"Hey," Asia called out, taking the spiral staircase down towards the Lab, where Jemma, Leo, and Skye were waiting. "What's up? Any news?" she landed on the cargo floor with a small thump, hands on her hips.
All of her friends turned to face her, Leo spinning in a rolling chair, Jemma looking up from some samples she was studying, and Skye sitting on a desk, legs swinging back and forth. Skye was the first to speak.
"They're on the way back, they got him," she explained. There was a familiar nervousness in her eyes that Asia recognized.
Asia smiled, "Oh great, then we can get out of here and head home," she stepped forward, leaning on one of the metal tables, looking over at her friends. "I think we could all use a good rest."
"Definitely," Leo pipped up. "I have to go prep the cell they're putting the Kree soldier in, but I'll be back in a bit. Or just find me upstairs. Whatever works," he shrugged, brushing past Asia, the contact sending electricity tingling up her spine.
"Same with me," Skye shrugged, "Gotta make sure our tech is ready to go, that the containment chamber is prepped just in case and whatever, want to come with?" She asked her friend, tapping on a tablet in her hands. "It won't take long but it'll pass the time."
"Yea, I can do that," Asia affirmed, smiling comfortingly at Skye. The two of them would get through this together. Everything would be fine.
As the two girls turned to leave, Jemma stood up and called out. "Um, Asia, may I borrow you for a moment?" The scientist called out, setting down the test tube she had been studying moments ago.
Asia nodded at Skye for her friend to go on ahead, and turned back to face Jemma, a small smile still on her lips. There had been so much...odd tension between the two recently, and Asia still had no idea why. It probably had something to do with Trip, and the loss she still felt for him. Asia understood that...if Leo died....she didn't even want to think about it. She could feel her body temperature starting to drop at just the idea, and she took a deep breath, pushing the thoughts away.
"What can I do for you?" She asked Jemma, leaning back against the metal table, feeling the cool contact against her palms.
"I just wanted to talk to you, explain myself," Jemma sighed, rubbing one of her hands on her wrist, avoiding eye contact with the brunette. "Everything has been so hectic lately and I know I've been...less than welcoming."
The smile slowly fell from Asia's face as her friend spoke. She could feel the hairs on the back of her neck start to rise, her fight or flight senses kicking in. Something seemed wrong. She didn't like this, and she didn't know where it was heading. "Oh it's fine," she attempted to say as casually as possible. "We've all been healing in our own ways. I don't fault you for it."
"Healing...yes," Jemma trailed off, her eyes glazing over momentarily, as if lost in a memory. "I don't know if I'll ever get over the loss of Trip. He was so important to me. I...I loved him. I really did. I never even got to tell him." Her head dropped and her shoulders were shaking, and Asia thought for a moment that Jemma might have been crying.
But then the redhead raised her eyes and looked at Asia. "That's why I needed to talk to you. I know you and Fitz...you've gotten close again. And I'm glad your friendship has mended. But that's why I need to say this. I know you care for him, I know you do. But I love him."
Her words hung heavily in the air. Asia felt as if she might puke for a moment, and then she laughed nervously. "Of course you do. You're best friends. We all love each other." She said, tugging at the sleeves of her sweater.
"No," Jemma shook her head. "You don't understand. Losing Trip...it made me realize. Life is far too short to not act upon ones feelingns. I love him. Not simply as friends, Asia. And I needed you to know, because I know you care for him too. And I don't want this to tear our friendship apart." She stared at Asia evenly, as if she couldn't even see the panic in Asia's eyes.
Asia could feel her temperature drop, and as she looked down at her hands on the table, Frost was starting to form. She yanked her hands from the metal. She could hear her heart pounding in her chest. It felt as if she had just spent her entire night drinking and didn't get a minute of rest to let herself recover. She could feel her lunch threatening to leap out of her throat. Everything was getting cold, colder, colder. She couldn't stay here, in this box. She had to run. Run!
She turned and bolted, leaving Jemma standing there, mouth open, watching her friend disappear.
——————————————————————————————————————
The ride back to base was painfully long. Asia spent the entire time avoiding her friends and team whenever possible. She knew the secret places, the corridors, the vents, the underpasses, of this plane, where she could stay safely hidden. She needed to stay away from everyone, so that she didn't freeze the entire Bus. Her head was still racing from what Jemma had told her. It had to be a joke. A lie. It had to be. Just when things between Leo and her were turning out well...and as much as she loved him, trusted him..there was still that gnawing fear in her stomach that he would turn to Jemma if he found out.
She would never get in the way of his happiness. But it wouldn't stop her heart from breaking.
When they finally landed, Asia met Coulson, Skye, Bobbi, and Mack on the ramp, the four of them walking together into base as Bobbi explained what she had found from studying the Kree soldiers tool. He called it a truncheon, and it was shaped very similar to a hammer.
"I think it's triggered by DNA," Bobbi explained, as she indicated at the device Coulson carried. "It wouldn't be the first time we've seen that."
"Unfortunately not," Coulson replied. "FitzSimmons will study the case we found with him. It's undetermined exactly what's inside but they will be proceeding with caution the entire time. We're going to see what Vin-Tak has to say, what he has to say to all of us."
The team continued forward, and as Asia glanced over her shoulder, she saw May leading the large man off the Bus, gun at the ready. Nerves tingled up her spine. Apprehension. Something big was about to happen, and she didn't like it. Just looking at the guy made the bruises from the shelves falling ache with familiarity.
As Coulson, Skye, Asia, and Sif met in the living area of the Playground, surrounded by brick, windows, and comfortable couches, the watched as May escorted the Kree soldier in, pushing him into the center of their semi circle. "Good," Coulson nodded at May, as they all stood around the alien man. "Let's get this started then."
"Tell us how your truncheon works, Kree," Sif said angrily, as she strolled around the kneeling alien, eyes narrowed. The Kree looked terrified, even for him, and Asia wasn't surprised. Sif could be menacing, if she wanted. Asia wouldn't exactly have wanted to wind up on her bad side, for whatever reason. Her superhuman strength, a natural gift of Asguardians, as well as her wit, made her a formidable opponent.
"The Kree has a name," the alien replied, spitting at her feet angrily. Asia watched him carefully, studying his movements. His fight or flight was also, quite clearly, coming into affect. Finally, the alien sighed. "It only works when it is in my hands. It needs my touch to be activated. It has a dial on the bottom, when switched, it becomes activated," he pointed at the small metal hammer, which Coulson still held in his hands. Coulson flipped the device over, looking at the small dial.
That tiny moment was all it took. One second of their gaze focused elsewhere, and Vin-Tak, the alien, was up, and knocked the truncheon out of Coulson's hands. He grabbed it, flipped over the table, flicked the dial, and hit Sif hard in the chest, sending her flying backward. Asia drew her gun, pointing it at the alien, holding herself steady. May and Skye did the same.
Vin-Tak dropped the weapon to the ground and kneeled once more, raising his hands in surrender. "I...I simply wanted to show you that I was here to help. Her memories, they have been restored. A sign of my good faith."
Asia glanced over at Sif, as Sif stood herself back up, shaking a little at first. She brushed her legs off and looked up at the team, wide eyed. "The Kree speaks the truth," she said softly. "My memories have returned to me. My name is Lady Sif of Asguard, and I have always been a friend to SHIELD." She smiled for a moment, proudly, quite pleased her mind was her own once more.
"Asguardian?" Vin-Tak said from his place on the floor. "That explains so much. Why you hunted me like prey. Because that is how your kind has always seen me," he sounded bitter, a frown creasing his eyebrows, causing a deep V shape to cut across his forehead.
"It is true our people have not always seen eye to eye," Sif admitted with a nod. "I was sent here, once it was discovered a Kree had landed on Midguard, Odin dispatched me immediately. For the protection of the planet," she explained, as the words and thoughts came back to her one at a time. "Odin is wise, as he always has been. We knew enough to be concerned by your presence, even if we did not know your intent."
Vin-Tak thought over this for a moment, nodding his head side to side, as if he were weighing Sif's words. "I understand. And if you know so much about my people, I am sure you have heard the ancient tales of Terrigenesis?" He asked, though he knew the answer was yes.
Asia looked over at Skye, taking a step closer to her friend. Something was wrong. Something was really, really wrong. She took a deep breath, trying to center her thoughts, to focus, as she had been practicing every morning now. If she could keep her thoughts at bay, she could keep the ice away.
"Well, of course," Sif scoffed, as if this unfamiliar word were the most obvious thing on the planet. "The stories of Ancient Kree descending on planets and altering the inhabitants to make soldiers in their own wars, they have been told for centuries."
Vin-Tak nodded, hoping they were starting to put together the pieces he was so nicely laying before them. "Yes, and Earth was one such planet," he explained to the crowd around him.
Asia looked over at Skye worriedly. "Blue angels who fell from the sky," her friend whispered, quoting Raina's words. She looked over at Asia, a familiar, mirrored worry filling her own gaze.
"It was eons ago," Vin-Tak began once more. "The Kree had been waged in war for years. The casualties were severe, on both sides of the battle. The Kree were afraid of what the loss would mean. They were in need of more soldiers. It sounds...terrible. And that is because it was. We needed killers. The ultimate weapon. One faction of Kree, known for their viciousness as well as their intelligence, began experimenting with genetic manipulation. These modifications could be made by utilizing Terrigen crystals, from which the process got its name. While for years, their experiments failed, on Earth, they bloomed. The faction was able to build a city, in which they planned to begin mass transformation of humans, using the Diviners. Thankfully, their plan was put to an end by the better people of my kind."
"Until now...." Asia trailed off, looking up at Coulson, her team, at Vin-Tak, realizing the weight of her words. The truth that was behind them. Until they had gone down to that temple, up until that moment, everything was fine. Now, things had been changed. The future had been changed.
Vin-Tak nodded. "The girl is right. Once I saw the ancient signal, I knew it must have been the activation of a Diviner in one of our ancient Temples. If the Kree empire now knew that these experiments were a success...." he trailed off, a frown slipping over his lips. "If they knew now, they would likely restart the program and continue with the manipulation of humans. I needed to prevent that....these transformed beings, they are not the humans they once were. They are abominations. I needed to find the remaining Diviners hear on Earth and destroy them, before another mistake could be made. That was what I was searching for, before your team captured me and brought me here."
"Just how many Diviners are supposed to be in that crate?" May asked, thinking of Jemma and Leo down in the Lab, preparing to open the box and examine the contents. She knew they would be wise enough to wear hazmat suits, but still, there was that egging worry in the back of her mind.
"Enough to create an army," Vin-Tak said flatly. "Inside each Diviner is numerous crystals. Each crystal can be used to change multiple people. The outcome would be catastrophic."
"Sir!" Jemma's voice cut over the intercom sharply, startling the entire group out of their thoughts. "I am sorry to report, the crate we found was empty." The team looked at one another, mixed emotions of confusion and fear crossing between all of them. This, obviously, was not the outcome which had been expected.
Vin-Tak rose from the floor, turning to face Coulson. "This is exactly what I feared when I arrived on your planet. We must act quickly. We need to locate the remaining Diviners, as well as any people who may have been transformed. We must put a stop to this."
"Let's calm down for a moment," Coulson suggested, offering a small, casual smile, trying to keep everyone relaxed. "We already flooded the temple where the Diviners were activated, so that is a plus. A win for team SHIELD. And we know who was transformed in the message that brought you here."
"So....someone did go through the Terrigenesis process?" Sif questioned, crossing her strong arms over her chest. "A Kree War slave created? Have you put it down yet?" The word it slammed hard against Asia's ears. The entire speech had. Vin-Tak, unknowingly, had been calling her a monster. This wasn't some beautiful, magical moment, as Raina had described it. This was torture. She was being turned into a beast for war, not an Avenger. Not someone who could help others. A tool. She took a step back, nervously, putting more space between her and the others. "Can you tell me more of what happened?" Sif continued.
"Well, Agents Skye and Monroe witnessed the event, though neither saw much. Thankfully, both came out unscathed," he nodded towards the two brunette agents. Sif turned to look at them, her eyes narrowing in thought. Asia could practically see the wheels turning behind her eyes, putting together the pieces, figuring out was Asia already knew. That the two had not come out unscathed. That they had been changed, along with Raina.
"What did you see?" Sif barked out the question, her words being a call to order, demanding a response.
"We...we didn't," Skye started to stammer. "Nothing. There was so much destruction, and light, nothing." she explained quickly.
"Were there others with you?" Vin-Tak asked the two girls. Immediately, Asia's mind flew to memories of Trip. His death, trying to protect them. And they had become monsters anyways. "Their changes...they are not always visible on the surface."
Asia shook her head a small, tiny 'no,' unable to make any words come out of her mouth. Her eyes were on a vase of flowers on the table behind Coulson. The water was starting to freeze, patterns of frost dancing up and down the glass, the flowers wilting as their life source froze beneath them. She let out a shaky breathe, and it swirled with moisture in front of her. The temperature was dropping, she was losing her self. She looked frantically at Skye, who was clenching her fists tightly, biting her lower lip. It was then that Asia felt the shaking.
"You need to understand," Vin-Tak continued, trying to explain his plight. "These creatures....even if they do not know, do not understand. They are monsters. They must be put down." The rumbling began to intensify, a pan falling off of a kitchen shelf. Asia put a hand to her forehead as she felt a drop of water land there. Looking up, she found rows upon rows of icicles growing along the pipes above them, ice spreading over the entire ceiling. The temperature was dropping even further, moment by moment. The team began to look around, frantically, trying to find the source of the ice and the earthquake.
Asia took another step back, and felt Skye grab her hand. The two girls stepped away, further, further from the man who was calling them a monster, trying to be discrete, trying to get this whole thing under control before they were found out. Before they were being the ones put down.
It was May who noticed first, as it always was. Her eyes narrowed, she stepped forward, towards the two agents. "Skye...Asia..." she said softly, looking between the two of them for answers that neither could put to words. "Lets just take a deep breath and talk about this," she said, trying to sound comforting. Asia was past the point of comfort now. Literal flakes of snow were starting to fall from the air.
Coulson, noticing the conversation, stepped forward, looking at the girls carefully. "Guys, you want to tell me what's doing this?" he asked as calmly as possible, trying not to convey the turmoil of feelings racing through his own mind.
Skye clutched Asia's hands tighter, looking up at Coulson with wide, guilty eyes. "We....we are," she said numbly, letting the truth ring through the air.
Suddenly, Sif lunged forward, grabbing at Skye's arm. The two girls lept back, still clutching onto one another. Skye let go of Asia, stumbling, her hands to her head as all of the feelings boiled over. Asia stood in front of her, hands out, semicircle of sharp ice jutting out from around her feet, produced simply by fear, not by thought, separating the others from them. Asia looked from her hands, to the daggers of ice, then back, shaking her head, muttering, "No, no, no," over and over. Suddenly the enter pane of windows behind her shattered with the force of Skye's powers, fragments of glass raining to the ground.
Coulson and May immediately swiveled, guns drawn, facing Sif and Vin-Tak, who also held their weapons up. "Stand down," Coulson said coolly. "Trust me, you need to leave our agents alone. Let us handle this." The room was still shaking violently, chunks of ice raining from the ceiling as they were shaken loose.
"If you let me bring her to Asguard, she will be safe!" Sif protested, sword still drawn, not exactly giving Asia any sort of 'safe' vibes.
A chunk of ice hit Vin-Tak in the head, leaving a small gash. He grimaced, then glared at Skye and Asia. "These weapons...they have already been activated. We must eliminate them before anyone gets hurt." He crouched, holding out his small metal hammer, ready to strike.
Asia could feel frozen tear drops clinging to her cheeks. She held on tightly to her friend, the two of them backed against the wall. She saw movement to her right, and looking up she saw Leo's head poke around the corner, a worried look on his face.
"My agents are not weapons," Coulson said pointedly, not standing down. He wasn't going to let either of the two get hurt. No one was leaving SHIELD today.
Sif sighed, shaking her head. "You must think logically, son of Coul. They did not choose this path, but nonetheless, they are dangerous. If you let them come with me, I can bring them somewhere safe for everyone." When neither Coulson nor May wavered, she turned and looked towards Asia and Skye. "Imagine, for a moment, if your powers grow. Skye, you could topple buildings, break the earth apart. Asia, you could bring the next ice age to your home."
"No," Asia shook her head. "We can handle it. We aren't monsters, we would never do that." As she said the words, they felt true, they eased her worry, if only slightly.
"You were not designed to handle it," Vin-Tak scoffed. "You and your kind were designed only with the purpose to destroy. Which is why you both must be put down."
Leo stepped into the room, standing in front of the two girls. "Yea well," he interjected. "That's sounds an awful lot like killing to me. And we will never let you hurt them." Asia felt her heart swell with pride as he stood before her, as more tears of ice clung to her cheeks.
Suddenly, May whirled around, grabbing Asia and Skye by their wrists, tugging them towards the door. "Let's go," she ordered, running the two out of sight of the aliens.
Coulson moves to guard the exit. "Fitz, we need Bambino!" He ordered, and the scientist nodded, darting out of the room. "If you want them, you go through me." Was the last thing Asia heard as they disappeared around the corner.
Leo caught up to them quickly, his hand resting on the small of Asia's back as he ushered her down the hall. The building was still shaking around them, lights flickering, snow falling everywhere. It was almost as if they were running across a frozen tundra.
As they passed the Lab, Jemma's head poked out, creased with worry. "Skye, Asia?" She called out, strain in her voice as she watched them dart by.
"I am so, so sorry," Asia called over her shoulder, looking Jemma in the eyes. She knew the scientist knew now, that the two of them were causing this. Even with what Jemma had told her before, Asia was still sorry. What she had become had killed Trip. She had been a part in his death. She could see the shock, then understand, cross Jemma's face, as tears filled her eyes.
"Fitz?" She called out after him, even more shocked he was following along. He slowed for a moment, urging Asia on ahead. He would only stop for a moment. "You..you knew." She said flatly, numb.
"I'm sorry, Jemma," he said between quick breaths. "I'm sorry, but I had to, I love her," he shrugged, then continued running down the hall.
Ahead of him, Asia, still running, had heard his words. Heard what he had said. As terrified as she felt in this moment, those words brought her comfort. She smiled, even if only for the briefest moment.