An hour or so later, after Leo and Asia had finished their moment of comfort in the hall and had returned to the living space with the others, it was time to get ready. The plan was a good one. A really good one. The Quinnjet was still safely secured to the roof of the Bus. They were going to move all their important things into the jet, then once targets locked onto the Bus, they would detach just before the missiles hit, and Coulson would allow the plane to be blown to bits for the purpose of this mission. Because this mission would bring them one step closer to eradicating Hydra. May would pilot the Quinnjet as if it were falling debris, so they'd have to be strapped in pretty tightly. Then just before hitting the ground, she would stop their near free fall, touching them lightly onto the snowy base of the arctic island. Ideally, they'd get everything loose strapped up in the jet prior to this occurring, so that nothing would slosh around in the plane. Couldn't rightly have someone getting taken out by a suitcase before the mission even began.
And that's exactly how it did go down. Chunks of burning metal and crushed bits rained down around them as they tumbled through the frigid air, coming just short of becoming pancakes against the snowy landscape below. The wind whipped around the outside of the plane harshly, causing a whistling sound that stung at Asia's ears. She could feel the ice and snow all around them, and could feel the power that coursed through her with the intensity of it. Usually, it was as if her body produced its own H2O used for the ice and snow. But here, it was as if the source had been laid out in front of her, like a birthday present. And she couldn't even use it.
Not with Ward around. Not when she could use it later without him ever knowing. Ward knew too much already. She wouldn't let him know that part of her.
After they landed, Asia pulled off her buckle, looking over at Leo and letting a grin crack over her face. They had done it. They have infiltrated Hydra's airspace and made it through, alive. He looked back at her and smiled, too. They had really, really done it. That, Asia was pretty sure, was going to be the hardest part. Hydra agents? They could handle that. She was confident they could handle that. They kicked Hydra ass all the time, and with Skye and Asia there, powered and ready, this would be a walk in the park.
As Asia slipped on her heavy Shield issue jacket, flipping the fur lined hood over her head, Leo stepped in front of her, grabbing the zipper and pulling it upwards, sealing her tightly inside. She smiled over at him, leaning in and giving him a tiny peck on the cheek, before returning the favor and zipping him into his warm jacket, patting his chest lightly. "Ready to do this?" she asked him.
"Of course," he replied confidently. "Are you?" he held her hands in his, kissing her fingertips lightly, glancing at the window for a moment, eyeing the snowy wasteland that awaited them. He looked back to her after a moment. "Will you be okay, with all of that?"
"Never felt better, actually," she admitted, "I feel like...a supercharged battery? I'm not sure if that's a good way to explain it." She whispered as she shrugged sheepishly, feeling a twinge of heat on her cheeks. She didn't know how to describe what she was feeling, what she was going through. This was all entirely new territory for her. Though she was sure he didn't expect her to have a full scientific description.
"That's very interesting," Leo mused, thinking about what this might mean for her, from a scientist's point of view. Her powers seemed to hold the ability to control the compounds of water, though only in a much colder state, yet she also was seeming to react to larger quantities around her. It was all very curious. He wanted to take out a notebook and jot his thoughts, but decided against it. He could do that later. Plus, he wasn't entirely sure how keen she would be on his study of her abilities. It was all to help her, it was always to help her, but he didn't know if she would see it that way.
"Yea, it's something..." she trailed off for a moment, looking out at the snow. "Well, we should probably get a move on. Not a lot of time available here." She looked over at him, a seriousness in her eyes. "You know what happens if this goes down poorly. I'll make sure you get out."
"Asia," Leo frowned, shaking his head once, "You're not sacrificing yourself for me." He held her cold fingers between his hands, rubbing them together to create friction, heat. He didn't want to even consider the thought of her giving her life for him, though he was well aware of the fact that she was prepared to do so, for any member of their team. That was just who she was, putting the mission ahead of her own safety. It was who she had trained to be.
"Alright team," Coulson interrupted their conversation, the two agents looking up. "We have limited time, and a lot of ground to cover. Let's get a move on." As he spoke, the ramp lowered, gusts of wind blowing into the aircraft, bringing frost and snow with it. Asia held a hand up, trying to block the wind from her face, as the gusts tried to tear her hood from her head.
Coulson was right. Their team was running low on time, low on patience, and low of warmth. So the band of agents trudged out into the snow, leaving the Quinnjet behind them to be buried in the snow, still blowing just as intensely. The one positive note to the blistering winds and gusts of snow was that they were imperceptible in the night as they crossed the open space between them and the towering fortress that was the secret scientific base of Hydra. As everyone else shivered against the bitter cold, Asia trudged ahead, the cold not bothering her, not a shiver coursing over her skin. This was like a walk in the park for her.
She kept her eyes straight ahead as she pushed forward, focusing her breathes and mind and making sure she wasn't losing control. It was difficult, all of this swirling and whirling snow around her, everyone silent as they moved on. Asia focused on her steps, pressing each foot deliberately into the ground, through the snow and ice. She didn't even notice the figure walking beside her until he spoke.
"So, does Fitz know?" Ward's voice cut into her ears over the howl of the wind as he fell in step beside her, holding the straps of his bulletproof vest underneath his winter jacket, keeping his face down so frost bite didn't nip at his cheeks. Asia stared down, trudging forward, not speaking. Of course Leo didn't know that dark secret, the part of her that hid beneath her deepest terrors, the part of her that felt uncomfortable when strangers looked her way, when sudden touch hit her shoulders. He didn't know what had been done to her, and she didn't want him to ever know. She didn't want him to bear that burden. No one should have to bare that burden, lest of all the one she loved.
"Know what?" Leo asked, falling in step of her left side, glancing over at Ward as he walked through the snow. Asia bit her tongue, giving the tiniest, most unacceptable shake of her head, hoping Ward would see it, hoping he still held enough understanding of who she was and not to say a word of what she had told him. And there she was, suddenly, finding herself relying again in him. In Grant Ward, the man who had put her into this position, in so many ways. She had no trust in him, and yet she was being forced to rely on him now. She had no other choice. That was the danger of getting secrets off one's chest. They then had the power to destroy you completely, if they chose. What Ward would choose was never clear.
"Just asking about an old mission Monroe ran once," Ward replied evenly, without even skipping a beat. He lied regularly, so Asia wasn't entirely sure why this surprised her. Perhaps it was more the fact that he had lied for her, when he didn't need to, when he had no grounds to, but he had done it all the same. There was a part of Asia that was thankful for what he had said, truthfully. But part of her resented it, because now, now she owed him a favor. And Grant Ward, he was never a man anyone wanted to hold a debt towards.
YOU ARE READING
Renegade Rising || Leo Fitz Book Two
Fanfiction**this is a sequel to Birds of a Feather** Following the acts of Birds of a Feather, we find ourselves amidst the story of SHIELD after their fall. Phil Coulson has become the new Director of SHIELD and is working on assembling those still loyal to...
