Chapter 66: The Invitation

The mission to save Mike Peterson had come to an end, and the S.H.I.E.L.D. team was back at base, reorganizing their next moves. However, for Phil Coulson, there was still one pending issue. He knew that Skye was not just an ordinary hacker. Despite her troubled past and her ties to the Rising Tide organization, Coulson believed that she could be useful to S.H.I.E.L.D., and perhaps even more than that, she could be an important part of something bigger.

While the team was busy taking care of other matters, Coulson called Skye to a corner of the base.

"Skye, I need you to come with me." He said with his typical calm, but with a touch of seriousness that caught her attention.

Skye, who had been watching everything from a distance, arched an eyebrow, clearly curious.

"Did something happen?" — She asked, still a little suspicious of the whole S.H.I.E.L.D. environment, but also intrigued about what would come next.

Coulson shook his head.

— Not exactly. But I think we need a moment to clear some things up. — He started walking towards the base exit, and Skye followed him.

Country House in a Secluded Place

After some time on the road, the two arrived at a small country house, isolated and surrounded by tall vegetation. The sound of the tires of "Lola" – Coulson's iconic red car – crunching on the gravel on the ground indicated that the trip had come to an end.

Coulson turned off the engine and turned to Skye, who observed the place with a mixture of apprehension and curiosity.

— Where are we? — Skye asked, leaning forward and looking out the window.

— A quiet place. I thought it would be important for you to say goodbye to a few people before moving on. — Coulson replied, opening the car door and getting out.

Skye followed him, still a little confused. They walked towards the house, and Coulson knocked on the door. A few moments later, the door opened, revealing a middle-aged woman who looked at Coulson with a warm smile.

"Mr. Coulson!" the woman exclaimed, clearly happy to see him. "Come in, come in. I've been waiting for you."

Coulson gave a slight smile and nodded, entering the house with Skye at his side. Skye looked around, trying to make sense of the situation. Inside the house, there were a few people, all of them looking happy to see Coulson. But what intrigued her the most was how comfortable they all seemed with him, as if they were old acquaintances.

"Who are they?" Skye whispered to Coulson, as they walked through the living room.

"Friends. People we've helped at some point, like Mike," Coulson replied quietly. "They know you, even if you don't know them."

Skye frowned, trying to understand the depth of those words. Little by little, the conversation in the room began to unfold, and people greeted Skye warmly, as if she were part of something bigger than she could ever imagine.

After a few hours of conversations and exchanges of experiences, Coulson and Skye left the house, leaving behind those people who now represented something very important to Skye. The connection she had with S.H.I.E.L.D. was starting to make sense, and for the first time, she felt that perhaps there was a purpose in her involvement with them.

Back in the car, they began to drive back, the atmosphere in the vehicle calmer than on the way there.

"They really admire you, you know?" Skye commented, looking out the window as the trees passed quickly.

Coulson gave a slight smile, without taking his eyes off the road.

"I did what had to be done. But you can see that even the simplest actions can make a big difference," he replied.

There was a brief silence, before Coulson finally broke it with a question that had been on his mind for some time.

— Skye, have you ever thought about being part of something bigger?

Skye turned to him, surprised by his direct question.

— You mean... S.H.I.E.L.D.? — She asked, with a tone of uncertainty. — I don't know if I'm the type to follow orders and work for a secret organization.

Coulson smiled, as if he had already expected that answer.

— We're not talking about a simple organization, Skye. We're talking about protecting people, about dealing with the most unusual things in this world. — He paused, glancing at her quickly before turning his attention back to the road. — You saw what happened in New York. The world has changed. And you have skills that can help us face those changes.

Skye was silent, processing Coulson's words. Sure, she had seen the chaos that was the Chitauri invasion, but she still had her reservations.

— And if I'm part of it, what do you want me to do? — She asked, still cautious.

— Help us protect the world. Use your talents for good," Coulson replied, his voice softer now. "I'm offering you an opportunity to do something the real difference, and not just as a hacker, but as part of something bigger. Part of a team."

Skye was silent for a few moments, thinking about the proposal. She looked at Coulson, seeing the sincerity in his eyes, and realized that he truly believed what he was saying.

"Okay..." Skye finally said, her voice a little hesitant. "I accept."

Coulson smiled and looked at her with a satisfied look.

"Welcome to S.H.I.E.L.D., Skye," he said, with a tone of approval.

As they continued driving, Coulson's phone began to ring. He picked up the device and saw that it was Ward calling. He answered it immediately.

"Ward, what do we have?" Coulson asked.

Ward's voice came clear and steady through the phone.

"We've confirmed a 0-8-4," he said.

Coulson frowned for a moment, thinking about the meaning of those words.

"Understood. We'll be there shortly." — Coulson hung up the phone and looked at Skye, who was watching him curiously.

"What's an 0-8-4?" — She asked, intrigued.

Coulson smiled again, but this time there was something more enigmatic in his gaze.

"You'll find out." — He replied, with a tone that indicated that something big was coming.

Skye frowned, but before she could ask more, Coulson pressed some buttons on "Lola's" dashboard. She looked at him, confused, and then something unexpected happened. The car began to float gently, and soon the wheels were off the ground.

"Wait… the car is flying?" — Skye exclaimed, holding on to the door as the car rose into the air.

Coulson looked at her with an amused smile.

"Of course." — He replied, as "Lola" began to rise, leaving the ground of the road behind and taking to the skies.

Skye looked out the window, her eyes wide with a mixture of surprise and admiration. She had never imagined she would be in a flying car, much less working for a secret organization like S.H.I.E.L.D. But in that moment, something inside her changed. She realized her life would never be the same again.

The sky opened up before them as "Lola" sped through the air, leaving the world below behind.

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