"You're saying he has a superpowered person with him?" Director Fury looked surprised after hearing Coulson's report. "Are you sure you saw it right?"
"He waved his hand and the gun flew out of my hand by itself. How could I be wrong?" Coulson answered with a strange expression.
"I see... I'll talk to him myself. I'll let you know if anything new comes up," Fury nodded.
Seeing that the Director understood the situation, Coulson didn't say more and left the office.
Once Coulson was gone, Fury murmured to himself, "Looks like it's time to have a proper talk with him…"
"Just treat this like your own home. Sit wherever you like—"
Raymond spoke to Skye while taking out the takeaway food he brought back and setting it on the table.
David and Beth were also helping—one moving chairs, the other preparing the tableware.
"Who exactly are you people?" Skye asked again.
This was the third time she had asked.
The first two times, no one answered her. But this time, Raymond finally responded. "Didn't you see the sign at the door? Big letters—I don't believe you missed it when you walked in."
"Detective agency… You're a detective?" Skye looked at Raymond with suspicion.
She had seen the sign outside but didn't take it seriously. She thought it was just a cover.
A detective agency stealing someone from S.H.I.E.L.D.? Who would believe that?
She had looked into S.H.I.E.L.D. before and knew how powerful they were.
Even the CIA and Homeland Security usually cooperated with them. When had S.H.I.E.L.D. ever followed someone else's lead?
That Agent Coulson had clearly found out she hacked into their database—there was no way they would let her go easily.
And yet, this guy had actually taken her away. How could she not be shocked?
"Miss Skye, come sit and eat with us," Beth said as she placed an extra set of utensils in front of her.
"Okay… okay." Skye hesitated but agreed.
Compared to Raymond and the man with powers named David, Beth made her feel more at ease.
Plus, Beth worked with mental patients often, so she knew how to make people lower their guard.
"Thai food?" Beth asked as she opened the takeaway and looked at Raymond.
"Yeah, there's a new Thai place down the street. Looked pretty good, so I brought some back," Raymond replied.
"It's good to try something different," Beth smiled.
The four of them sat around the table and began eating.
Raymond, David, and Beth ate casually, but Skye looked very tense, like her mind was somewhere else.
Raymond noticed and put down his utensils, smiling. "Miss Skye, are you worried we might hurt you?"
But her silence was answer enough.
"Then I'll be straight with you. I brought you here to invite you to join our detective agency. We're looking for a skilled hacker," Raymond said directly.
"Miss Skye is a hacker?" Beth looked surprised.
"Not just a hacker—she's one of the best," Raymond nodded. "The Rising Tide, the group she's with, is one of the most famous hacker groups in recent years. There's almost no system they can't break into. Even the CIA and Homeland Security can't stop them—they get in and out like it's their own backyard…"
"Wow, that amazing?" Beth looked at Skye with sparkling eyes, like a fan meeting her idol.
Skye felt a little uncomfortable with that reaction.
As a top hacker, she was usually just a regular tech geek who rarely dealt with people. Being looked at like a celebrity made her uneasy.
"If I was really that good, I wouldn't have gotten caught," Skye mumbled, trying to hide her discomfort.
"If you hadn't exposed yourself, would Coulson have found you?" Raymond said while giving her a deep look.
Skye's heart skipped a beat.
Even when Coulson caught her before, she hadn't truly panicked—because, like Raymond said, she had purposely revealed her location. That was the only way Coulson could track her.
Otherwise, S.H.I.E.L.D. wouldn't have been able to trace her with their tech.
But Raymond's words showed something else—that he knew her too well.
It wasn't that she let herself get found—Raymond could've tracked her even if she didn't reveal anything.
Her hacking skills were her biggest source of confidence, even against a powerful group like S.H.I.E.L.D.
But Raymond's words shook that confidence.
She didn't want to believe it, so she calmly replied, "I don't know what you're talking about. Why would I expose myself on purpose? Am I crazy?"
"Because you wanted to break into S.H.I.E.L.D.," Raymond said with a small smile.
Skye's heart began to race, but she still pretended to stay calm. "If that's what you think, I can't stop you."
Beth suddenly added, "Miss Skye, sitting in front of you is a licensed psychologist—and one of the top ten psychology experts in all of North America… I think it's better if you just tell the truth."
Even Beth could tell Skye was lying, though she didn't know the full story.
And just like she said—it's not easy to lie in front of two psychology experts.
At least Skye wasn't good enough to do that.
Hearing Beth, Skye's face turned a bit pale, but she lowered her head and stayed silent.
"Trust me, Miss Skye," Raymond said, "I know much more about you than you think. As long as you work with me, I can help you find the answers you're looking for. It's much safer than trying to break into S.H.I.E.L.D. yourself."
"You know what I'm looking for?" Skye suddenly looked up, shocked.
"You're searching for your real past, right?"
"You know who I really am?!" Skye was clearly emotional. "Tell me—if you really know, I'll do anything you want!"
"No rush. Let's eat first. We can talk about the rest afterward," Raymond calmly picked up his chopsticks again and started eating.
But Skye clearly had no appetite anymore. She looked dazed, lost in thought.