X marks the spot

The HUB

"Oh good." Fitz said in relief, standing up with Skye in the chair opposite him, "Your done with that paranasal extraction nonsense, do you need to me analyse the data?" He asked, Jemma stood behind him, highly excited. Well, more excited than was the norm for her.

"That won't be necessary." Coulson denied, just continuing on his way towards the office, "If it's encrypted, I can mine the chip for him." Skye offered.

"I'm afraid this mission is classified, clearance level 8." Coulson explained, while Fitz and Jemma seemed to grasp the meaning of it. Skye seemed to be more confrontational about this denial.

"Wait, what? He can just shut us out of the process like that?" She questioned to everyone, although she mainly looked between Fitzsimmons.

"Well... He did say that the mission was level 8 –"

"And we're not. So we don't know about it."

"Right, but this is normally the part where we stand around the holocom and we learn about stuff. I mean, aren't we all on the same team." Skye continued to doubt the action that Coulson took, still annoyed by it. And made it clear. Fitzsimmons broke in before she could turn it into a rant.

Jemma explained the system that SHIELD had in place, that they were built on an infrastructure of information. Ward continued for the explanation, about how each agent couldn't have the same information. As it would put the whole organisation at risk.

"How about you kid, your place similar?" Ward asked, drawing Aaron out of just watching the conversation. For a moment, the room was in silence, as he fully realised what was asked of him.

"We didn't even know each other's names. So, no, we knew jack shit." He answered, getting off the sofa and leaving the room. Skye gave Ward a look that just screamed a sarcastic, "great job". Before she continued her point, about how if it was her who had gone through what the agent they had rescued had gone through. Then she would want to know what it was all for.

The HUB, as Skye had questioned earlier, was a massive place. With seemingly never-ending people who all wore suits. No one really owned their own identity here. In Aaron's mind, it was kind of off putting. Having no sense of identity. He never had one before, but now he had one. And people who knew it, genuinely. People who just wouldn't forget it the next day.

"You alright, you've been quiet since the BUS?" Skye asked as they both looked over a railing at the people below and around them. Aaron didn't answer for a moment, still stuck in his thoughts. He was broken out of it when Skye placed her hand over his. She felt him tense for a second, before he remembered who it was. He turned to her slightly concerned eyes. A soft, but still unconvincing smile appeared on his face.

"I'm fine. He probably didn't mean it like that. Guys been through his fair share." Skye nodded at his answer, the two not moving for a moment. Before Skye gave his hand a small squeeze of assurance and comfort before they continued.

"Didn't realise big brother was this... Big."

"Oh, this is nothing. Wait until you see the Triskelion." Jemma 'bragged' as both Skye and Aaron had finally caught up with the others. They had waited for the two, whether that was because it was in case the two got lost or another motive was still unknown.

"Everyone's wearing the same suit. Someone tell me why?" Skye questioned; Aaron felt a small bit of validation for having his question answered. Not asking as he felt like it would be out of place or off putting in some kind of way that only made sense to him. Besides, making points and calling something out never ended well before, and while these people weren't those of his past. It could all turn in a moment. He had experience with that before.