Asia had felt completely off sense the extraction mission gone wrong. Coulson hadn't sent her out in the field, she hadn't seen Jemma since, she didn't know if she was okay. All she could think of was the bullet between Donnie Gill's eyes and the red blood splashing across Jemma's black HYDRA jacket, the look of utter astonishment and sadness in her eyes. She wanted to check on her friend, but the director wouldn't permit her to leave. Not until their next mission, which had nothing to do with checking on her friend and everything to do with jamming her onto the Bus and flying them off to a sunny, beachy local where some high and mighty rich guys were throwing a party. Granted, it was a valid party--there had been reports of an 084. Though Coulson was being very hush hush at just why this ancient, religious painting was considered an 084, aside from the fact it have carvings on it, but it was the first interesting find the team had had in a while. So while Asia missed the comforts of her little nest she had made for herself, she followed orders nonetheless and boarded the plane, dressed casually in extra soft sweatpants that were tight around the ankles and a loose hanging, blue tank top.
Only May and Coulson would be leaving the Bus for this one.
Hunter had done some recon to obtain details of the mission from a woman attending the party, which he wouldn't shut the hell up about since it involved sleeping with his target, which he was incredibly proud of. Every now and then he would walk by where Asia sat, nestled up in on one of the couches beside a briefing room, staring out the window as they flew south of the border, and shoot her a wink. She would roll her eyes at him, which she was all the interaction he was looking for. Believe it or not, he was starting to pull her back out of her shell, one annoying little phrase at a time.
"Asia, come join us!" Skye said from the briefing room where she stood in front of the holo-table, typing away at her laptop. Asia could just make her out between the fractions of bullet riddled glass. They still hadn't replaced it, they didn't really have the time or money, but for Asia it was a constant reminder of everything she had messed up, the time she hadn't saved her team. The time Leo....she couldn't even think about that. Fitz, she corrected herself mentally. She had to call him Fitz now, no more Leo, no more intimacy. Because this shattered glass was a sign, a reminder, of what happened when she let people get too close to her. She was volatile, she was a time bomb. Everything she touched shattered in the end.
But she stood up nonetheless, the joints in her knees cracking as she did so, making her feel old. She brushed her long hair back over her shoulder--she was do for a cut honestly--and stepped quietly into the room, standing next to Hunter, across the table from Skye and Trip. Mack was also in the room, aside to Hunter, giving her a look which she could only describe as 'distaste.' She didn't blame the man, she felt the same way about herself. He was close to Fitz, they were friends now. She understood that he would hate her for the one side of the story which he knew. She hated herself knowing both sides, and he hadn't even delved that deep.
"Mack just dropped off May and Coulson, tickets I picked up seemed to work perfectly, and they're in!" Skye explained to Asia, finishing tapping on her laptop, before touching her ear. "Sir, coms are up."
"Copy, Agent Skye," Coulson's voice echoed about the room. "We're inside the building and assessing the camera situation as we speak. How heavy is the security here?"
"Still getting a full scope on their coverage for tonight but it's going to be pretty well supplied," Skye replied, still tapping away. "I'll be sending a full brief of the coverage once I have obtained it. You know, I could still come join you guys...be your on location eyes and ears. I could get you access to every room in that house without breaking a sweat." Asia gave her a look. It was clear Skye was itching to get out in the field again.
"Your offer is appreciated, Agent Skye," Coulson replied over coms. "But we're keeping it to just the two agents. Easier to get in and out, less noise. Less chance of being caught." Skye frowned but was happy her director wasn't there to see it. "Now we have to get back to business. Finding this painting. It might be the link between the Obelisk and Garrett's writing."
Suddenly, over comms, an overly loud, overly obnoxious laugh could be heard. It crackled around the room so loudly that Asia's hands immediately flew to cover her ears. "What is that?" She asked, wincing. "It sounds like someone in physical pain."
"That's Agent May," Coulson replied, "And she probably is in very much pain, on the inside." Asia had never heard May make a sound even remotely close to that before. "Anyways, we're going to go radio silent for a bit. Maintain our cover. We'll be back on if we need anything or have anything to report." And with a fizzle, the line went dead. Asia looked up, meeting Skye's gaze. That was new.
"Did they really just do what I think they did?" Skye asked with a twinge of annoyance. "That's not exactly following protocol. Or being very safe."
"Well sweetness, hate to break it to you, but he is the director," Hunter pointed out. "He gets to make the rules, and we get to sit on the Bus until he tells us otherwise."
Asia turned and looked up at him, silently, cocking her head to the side. Lance Hunter giving a lecture on following rules? Not likely. He probably just wanted to get a dig in at Skye. See if he could rile her up some more. It made Asia want to elbow him in the gut. Maybe the old Asia would have, but not her.
"Interesting to hear someone go from talking about following rules one minute to describing the wildly unnecessary fling he had the next," Skye crossed her arms over her flannel covered chest.
"Oh geez, come on now, don't take it too harshly," Hunter frowned. "If I wanted someone to always take jabs at me, I'd still be married."
Mack let out a long sigh, rolling his eyes. "One way or another, this always comes back up. Can we just not with the marriage story today?" He asked his friend.
Asia raised her eyebrows once more, sliding over to stand next to Skye, leaning forward on the holo-table as Skye spoke the words she was thinking, "Oh no no, I think we very much can with this story today." Skye said eagerly.
Hunter sighed, staring wistfully off into the distance. Asia had never seen such a soft expression on his face. "I met her unexpectedly. On a spring night, on a pier. She was gazing out into the choppy waters, the moonlight shining onto her pale face. I literally thought I had met an angel. Literally." he punctuated the word, taking the time to look both of the girls in the eye. "But her innocent look, let me tell you, it was all just a cruel trick."
Suddenly, interrupting the story, the comms fizzled back to life, Coulson's voice cutting through the room. "Guys? We've got an interesting development on our end."
"Well, since you've decided to grace us with your presence once more, you might as well tell us what it is," Skye said dryly.
"Don't sound so glum. Talbot's decided to join the party," Coulson replied quickly.
"Talbot...like military man Talbot?" Asia asked, brow furrowing. That was an interesting development. One they definitely hadn't planned for.
"What the hell is that psycho doing at a fancy party?" Hunter asked, the same look of confusion mirrored on his face.
"That's what we're trying to figure out," Coulson replied. "But I've made a call. Our cover could easily be blown now, and while he seems alright currently, I know he can get a little trigger happy. We're not going to wait till later to get the painting. We're going in now. Have the Bus ready for our return."
Trip disappeared from the room momentarily, heading out to make sure everything was ready for a quick departure. Just in case things took a turn for the worse, it was always good to be ready. Asia watched him go, sadly. He made her feel less pressure being in a room with so many people.
Suddenly, Coulson's voice burst through the comms again. "Guys, there's no painting here. It's gone."
"Could it be a mistake?" May asked. "Maybe they relocated it to a different room, as a distraction?"
Skye began quickly typing away on her comuter, then slammed her hand down with a shout of frustration. "Fuck, no it's not a mistake," she replied. "Records were just updated. The picture was acquired this morning by...you guessed it. The United States Government, courtesy of one General Glenn Talbot." She leaned down on the table with a sigh.
"Something tells me we're going to need to have a private meeting with him," Coulson replied, clearly disappointed.
"Something tells me we need to get the hell out of here," May cut in with annoyance. "We're about to have at least ten guards on our asses."
"She's probably right," Coulson replied. "We'll radio in 15 minutes when we're in the clear. If you haven't heard from us by then, assume the worst. Follow protocol." And then the comms went dead again. The team could only assume they two agents were on their way out of the party, but who knew what was awaiting them? All they could do was wait. Wait and hope for good news.
"Well, I'm going to get researching then," Skye said, starting to type away once more, looking for something, anything that gave them a further clue as to what exactly was so important about this painting, how it may have wound up with possible alien writing on it.
"Such a go-getter. That's way too much work when we're not getting anything," Hunter said with a yawn. "I prefer being the lazy type." He leaned against the wall, pretending to take a nap.
Skye snorted, "'Lazy' isn't the word I was thinking of to describe you."
Asia rolled her eyes, "She's right," she replied with a dry, sarcastic tone, shooting a look at Hunter that, if he didn't know better, was more playful than it was annoyed. Surprised him so much he actually straitened up and grinned.
"Maybe all that laziness you think you have is what drove your wife away," Skye said with a hidden roll of her eyes.
Mack slapped his hands on his legs. "Skye, come on! You brought it back up. Now we have to hear him go on, and on, and on, again" he groaned goodnaturedly.
"Umm, no," Hunter said holding up one finger because he was damn ready to make a point. "That had nothing to do with it. Our relationship failed because it was inter-species. I am a perfectly normal human where as she is a demon from hell disguised in the body of a human. That is why it didn't work."
"If you couldn't tell, he doesn't like her," Mack pointed out. "'Hate' would be the most descriptive term. I've never seen someone feel like they hate someone so badly."
"Hey now! It is very valid, my feelings towards her," Hunter glared at his friend. "You don't understand, you never married her. You never got trapped in that." Mack didn't say anything, he just rolled his eyes. He had been through this talk with Hunter too many times to keep arguing about it with him. It always ended in the same way. Hunter thinking he was right.
Skye sighed, twisting a strand of hair around her finger. "At least you got away from your ex. My is like the monster under my bed. He's literally the bad guy in our basement." She shook her head, looking up at Hunter. "And that sucks some major dick. Especially when our boss wants me to interrogate him."
Hunter let out a low whistle. "Yea mate, that is rather unfortunate. Bloody bad luck there." Then he turned to face Asia. "And what about Miss Renegade here. Whose the ex who got you this bent out of shape?"
Asia's face immediately drained of colour and she looked down at her hands, hair falling in front of her face. Skye's face quickly turned red with anger. "Hunter, what sort of shit question is that? Leave her the hell alone, Jesus Christ. Why are you always so nosy?"
"Fuck mate, sorry," he glanced at Asia. "You don't have to leash your dog on me every time I say something you don't like."
Asia looked up and put a hand on Skye's shoulder, telling her to stand down. She could tell that her friend was about to say or do something even worse. "Skye, I'm fine. Hunter...I did this to myself, okay? And I'm fine so, I'm not even really sure what you mean." Denial, always a good method. She tried to put a smile on her face, but out of the corner of her eye, she could see Fitz standing in the doorway, watching them all. She couldn't get her heart to stop beating out of her chest. She took two deep breaths, and when she looked back up, he was gone.
Suddenly, comms buzzed to life once more. "I'm on my way to the Bus," Coulson said. "May will meet us momentarily. See you all soon."
After he arrived, Coulson asked to speak with Skye and Trip privately, which Asia had no objections with. She stayed tucked into a couch in the living space, sipping a cup of tea, watching Hunter and Mack. Suddenly, May came marching into the room, wearing a glittery silver dress, big earrings, and big heels.
"Where's Coulson?" She asked glancing at all three of them, but the glances were only fleeting. Asia sat up straighter in her seat, it felt like she was being scrutinized, a feeling she didn't much enjoy.
"They're in the brief room," Mack said, nodding down the hallway. "Is there anything we can do?"
May shook her head, "No, I just need to speak with Coulson. I'll see you later." And she was off, marching down the hall, sparkly heels clicking with each step she took.
Asia frowned. Something seemed very off. May seemed...nervous? And that was never a good sign. May was never nervous, not in all the years Asia had known her. Or at least, not to the extent that others could see it. A bubble of anxiety started to grow inside Asia's stomach as she squished back into the pocket of her seat. Mere minutes later, she could hear their footsteps coming, and she straightened up again. Coulson and May breezed by at a quickened pace, disappearing down the stairs and into the cargo bay. Then, Skye and Trip entered the command center, standing around the holo-table. Asia got up and moved to stand between them.
"What's going on?" She asked quietly. "They seemed...rushed." She bit her lower lip. She could just feel something not being right. She didn't like the air of nerves floating around the room.
"Ah, Tic Tac, calm down. It ain't no thing," Trip grinned down at her, trying to calm her clear agitation. "They're just doing a business meeting with Talbot. He's agreed to let them see the painting. Everything is fine." Asia swallowed, trying hard to believe him.
Suddenly, from above them, the lights flickered.
"What the..." Hunter began, trailing off as the lights returned. Then, the room dipped into blackness and a sound distinctly like a computer powering down echoed throughout the room. It was so black, Asia couldn't even see her hand in front of her face. Thankfully, the dim red lights of the emergency power began to glow around them, lighting up the room ever so slightly. Alarms started to go off.
Mack stood up, tapping the table a couple times. "Cargo ramp is closing, vents are shutting down, what the fuck is going on? Emergency doors are all sealed...this plane seems to think we just landed in the middle of the fucking ocean."
Hunter glanced out the window, "Well, hate to break it to you mate, but we're still very much on dry land. What the bloody hell is going on?"
From down the hall, they could hear rapid footsteps and suddenly Fitz appeared in the doorway. "We're, um, we're in trouble!" He said, out of breath.
"Fitz, do you know whats going on?" Skye asked, closing her laptop lid. "Did something malfunction?"
"Erm, no," he replied, running his hands through his hair. "I think that, um, somebody, somebody...we've, um, we've been..." he looked over at Mack, a panicked look in his face as he tried the words.
"Sabotaged," Mack finished for him. "You think someone sabotaged us?"
Fitz nodded, moving rapidly around the room until he stopped by a panel in the wall. Tapping it twice, it popped open. "Here! Right here!" he pointed in, stepping back so they could all see a glowing, circular device. It was embedded deeply inside their electronics, tentacles running into every open space, as it took over the systems of the Bus. "This is, um, this caused it. It's based off of...it's based. SHIELD tech. It's made from SHIELD tech. And if we don't fix it..." he pressed his palms against his head, grimacing. "We'll all explode. Boom." He moved his hands like an explosion for emphasis.
Asia felt like the air in her lungs was being ripped away. She couldn't breathe. What breaths she did have came shallow and quick, not giving her brain nearly enough oxygen to function. Trapped. Trapped on the Bus. She had been here before, trapped, kept prisoner, waiting to be tortured. Fitz brushed past her, hardly even noticing she was there, and began tapping at the table, pulling up an image of the Bus.
"This is...it spread through the plane like, like...like a sickness," he explained, pointing out the already compromised systems, how it had slowly spread from one to the next.
"So it's like a computer virus. The Bus got the Trojan," Skye said, trying mostly to explain it to herself. "What's going next?"
"The nav systems," Trip said, running back into the room. Asia hadn't even seen him leave, she had been so focused on breathing. "We can't take off, we're grounded."
"Wait, wait," Mack said, looking at the image of the Bus, "Nav systems, stabilizers, monitors, lights, avionics....next is....the wings. Where the fuel is..." a look of sheer dread slipped over his face as he looked worriedly out the window. "We've got to stop this, Turbo, and we've got to stop it now."
"Yea, yea, no. We can do it," Fitz said with a nod. "Erm, Skye, repair the monitor, um, and the, uh, get us an internet connection again. Trip, erm, work on the avionics and nav. Asia, Mack, stabilizers and try and get the cargo door open please. Um, Hunter, erm...come with me," Fitz said, quickly barking out orders to get the Bus fixed. Last thing he wanted was to be blown to bits. Every agent took off in opposite directions. Every agent except Agent Monroe. She was clutching the sides of her head, taking quick, shallow breaths. One of her hands was yanking on a thick chunk of hair, the pain of that releasing the tension racing across her head. She felt like her skin was squeezing her in tight. Trapped. They were all trapped. And she was living every moment of it over again. Every moment of the worst day of her life. Fitz and Jemma were dropped out of this plane. Ward captured her on this plane. Garrett stared at her for hours on this plane. She felt like she was in hell.
Fitz was leading Hunter out of the room when he turned and stopped, grabbing Hunter's arm. "She's, um, she's not fine," he said quietly. "She says she's fine but she's not. She, um, she needs someone to help her breathe and I-I-I can't do that for her. I can't. Help her, um, please." He said, nodding towards Asia.
Hunter looked at him, giving him an odd look, but when he glanced at Asia, all he could feel was sadness, maybe a small bit of pity. He had friends who had this sort of anxiety, brought on by PTSD. He stepped back into the room, walking carefully towards the other agent. "Hey, Monroe. It's me, Hunter, not here to hurt you, or make fun of you. I'm not really making fun of you, when I tease you. Just trying to get you to lighten up. Um, anyways. I'm going to hug you quick, okay? Please, dear God, don't punch me in the throat." He said quietly. Then he wrapped the shaking agent into a tight hug, using the pressure to help alleviate the stress she was feeling over her entire body. It took a moment, but slowly, her breath started to become deeper, more even. "See, there you go," Hunter said, stepping back, putting a hand on her shoulder and giving it a quick squeeze. "We're not going to die in here. Fitz has a plan and he's bloody brilliant. Now go patch something together, while I go help him. We'll be just fine."
And he was right. There were just fine, and Fitz was bloody brilliant. Because they had worked together as a team, it was fixed, and just in time for Coulson and May to arrive back, looking exhausted as ever, and a little worse for the ware.
"What happened to you?" Skye asked, almost laughing at how out of place May's hair was.
"That's another story for another day," Coulson said. "Let's just get back home, fast," he nodded towards Trip, who nodded in turn and headed off towards the cockpit. Asia joined him, sitting in the seat beside him as they flew through the night air. She didn't feel like flying tonight, just watching.
"We did a good thing today," She said quietly, when it was just the two of them. "We worked really well as a team. We saved ourselves."
"You're right, Tic Tac," Trip said, looking over at her and smiling. "Things aren't as bad here as you thought they were, now are they?"
"Maybe not," she mused. "I still want a little space, but maybe it's not that bad anymore. Maybe I can handle it all a little better." She thought long and hard about it. It was hard being so close to her team again, but she was starting to feel like maybe it would be okay. Maybe if she was just a little friendlier to a couple of them. Maybe if she let herself smile or laugh once a day.
"Maybe not bad enough that you can stop sleeping in an air vent?" Trip raised an eyebrow at her in question. "Because I know you think you're being sneaky, but you're not. I know you moved into there and made yourself a little nest, but I think it's time you fly home, Tic Tac."
Asia glanced out the window. Maybe, just maybe he was right.
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Back at the Playground, Asia was surprised to find herself bringing a duffle bag up to her nest with her. Trip's words had sunk in with her, they had hit her hard. She knew he was right, but she knew if she did this, it would mean change. It would mean she would have to let people back in again, even if it was just a little bit. She knew that would make Skye very happy, and perhaps that was part of the reason she felt she had to do it. She slowly packed up her things in the bag and made her way down the hall, moving slowly past the Lab.
From within, she could hear Hunter, Mack, and Leo. "Cheers mate," Hunter was saying. "You really saved the day. And that deserves a fucking drink."
"Amen to that," Mack said in reply and she could hear them both set beers down on the counter. It must be nice, to celebrate like that. To let your guard down, she mused. Maybe she could start to do it again, start to relax.
"Um yea so," She heard Fitz interject, as she slowly, quietly walked past the light that shone through the open door. "I wanted to talk about my, um, my ex, too. I guess she's not, uh, not really my ex. But she told me she loved me and then I was dropped to the bottom of the ocean. When I got better I told her I loved her too and she, um, I don't know. She thinks she breaks everything she touches and you call her the ice queen, and she murders people on a daily basis and won't even look at me so yea, I'd say things are pretty much over for us, she's pretty terrible, too, just like your ex," the words tumbled out of Fitz's mouth like a running river. Maybe she wasn't terrible, not really, but saying it made him feel like he fit in.
"Well, mate, she sounds like a fucking wanker," Hunter replied, raising his beer. "To moving on, as far and as fast as we can."
Fitz raised his as well, "Right, to moving on." Suddenly, there was a sound from the door to the room, and all three men looked up.
The bag had slipped out of Monroe's hand, dropping to the ground with a light thump. She hadn't even realized it until the three men were all staring at her, the look on Hunter's face clearly apparent that he had put two and two together, and he knew the ex that had made her this way, and saw what she had done to him in turn.
She blanched, looking at Fitz with such hurt in her eyes, before turning and running off down the hall towards her own room. Maybe she had left her nest, but she sure wasn't about to start letting people in again.