The Father's Return

Taken

Laying her down in the cabin, Jemma slept soundly as Skye shut the door and faced the stranger alone. It was the first time she had had a proper look at him; very tall, deep colourful eyes, and a familiar yet distant feeling that she'd met him before. But she knew not where or how.

"What you did for the team today," she broke the silence whilst sliding her hands into her pockets "we owe you our lives." The stranger laughed under his breath and looked into her brown eyes, and smiled.

"I only came here for one purpose alone," he replied clearly and crossed his strong arms.

"Oh," Skye stepped back a little and shrugged her shoulders, "What purpose may that be?"

"I'm looking for someone who's very... valuable to me," he said stepping closer. He stared down at her, a strange glow in his eyes, and she began to walk slowly backwards towards the lounge.

"Very?" she questioned him as he followed her down the hallway. Her heart began to thump in her chest and her hands became clammy. She hadn't even tried to look up his identity. Who was he? A criminal? A psychopath? Was he part of Hydra? She couldn't think of possible answers fast enough before she found herself running for the door across the lounge. Skye had barely made the sofa when she felt a strong arm around her waist and scoop her from the ground. She yelled and kicked her legs as he carried her against his chest down the hallway, back towards the cargo hold.

"Put her down."

Coulson and Mike stood with icers in their hands, fingers on the trigger. The stranger stopped but Skye couldn't break free from his tight grasp. The Agents stood their ground as they faced their enemy.

"I came to find what belongs to me," the stranger confirmed, "now I've found her I intend to bring her back with me, and two measly humans aren't going to get in my way." He held her tighter and she found it harder to breathe, his large arm like a pillar against her ribs. She stared up at Coulson and could see how worried he was. She just hoped that he wouldn't get hurt.

"She doesn't belong to you, so I suggest you let her go because you're making me very trigger friendly," Coulson demanded, adjusting his grip on the gun. The stranger only laughed and shook his head.

"Oh, she does, Agent Coulson. Yes, I know who you are, I've been told all about you. How you died and came back to life. We're all wondering about how you did it by the way, any tips?" the stranger teased him. Coulson went blank for a moment. Who could possibly have known he was alive and told this guy? Oh of course, how stupid had he been!

"We? You mean Hydra?" Coulson asked casually as if he'd figured it out all along. Mike glanced over at him in surprise. Obviously he'd missed this explanation and it made him want to kick himself for being blind to it earlier.

"They send you their kind regards, especially one man in particular who’s got a weak spot for this little agent,” the stranger replied, dropping Skye onto her feet in front of him and holding her shoulders so she couldn’t run away. Coulson frowned as he pictured Grant Ward’s deceiving eyes in his mind and felt his finger tense on the trigger. The stranger pulled Skye backwards along the hallway towards the cargo bay.

“Not another step!” Coulson shouted and squeezed the gun in his hand. The stranger put one hand into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small black box with a flashing red button in the middle.

“You come any closer and your sleeping beauty in there gets a little wakeup call!” the stranger lifted the device above his head, his finger ready at the button. Skye looked horrified as she realised that sleeping beauty was her friend in the cabin only a few meters away down the hallway; and that little red button didn’t look too welcoming.

"I clipped a little explosive onto her shirt as a leaving present, don't make me use it before I've left, that would be very unfortunate."

Coulson and Mike hesitated on their tired feet, watching the stranger holding the device above his head. They sighed sadly and lowered their guns. The stranger put away the black box and nodded.

“Very good,” he seemed pleased with himself which irritated all three agents immensely, “now do excuse us as we take a slight detour.” In seconds the stranger pulled Skye close to him in an embrace, lifted up his jacket sleeve to reveal a large wrist-device. He tapped in a few coordinates and pressed a small button which set of a strange whirring noise. Skye felt her whole body tingling and suddenly the whole room around her seemed to fade into a bright light and materialise.

“Coulson!” she screamed but she vanished in the grasp of the enemy, teleported away to some place they didn’t know. The two men ran forward only to find they’d gone in a flash of light. Coulson felt rage building up in him and lifted up the gun, firing shot after shot at the ground where they’d just stood.

“Coulson,” Mike called over the gun shots, “Coulson!”

He stopped and looked back at Mike in sadness. He paused to catch his breath.

“She’s gone,” he said forlornly as Mike walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“I know. Now it’s our turn to get her back.”