The world has been a bit nuts lately. Aliens came down from the sky, the heroes of New York came down to fight them, and Tony Stark's mansion blew up. It had truly been a crazy year and Skye was freaking out. The Rising Tide needed her now more than ever. They were constantly sending her out on one mission or another, having her dig through the web and open back doors looking for as much information as possible.

Skye was currently driving off to a new mission. She had been tracking something called Extremis across the country and had finally managed to pinpoint a location in California. Skye had just left Tennessee, where she had been looking for dirt on Tony Stark and the events that happened while he was there. All she could find was a few blown-up buildings, excited townspeople, and a kid who gave her a weird stare anytime she mentioned Mr. Stark's name. She had relayed all of this information back to The Rising Tide who told her simply to abort mission and follow Extremis.

While she could have taken the easy way out to California, Skye chose to take the hard way. Instead of hopping on the highway that would take her straight there, she exited off and entered onto a new highway headed towards Ohio. She wasn't going to be this close to her favorite spot and not visit. Skye drove herself through Kentucky, stopping only if she really had to. On her down time, she went searching for her parents.

Miles had been right those couple years ago, her parents were not from America. Or well, at least one of them wasn't. She had found evidence of a baby born in China that she believed to be herself. Documents showed that the baby was taken out of the country and brought to the United States. How you might ask? SHIELD. The one document Skye could truly believe was about her was filed at SHIELD. Now, Skye spent her time digging deeper, trying to decide if the SHIELD agent that dropped her off at St. Agnes all those years ago was really her mother.

Skye made it to Ohio without too much fuss. She was tired, but she made herself stay awake. She was on a mission. After taking the wrong turn and getting lost down an old side road, Skye finally made it to the city park. It was different now; more updated playground equipment and a new walking trail had been put in since the last time she had been here. The one thing that stayed the same was the oak tree planted in the same spot. The leaves were fresh and a dark green in the nighttime. A few leaves caught the streetlight, causing the tree to glare at her brightly.

Skye could hear a few cars going by behind her as she took a seat on a bench nearest the tree. She just sat and stared for a moment, caught up in the memories this tree always brought. Her favorite by far was Lincoln's sixteenth birthday.

She told Lincoln to meet her under the tree when he got out of school. She had skipped her last class to come early and decorate their spot under the tree. She brought a picnic blanket, some streamers, and a little cupcake with a candle. It wasn't much, but it was enough.

Lincoln loved it. His smile was so big, and he was so excited. Skye smiled widely at the memory as another car drove past, the sound faster and louder than the others. She turned only slightly to investigate the noise; the smile still painted on her face.

They had spent so much time here, she remembered. Skye's last foster home was just up the road. The days she and Lincoln spent together had been limited; they only had three months together. She doubted he even remembered her. He had been one of those popular kids in his high school. Everyone loved him. Skye even helped him get a date with that girl, Jenny, he liked so much. She remembered secretly wishing it had been her he was asking on a date.

Skye sat there on the bench with her thoughts for quite some time. To her, this was the closest thing she had to a home. She wanted to cherish it for as long as she could. Her thoughts were interrupted by the ring of her cellphone.

"Hello?" Skye asked in a sharp tone.

"Woah, hello to you, too." Skye could hear the smile in Miles' voice from the other end. She smiled slightly, too, as he continued. "Bad day?"

"Not at all," Skye replied in a soft tone, still stuck in her 14-year-old memories. "It's been good."

There was nothing coming from Miles' end of the phone and then, "Are you in Ohio?"

Skye laughed a bit, "Yeah, yeah I am. How'd you know?"

"You have your sentimental voice on." Miles sounded a bit annoyed at her sentimental voice. It almost made her want to use it more.

Before she could respond, Miles broke the silence. "Hey, you really need to get out here. The Rising Tide is sending you flight information. We followed your tracks to Extremis, but what we found isn't pretty. We think they're using human subjects to test the product."

Skye nodded. "What about my van?" Her voice came out quiet. The van wasn't much, but it was her little home all these years.

Miles laughed. "I'll come get it for you. Just get out here as quick as you can."

Skye felt a sigh leave her lips before agreeing. "Okay. I'm coming."

She hung up the phone and took one last look at her tree before turning back and walking towards her van. She had wanted to stay until morning, but duty calls. Skye had just started the van and was pulling out of the parking lot when two ambulances wailed by, followed by a police car. Oh no, Skye thought to herself, I hope whoever is hurt is okay.

And then she continued on her way to the airport. Boarding her flight, she thought again of little Lincoln, blonde and smiling. I hope he's okay, she thought to herself. I'm sure he's okay.

The flight to Cali was fine; Skye never got the chance to fly too often. She liked that she could sleep through the trip instead of forcing herself to stay awake driving. Miles met her at the airport to pick her up and take her to his hotel. She stared out the window the whole time, taking in the sunshine and the blue skies. It had been colder up in Ohio and Skye liked being able to feel the warmth of the sun on her skin.

"Okay you can stay here, just make yourself at home. Feel free to use my car, too, while I'm getting your van!" Miles threw her his car keys as the two entered into his hotel room.

"How long have you been here?" Skye asked, looking around at the piles of clothes and dishes in the sink.

"A few weeks," Miles mumbled, scratching the back of his neck.

Skye rolled her eyes and threw her duffel bag on the bed. "I'll clean while you're gone." She smirked, flashing him a smile.

Miles laughed and tackled her in a hug. "I do miss you when you're gone, kid."

They spent the rest of the day cleaning the hotel room, swimming in the pool, and catching up. Skye was smiling and happy, the sentimental feeling she had in Ohio fading away. She would always miss Lincoln, but this was good for now.

Miles left the next morning to fly back to Ohio and get Skye's van. Skye spent the time by herself digging around for more information about her birth parents and looking for Extremis updates. Her day had only begun when she felt the ground begin to shake. She saw a crowd forming outside her window as an explosion went off. Skye hurried over to the window to see what was going on. As she poked her head out, Skye could have sworn she saw a man jump up from the ground and into the fiery building.

Skye rushed out of the hotel as fast as she could, whipping her phone out to take a video of the chaos. The man in the hood jumped back out of the building, a woman safely in his arms. The crowd around him surged forward, yelling to check on the woman and find the identity of the man. Skye got it all on her phone, sending it off to her Rising Tide contacts before running off to catch the man in the hood.

Can't let him get away! Skye thought. She knew that if she could catch him and turn him to the Rising Tide, she might finally get to be one of the higher ups in the organization. She might finally find her place. With that thought, Skye ran even faster down the street, straight into her future.