assessment

The main team has just returned from the field where an enhanced human who was bulletproof interrupted a deal where the rebuilding shield was supposed to get new inventory and Skye is heading to the lab to deliver the only clue found at the scene, some metal splinters which were left behind after the shooting.

When she reaches the glass wall of the lab she peers through already while walking straight for its door.

She sees a few scientists on workstations who she doesn't really know until she spots two familiar faces coming into view when she reaches the door.

"Hey Fitz! We found something you should take a look at." Skye says, walking towards the pair.

Fitz turns to her wordlessly while Rex, sitting behind him waves at her with a small smile, receiving a quiet nod from her in return. She quickly focuses on her old teammate's state and the information he may be able to give them from the metal fragments.

"We need this analyzed. We encountered an possible enhanced human and when we shot him nothing happened other than this remaining at the scene." Skye informs the blonde scientist, who accepts the small container with the metal while humming in acceptance.

"Hi, everyone back alright? " Rex asks, Skye turning to look at him again, seeing multiple monitoring devices hooked up to him.

"Yeah no one got hurt." Skye says.

"That's good." Rex replies relieved.

"What about you? Any idea when you'll be cleared for field duty?" Skye asks him.

"No idea, I know my combat skills aren't that great still, but I doubt that's what's keeping me from being allowed in the field." Rex replies.

"Yeah probably not. Although it is suspicious that I can kick your superpowered ass." Skye says teasingly, giving the topless man a friendly hug.

"You had a head start in training. Fury never gave me lessons and I think he didn't want me to have them in case I need to be taken down." Rex replies.

"Doesn't seem too hard from where I'm standing." Skye says grinning.

"Yeah yeah, not everyone got a legendary top agent as her s.o." Rex replies.

"How is Coulson treating you?" Skye asks, the new director having taken the job of evaluating the nanite controlling man himself.

"Not at all, haven't seen him in almost 2 weeks." Rex sighs.

"Well hang in there. I'm still curious about those evo's you talked about." Skye says before heading out of the lab.

"Fitz, do you need me to stay or can I go?" Rex asks the scientist who is still not himself, having sustained brain damage when he blew open the door of the pod he and Simmons were trapped in.

"Leave." Fitz says annoyed, waving his hand and Rex pulls the monitoring devices off his chest.

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure you can figure out what those metal scraps are." Rex encourages him, patting his shoulder lightly before heading after Skye.

"Hey wait up. You free to spar soon?" Rex asks Skye, jogging after her while fixing his shirt.

"We'll see. May is briefing Coulson at the moment." Skye says, arriving at the area where the team she was supporting with May are drinking some beer.

"Gizmo boy. How're things going?" Hunter, a British mercenary asks.

"Everything is fine." Rex replies tiredly, often getting teased by people around the base.

"Hey, why don't we send him after that guy? Maybe he's one of these evos he claims exist." Hunter suggests, pointing at Rex.

"Because he isn't cleared for field duty yet." Coulson answers, stepping out of his office with May, having just been updated on what happened.

"You three my office." he then tells Isabelle Hartley and the two mercenaries.

"Did you give Fitz the metal?" May asks Skye who looks up to the door sadly where Coulson just showed his face for a mere few seconds.

"Yeah, I'm just not sure what results to expect." Skye replies.

"I'll go check on it. This has just become top priority." May says walking past the two younger agents.

"Top priority? What was your mission about?" Rex asks Skye, who is basically his only friend at the base besides Mack, who is working as a mechanic and spends most his days in the hangar bay.

"I can't." Skye says looking at him with some guilt.

"It's fine. I get it. Fury had the same procedure, only need to know." Rex says disappointed and leaves, Skye looking back up to Coulson's office before heading out herself, going to the bus's computer which she uses to look for any clue of what the alien writing is Coulson has her looking into.

Half an hour later Coulson meets her in the bus, but her joy over seeing her father figure is quickly gone when he asks her to squeeze the held captive Ward for intel on the enhanced human she encountered on the sting.

Barely 15 minutes later Skye leaves the designated Vault D, where Ward is locked up. She immediately heads to the locker room to calm down after being confronted with Ward, who brings forth a whole mountain of mixed feelings, her anger at his betrayal, her sadness that he was always lying to them and her disappointment in herself at having fallen for him for a moment before his real agenda was revealed.

"Can I come in?" Rex asks, standing in the door of the room, looking into an angled mirror, meeting the eyes of Skye's reflection as she's sitting hunched over on a bench.

"Not like this is a restricted area." Skye says shrugging tiredly.

"What's up? Just an hour ago you weren't like this. What happened?" Rex questions comfortingly while walking over to her and sitting down beside her, looking at the brunette concerned.

"What do you know about Grant Ward?" Skye asks.

"Not much. He was the sleeper agent on your team, right?" Rex asks, Skye nodding.

"I liked him. Like a lot. I thought we were the same, with him also having a hard childhood." Skye explains.

"What's brought this on? Isn't he locked up and isn't his part in your life over now?" Rex asks, putting a hand on her shoulder supportively.

"I thought so, turns out... Not so much. I'm needed to get information out of him. He thinks we belong together and that if he can help me and Shield we or at least I'll forgive him." Skye says.

"Will you?" Rex asks curiously.

"Not a chance in hell, but it's still exhausting talking to him, being face to face with the proof of how ignorant and clueless I've been." Skye tells Rex when suddenly the door opens and Coulson enters.

"Skye I need you, follow me." The agent says, looking at Rex with distrust before leaving while Skye gets up and quickly rubs away the tears threatening to escape her eyes with ber wrist.

"If you ever want to vent, I'm here to lend an ear." Rex tells Skye, grabbing her wrist before she walks away and releasing her once she gave him a quiet and uncertain nod.

"What did he want?" Coulson asks suspicious of Rex when Skye steps out of the room.

"He tried to cheer me up I think." Skye says.

"Do you trust him?" Coulson questions.

"I'm not sure I'll trust someone again anytime soon but he seems to be OK. " Skye says shaking her head tiredly.

"Can't say I'm unhappy about it. I know he'd be a great asset, but no one can really tell me what exactly he is or at least what powers and weaknesses he has." Phil confesses.

"Is that why he isn't cleared yet?" Skye asks.

"Partially. Yes." Phil answers with a nod.

"And the other reason? Because I'm not gonna lie if we have to deal with some kind of enhanced human having one of our own wouldn't be a bad idea." Skye says.

"Well, he's not going. And the information Ward gave you paid off. We know his target." Phil says, showing her the hydra order which tells Carl Creel to go after general Talbot.

"May is preparing already, meet up with her and bring the general to us." Coulson tells Skye, who nods and hurries away.

Once she's gone the Shield leader heads back and Rex awaits him, standing in the doorway to the locker room.

"What's your problem with me?" Rex asks him directly.

"Walk with me." Coulson replies and the two walk around the base.

"I hear that in terms of combat you're at a passable level. However, we still don't know anything about your abilities. The guy usually giving us a clear view of this is as you know not himself at the moment. Which means there could be a chance that something goes wrong on a mission and you can't keep your cool or you lose control and injure people maybe even fellow agents. This is not a risk I want to take." Coulson answers.

"Are you sure that's all there is to it?" Rex asks getting a weird feeling.

"There is also your focus on Skye. She's been through a lot. I know how close she was to Ward, so it hit her maybe the most even if she hides it well usually. And I don't think having you around is good for her at least not right now." Phil tells him.

"I see." Rex says thoughtfully.

"Look I think you could be a valuable asset, just not now." The leader informs him.

"I appreciate the candor Agent Coulson." Rex replies before the leader walks away, giving the latino a pat on his shoulder.

After letting the new information sink in and weighing his options Rex comes to the decision to go solo and do what he uniquely is qualified for, curing Evos.

While Skye and May are on mission to bring back the soldier in charge of hunting them Rex sneaks into the wavy haired bruenette's room and leaves her a note saying goodbye and a number to the Sat phone he takes with him for if she wants to talk or they need some help.

Once he left the note on her bed he is about to take off and decides to leave her the hula dancer figurine he build or rather reconstructed for her.

After finishing this he leaves a short note in Fitz's and Mack's room as well before sneaking out of the base and taking off with his rotor-wing construct on the search for Evos.