The moment Melinda is sure Skye is sleeping in the co-pilot seat, a blanket covering her, she takes out her phone. Ignoring that it’s now 5.30 in the morning, she makes the call she wanted to do since she and Skye entered the cockpit. Melinda even made sure to lock the door on the inside, knowing that Phil sometimes decide showing up here first before going down to the kitchen.
Placing her phone to her ear, she puts on the auto pilot and turns her head to make sure Skye is still asleep.
“What?”
A tired sounding Maria answer the call, her former rookie sounding more annoyed than ever. If there is one thing Melinda isn’t happy about Maria’s training is the fact that she never got the younger agent to be up early in the mornings.
“Mind informing me as to why I haven’t been told that the hacker you sent us to pick up is Mary-Sue Poots?”
Melinda asks, reaching out to Skye to pull the blanket up properly, watching as the young woman moves slightly in her sleep but nothing more. She was blessed with being able to fall asleep anywhere.
“Urgh, what are you talking about?”
Maria asks, yawning big on her end of the call. Melinda decides to stay silent, forcing Maria to think about what she has just been told. A few silent seconds goes by before she hears a gasp, rolling her eyes, Melinda leans back in her seat once more.
“So, any good reason?”
She asks, and she can hear how Maria is trying to work out exactly what to say. To come up with a good reason or something else that can buy her some time. Something that Melinda isn’t going to give her.
“Hill.”
She adds, using the same tone she used so many times over when Maria was her rookie. A tone she knows will make Maria do what she is told, there was no out of it. Hearing Maria let out a deep sigh, Melinda smiles, another win for her.
“She finally come clean huh?”
Is the question Maria answered with and Melinda turns her head back to look at Skye.
“Not really, I couldn’t sleep, went down an hour earlier than normal to start my Tai Chi and only to find Skye already up and doing it herself. In a tank top that shows her scars. After comforting her on that, she told me everything.”
Melinda informs the Deputy Director and she can hear how Maria swallow’s hard through the phone.
“Everything?”
The question is carefully asked, as if she is worried Melinda would go of like a bomb. Had it not been for the fact that Skye is sleeping in the seat beside her, Melinda has a strong feeling she would explode.
“Everything.”
She replies, letting someone of the anger she has felt show in her voice.
“So, mind telling me why you decides to keep this from me and Phil?”
Melinda asks once more, this time adding Phil to the mix just to show Maria that she has been informed of Phil’s part in all of this.
“Does he know?”
“No, Skye doesn’t want to talk to him about, not yet at least. It was enough with me finding out at the moment.”
Melinda informs and she can see how Maria nods her head.
“Yeah, I can understand that. What else has she told you? Just so I know and if need to inform Tasha and Clint.”
“That after me, she was placed with Phil, that Phil called Clint to help him and as always, Natasha follows with him. When she was moved again, she was placed with agent Hand for two weeks before being dropped into the system once more and after that, she called Natasha to come and pick her up and after that, you guys have taken care of her. And you and agent Hand allowed her to do undercover work within the Rising Tied and then you sent us to pick her up.”
Melinda tells her, keeping it so short as possible.
“She really told the easy story. Well, things up until her life in the system. When Clint and I reached the apartment, Natasha had already treated her wounds and she was sleeping on couch. I took Natasha’s spot as she took Clint with her to deal with the foster family. Don’t ask what they did, I don’t want to know.”
Maria tells her and Melinda looks over at Skye once more, feeling how anger is growing inside her once more. There’s no way she will let Skye out of her eye sight again.
“Melinda? You still there?”
She can hear Maria ask, a worried tone has now been added to her voice. With a deep breath, she calms herself down.
“Yes, I’m still here.”
She tells Maria, her voice strained as she try to keep calm.
“How about we talk later, once you have had a chance to calm.”
Maria suggests and Melinda leans back in her seat, admitting that Maria has a point there.
“We are not done with this conversation. But I guess we can continue this later.”
Melinda answered and from the corner of her eyes she can see how Skye starts to move in her sleep. Ending the call with Maria, she moves out of her seat to move closer to Skye. Placing a hand on Skye’s shoulder, she carefully shakes Skye.
“Xiǎo xīngxīng, it’s just a dream, your safe, I’m right here.”
She says in a low calming voice, moving her hand to comb Skye’s hair in a way to sooth her. Seeing how Skye starts to calm down and slowly starts to wake up.
“Ma?”
Her voice was weak, heavy with sleep. Hearing what she says, Melinda freezes up slightly. Knowing that Skye only said what she said because of her being sleepy.
“I’m right here Xiǎo xīngxīng.”
She says, moving slightly so Skye has a chance to wake up properly. Seeing how Skye blinks a few times before moving to sit up properly in the seat.
“What time is it?”
She asks, her voice still tired and Melinda can tell that she isn’t completely awake yet.
“Almost 6 am now.”
Melinda tells her and she can see how Skye closes her eyes and pulls the blanket over her head. Letting out a small laugh, Melinda rises.
“I’m thinking about getting some tea, do you want some?”
Melinda asks and from under the blanket she can see Skye nod her head as an answer. Shaking her head, she starts to move towards the cockpit door, unlocking it and heads down to the kitchen. Walking past the bunks, Melinda can see that Ward is awake at least and knowing he will be down in the hangar, training already.
Continue to move for the kitchen, she starts making some warm water for tea. Pulling out two cups and some tea as she wait. Letting her mind wandering to what she has been told, both from Skye and Maria. Her mind going to the sight she had seen a few hours earlier, the scars covering Skye’s back and upper arms.
“Ah, there you are, didn’t see you doing your daily Tai Chi.”
Phil speaks behind her, making Melinda turn quickly. Surprised that he somehow managed to sneak up on her.
“I woke up earlier than normal.”
She answer him, knowing she is keeping her voice a lot shorter than it should be. She can see that Phil realises that something is wrong, but she turns to check on the water. Seeing that it’s done, she starts fixing the tea. Once done she turns and heads for the cockpit once more, hearing that Phil follows.
Speeding up, she reaches the cockpit to see that Skye has woken up properly this time, her head turning to look at Melinda as she enters the room. With a small shake of her head, Melinda signals to Skye to keep quiet before handing over one of the cups.
Skye takes it, with a look of confusion and as Melinda sits down, Phil enters the room. His eyes lands on Skye and he cones to a stop, the questions he had down in the kitchen gone.
“Good morning.”
Skye says with a small nod of her head, lifting the cup to hide her face slightly as Melinda is sure she is trying to put herself together. Taking a sip of her own tea, she can feel how Phil is looking between Skye and herself.
“Skye, didn’t expect to see you in here, and this early.”
Phil somehow managed to get out at last. Glancing towards Skye, she can see how the young woman lowers her cup.
“I run into May when she was heading up from the hangar a while ago, I wasn’t able to fall back asleep and she suggested that sitting in here and watching the sky.”
Skye tells him and looking towards Phil, Melinda can see that he accepts this explanation. She can also see that he has more questions and with a quick look at Skye, she realises that she has seen the same thing. Seeing that Skye starts to move in the seat, Melinda narrows her eyes slightly as Skye starts to take of the blanket.
“Keep it on!”
She warns, making Skye stop move and turning her attention towards Melinda.
“You never took on a hoodie, you only have the tank top on.”
Melinda explain, making Skye look down at herself for a few seconds before she pulls the blanket closer to herself.
“Thanks.”
She says with nod of her head. Rising up, she makes sure the blanket is covering her properly before she nods her head to Phil before walking out. Once the door closes behind her, Phil leans on the co-pilot seat.
“Well, this is different.”
He comments, making Melinda rolls her eyes, out of everything he can come up with, it has to be that line.
“She seemed to need a calm and quiet place.”
She explains, feeling she really shouldn’t have to. Then again, she haven’t shown much interest in Skye until this very moment however.
“And the bla...”
Phil starts to ask, only to grow silent when he sees the look he is being given.
“She will tell you when she is ready, she freaked out when she realised I saw it.”
Melinda says, putting an end to anymore questions. Seeing Phil nod his head, Melinda turns fully to look at him.
“Anything else?”
She asks and Phil shakes his head, taking the hint to leave. Once the door closes behind him, Melinda allows herself to sink down in her seat. Feeling every emotion she has kept away since she learned the truth about Skye coaching down on her.
Closing her eyes, the only thing she see is Skye, broken down on the floor, the scars on her back and upper arm, red as the day she brought home the 12 year old version. Forcing herself to open her eyes, it was already to late, the sight was already burned into her mind and Melinda is quite sure, she wouldn’t be able to sleep for a long time.
Maria had told her, that Skye had ended up in a bad foster home, a home Natasha had gone to pick her up from. Maria wasn’t all to happy to learn what Natasha did to the people who had managed to hurt her little girl, but Melinda is tempted to call the red-haired assassin to ask.
But calling Natasha would mean telling her that Skye is with her on a mobile unit, which would lead to her and Clint, because neither of them can do anything alone, deciding to come for a visit. Which could be a good thing and a very bad one.
She is sure that Skye would be happy to see them, it sounded like she hasn’t seen them since after New York. And that’s the problem, she, Skye and Maria at least know that Phil is alive. Natasha and Clint are still in the dark about it.
Shaking her head, Melinda rises from her seat and steps to the middle of the floor. Starting the movements of Tai Chi, she feels how some of the tension in her body drops. She knows it won’t help completely, but for now, it’s a good start.