Their little star

Maria

Returning to the living room, Maria takes the spot Natasha had been sitting when they arrived, turning up the volume slightly, she starts working. Logging into the S.H.I.E.L.D database she realises that the files she needs to delete must be done on sight and not through a remote location, leave it to Fury to make their work harder than it needs sometimes. Letting out a heavy sigh, she tries to figure out if she should just call Natasha and Clint and ask them to turn around to HQ instead and take down the files themselves.

But something told Maria that neither of them wouldn't be answering their phones at the moment. She could just ask Fury himself, but that would mean she will have to tell him everything that has been going on and just how she knows the young girl. Melinda and Phil would gladly help her out, she knows that, but both are in that moment stuck together with Fury and since she has already taken away Natasha and Clint from his meeting, he won't let her borrow another one.

Going through the agents she knows; she tries to find someone she can trust well enough to help her in this. Someone that wouldn't tell Fury or use the information for their own use, or heavens forbid, use this to locate the young girl beside her. Even if Fury thinks the threat on her life has grown smaller, it's still there. In the end, the only one she can come to think of is one she knows Natasha and Clint aren't all to happy over, but the less they know the better it will be for Skye.

Pulling out her phone, she goes through her contact list and finds the number she's looking for. Looking at it for a few seconds, she tries to figure out if this really is the only way. Glancing down at Skye, she realises it is. She can't leave the apartment after all, so making this call is the only way. Making the call, Maria puts the phone to her ear and waits.

"This is Hand!"

"Victoria, it's me. I need a huge favour and you can't tell anyone, especially not Fury about what I'm going to ask you to do."

"Why do I get the feeling this will come back and haunt me in any way?"

"It all depends on how well of a work you do."

Maria can almost hear the eyeroll from the agent on the other side of the line. She knows she's asking a lot, but it can't be help in this moment.

"What exactly do you want, and why can't you do it yourself?"

"Well, I'm stuck in a safe house and I'm unable to leave at the moment. What I need from you is quite simple, I need you to access the computer base to delete a few files completely."

"Oh, is that all?"

"You know, I can do with the attitude Hand."

"Fine, what file numbers?"

"Everything should be under database id: 04-23-89."

Hearing how Victoria is typing away on her side of call, Maria lets her eyes fall on the sleeping girl beside her, hopping that her dreams are at least peaceful for the moment.

"YOU HAVE TO BE JOKING WITH ME!"

Maria must pull the phone from her ear as Victoria screams.

"Will you keep it down!"

Maria hisses back, hopping there were no agents around Victoria and that Skye didn't wake from the sudden scream. Looking back at the girl she let's out a sigh of relief when she sees no change.

"Please tell me you are with Mary in this exact moment!"

Victoria suddenly demands, the sudden change in her tone makes Maria glance at her phone. She had not expected this kind of respond, at least not from one Victoria Hand. If there were anyone, she would have expected to react like this it would be Melinda or Phil, mostly because they have been placed to protect Skye. That's when a conversation between herself and Victoria suddenly resurface and it all dawns on her.

"Well, our lovely boss has given me a secret mission for two weeks and I really need to try and understand why on earth he would give me this mission when there are so many better agents for it. Even you could have done this!"

Rolling her eyes, Maria lets her head drop in defeat. She should have known the mission Victoria had been put on was Skye's case. Of course, Fury would pick the agents that wouldn't spend time around children, well, Phil would have jump at any situation, but Melinda and Victoria are the two agents she would never have picked if she herself would have done the picking.

"First Melinda and Phil and now you, this girl really has gone through some of the top agents."

"What?"

"Never mind that now, can you just delete everything or not?"

"I'll delete it, but before I do that, I will make a copy of it all in case she would ever want to figure out more about her backstory."

"As long as no one knows there's a secret copy I'm fine with whatever."

Maria tells her, deciding now would be a good time to start working on the next part of her work. Creating paperwork's for one Skye.

"So, what was this about Mary having been with top agents, such as Melinda and Phil?"

"Melinda was the first agent to take care of Skye, oh yeah, according to her other sister we are changing her name to Skye, then Phil were placed in charge."

Maria quickly glanced over, this being a conversation not suitable over a phone line after all.

"Her other sister.... Oh, dear lord..."

Maria stars to smile at this, happy she didn't have to tell Victoria who the other sister is. The agent had already figured that out, which means she would also have figured out who the brother is too.

"Well, tell Skye that if she somehow ends up in trouble and neither of you three are around, all she has to do is to head for a S.H.I.E.L.D location. If anyone asks why she's there, all she must do is to tell them she's there to meet with her Auntie Vick, that will lead her to me."

Victoria explains and Maria smiles, happy that they have one more person to help protecting the young girl beside her.

"Files deleted, now I have to leave. I have other work to do."

And the end calls, shaking her head, Maria lowers her phone. Feeling movements beside her, she sees how Skye starts to wake up and she smiles.

"Hello little star."