It's too soon, Skye thought as she sat in the back of the Quinjet, gripping the seat beneath her, eyes shut tight. She could feel the others watching her and knew they were probably thinking the same thing in the back of their minds. But Coulson had given her the go-ahead, and they all trusted Coulson's judgement. So she would do her best. She would keep this new, raw thing inside of her locked up tight. She would use her hands, her gun, anything but the caged animal inside her chest, wailing to be set free. Because while they all might trust Coulson, she still didn't trust herself. Not when she barely knew herself anymore, or what she had become.
When the Quinjet touched down, Skye took a deep breath, centering herself. She opened her eyes to see May standing in front of her, a gun held out in offering. "Thanks," Skye muttered as she stood and took it, tucking it into her holster. But before she could disembark May gently touched her elbow.
"You've got this," she said in her no bullshit tone, the kind that was impossible to ignore. "Coulson wouldn't have approved you for this mission if he didn't think you could handle it."
Skye searched May's face, looking for any sign of doubt, but she didn't find any. So she nodded, straightening her spine, and followed the woman out of the jet with the rest of the team. They were on the outskirts of a village deep in the jungle, looking for a group of smugglers of weapons left behind from the Battle of New York. Their mission was to find them, to interrupt their business and take them out if necessary. They were bad people, some of the worst, bent on making the world less safe for anyone. It was also a straight-forward mission, the kind Skye needed after being cooped-up on base for so long.
Swallowing back any anxiety she felt, all her nerves, Skye headed into the trees, her teammates chattering in her ear.