X marks the spot

Heavy Is The Head

"How's your wound?" Skye asked as she moved from the co-pilots seat to crouch down next to Aaron to reach eye level. He removed his hand from his wound, showing that it had now healed.

"Tada." He said in a showman's voice; Skye chuckled, but rolled her eyes.

"We're here." She said, as if he wouldn't know. Still, he nodded and nudged Rebecca, who was next to him. She slowly opened her eyes, meeting his own.

"We're here." He said, she nodded as they both unclipped themselves from their seats and stood up, stretching as they did so.

"I still can't raise Hunter or Hartley on the comms." Skye said as she and Tripp went down the ramp first, followed by the other two.

"Not surprised. Radio silence on the op was protocol." Tripp explained as the four walked away from their latest prize.

"Still, Hartley was in pretty bad shape when we left her. You'd think we'd have heard something by now." Skye said, pressing the matter further.

"No need to think the worse till it shakes your hand and says, "Hello."" Tripp said, trying to stay positive.

"In that case, "Hello."" Aaron said with a sarcastic smile, Skye and Tripp laughed at his joke.

"Is that another one of your grandma's sayings?" Tripp chuckled at Skye's quip.

"Fortune cookie. I had some Kung Pao chicken the other night." He explained as they walked towards the big door blocking the hanger from the rest of the building.

"Maybe Coulson's heard from them." Skye hoped, as they stopped walking, seeing Coulson outside of his room.

"We need a complete inventory by the time Agent Koenig returns. Food, fuel, and ammo. Understand?" He asked two nameless agents.

"Yes, sir." They said in sync before they walked away.

He then turned his attention to the returning four.

"You got the Quinjet. Well done." Was the first thing he said to them.

"Thank you, sir." The four said in sync.

"Any word about Hartley?" Skye asked the question on the four's mind.

"Not now. Let Mack know the jet's here. I want him reverse-engineering that cloaking hardware right away. Sooner he does, sooner we get the bus operational again." Coulson ordered them.

"Roger that." Tripp said, leaving to do just that.

"I'm gonna get our things in case Coulson gives the it a go." Aaron told Rebecca, who nodded and then followed Skye.

She seemed to have a sixth sense, noticing the girl was coming and kept the door open for her.

"Something else?" Coulson asked Skye, but let Rebecca fall in step with them on his other side.

"The item that messed up Hartley's arm? It had those weird symbols on it. The ones you've had me researching." Skye told him as they walked.

He looked at her, now intrigued, "The same symbols?" Off Skye's nod, he continued, "You're sure."

"Yes. They came up out of the object. It reminded me of Braille. It was like Hartley triggered something by touching it." She quietened her voice down when another agent walked past them.

"What the hell is that thing?" Skye asked.

"I have no idea. But good work." Was Coulson's dismissive answer as he continued walking, leaving the girls to share a look.