Birds of a Feather | | Leo Fitz Book One

Chapter 8

Asia had not been to the Hub for quite some time, not since working with Nat and Clint. So when Coulson informed the team to get ready for they would be landing their shortly, Asia could hardly contain her excitement. This was the first time she had been this excited for many weeks now. For the first time in a long time, she had to worry about what she was wearing. She settled on a orange longsleeve shirt, with a black, sleeveless leather vest. The vest hugged her figure rather nicely. She paired the outfit with dark brown pants and combat boots. Anxiously, she pulled her long hair up into a high pony tail and headed back to meet the rest of the team. They would be touching down in five minutes.

Five minutes can seem like eternity when waiting for such an exciting experience. But soon enough, the team was off the Bus and inside the gigantic building. Asia took quite a bit of joy watching Skye looking around in wonder at the colossal size of the building which they were in.

"I didn't realize Big Brother was this big," Skye said with a sigh, spinning in a slow circle to take it all in.

"Oh this is nothing," Jemma said cheerfully, "Wait till you see the Triskelion! And if you had seen the Sandbox, you'd probably lose your mind!"

Leo fell in step beside Asia, and she turned to give him a small smile before looking ahead of her. It had been a week since the incident with Jemma, and Leo wasn't sure what exactly he had done to Asia, but she was definitely being more distant that usual. "You look, erm, nice today," He said quietly, as a sort of peace offering.

"Thanks, Leo," She replied, "You do too." Of course, she could have added on that he always did, but she doubted that would make the situation any better.

"Everyone's wearing the same suit. Someone please tell me why," Skye said, earning a laugh from Jemma, Asia, and Leo. The group made their way to a desk, and with a well known formality, they all grabbed badges with their images upon them. Asia's still have the small Strike Team insignia on it. "Do I get one?" Skye asked, sounding confused.

Coulson turned and pointed at his wrist. "That's your badge. You've got to earn your clearance again, and that's going to take time. And hard work."

Skye sighed and pushed the matter a little further until Coulson stopped, the rest of the group stopping along with him. Asia was prepping herself to hear a very uncomfortable lecture, when another suited Agent walked up to them. "Agent Sitwell," Coulson greeted, shaking his hand.

"Agent Coulson, good to see you feeling better. Agent Hand is waiting for you and your agents of clearance in the Situation Room." Agent Sitwell said, as they all moved briskly down the hall.

"Well, she won't like to be kept waiting on our accord," Coulson said with a sigh.

Sitwell raised an eyebrow, "So you know her?"

"Only by her poignant reputation," Coulson replied with a dry smile.

When they reached a doorway, the group stopped. "Your Level Sevens are welcome to join us, and, it is, in fact, encouraged," Sitwell said, pressing his badge against a scanner and entering the room.

Coulson indicated for May and Ward to enter, then turned to face the rest of the team. "Asia," he began, "You are, by all means, welcome to come to the debriefing. But, I have a little something set up for you that you may want to take care of first."

"What?" Asia asked, tilting her head to the side, "What do you have for me?"

Gently, Coulson stepped forward and put his hands on her shoulders, carefully spinning her to face he other direction. Asia's mouth dropped open in astonishment as the others turned to look at what she was seeing.