Redback Widow | Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. [3]

The Asset

I woke up at the crack of dawn, leaning under my bed to find my ballet shoes. After I located them, I slipped them on and made my way to the hanger, which was empty. I let my body do the work, the routine a muscle memory by that point. "I didn't know you did ballet," My head snapped to the side, spotting Ward standing there. "There's a lot of things you don't know about me," I said, going back into a standing position.

"What are you doing up this early?" He asked. "Practicing. You?" I asked. "Skye's training starts today. I heard May's starting yours today," He said. "What d'you mean 'May's starting yours today'?" I asked. "You don't know?" He asked and I shook my head.

"We can't have you on the plane without you being an agent, or training to be one. May's gonna be your S.O." He said. "Great," I muttered. "She'll come to find you when she's ready," He warned. "Luckily I'm already up. I'll leave as to not disturb your session," I said, trudging up the staircase and back into the lounge. I pulled off my ballet shoes and tucked them safely under my bed for safekeeping.

Just as I turned around, I spotted May walking towards me. "Come on. Your training starts now," She said, waving me towards the hanger. "Clear out, Ward! You know the protocol," She said as we descended the stairs. Grumbling something about training, Ward vanished upstairs. "Alright, show me what you can do," She said, hooking a punching bag up.

I got into position, putting all my weight in my swings and a rhythmic thudding filled the hanger. "You're okay. Let's see how you good you are at sparring," She said, pulling out a mat. She stood on one end, and I was on the other. We circled for a while before she tried to sweep my legs. I jumped, kicking her in the chest to counter.

She scrambled up to her feet, throwing a punch towards my face. I used my arm to block it, jabbing her in the stomach. We traded blows for a while, going back and forth until Ward and Skye appeared. I grabbed May's arm, swinging it around and landing on her back, pinning her arm behind her. She tapped the mat three times, and I climbed off her, offering a hand.

She took it and I hauled her up before she vanished into the cockpit. I took a quick, cold shower to get rid of the sweat before changing into jeans and a grey shirt. "Changing course, briefing in three," May's voice filled the air as I was scribbling in my journal. "S.H.I.E.L.D. 616 with new orders. Set for Colorado airfield north," I threw my journal down onto my bed and left my bunk. Fitz-Simmons was already situated on the couch, and I sat down in one of the chairs, crossing my legs as the others appeared.

"A few minutes ago, a S.H.I.E.L.D. transport was attacked while carrying a priority red protected asset off route 76 near Sterling," Coulson came in holding a tablet. "Priority red?" Simmons asked. "The asset was Canadian Physicist Dr. Franklin Hall, known for his work--" He showed us a picture of an older man. "Oh, no, not Frank. Dr. Hall? He was our chemical kinetics adviser our second year. Yeah, he's so enthusiastic about science, we just adored him. We can rescue him, can't we?" Fitz-Simmons said. "He's one of ours. We're gonna try," Coulson said.

"And the attackers?" Ward asked. "Invisible," Coulson said. "Wait. Invisible? Cool. But terrible," Skye added the last part after Ward shot her a look.

Sterling, Colorado

 "Dr. Hall was an asset?" We had arrived at the scene. "One of a few select scientists S.H.I.E.L.D. has been protecting, people our enemies would love to get their hands on. We keep them hidden, keep them on the move," Coulson explained.

"Which is why Fitz and I were so lucky to have him," Simmons said. "We don't have him anymore," Coulson said. "What does priority red mean?" Skye asked. "It means security should have been...heavy," We all paused when we spotted a car in the tree. While the others scanned the scene, I was walking the perimeter for any signs of what caused this.