Oceans Away || Leo Fitz Book Three

Chapter EightyTwo

As the Quinnjet docked aboard the Zephyr, Asia sat in silence, knowing what would happen next. The plan had been carefully crafted and Coulson very clearly was unable to get any of them to give up this fight. Not when their teams' lives were on the line, not when it meant saving the world. They all knew the weight of what they were doing, the possible repercussions, but they soldiered on anyways, as good agents always did.

There was something about the silence before battle that always sat well with Asia Monroe. She knew this silence well, the calm before the storm, the heavy wait time of knowing what would shortly commence. She imagined it was much akin to what athletes felt before they took the field - a patient idea of what was yet to come, knowing they would be going out there to do their best, perform their best, and take home the win. Asia always hunted down that win for her team, for Shield. She knew today would be no different, yet it felt more sobering. Like whatever they were about to do would give them some sense of finality. That this would be the very definite end of a large chapter in her life.

She took a deep breath, closing her eyes and considering the choices before them. The choices in situations like these were often rather black and white, despite what others might say. They could either run, run from this impending doom, flee from the thing that could destroy her life, or make her teammates forced to explode her body into little pieces, or they could stand up and fight. Fight against oppression and what is wrong, what has hurt them and wants to hurt the world. Asia knew what her choice would always be. She let her breath out slowly, steadily, and opened her eyes.

She was ready.

She looked to her teammates, nodding as she slipped the oxygen mask over her face and they did the same. Together, they all climbed out onto the roof as the Quinnjet, holding tight as the plane docked itself. The maintenance hatch was close, close enough Asia could practically reach out and touch it. This plan was working out, so far. It might be the break they needed.

Being so high up had never scared Asia, though Jemma looked like she might lose her lunch aboard that ship. Carefully, Asia reached out and grabbed her hand, squeezing it tightly and giving her a nod of reassurance. This was nothing. As long as they moved carefully, they would be just fine. Together, they clambered towards the hatch, slipping quietly inside the safety of the Zephyr.

The Zephyr. Their plane. Their home. Hive might have Ward's memories, understand how to pilot this plane, but the Bus was always his baby, not the Zephyr. Not the place they had made after the Bus was blown from the sky by Hydra. They had homefield advantage here, and Asia could feel everything kicking into high gear.

"Sir?" Asia asked, turning to Coulson as he unstrapped the device on his head was projecting his likeness back to the Quinnjet, where Hive was hopefully good and distracted, or at least feeling the fool for falling into their hands like that.

"He'll be on his way soon," Coulson said, grim look on his face. "Bought the plan for a good while though, was pretty entertaining. Now lets get moving and find our team." Together, Coulson, Lincoln, Asia, Jemma, and Mack made their way down the tight halls of their aircraft, headed for the cargo bay.

As they were moving, Lincoln was suddenly yanked through a door, by James, who immediately began brawling with the blonde. After a moment, Lincoln shoved him back, sending a giant bolt of electricity into his chest, knocking him backwards. Suddenly, out of no where, May appeared, finishing him off with a swift punch to the face.

Lincoln looked up and his eyes lit up, and Asia could only imagine he saw Daisy, which meant Leo was nearby. Her heart started to pick up pace. She started moving forward, heading for the doorway, when she heard Daisy's panicked shout. "Lincoln!" And then he was looking down and something red was glowing beside him and exploded, hot fire pulsing through the air, as he fell to the ground, skin exposed, red, and burnt.

Instantly, the team sprung into action as one of their own took a hit. Leo grabbed him under his arms, dragging him by his armpits across the floor and towards a stable wall, through a door they could shut behind them. "Here," he said urgently, "Let's put him here." He helped prop him up against the wall, moving so that when Jemma entered the room, she would be able to get a good look at the wound. Asia was busy manipulating a orb of water, ready for use by Jemma if she needed to cleanse anything.

"Is he going to be ok?" Daisy asked weakly, her words shaking, her whole body shaking. "Please," her words were pleading. "Someone tell me he's going to be alright." Asia understood that feeling, that weight, probably better than anyone here on the team - the feeling that the pain of those you cared about was your fault and yours alone. Gently, she rotated the floating orb of water to her right hand only, and rested her left hand on Daisy's shoulder, letting her know she was there right along side her, for support, if she needed it.

"Yes, he'll live," Jemma said in-between quick breaths as she dipped a tissue into Asia's water and rubbed it over the wound. "As long as there's no internal hemorrhaging. Fitz, I need the Siloxane, now." She held out an open hand, waiting for him to place her requested item in her palm as he dug through the medical bag. Asia recognized that word. Something Jemma used to seal wounds. "Sorry, sorry, this is going to sting for a moment," She said to Lincoln as she sprayed the polymer on his open wound. "There, there you go. You hear me, you're going to be alright," Lincoln grunted a response. "I need you to remain as still as possible," Jemma said, looking at him and speaking in her doctor's voice. "I won't be able to properly dress your wounds until we're back on the ground."

Asia moved back from Daisy so that she could go to Lincoln. Leo stretched out a hand to her, which the brunette gladly took, standing up beside him and wrapping her arms around him tightly, grateful to see him alive and in one piece. He squeezed her back, pressing a quick kiss to her forehead. Together, the two moved away, walking into the cargo bay of the Zephyr and giving the two Inhumans a moment alone.

Asia looked up at the ceiling, hearing various steps and clanking above. Nervously, she glanced to Coulson. "Sir, what's the play here?"

"I have a plan," Coulson said, lips pressed into a thin line. "I wouldn't say it's the best I've ever had, but it's a plan." He sighed, shaking his head, hands on his hips. "I've programmed new coordinates into the Quinnjet, for outer space. The Quinnjet will disconnect from the Zephyr, and I'll send it straight up until it leaves the atmosphere. All we need to do before then is steal the warhead and load it up onto the Quinnjet. It'll blow up in the vacuum of space and the pathogen won't be dispersed to the earth, just harmlessly...out there." He sighed, shaking his head. "So now we just have to decide who goes to do that, and who stays back to fight off a wave of Primitives lead by Hive the terrible."

Asia nodded, turning to glance back at Lincoln, freezing. "Where's Daisy?" She asked, loud enough so he could hear, his slowly turning to face the rest of the team. Worry spiked her nerves.

"I'm sorry," He said weakly. "I tried, but I couldn't stop here."

As soon as he finished speaking, four Primitives dropped from the ceiling, and there was no time left for speaking or thinking ; just action.