Blood of the Covenant |1| The Dark Waters Series (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.)

Chapter Five: The Girl In The Flower Dress

In the living area of the Bus, sat opposite each other next to one of the windows, Ward and Skye stared at each other impassively. "Every decision you make from here on out has consequences," Ward explained solemnly. "So be warned. The kiddie gloves are off."

Skye narrowed her eyes, confident in her abilities. All it would take were three little syllables... "G7."

Ward's face fell. "Hit."

"Yes! Haha!" Skye pumped the air dramatically as she adjusted her Battleships board accordingly. "So, explain to me again what this has to do with my training?"

"It's important for every S.O. to evaluate their student's thought process," Ward told her, before adding quickly, "and I like board games. B10."

"Nope," she replied, grinning. "This isn't thinking, this is stabbing in the dark. But it's nice to take a break from the workouts."

"Well, you deserve a break," he admitted. "I got to give Coulson credit. I would never have pegged an ex-Rising Tide hacker as a good fit, but you're picking things up pretty fast."

Skye's eyes went wide as plates. "Did you just give me a compliment?"

"I—" He hesitated. "No, I made a comment."

"A kind one," she grinned. "Did it physically hurt to do that?" She faked concern. "Do you need an ice pack?" Ward laughed, and her eyes widened even more. "Wow! A compliment and a smile!"

"Comment," he insisted.

"I don't want to ruin the moment, but I'm gonna have to respond with... G4." Ward's smile dropped, and Skye beamed. "Say it, Ward. Say it!"

He sighed, almost pouting. "You sank my battleship."

"Yes!" she cheered.

"Alright," he said, resetting his board. "Best two out of three."

"I won!" she continued, enjoying his frown.

In the doorway, Coulson and May were watching quietly, unnoticed by the pair. "She's fitting in nicely," Coulson noticed.

May raised an eyebrow. "Gloating?"

"A little."

"You were up early this morning," she mentioned. "Heard you puttering around even before I started Tai Chi. Having trouble sleeping?"

"No, I feel great," he assured her. "Just have a little extra energy to burn."

May smiled. "If you want, I could lay out the mats downstairs. We could go a few rounds, like the old days?" Coulson chuckled, but before he could agree, the screen in the command centre next door beeped, showing a red S.H.I.E.L.D. logo. "Saved by the bell."

***

"Chan Ho Yin," Coulson announced once everyone had assembled in the command centre, showing them a picture of the man. "Just a struggling street performer until a few years ago, when Mr Chan began to exhibit moderate pyrokinetic abilities."

"So what gave him powers?" Fitz asked.

Genevieve tilted her head. "It's still under investigation, but Chan did live near the decommissioned Wan Tai Nuclear Plant when it caught fire, so maybe that. But to our knowledge, no other nearby residents have exhibited similar traits."

"So how did we find out about him?" Simmons wondered.

"Informants saw him lighting torches in a street show," May told her. "With his pinkie."

"Brought it to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s attention," Coulson added. "We told him to keep his abilities under wraps. He's been on the Index ever since."

"The Index?" Skye echoed.