Trip was about to enter the cavern where Skye had just gone when he was grabbed from behind and knocked out. Grant Ward lowered Trip's unconscious body to the ground and rushed into the temple just as the last door closed. Skye and Raina turned to look at him as he entered, surprise written all over both of their faces. The look of surprise on Skye's face was quickly replaced by anger.
"How did you get in here? More to the point, how are you even standing? I shot you multiple times!" she yelled at him.
Grant smirked. "Oh it hurts, immensely. It wasn't going to stop me from finding you though. I'm pissed at you for sure. I still swore to protect you. Plus, I promised your father I'd make sure you were okay."
Raina giggled from where she stood with the Diviner. "See? I told you it was love Skye," she crowed sweetly. "Unfortunately, that love may be about to be extinguished. Who knows? I did tell Grant that you two could be monsters together. Maybe he won't turn to dust."
Before Grant or Skye could could reply to that, the Diviner opened to reveal blue Terrigen crystals, which promptly shattered and released a mist which floated around and coated the three completely. Grant, Skye, and Raina all saw a rock like substance crawl up and cover them from head to toe. They stood motionless as statues, unable to move, or even think.
Grant broke through his cocoon first. He looked down at himself. He didn't seem or feel any different, but at least he was alive. Skye's cocoon broke next, accompanied by the ground rumbling like an earthquake was occurring. She seemed spooked, but physically okay. Raina however, was a different matter. She came out of her cocoon looking like a giant humanoid porcupine, with long quills protruding from every inch of her body. Grant and Skye stared in both wonder and disbelief.
Skye started laughing. "Wow, you want to talk about monsters. Maybe you and Grant should get together." She turned to Grant. "I'm taking you both in. Coulson can lock you in Vault D and leave you to rot for all I care." She grabbed her gun from her back pocket. "Let's go."
Raina started to cry. Grant looked at her before whirling to face Skye. "What the hell is the matter with you? I'm pissed at Raina too, but you could be a little more compassionate. And you shot me Skye. I think that's plenty of penance." He nodded toward the door which was now open. "You can just go. We can all leave separately, go our own ways. I am not, nor have I ever been loyal to HYDRA. Anger at Coulson notwithstanding, I have no beef with SHIELD. I won't bother any of you, I promise."
Skye's gun didn't waver. "You betrayed me. Betrayed us."
Grant was starting to get angry. "Yeah, and like I said, you shot me. Repeatedly. when my back was turned. Also, you and Coulson sold me to my brother. My main tormentor and abuser. At least John never did that."
Grant felt cold. Skye was pushing his buttons and it was really beginning to piss him off. He definitely wasn't going back to prison, at SHIELD or anywhere else. The cold increased. His head started to hurt. He tried to push the feeling down but it didn't work. Skye didn't realize it, but Raina did. Her lips curled into a smile. This was going to be interesting.
Skye stopped shouting at Grant as she noticed his eyes had changed color, from whiskey brown to ice cold blue. "Grant?" was all she had time to get out before she started to feel a strange, tingly feeling throughout her entire body. Something was off. Skye looked to see everything rising up around her. Then it hit her. "I'm shrinking! Grant, what are you doing to me?"
Grant didn't say anything. "I think it's obvious," purred Raina from beside him. "He's discovered his new power, and you've angered him enough to use it. On YOU."
Raina watched with amusement as Skye continued to shrink. She decreased in size quickly, going from 3/4 Raina's height to 1/2 Raina's height and then even smaller. Raina crouched down so she could more closely watch Skye shrink. "You are so cute like this," she said, laughing. Grant still hadn't said, or even seemed to notice, what was happening.
Grant finally came out of his daze. He looked down to see a now 18 inch Skye below him. "Did I do this?" he asked Raina.
"Yes. It's your gift from the diviner. I may look Inhuman now, but I know we all have powerful gifts. The ability to affect size is yours."
"Cool. So, Skye, still planning on turning me in to SHIELD?" He reached a giant hand down to pick her up. Skye tried to run away, but found she couldn't move as she kept shrinking. Grant lifted her high into the air and peered down at her curiously, watching in awe as she got smaller and smaller. Finally, when she was about the size of his thumb, she stopped.
Raina reached over and plucked Skye out of Grant's palm and held the tiny woman as she cowered. "Well well, little one, what should we do with you now?" Grant held his hand out and Raina begrudgingly passed Skye back to him. "Spoilsport."
Grant inspected Skye all over. "This is amazing," he murmured softly. "It's you. Just itty bitty. You are so small Skye. So tiny. I can't get over it." A thought struck him. "I can make people shrink, but can I make them grow as well?" He closed his eyes and briefly concentrated. Skye gasped as the hand holding her started to grow even more around her. Raina looked on impressed as Grant's already tall frame grew even more. He quickly went from just over 6 feet to just over 10 feet. Grant looked down at himself. "Impressive."he boomed. He then restored himself to normal.
"So," Grant said finally, looking down at the tiny Skye. "What should we do now, hmmm?"
Raina raised her hand. "I vote we play with her."
Grant narrowed his eyes. "Yeah, of course you'd say that. What is your power anyway? Skye's is earthquakes. She made the big one when her cocoon originally cracked, and she's been sort of making them in my hand, but the quakes are too small to do anything."
"I think I get visions. Yes, I see the irony. Garrett is probably laughing from the great beyond."
Grant laughed and looked down as he thought he heard squeaking. He brought Skye up closer to his ear so he could hear her. {size:2"Don't trust her. You know she's going to betray you, sh always does. Let's you and I go somewhere and talk. I admit that I was wrong. I promise if you fix me, I won't turn you in to SHIELD.}
Grant pondered his options. He did want to have fun and play with Skye's tiny form, but did he really want to trust Raina? For that matter, did he trust Skye? She did shoot him after all. Technically, both she and Raina had both betrayed him on multiple occasions. He did however, have a valuable power that could enable him to retaliate in the event of another betrayal from either of them. The question was, which one was the better option to trust? He just wasn't sure.
Decisions, decisions.
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