At the airport, Coulson and Skye arrived together. While Skye was busy packing up her belongings in her small van, Coulson headed onto the plane first.
Skye had already decided to join Coulson's team. Despite the recent mission's failure, she saw the humanity in Coulson and witnessed things she had never seen before.
After packing up, Skye grabbed her luggage, took one last look at her van, and then boarded the plane.
In the command room, when Ward learned that Skye was joining the team, he voiced his concerns to Coulson.
"Skye? She's not fit to be a SHIELD agent."
Coulson, reviewing the latest mission details, nodded in agreement.
"I agree, which is why I'm bringing her on as a consultant. This isn't uncommon in SHIELD; even Stark is a consultant."
Ward objected, "But Skye is a member of the Rising Tide. She hacked our RSA encryption system."
Coulson raised a finger, "Twice, and she did it with a laptop. Imagine what she could do with our resources."
Ward looked at Coulson and replied, "I have imagined it, and that's exactly why I disagree. You brought me on to assess risks, and she's a risk."
"She doesn't think the way we do," Ward added.
Coulson responded, "Exactly."
At that moment, May walked in, adding her opinion.
"We already have two kids on the Bus who can't fight, and now you're bringing in a third."
Ward quickly chimed in, "At least Fitz and Simmons are trained SHIELD scientists. What's Skye?"
"You said this team was carefully selected to handle new crises and protect people. I don't understand why you're bringing a hacker along."
Coulson finally spoke up, "I expected this reaction from you all, but I've made my decision. Ward, I'm the leader of this team."
Ward sighed, "Coulson, you're going to regret this."
Coulson looked up at Ward and replied, "I'll note your objection. Now, let's talk about the new mission."
Realizing that the discussion was over, Ward shifted the topic.
"We've been ordered to investigate an 084. We all know what that means."
Coulson nodded, "Yes, an 084 means it's something unknown."
With that, Coulson confirmed the mission location and handed the flight coordinates to May. Taking the coordinates, May left the command room to prepare.
…
Elsewhere on the plane-
Fitz and Simmons were eagerly waiting to welcome Skye.
Simmons, with excitement, said to Skye, "Agent Coulson told us all about you. This is fantastic, isn't it, Fitz?"
Fitz, smiling, agreed, "Absolutely."
It was clear that both were happy to have a new team member.
Fitz stepped forward to take the box Skye was carrying and said, "Come with us; we'll show you to your room."
Skye followed Fitz upstairs as he explained, "Officially, this is called the Mobile Aerial Command Station, but we just call it 'The Bus.' It's a SHIELD tradition—when we're out in the field, the shorter the name, the better."
"We do everything like that because of the dangers involved," he continued.
Looking around, Skye nodded, "Yeah, I've been here before, but I didn't get to see much. Agent Ward put a bag over my head."
Simmons, a bit embarrassed, apologized, "Sorry about that."
At that moment, May's voice came over the intercom: "Takeoff in two minutes. Strap in and don't freak out."
Skye, puzzled, asked, "What does that mean?"
Simmons, smiling, responded, "If you're having second thoughts, it's too late now."
She then turned to Fitz, "We should take our guest to her bunk."
Fitz quickly jogged ahead, "There's just one spot left—right next to mine."
Soon, they arrived at Skye's space—a small, six-square-meter room on the plane, complete with a bed and a TV. Fitz placed her belongings on the bed and said, "This is your spot."
Skye walked in, setting her luggage down on the floor.
Just then, Ward appeared. After knocking on the door, he handed Skye a booklet. "Take a good look at this. This isn't an ordinary plane."
Skye opened the booklet, revealing safety instructions for the plane. She sarcastically remarked, "No kidding."
But Ward didn't stick around for any further conversation. He turned and walked away, clearly still displeased with Skye's presence on the team.
Coulson then approached, having not heard what Skye had said earlier.
"What was that?"
Skye looked at Coulson with a smile and said, "This is a fantastic plane."
"After the Battle of New York, I got injured, and Director Fury was kind enough to...," Coulson began talking.
Skye, surprised, interrupted, "You got shot?"
Coulson nodded, "Something like that."
"An Asgardian stabbed me in the heart with a Chitauri scepter—close enough. My heart stopped for sixty seconds. Took a few weeks off and ended up flying this plane."
"The plane got a full overhaul, reinforced. No expense spared."
Coulson exaggerated the time his heart had stopped once again.
Skye looked him up and down, commenting, "Yeah, Ward said they sent you to Tahiti."
Coulson replied, "It's a magical place."
"You've mentioned that," Skye added.
Coulson gestured for her to sit, "Come, take a seat."
They both sat down on the couch, and Coulson instructed, "Buckle up."
Following his lead, Skye fastened her seatbelt. The plane's warning tone sounded, and the interior lights dimmed automatically.
Skye, still curious, asked, "I don't even know where we're going."
"Peru," Coulson replied.
"The 084 was found there."
Skye, unfamiliar with the term, asked, "What does 084 mean?"
Coulson explained, "It's an object of unknown origin, much like you."
"We go in, determine if the object is useful or poses a threat."
Skye, intrigued, asked, "What was the last 084 you found?"
Coulson, with a smirk, replied, "A hammer."
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