Coulson Squared

Slingshot

"Not a scratch," Skye noted as Phil checked every inch of his little red car. "But your plane's totaled. I hope SHIELD insurance covers hijackings."

"Sure. Under 'incidentals,'" he responded. "(Y/N) still out?"

"Yep. That soldier must have hit her really hard."

"I'll say. She's got two goose-eggs--one on each side of her head," he said. "Reyes probably heard some rumors about her and wanted to make sure she didn't interfere. I don't know if I should be proud of (Y/N) for that or not."

"You wouldn't guess that she's so...capable, I guess, just based on how she acts," Skye remarked. "Ward and May are so reclusive, but she's so outgoing."

"She spent years training herself to put up that front," Phil said. "She designed her personality herself to be misleading."

"That's not how she normally is?" Skye asked, shocked. "What's she actually like, then?"

"She's a lot calmer."

"Naturally."

"She's definitely just as friendly, but she doesn't go out of her way to make herself the center of attention. Not many people know that she's just been acting the part of an annoying, immature kid since she joined SHIELD. Before, it was hard to get her to say a word. She can actually give excellent advice, and she's very good at listening; in fact, she's probably the closest thing we have to a therapist on this plane. If you ever get her to put aside this cover she's built for herself..."

"Don't waste my opportunity," Skye smiled. "I get what you're saying."

"Exactly. You two would be the kind of friends that complete each other. Inseparable. I look forward to seeing her really make a friend."

"Does she not have many?"

"Besides me, not really," Phil sighed. "She always pushed people away. She didn't want to have to deal with the strings that come with friendship, especially once she joined SHIELD."

"Wow," Skye breathed. "What exactly am I signing up for?"

"Like I said--front-row seat to the craziest show on earth."

"Yeah, but I didn't expect the show to get this crazy this fast all for an object you're just gonna destroy."

"Slingshot is protocol. A weapon like the 0-8-4 is too dangerous for any person or country to have. People like Reyes would always be after it," he pointed out.

"What happened with Reyes, anyway?" Skye asked.

"She's being held at a SHIELD detainment facility. I expect the Peruvian government will negotiate for her release. She probably won't spend much time in jail."

"No, I mean what happened with you and Reyes? You guys totally did it back in the day, right?," Skye pressed, a cheeky grin on her face.

Phil raised his eyebrows at her, much like he did whenever you said something like that. "That's classified," he said. Skye laughed.

--

You woke up in your bunk, your head pounding, to the sound of Fitz and Simmons laughing. You sat up and waited for the head rush to pass before you stood up and opened the door to your bunk.

To say that you were unprepared for the scene before you was a huge understatement. The mess that was the Bus took you completely off-guard, not to mention the hole in the side of the plane.

"What the heck?" you muttered, rubbing your eyes. "What did I miss?"

Fitz and Simmons came into view, Simmons carrying a blue cooler which, judging by the drinks in their hands, was most likely full of beer.