Renegade Rising || Leo Fitz Book Two

Chapter Six

It was quick flight back to the Playground, but Asia enjoyed having her hands on the yoke of this jet again. It felt good to see a plane beside the Bus in the hangar again, a plane they could fly, undetected. A plane that would keep them safe. In the back of her mind, she couldn't help but think how hurt he would be that they had bypassed his progress on the cloaking devices. They just...they didn't have the time to wait any longer.

Landing, Asia and Trip shutdown the jet, and she got gracefully out of her seat, sighing and cracking her back. It was good to be home. Slinging her backpack over her shoulder again, she started to walk down the jet ramp, ready to deposit all the devices she had nabbed. Skye grabbed her arm as she walked past her.

"I still haven't been able to reach Hartley and the others on comms..." she whispered nervously. Her eyes darted back and forth, looking for some sort of recognition in her teammate's big eyes.

Asia couldn't fight the nerves bubbling in her chest. Something was very, very wrong. They never should have split up. Someone on their team was hurt and the entire group dissipated. Sure, they had completed their mission as planned, but at what cost? What if their team was down more members? Asia couldn't help but think about it now, as much as she wished she didn't have to. "It's just part of the plan," she murmured in response. "Radio silence is following protocol, especially if they were followed. They will reach out when they are ready." She was saying it as much to Skye as she was to herself. "Coulson has probably heard from them, anyways."

Skye nodded, "You're probably right." She hoped Asia was right, she needed her to be right. They all did. Their team was already so fractured, they couldn't lose more. She waved at Asia and Trip to follow her as she badged into the building, the two other agents doing the same.

"Did you get some good stuff?" Trip asked, nodding at Asia's bag as the moved down the halls in unison.

"I like to think so," she replied with a grin. "But we'll see what inventory thinks." She thought of Mack running inventory in the garage. He didn't care for anything she did, so odds were he wouldn't be impressed. He hated her and he hardly knew her, all he knew was the Fitz that Leo was now, and the Renegade Asia had become.

"I'm sure anything added to inventory will be considered good," Trip chuckled. "Also, when's the next time you head out on the town?" That was his secret way of asking when she was going to see Jemma again, when she was scheduled to assassinate another HYDRA agent. It made things less harsh, even though they knew reality was anything but. Not that Trip was concerned with the killing, he was concerned with Jemma. Making sure she was ok. Getting her that sweater she had requested.

"Two days," Asia replied quietly. She didn't like dwelling on her private missions. Though, now that they had a Quinjet, extraction would be much easier. No more dangling ropes from the open doors of Cessna caravans and hoping she caught it as Trip flew by. They could do things properly again. "You know, you could always just go out on the town yourself." She often suggested this, that Trip and Jemma just meet up without her being the messenger. But it was hard to get time. It was hard to keep her safe.

"C'mon girl, you know I would if I could," he elbowed Asia lightly in the ribs, still unsure of just how much physical contact the female agent was comfortable with now. She had basically said more words to him today than she had in a month, and he didn't want to be pushing his luck. But, surprisingly, she didn't recoil away from the contact. He could feel her tense, but she didn't run. It was just too dangerous for him to visit Jemma, when he thought about it. It was dangerous enough for Asia to be going, if he admitted it. The idea of HYDRA finding out she was a spy...it gave him nightmares.

"You'll see each other again soon," Asia said with a small smile, one that flashed so quickly you would miss it if you weren't explicitly watching for it. But Trip saw, and Skye saw, and they both exchanged grins. Progress was progress.