Asia woke with a yawn, stretching and rolling over to find an empty bed beside her. Immediately she bolted upright, eyes racing over the room. The last time she had woken up with a fellow teammate missing from her side, Clint had been drugged and captured. The response was immediate panic, until the fogged glass door slid open and Leo Fitz entered the room, carrying too glasses of tea which steamed with warmth. Upon seeing him, seeing everything was okay, she sighed, taking a deep breath and focusing on slowing her heart rate.
"Good Morning," Leo greeted, holding out a cup of tea towards her. "You were out like a light, I didn't, um, want to ruin your rest."
"Well you scared the shit out of me," Asia admitted, "I don't like finding my teammates missing...it never turned out so well in the past. But thank you, for the tea." Taking the cup, she blew lightly at the surface, watching the waves ripple, before taking a small sip. Tea had never been her preferential drink, but Natasha loved it. This small kind act reminded her so much of her team.
"No problem, erm, Agent Monroe," Leo said with a shrugged, his hand brushing the back of his head nervously.
"Seriously, Leo, 'Agent Monroe?' Cmon," she rolled her eyes, "We're teammates. Call me Asia. Unless you're legitimately being required to call me Agent."
"Alright, er, Asia, well, Agent Coulson needs you in the briefing room..." Leo trailed off, "Something important for today's mission I suppose. You best be on your way, he doesn't take kindly to tardiness. And I've got to go down, er, to the lab. The lab, is where I'll be, if you need anything."
Running her hands through her long brown hair, Asia quickly pulled it up into a ponytail, her side swiped bangs hanging perfectly to the left, and then she smiled at Fitz. "Thanks, I'll head down there. And maybe I'll stop by the lab after, if there's time." She stood up and grabbed her bag from underneath the bed, rummaging through it for a pair of clean, black leather pants. Well, they appeared leather. They were technically S.H.I.E.L.D. issued heavy combat pants which both she and Natasha wore whenever in the field.
As Fitz turned to leave, he stopped in the door, putting a finger to his lips for a second, before saying, "And Asia...I put in a request, with Headquarters that is, to get some of your things sent here. To make it more 'homey' and whatnot."
A genuine smile crossed the assassin's lips. "Thank you Leo, I appreciate that. Really." Leo smiled back at her, then left. Asia quickly changed into her pants, then pulled her leather jacket, which had a red 'D' painted on the back, back over her tanktop and headed out the door, her combat boots surprisingly quiet on the floor in the way only someone trained to watch every move she made could walk.
Meanwhile, in the briefing room, the beginnings of an argument were brewing. Coulson, Ward, and May all stood in various positions around a computerized table, discussing the practices for the days mission, when Coulson announced he was bringing Skye onto the team, permanently.
"Skye? Girl's not qualified to be a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent," Ward scoffed from across the table. "She's probably accidentally look down the wrong end of a barrel."
"Agreed, that's why she'll be a consultant," Coulson countered, "S.H.I.E.L.D. does it all the time, technically Stark is a consultant." He kept his voice rather calm. The computer in front of them beeped lightly. "Until she's qualified for anything more than that."
The two went on to discuss her qualifications, both arguing their side rather vehemently, while May watched on, observing the catastrophe in front of her and wondering once again why she had allowed Coulson to even force her into this position. That's why she would stay just the pilot. She would not take on the role of the Cavalry again.
"We have two kids on this Bus who aren't cleared for combat." May finally put forth, "You're adding a third. The numbers aren't exactly in our favour."
At least Fitz-Simmons are trained S.H.I.E.L.D. scientists. But Skye? You said this was a select team," Ward objected once more, placing his hands on the table in front of him, leaning forward.
"What do you think I'm here for?" Asia piped up from the doorway, where she casually leaned against the frame. She had been listening for several minutes, waiting for a moment to speak up. "I am here to even the field. Coulson has you, and, while I haven't seen you in action lately Ward, I'm sure you're fully capable of protecting those in need. I have been added to aid you with that, so we're not always taking the defense. With the two of us, we can have the offensive." She strode into the room, taking her own position in front of the table.
"Agent Monroe, glad you could finally join us," Coulson greeted, "You're five minutes late. Try to not make that a habit." The new Agent decided not to acknowledge this remark. "I'm calling this," Coulson continued, "But I'll take note of everything you have said."
"We've been called to investigate an 0-8-4," Ward announced, "We all know what that means."
"Yes we do," Coulson said, typing a few things into a tablet before handing it to May, "It means, we don't know what that means."
It wasn't long before the team was bouncing along the dirt roads of the Peruvian jungle. It was humid and sticky, and Asia was ridiculously grateful for the trucks air-conditioning. When they pulled to a stop, Coulson got out of the jeep in front of them, while May, Ward, Monroe, Skye, Fitz, and Simmons and pilled out of the black vehicle.
The three trained agents approached, forming a tight circle. "Tire tracks, 40 meters up the road. I'll check them against the site's trucks, make sure we're not about to have any unexpected company" Ward said with a curt nod, glancing back the way they had just come.
"Too much exposure here, I'm going to find somewhere more secluded to keep the jeep," May said, heading back towards the vehicle.
"I guess that leaves me to scout ahead," Asia said, "Before our scientists get too far in front of us." Fitzsimmons, as Asia had found the group called them, was already moving towards the path that lead towards their destination. She stepped into a slight jog, moving quickly to get beside them, one hand of her S.H.I.E.L.D. issued Smith & Wesson M&P Compact handgun. She could already hear Fitz rambling on about monkeys which could be found in the jungles around them. Not wanting to interrupt their conversation, or bonding, or weird science-whatever they were doing,she simply fell in step beside them, not saying a word, simply scanning the area for anything out of place. Not that it was easy to notice anything out of place in a literal jungle.
As they moved down the jungle path, Simmons gave a gasp in shock, but not at anything surrounding them, rather, what was in front of them. There was a clearing made in the trees, giving way to a gigantic ancient temple, built layer upon layer like stairs. One could easily climb the whole expanse if needed. At the bottom of the structure, only a few steps up, is a carved entrance to the structure.
"Holy shit," Asia muttered under her breath, taking in the expanse. How many years had it been since someone had traversed the ancient structure? "Guys, give me one sec to check the perimeter, alright?"
Simmons narrowed her eyes slightly, but gave her a small nod, "Alright, safety first."
"Yes, safety, wouldn't want to get in the way of safety," Fitz added, giving her a small smile.
Asia gave them a small mock-salute before moving quickly but carefully around the clearing, checking for trip wires, cameras, and other hidden objects. "Clear," she called over after a couple of minutes, letting the scientists make their way into the clearing, Coulson and Skye not far behind. Asia took a sitting position, near the edge of the temple, gun at the ready, eyes still maneuvering over the area, watching out of the corner of her eye as Fitz and Simmons took a quick selfie with the temple as the background, just as a man in traditional archaeological gear exited the temple's opening. Coulson immediately stepped forward to speak with him, extending a hand to shake.
"Good morning, Professor. I'm Agent Coulson with S.H.I.E.L.D." Coulson explained, pulling out his badge for proof. "I understand you've made an interesting...discovery. We're here to see just what it is you've found."
The Professor nodded, crossing his arms over his chest, " I – I'm not sure how to explain it. This temple dates back at least 500 years. It's filled with pre-Incan artifacts. One of them...there's no explanation for why it's here. It's not possible. And I believe that there is a great danger to it." His tone was clearly thick with worry.
"That's why we're here," Coulson replied, in a rather comforting tone, before moving to follow the Professor into the tunnel. Asia looked for Ward, meeting his eyes and giving him a quick nod, before standing up from her position and following Coulson, Fitsimmons, and Skye.
When they make it to a large room, the Professor stops and points at the wall. "There, exactly as we left it." On the wall is a small device which appeared ridiculously out of place surrounded by ancient rock and writing. The object looked rather technological, with a soft blue glow and what appeared to be wires running through it.
"Who else knows about this?" Coulson questioned the Professor, giving Asia a small nod. The Agent took a position next to the doorway, ready to protect her teammates at a moments notice.
"Just the ministry," The Professor responded quickly, " I believe they are the ones who made contact with you."
Coulson nodded, "Sir, I need you and your team to evacuate the site until we determine the risk associated with this object. As you said, it has the potential for danger. My team and I will asses and determine if it is safe for you to continue your dig here." As he explained this, Fitz was busy setting up a small troupe of drones which he had invented. Asia watched with interest as he tapped into a tablet, activating each one. The drones slowly rise one by one out of the box, one hovering near the Professor as he moves to leave.
"Leave the man alone," Simmons said towards the drone, which immediately turned from the man and buzzed over towards the 0-8-4. Asia watched in surprise. Were these drones voice activated, like Stark's technology? It was possible.
"Now," Coulson insists, moving towards the Professor to usher him out of the building, "For your own safety." As he exited, he glanced over at Asia, meeting her eyes with a look of understanding. Asia responded with an almost unnoticeable nod. She was to stay, to protect the three agents who could not do so themselves, at all costs.
"There's nothing on this anywhere," Skye said rather excitedly as she rapidly raced her fingers over the screen of her phone. "I searched every data stream . What do we got here, guys?" She stepped closer to the device and one of Fitz's drones.
"Whoa, car – uh, careful. I, erm, no I wouldn't do that," Fitz said quickly, stopping her from touching the device. Skye glanced back at Fitz, then at Asia. Asia gave a small shrug, not understanding his protectiveness of the small bug any more than she did.
"The object's placement is fossiliferous rock formation suggests it's been here for at least 1,500 years." Simmons explains, "That pre-dates this temple, as the Professor said outside. Ah! Maybe it's alien! An artifact of some sort, left behind for us to find." Her tone is incredibly excited, a smile lighting up her face. She looked over at Fitz, glad he shared a smile of excitement as well, but he didn't meet her glance, for he is busy reading information from his drones on the tablet.
"Yeah, but the shape and craftsmanship," Fitz trails off, "It's almost...German...World War Two era, if I'm not mistaken."
Asia's ears perked up at the word 'German.' Now Germany, and their tech, that was one thing she had some experience with. The Nazi's had done a lot more than cause war, they had created crazy technological advances, ones most people had never heard of.
Suddenly, from outside, there was yelling. Immediately, Fitz, Simmons, and Skye, all turned to face Agent Monroe, who already had one hand on her gun, and the other braced outward with a knife, ready to take down anyone who walked through the door. "Keep doing your thing, guys, don't mind me, or them. No one is going to interrupt your work." She strained her ears, listening for the sounds outside, trying to distinguish the yells. There was the sound of tires pulling up, shouts in English and in Spanish, but no gunfire just yet.
"Are you seeing this? It's...it's like its alive, a real entity with responses," Fitz exclaimed, rapidly typing away at his tablet, occasionally glancing nervously at the doorway, then at Asia, then back to his work.
"What? Like, alive, alive? Like can hear us right now?" Skye says, eyes wide. It was clear she hadn't experienced anything quite like this before. None of them had, but at least the previous SHIELD agents were prepared for the unknown. For Skye, everything had a brand new touch.
"It has a functioning power source, one that's still working after all this time, so, some what yes," Fitz explained, and he and Simmons went to explain more techno-babble to Skye, but Agent Monroe was far too focused on the doorway to listen too intently. Even though Agent Coulson had radioed moments before, saying that everything was under control, Asia wasn't about to let her guard down.
Suddenly, a figure moved into the entrance without any warning. With the quickest of responses, Asia lunged forward, using one leg to sweep the man off of his own feet, toppling forward, then using her leg to flip the man's body face up, straddling him, knife to his neck.
"Jesus Christ, Monroe!" Ward exclaimed, gritting his teeth, "I give, I give."
Blanching, Asia quickly climbed off of him, sheathing her knife. "Sorry, Ward, sorry, you didn't give any warning, I just...reacted." It was, sort of, his own fault. But that didn't make it any less embarrassing. The other three agents were staring at her wide eyed, but she pretended not to notice.
Ward stood up, dusting himself off, "We've got company. National police caught wind of the situation. Bad news for us."
"Why are they here?" Simmons asked immediately.
"They're probably here to protect that," Ward explained, putting his hands on his hips for a moment, nodding over at the glowing object, before walking over to the device to get a good look at it himself. "This area has a lot of rebel uprisings. They don't want the rebels getting their hands on whatever it is."
"Yeah, people are fighting back against the government's mining policies and unfair regulations. It's pretty kick ass." Skye said, crossing her arms, smiling for the first time in a few minutes. Thanks to the web, this was something she knew all about. Finally, an area in which she could speak up.
Ward scoffed, looking back at her, "Yeah, it's kick ass, all the violence. The death. The murders."
"That's not what I'm saying," Skye objected, a frown seeping across her lips.
"No, that's what you're typing. In your van, alone, where it's safe, like everyone on the internet. People hide behind their screens and promote violence that they don't even see, much less really experience, violence that people like us have to try and prevent every day," Ward said which a narrow of his dark eyes, before turning to the two scientists, "How much longer?"
"What's the hurry?" Simmons asked as she typed away at her own tablet, trying to record as much data as possible before they were forced to leave.
"Are we in danger?" Fitz asked at almost the same time, their accents, though both foreign and from nearly the same area, clashing in Asia's ears.
"Well...Not if everyone does their job," Ward replied, pointedly looking at Skye, "What is yours, exactly?" It was almost cruel in the way he said it, and there was no need to poke the bear.
"Ward!" Agent Monroe objected, "Don't cross the line." She always had known Ward to be a little harsh, but in her opinion, that was too far. He may not think Skye had much to offer right now, but that didn't mean she wouldn't in the future. There was no reason to crush someone's optimism out of sheer spite. But it was too late, Skye was already looking down at her feet with embarrassment.
Ward turned towards Asia, ready to give her a sharp response, when an explosion from outside interrupted the agents' building verbal fight. Gun fire and screams followed in rapid succession.
"Rebels?" Asia asked quickly, glancing at Ward as she reached towards her belt.
"Probably. Sounds like they're engaging, and we're on the wrong side of that firefight" Ward replied, and in unison, both agents' drew their guns. "Sounds like they're coming for us, let's move!" Ward barked out the orders.
Asia was immediately drawn into the rush of a battle. When she was in a fight, it was as if her senses were all heightened. Not in the sense of adrenaline, like most people, but as if her body was built to engage in battle, built for nothing else but the stimulation and movement it brought.
Fitz quickly began to put away the drones and their equipment, while Simmons and Skye moved to help. "No, no, no, no!" Fitz exclaimed, rearranging each item they had touched.
"It doesn't matter!" Skye shouted, clearly frustrated and freaked out over the shootout happening just outside. This was absolutely not what she had prepared for. She had no weapon of her own, no way to defend herself, nothing but a reliance in the two Ops Agents before them.
"It should! It does to me!" Fitz shouted back, face growing red with a mix of embarrassment and frustration.
"Guys, we don't have time!" Asia directed at the three of them, eyes narrowed. Skye backed off and let the scientists quickly pack up the rest of their equipment.
"We need some sort of containment case for the 084, unless you plan to leave it behind. Something that can protect it," Simmons called out, her voice surprisingly calm for someone who wasn't combat trained.
Both of the field agents stared at her like she had lost her marbles. "Are you insane?" Asia asked. "How are we supposed to get that out of here? We don't even know what it does."
"We do not have the time!" Ward said in almost exact pace as his partner's words.
"But, it has a fluctuating power core, possibly unstable, we can't just leave it to the hands of people who will never understand it," Fitz began to explain, before another explosion rocked the room, causing bits of debris to fall from the ceiling.
Ward turned from Asia, walking quickly towards the device. "Sorry, but science class is over. Like I said. We. Don't. Have. Time." He grabbed the device in both hands, tugging with all of his strength.
"Woah!" Fitz exclaimed, "Woah woah woah woah, what the bloody hell are you doing?" followed be equal outbursts from Simmons and Skye.
"Ward!" Agent Monroe shouted, "What the shit?"
Fitz continues to protest as the device begins to give into Ward's power, creaking and grinding, causing rubble to slip from the ancient walls, finally coming. Ward quickly moves towards the rest of them, searching for an empty bag. Asia stared at him, wide eyed, then back at the entrance.
"You did not just pull that out of the wall! What is the matter with you?!" Fitz exclaims as Ward put the device into an empty duffel, "Do you realize we do not know what it's emanating? What this power core is doing?" Ward shoved him towards the entrance, cutting off the Scott and earning a harsh glare from Monroe. Fitz picked up the bag and slung it over his shoulder, following Ward's lead.
"Stay close," Ward ordered, moving first out the tunnel, "Monroe, I've got point. You cover from behind." The brunette Agent nodded, waiting as Simmons, then Skye, filed out of the tunnel, followed by Fitz, whom she gave a quick nod and a reassuring smile, before following him.
From within the tunnel, she heard Ward call out, "Get down!" and she immediately hit the floor, bracing for some sort of impact. A shockwave of blue energy rippled above them, and as soon as it disappeared, the train of agents were up and running once more. When they all made it to the outside, in the sunshine once more, the five agents froze, surprised to see a rebel still standing. He raised his gun to fire, when out of nowhere, May's tinted vehicle whipped through the trees, stopping directly in front of the man's four bullets.
"Get in! Get in!" Ward orders, climbing into the passenger seat. Asia followed behind, waiting for Skye, then Simmons, then Fitz to climb into the vehicle. As Fitz was entering, Asia heard the distinct click of a trigger.
"Watch out!" Agent Monroe shouted, jumping forward and shoving Fitz into the vehicle, as the burn of a bullet ripped through the flesh on the outer right of her arm. "Shit. Shit fuck shit." She cursed, raising her gun towards the jungle with her left hand and firing three shots in response before climbing quickly into the car and yanking the door shut, wincing in pain.
"Monroe's been hit," May announced over the comms in her unusually calm voice. "You okay back there?" She asked, peeling out of the temple clearing down a bumpy dirt path, Coulson's car following close behind.
"Not the worst I've had," Asia replied, gritting her teeth and pulling off her jacket. The leather was covered in blood, which made the Agent surprisingly angry. "That was my favourite fucking jacket."
"You saved my life," Fitz murmured. "Are you going to be alright?" He looked over at her, concern creasing over his brow.
"Don't lose your head over it," Asia replied, reaching under the seat for a blanket, a shirt, anything. Finding a t-shirt, she took it and quickly ripped a strip off, wrapping it around the would and pulling it tight with her teeth. "May, I've got a bullet would to the lower portion of my upper right arm, right being my dominant arm. Bleeding, Looks mostly like a graze, could be fragments left in the wound."
"Copy that Monroe. You going to have any issues before we get to the Bus?" May replied, glancing over at Ward.
"No. I'll be fine as long as I don't take a few more hits. The bumps aren't the most ideal though," She said, trying to add a little humour to the situation. The road was as bumpy as one would expect a jungle road to be, tossing the four agents crammed in the back all over.
"Slow down!" Fitz insisted, grabbing onto Asia in a poor attempt to keep her from smashing against the wall of the vehicle.
"You're joking, right?" Skye exclaimed, "There's men with guns, lots of guns, right behind us. We need to haul ass."
"Ward, listen, we have to be careful. The 084, it has a heat source. The energy from the power core is unstable. I didn't even finish getting a complete reading on the output." Fitz said, leaning forward and attempting to reason with the raven haired agent, but the concept seemed to be lost on him.
"I could open a window?" Simmons suggested excitedly, "Get some fresh air in here? That might make Agent Monroe's ride more barrable." Reaching to her left ,she tried to tap the automatic button. A barrage of bullets from the rebels pounded against the car, all four agents shouted in alarm.
"Do not open the damn window!" Agent Monroe ordered.
Ward glanced back at Asia, then turned to May, giving her directions to quickly maneuver out of the jungles and to the Bus, but it appeared the rebels were following them move for move. The Bus came into view and Asia sighed in relief, reaching down to touch her makeshift bandage, her fingers coming away sticky with blood.
"Um, just as an update, still bleeding a lot. Vision still in tact, no blurriness, not much pain. Still on an adrenaline high. But," she paused, "I would love someone to properly bandage this soon."
"I'll take care of it," Simmons responded in a rather cheery tone, trying to stay light in the intense situation, "Fix you up right away."
The SUV drove up the ramp of the Bus and screeched to a halt, the agents piling out. Asia pushed Fitz and the device in front of the vehicle, ordering him to stay down as she held up her gun with her left hand. A moment later, Coulson jogged up the ramp, with a beautiful, tan woman in camo and a few soldiers. "Close up!" He ordered, and the ramp pulled quickly shut, as the starting of the engines could be heard. May must already be in the cockpit.
When the ramp was closed, Ward, Simmons, Fitz, Skye, and Monroe moved closer together, the two field agents putting away their weapons. "Now, what was your problem?" Ward asked Fitz with a frown, glancing at the duffel bag with the device, which had been placed in-between all of them.
"As I said before, this device has a high-frequency, fluctuating, sub-material compression," Fitz began, but Asia touched his shoulder lightly, stopping him.
"Fitz, we don't understand your science talk," She said softly. "Maybe explain it in a little...looser terms?"
"The 084 is fueled by the Tesseract technology. Hydra. World War II. Captain America. The same that Tony Stark and his father have tried to harness," He said once more, in simpler terms. "It's full of lethal amounts of gamma radiation, more gamma radiation than what changed Bruce Banner."
"Gamma..." Ward trailed off, "You're saying it's nuclear?"
"No," Coulson said from nearby, "He's saying...it's much, much worse."
Slowly, the agents all backed away from the device in front of them, a sense of dread hanging low over all of them. The soft blue light of the device seemed to permeate the fabric of the duffle, dancing in front of them eerily.