The Avenger’s Soul

Skye's POV

"Fitz-Simmons, he's heading your way," we heard May shout over our comms. We were currently in the middle of a crazy scheme to capture Vanchat, one of our only leads to finding Coulson.

I laughed as Jemma glanced over at Fitz. "We've never done anything like this before. Are you sure?"

"It's time, Simmons. Embrace the change," he said in that adorable accent of his. I giggled as I watched him activate their drones and send them off to block Vanchat's escape. The camera view from the drones; while still funny, was not as satisfying as being there to see to see Vanchat's look of surprise in person.

"Skye, you're up," I head Ward say. Meaning that Vanchat must have entered the lift.

I smirked as I started typing rapidly across my keyboard; watching as the man struggled to get any of the elevator buttons to work.

"Here. Let me get that for you," I offered with a laugh. I pressed one final button and the elevator began to shoot upwards. Vanchat moved himself to the back of the elevator and pulled up his gun preparing to fire which I found hilarious for some reason. I watched eagerly as he was deposited onto the roof; only to be met by two helicopters and a dozen Shield agents all pointing their guns at him.

I punched my arm up in victory as we watched from our van as May came up behind him and took the gun out of his hand. Once he was disarmed, Victoria Hand appeared from behind the agents.

"Mr. Vanchat. We were hoping you could help us find a friend," she said.

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I glared at my laptop screen as I typed furiously away on the keyboard. I was not liking Victoria Hand being in charge. I missed Coulson. It wasn't until he was gone that I had finally come to realize just how much I truly cared for everyone on this team. Part of me still didn't want to care so much, knowing that it would hurt that much more if Hydra ever got a hold of them or me. The other half of me was just happy that things had been going relatively well for me considering how new I still was to being in control of my own life for once.

Suddenly an alarm went off. I cursed silently as I realized I had tripped an alarm.

Not a minute later, my bedroom door was being slid open by May.

"Just in time. Can you override this?" I said, casually holding up the bracelet that was still around my wrist.

"What do you think you're doing?" Hand asked, disapprovingly.

"The money trail's our key to finding Coulson. I just need to gain access to Vanchat's financials and from there I should be able to trace Centipede's payments and then hack into their account," I explained.

"You're the consultant, the one who shot Agent Sitwell," Hand commented.

"Technically, that wasn't me..." I pointed out. Simmons had been the one to do that.

"I want you off this plane immediately."

I stared at the lady with the pink stripes in her hair in confusion as she turned and quickly walked way leaving me alone with Ward and May.

"What?" Ward looked just as confused as I did

"Wait!" I cried out hurrying out if my bunk and passing my two teammates to reach Hand. "I know I'm not some badass field agent like May or Ward but this is what I do. You can't just kick me off this mission!" I exclaimed, not daring to reveal the fact that I could easily become a badass agent if I revealed myself.

Hand stopped and turned to look down her nose at me.

"Look, I will do whatever you say. All this protocol crap doesn't matter to me. All that matter to me is Coulson!" I declared frustratedly. This woman was getting on my last nerves.

"Well, "all this protocol crap" matters to me. You're a distraction and you're gone." I blinked at her as she turned her back on me again. I opened my mouth to speak again but Ward beat me to it.

"Agent Hand, I know Skye's methods are unorthodox but she's a member of this time. She can help!" I glanced at him appreciatively. I think that's the nicest thing I've ever heard him say about me. Awww.

"Agent May, your professional opinion, will this girl be of any use to us on this plane?" I waited anxiously for her answer, though I had a sneaking suspicion I knew what it would be.

"No." And this is why I try not to get attached to anybody.

I looked at her feeling betrayed.

"Increase her restriction level. Confiscate her laptop and phone then have her delivered to debrief," Hand stated.

"I'll do it, I'm her S.O," Ward promptly replied. I frowned at him. For someone who had just been praising me, he seemed quite eager to get rid of me!

Hand nodded then turned away. Ward looked down at me and started away in the opposite direction. I took a moment to just stare in shock at May, who just gave me the typical stoic May expression. Seriously she should get that look copyrighted at this point...

I spun around and walked off in a huff.

"It's clear May has an axe to grind with me, but that was way out of line!" I vented to Ward as we headed down to the cargo area.

"No one knows what's in May's head except May. Don't worry. Coulson will make this right when he gets back," Ward replied, a unreadable expression on his face as he stared down at me.

"I can find him, Ward!" I said firmly.

"I believe you. I've seen firsthand what you can do, even without Shield resources," he said with a soft smile.

"Hang on, hang on." We glanced up to see Fitz-Simmons heading our way.

Jemma walked up to me and held up a brown paper bag. "We made something for you."

"You made me a sandwich?" I asked, confused.

"Yes, it is that." I raised my brows at the stiff way she was stressing her words, she was obviously lying.

"It's a satellite phone, damper resistant. You get one shot before the bracelet shuts it down," Fitz whispered.

"So only call in case of emergency," Simmons added.

"What do I even need this for? I'm going to be spending the next three days in a Shield broom closet getting debriefed!" I threw my hands up in exasperation.

"That's right. A few agents are coming here to pick you up for debriefing..." Ward started to confirm; pausing until one of the new people on the plane passed by then lowering his voice. "In exactly 12 minutes."

Realization dawned on me.

"Good luck."

They all walked away from me at once. I turned and started down the cargo bay ramp. As I did so, I passed by a worker looking longingly at Lola.

"Don't touch Lola!" I reprimanded. Coulson wasn't hear to say it so someone had to!

He quickly pulled his hand back looking guilty.

The minute his back was turned, I used my superhuman speed to get the hell out of there and find somewhere I could lay low.

I eventually settled for a local internet café where I sat in the very back, typing away on my laptop. I was so focused that despite all of iHydra's training and the paranoia that had been instilled within me, I barely notice the chimes on the door signaling the arrival of new customers. I had more important things to dworry about.

"Just need an exploit, some way in!" I said to myself. I hit enter and there was a beep then ethe Shield logo appeared on the screen. The rccomputer beeped more and the words LOCKDOWN appear under the Shield logo.

I looked around the café to see that all of the computers had gown down with the logo and the LOCKOUT message. People in the café began grumbling about the disruption.

"You have got to be kidding me! I don't have time for this!" I hissed angrily as I stood up and made to exit the booth. My butt landed back on the cushion as I found myself colliding hard with someone's incredibly muscular chest.

"Um, sorry! I'm such a klutz sometimes!" I hastily said as I scrambled to grab my bag once more and leave. It was only then that I bothered to look up. I froze. Not again!

"No! What the hell are you guys doing here!" I cried out. I glared angrily as the red head and her two blond haired companions sat down at the table, the one with the insanely blue eyes sitting to my right. I slid over towards the window as I felt his leg brush up against mine and had to bite my lip to resist the urge to moan. What the hell was wrong with me! I scratched my body irritably as a few of my scars started to heat up.

"Now, is that anyway to talk to your, shall we say, friends?" Though Clint's tone was light and playful, I could sense the uncertain question hidden beneath the surface.

I stared him down, hoping to intimidate him, but he just responded with a sly smirk that made me want to slap him; and at the same time had a certain heat rising throughout my body.

"I wouldn't say that..."

"Ouch!" He cried out dramatically clutching his heart as if I'd caused him serious physical harm. I rolled my eyes at his childish antics.

"Look, I'm sorry, you all seem like very nice people but other than the occasional run-ins we seem to be having lately, we barely know each other so yes, I'd say that we aren't really more than acquaintances but what the hell do I know about relationships! Geesh. Look no offense but I really can't deal with this right now, a friend of mine is in some serious trouble and I need to be helping him." I frowned as I suddenly felt a wave of jealousy wash over me. That was strange, where the hell had that come from?

"So who is this friend? Is there anything we can do to help?" Natasha asked slowly. I opened my mouth to say no, instantly remembering May's warning that under no circumstance was I to let these people know that Coulson was alive, but I paused as a sudden idea came to me.

"N-actually yes, can I borrow one of your phones?!" I said.

I looked over at Steve with a wide-eyed innocent look (or what I hoped was; for all I know I looked like a nut-job), and it seemed to do the trick. He sighed but slowly reached into his pocket and handed me his phone.

I popped up the search browser and typed in my search inquiry once more and hit enter only to once again be faced with the Shield logo and the LOCKDOWN message.

"Damnit! I really thought that might work, it being your phone and all! Natasha, Clint, lemme see your phones as well!" I demanded, leaning over the tabletop and sticking my hand out for their phones. I was getting increasingly agitated. Every second that passed was more time that Coulson spent who knows where, with who knows who, doing who knows what! I couldn't bear the thought of him being locked up and tortured like I had been.

The two hesitated before handing over their phones as well. Not that it made any difference. I threw all three of them at the wall in anger. I really thought that maybe if I used a high level agent's phone it might work, but I was still being booted out of the system.

"Woah, there, sugar. Why don't you take a deep breath and calm down. Tell us what's going on! I'm sure we can help," Clint said, not even flinching when the phones shattered into pieces. None of them had, in fact. I frowned. I had been expecting them them to be more upset with me. Hydra would certainly not have tolerated such behavior. I flinched as Natasha shifted in her seat and hung my head, missing the dark looks that passed over my companion's faces.

"I'm so sorry! I don't know why I threw your phones! I should not have done that! Stupid, stupid, stupid! I appreciate the offer, but there really isn't anything you can do to help me. Again, I'm really sorry for bumping into you, then taking your phones, only to break them and dash off, but I promise I'll make it up to you somehow!" I said, standing up once more and motioning for Steve to let me past.

America's national sweetheart didn't even bother to stand. How rude. Instead, he grabbed a gentle hold on my wrist and tugged. I had the strength to have resisted if I wanted, but something about the way his skin was touching mine was making my mind all fuzzy and I found myself sinking back down into the booth.

"Now, hang on there, darlin', why don't you slow down and give us a chance to assess the situation for ourselves? And you are not stupid! Everyone get's upset! Myself included. I don't even know how to really use my phone and it's nothing that can't easily be replaced." Steve said. Damn. To be honest, I barely heard a word he had said after darlin'. The way he'd said that, and the look on his face, damn! I would have been in serious danger if I hadn't already been sitting down. I tried to focus on the conversation and not the tingling in my legs.

"Hmmm?" I half asked, half moaned as he tucked a stray curl behind my ear. I bit my lip, trying to get my mind to focus. Why in the world does that feel so good? The heat burning my body suddenly seemed to intensify by triple and I fanned myself with a leftover menu as I leaned as far away from Steve as I could.

"I'm sorry, it's really hot in here, next time you see the waiter you should have them check the air conditioning but like I said, I really need to get going..." I made to stand up again but blinked in surprise as Clint suddenly vaulted across the table to sit on my left side, so that now I was squeezed in between him and Steve. I shifted, uncomfortable with the way my body was reacting to their close proximity. I bit my lip again as I felt both of their arms brush against the bare skin of my own.

"What the hell is it with these people! It's not like I get this way with anyone else!" I mumbled under my breath, not thinking any of them would be able to hear me.

"Um, w-what are you doing?" I stammered, looking at Clint nervously.

"Just getting more comfortable, sweetie. If you're in a hurry to get somewhere though, we'd be more than happy to give you a ride," something about the grin on his face sent my brain tumbling down into the imagination gutter as I suddenly pictured the four of us in a car together. Only problem was, there wasn't much driving being done in my mental image. I blushed and quickly turned away from Clint's smug face, only to catch Natasha winking at me. I blushed again and looked down, not daring to look at Steve at this point.

"I-I um, like I said, I appreciate your kind offers, um, really, I do, but I-I, I'm sorry it's way too hot in here for me to think properly and I can't waste anymore time, I'll send you your replacement phones as soon as I get the chance!" With that said, I swung my bag across my back and darted out of the booth using my super speed to disappear in the blink of an eye.

I grabbed a water bottle from my bag the second I was far enough away and poured the entire contents all over me, hoping it would help cool the heat inside my body but I should have guessed. With my luck, the heat emanating from my skin evaporated the water in two seconds flat; so there went that idea.

I hastily walked over to a magazine rack on the sidewalk and pulled my mind back into focus as I flipped through one of the magazines until I landed on the article I wanted.

"Hey, Lloyd. You might be my way in," I said with a grin.

3rd Person POV

Steve, Clint, and Natasha had not been expecting to run into their soulmate when they had walked into the café. But no sooner had the door closed behind them than their bonds had signaled to them that their soulmate was near. They all glanced around, finally spotting her in the far corner booth, angrily cursing at her laptop.

As the approached, they managed to catch a few words.

"Just need an exploit, some way in!" she was saying. The three of them glanced at each other, wondering what was up.

"You have got to be kidding me! I don't have time for this!" The next thing Steve knew, Skye was colliding with his chest. He blinked in surprise as she fell back onto her seat.

"Um, sorry! I'm such a klutz sometimes!" Steve stared down at his soulmate, opening his mouth but finding himself tongue tied. "No! What the hell are you guys doing here!" Skye said once she realized who she had bumped into. Steve frowned while Natasha and Clint smirked.

"Now, is that anyway to talk to your, shall we say, friends?" Clint asked her, his eyes sparkling with mirth, though also asking a genuine question, one that they had all been wondering for the past few months. They had each come to the conclusion that it might be simpler to approach their soulmate as friends first before trying to overwhelm her with the whole soulmate bonding stuff. It was killing them trying to keep their distance, but they didn't want her to keep running away from them.

"I wouldn't say that..."

"Ouch!" Clint cried out dramatically clutching his heart as if she'd caused him serious physical harm. He smiled as she rolled her gorgeous eyes at his childish antics.

"Look, I'm sorry, you all seem like very nice people but other than the occasional run-ins we seem to be having lately, we barely know each other so yes, I'd say that we aren't really more than acquaintances but what the hell do I know about relationships! Geesh. Look no offense but I really can't deal with this right now, a friend of mine is in some serious trouble and I need to be helping him." At her words, Steve, Natasha, and Clint all shifted in their seat as they tried to ignore the intense feelings of jealousy that suddenly filled their hearts.

"So who is this friend? Is there anything we can do to help?" Natasha finally asked. They stared at Skye in anticipation; while also taking the time to burn as many details about her into their memories - knowing that she was likely to disappear on them again. They all fought to bite back groans each time their precious little soulmate bit her luscious lips. And watching her blush! It was just adorable!

"N-actually yes, can I borrow one of your phones?!" she said.

Steve felt his heart practically melt from the wide-eye look of pure innocence that she gave him and though he tried to resist, he eventually sighed and slowly reached into his pocket and handed her his phone.

The three of them watched in confusion as their soulmate typed something into Steve's phone only for the Shield logo to suddenly pop up on the screen and LOCKDOWN appeared in bold letters.

"Damnit! I really thought that might work, it being your phone and all! Natasha, Clint, lemme see your phones as well!" Natasha and Clint's eyes widened as she leaned over the tabletop towards them. Clint was suddenly finding his pants a little too tight as he couldn't help but notice the tiny glimpse he had down her shirt. It wasn't much compared to what the girl's outside of Stark Tower usually presented. But somehow, that made it even hotter.

He shifted in his seat as he and Natasha handed Skye their phones.

It didn't seem to make any difference. The Shield logo still popped up on both of their phones and their soulmate got so irritated that she threw all three of them at the wall in anger.

"Woah, there, sugar. Why don't you take a deep breath and calm down. Tell us what's going on! I'm sure we can help," Clint said, not even flinching when the phones shattered into pieces.

When Natasha shifted in her seat, they all noticed Skye flinch and hang her head as if she was expecting them to strike her. All three shared a dark look as they recognized Skye's reaction for what it was and quickly guessed that Hydra's was the cause.

"I'm so sorry! I don't know why I threw your phones! I should not have done that! Stupid, stupid, stupid! I appreciate the offer, but there really isn't anything you can do to help me. Again, I'm really sorry for bumping into you, then taking your phones, only to break them and dash off, but I promise I'll make it up to you somehow!" She said, standing up once more and motioning for Steve to let her past.

The blue-eyed blond didn't even bother to stand. Instead, he grabbed her wrist lightly and tugged until she was sitting back down again.

"Now, hang on there, darlin', why don't you slow down and give us a chance to assess the situation for ourselves? And you are not stupid! Everyone get's upset! Myself included. I don't even know how to really use my phone and it's nothing that can't easily be replaced." Steve said. He didn't want to let her go so soon. He just wished she would slow down enough to let them have an actual conversation.

"Hmmm?" All three shifted in their seats as their soulmate half asked half moaned as Steve tucked a stray strand of her hair behind her ear. They were suddenly feeling very hot inside. What was this woman doing to them!

"I'm sorry, it's really hot in here, next time you see the waiter you should have them check the air conditioning but like I said, I really need to get going..." Clint suddenly vaulted across the table to sit on Skye's left side. As he did so, his and Steve's arms brushed against the skin of her own and Clint clenched his teeth as he felt her shudder slightly. Damn. He wanted to take her right here and now on the tabletop.

"What the hell is it with these people! It's not like I get this way with anyone else!" They heard her mumble under her breath, not thinking any of them would be able to hear.

"Um, w-what are you doing?" she stammered, looking at Clint nervously.

"Just getting more comfortable, sweetie. If you're in a hurry to get somewhere though, we'd be more than happy to give you a ride."

All three soulmates squeezed their hands into fists as they felt waves of sexual energy roll off of Skye at Clint's suggestion. Man, she's adorable when she blushes! Steve thought.

Nat winked at the girl as she turned quickly away from Clint, grinning as she watched Skye's cheeks redden even more.

"I-I um, like I said, I appreciate your kind offers, um, really, I do, but I-I, I'm sorry it's way too hot in here for me to think properly and I can't waste anymore time, I'll send you your replacement phones as soon as I get the chance!" With that said, she swung her bag across her back and darted out of the booth using her super speed to disappear in the blink of an eye before any of them could make a move to stop her.

"Damnit!" Steve cried out, slamming his fist against the table, his super strength creating a fist sized dent in the linoleum.

"Are you even allowed to curse?" Natasha asked, half joking.

"I am when my soulmate runs away for the third time!"

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Author's Note

Let me know what y'all thought of this latest chapter! Added some Clint, Natasha, and Steve in there since it fit into the story since its one of the few times she's away from Coulson/the team plus I just really wanna build up their frustration for as long as possible when it comes to skye continually running in and out on them lol