Chapter Text
Hunted
by Apple Blossom
Disclaimer: Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D belongs to Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon, Stan Lee, ABC, Marvel Television, Mutant Enemy, and anyone else who wants to lay claim to it.
I am sitting on my bunk across from Skye giving her details on one of the Hydra hideouts that Coulson has uncovered. She is more at ease if I am sitting and tends to stay longer if I stay on task. She is sitting in the white plastic chair right outside of the invisible force field that keeps me confined to my half of the room. She is typing on her tablet which I know is more of a distraction than anything else. Cameras are pointed at us blatantly recording our conversation but I don't care.
"Is that everything?" Skye asks. Her words are still short and clipped when she talks to me but the anger in her eyes is gone, replaced by something more familiar. It's obvious she still cares but I know Skye. She won't let me off so easily but I am wearing her down. She stays a little longer each time she is here. Allows a little small talk from time to time.
"That's it," I answer, knowing our time is growing short. Just as she stands the lights flicker and the invisible grid exposes itself momentarily. Her eyes go wide and she glanced toward the camera and then to me just as the entire base shakes hard and a muffled explosion echoes from above. Skye falls to the floor as the room is plunged into darkness. The grid hisses disappearing completely and I know it is down. The only light is the glow of Skye's tablet and it reflects the fear on her face as she realizes what's going on. She pushes herself up from the floor and looks up as gun shots ring out.
"They're under attack," I say and she jumps as she realizes I am standing beside her. I wrap and arm around her, pulling her close so she can't fight back as I add, "I'm not going to hurt you but I need you not to hurt me either."
"Did you do this?" Skye asks and I hear the fear in her voice. She knows I could kill her in an instant but I hope she also knows I would never hurt her.
"No," I answer as I let her go. She starts up the stairs and I grab her around the arm. "Wait. Don't you hear that?"
Gunfire is ringing out in a rapid staccato as the fight rages on above us.
"I have to help them," she replies, yanking her arm out of my hand.
"Do you have a gun?" I ask, already knowing the answer.
"No," she whispers. "But I'm not just going to hide down here while my family is in trouble."
"C'mon," I reply creeping up the stairs knowing she will follow. When I get to the door I slowly turn the handle and push the door slightly peeking out into the hallway. Gun shots and small explosions can still be heard but they are not nearby. I have no idea which way to go and the building is pitch black as I step out into the walkway, reaching for Skye's hand and pulling her close to me. "Which way?"
"Left," she answers, gripping my hand tightly. Together we creep down the hall, my free hand trailing along the wall to keep track of any unknown door openings. We are getting closer to the violence when I hear voices approaching.
"Go back," I tell her and we quickly start inching our way back toward the door we just came out of.
"Where's the girl?" an unseen voice asks.
"We haven't found her yet," another answers. "My guys are still fighting the Cavalry. We'll find her soon."
Skye stops, realizing they are talking about her. I squeeze her hand and whisper, "We need to get out of here. Where's the exit?"
"The way we were headed," Skye answers.
"What's this way?"
"Some offices. They aren't used," she replies.
"Let's go," I tell her, pulling her along a little faster as footsteps approach. If they have night vision gear on they will easily spot us. My hand grazes against a doorknob and I stop, pulling it open. Skye is right. The room is unused with only a desk and chair in it but there is enough light coming through the window that we can make them out in the unlit room. Quickly I pull her inside and close the door, turning the tiny lock on the knob. It won't keep anyone out for long but at least we will know when we are out of time. I let go of her hand and look around the room trying to figure out our next move. The desk is heavy and could probably block the door but moving it will alert them to our presence.
"Do you think they were talking about me?" Skye whispers. She still stands close to me and I hear the concern in her voice.
"Yes," I answer. I promised never to lie to her again and if they are battling May then it has to be Skye they are after. Crossing the room I open the blinds and take note of where we are. My fingers release the lock and a moment later I carefully push the window up, wincing as it squeaks in protest.
"I can't leave May behind," Skye protests as I motion for her to come on.
"May can take care of herself," I tell her as I glance out the window. It looks out over an alley with a dumpster underneath that will be perfect to help us escape. There is even an older model vehicle parked in a lot across the way. "You're going now."
Carefully I help her out the window, holding her arms and lowering her down to the dumpster lid where she drops with a thud. It hasn't escaped my notice that the gunfire has ended and someone is rattling the locked door standing between us and freedom. I push myself out the window and drop beside her before jumping to the asphalt.
"We're out of time," I tell her as she hops into my arms and we rush across the pavement to the car. I pull the handle and am thrilled when it opens, especially once a face appears at the window of the building we've just abandoned.
"There she is!"
A shot rings out as I yell at her, "Get in the car!"
Skye follows my direction as I quickly hot wire the car and throw the shifter into gear, the tires squealing as we peel out of the parking lot. I head through the streets noticing the car weaving through traffic behind us.
"We've been made," I tell her and glance her way momentarily as she turns to look behind us. I wish I had a weapon. Something to protect her. But for now I just try to evade them, darting lane to lane, making quick turns, but all the sudden Skye is screaming and the front of the car is crumpling as we are sideswiped by a bus. For a moment I sit in the driver's seat stunned but I know we can't wait much longer before those men are upon us. Popping my seat belt off I open the door before glancing toward Skye. A small trickle of blood trails down her face and she is definitely in shock by the accident but I need her to get moving. I unsnap her seat belt and climb out my side before turning back to her. The passenger side door is smashed in and blocked by the bus and people are starting to gather around the accident.
"C'mon," I motion to her and wait as she scrambles over the shifter and the driver's seat, before landing on two feet in front of me. I look her over and ask, "Are you okay?"
She nods and I grab her hand, dragging her down an alley as the vehicle following us approaches the intersection.
"Here," I say, stopping her as I reach for the fire escape ladder, yanking it down hard. "Climb up."
Skye goes first and I hurry behind her, pulling the ladder back up before following her up several flights. We hear the car at the same time and stop, dropping to metal floor of each flight we are on. At least she is above me, I think to myself. If anything happens they are going to have to go through me first. The vehicle slows and the passenger gets out peeking into the dumpster before looking around. I hold my breath as he looks up but he doesn't seem to see us and a moment later he climbs back in and the car drives away slowly. I wait until I am sure they are not coming back and crawl up the ladder to the next level, sitting beside her.
"What are we going to do?" Skye asks as she places her hand to her head. The cut is drying slowly but she looks a little shaken up and blood had stained her shirt. I know I don't look much better between my Unabomber beard and prison like clothes we are going to stand out like sore thumbs. I stand up and peek into the window of the apartment in front of us. The furnishings make it clear that this apartment belongs to women only so I head up one more flight. This one is bare bones with dirty dishes in the sink and an empty milk carton left on the counter. The lights are off and it looks like no one is home so I motion to Skye to come up as I break the window as quietly as possible. When no one comes to see what the commotion is I unlock the window and shove it upward, careful not to cut myself. I help Skye in telling her not to touch anything as I take a moment to wipe down the latch. Luck is with me as we enter the sparse living room with the tattered couch and empty pizza boxes on the beat up old coffee table. In the corner is a laundry basket with neatly folded clothes. I reach for a pair of jeans and surprisingly they seem like they will fit so I slip out of the drawstring pants I am wearing as Skye looks away. They're a little loose but they will stay up with the belt I see lying on the floor so I quickly slide the leather through the loops and tighten it around my waist. A plain blue shirt is next on the pile and I pull that on over the one I am wearing before running my hand down through the clothes until I find a button down shirt. This one is red plaid and I hand it to Skye to put on, covering the blood stained shirt she's wearing. Wrapping the cloth of my old drawstring pants around my hand I open the door and together we walk slowly down the stairs. She is quiet and I know she is worried about May and the others. When we get out onto the street I see we aren't far from a Metro station so I take her hand and lead her toward it.
"Where are we going?" she asks.
"Union Station," I tell her. She doesn't argue or try to disagree and I worry that maybe Skye is hurt and just not letting on. I take a good look at her as we walk toward the train and she seems okay so for now I let it go. It doesn't take very long for us to get to the train and soon we are side by side as the Metro rushes toward downtown. Her hand stays in mine and I squeeze it reassuringly but she doesn't look at me.
We arrive at Union Station and follow the throng of people exiting the train until we come to a row of lockers. Together we walk slowly as I look over the numbers until I find the right one. I press in my access code and the door opens revealing a bag of goodies. Inside I know are weapons, fake IDs, and cash and we need all of that right now.
"Let's get something to eat," I say and she looks at me as if I have two heads. "Aren't you hungry?"
Skye shakes her head but follows me into the food court where we grab burgers, fries, and sodas, settling into plastic chairs as travelers mill around us, a brief stop in whatever their final destination is.
"We need to catch a bus out of town," I tell her between bites. "Once we're safe you can call Coulson or May and let them know you're okay."
I can see she is trying to decide if I am telling the truth or not and so far she seems to believe me but I also know Skye is waiting for something to go wrong. She glances around nervously and I know she wants to get off the streets and away from strangers until we know what the situation is.
"Let's go," I say, seeing her discomfort. We walk to the electronic ticket machine and see what options are available. "We can take a bus to New York."
"New York?" Skye asks
"Yeah," I answer. "I have a place we can hole up for a bit. Get outta sight and see if we can figure out what's going on."
I pull one of my pre-paid credit cards from the wallet inside my bag and select two tickets. Once we have them I reach for her hand and we head for the bus. She's getting more comfortable with me and I'm glad of it. I'll do everything in my power to protect her and I hope she knows it. When we get on the bus I let her have the window seat and settle in next to her, dropping my bag on the floor in front of me. She is tense and her eyes scan the crowd of people heading toward the other buses but no one seems to look twice at us. She relaxes once the bus pulls away from the station and as the sky darkens her eyes close and soon I can tell she is sleeping. Her head lists slightly and lands on my shoulder waking her up.
"You're fine," I whisper. "Get some rest."
***
Hours later we arrive at the Port Authority bus terminal in New York City and a few minutes later I hand my bag off to Skye as we head for yet another locker and another stash of money, weapons, and the key to the safe house I have here. We head out onto the street and I hail a cab, letting Skye in first and sliding in beside her. I give the driver the address and smile as Skye takes in the scenery.
"Never been to New York before?" I ask her.
She shakes her head no so I let her be. When we arrive at our destination I hand some cash over to the driver and lead Skye under the green canopy toward the brick building in front of us. The outside is unassuming but the lobby is beautiful with Italian marble floors and black granite tile covering the walls. Skye looks around in surprise, following me toward the elevator where I press the button for the 4th floor.
"It's a little small," I tell her as I open the door and let her in. The main living area is long and narrow with Brazilian hardwood covering the floor and a small dining room table with two seats to the left of the door and a long sofa on the wall nearest the windows. A television sits across from it with a few DVDs laying on the entertainment center. Tiny doors open into the small but tastefully decorated galley kitchen and another doorway leads to the only bedroom and bathroom.
"It's nice," Skye says as she looks around. "I need to call May."
I nod and pull a cell phone from one of the bags. "Its untraceable."
Skye takes the phone from me and dials a number, pushing a button on the keypad afterwards so that I can hear both sides of the conversation. I don't even try to hide my surprise and she looks away from me, down at the ringing phone.
"Hello?" May's voice is clearly coming through the speaker.
"Hi," Skye answers, relief filling her face.
"Skye," May replies. "Are you using Rising Tide connections to contact me?"
I watch as Skye's face falls, tears abruptly filling her eyes as she answers, "Yes... but don't worry. It's untraceable."
"Where are you?" May asks and I hold my breath waiting for Skye to answer. Something is obviously not right here.
I watch as Skye looks around, her eyes settling on a package of gum that's probably been here forever. She motions for me to hand it to her as she replies, "D.C. I didn't exactly have a chance to grab my wallet. Sorry I left you behind."
"It's no problem," May tells her. "Do you have an address? I'll come pick you up."
Skye opens the gum and crinkles the wrapper near the phone. "It's a diner near..."
I watch as she twirls the wrapper harder, making sure the noise is clearly heard on the other end. "May? Are you still there? May?"
She jabs her finger down on the end call button and tosses the wrapper onto the counter angrily. "Dammit."
"She's been compromised?" I ask, placing a hand on Skye's shoulder. Her eyes meet mine and she nods, a tear escaping and trailing down her cheek. Carefully I brush it away before pulling her into a hug. "It's going to be okay."
Skye nods and asks, "What do you think they want with me?"
Taking her hand I lead her to the sofa and we sit facing each other. I tell her everything I know. Everything Raina said about Skye's DNA. About her parents being the monsters that killed all of the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents when she was just a baby. That there is a good possibility that her father is alive and now knows she is too. She looks exhausted and overwhelmed by the time I am finished and I feel terrible that I am the one who had to tell her everything.
"We'll figure it out," I tell her as she leans her head back against the sofa, closing her eyes in frustration. "Go get some rest."
"There's only one bed," Skye says warily.
"The couch is comfortable," I say kicking off my shoes. "We'll get supplies tomorrow and make a plan."
She looks at me dubiously until I add, "I'll get you a laptop. It will be just like old times."
Skye smiles in spite of herself and gets to her feet, heading for the bedroom. She pauses in the doorway and says, "Thanks."
I nod and she is gone. I doubt I will sleep much tonight but I know I need to. I get up and check the door, confirming that the deadbolt is turned before going to the window and peeking through the blinds. The streets are quieting down in Queens and I know we are safe for tonight.
***