With May back at the controls, the plane quickly stabilized, and the descent was halted. Coulson and Ward, now safe, turned their attention to Skye.
"I read the safety manual," Skye said with a smile.
Ward, impressed, remarked, "You're probably the first person to actually do that."
Just then, Fitz followed behind Killer Bee, who was holding up an empty juice bottle.
"Is there any more of this juice?" Killer Bee asked.
Seeing Killer Bee, Coulson grinned.
"We've got plenty of juice. And thank you for saving us."
Killer Bee pointed at Ward and added, "Don't forget, you all owe me thirteen concerts."
The group chuckled at Killer Bee's response.
Fitz picked up the 084 object from the ground and commented, "The 084 is cooling down and stabilizing, but we should contact headquarters and get it to the Slingshot facility as soon as possible."
Coulson looked at Fitz and asked, "Is there no way to safely remove the energy core inside?"
Fitz shook his head. "This thing is so crudely made that any attempt to dismantle it could cause an explosion, and with the energy it contains, it would blow us all in the sky."
Just as Fitz finished speaking, May's voice came through the plane's intercom: "Support is here. We can prepare to evacuate."
Outside the plane, several large transport aircraft appeared in May's view. These were the reinforcements sent by Hill to take over the mission at the Incan temple.
…
Meanwhile, at Charles's base-
Charles was holding the Space Stone, having successfully conducted a test three hours earlier that involved using it to perform a pinpoint teleportation point for Killer Bee.
As he gazed at the Infinity Stone in his hand, Charles realized that, with his partially awakened Ōtsutsuki bloodline, he could use a single stone relying solely on his physical body.
However, using two or more stones at once was beyond his current capabilities, let alone using all of them together.
He mused that he might need to create some sort of equipment to wield all six stones effectively. After all, these items were useful not only for recharging but also for combat.
Storing the Space Stone back into his system, Charles looked up at the sky. The first batch of blood cores from Hidan and the others should be nearly ready for harvesting.
…
Back at S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Slingshot launch facility-
As the staff began repairs on the aircraft, Coulson was inspecting his beloved car, Lola, to see if it had sustained any damage.
Skye approached him and, noticing his focus on his car, said, "Your car's fine, but the plane has been wrecked. I hope S.H.I.E.L.D.'s insurance covers hijackings."
Coulson, still looking at Lola, replied, "Of course, under miscellaneous expenses." He chuckled.
Skye smiled, then asked, "What exactly have I gotten myself into?"
Coulson stood up, turned to Skye with a smile, and said, "I told you, front-row seats to the strangest show on Earth."
Skye nodded, "Yeah, but I didn't expect the show to get this crazy so soon. And all for something that's going to be destroyed anyway."
Coulson explained, "Slingshot is standard protocol. Weapons like the 084 are too dangerous to be allowed in anyone's hands. People like Camilla will stop at nothing to get them."
Thinking of Camilla who died for it, Skye nodded thoughtfully.
Despite the presence of a ninja, Coulson, and Ward on the plane, Camilla still made a desperate move for the artifact.
This made Skye realize just how valuable the 084 was and how determined others would be to obtain it.
Meanwhile, Ward was cleaning his firearms and remarked to May, "It looks like Skye won't just be a consultant in the future, even though we have our reservations."
"She might become a core member of the team, but she'll need proper training," Ward said, clearly impressed by Skye's performance today.
May, while organizing her own weapons, responded, "If she wants to become a field agent, she'll need a supervisor."
"A strict and capable one."
Seeing May's expectant look, Ward shook his head. "No, I'm not doing that again."
Clearly, Ward was still affected by the betrayal of Kabuto, making him reluctant to take on another supervisory role. He then added seriously, "But now, our team has gained another consultant."
May smiled and said, "Who could say no to having him on board?"
At that moment, Fitz and Simmons came down from the upper deck with Killer Bee following behind them.
Fitz was carrying a box, and both of them had beers in hand, while Killer Bee was holding a bottle of juice.
Fitz called out to the group, "Come on, you don't want to miss this!"
With Fitz's invitation, everyone gathered around.
Sitting on the deck near the ramp, gazing into the distance, Fitz commented, "It'll take about 190 days to reach the Sun, though it could be faster with hydrogen fuel booster engines, but this works too."
As everyone settled in, Simmons handed out beers. Ward, holding a beer, turned to Killer Bee and asked, "How about some of this?"
Killer Bee, sipping his juice, replied, "We're not allowed to drink before we're eighteen."
Ward nodded in approval. "That's a good rule."
Skye, standing behind the group, also declined the beer offered by Simmons and asked, "How much of that stuff do you guys have?"
Simmons chuckled, "Skye, when you're on a mission, you have to relax now and then."
Fitz chimed in, "Exactly, especially after a day where you almost died."
Then he added, "Killer Bee, that kunai throw was awesome."
"But next time, if you could avoid getting me covered in blood, that would be perfect."
Killer Bee laughed, "I'll do my best."
Just then, the base's intercom announced, "Prepare for launch."
Coulson walked over and said, "Oh, they're ready to launch."
Fitz pinched his nose and counted down, "Three, two, one."
They all watched as a rocket slowly ascended into the sky, carrying the object they had worked so hard to secure.
"The trajectory will take it past the Lagrange point, so it won't crash into Uranus. And there's no coronal mass ejection happening right now, so the telemetry should be fine."
Ward, puzzled, remarked, "Guys, can you speak plain English?"
Everyone was focused on the rocket climbing higher into the sky when Skye felt her phone vibrate.
She discreetly pulled it out of her pocket and read the message: "The Rising Tide is going underground. What's your status? Reply."
Skye glanced at the group with their backs turned to her, then quietly stepped back, contemplating for a moment before replying, "I'm in position."
Noticing Skye's subtle movement, Killer Bee continued to watch the rocket launch, deep in thought, but chose not to say anything.
###
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