Chapter Text
A dark, dingy room materialized around them. Skye squinted, trying to make out where exactly she was. The room looked familiar: it was scantily furnished with only a black armchair and a gray stool. There were no pictures on the wall, only bare wood, and there were no doors. A single tiny window on the ceiling was the only source of light.
“Where are we?” Fitz whispered.
Skye frowned. “I’m not sure…it feels…familiar.”
A pained cry sounded behind them, and the trio spun around to see a little girl with dark brown hair cowering against the wall. There was a tall, broad-shouldered man looming over her.
“Is that?” Jemma began, but Skye had already leaped towards the man.
“Leave her alone!” she ordered furiously. She grabbed him by the shoulders and threw him sideways, her powers unintentionally augmenting the attack.
Before she could check on the little girl, the man stood up, smirking. “Hello, Skye.”
She gasped, recognizing John Garrett. “You!”
“I thought Coulson killed him,” Fitz grumbled.
“So did he,” Garrett agreed. “Luckily, that 084 he used has different effects depending on who or what gets hit by it. Something inanimate, like the BUS, gets destroyed, while a living being, like me, and clearly you three, gets transported through time.” He grinned. “Kinda neat, huh?”
Skye stared at him in disbelief. “When are we?”
He shrugged. “I’d say sometime in the fall of 1996. I got sent back to a few months ago here, and it took me forever to find you. That protocol Agent Avery made up for you took some serious work to get past, but I managed to get clearance to foster you.”
The little girl was shaking as she listened to the conversation. “Who are you people?” Her voice quivered.
“Shh, Mary, the adult and the big kids are talking,” Garrett told her.
Everything became crystal clear in Skye’s mind. “How dare you!” she shouted. A wave of force erupted from her, hurling Garrett to the opposite end of the room. “Don’t you think that I’ve–she’s been hurt enough! I know what you did to Ward; is that what you were going to do again?” She advanced on him.
While she went after Garrett, Jemma and Fitz slowly went over to the little girl. “Hello there,” Jemma said gently. She knelt down in front of her. “I’m Jemma and this is Fitz. What’s your name?”
“My name is Skye, but everyone insists on calling me Mary,” the girl replied.
The two scientists froze as they finally figured out what had happened. “You’re Skye?” Jemma asked carefully, not wanting to scare her anymore than she already had been. “That is a lovely name,” she complimented, giving her a reassuring smile. “Why did you choose it?”
Little Skye frowned. “You actually like the name Skye?” she asked, clearly not sure whether or not to believe her.
“Of course we like the name Skye,” Fitz promised, having also crouched down. “Our best friend…our little sister is named Skye.”
“You have a little sister?” Little Skye gasped. She looked behind them to where Skye was fighting Garrett. The cyborg was stronger, but her powers seemed to be automatically protecting her. “Is that her?”
Fitz nodded. “That’s our little sister,” he confirmed.
“You two are siblings?” Little Skye sounded surprised, her eyes scanning the two scientists thoughtfully. “I thought you were a couple…you look like you should be together.”
They looked at each other for a moment, a silent message passing between them: They’re exactly the same!
Ignoring the question, Jemma asked, “How old are you?”
“Hmmm,” Little Skye said slowly. “According to the nuns, I’m seven. Not that I look like it.”
She sounded older than seven, that was for sure. Jemma’s heart dropped as she looked at the still-scared younger version of her friend who, at seven years old, looked no older than five. Her dark hair fell messily around her shoulders, tangled and dirty. Grime and filth covered her face, and something that in theory was a child’s nightgown reached to her ankles, tattered and threadbare, small dark stains blotching around. And then, as Skye’s fight with Garrett suddenly lit up the room, Jemma and Fitz could see something else: bruises and scars – ones that should never be on anyone's, let alone a child’s face.
“Skye, I need to ask something very important.” Little Skye stared at her nervously, nodding slightly. “Has he hurt you?”
Little Skye stiffened. “Why are you asking me that?”
Fitz gave a reassuring look. “She just wants to make sure you’re okay.”
With a small whimper, Little Skye nodded. “He wasn’t supposed to take me. I don’t know who was, but it definitely wasn’t him. The nuns almost didn’t let him, and they hate me.”
“I’m sorry, Skye,” Jemma whispered. She reached out towards the little girl, who flinched back, but couldn’t go anywhere, since she was already against the wall. “It’s all right. I don’t want to hurt you; I just want to see how badly he and the others did.”
“Why do you believe me?” The question was almost inaudible, but fill of pain and disbelief.
“Because he hurt us too,” Fitz said immediately. “We thought we could trust him and then he hurt us too. Skye especially.”
Little Skye relaxed, though horror was on her face. “He hurt you too? But you’re so nice, even if you talk kinda funny.”
“We do not,” Jemma pretended to protest. She reached towards Little Skye again. “Please can I check on you?” Little Skye nodded and stepped forward. Jemma began quickly and efficiently wiping away the dirt from the little girl’s face.
“He was wrong to hurt you guys, but I deserve it,” Little Skye announced.
“What, no, absolutely not!” Fitz asserted. “No one deserves to be hurt.”
Little Skye gave him a confused look. “But I do,” she argued. “They’ve all said it. The nuns say I’m bad because I don’t sit quietly like their other perfect angels who pick on me when no one’s there and then blame it on me.” She sighed. “I’ll never have a real family.”
Jemma’s face fell. “You will have a family. We’re going to get you out of here and bring you with us.”
“Really? You won’t abandon me?” The disbelieving hope in Little Skye’s voice was painful.
“We will never abandon you!” Fitz promised firmly. “We will always protect you.”
Skye was thrown towards them at that moment, while Garrett stalked closer. “Get her out of here,” she ordered. “If you have Skye, you don’t need me. I’ll keep Garrett busy.”
“Absolutely not, Skye!” Jemma snapped. “We don’t trade lives. What Fitz said obviously applies to you too. The team didn’t save your life only for you to throw it away like this!”
“I don’t deserve to have you protect me. Especially not after-”
“Listen to me,” Fitz said. “It’s not your fault that Trip died. If you really want to point fingers, point them at Raina and Whitehall. They’re the reason we ended up at the temple in the first place. Or better yet, blame him.” He pointed at Garrett. “If it weren’t for Garrett, Coulson would have never started carving, which is what set us toward the temple. You were trying to protect people when you went in. It’s what you do.”
The room shook once again as Skye said, “People get hurt when they try to protect me, which is why I need to be protecting them.”
“Me too!” Little Skye agreed. “Brady got beat up by our foster parents when he tried to stop them from hitting me. That’s when I realized I needed to be the one to watch out for the other kids so they stay safe…or at least as safe as I can keep them.”
Jemma and Fitz exchanged a glance. “Who’s Brady?” they asked at the same time.
Little Skye stared at them, somewhat amused, while Skye waved frantically for her to not say anything. It didn’t work. “Brady was my older foster brother when I was five. That was the first home that was really bad, but he protected me.”
Skye sighed in resignation. “The parents practically killed him when he interfered.”
“How did you know that?” Little Skye demanded.
“Well, this storytelling has been fun, but it needs to end now,” Garrett interrupted before anyone could even try to explain.
Little Skye glared at him. “I’m not staying with you!” she shouted.
“And we’re not letting you take her,” Jemma added. “Even if we still don’t have a way out of here.”
Skye scanned the room. There were no exits. The window was way too small and high to escape through. And then there was Garrett, standing menacingly in front of them, his creepy grin never fading.
Then the humming sound filled the room. “Wait…is that?” Fitz began, before they all looked over to see the 084, inexplicably sitting on the stool. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” he muttered.
“You guys get to the 084,” Skye hissed to the others. “I’ll hold off Garrett for as long as I can.”
Jemma shook her head. “Absolutely not. We are not leaving you here.”
“Use your powers,” Fitz urged. “You can control them; I know–we all know you can.”
“Powers! You have powers!” Little Skye exclaimed. “That is so cool!”
The two scientists smiled at her enthusiasm, while Skye winced, remembering her first meeting with Mike Peterson. He was another person she’d gotten hurt. “They’re not cool,” she told the little girl. “My powers are dangerous. I can’t control them.”
“Have you really tried?” Little Skye asked. “Captain America probably couldn’t control his powers when he got them, but he ended up saving the world. You can do this.”
“Yeah, you can do this, Skye!” Fitz agreed. “These are your powers.”
“They’ve been fighting you because you’ve been fighting them, but you have to embrace them: they are a part of who you are,” Jemma put in.
Little Skye gave an unexpected hop. “Kick his butt!”
Skye looked at all of them. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. As she concentrated, she felt something shift within her, as if moving into place. These were her powers; she was going to use them to protect her family.
Garrett was watching her. “Go ahead,” he invited, waving a hand in front of himself. “Let’s see what you can do.”
She threw up her hands and another, stronger wave of force blasted Garrett backwards. He hit the wall so hard he crashed straight through it. He landed painfully on the rubble, groaning.
Jemma picked up Little Skye, and together with Fitz, crossed over to the 084. Fitz threw something to Skye and she smashed it against the floor near Garrett, releasing a silver mist that floated quickly towards him. It covered him in a stone casing, then crumbled into pieces.
“No one messes with my family,” Skye said, releasing her protective shield of force once she was sure the mist was completely gone. She joined the others at the 084. “I found an exit,” she announced dryly.
“You did it!” Little Skye cheered. “I knew you could!”
“So did we,” Fitz agreed, giving Skye a hug.
She smiled. “I've been fighting my powers since I got them: first because I was trying to hide them, and then I was just scared.”
“Don't be scared,” Little Skye told her. “Your powers are awesome. They're a gift.”
“Yeah,” Skye agreed, “I think they are.” She looked her younger self over for the first time. “It's been a while since I was that small,” she mused.
Jemma gave her a look. “Imagine that.”
Fitz reached for the 084. “Guess we'd better see if this will get us home.”
The device let out its fierce noise, scaring Little Skye a bit, and the laser fired at them, this time hitting Little Skye first. The blue glow traveled to cover Jemma and Fitz, before finishing with Skye. Then they disappeared from the room.