Renegade Rising || Leo Fitz Book Two

Chapter TwentySix

Asia sat across from Skye, both a mirror image of the other, legs folded criss-cross (Asia could always remember her mother saying that, 'Let's go sit criss-cross-applesauce, even though Asia hated applesauce, as a child, and now), a deck of cards in front of them both. Bobbi had brought them gifts, a survival kit of sorts. They were trying to figure out exactly how to play cards when they each had a unique deck. They had tried Go Fish, but it didn't exactly work with two separate decks. Blackjack worked, but was less fun, especially without anything to bet on. So they had settled on solitaire, and just seeing who could complete their game first. It wasn't riveting stuff, more often than not they got stuck and weren't sure who exactly one because they both had lost. But it was something to do.

"So," Skye glanced around the room, "Is the temperature in your room doing any better?" Asia knew exactly what she was hinting at, and shrugged under her large sweater. She glanced around, and didn't see any icicles hanging from anything. That had happened one night, while she was dreaming. Then Skye had panicked, and the icicles stood no chance against whatever crazy shaking her mind made. Asia had woke to her bed rattling and water and ice all around her.

Asia raised an eyebrow, cocking her head and grinning mischievously at her friend, "I don't know, I've been thinking too much about that earth quake in San Juan to notice it much," she countered. Both girls knew something about themselves had changed, and it had happened down in those tunnels. And they both had seen the aftereffects. Thankfully, no one else on the team had noticed so far. And Asia had come to notice her issues with the ice only seems to come when she was upset. So she spent a lot of time meditating. It's what Natasha would have told her to do, if she had been there. Meditate until you can control it. Meditate until you learn exactly what is happening, meditate until it only happens when you want it to. And so Asia did.

Skye rolled her eyes back at her friend. "Well, it's a good thing we're out of here in a few days. Things can get back to normal." Normal as long as no one found out about them. Which was debatable at this point. Jemma would be home today, she would be testing them. And both of the girls were pretty damn sure something would show up on the results. They could both feel the change inside them, their entire system felt different.

But a bit of normal would be nice. Of course, things might not really feel the same without Trip around...but Asia wouldn't mind sleeping in her own bed, among her own things. She wouldn't mind getting to talk to Leo about everything. He had been busy with work recently, and even though things were on the road to recovery between them, it had been a slow road recently. She wanted the chance to see him. To at least talk. But she was also scared about what he would do if he knew what had happened to her, down in those tunnels. She didn't want to tell him. She couldn't. She honestly couldn't tell a soul. The only person who could ever know was Skye, and that was only because they had both been forever changed by that alien temple under the earth.

Before Asia could respond, or even play another card, their entire team started to file into the Lab, minus Jemma, who had yet to make it back to base. Both brunettes looked up, startled, both hoping that no one had heard their previous conversation. But no one had perplexed or shocked looks on their faces, everyone was neutral. So, as far as the girls were aware, all was well.

"Alright," Coulson said, clapping his hands together as everyone formed in a general U shape around him. "I wanted to get everyone together to discuss our next move against HYDRA. And since two of our agents are stuck in here, this is the best place to meet. We currently have a big advantage. We have Bakshi in our cell, and we can use him as whatever sort of bartering chip necessary. The US government is very interested in him, and I have promised him to Talbot. But first, I want to beat HYDRA at their own game. We're going to trick him into thinking he's free. And that people in HYDRA tried to place a hit on him. We're going to get them to destroy themselves from the inside out."