Redback Widow II | Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. [9]

Who You Really Are

The Playground, Location: Classified

"I'm sorry, but we have to make sure what you have isn't spreadable," Simmons said, closing me into an empty quarantine cell. They didn't want me to accidentally phase into my bed and getting stuck half-way. "Simmons--the Bus," May said, coming into the room. "You know, I'm getting serious flashbacks to the whole GH-325 hassle," I admitted. "How are you holding up?" May asked me.

"I just got locked in here, May," I said. "Not with quarantine," she corrected. "I'm fine," I lied. "You know it's okay to feel things," she pointed out. "That's not what they taught me," I admitted.

"Well, they are wrong. It's okay to be upset, Asya. I know you two were close," she said. "Yeah, we...I can't think about it," I said, wrapping my arms around myself. "We'll be back soon," she said, then left.

-

I heard the Bus landing and paused in my pacing. But, I got ignored. Glorious. I resumed my pacing until an earthquake started, everything shaking and the lights flickering. I saw Mack and Bobbi running past.

"Mack! Bobbi! What the hell's going on?" I shouted. I looked down, realizing I was invisible. I tried to set my hand on the glass, but it phased right through. I bolted through, running through the walls to the lounge. "Coulson! What's going on?!" I shouted, reappearing.

 "Asya, run! They'll kill you!" Coulson shouted, and a stranger charged at me. Instead, he phased right through me. "Aya! Follow me!" I ran towards May, who led me down to the basement and shoved me inside along with Skye, sealing us in. "Okay. Listen to me--just me. We can do this. You can do this," May said. I felt drained, like all the energy had been sucked out of me.

I slumped against the ground, letting my head fall to the side and my eyes close. "Asya. Asya," I felt a hand on my shoulder, shooting awake and shying away. "D-don't touch me. I--Y-you might phase into me and I might hurt you," I said, my Russian accent in full effect. "You're okay. You need to calm down. Breathe," May said softly. My hands trembled in fear, but I took deep breaths and slowly my skin turned from clear to its normal dark brown.

"You're okay. No one's going to hurt you,"

---

"Like Skye and Asya need to be locked away in a cage somewhere. We should be protecting her," Fitz said. "No, Fitz. We're the ones that need protection from them," Asya stood, next to Skye, in the doorway, stunned. The team turned to then, realizing that they had heard everything. Skye walked away, the team hiding their faces from shame as Asya started going from visible to invisible, tangible to intangible. It was like she was flickering in and out of existence. 

She could feel her energy draining as she phased. "You--igh--m dan--s. I--d ki--ver--e--yo--f I w--d. I--d to--ve,"  she said, her voice cutting in and out. She walked away, following Skye. She resolved to not come back until her powers were stable. Deep inside, she knew the truth.

She was never going to get her powers stable. She was never going to be able to come back.

a/n Oka, to balance out this sad chapter, I want you to paint a mental image of pre-eyepatch Fury standing in the kitchen, making little dumplings with child Asya standing on a stool next to him, struggling to make dumplings that look like her uncle's.