Its been 36 hours since Coulson was taking, Han has taking over the plane and the whole operation in order to find both Coulson and the people behind the Centipede program.
"The burnt remains recovered at the site are believed to be those of Agent Trainee Michael Peterson. Other physical evidence has proven scarce." Hand says talking about what they found at the bridge since Coulson was taken. "Nothing relating to Mr. Po, his Centipede associates, or their location has been found."
"Any progress with Vancaht?" Ward asks referring to the arms dealer they caught earlier, believing him to be associated with centipede.
"Nothing actionable, Agent Ward, but I have my best interrogator in there right now." She says as she brings up the feed where Vanchat is sitting with another agent. "Vanchat will talk, and rest assured when he does, not a single stone will be left unturned until we take down Centipede."
"And find Agent Coulson." Jemma adds
"And get Coulson back." Hand says, they all look down when an alarm sounds and the S.H.I.E.L.D symbol flashes. "We have a security breach. Someone's hacking the system." She says, May sighs before saying who she thinks it is. A few minutes later they arrive at Skye's bunk.
"Just in time. Can you override this?" Skye asks holding up her wrist to show the silver bracelet that keeps her hacking in check.
"What do you think your doing?" Hand says
"The money's trail's our key to finding Coulson." Skye says "I just need to gain access to Vanchat's financials, and from there I should be able to trace Centipede's payments and then hack into their account."
"You're the consultant—the one who shot Agent Sitwell." Hand says
"Technically that wasn't me—" Skye says
"I want you off this plane immediately." Hand interrupts before walking away, Skye looks at her wide eyed before following her.
"What?" Ward says confused and shocked.
"Wait." Skye says catching up to her "I know I'm not some badass field agent like May or Ward, but this is what I do. You can't just kick me off this mission." She says, Hand stops and turns towards her "Listen, I will do whatever you say. All this protocol crap doesn't matter to me. All that matters to me is Coulson."
"Well 'all this protocol crap' matters to me" Hand says "You're a distraction and you're gone."
"Agent Hand, I know Skye's methods are unorthodox, but she's a member of this team." Ward says sticking up for her "She can help." Hand looks at him before turning to May.
"Agent May, your professional opinion will this girl be of any use to us on this plane?"
"No." May says ignoring the hurt and shocked looks she gets from Skye and Ward.
"Increase her restriction level." Hand says to two of her Agents "Confiscate her laptop and phone, then have her delivered to debrief."
"I'll do it. I'm her S.O." Ward says, Hand nods before walking away. Skye gives May a 'What the hell?' look before following her S.O., May sighs and walks after Hand.
_With Coulson:_
Coulson gasps awake from his dream of him getting a massage in Tahiti, he looks around the dark cool room, his eyes linger on Kaitlyn who is standing there with no sign of emotion on her face before his eyes land on the man speaking.
"It seems you passed out." Po says "Now maybe you're ready to share what memories you're seeing." He says from his seat drinking a glass of water.
"I saw…Jordan…hitting the game winner over Russell in the -98 finals" Coulson says after he catches his breath. "So clutch."
"Agent Coulson, we're gonna turn the machine back on and open your mind." Po says "Its time to stop fighting it. If you don't you wont survive the process."
"I'll let you kill me before I give you anything." Coulson says defiantly "Seems you have a taste for that anyway. Murdered Mike Peterson in front of his own son."
"Mr. Peterson chose that end." Po says "We gave him his life and his child unscathed. You're just upset because that mans death hit so close to home, seeing a boy lose his father at such a young age. As you did. A defining moment." Coulson locks his jaw in anger "The Clairvoyant saw that."
"I hate to break it to you, but your telepathic friend is a fraud." Coulson says "Otherwise, he'd know all these answers, and I wouldn't be here."
"Its true this is strange. My friend can see that you died. You went cold. Your heart was torn to pieces. What the Clairvoyant can't see is what happened after. How they brought you back from the dead. For some reason, Agent Coulson, you're different." He says "Now why is that?"
Coulson looks up at him, not saying a word and just smirks.
"So we have to do this the hard way." Po says before motioning Kaitlynn forward, she holds up a cattle prod before jabbing it into Coulson's side.
Meanwhile Skye is tracking down Lloyd Rathman to try and follow the financial trail that coulsd lead to where they are holding Coulson
_Back with Coulson:_
Two guards drag Coulson into a room and handcuff him to the bed before walking out, leaving Kaitlynn to guard.
"Kaitlynn…" Coulson says breathlessly "Why are you doing this? What do you get out of this?"
"Who is this Kaitlynn?" she says confused, Coulson stares at her in shock much like May did.
"You don't remember do you?" he says, he continues when he doesn't get a response "We were friends once."
"Friends?" Kaitlynn says in an almost childlike voice as she receives flashbacks of her, him, and an Asian woman all laughing together.
"Yes friends….we were very close." Coulson says, before he can continue the door opens to reveal Raina.
"Come on Angel….We have a surprise for you." She says with a smile, Kaitlynn nods before following her. Coulson lets out a breath that he didn't know he was holding before he takes out a pair of tweezers that he took to the table when coming in and begins to pick the hand-cuffs.
In another room Kaitlynn sits back in a chair with Raina sitting in front of the door while two centipede soldiers guard the door. Another guard comes and hands Raina a metal box.
"Here it is." Raina says with a smile as she opens the box to reveal a prosthetic hand that's not metal. "Its just a prototype but it looks and feels just like a real hand except it has adamantium bone." She says holding it up to show the blonde.
"That man. Who is he?" Kaitlyn asks ignoring what the other woman was saying, Raina sighs as she places the hand down before leaning over to take off the robotic hand she's currently wearing.
"His name is Agent Coulson. The Clairvoyant wants us to find out how he's been brought back from the dead." Raina says as she takes Kaitlyn's robotic hand off and places it onto a table
"He said he knows me."
"Well of course he does." Raina says with a smile as she picks up the more life like prosthetic hand and places it near Kaitlynn's arm "You've fought him before." Kaitlynn doesn't even flinch as the prosthetic hand screws itself into her arm.
"No." Kaitlynn says with a shake of her head "Its more than that…He said we were friends." She says with a lost look on her face "Why can't I remember?" Raina sighs as she stands up from the chair before turning to the guards.
"Hold her down. She needs to be wiped." She orders, Kaitlynn doesn't struggle when the guards walk over to her and hold her down to the chair so she can't move.
"I'm sorry it has to be like this…. but we just can't have you remembering." Raina says as she pulls out a needle filled with a dark blue liquid and walks over to the blonde. Raina moves a couple strands of hair away from Kaitlyn's head to reveal a small oval pouch attached to her head, just behind her ear. Raina sticks the needle into the pouch and watches as it fills with the blue liquid.
Kaitlyn's whole body stiffens, she flies back into the chair as her back arches and her mouth open in a silent scream of pain. A few seconds later she relaxes, her eyes closed as the guards release her.
"Welcome back…Angel. How do you feel?" Raina says with a smile when she sees the blonde open her eyes
"I am ready to comply. What are my orders?" Raina smiles and opens her mouth to speak but turns to look at the door when she hears sounds of a struggle "It seems that our prisoner has escaped do you mind retrieving him for me?" she asks, without saying a word Kaitlynn walks out of the room and follows the sound of voices outside.
She catches Coulson just as he lunges at Po, Kaitlynn lifts Coulson off the ground by the throat not remembering anything that happened earlier.
"Shall we get back to it then?" Po says before he leads them back to the interrogation room.
Skye has found Lloyd Rathman and is using him to follow the financial trail.
Po raises his hand in signal for Kaitlynn to stop electrocuting Coulson.
"S.H.I.E.L.D's gonna find me before you break me." Coulson says once he's regained his breathing
"S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Po asks "Well the Clairvoyant sees an end to all that." He says before motioning to Kaitlynn to continue.
"He doesn't look so good." Raina says once Po signals to stop
"Raina, what took you so long?"
"I was tending to our other subject."
"The persuasion skills I've spoken to the Clairvoyant so much about would be better served here with me, breaking this man." Po says
"I would never use force to bend a man to my wishes." Raina says
"He's being difficult."
"He's being beaten."
"Into Submission." Po counters "The Clairvoyant requested it and will tell me to-" he says but is cut off by his cellphone ringing. "See?" he says he pulls out his phone
"Yes?...No…Well I've only just begun…My methods are sound. I assure you-…. Right here…Yes." Po says before handing the phone to Raina "The Clairvoyant would like to speak to you." He says
"This is Raina…Yes…I agree…Thank you…I'll put him back on." Raina says before handing Po the phone.
"Yes, I'm here." Po says but is cut off by the sound of the cellphone buzzing, Po's face begins to turn purple. The phone sticking to his face when he lets go, Raina catches the phone from falling when the buzzing stops and Po falls to the ground dead. Raina smiles before walking away and coming back with a glass of water.
"This is turning into an interesting day, isn't is?" Raina says
"So you're my friend now?" Coulson ask accepting the glass of water "Cause I've seen what you do to your friends."
"Mr. Po?"
"Yeah."
"He was a murderer incapable of remorse."
"I was thinking of Mike Peterson, Chan Ho Yin."
"I gave them what they asked for." Raina says "Mike wanted to be a hero to his son. Now he is."
"Did Akela Amador want a bomb in her head? Or what about Kaitlynn?" Coulson says looking at the girl in question whose standing by the door with a stoic expression on her face.
"The people you work for are just of using cruel means to reach a justified end."
"And who do you work for Raina?" Coulson asks "The Clairvoyant?"
"Yes." She says
"Who is he?"
"I don't know. Today was the first time I personally made contact." She says before taking a deep breath "My hearts still racing."
"He has you building super soldiers."
"The Clairvoyant gives us, guidance, formulas."
"For what?"
"The changing world, the world your organization brought upon us." She says "We're new to the business of what you've been doing for decades."
"So now what? You have soldiers?" Coulson says "You can make them strong, you can control them. In an instant, you can kill them."
"Yes but we can't bring them back to life" Raina says "You were killed. Now you're here. We want to know how. Don't you?" Coulson sighs and looks away from her "I'd like to turn the machine on again. It induces theta brain-wave frequencies to help uncover the secrets buried in the subconscious. If you cooperate you can surf those waves."
"I've gone surfing. That is definitely not like surfing." Coulson says
"You've been resisting. Fight the waves and you'll drown. Your brain will cook." She says "You'll stop breathing again."
"Then that's what it'll be, or I hold out until my team comes to find me." Coulson says "Either way you will not get classified intel form me."
"I'm not interested in those secrets." She says "The Clairvoyant can see within any agency, any government. He knows what the president dreams about at night. I want what you want to uncover a different secret…. The secret S.H.I.E.L.D is keeping from you."
"And you're clinging to the one thing you have fond memories of your recovery." Raina says
"So this person you work for told you I died and have gaps in my memory." Coulson says "Ever think your mind reader might just be looking symptoms online?"
"I was also told it keeps you up at night, that you crave answers, that you're troubled by the fact that when you asked for answers, you were denied. Isn't that true?"
"I trust the system." He says, wincing as he gets off the table "They keep secrets for a reason."
"But what would S.H.I.E.L.D. keep details of your death from you?" Raina says "They're your family, your only family since you've lost your mother too. Now after all you've sacrificed…"
"Sacrifice is part of the job." Coulson says from his place where he's leaning on the wall "I would give my life-"
"You didn't just give your life, you gave up your chance at a normal one, at love." She says "And she did love you, Agent Coulson."
"How could you know that?" Coulson asks his voice breaking
"Do you miss her? Dinners at the Richmond. Do you miss hearing her play? You didn't even have a chance to say goodbye."
"I-I couldn't." he says "I can't."
"She cried for days after S.H.I.E.L.D told her you died." She says "They shattered her heart with a lie, and now they're lying to you."
"No." Coulson says holding back tears "No they're not."
"I know you don't want to believe it, but you can't tell me nothing makes you doubt, makes you wonder what happened in Tahiti."
"It's a magical place." Coulson says automatically "I keep saying that."
"Don't you want to know why?" she asks, Coulson looks at her and breathes heavily before walking over to the machine.
"Turn it on." He says before laying down on it.
Simmons stops talking to Ward when her phone rings
"Hello?" She says
"Simmons its me." Skye says inside Rathman's car
"Why hello…Dr. Nugent." Jemma lies trying to fake who she's talking to
"Is someone there?" Skye asks "God don't try to lie. You are the worst at this. Remember our safe word."
"Manscaping? Oh I shouldn't have said that." Simmons says "Um I am as right as rain couldn't be better old chap."
"You three out." May orders the other scientists who quickly leave
"Listen up. I may have a lead on where Centipede's holding Coulson." Skye says, May takes the phone from Jemma.
"Skye?" May says, Skye stays silent "What have you found." After Skye tells May what she's found the leave to confront hand.
"We're about to lead a strike on a Centipede facility and you want to take your team to the dessert based on a hunch from Skye?" Hand says
"Its not a hunch." Ward says
"Skye followed the money from Vanchat back to centipede." Fitz says
"Turns out they recently purchased a small development less than 100 miles from here." Simmons adds
"Well that's great news for their real-estate portfolio, but we have confirmed activity at the lab." Hand says "I'm taking a strike team to investigate. End of story."
"So we split up." May says "You take the strike team and go after Centipede. We'll investigate Skye's lead see if Coulson's there."
"You backed my decision to kick Skye off the plane." Hand says
"Seems like it worked out." May says
"Seems like you played me."
"Look this isn't personal, but I am taking my team and we're gonna find Coulson" Ward says "Send backup if you want" he says before they all pile into a S.H.I.E.L.D. suv.
"What makes you so sure this machine will even work?" Coulson says
"It worked on me." Raina says before walking over to the controls
"One thing before we start." He says "What is it with the flowers?"
"Who doesn't like flowers" Raina says "I'm glad you noticed. Close your eyes and relax." She says before starting the machine. "I want you to think back to your first memory after you died." She instructs "What do you see?"
"Sandy beach, blue waves just as I remember it." He says
"Focus on the details." Raina says, hearing the sounds of a fight Raina nods at the guards before turning towards Kaitlynn "Go help." Kaitlyn nods before walking out of the room.
Walking outside she sees an Asian woman take out two guards, she ignores a brunette run by her into the house, only focused on the woman.
"Kaitlynn…you don't want to do this" May says, Kaitlynn ignores her and charges at her. May dodges and barely has time to duck under Kaitlynn's leg. "Okay the hard way it is." She says before throwing a series of punches at the blonde's abdomen.
Kaitlyn retaliates by swiping Mays feet out from under her, May rolls to the side just as Katelynn's fist hits the ground leaving a fist sized hole. May kicks the blonde away from her before jumping up, kicking Kaitlynn in the face.
Kaitlynn goes to punch her but May grabs her shoulders and flips over her, dodging the punch, May kicks the back of her knees forcing the blonde to kneel before slamming her head into the side of the house, knocking her unconscious. May stares down at the blond before bending down to pick up the small oval pouch, she looks at it in confusion. May pockets the object and glances at the unconscious blonde before running into the house to help Skye find Coulson.
May walks into the room to see Raina unconscious on the floor and Coulson begging for someone to let him die while Skye is trying to turn the machine off, looking around she sees where the wires are plugged in and walks over to them and unplugs them.
"Coulson, Coulson." Skye says trying to wake him up "Come back, Come back, Come back." She begs
"Skye." Coulson says panting, Skye looks at him tears rolling down her face both from happiness and from seeing Coulson like this as he keeps saying her name.
Back on the plane, Hand's people clear out taking Raina with them. Once Hand leaves the team all walk out to talk to Coulson
"I just want to say…Thank you." He says looking at each of them "Now get back to work." He says, they all smile before disappearing only leaving Skye and Coulson to talk. "I heard what you did for me. I think its time that we remove this." He says as he takes her hand and speaks into the bracelet "Disengage Bracelet." He says, the bracelet beeps before unlocking.
"Are you kidding me?" Skye asks unamused
"Thought you'd like that." Coulson says with a smirk, Skye chuckles as she rubs her wrist before looking back up at her boss.
"Back in that room did they learn anything?" she asks
"No."
"Did you?" she asks "I heard what you were saying."
"It wasn't real." He says "They were just messing with my head…but I appreciate your concern." He says, Skye nods before walking away to find the others. Coulson sighs as he thinks back to what the machine showed him knowing that he needs to talk to a certain doctor.
