Chapter 4: The Girl in the Flower Dress

Hello! Sorry this chapter took so long! Just a fair warning, the next few chapters are going to be longer, since they're based off full episodes. I tried to cut down on as much as possible though, to make for a more pleasant read. Hope you enjoy it!

Chapter 4: The Girl in the Flower Dress

A few days after the Akela adventure, I seemed to be settling in. As much as a feared HYDRA assassin could anyway.

I'd met Ward, who seemed nice enough. He was definitely a potential threat, since he was classed as a 'Specialist.' But we were on the same team; I needn't worry about his espionage skills.

Despite my protests, Coulson made May my Supervising Officer, or SO, to train me, even though he knew of my abilities. I didn't have to train as much as Skye though; May and I sparred daily, and I had to admit she was good.

Besides Ward, she was probably one of the biggest threats on the plane; I'd have to be careful with her.

Out of all the team members, the two scientists were probably the least threatening, but considering that they were geniuses in their respective fields, I'd still have to watch myself.

"So you're studying to be a forensic scientist and a field agent?" Fitz asked as I explained my orchestrated backstory again. I hoped neither noticed my clenched fists in my leather pockets; despite their likability, they were still S.H.I.E.L.D. Conniving monsters, the lot of them.

"I wouldn't say that," I trailed a finger on the work desks. The lab had strolled out of my wildest dreams. Its palette of bright blues and neon greens already calming me in a way I hadn't expected.

"That means you're the perfect agent then!" Simmons exclaimed.

"Well-" I began, but Fitz interrupted, "Now I see why May's your SO." He clicked his fingers in realisation and pointed at me. "If she even needs one," Simmons scoffed. I sighed, the feeling of my familiar outfit comforting in this swine filled craft, "She is also right here."

The scientists were silent for once. Even after spending a few days with them, I couldn't help but notice their comfort around each other, how they worked like cogs in an aged clock. They thoroughly knew each other, inside and out; I hadn't experienced that in a while. I missed it.

"Still really awesome," Fitz admitted.

"Affirmative," Simmons added, attempting imitation.

A loud beeping erupted from the glassed room upstairs, and we raced to see what the news was.

"Chan Ho Yin," Coulson stared down at a photo of the man in question. He was Asian, with a reasonable haircut which made his ink hair stand up on its tiptoes and a simple button down to match.

"Just a struggling street performer until Chan began to exhibit pyrokinetic abilities a few years ago," Coulson finished, sparking my interest. "Wait what?" I blurted, forgetting any vendettas, "Pyrokinesis?"

Now we were talking.

"I thought the only powered people were the Avengers," I sighed, leaning on the desk with my elbows and holding my head in my hands. "You'd be surprised," Ward sighed to my left.

"So what gave him powers?" Fitz asked. "It's still under investigation but Chan did live near the Wan Tai nuclear plant when it caught fire."

"So how did we find him?" Simmons asked, hands clasped tightly, hair curled with a grey jumper and Peter Pan collar. For a genius biochemist, she had a great sense of style.

"Informants saw him lighting torches in a street show. With his pinky," May answered.

I coughed on my saliva.

Even with my travels, I never had such sightings. Plus, I had been to Chan's home town, Hong Kong, many times which made it even more unfair. "He's been on the Index ever since," Coulson explained.

"The Index?" Skye asked to my right. I had a feeling about the answer, which made aroused nausea in my stomach. Simmons confirmed that queasiness, "It's a list S.H.I.E.L.D keeps of objects and people with powers."

They kept a list.

I knew that they monitored, but a list? That invaded all sorts of privacy that I wasn't about to let go unnoticed. But I had to throttle down that anger. I was Kennedy Montgomery, someone who would nod in approval at the Index, for everyone's safety.

"How many are there? Are you saying there are more pe-" May shook her head, making the excitement deflate, "Not many."

The thought of twins popped in my head, making a fit of laughter turned coughs rack my body. The team looked at me skeptically, since I wasn't socially able and looked down in embarrassment.

Skye continued, trying to get as much information as possible, "Enough to keep a list." Coulson remained stationary, either from habit or fear, "A short list. And for protection."

I was willing to bet that the Index would be two more entries longer if they knew where I'd been.

"Though there have been cases when S.H.I.E.L.D has had to take action." I looked at Ward with wide eyes, not a single hair out of place on his head, not a single crease in his grey shirt.

How could he say that so carelessly? S.H.I.E.L.D taking action often resulted in death, in my case an entire village.

"Against objects or people?"

The team remained silent, avoiding Skye and I's curious stares. The absence of sound was answer enough. There had been action against people, and it hadn't ended well. They probably murdered them where they stood and used the public's protection to justify their death.

"Well that's, drastic with a side of creepy. How are they monitored?" Skye questioned. I had to admit, the hacker was inquisitive, yet something seemed, off about her. I couldn't put my finger on it.

"Tap phones?" Skye continued, "Satellite surveillance? Body probes, in dark unpleasant places?"

Fitz chuckled, "Body probes, now that would be ridiculous, S.H.I.E.L.D doesn't do that." The engineer looked up to Coulson, "We don't do that, do we?"

Well, how about that.

The S.H.I.E.L.D agent didn't know the methods in which his organisation monitored Enhanced. "Do we?" I asked, perhaps a little too sternly.

"The methods vary," Coulson answered as stoic as before.

Behind him, May had opened a video call with a group of agents searching an apartment. It was messy, typical to someone of Chan's age, but there were definite signs of a scuffle.

May conversed with an agent for a while in Chinese before May looked back at us, "Everyone, this is Agent Kwan, Chan Ho Yin's case agent."

Ward, Skye and the scientists all waved, forcing me to put up my hand slightly out of time.

"What can you tell us?" May asked.

"Not much," Kwan replied, "Chan is a magician, so at first I thought he'd made himself disappear."

I couldn't help but laugh at the corny joke, but after the team cast a few glares, they turned into coughs. I'd have to ask for a lozenge later.

"The file says you caught him violating his Index agreement before," Coulson stated, arms crossed. I couldn't believe how long I had lasted without killing. Whitehall must be crazy thinking I could gain his trust.

"On two separate occasions," Kwan answered, holding a sample of material, "Claimed we were hampering his artistic expression. But late last night, he was taken by professionals, and the only thing they left behind was this scrap of aluminised material."

Ward nodded gravely, "So whoever took him knows about his power." The agent in the video call nodded, "Yes. We think we know why. The last few days, tech discovered a crack in our data stream; the Rising Tide."

The team all looked to Skye, remembering that she used to be part of the organisation.

Immediately, the air became taut with tension. If they started suspect Skye, then I was sure to be questioned under deeper scrutiny.

"Hello?" Kwan asked, after several moments of silence, "You guys still there?"

Coulson summoned Skye to his office after we ended the call with Kwan. It seemed she managed to convince them of her innocence since she returned soon later, hot on the trail of whoever had hacked the data stream.

Simmons, Fitz and I encircled her as she did her job, while Ward and May waited on the other side of the desk. Coulson walked inside asking, "How close are we?"

Skye typed away with a race car's speed, "Almost there."

Fitz elaborated, "She's identified the remote access torsion of the infected in-point." Simmons continued in the foreign language, "And searching for a TCP to correlate with the signature information!"

Coulson turned to Ward and I, "Get any of that?"

"I got nothing."

"Only the uncle part."

"We got our origin," Skye stated, pointing to the electronic map displayed on the desk as it zoomed in, "Austin, Texas."

"Got a name?" Without stopping her cyber skills, Skye answered, "Just the cafe the hacker worked out of but I'm in the system." Now I saw why S.H.I.E.L.D was so desperate to get their hands on the orphan.

"We got a hit," she announced as an image appeared onscreen. Fitz sighed in solace, "Miles Lydon not Skye."

Miles Lydon had the air of a revolutionary. He may have had the simple combination of brown eyes and hair, scruff around his jaw, but it was his icy aura that made him stand out.

"You know him?" Coulson asked. Still looking at Miles, Skye nodded, "Every hacker in the world knows him."

Simmons chuckled, "Not just the hacker world, he infiltrated the Kremlin."

It seemed I was right about the revolutionary part. How had I not heard about this? Infiltration of the Kremlin was the thing that Whitehall would inform me about. Perhaps this happened too recently for a report.

Fitz nodded in agreement, "Yeah, the picture of Putin shirtless on horseback. That was his hack." I snickered at the thought, "I'm already starting to like this one. Putin shirtless; that must be a sight."

Out of the corner of my eye, Skye smiled, one full of...pride?

"It was also his hack that got Chan kidnapped," Ward informed, instantly killing the mood. "May, set a course for Austin," Coulson commanded. Looking up from her tablet, May answered, "Just did." Skye looked up from Miles, "What about Chan?"

"Kwan's got a S.H.I.E.L.D team on the ground. Our best bet is to find Mr. Lydon, see what he knows."

The team set out to prepare, though Skye remained to look at Miles one last time, thus confirming my suspicions.

Once in Texas, Coulson and I sat in the front seat of one of S.H.I.E.L.D's cars as traffic rolled by, no doubt cautious of the car's logo. Before we had left the Bus I asked Coulson about driving the scarlet convertible but Coulson only answered, "Don't touch Lola."

The car was silent, which didn't do much to my nerves being so close to the man whose trust I was ordered to gain then break beyond repair.

"So how's May as an SO?"

"She's fine, I haven't had an SO before so I can't compare," I answered, hoping that the agent didn't notice my sugar coating. "But you've had a sensei? Don't you work at a dojo?" Oops, I'd forgotten that. "True. I guess, they were more talkative."

Coulson tapped his thumbs against the steering wheel, "May's like that. It's why they call her the Cavalry after all." I had heard that name before; Fitz and Simmons used it all the time, but never when May was in the room. "The Cavalry?"

Coulson shrugged, "It's a long story, not one to tell on a mission." So he didn't want to tell me. I couldn't say I was surprised. But then again, I did just join the team, on S.H.I.E.L.D, a secretive group.

Through our comms Ward hissed, "I've been made!"

Coulson and I shared a look before entering our mission mindsets. "Heading east from Fifth Street," Ward stated, "Target is now in a silver Jetta."

"There!" I shouted, pointing to the car in question as it took off.

"I got him," he answered taking a sharp turn, tyres squeaking on the asphalt. "Jeezus!" I exclaimed, gripping the handles above the car's window as it screeched over the gutter.

"You're going to kill someone!" I shouted as we followed Miles.

"I don't count on it."

As Miles turned, we nearly collided with another civilian car. I shot him a death glare that screamed I told you so, but Coulson merely chuckled.

Miles managed to keep ahead of us, but we were slowly gaining ground. That was when he demonstrated those famous cyber skills.

As we approached a 4 way intersection, all the traffic lights all turned green.

We screeched to a stop in front of a bus, advertising some new superhero movie, since those raided the box office since the Battle of New York.

Vehicles from all directions formed a gridlock, making it impossible for Coulson and I to continue the chase. At the edge of the mechanical horizon, I saw the silver Jetta getting away.

Miles was getting away from ridding a man of his freedom. I couldn't let him run. A man's life was in danger, and I wasn't about to let some coward hiding behind a screen get away.

I threw open the car's door, "Let me go, I can run after him."

"I've already got May on the ground." A detail he hadn't mentioned to the team. And for a second there I forgot that he was S.H.I.E.L.D. "What about backup?"

"Fine. Don't get caught."

"Don't worry, I don't count on it."

Once I got out of the gridlock, the Jetta was easy to see. Picking up speed, civilians dodged me as I bounded for the vehicle, wishing my feet could carry me faster.

With my boots thumping against the asphalt, breathing slowly increasing, hair flying with the wind, it almost felt like the good old times. Except the man I was chasing wasn't going to meet the tip of my sword anytime soon. I was going to hand him in to S.H.I.E.L.D.

He took a sudden right, which worked even better for me since the footpath turned in the same direction, his car stopping 10 metres away from where I skidded to a stop. With a soft thud, Miles exited the car as I hid behind a community bin.

The hacktivist must've seen a flash of movement as he inclined his head in my direction. Thankfully, with a simple shake, Miles turned away and began to walk towards an apartment building.

The building was rather nice: decently nice land lady, spotless floors, fake plants. The walls were even painted a nice shade of light brown, and the windows were bordered in a deep oak.

After entering his room, I kneeled by the door so I heard Skye clearly when she asked, "Are you sure they're not following you?"

I bloody knew it.

Lucky Coulson had May following him too, who was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps she was listening in from outside the window after completing some serious Zen Fu warrior moves.

"Yeah," Miles answered, "I had to pull out all the stops though. Thanks for the text. Wait, are you mad?" I double checked my surroundings to make sure that May wasn't here; nada.

Skye scoffed, "Are you kidding me? I don't have time, who did you leak those files to?" Miles too, sighed in exasperation. "Wait a second, what? 'Good to see you too, Miles?' I released them into the world where they belong!"

"Why the hell would you hack S.H.I.E.L.D?" Skye inquired, her anger making it easier for me to hear. From the corner of my eye, I thought I caught a shadow moving, but dismissed it.

"Because that's what we do," Miles answered, as if it was the easiest answer in the world. "Not when I'm on the inside," Skye stated, "You could have ruined everything, you dumbass!"

So, Skye was like me then; an infiltrator. Maybe not for the same purpose, but an infiltrator nonetheless.

"Seems like you've handled it," Miles replied. With a very soft, almost imperceptible thump, May entered the hallway through the far right window. "I've come to far for you to..." Skye trailed off, "why are you looking at me like that?"

May reached my side, and whispered, "How did you get here so fast?" I grinned, triumphant that I had surprised my SO. "You're not the only one with Zen Fu."

"Did you just call me dumbass?" Oh no, this conversation was taking a turn for the flirtatious.

Judging by May's spectacular eye roll, she was thinking the same.

"Stop smiling, I'm serious," Skye answered, her own eye roll almost audible. "Because, I taught you everything you know. So what does that make you?" So, Miles was Skye's associate and teacher. How about that. "No you didn't," Skye scowled.

"I'm sorry. I can't help it. I've been missing you like crazy," Miles answered, and seconds later, it was deducible that not only was Miles Skye's teacher but also her boyfriend.

"Jesus Christ!" I whisper yelled, putting a finger in each ear to allow them some privacy. "I'm calling Coulson," May remarked.

Coulson wasn't that surprised that Skye tipped off Miles. He must've picked up on those prideful smiles too. I'd have to be more careful now I knew that he was a resurrected Sherlock Holmes.

He stood in front of Skye, his mouth a taut string, May stood by Miles and closed the French doors that connected his bedroom to the rest. Fitz, Simmons and I sat together, sweeping through Miles' computer.

Since we were still in the room, the three of us heard Skye's confessions; she had contacted him twice since joining S.H.I.E.L.D. Not to mention Coulson revealing he suspected Skye, adding, "Kennedy noticed too. She willingly followed Miles in hopes of finding you."

And there went any attempts of friendship with Skye.

Fitz turned to Simmons and I, "Why would Skye do this to us? Thought she was our friend." The biochemist remained calm and collected. "She is, Fitz. He's obviously more than that."

"Yeah but we've been through so much together, but she didn't even tell us she has a guy."

Poor Fitz; he was so innocent. He clearly never had his trust broken before.

"Well who knows what they've been through together." I decided this was where I would interject, "They are orphans after all." The biochemist looked at me with disbelief at my lack of social skills. "A little too far, Kennedy?"

"I am an orphan too. I only have an uncle and 2 aunties."

"At least you have family. I doubt Skye or Miles do." Looking over in the direction of Miles, I muttered, "Can't say I feel sorry for Miles." Both scientists had eyes as wide as the Earth's circumference, "Kennedy!"

The team finished up at Miles' place, wiping clean his devices and handcuffing both hacktivists. One by one, they all passed Skye, heads down, until Simmons in front of me, turned to her, "You missed a button."

I decided that before I left Skye as well, I'd give her a piece of my mind, one recruit to another. "For what it's worth, I understand why you did that. I have someone who I'd do the same thing for."

Skye looked up in surprise, if there was anyone she didn't expect encouragement from, it was me. "Really? Who?"

"Someone like Miles." Skye smirked as if she knew something I didn't, "A boyfriend?"

"I guess."

May set course for Hong Kong, China, while we locked Skye and her boyfriend into a rather impressive interrogation room. Essentially a jail cell, it was a chrome grey on all four walls, with a tangible hexagonal pattern stretching across them, even the floor and ceiling. It was like entering a hive for depressed bees.

According to Ward, the room was composed of silicon carbide-coated vibranium alloy, and could, according to rumour, contain Enhanced. I highly doubted that last part, but it at least held the 2 hacktivists in fairly well.

Ward and I leaned against the touchscreen desk, watching the Skye and Miles onscreen until he decided now was the time to interrogate my history. He questioned my 'college degree', my 'job', how I was 'kidnapped.'

"Did your parents do anything to anything to get that kind of attention?"

"How am I supposed to know? They were Special Forces, probably swore an oath to silence or something."

Ward turned back to Skye, not a hair moving on his head, "Ok."

At last, Ward turned off the video, "Guy's hiding behind platitude. He's dirty, I can feel it." And that was the moment that I heard protectiveness in Ward's voice, either from being Skye's SO, or something more.

From her place at the files, Simmons answered, "Scrubbed clean, actually. Not much on him. He's got no family records, his apartment's under an alias, and he plays a lot of Minecraft where he runs a nasty mob."

Minecraft, how else would a genius hacktivist like Miles Lydon waste his time?

Fitz raised his head, dirty blonde ringlets jouncing, "Is it a zombie?" The biochemist raised an eyebrow, "Zombie pig men." As much I had to pretend that I knew about pop culture, all that I actually knew was it was a computer game where you built things and fought stuff.

"Ooo," I joked, hoping I got the jargon correct, "gotta watch out for those; they're vicious."

Both scientists smirked, which was all the confirmation I needed to know that I guessed correct.

Ward sighed at our antics, hair in the same position as before. Not a single hair was out of place; he was what before and after shots had nightmares about. "Keep looking."

After who knew how long, Simmons inhaled sharply, "His banking accounts. In the days after the leak, he made a few deposits. Around $1 million."

"Looks like we got him," I smirked, turning to Ward with a smile that could petrify.

"It appears Centipede was responsible for Chan's kidnapping," Coulson announced as he strutted into the room. "Fist LA, now Hong Kong. What kind of organisation are we dealing with?" Ward asked.

"International, well financed, interested in creating a super soldier. Let's hope finding Mr. Chan will provide some answers."

Centipede. As far as I knew, HYDRA and S.H.I.E.L.D were the only organisations of our kind out there- with the exception of government groups floundering to keep up.

Though, S.H.I.E.L.D didn't know HYDRA had survived Captain America back in the 40's...either way, it was best not to worry about technicalities.

"I don't follow, what's Centipede?" I asked, ready to take mental notes; the news of a new organisation like us could be vital.

"It's an organisation that we've come across," Fitz explained, who took a breath to elaborate, but Simmons took his limelight, "They seem to be dedicated to creating a serum to make super soldiers."

Fitz finished the next part of their explanation, "Though, last time we met them, they had a problem. Despite the superhuman strength, the subjects would explode from the Extremis in the serum."

Extremis...where had I heard that word before? Oh! Whitehall gave me a report right after the Battle of New York, when the Mandarin was at the height of his power.

"Though we managed to save the last subject," Simmons finished. A live survivor of this program which made discount Captain Americas sounded like someone HYDRA would want on their side. "Right."

Across the table, May didn't appear to be amused, "Any ideas what Centipede wants with Chan?"

"Hard to say," Fitz answered, and pointed to Simmons, "but Simmons thinks that considering he's pyrokinetic-"

"There's a good chance his genetics could stabilise the Extremis element of the serum," Simmons cut in.

"Keep the test subjects from going-" Fitz continued.

"Boom," the biochemist finished.

It was a wonder that they weren't dating yet.

"If Chan is Centipede's lab rat, we need to get there before the experiment's over," Coulson stated, his mouth like the arm of a corpse leaning over a coffin. And as if commanded, the team dispersed like oil in water.

Coulson decided only he and May would go into the field, much to my dismay, I would've liked to see Chan. But of course, I had to keep my experience under wraps.

According to our comms, everything was going swimmingly, until we got news of Chan burning a hole through someone's abdomen.

I had to give it to the pyrokinetic, he had style. I could take a page out of his book; incinerate instead of swords or a daggers.

Simmons massaged her temples, worry painted across her face, muttering, "The entire facility's been locked on." With perhaps a smaller version of Simmon's anxiety, Fitz turned to Ward, hands on hips as if he had walked out of an action movie. "Are you sure about this?"

"No."

Miles leaned over to Skye and muttered something, and caught my revolted expression on his way back up. I raised both eyebrows and contorted my face to silently communicate my thoughts on him.

"The alarm's disconnected the system from all exterior servers," Skye reported, analysing a complicated map of the building. "Can you fix it?" Ward asked. "Yes, but I have to be onsite." He scoffed, black clothing perfectly describing his mood, "Not a chance."

Miles turned to her, "You're a hacker Skye, not Seal team 6."

Yep, now would usually be the time when I brought out the knives.

"No," Skye agreed, and turned to the Specialist beside her, "but he is." The hacktivist looked up to Ward, who gave him a look that would forever be my definition of testosterone.

As if some Tetris block had clicked in his head, Ward swung into full mission mode. He shoulders straightened, and a curtain fell over him like a classic villain's cape. "Skye, Kennedy, you come with me," he ordered, catching me completely by surprise.

I coughed, the leather of my jacket squeaking in protest, "Me?" Already half out the door, Ward answered, "Yes, you. I don't know how many guards are at this place, and you'll do a better job then Skye at knocking them out."

I shrugged in approval; I did need a reason to hit someone. I nudged Simmons' grey woollen jumper, "Well, it seems you were right about the socialist part."

~~~

It felt so good to be back in the field.

To have adrenaline rushing through your veins, to have your vision framed by peripherally, to have your heart hammering the world's oldest beat.

There no other joy like it. No other high. I would compare to hallucinogens or amphetamines, if I had experience with them.

"Where are we on the doors?" May asked through the comms. I ducked and swung my foot around, tripping several men coming at me, which were knocked out once compromised. "Almost there," Ward answered as he completed another manoeuvre that I could of sworn I'd seen before.

The movement of another guard at the corner of my eye got me ready, turning on my boot heel and landed a decent clip on his face if do say so myself. From her place in the corner, Skye asked in awe, "Where did you learn that?"

Since Ward was already moving down the pale blue corridor so I started moving along. "Parents were Special Forces, job at a dojo. You'll get there one day."

The three of us rounded a corner, Ward commanding, "Kennedy, you go find Coulson and May, they'll need more help." We all stopped at a clover intersection where Skye and Ward would turn left.

"Roger that. Just where-" Behind me, two women walked by with urgency in their stride, and behind them, a man with perhaps the worst burns on his arms that I'd ever seen- Chan. "Are they?" I finished, turning around to face Skye and Ward, but they had already disappeared to some computer room.

I trailed the trio until 1 woman, a petite girl in a flower dress entered an elevator, and once Chan had revealed himself, abandoned the second woman who was equipped with a lab coat. Chan slowly approached the scientist as the scientist pleaded for her life, but Chan refused and flame blossomed from his scorched arms turning the woman to ashes.

I tried to keep my breathing as quiet as possible, no way was I meeting a fiery end here.

It was then I saw the Centipede serum on the other side of the hall. My mind whirred, and within moments I had an idea.

If I overloaded Chan with the serum he might combust, thus eliminating the threat. Either way, this guy was homicidal, it wasn't like I was mercilessly killing him.

The glass was fire in my hands as I prepared to inject Chan with 2 needles. Out of nowhere, a hand gripped my should like steel. May."What are you doing?"

"Proving myself."

Her hand gripped my wrist in hopes of stopping me from performing a potentially lethal task. I wasn't scared. Not in the slightest. It would take a lot more than this to scare S.H.A.D.O. "There's nothing to prove."

"Yes there is. You can't trust me completely right now, so let me speed it up. It's not much, but it's all I got."

The team had to trust me, all of them, if I was going to stand a chance of getting the information I needed out. Should even 1 member think I had something to hide would mean the failure of my mission; an outcome which I wouldn't accept.

May shrugged in defeat, "If you get it wrong, I'll beat the crap out of you in hell."

"Then I won't do it wrong, You know why?" I flipped a needle to prove my point, giving her the biggest, bittersweet grin I could manage, "You're such a good SO."

From outside of my field of view, Coulson said, "Mr. Chan, we don't want to hurt you. But we have to." I guess that was my cue.

Launching myself out of my hiding place, I thrust the two needles on either side of Chan's shoulders.

Chan fell to his knees, his body unable to deal with the new hit of Centipede serum, and it was clear from his glowing skin that he wasn't going to be around much longer.

Shame, pyrokinesis was such a cool power.

I looked up to Coulson, shocked and relieved that I managed to accomplish the feat. "We gotta move."

No kidding.

Skye, Ward, May, Coulson and I all squeezed out of the factory's door at the last second.

As soon as the door slammed shut, the chimney grew alight with what was left of Chan. We looked up at the flames, mourning the pyrokinetic.

"Skye managed to get some files from the building's mainframe. It's not much but could get us a fix on Centipede," Ward suggested optimistically, weirdly out of character. "Maybe," Coulson stared at the rising smoke.

"You can't save someone from themselves, sir." Wow, Ward should be a poet or something, the way he was going. Coulson looked over at Skye, "You can if you get to them early enough."

Scratch that, both of them should be poets. "Kennedy was good too. Took out more guards than I did," Ward continued. Well, I wouldn't say that, I did those guards a favour. Coulson chuckled, "Really? Seems like Zen Fu really has an edge these days."

I coughed, "Zen Fu? Zen Fu? I have no idea where you came up with that."