Birds of a Feather | | Leo Fitz Book One

Chapter 36

Asia checked her hand gun, making sure it was fully loaded, but the safety was still on. She tucked it in the back of her belt. Then, the tested each of her wristlets, extending the blades and sheathing them once more. She patted down her legs, double checking for her spare knives within her shoes, back pocket, shoulder blade. Check, check, check. She looked up and noticed Ward doing the same. He gave her a slight grin and she nodded back. Things were going to be okay with them.

She glanced out the window as the Bus made its decent through the snow-capped mountains. It was almost time.

Inside the cargo hold was Asia, Coulson, Ward, and Garrett, each doing their own individual checks for weapons and suits.

" The Guest House is not a S.H.I.E.L.D. facility. We don't know who or what's in there. Be prepared for potential resistance," Coulson said grimly. He was ready for anything, but he wanted to make sure his operatives were as well. He glanced over at Asia. "Monroe, are you sure you're up for this? You don't have to come." Her wounds were still rather fresh, and he couldn't risk having another agent put out of commission.

Asia flicked her glance over to Coulson before wrapping new tape over the bandages on her hands. "I'm absolutely positive. I need to do some ass-kicking, Coulson. You think Nat would let a few scrapes stop her?"

"Not a chance," Coulson replied with a light chuckle. Agent Monroe was becoming more and more like her assassin team leaders every day, in the best way possible. "Alright, but if at any point you change your mind...."

"I won't!" Asia replied quickly, snapping the last buckle on her combat boots. If anything, she was going to take as many names as she possibly could once they were in there. She had some major avenging to do. May entered the cargo hold from above, leaning over the railing and looking down at them as they prepped.

"No contact from the inside?" Garrett asked as he tucked two small guns into their holsters.

"I've tried every known channel," May said from her perch above, "No response."

Ward shrugged, "Place could be abandoned, maybe Coulson was the last patient they took." Asia frowned at the thought. That would be bad news, really, really bad news.

"Let's hope not," Coulson said, his feelings mirroring Asia's. "We need the people inside to work on Skye, to fix her the way they fixed me."

The doors to the lab slid open and Asia immediately perked up. Leo walked between the two glass doors, wearing his own form of black combat suit, backpack slung over his shoulder. He smiled at Asia and she smiled back, before he spoke. "Simmons is prepping Skye to move at a moment's notice, sir."

"Trip can help," Garrett suggested, "he's got good med-tech training." Asia remembered this from their Ops days. He had always had an interest in patching them up after missions, and had been damn good at it too.

"Good. We do our jobs right, this will all go peacefully," Coulson said with a nod.

"And what if they don't want to help us?" Ward asked, bringing forward the elephant in the room. He had a valid point.

Garrett stood up, stretching, cocking his AK and slinging it gently up to rest on his shoulder. "Then I'll say 'Pretty please.'"

Coulson frowned. "We need to keep the doctors there alive and intact, in order for them to be any help. If it goes sideways..." he turned to look at Leo. "Fitz, I need you to determine what it is that Simmons can use to help Skye. Then we take that. Let's move out." The ramp of the Bus slid open and Leo, Coulson, Ward, Asia, and Garrett walked out onto the hard ground below, leaving May behind to watch the Bus and be ready to leave at a moments notice.