"Where are you hiding, Professor Plum?" I muttered, folding my hands together as I stared at the board. "He's in the kitchen," Coulson advised, and I moved to pick the piece up but my hand phased right through it. I groaned, my hand flopping to my knee as I glanced at my director. "We need to take a ride," he said. "Okay. Where are we going?" I asked, standing up.
"Can't say. You're gonna wanna pack a bag," he advised. "If that's the case, you have to let me out," I said, and he stepped to the side, letting me head into the main part of the playground.
-
Retreat, Location: Classified
"It's one of Fury's old retreats. Haven't been here in years," Coulson said as we entered a cabin. "Fury's not the kind of guy who has a cabin just to relax. What is this place?" Skye said. "It's a safe house for people with powers. Rogers even spent a few weeks here after he defrosted," Coulson said. "Okay, but who is it supposed to keep safe--the people with powers or everybody else?" I asked. "Both. Skye, Asya, I'm afraid I'm going to have to pull you two from active duty," Coulson admitted.
"I get it. I do. I just didn't think you'd lock us up like werewolves during a full moon," Skye said. "You're not alone here," Coulson defended. "Feels pretty damn isolated to me," I said. "There's a direct video link to the base, and May will keep dropping by every couple of days," Coulson said. "What are we supposed to do? Go fishing?" Skye asked.
"Well, if you do go outside, be careful. There's a laser fence around the perimeter. Look, this is a safe place. You can relax here. You can use this time to get a handle on your abilities," Coulson said. "Yeah, 'cause that's worked great so far," I said, going back to the weird glitchy state that I spent most of my time in. "Well, maybe it's time we give you a hand with that. Simmons has been working on these around the clock. She assures me they'll cut your recovery times in half," we went over to a case where there were black gloves and silver armbands.
"How do they work?" Skye asked. "The internal wiring emits a surge of electricity to inhibit your powers," Coulson said. "So these take our powers away?" Skye asked. "More like decreasing their magnitude to keep you from hurting yourself and giving you back the use of your arms. Like I said, we want you to heal," Coulson said. "Seems like a no-brainer," Skye muttered.
"It's a personal call," he admitted. "What do you mean? Are there side-effects?" I asked. "A few. Simmons can go over them with you later," he said. "Are these really our best options?" She asked. "I can't answer that question for you, Skye," he said.
"Stop. Stop being this S.H.I.E.L.D. guy for just one second, okay? Please. We've been through way too much together. I just need you to be my friend right now. What would you do if you were me?" Skye begged. "I don't know. These are uncharted waters, but if there's anyone that can find a way through them, it's you two," Coulson assured us. "'Cause I'm the red Corvette," she said. "Because you're two of the few people I know I can trust,"
-
"Thanks for the update, Mack," Coulson said, hanging up. "Is everything okay?" I asked. "I'm afraid I have to get back," he said. "I get it. Didn't expect you to stay and roast marshmallows," Skye chuckled. "This is temporary, you two. I'll be back in a few days. If you need anything--" he started.
"We'll let you know," he wrapped her in a hug. "We'll figure this out. I promise,"