Chapter Text
Scene 1 - Circa Mid-Season 1.
Skye looked up at the door of her cell. "What?"
Hand stared down at her. "I know you don't care about protocol, or S.H.I.E.L.D. itself, but Coulson really means something to you..." Hand pressed a button on a control Skye only just noticed in the agents' hand, and the wrist-bracelet fell off. "He means a lot to a lot of people, inside and outside of S.H.I.E.L.D. And Lucky for you, one of them just ordered me to unshackle you." Hand waved her out, and Skye, numb from this development, wordessly followed the Level 8 into the Bus' conference room. Hand waved at the console, and said, "Go ahead, go nuts, I don't care anymore."
Five minutes later, she had the location where Centipede was likely holding Coulson, as well as a lot of locales for Hand's various teams to raid. A few hours later, they'd raided the place, Coulson back aboard.
An hour after that, however, Coulson was still staring at her after the debriefing, wondering what would have made Victoria react like that - even May had no clue. sharing that Hand basically said she 'unshackled' Skye under orders was confusing. Level 8's can't order each other around, which is why Coulson could tell Hand off without problem before, yet not actually able to do anything other than leave himself. Only Level 9s and 10s could, and there weren't enough to use a full hand of fingers for that.
May piped in, "There are only three people who could give orders directly to Agent Hand. Commander Hill, Director Fury and Mr. Secretary Alexander Pierce, the Undersecretary of the World Security Council. Even He doesn't know Coulson is alive, nevermind about the Bus."
FitzSimmons shared a few looks, then pointed out, "Maybe it was Fury, he did say he'd be keeping an eye on the bus..."
Skye choked on a drink, or would have if she had one. It was certainly a spit-take moment. "I... I don't think the Director of SHIELD would have-"
"I do." Coulson spoke up, and shrugged. "Fury appreciates alternative approaches to problems. The Avengers Initiative was certainly an alternative approach to the issue of possible invasion from outer-space. Letting a single hacker on the top-secret team whose leader is missing, 'go nuts' on SHIELD systems to find said leader... really isn't that far out there for him."
"Close." Spoke a voice from the doorway into the conference room. Everyone looked to see Fury, in his leather outfit and looking at Coulson. "Though not quite what happened. The order didn't come from me."
"Hill?"
"Nope." Fury replied, looking troubled. "Wrong direction. The order came from Pierce. It had nothing to do with you, Coulson. Far as I can tell, he still thinks you're dead, same as the rest of the World Security Council, and I'd like it to stay that way." He looked around the group processing that. "No, the order to Hand was 'Let Skye look for her team leader'. Not, 'Let the hacker loose to look for Coulson'." He looked at Skye. "He gave the order knowing who you are. Care to share how?"
Skye shrugged, clueless. "No idea. Don't even know who 'Pierce' is."
"I'm your dad."
Skye froze. Coulson froze for that, and that it was Pierce who spoke, from the other doorway.
"Uh..."
"Nick. Interesting to see you here." Pierce looked at Coulson. "Talking to ghosts, at that. Phillip."
"Alexander. Skye's your daughter?"
"Yes. Been looking for her since her mother disappeared at eight months pregnant." Pierce looked at her then. "Never expected Skye to show up as a, Consultant for SHIELD though. Luckily for me, her DNA was tagged when you put a techbane bracelet on her."
"It's called a-" Skye began.
"That's not what its-" Coulson also spoke.
"Well, that's what it is." Pierce commented. It really was... "So... you're my daughter, and the one who, how was it you put it, 'hacked shield from a laptop you won in a bet?" After a moment, he smiled and held out a fist for her to 'bump'. She did, not knowing what the hellw as going on.
"Um... Sorry but... who are you? "
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