Wishing Well | Leo Fitz Book Four

Chapter Eleven

The van pulled up outside of Primed and Ready Fireworks in LA, breaks squeaking a little as they stopped in the closest open spot. Outside, it looked like any other fireworks shop, splashed in bright posters proclaiming their wares, but Asia knew, inside, there was something a little more than atypical. James, or Hellfire, as he used to refer to himself, worked in there. And he certainly wouldn't be expecting a visit from them today. As Daisy parked the car, the three women climbed out together, stopping to look at the front of the building.

"This is where James works?" Daisy asked, brow furrowed, as she looked back and forth between the sign and Asia, hoping this was some sort of sick prank. Was a fireworks shop really the best place for a fire-bending Inhuman to lay down his roots? Because it seemed like a really, really bad idea.

Asia stepped beside her, hands shoved in the pockets of her leather jacket. "Yea. That was my thought too, when I first found out. Unfortunately, yes, this is exactly where he has decided to be employed." She looked back up at the sign and sighed, shaking her head. "Bull in a china shop, as they say." And it truly was. One bad day and James' entire place of employment could go up in a blaze of glory.

"Yea, whoever is running the Terrible Ideas Division back at Shield is really killing their job lately," Daisy replied sarcastically, face twisted in disgust. Together, the three women gathered themselves, putting on blank game faces, and walked into the building side by side. It was time to get the job done, and then they could go home.

Inside the building, it smelled like gunpowder and recently burnt fire. Matches and destruction. It did not exactly feel like a safe place to be, rather a place where young people with chaos on their minds came to ease their frustrations. All in all, it was a place that made Asia incredibly uncomfortable. Perhaps it was the innate water abilities she possessed, but somewhere where fire reigned didn't seem like the place for her. As they walked in, a small bell jingled above the door, signaling their arrival. She could see James, sitting behind a sales desk, showing off fireworks to a set of young boys who could only be just 18, if they weren't really using fake IDs to get those items in the first place.

"Hello James," Jemma said, announcing their presence to the fellow Inhuman. His face turned less practical joker and a lot more serious when he laid eyes on the three of them, and Asia could see the adam's apple bob in his throat as he swallowed nervously. She knew he must have realized by now, if they were there, it wasn't a good sign.

"Erm, why don't you boys head on down to Sean. He'll get you all taken care of," he said to the set of youth in front of him, and they moved on as instructed. As they left, the three approached his desk, Asia studying him as he shifted uncomfortably. "Agent Monroe. Agent Simmons. Bit odd to see Shield at my doorstep these days. Even weirder to see them toting along an infamous vigilante, ain't it? Going by Quake these days, yea?" His accent was thick with sarcasm.

"Alright, alright, before any bickering starts," Asia cut in, shooting Daisy a pointed look. "We're only here to make sure you're safe. And it certainly looks like you are doing just fine, James. We're glad to see it." She tried to make the words sound sincere, even if she had always found him to be a bit of a sleeze ball. But, that didn't mean she would let him die on her watch.

"Wait, wait, why wouldn't I be safe?" James paused, quirking his brow as he looked at at the three women in front of him. He looked genuinely concerned, albeit momentarily.

Asia sighed, glancing around them. "The recent Watch Dog attacks, you've seen them right?" After James nodded, she continued on. "Well, we've found the source. They've been hacking the Asset Comms devices." She nodded towards the watch on his wrist, a frown slipping over her lips. "They can use them to track locations, and we're pretty sure you're on their To-Do list."

"Yea so," Daisy adjusted her stance, standing up straighter to give the air of authority. "You should probably take that thing off now."

James' eyes clouded over for a second, before he glanced at his wrist, holding it up in the air. "Ah yea, about that. I wasn't exactly a willing participant for this club. My watch doesn't really come off." Daisy glanced around them for a moment, before extending her hand, shooting a wave of vibrations out and cracking the watch right off of his thick wrist. The metal bits fell down on the table before him.

Daisy winced for a second, clutching her wrist, before taking in a deep breath and speaking. " We need you to come with us, James. We can get you out of here, get you somewhere safe."

"Woah, woah, woah," James said, putting his hands up, eyebrows raising. "I don't want any of that. I just want to keep living my quiet, normal life." He looked around the shop, as if worried suddenly that anyone could be listening in to them.

"That's great, that you want that, James, really," Daisy sighed, pursing her lips and narrowing her eyes, trying to convey the seriousness of her message to him. "But the Watch Dogs won't allow that. Not for you, not for me, not for any of us. They are coming to take your life."

James sighed, fiddling with a lighter at his desk. "What's it worth really, my life?" he mused, flicking the lighter on and off before blowing it out. "I work here, and then I go home. I do that every day. On days I don't work, I stay at home. So you answer me, what's it all worth anyway?"

"James," Jemma pursed her lips, a frown threatening to form. "Shield is here to try and help you James. This isn't some plot against you." She sounded a tad exasperated, but given the day they had all had, it wasn't exactly unexpected.

"Or, you come take a stance with me," Daisy interjected, and Asia frowned, not bothering trying to hide it. That wasn't the plan, not here, that wasn't why they had come. This wasn't some gambit to get more followers to Daisy's weird rebellion. And yet, she continued on. "You can fight back, against them. That gives a lot of purpose. That's how you can take back the control."

James sighed for a moment, looking at the lighter and dropping it, then looking at his hands. "I...can't just leave right now. I hear you, all of you, but I have some, um, stuff I've got to wrap up first. Can you just meet me at the public storage place next door, after closing?" After the three nodded, he nodded in return. "Pod 212, second floor. Easy to find. I've got something there that might help," at that note, he glanced to Daisy specifically, and she nodded.

Asia tapped the desk twice with the palm of her hand, and gave him a quick nod. "Great, we'll see you there." Then she turned, stuffing her hands in her jacket pockets, and stomped out of the store. In front of James was no place for an argument. Showing a weakness in their ranks really wouldn't do. And she didn't need other people around them listening in either. She didn't want to be around Daisy right now, she didn't want to be around anybody. She needed to get outside, where she could feel the fresh air on her skin again, get away from that feeling of everything about to go up in flames in any minute.

Thankfully, it wouldn't be long till closing time.