Hula Girl when Alecta spoke again, “Be careful.”
“I am always careful, Alecta.”
That caused a laugh from the crackly intercom system, “You are the least careful soul that I know, Helen.”
Helen simply smirked and turned away, Skye and Jemma swinging slightly on her shoulders, unconsceious and unaware of where they were going. Helen walked purposefully into the choppy weather and headed for the cave.
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“Oh great, that’s just great.” Trip was staring at the planet below them, the one that Skye was supposed to have been, and he noticed immedietly the storms. They were covering almost the entire planet, a bunch of swirling masses of clouds, blocking not only their view but their sensors.
“Do you want me to try to locate them?” Lilly asked calmly.
“Do you wanna start on the hurricane to the south or the one on the north?” He asked sarcastically,
I believe that the Easter hemishpere would be the best place to begin the ssearch.”
“Wonderful, if she’s even alive.”
“I believe she is alive, Antoine.” Lilly stated in that same ever calm voice that never seemed to influx no matter the situation.
Trip glanced up, his interest immedietly perked, “How can you tell?” He leaned forward and tried to scan the planet’s surface for anything that he might have missed.
“There is an adnormally large heat signature, here.” The map was turned and then zoomed at Lilly’s will revealing a red blot on the surface of the planet.”
“Could something natuaral to the planet be causing it?”
“I doubt it based on the database, however, a ship could be reconstructed to emit such a heat signature if one needed to signal for help.”
Trip put a hand on his chin, thinking, “Like an S.O.S..”
“Exactly.” Lilly confirmed.
“Alright,” Trip said, highlighting the part of the map that was glowing red, “Lets get one of the shuttles reinforced for the conditions and go down there.” Then he added as he was pulling a jacket over his suit, “Lets hope we’re not too late.