Renegade Rising || Leo Fitz Book Two

Chapter Eleven

Asia sat in the Bus, looking out the window as the flew over the ocean. It would be a quick flight, she knew it, to their target. She looked at the rifle beside her. She had killed plenty, never in front of the team. Today, there was a high chance that would all change. She sighed, looking back out the window as they began their decent, cloaking still activated. HYDRA was probably here already, ahead of them, attempting to capture Donnie. And it was their job to stop them.

As they were landing, Agent Monroe kept her eyes out, watching in mild surprise as they flew low over a ship surrounded by ice, frozen into the bay. That didn't seem right, or normal. So they must be in the proper place. Ice was climbing up the sides of the ship, clinging to it angrily. Asia shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Something felt off. A queasy feeling in the pit of her stomach began to grow.

Suddenly, Coulson's voice interrupted her thoughts, cutting clear through her comms. "Agent Monroe, the others are waiting for you in the bay. It's jump time." Something about hearing those words brought her back to her center. It was time to jump out of this damn plane.

Asia had always liked skydiving. The rush of air, the feeling of free falling, of being almost out of control of the events which would happen. The science of it. It was beautiful, and exhilarating. The first couple times she ever jumped, she felt like she was on top of the entire world. Although, the time she went through a cloud was a tad lackluster. Very damp. Not the most ideal, and yet, still amazingly fun. She could feel her blood pumping, just thinking about it. She stepped into the cargo bay and grabbed a shute pack from the wall it was hanging on, looking at her team with a small hint of a grin on her face.

"Wow, look at that, the Renegade has graced us with her presence!" Hunter said sarcastically, but surprisingly shot her a wink. "And the Ice Queen even has a smile on her face. What have we done to earn this?"

Asia glanced over her shoulder, twisting to make sure her gun was secured enough to make the plunge. "We're jumping today. I like jumping," she replied flatly. But she couldn't help but smile to each other as she faced away from her team. She would let herself have this small moment of happiness, but privately. Still, a feeling of dread was still pooling in her stomach, and she couldn't quite put her finger on why.

As she glanced up, she caught Coulson's eye. He had been watching her closely. The smile immediately shifted to her usual, flat lined facade. The moment was gone. It was time to jump.

"Remember," Coulson announced loudly as the cargo door slowly opened. "Donnie Gill is a gifted now. He could be valuable for either side of this fight. Let's make sure he sees the light, bring him home safe." The crew nodded in understanding, then stepped near the edge.

Asia adjusted her straps one last time, waited till May had jumped and was in the clear, then dived over the edge.

The air hit her like a wall at first, then she slid into the flow of the fall like water dripping lazily down a wall. It was almost an art, to skydive like this. She was lucky she got to do this for work. She wished she could do it every day. The sky was bright blue and soft like a robin's egg. The sun was dancing on the ocean waves. Everything was perfect, aside from the frozen boat.

Shaking away the nostalgia and enjoyment, Asia fixed herself on their landing point and did what she was supposed to do.

When they landed and made their way to the boat, it was clear HYDRA had beat them there. There was a chopper waiting nearby, black with that ugly logo painted in a deep green on the side. Asia glowered over at it as May radioed Coulson to advise him they weren't alone in this ship. If it hadn't been for the boat, they would have sensed it regardless. Everything was quiet, far too quiet.