Previously on Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D...
HYDRA grows stronger every day,
while S.H.I.E.L.D. clings desperately to a world it no longer understands.
Why not lead?
My time will come.
Tell me what happened to my mom.
Your mother was special because she had a gift.
Whitehall cut her to pieces.
I'm gonna kill the man who destroyed my life.
You killed him. He was mine.
We're human, Skye. We just have the potential to be more.
There's someone new. Tell the others I'm on it.
Trip!
We finally get to find out what we become.
After you change, no one else will understand.
They'll be afraid. Change is terrifying.
Poor thing.
How long since he passed through the mist?
Fourteen hours since Terrigenesis.
He's very emotional, Jiaying.
I can see.
Leave us.
Gordon?
Gordon, it's me.
Jiaying, help me! I can't...
- I can't see. What's happened to me? - Shh.
It's all right. Take a breath, Gordon.
Help me, please!
That's why I'm here.
Can you follow my voice?
Take my hand.
It's okay. Come on. Come on.
It's okay.
I'm right here.
Come on.
Almost.
It's gonna be okay, beautiful.
I'll show you the way.
Go ahead, let it out.
It's okay to cry, Gordon.
I'm trying.
But... But I can't.
We prepared for this his whole life.
Readying him for whatever may come.
Every cell within him has changed,
in his body and his mind.
It's terrifying.
But he's the ideal age,
old enough to understand, young enough to adapt.
He'll be fine.
It's a blessing you age so slowly, Jiaying.
Able to counsel so many generations through the change.
I won't live forever, Yat-Sen.
Well, even with the years of preparation,
without your warmth to guide them through their transformation,
these poor souls...
They would be lost.
I haven't been able to sleep either.
I keep thinking Trip is gonna come see me.
Make fun of me for being stuck in quarantine.
Call me a goldfish or a hamster or something.
And every time I wake up...
...I remember all over again.
I just can't believe he's not coming back.
He should not have been down there.
You both went in for a good reason.
To prevent HYDRA from starting a cataclysm.
He was trying to save me.
He may have saved all of us.
The Obelisk triggered a massive earthquake.
Imagine how much worse it could've been if he hadn't destroyed it.
He died a hero.
Once medical clears you, we'll get you out of there.
You'll just be stuck underground like the rest of us.
How's everyone doing?
Just trying to keep busy.
Everyone deals with it in their own way.
When you sign up for this kind of life,
you accept that loss will be part of it.
But you never get used to losing one of your own.
Especially, when it's a good man like Trip.
It happens too much.
Over time, it makes it harder to let people in.
Sometimes it just makes you want to pack up and run.
Is that what you wanna do?
Run?
Sometimes.
You?
Couldn't even if I tried.
How long did it take for Mack to get out of quarantine?
He cleared pretty quickly.
Whatever took over his system is gone. But he's pretty shaken up.
And Simmons? Is she back?
Not yet.
She has a team
documenting whatever they can in the tunnels, cleaning up.
But it's slow going with no electricity.
Be careful with that.
This area is finished.
She'll assess the structural integrity of the place,
and if possible,
blow one of the vertical shafts under the ocean floor.
Flood the city with water.
And drown it for good.
Hopefully the bedrock wasn't too badly damaged by the quake.
The temple collapsed on itself.
It's a miracle you're still alive.
Did you find Raina's body, yet?
There's a lot of rubble to dig through. But not yet.
Whatever gas came out of that Obelisk hit you, too.
That's why we're being extra cautious.
It's hard to make sense of all this.
What? No.
No, it isn't.
We lost. We failed.
Skye, don't say that.
It wasn't because of HYDRA, it was because of me.
Don't blame yourself.
If I didn't go down there, you could have blown the place.
That was one battle. This is a war.
And Ward, and my father...
Skye...
The rotten core at the center of everything.
We did not fail.
Trip prevented a disaster and Whitehall's dead.
We cut off the head,
and while HYDRA scrambles for a new one,
I will crush them.
I'm gonna make somebody pay.
Whoever the hell it is.
Thank you, Mr. Bloom, for hosting.
I regret that our bi-annual gathering has turned into a vigil.
Daniel Whitehall has joined our founder in the afterlife.
How unfortunate. I admired the man's commitment.
I was never fond of him.
We must not speak ill of the dead.
Why, what's he going to do about it?
What this means,
is that there is a vacancy at a management position
in this region of the world.
And who would you like to see fill it, Dr. List?
Baron Von Strucker thought that Sunil Bakshi
was well-groomed to serve in that capacity.
So why is he not present?
He's disappeared.
We think he may have been captured by S.H.I.E.L.D.
Then in all likelihood, he's dead too.
If he did his duty.
You underestimate S.H.I.E.L.D. constantly, it would seem.
Von Strucker would like this mistake to stop happening.
So I'm gonna make it simple.
S.H.I.E.L.D. will take this victory as a chance to move against us.
Come above ground.
Whomever can remove S.H.I.E.L.D. from the landscape permanently
will win Whitehall's position. Does that sound fair?
Meanwhile, I intend to find out
if Whitehall's obsession with arcane artifacts was fruitless.
Or if indeed it did produce something
that we at HYDRA can use for our future.
These are the last sections, ma'am.
Same conclusion.
Cavities are carved from lava rock,
therefore these walls are not load-bearing.
Alien stone line need to create electro-magnetic flux field.
At least I imagine.
Can't measure the bloody thing without electronic equipment.
I could spend a year down here answering these questions.
Photograph it, mark it off.
Let's flood this cursed place.
Yes, ma'am.
No!
Hey.
Quarantine survival kit.
A deck of cards for Solitaire,
bag of homemade trail mix if you want to eat healthy,
couple of candy bars if not.
Headphones, a few trashy magazines.
Cactus Cooler.
I keep a stash.
I mean, you can only get it in California. It's the best.
Anyway,
I've been in quarantine before,
and I know it can drive you absolutely nuts.
Thanks.
I was beginning to feel like a leper.
Are you kidding?
You managed to be taken hostage by three known murderers,
you gunned Ward down,
then were blasted by an alien chemical weapon
and walked out unscathed.
Leper?
I think you're a rock star.
You're staring off into space there, Turbo.
No, that's Skye's biometer watch. It was damaged in the cave-in.
Records her heart rate?
And skin temp. Lots of data.
If I can fix it, I might be able to get a better...
Uh... Like a snapshot of what happened down there.
I can't make sense of it just now anyway.
The data in my brain is jumbled today.
I'll get my small electronics kit, and you can start tinkering.
You know, working with my hands always cleared my head.
How is it? Your head since...
I told you.
It's not gonna help to give you a play-by-play.
Never known you to be afraid to talk about anything.
Yeah, well, you didn't feel it.
And I can't describe it, so...
Well, it's not good to keep things to yourself, Mack.
I know what you're going through.
Really?
You know what it's like to lose control,
to be trapped inside your own body, unable to tell it what to do?
To watch yourself hurt the people that you care about?
Yeah.
I'm sorry, buddy.
It's okay.
I'm a little on the edge.
I guess I need to keep myself busy.
Can you request access to the schematics for the base?
I wanna double check the ventilation systems
and make sure the quarantine is fully isolated,
and I don't want anyone else falling prey to this alien crap.
How many victims were there?
Two dead. Three in critical condition.
How did Raina do this? She had no weapon.
She was covered in thorns.
It's hard to comprehend. I shot her a few times.
- Good. - But none a fatal hit, it seems.
I did manage to gather some tissue from the ground, blood and such.
How long till you can blow the shaft on the ocean floor?
We're preparing the charges now.
That place will be underwater and sealed up for good.
Sir, as much as I'd like to join the manhunt for Raina,
I'd much rather come back to HQ. See everyone.
To study Raina's tissue and check on Skye.
Whatever transformed Raina...
She was exposed as well.
We have enough boots on the ground in Puerto Rico to hunt down Raina.
Come home, Jemma.
Gather everyone. We're going after HYDRA now.
With a prisoner exchange?
Using Bakshi out in the open like that, it's a dangerous strategy, sir.
I know it's high-risk, but we have a small window
to take advantage of HYDRA's lack of leadership.
It puts us out on a limb.
With a chance to deliver a crushing blow
to those responsible for Trip's death. I'll take it.
Responsible, huh?
You have something to say, Mack?
Plenty. But I'll keep it to myself.
Oh, don't mind him. He's just coming down
from the worst alien acid-trip of all time.
That's not funny.
Just trying to lighten the mood, mate.
Yeah, well, Mack didn't ask for what happened to him.
- Of course not. - No one asked for any of this to happen.
HYDRA forced our hand. And now Coulson plans to force theirs.
Did they? Did HYDRA force our hand?
- Calm down, Mack. - Repeatedly, but we have a chance...
Or did we hand them detailed plans and the location of that city?
HYDRA took them. When they took Skye.
Are you saying we shouldn't have gone in to save her?
I'm saying there wouldn't have been anything to take
if you and Skye hadn't been obsessed
with the alien messages in your damn head!
All right, let's just...
- This isn't about blame. - Watch yourself, Mack.
No one would have left Skye there, that's not what he's saying.
I shouldn't have to ask any of you to save one of our own.
You never ask.
You just give your orders. No matter how cracked out they are.
Mack, you'd do well to remember your rank, right now.
Really? "Rank" at a time like this? Why don't you...
Not helping, Hunter.
- Guys, stop. - No, it's cathartic.
Do you have any thoughts of your own, or do you just parrot his?
Coulson's only trying to stop HYDRA.
We didn't stop anything! We unleashed something on the planet.
Please.
- No one knows what happened. - Trip averted disaster.
It could have been a lot worse.
And Skye barely made it out alive.
Thanks to Trip. He sacrificed his life, Mack.
No, he traded his life for hers!
And then he was shattered into 1,000 pieces!
That's enough!
If Trip was here,
he wouldn't be arguing, he wouldn't be bitching,
he would be gearing up to do what needs to be done.
Yes, we're dealing with forces we don't understand.
But HYDRA, I do understand.
I want everyone ready when the sun comes up.
End of discussion.
Hope you're feeling better this morning, Mr. Bakshi.
Because you have a date with the US government.
Smile!
There he is, General.
Sunil Bakshi.
The man tied to the Navy wedding massacre, UN attack,
and who tried to kill you, Coulson.
While dressed up as you, sir.
Safe to say, I'm not a fan.
Perfect. I'll trade him to you, to add to your collection.
All I ask is your assistance in handling...
Remaining HYDRA forces.
I understand the idea, Coulson. And in this case, I'm not against it.
Thank you, sir.
Go ahead.
You agree with the rest of the team.
You're concerned we're out in the open.
More that we contacted the US government.
I think Talbot's on the level.
I'm not worried about Talbot.
But around him? There are security leaks everywhere.
And with Whitehall dead, Bakshi may be even more valuable.
I'm well aware, but without Talbot in our corner...
I know. Without him, we'll never have a chance to get the upper...
Go!
Go, go!
I count four left. You know what that means.
Not really.
That's what it means. Means I'm gonna do that.
Good to know.
More will be coming.
They must have intercepted our transmissions.
Talbot.
Come on. Get out of there.
It seems you underestimated us again.
I underestimated how desperate they must be
if you're this important to them now.
No!
You'll never take us alive!
The SUV's still running. So get in.
Whitehall is truly dead?
Yeah.
- Then did Mr. Bloom set up the rescue? - I'm just the driver.
Who do you take orders from?
I guess, I take orders from you now, sir.
Clear!
I was gonna kill her.
"They'll never take us alive"? Really? A little over the top, don't you think?
I only had a day to come up with this whole thing.
Besides, if I let you write the script, no one would say anything.
You know, Bakshi has a flair for the dramatic.
Let's just hope he bought ours.
Word is Coulson's mad plan worked.
Bakshi took the bait.
How's the watchmaker project coming along?
Looks like it took precise work. Your hands are getting better.
Well, my head's getting worse.
I'm totally confused by what I'm seeing.
Turns out the electronics weren't crushed like I thought.
Well, they were, but from the inside out or something.
Can you fix it? Get a look at Skye's biological data?
- Yeah, yeah, yeah. - No, yeah, I can.
I think so.
I won't know what half of it means until Simmons gets back anyway.
They're landing now.
Is every RadioShack a HYDRA outpost?
I always suspected.
This is Lighthouse.
This is Warship. I'm free.
Oh, Mr. Bakshi.
Very good news.
But we have a situation.
Well, perhaps you better come in.
I'm a few hours out.
See you then.
Don't take that gun from your belt. This will be painless.
Whoa! What... What the hell?
Sorry, I like you, but once you made contact,
- my orders were to take you out. - Why?
My employers don't want you, Whitehall,
or your phone-a-friend to get in their way.
Sorry about this.
Wait. Please! I'll triple whatever you're being paid!
Mmm. I'm getting paid by a bunch of people. That'll start to add up.
They're moving against us.
They want you out of the picture,
if it's not me, it'll be someone else.
Please. Money is not a question.
If you can protect me and see me safely to Bloom,
not only will you be financially set for life,
but you will also solidify your standing with the true heads of HYDRA.
The money will be there, I swear it.
If not, I'll pull the trigger myself.
Okay.
Get in.
Thank goodness nothing bad happened to you.
Wouldn't want you to have to stay in there forever.
Raina,
she was unrecognizable. It was insane.
And not just from the outside, look.
We separated her DNA and mapped it using Gel Electrophoresis.
Her DNA didn't just rearrange, it contains extra macromolecules.
I wouldn't think that even possible.
- That's amazing. - It's horrific.
We need to make sure that you're not contaminated or infected in any way.
What's the worst that could happen?
An epidemic.
That's a pretty harsh conclusion.
Well, and I feel responsible.
We all do. There's nothing you could have done.
Yes, there was!
I was so curious about powers.
About unearthly biology. Wondering where it might lead.
Hoping to better understand it. Control it.
I should have been trying to terminate it.
Erase it from existence.
What?
You've helped plenty of people with powers.
It's part of the world that we live in.
It's a plague, Skye.
All of it. It only ever brings us death.
Donnie Gill, Chan Ho Yin, Creel, the list keeps growing.
- Not the Avengers. They haven't been... - The Avengers
wouldn't have been necessary if we hadn't unleashed alien horrors!
There must be another...
Trip was in fragments!
I know.
Well,
it ends with him.
Flooding that alien city may be the first responsible thing I've done
to protect the people I care about.
I'll check these samples,
and compare them to samples of your blood we have from before.
Just to be safe.
Okay.
Just to be safe.
Don't worry, I'll stay out of sight.
Cool as a cucumber, quiet as a mouse.
I don't want any trouble.
It's exactly the way we traveled the world
all those years, searching for answers.
I knew I'd find you here.
Raina.
After all that time, I didn't quite get the answers I was searching for.
I'm sorry, you didn't find your way to the temple.
Didn't get to evolve.
Oh, I evolved.
What the hell have I become?
Raina. Let's not lose our heads.
What happened to me?
Metamorphosis, by the look of it.
I was supposed to become something divine,
something transcendent.
My grandmother said I'd be an angel.
Not some gnarled freak of nature covered in thorns.
You always did like flowers.
They hurt.
And it's your fault.
You wanted this. More than anything.
But your thankless daughter was there.
She received the gift meant for me.
Came through the mist as beautiful as ever.
What, what, what?
You mean, Daisy was there, too?
Oh. She emerged from the chrysalis?
Yes.
And that bitch took what was mine!
We all have our disappointments.
I dreamt of the perfect reunion with my baby girl.
Revenge for my wife.
Coulson rained all over my parades.
But you say she's done it,
she's changed.
Oh.
Fantastic news.
Oh, she's gonna be so mixed up, now.
Oh. Terribly afraid.
She didn't have your mental preparation.
She probably ran right back to Coulson's arms.
It's the worst possible place for her to be.
He'll put her on the Index.
Tag her like a shark.
She'll come to me when she sees
how they treat those particular individuals.
It'll never happen. She'll never love you, you stupid man.
The Index.
I should reconnect with some of them.
Wreak a little havoc.
Ruin that man and his dumb suit.
Remind Daisy where she really belongs.
She may not love me now, but she needs me.
What about me?
You... You have to help me.
I did,
we helped each other.
Achieved our goals.
You're on your own now.
You have to find a way to fix this.
There's no fix.
There's no reverse.
It's your lifelong dream. It's lifelong.
I can't live like this.
My insides feel like gravel.
I cut myself when I move.
I can't live as this repulsive creature.
Then don't.
Pull up over there.
That's a pretty big fence for protecting some grapes.
Mr. Bloom doesn't appreciate unannounced guests.
Once inside, I'll send for you.
I canvassed the area, stashed the bike. We're good here.
Your presence is most welcome.
Drop the accent, it makes you sound like a douchebag.
Now you know what it feels like for me to live in this country.
And we wait.
You didn't really take much of a stand
during that awkward family argument back at HQ.
Nobody meant half of what they said.
Everyone's just raw. Broken up over Trip.
Plus you and Mack have that secret to keep under wraps.
This again?
Oh, and now Mack's in on it? You're relentless.
Now, I definitely think he is.
You and Mack have something up and running,
and you avoided backing him in that argument for fear you'd reveal it.
If I'm wrong, say so.
'Cause you haven't yet.
Yeah.
We have a secret.
I know.
We're in a support group, okay.
See, this is the reason I didn't tell you. Jackass.
I'm laughing because it's great.
That's the best thing you could have said.
We dedicated our lives to an organization that went to hell.
Our friends turned their guns on us. We needed help coping, Hunter.
And I support it. Really.
I was afraid you'd closed off even more,
but this is actually healthy, like, emotionally healthy.
And that's not a phrase I ever thought I'd use to describe you.
I'm happy to hear it, Bob.
Good.
So,
do you guys pass around a talking stick or...
Thanks for the schematics, sir.
Ventilation system's all good.
And, sir,
I wanna apologize for my outburst in there.
It was uncalled for.
I have a little trouble dealing with my anger sometimes.
Join the club.
Yeah, something I'm working on,
but this alien stuff messed with my head.
And losing Trip brought back a lot of hard memories.
For all of us.
Well, I hope I didn't blow my chance to work on Lola one day.
After that little RC version you built for me,
I'm genuinely considering it.
Although, I couldn't figure out how to make it fly.
It doesn't.
Sir, I do think Mack brought up a matter we should consider.
I'm all ears.
I'm aware the team hunting Raina has orders to capture, not kill.
As always.
But this might be some sort of contagion
or even a plague inadvertently set loose.
Plagues must be understood, yes,
but eventually eradicated.
Are you saying that you wanna put Raina down, Agent Simmons?
No, of course not. Uh...
I'm just saying that if they have to,
it may not be the worst thing.
Thank you.
They want to kill us.
A power play. The rest are moving against us, Dr. List.
Gave the order to wipe us out.
Well, Von Strucker and I are not involved, I can assure you.
We're calling because you may be a target.
You think it's The Baroness?
And The Banker and The Sheikh.
We can't have infighting at a time of transition.
We agree. And we promise to smooth this over as best we can.
We count on it.
I'll send word.
Uh, there is one other thing.
There's a man outside who's begging to die.
Hey, Fitz.
What's wrong?
Can you tell me?
I fixed your biometer watch.
Checked your vitals at the time of the temple collapse.
You heart rate was recorded at almost
300 bpm.
That's very fast.
No.
That's inhuman.
I thought the readings were a mistake, that I put the thing together wrong.
I've been struggling to, uh...
Um...
Something's wrong with the data in my head.
What are you saying?
So I was thinking how the heart monitor seemed to shatter from the inside out.
But it was still on your wrist when we found you.
That doesn't make sense.
And how we found you,
basically unharmed in the collapse,
with destruction all around you.
I thought I was losing my mind all over again.
That there was something wrong.
So it took a while to dawn on me.
Or maybe I was afraid to think it.
That you survived the destruction,
because you caused it.
No. No, no, Fitz...
Raina wasn't the only one changed in there.
And I'm pretty sure the DNA results we're running right now
are gonna confirm it.
There's nothing wrong with the data in my head, Skye.
No!
There's something wrong with you.
No!
Hey.
Feeling like you've been in that glass box your whole life?
You doing okay?
Yeah, yeah, I just...
I feel isolated, and exposed at the same time.
Being a caged animal is no fun.
It's for your own good. Temporary.
I know. I know.
Maybe I just need a hug.
I hate seeing everyone fighting.
They're just having a hard time.
Yeah, but I've never seen Coulson like that before.
He seemed so cutthroat.
I've rarely seen him like this myself.
For Coulson, Trip was the embodiment
of the principles he wants S.H.I.E.L.D. to be built upon.
Compassion, loyalty, heart.
And that is S.H.I.E.L.D.'s strength.
And Trip's death reminded Coulson that HYDRA doesn't have that.
And that is their weakness.
I'll get the next one.
No more waiting.
Why have we stopped?
Coulson.
He knows you too well.
He couldn't get to us.
So he had us slaughter each other.
Fortunately for you, we already promised you to Talbot.
So you're perfectly safe.
Come on.
Are you bleeding?
We should have your DNA results back any minute now.
Once we know there's nothing wrong, we'll have you out of there.
Something's wrong?
Uh...
What the hell happened?
Skye?
Fitz...
Fitz was a klutz again.
Oh, she's cleaning up the mess.
Sorry, it was my fault. I knocked over the lamp
when taking a sample of Skye's blood
with one of those ridiculous hazmat suits on,
and I guess my coordination still needs work.
But I was anxious to double-check the results,
her DNA is an exact match to what it was before. She's clear.
Thank God.
I'm gonna call Coulson. He can use the good news. You all right?
Yeah.
Um, Skye, is your bunk made?
Um...
No, it's a mess.
Uh, well, maybe you can get her some clean sheets.
She should probably sleep.
Yes, you deserve a good night's rest.
Yeah, I mean... And I would do it,
but last time I was in there, there was lots of ladies things,
and she's a slob. I'll help bandage her hands, it was my fault anyway.
Okay.
Yeah.
What did you just do?
I switched your blood results with your old samples. Give me your hand.
The new samples are different?
Drastically.
But until everyone around here calms down,
I don't think we should tell anybody.
What with the way Simmons is acting.
For now we should just keep it between us.
Keep you safe. Until we figure it out. Okay?
It's okay.
- This is all my fault. - No.
I could have stopped her. I let this happen,
and I'm so sorry.
No. It's okay.
Everything is my fault.
You're right.
There is something very wrong with me.
No. You're just different now.
You're just different now, and there's nothing wrong with that.
Don't move. We're not here to hurt you. We just wanna take you in.
No.
Either you kill me,
or I make you do it.
It's okay, beautiful.
I'll show you the way.
...or that time when Trip tossed me the mag on the Burnside raid
and it fell down the sewer grate.
Yeah, what did he say, again?
"Good catch, soccer hands."
Did he ever tell you about the time his grandpa
took him to Grandfather Mountain when he was a child in North Carolina?
Mmm-mmm.
Well, he gets there, and they pull up
to the gate, and his grandfather...
I have visual confirmation.
Fury's toolbox is locked in Coulson's office.
Did you manage to wrangle the blueprints from the base?
Yeah. We're almost good to go.
Okay, I'll make contact soon.
And he says, "I'm sorry, Grandpa.
"I thought you owned the whole mountain."
He'd be mad I told you that story.
No, he'd say...
"Come on, girl."
We're gonna laugh a lot less.
That's for sure.