It turned out that Coulson actually did need all the luck the universe could muster for him, because the situation in China wasn't a good one.
"What do you mean it's a failed op?!" Coulson tossed the manila folder across the table, causing the papers to spill.
"It was an ambush. Target was waiting for us. They relocated the Extremis-"
"I don't care about that! Get me May!"
No one moved. The silence was overwhelming in the small room.
"Where the hell is Agent May?" Coulson asked, his worry hidden behind his anger.
"The comms were compromised. Last check in Agent May was finding an escape while taking fire." Someone briefed him.
"Okay," Coulson calmly said. He fixed his tie and took authority.
"Someone get me a satellite feed." Coulson ordered.
The actual lead on the mission stood stubborn, annoyed with Coulson's antics.
"Now, or would you prefer an order from Fury?!"
Agents rushed to make things happen as Coulson walked closer to the screens. The biggest one showed two crossed lines, rotating and zooming to the needed coordinates.
"Can we get a ping on her last known location? And put this grid on the aerial map so we can see what she's thinking."
5 minutes later the grid showed a red flashing dot in a courtyard of the compound, the red dashes behind her, the places she'd been, showed May heading west. Coulson pointed it out.
"'What's over there?" he asked and the screen moved that way.
"Steep cliff. Dead end." The ex-lead said proudly.
"It's a point of escape. There's a sea beyond that. Water gives cover, and if they're thinking like you, only an idiot would jump off a cliff that rough."
"You saying May's an idiot?"
"No, I'm saying that's what they would think. May can jump that cliff. That's where she's going, and that's where I'm heading." Coulson made his point by tapping on the middle of the water.
"It's a suicide mission!"
Coulson ignored the warning.
"Get me some water current readings and possible locations. I'm going to get May back. Stop me or join me; I never leave a man behind."
Half hour later, Coulson was flying in a helicopter with a small team, suited in kevlar and a wet suit. The water was choppy and the winds didn't sustain the helicopters.
"We can't get any readings from this position!" an agent shouted, "And the water's too rough to go lower!"
"Is it portable? The heat signature machine?" Coulson pointed to the device being used to search for May.
"It doesn't have to be plugged in if that's what you're asking! Don't tell me anything!"
"I'm not waiting for approval. Just one more thing: where's the raft!?" Coulson flashed a devilish smile and the other agents thought Coulson had gone crazy. But not two minutes later, a raft blew out of the helicopter with Coulson on it, signature reading machine tied around his waist.
As soon as he hit the water alright, Coulson looked up with a finger tapped on his comm to report back, but he didn't get the chance as the helicopter he'd just been on, got destroyed by a missile. Coulson put an arm up and hunched further into the blow up raft to cover his head from the flames and debris. It turned out the device did run fine on battery, as dead or dying heat flashed on the screen. The remaining S.H.I.E.L.D Helicopters pulled away as enemy vehicles gave chase, and Coulson was too far below to catch the red octopus emblemed on the bottom of the black chinooks.
There wasn't anything he could to do help them, but he could -hopefully- help May. As soon as the helicopters were out of sight, Coulson pulled the rope, starting the tiny engine that guided the raft through the rough waters. Under the light of the torch banded to his head, Coulson analyzed the current readings that could help him find May. He prayed he could find her soon, as his chances were as small as the power left in the engine.
Coulson roamed the waters for all the hour the engine allowed him, then, with little hope remaining, he guided the raft to the rocky shores. It wasn't easy guiding the thing, small as it was, and it wore it him out even more as he dragged the soaking wet plastic out of the water. Coulson crashed on a rock, smoothed overtime by waves, and closed his eyes, tired and hopeless. His eyes flashed open when the device around him beeped, and he looked on it to see a weak signature not too far. It was only one, which could mean Melinda, as it was more probable that the hostiles would tour in pairs. It could mean a survivor from the wreck, or someone thrown over the cliff, but he clung to the thought that it could be May, and crawled towards it.
He gained strength as he became more confident, but still walked closer to the ground to avoid being seen. From where he was, too close to the cliff, the people above couldn't see him, but someone on the water could. With his luck, there were no hostiles. And with his luck, it was Agent May.
It was Agent May, but she was injured; losing blood. Bruises and bullets and broken bones, her pale figure worried him, and her smile was none too assuring.
"Phil," she mouthed as if hallucinating.
"Shh. It's okay. I'm gonna get you out of here!"
May didn't believe it was physically him, but Coulson used all his physical strength to lift Melinda up and onto the raft. He tore his wetsuit into bits wrapping them tight around her bleeding wounds. He pulled the thing from its ropes, even heavier with May's limp weight on it, dragging it back to the waters. He fit himself next to her, then kicked a rock, pushing the raft on to the waters, on the mercy of the currents. Coulson slid himself under May, keeping her up and engaged, and warm. Himself, he was shivering wet, almost giving in to the hypothermia, his eyes drooping as he saw a horde of worried villagers hovering over. His ears were too filled with water for Coulson to hear what they were saying, but at least they didn't have guns, and so he placed his life in their hands and let his system shut down.