"There is nothing more unsettling. Being a part of something so horrible. Completely unaware. The cadet could've died. "
"We drew up those concepts years ago. We didn't know they be applied in that way."
Seeing the heart broken look in Jemma's eyes and the complete defeat in Fitz voice, Skye can't help but to feel extremely sorry for her two friends, looking over the case file, eyes on the silver cylinder tube.
"Is this the device they found in the frozen pool? Correction, the instantly frozen indoor pool?"
She asks as Fitz walks over to the table with two cups of what she presumes is tea, handing one to Jemma. Ward was nodding his own head, sitting on the other side from them, a tablet of his own in his hand.
"Seems like it was planted in the filter days before. Like someone was waiting for those specific cadets."
"Well, as far as they can tell, the device uses a crystalline nucleation process she designed."
Fitz explains, nodding his head towards Jemma.
"And a delivery mechanism he invented."
Jemma adds, mimicking his action, which somehow makes Skye smile. One of these days she really should sit down with Jemma and ask if there is anything else going on between them. Or maybe she could be brave enough to ask Fitz.
"That's why we're being asked to consult on the investigation."
"So, we're going to the Academy?"
Skye asks and she can't help the joy of getting a chance to see the place up front, especially after all the stories she has heard of the place.
"Science and Technology Division."
Ward points out and Skye makes sure not to roll her eyes.
"Cadets are pretty shaken up over what happened. Agent Weaver asked If you two could speak to the student body about "potentiality". Calm them down."
"Of course. The talk. We've all heard the talk."
"I haven't."
Skye adds, at least she is sure she hasn't heard that talk, but she has been through quite a few other talks with her siblings and aunt throughout the years.
"I guess you will."
Ward tells her and this time, Skye rolls her eyes.
"Well, I've heard a lot about the Academy. I'm excited to finally see it."
She adds, bumping her shoulder into Jemma's, mostly so he can get at least some type of a smile out of her friend.
"Me too. Never been to Sci-Tech before."
Ward jumps in and Skye looks at him, not even surprised over that fact.
"The different S.H.I.E.L.D. Academies don't interact?"
She asks, hearing how Jemma and Fitz scoffs at her comment and she smiles.
"Not much. Academy of Communications does. But they're the biggest and focused on data analysis."
Ward continues to explain, ignoring Jemma and Fitz.
"Boring."
"By far the easiest to get into."
Fitz and Jemma say at the same time.
"That's where you'd be, Skye."
Fitz adds and Skye moves so she could see him better, eyes narrowed.
"Thanks."
She comments, but she knows fully well that he is right about that.
"Operations is the most aggressive program. More people wash out of Operations than the other Academies."
Ward continues to explain and by now, Skye is growing tired of listening to him.
"So, which one is the hardest to get into?"
She asks, already knowing the answer to that and from the smile on Jemma's face, her suspicion is confirmed.
"I'm picking up on the rivalry between Sciences and Operations."
She adds, rising from her seat to turn towards the sink, placing the bowl she had been eating from away. Hearing the familiar footsteps of her mother, she looks up to see that Melinda is walking past the kitchen.
"You and Coulson past all that, or are you going to help Ward steal their mascot?"
She asks, knowing fully well that if things had been different, Melinda would join in on that type of activity and she would probably have called Natasha and Clint to help her out. Whereas Maria and Victoria would rally up students to make sure the mascot is being well protected.
"We're not going. After we drop you off, Coulson and I have other matters to attend to."
She explains before walking off again, which makes Skye slightly worried. They have been away from the base for about 4 days now and the first few days, Skye had made sure to hide. Only to learn she didn't need to; Coulson had made sure to look himself up in his office. Which adds to the ever-growing worry for him.
At the heavy silence in the room after Melinda walks away, Skye can feel how she needs to get away. Leaving the bowl in the sink, she nods to Jemma before heading off to her own bunk. There was no need to use her mothers anymore, even if it would make her feel better. She knows fully well that the other three will continue to talk about it.
A few hours later, Skye finds herself standing outside of the Science and Technology division, watching the cadets and teachers walking about.
"This was the SSR facility before S.H.I.E.L.D. was even founded."
Jemma explains, and Skye knows just how well her friend knows the history of this place and everything that was SSR and Peggy Carter.
"SSR stands for..."
Jemma starts to say but Skye jumps in, having heard what it means from her before.
"Strategic Scientific Reserve. Yeah, I know. You've told me."
She says and Jemma smiles, it's clear that she is nervous.
"Is this where you got all your PhDs?"
Skye decides to ask, hopping it will distract her friend.
"Oh, no, you need at least one to get through the door."
"Science and Technology what you imagined, Agent Ward?"
Fitz asks and Skye can just tell that their little bickering was about to start a new.
"Yep. No uniforms. No rope course. No defined muscularity on anyone."
"No marching in place. No IQs in double digits."
Skye shakes her head, and she is quite sure that Jemma is rolling her eyes at the two of them. Seeing a woman walking towards them, Skye makes sure to move slightly back.
"There they are. So good to see you."
She says her eyes on Jemma and Fitz who happily greats her.
"You look as lovely as ever."
"I concur."
"Thank you. Agent Ward, a pleasure to have you, sir."
She then adds, turning her attention towards Ward to shake his hand.
"Agent Weaver. There's a list of suspects?"
He asks, leave it to T-1000 to jump directly into work the second he gets a chance too.
"Based on the level of intelligence it would take to put a device together like the one we found, we've narrowed it down to the to 10% of our cadets. I'm worried there's a bad seed."
Agent Weaver explains, and Skye can see the logic in her thinking, seeing as Jemma and Fitz are the first to work on the two different components.
"Ops and Sciences have differences, but both have to be careful about what we call bad seeds. People want to use the tools we give them..."
Ward starts to explain to her, and Skye turns her head to look at him, having a hard time believing that he is trying to explain what a bad seed means.
"Bad seed isn't a S.H.I.E.L.D. term, Ward. Just a term."
She tells him before turning to look at the building once more.
"I know you've already questioned the victim, but I have a few questions I'd like to ask him myself."
Ward turns his attention back to the agent in front of him.
"I'll arrange for you to talk to Seth Dormer when he's out of class. Now, if you excuse me, I'd like to get Agents Fitz and Simmons settled into the lecture hall."
Agent Weaver says, with a head nod to Jemma and Fitz, she turns. Fitz quickly follows after the older agent and Jemma makes sure to grab hold of Skye's hand to pull her along. If she didn't know just how protective her friend could be, Skye could almost guess that her mother had made sure to send Jemma instructions to make sure to keep her close by at all times.
Skye makes sure to stay to the side, happy to see how popular Jemma and Fitz are at this school, and seeing how happy it makes them when being this well recognised. She knows just how hard school can be, but seeing them in their right element, is just amazing.
"Today, we're proud to welcome back two of S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy's finest. Our youngest graduates to date. You know their names. Please join me in welcoming Agent Leopold Fitz and Agent Jemma Simmons."
Hearing Agent Weaver introducing the science twins and the warm round of applause, Skye makes sure to join the cadets, a big smile on her lips.
"Thank you, Agent Weaver. It's nice to be back. Unfortunately, it has to be under these circumstances."
"If you don't know the history of S.H.I.E.L.D. by now, there's no excuse. Unless you fell asleep in Professor Vaughn's class, that's a perfectly acceptable excuse."
Laughter echoes around the room at what Skye guess is an inside joke among the students.
"Our instinct, as scientists, is to move forward, advance quickly, push the envelope. But given recent events, it makes sense to reflect back on our history."
"S.H.I.E.L.D was founded after the SSR was able to defeat the nearly indomitable force known as HYDRA."
"We tend to forget that these organizations, HYDRA, Centipede, AIM, were also made up of extremely brilliant scientists. Men and woman who started with the same unlimited potential as you or I."
"Potential can sometimes be dangerous. Plutonium has the potential to power a city, or to be a nuclear bomb."
"Today we'd like to share a few stories from the field in which we learned this lesson, up close. And faced the consequences when untested technology or biology lands in the wrong hands. And don't worry, we brought pictures."
Listening to the speech, Skye can be really sure she hasn't heard this speech before. But Natasha, Clint, Maria and Victoria, even Melinda, have been giving her different variations of it. But before Jemma or Fitz can continue their speech, a second incident happens, this time, hitting it's target right on. Watching Jemma and Fitz quickly defusing situation, Ward smashing the tube, Skye starts to question if she should just have stayed on the BUS.
"Agent Weaver, keep working with investigations. Interviewing cadets, instructors."
She hears Ward order the Agent as she walks up to them, she had made sure to stay on the side line until it was only the team left, there was far too many people around for her taste.
"And us?"
She asks, she could see that the other man has an idea in his head, and she is almost worried to ask what it is.
"Their interviews won't bear fruit. We teach cadets to keep secrets. Where did you guys hang out when you wanted to get away from the faculty?"
Ward explains, as he turns and starts moving for the doors.
"Can we tell someone from Operations?"
"Yes. Because we need to conduct our own investigation."
Once they reach the door, Jemma takes the lead out of the building.
"And when we get there?"
"We mingle, low key. You and Skye get comfortable with the students, see if you can get them gossiping. Skye looks young enough to blend in."
"You're not exactly Ol' Man River, and Fitz looks younger than us."
"Time will come when you won't make fun of me for that. You'll be jealous. You'll be jealous, wrinkly old hags."
For that comment, he actually deserves the hit Skye throws on his arm. It had been an action she didn't think through and something that has only happened towards Clint before. A weird feeling starts to grow in her and she comes to realize that she really wants to be back on the BUS, so she can think all of this through.
"I want Fitz to talk to Donnie."
"Sorry?"
"Donnie's withdrawn. Might know more than he's letting on. You're a hero here, Fitz. He looks up to you. Go hang out with him. Even if he has no clue who might be after him, he could use a friend."
"That is a wonderful idea."
"Ward has them from time to time. I'll meet you later."
Seeing the smile on Jemma's face as Fitz walks away, Skye decides that she should push up her questioning of what is going on between them. Seeing how Jemma starts to turn towards Ward, Skye follows her, arms crossed.
"What? It's strategic."
"It's adorable."
"The Tin Man has a heart after all."
"So, where are we going?"
Skye let's out a chuckle, sometimes Ward does surprise. She decides to follow after Jemma as she starts to describe the underground bar they were about to enter and before even reaching the place, Skye made the decision to stay close to her. As Jemma leads them down to the boiler room, Skye can almost see herself hanging out in a place like this, if there had been people she knows and trusts. She should probably take photos and send to Stark.