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With the Bus back in the sky, Peter and Ava have restarted their training while Ward is training Skye on basic training.
Peter dodges Ava's round house kick and she tries punching him and Peter easily dodges it. "You know, the sad thing is, I'm not using my abilities." Peter informs her while she's trying her absolute best to lay even a claw on him.
"Just shut up and let me punch you!" Ava yells getting angry as Peter keeps dodging her every one of her attacks and just grabs her fist to stop her.
"You wanna take a break? I think if you keep sweating, you'll flood the plane." Peter states, seeing her covered in sweat from their half hour workout and how she's ready to pass out on the floor. "You're getting better though, Ava. That's at least what I tell Fury when he asks for updates." Peter informs her.
"He thinks I'm good enough to be a real agent, yet?" Ava asks her S.O.
"Not yet, but you're getting there." Peter informs her.
"Every field agent has a defining moment." Ward tells Skye. "Ask Coulson, or even Peter. When you have to make the hard call to either dedicate yourself to this or to curl up in a ball and run."
"How can you run if you're curled up in a ball?" Skye asks.
"It's my job as your S.O. to make sure you don't die before then." Ward tells her.
"So, What was yours, Agent Ward? Your defining moment." Skye asks him. "Come on, tell me, I wanna know. I could talk to Coulson about giving me some of that truth serum Peter used on himself. You could spill your heart this time."
"You mean his level 1 overshare that miraculously got you to cooperate?" Ward asks and Skye looks confused. "I hate to tell you this, it doesn't take much to get the legendary Agent S talking, rookie. There is no truth serum."
"Changing course, briefing in three." May says through the speakers.
"Looks like we're on another assignment." Peter says and they all stop what they're doing and head upstairs.
-
"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 explains to the team.
"Priority red? We have a priority red?" Ava asks them.
"Means if anything happens, could mean disasters for the world. But priority red was easier to remember." Peter jokes to her.
"The asset was containing physicist dr. Franklin Hall, known for his work-" Coulson was saying But is interrupted by Fitz-Simmons mumbling in sadness.
"He was our chemical kinetics advisor our second year." Fitz explains their relationship with Hall. "He's so enthusiastic about science, we just adored him." Simmons says. "We can rescue him, can't we?"
"He's one of ours, were gonna try." Coulson says.
"And the attackers?" Ward asks.
"Invisible." Coulson sates quickly and walks away.
"Wait, invisible? As in can't be seen?" Ava asks confused.
"There's another type of invisible, Tiger?" Peter asks her confused as May has them heading for the site.
-
At the site, they're walking towards the truck in Sterling, Colorado.
"Dr. Hall was an asset?" Skye asks them.
"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 tells her.
"Which is why Fitz and I were so lucky to have him." Simmons says.
"We don't have him anymore." Peter says while putting his mask back on.
"Question, why do you wear that mask? Doesn't everyone know who you are?" Skye asks Peter.
"Only a few have ever seen his face, but everyone knows Agent S, not many people know Peter Parker, the agent that doesn't exist." Coulson explains to her and they see cars in trees, the giant truck on its hood.
"That's not concerning." Ava jokes and they find the driver alive.
"It was pretty scary, and I don't spook easily, boss." The driver tells them.
"Nothing in the air?" May asks him.
"Nothing over our shoulder. Thing is they knew our route. They were here waiting for us." He sates to them.
"You saying they were working for someone inside S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Coulson asks when something comes back into his mind that hasn't come up in years. S.H.I.E.L.D. is compromised. Richard's last message before his plane crashed. Ever since that day, he did everything he could to find out what that meant and had no leads for years.
"Sorry to say...it had to be." The driver says.
Around the truck, Fitz-Simmons, and Peter are scanning the area for anything.
"Fitz, what am I seeing here?" Simmons asks with glasses on her face.
"Well, I'm not wearing the full spectrum goggles I designed, so I have no idea." Fitz says and they all walk up to her and she stops them. "Wait a second." She says and grabs a handful of dust and throws it in front of her and the dust is flying around.
"That's not a normal thing. Even for our standards." Ava says confused.
"I think the electro-cystic field scanner activated some...thing." Simmons says as the dirt starts flying around and everyone dodges it from hitting them.
"Okay, can we deactivate it? Now?" Coulson asks them.
"I have to increase the density." Simmons replies and the dirt falls to the floor.
Peter looksand finds something that isn't dirt and picks it up.
"This isn't part of any of the cars." Peter states and shows it to them.
"That is what did all of this." Simmons says referring to the crash site.
"What is it?" Skye asks them.
"Something big." Coulson states to them.
-
Back on the Bus, Fitz is looking over the device to figure out exactly what it is and what it does.
"Either someone cracked our comm system, or dr. Hall's movements were leaked from inside S.H.I.E.L.D." Coulson tells them.
"You really think we have a mole?" May asks him.
"I think you should go through the communication logs, rule it out. We'll work the tractor tread that we found on the scene." He replies to her.
"I can to that instead of pull-ups." Skye volunteers. "I can up,lad an image of the tread pattern, check to see if there some sort of..."
"Already done." Peter tells her. "Matched to a 2010 model. Found a list of purchasers within a 500-mile radius, narrowed down to those with proper, financial problems, or propensity for risk taking." Peter says and shows it on the computer.
"Okay, there was no way what you spoke just now was English." Ava tells him, not understanding a word he said.
"Anyway, I got us three different subjects. Who may have sold their construction equipment to the kidnappers." Peter finishes.
"We'll stater asking around." Coulson says and starts to leave.
"Hey, so, Ward said a funny thing. He said you guys don't have a truth serum." Skye asks Coulson.
"Did he? Ward said that?" Coulson asks her. "Interesting." Coulson says and leaves when May hands her a load of documents.
"You want me to brunch press this?" Skye asks her.
"Read it. Every communication out of HQ since they decided to move Hall." May explains and leaves with Coulson.
-
Coulson starts using the computer to look into Peter's hunch when May joins him.
"You come to socialize or help?" He asks her.
"You want there to be a mole, don't you?" She asks him, ignoring his question.
"Why would I want that?" He asks.
"S.H.I.E.L.D. is compromised." She tells him and Coulson knows she was told about the message from Richard years ago. "You want this to be about who murdered them, to figure out why Richard and Mary had to die. What they learnt that was such a big of a threat they had to be crossed off." May states and Coulson couldn't say he wasn't thinking of it.
"My focus is finding Hall." Coulson subliminally states but May doesn't believe him one minute.
-
In Barnroof point, Colorado, a man riding a horse comes down a path where Coulson is waiting for him. "Excuse me."
"Who the hell are you?" He asks Coulson.
"A concerned citizen who happens to be a member of a giant bureaucratic organization that's tracking your every move."
"I haven't done anything wrong."
"Of course not, but you sold your excavator to some people who did. And you're hiding out here until things cool down because you know it. I just want to know who paid you." Coulson explains as he pulls out a shotgun on Coulson.
"Paid me enough not to answer any questions like that." He states when a web gets attached to the end of his gun and to his shoulder and he gets pulled down and Peter comes in and places his leg, pinning him to the ground. "Now it feels like we're in the Old West movies you and me watch so much." Peter jokes.
"They game me money for my equipment. That's all. I never saw a face, never heard a name." The man explains to them.
"And how'd you receive the money?" Coulson asks as he points to the satchel attached to his horse.
Peter opens it and gold bars come falling out of it.
"They paid you in gold?" Coulson asks, completely confused now.
"Okay, come on, now it really feels like we're in the Old West." Peter says and looks around and back at the man. "Is there a scientist performing weather experiments somewhere?" Peter asks thinking about Back to the Future 3.
"There was no gold in that movie." Coulson states.
"Really? Didn't Doc have some somewhere in his workshop or Tannin steal any?" Peter asks.
"I'm pretty sure he didn't." Coulson replies.
"Oh, okay." Peter says and grabs the gold. "We should take this to Fitz-Simmons."
-
And they do exactly that and Simmons is analyzing the gold bars.
"It looks like this because it's a DORé bar. Meaning it was made at the mine rather than in a refinery." She explains. "It's only 92% pure gold. The cowboy got cheated a bit."
"Can you determine the mine based on the impurities?" Coulson asks the two of them.
"We've done that already. It's from the Daley mine in Tanzania, which is owned by...Quinn Worldwide." Fitz says and Coulson looks unsurprised.
"I'm sure you studied the C.E.O. in your chemical engineering classes or saw him on the cover of Forbes. Ian Quinn." He says and goes to tell the team the news.
-
In the republic of Malta, said Ian Quinn is talking to someone on the phone.
"We can't just pluck it from the ground like a potato. It needs to be extracted from the ore and enriched. I know I failed you once, but that was 14 years ago and I didn't know what I was after. You know, tell him this investment paired for that ridiculous yacht of his, and that he'll thank me at th shareholders meeting." Quinn says and hangs up his phone and moves into his laboratories where dr. Hall is tied up.
"Why is he tied up?" Quinn asks his men. "Does he look like a threat?" He asks as his men come up and untie his hands. "I'm sorry about these guys. Welcome to Malta, Frank." Quinn says to Hall and laughs. "You know, it's one thing to steal my ideas, Ian, but stealing me?" Hall asks him.
"First of all, I never stole your ideas. We've always agreed information should be free." Quinn states.
"It's amazing how much money you made off free information." Hall replies sarcastically.
"Secondly, think of this as a rescue mission, Frank. You know what happened to the last brilliant minds who were in S.H.I.E.L.D. protection. Their plane crashed 14 years ago." Quinn states, referring to the Parker deaths all those years ago. "In fact, in a moment, I think you'll be thanking me. My staff intercepted a communication about the movement of a certain asset, and when I deduced that asset was you, I couldn't pass up on the opportunity. It's a little out of my comfort zone, sure." He states and gets up and walks towards the labs tables.
"Malta. You're not completely stupid." Hall states and knows why he's here. "S.H.I.E.L.D. can't come after you here."
"Not just S.H.I.EL..D. I am now a naturalized citizen of this fair country. Stunning beaches, beautiful tax laws, and a deep seated hatred of outside forces telling them what to do." Quinn tells him.
"Sounds like your dating profile." Hall tells him, mockingly.
"I moved my entire operation down here. Bought the old prom minister's estate. Not really my style, but they had this huge underground facility, so I figured." Quinn explains and brings a drink to Hall. "Now You've finally found a place where the watchdogs can't watch you." Hall says and takes the drink.
"Not without breaking international laws." Quinn says and they take the drink. "But more importantly, old friend, they can't touch you." Quinn informs him and places a device, similar to the one the team discovered at the crash site, down for him to see it.
"Recognize the design?" Quinn asks him as Hall inspects it. "We were barely old enough to drink when you sketched the blueprint. That's just the miniature prototype, just so you know. A theoretical machine powered by a theoretical substance. Frank, you were right." Quinn says, anonymously.
"You found it?" Hall asks in complete surprise and Quinn shows him to a container and he sees it for his own eyes...
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What he found, you'll have to wait. The cliffhanger/short chapters will pe progressing later on
Regarding how Quinn knows about the Parker's... you'll have to wait and see. ;)