Coulson pointed to the screen displaying the architectural layout of Quinn's estate and began:
"Skye will go in through the front entrance. The only external access to Quinn's underground facility is through a shallow beach."
"The three-person rescue team will sneak in from there, but it won't be easy."
"Fitz, Simmons?"
Fitz stepped forward to explain: "The entire estate is covered by a 20-foot-high neodymium laser grid. Touch it, and you're toast."
"As in, dead toast."
Coulson continued: "The only way to deactivate the grid is to force the system into a reboot."
"That'll give the team three seconds to pass through. But, of course, Quinn won't be dumb enough to allow unlimited access to his territory."
Skye nodded, "That's where I come in."
At this point, Simmons took out a powder box and said, "This special powder can trick the X-ray scanners."
Opening it, she showed Skye. "Rosy sand shade—it matches your complexion."
"If you get close enough to a computer, once the backdoor's activated, the red light on the mirror will turn green."
"When it does, set it down and walk away."
"We'll handle the rest. Piece of cake."
Ward looked at Skye and added, "Assuming you stick to the plan."
Skye nodded, "Got it—plan, green light, set down, walk away."
With the instructions laid out, Coulson turned to leave.
At this moment, May stepped forward and said, "I don't mean to question your orders..."
Coulson glanced at May, "Yes?"
He moved past her, but she hurriedly added:
"But this fight has already exceeded my expectations."
"This three-person rescue team is exactly the kind of mission I was hoping to avoid."
Coulson turned back to face May.
"That's why you're not on it."
May, hearing that she wasn't part of the team, pressed on: "Field agents can't compare with action specialists. Trust me."
"You remember what happened last time—"
Before she could finish, Coulson cut her off: "Hall is one of ours. He's in trouble."
"I need three people to get him out. Ward counts as one, and Killer Bee counts as another, so that means I'm going too."
"And don't forget, I've been through my fair share of fights with the Avengers."
"Plus, with Killer Bee around, once we're inside, no one will be able to stop him. And I'll make sure the mission gets done smoothly."
Having said his piece, Coulson turned to leave.
As Coulson walked away, May muttered under her breath, "Yeah, but you died last time."
Before exiting the command room, Coulson called out, "Alright, people, gear up!"
…
Malta-
Skye, now dressed in a low-cut red dress, arrived outside Quinn's estate in a taxi.
Using her electronic invitation, she passed through security and entered the estate.
A waiter approached her, offering appetizers. "Would you like a canapé?"
Skye casually picked one up and popped it into her mouth.
Just then, a man's voice spoke from behind her, "Who are you?"
Startled, Skye turned to see an elderly man with white hair and a white beard. Before she could respond, a man in a gray suit hurried over and said, "Apologies for his rudeness, he doesn't speak English very well."
Skye, slightly relieved, said, "Uh, it's fine. I'm Skye."
Skye extended her hand and shook the man's hand.
"Qasim Zaghlul," he introduced himself.
"A pleasure to meet you," Skye responded, immediately recognizing the name.
"You built half of Dubai, including the Arabian Blade Tower."
"I love that building. It has such a sci-fi vibe."
Qasim smiled warmly at the compliment.
"Where is your wife?" Skye asked.
…
Inside the Airbus Command Room-
May quickly provided Skye with remote assistance, saying, "Her name is Nadra."
Skye, smiling, asked, "Nadra?"
May continued feeding Skye information: "And twin sons."
"Is she at home with the kids?" Skye inquired.
Qasim chuckled, "Yes, she's at home with the children."
With May and the team supporting her from afar, Skye engaged in small talk with Qasim for a few moments before excusing herself, saying, "It's been an honor to meet you."
After their conversation, Skye scanned her surroundings and murmured, "This is pretty sweet, like a really useful Siri."
Switching to her comms, Skye said, "Captain to Outlaw, I've spotted the big dog. The eagle is landing."
In the command room, Simmons looked confused. "What are you talking about?"
Skye quickly corrected herself, "Sorry, I was being weird. I see Quinn."
"I'm going to go chat with him."
…
At this moment, Ian Quinn was enthusiastically presenting the unique features of his project to his partners when Skye approached and interrupted.
"Absolutely, that's correct," Skye jumped into the conversation.
Turning to Quinn, she introduced herself, "Ian Quinn, I'm an uninvited guest who arrived at the last minute."
She extended her hand. "Skye!"
Quinn glanced down at Skye before shaking her hand. "Wow, it's a pleasure to meet you."
He then introduced her to the people around him. "This is Skye, from the Rising Tide."
"They're a group of hackers. Oops, I guess I just spilled a big secret."
Skye smiled and corrected him, "I prefer to be called an 'activist hacker.'"
She looked back at Quinn. "I'm glad you've heard of our site."
Quinn nodded, "I have. We share a lot of the same ideas—more information freedom."
"Less government infringement on human rights. I admire your work."
Skye beamed, "No wonder I got invited. It wasn't easy getting into this party."
Quinn chuckled, "It wasn't harder than slipping through an encrypted backdoor to make us send that invitation, I bet."
Clearly, Quinn International had detected Skye's methods all along but had played along, not canceling the electronic invite.
Skye smiled knowingly, "I'm good at that kind of thing."
Quinn then extended a casual invitation, "You must show me how you did it—if you're interested in joining us."
Skye tilted her head, confused. "Join what?"
Quinn explained, "I've turned hackers into 'white hats' before. Not just for vulnerability testing, but for their creative thinking."
Skye, slightly surprised, asked, "Are you offering me a job?"
Quinn glanced around before continuing, "I didn't invite you here just because you're beautiful."
"Though, to be honest, I didn't know you were this beautiful."
"Yes, I want to hire you before someone else snatches you up."
Before they could continue the conversation, the event began, and Quinn excused himself to take the stage for his presentation.
As Quinn walked off to start his speech, Skye heard May's voice in her bone-conduction earpiece, "Seems like things are going well."
Skye replied, "Yeah, not bad."