Birds of a Feather | | Leo Fitz Book One

Chapter 40

Agent Blake was in bad condition when they got to the Hub. When Asia's Quinjet had docked aboard the Bus and she boarded her ship, Leo was there waiting for her. As soon as she stepped off that last stair, he had thrown his arms around her, burying his face into her shoulder, taking in her scent of vanilla and some soft flowery scent. "Oh thank God you're okay," he whispered. "When I heard an agent was down I thought...I thought. Oh, I thought the worst."

Asia hugged him back, fighting the urge to brush her lips gently against his. "We've got a suspect now, though. That's a step. We're moving forward Leo. And this madness of the clairvoyant will be over soon."

"Let's get back down to the Lab. Simmons should be getting done with her debrief with Hand," Leo suggested, finally releasing her from his tight hug. That sounded like a good idea, the Lab. Back with her people, back where she could make sure everyone she loved was safe.

She nodded, smiling softly. "Let's go to the Lab."

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Asia handed Jemma a stack of papers, which she shoved into her bag.

"Honestly, I don't know how much more you can tell them. Who knows what else they've done to the man?" Leo protested, not fancy of the idea of any of his friends splitting off from the team right now, not before they got this entire situation on lockdown.

Jemma sighed. "Or how much man is left at all. Regardless, S.H.I.E.L.D. sees us as the resident expert on the Deathlok program," she comically rolled her eyes, which made Asia smile. It wasn't often that she saw Jemma let her guard down around her. The redhead grabbed a small container and looked inside before quickly shutting it and shoving it in her bag. "If they want me to stay here, at The Hub, then that's that. Not much arguing I can really do against them."

"She's got a point, Leo," Asia said with a shrug, "We can't exactly fight The Man right now. Not when we're working with them."

"It must be nice knowing you'll have a far more comprehensive Lab to work in while you're there," Leo said, giving Jemma a knowing look. The red head gave a small nod in reply. Asia did her best to pretend she hadn't noticed the exchange between the two. Clearly it was a secret Leo didn't feel like sharing.

Just then, Trip entered the room, that friendly smile on his face. "Hey Tic Tac," he said, giving Asia a casual two finger salute, before turning to Jemma. "You ready to roll out?"

Jemma's eyes widened in surprise, and Asia thought she might have caught a hint of a blush on her pale cheeks. The brunette assassin's eyes widened slightly in surprise and a small smile crossed her lips, before vanishing discretely. "Agent Triplett. Are you staying at The Hub as well?" Jemma asked coolly, twirling a strand of her red hair around one thin index finger.

"Yeah, Garrett's keeping me here. Help brief the teams on our most recent run-in with the cyber solider. Don't mind the company, do you?" Trip asked, her voice warm as he looked down at the scientist. There was something familiar in his voice, something Asia recognized from a long time ago, back in Ops school, when a young, tall agent who was all arms and legs had asked her the same question as he sat next to her on the lawn to study. There was a small, tiny pang of jealousy that instantly vanished, the kind that only came from old relationships, followed only by strong, strong happiness for her friends.

"No, not at all," Jemma said, a smooth smile sliding across her face, a matching one of Trip's. This was very, very good.

It seemed that Agent Fitz had caught up on the same vibes that were rolling off those two like water. His eyes darted back and forth between the two of them, confusion playing on his face, lips slightly pursed. Again, that jealousy bit at Asia' heart, but for an entirely different reason this time.

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When Coulson called the team on full alert, Asia was up from her bed and slinging an AR-15 over her back in 10 seconds flat. She sat next to Ward in the SHIELD issue truck as the rumbled down the road in hot, humid Florida.

"Think we'll finally get him?" Asia asked, glancing over at her friend and teammate.

Ward shrugged slightly in his thick combat gear, tugging quickly at the lip of his black turtleneck. "I fucking hope so. I'm ready for this shit with the future predicting to be done with. The only person I like knowing my moves is me."

Coulson flicked a glance back at them before returning his eyes to the road as they pulled up in front of a desolate race track. "Fitz, you got signal confirmation?"

"Yes sir," Leo's familiar voice filtered over their comms. "94% chance he's in there." Leo tapped away on his tablet as the van he was in pulled to a stop. He stepped out, his eyes instantly searching for Asia as she got out of the armored truck, her body armor dwarfing her small form. The second he found her, he moved through the crowd of SHIELD soldiers towards her, Coulson, May, and Ward.

"Civilians inside?" May asked, studying the structure and its peeling paint.

"Highly unlikely," Leo said, turning his tablet so they could see. "The buildings been shutdown for months." He turned and looked over at Asia. "You're going to be safe in there, right?"

Asia rolled her eyes, but smiled. "Ward's got my back," she nodded towards him.

"Speaking of safety," Ward said, pointing at a soldier next to them. "You, I want you 6 feet from Skye at all times. She's running backup from the van. Don't leave her side." He was still worried from the incident in the mansion a few weeks ago. A pit suddenly formed in Asia's gut as she remembered. Most of her own marks were gone, but a few scars still clung to her back like a shadow.

"Ward, it's okay. I'm ready." Skye said, furrowing her brow.

Coulson shook his head, "Ward's right. I feel bad enough you're already back in the field. I'm not taking any chances with your safety." He glanced over at the soldier Ward had given the order to, and gave him a sharp nod.

Skye looked back and forth between them, biting the inside of her cheek, before looking towards Asia for help. Asia shook her head. She wasn't about to let Skye get hurt on her watch again. Ward nodded towards the van and Skye turned, stalking off, the anger practically rolling off her.

"You made the right call," Asia said softly.

Ward watched her go, an odd look in his eyes, before he softly said, "I know."