"The people who attacked your hometown were a terrorist organization that had been around since World War II. They targeted your mother because she had a special ability, kind of like the one I use to make chicken wraps."
Feeney explained.
"Wait, are you saying my mother could cook like you?"
"I said like!" Feeney glared at Skye for interrupting him, then continued, "Your mother seems to have some kind of unusual healing ability. She may even have a very long lifespan, which is why they targeted her."
Skye shrank back a little. Unable to help herself, she asked worriedly, "How is she now?"
"Not very well!" Feeney sighed inwardly and continued, "She went through a lot of torture and became extremely unstable. But they're still looking for you, too."
"You mean my parents have been looking for me all this time!?"
Skye jumped to her feet, overcome with excitement. She had resented her parents for abandoning her, but now that she knew the truth, her first feelings were joy and anticipation at the thought of reuniting with them.
"Calm down first!"
Watching Skye's excitement, Feeney frowned and said in a deep voice, "I told you already, things aren't as good for them as you imagine."
"But they didn't give up on me, did they?"
Skye looked at Feeney, her expression pleading. "Feeney, help me find them, okay?"
"Let me finish first!"
Feeney felt troubled. Skye's parents were both utterly deranged. Her father was somewhat better, but her mother was practically completely insane.
"After your mother was taken, she was subjected to inhuman torture."
Feeney hadn't wanted to tell her about this, but he realized he couldn't explain things without laying it all out, so he went on slowly. "They replaced all her organs. Later, she was abandoned, and your father painstakingly stitched her back together. He even did some pretty terrible things trying to heal her."
"Then, after losing you, both of them suffered a severe psychological blow and became unstable. Even if you found them now, things might not turn out the way you imagine."
"Wouldn't that make it even more important to find them and help them get better!?"
Hearing how much her parents had suffered, Skye clenched her fists, her heart aching just as much.
"How would you help them get better?" Feeney asked, his voice low as he looked at Skye. "What if your mother intends to make an enemy of all humanity?"
"What if she's even willing to sacrifice you to achieve that?"
Under Feeney's questioning, Skye had no answer. The pain in her eyes only grew deeper. She had once hated her parents so much for abandoning her; now, she felt just as guilty about it.
"Besides, I don't know where they are."
Feeney sighed. "Skye, I really want to help you, but there's no rushing this. I told you because I didn't want you to keep suffering, and because this involves two enormous organizations."
The actual reason Skye had initially been sent to the orphanage was that two S.H.I.E.L.D. agents had intervened. When Skye was adopted by her parents, they had tried to stop it, too.
But Skye had been brought to him through his Golden Great Deduction Technique, with help from The Ancient One. There was no way two agents could stop that, so they failed. In the end, they gradually disappeared from the picture.
Only then did Skye remember that there had to be a reason behind all this. She immediately asked resentfully, "Who are they?"
"You have to promise me you won't alert them for now!"
Feeney looked at Skye, worried she might ignore his advice and investigate in secret. He continued, "I know you're very good with computers, but even the best hacker can't beat someone who lives inside one, can they?"
"One of the people in their organization transferred his consciousness into a computer. So don't try to use your skills to investigate them."
"How is that even possible!?"
Skye stared at Feeney in disbelief.
"You've already seen magic. Is it really so surprising that the world could be even stranger?" Feeney asked.
Skye fell silent. If Feeney had told her this before, she wouldn't have believed him. But after everything that had happened, she couldn't help believing such a thing was possible.
"So am I just supposed to leave them alone?"
Tears welled in Skye's eyes, and her tearful expression made her look especially pitiful.
"You don't need to worry so much." Feeney took a tissue from the bedside table and gently wiped away Skye's tears, comforting her. "They're both doing fine for now. Your father seems to be working as a doctor and plotting revenge, while your mother is leading an organization and preparing a grand plan to destroy humanity."
Skye stared at Feeney, speechless. Was she understanding him wrong, or was that really what he considered doing fine?
Seeing the look in Skye's eyes, Feeney hurriedly explained, "I mean they're doing fine in terms of their daily lives. They both have things to do, so they're keeping busy."
"Why does my mother want to destroy humanity?"
Skye asked anxiously.
"She thinks she's an Inhuman, a member of a different species from humans. And after everything she was put through, she became mentally unstable." Feeney looked at Skye and decided to explain everything at once. "Actually, you just have a little Alien Gene in your body!"
"You mean I have it, too!?"
Skye was stunned. She hadn't expected to suddenly be told she wasn't from Earth.
"Probably just a little bit!"
Feeney nodded, pinching his thumb and forefinger almost together to show her.
"That's impossible! I've had medical checkups. How could I be an alien?" Skye didn't believe it for a second. She'd gotten sick plenty of times growing up and gone to the hospital, and all her tests had been normal.
"Do you think ordinary hospitals can detect things at the genetic level!?"
Watching Skye's intense reaction, Feeney wondered if he'd told her too soon. The idea of aliens seemed harder to accept than he'd expected.
Skye stared blankly, unable to speak. It was a lot to take in all at once.
"Don't worry too much. It doesn't really affect you. It just gives you some superpowers, that's all." Feeney quickly reassured her. "It won't turn you green, make you shoot webs, or give you a huge, muscular body."
That only made Skye more afraid. Her body trembled slightly as she asked, "Feeney, don't tease me. Is this true?"
"Listen to me!"
Feeney placed both hands on Skye's shoulders and looked her seriously in the eyes. "Don't fixate on this. It's not like you had any choice in the matter. And believe me, it's nothing to worry about."
Hearing that made Skye feel a little better. She hadn't expected the so-called truth to be like this. Life was far more absurd than she'd imagined.
"Isn't there any way to change her?"
Skye put the matter of her genes aside for now. She was still most concerned about her parents, especially her extreme mother.
"At least, I don't have a way right now." Feeney shook his head, then hesitated before adding, "But if you're willing, we could try something later to alter her personality."
"You can do that, too?"
Skye was surprised again, but then she nodded naturally, as if she'd figured it out. "Never mind. I don't think anything in this world could surprise me anymore!"
"Is there any danger to this method?" Skye continued.
"Probably not!"
Feeney thought about what the Mind Stone Scepter could do. He just wasn't sure whether its brain control effect would be permanent. If it was only temporary, they might have to find another way.
Cough, it's too early to tell you about the Fifth Skill. There are still so many chapters left! No matter how much you guess, I'm not going to tell you whether you're right. I've actually been thinking about making a thread where you can all discuss what abilities might be picked in the future. I have my own ideas, of course, but I'm also happy to hear your suggestions and advice! Also, votes and tips—this time for sure!!!
Before you continue