Birds of a Feather | | Leo Fitz Book One

Chapter 33

It wasn't looking good, was the basics of what the doctor with the bobbed black hair told them, her hands clasped delicately in front of her Lab coat. Everyone sat, silently, unsure of what to say. The tension was so thick one could cut it with a knife. Finally, as expected, Coulson spoke.

"So what's next?" He asked, his voice even as could be. It surprised Asia that he could be so calm, even now. It reminded her of Natasha. Natasha would be steady as a stone in this situation. Clint, he would be the opposite, a sick, worried mess. She felt like Clint and hoped she looked like Nat. She wasn't even sure anymore. Her body was so numb from the different salves Jemma had swabbed over her stitches.

"We can keep her comfortable, but you'll need to make a decision on whether or not you want to keep her on life support," The Doctor said solemnly.

Ward looked like he had been punched in the gut. For a second, his eyes flicked to Asia and burned with anger. She knew he was upset with her. Everyone should be upset with her, it was her fault they had been compromised. Skye never should have been in there in the first place. Asia should have gone in alone. She could have been shot instead, she could be dying instead. And that would be okay. But all of this, this wasn't okay.

May's lips quivered for a second, and she blinked rapidly, before her face became as straight as a board again. She knew what she had to do. She glanced back at Asia, the poor, bandaged little thing. She knew exactly who she had to do it with.

Asia felt like her stomach was filled with heavy bricks. Her hands shook. She couldn't cry again, as much as she wanted to. Anger boiled inside of her, anger and sorrow, at herself, and Quinn, and everything.

"You're saying there's nothing to be done?" Coulson asked, this time his voice wavering.

Slowly, the Doctor nodded, her lips pressed in a thin line. "I'm saying you need to call her family and get them here as soon as possible."

"We're her family," Coulson said quietly.

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Back on the Bus, May dragged Asia down the hall by her elbow. Asia was pretty damn sure she was about to get the shit kicked out of her by the agent. She wouldn't be surprised, at this point she'd just honestly take it. Maybe she should leave the team. Everyone she got close to inevitably got hurt.

May pulled wide a door and shoved her inside a dimly lit room. Infront of her was an interrogation table, and Ian Quinn tied to a chair, staring up at them. May strutted forward and without word, punched him square in the jaw. The man let out a sharp yell of surprise as her fist connected. May then moved around and grabbed the back of his head by his hair, holding his face up into the light. She looked up at Asia with eyes of steal. "Fuck him up," she said coldly.

"What?" Asia asked with surprised, her mouth dropping open slightly.

"You heard me," May said again, "Fuck. Him. Up." She yanked on his head slightly.

Asia clenched her fists and stepped forward, looking at May, nodding with understanding. They both needed this.

"Wait! You can't!" Quinn objected, eyes wide. But before he could say another word, Asia's fist connected with his eye, then another with him stomach. She pummeled him, smiling, a matching grin on May's face as she jerked on his head. This felt therapeutic, even as several of her stitches broke open and blood tinted her white bandages. She hit and hit and hit until it felt like maybe her hands would fall off, she and May taking turns then.

Suddenly, the door was thrown open and Ward and Coulson rushed in. "May! Asia! Outside, Now!" Coulson barked. May and Asia looked at each other. Asia shoved Quinn hard against the wall, the man's body slumping to the ground. She shoved her way out the door and stomped down the hall, headed for the Lab so she could get her stitches looked at once more.

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Asia sat in the Lab, tucked into a swivel chair as far as she could compress her body. If she could burrow herself so far in that she was invisible, everything would be better. Everyone else was filed around a center table, looking at the files that Coulson had decided to share with them, files Asia had seen long ago. Files discussing the incidents following Coulson's initial death.

"That...that can't be," Jemma said, "That's medically impossible." She stared at the files, then at a screen, in complete disbelief. Asia didn't blame her, it seemed pretty unlikely the first time she, Nat, and Clint were briefed on the secret situation.

" It's only recently that director Fury gave me access to this," Coulson said. He had been equally baffled at first. Asia looked at her shoes, picking at some dirt on them. She knew, she knew the whole time. Not that she would tell anyone that. He gave her the file, she read it, feigned a look of shock, then masked it, nodded, and handed the file back. It had been an easy exchange.

"I've gone over it dozens of times. I need you to decipher the medical parts of it I didn't understand. Feel free to reach out to Dr. Streiten. He should be eager to answer any questions you may have," Coulson said to all of them, but primarily to the two scientists.

"Yes," Jemma mused quietly, "I'm sure I'll have quite a few."

" So, what about Tahiti?" Leo asked, glancing quizzically down at the file.

"Turns out, not so magical," Coulson sighed. "Just false memories implanted to cover up what was done."

They talked for a bit longer, but Asia tuned the majority of it out, until Coulson left. He didn't look at her, and she couldn't blame him.

Leo walked over to her, looking down at her. "You already knew, didn't you?" He asked softly, still holding the file.

She glanced up at him, and then over at a microscope nearby. She gave the tiniest of nods, before looking back up at him. "No one can know." She said softly.

"Mums the word, got it," Leo said, looking over her bandages, searching for fresh blood spots.There were none, thankfully. He pulled up a chair and sat next to her. "You gotta be more careful out there, Asia," he said quietly. "This can't be a regular thing."

"I'm a trained assassin, Leo," she said with a shrug, "You just have to get used to patching me up."

"I'll patch you up any day," Leo said with a smile, "But that doesn't mean I'll like it."