Quinn took the stage and began his speech:
"Many of our shareholders have been with us for years, and I also see some new faces."
"But I want to thank all of you for coming here, to this beautiful country, to experience life in here."
"This country allows us to pursue progress and profit, free from the suffocating regulations that bind the rest of the world."
"The U.S. government, the EU, DRTC, S.H.I.E.L.D.—these organizations obstruct others from developing new technologies, reserving innovation only for themselves."
"We dare to challenge them with fresh ideas, but they sneak in and steal them from us."
"But today, that won't happen. You all know what Quinn International can achieve with basic minerals, let alone uranium and plutonium."
"Despite the unfair restrictions that tip the scales in others' favor, today, I am here to announce something new—an element that will balance those scales."
"I mean that literally."
At this moment, a new element appeared on the screen next to him, labeled:
"Gravitonium."
"Atomic number: 123. Atomic mass: 308."
As Quinn introduced the newly acquired element, all eyes in the room were drawn to the screen.
Meanwhile, Skye took advantage of the distraction to slip away and infiltrate deeper into the estate, heading for Quinn's office to access the computer system and connect to the Wi-Fi.
…
Elsewhere-
Ward, Killer Bee, and Coulson approached the island by kayak, quietly docking and concealing their vessel after landing.
Quinn continued enthusiastically from the stage: "Imagine if you could control gravity. No need to drill for oil; the oil would rise to the surface on its own."
"Imagine if you could move the cargo of a supertanker with a simple wave of your hand."
"We can make that a reality, and more."
As they moved quietly through the island, Coulson spoke, "This might be traumatic for Dr. Hall. When we find him, he might not be the same."
"Ward, I'll handle convincing him. We can't let your 'charming' personality push him too hard."
"Killer Bee, your job is to take out any enemies that get close. Keep it quiet."
"And no rapping on the battlefield. We'll relax in New York once the mission is over."
Ward muttered sarcastically, "Perfect timing for some humor, sir."
Killer Bee gave a shrug, hands raised: ╮(╯▽╰)╭.
"If Skye can't get us in, my social skills won't be our biggest problem."
…
Skye made her way into the estate and found Quinn's office, only to discover the door was locked. She murmured into her comms, "The door's locked, but there's no keyhole."
In the command room, Fitz asked, "Any chance of a small keypad?"
Skye scanned the area but didn't see anything like that. "Nope, nothing like that."
"Could you hack a small keypad?"
"Not with my phone."
May then asked, "Is there a reception desk?"
Skye glanced down the hallway and spotted a desk with some papers and objects on it, though no one was present.
"Yeah, there is. What should I do?"
Just then, Quinn appeared, asking, "What are you up to?"
Skye, startled, turned to Quinn and grabbed a pen from the desk, saying, "Just looking for a pen, found one."
"I need to jot down some of those brilliant ideas. You know how it is."
She added, "Of course you know, with all your great ideas, you'd need at least ten pens."
Quinn wasn't convinced and pressed further, "What are you really doing?"
Skye hesitated for a few seconds before admitting, "Okay, you got me."
"I wanted to see what's in your office, to get a closer look at how you operate."
Quinn took two steps closer, his expression serious. "I invited you here as a guest, and you're treating me like I'm some corrupt institution, looking for secrets to leak online."
He picked up his phone and said, "Security."
Skye quickly grabbed his arm, "No, no, wait."
"There are so many people pretending to be something they're not. You have to stay cautious, be vigilant."
Skye began scribbling on a piece of paper at the reception desk while talking, "Watch what you say, the secrets you reveal."
"I'm hoping we can be honest with each other, that you'll understand where I'm coming from."
Quinn silently observed her actions until he saw what Skye had written on the paper:
"S.H.I.E.L.D. is listening."
Quinn paused, thinking it over. After a moment of consideration, he gestured for Skye to follow him into his office.
…
In the command room-
The team listened closely to Skye's words.
"My office is smaller, but it has more wheels."
"Wow, you've got a view of the ocean and a pool here," Skye said.
Quinn responded, "A great place for doing business."
At that moment, May chimed in, "We've found the extension that leaked Hall's location. The user used an alias."
Fitz suggested, "Track the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)..."
"We're tracking it, but it will take time. What about Skye?" May asked.
Simmons answered, "I thought she was done for, but with some smooth talking, she got into Quinn's office."
May was curious, "How did she manage that?"
Fitz, trying to explain, gestured with his hands in front of his chest, "She probably used her... um..."
Seeing the looks from May and Simmons, Fitz hesitated, "Her... assets."
Simmons sighed, "That's the only explanation..."
But just then, Skye's signal on their screen suddenly cut off.
Simmons gasped, "Oh no, we've lost her signal."
"Fitz!" May snapped.
Fitz, startled, stammered, "What? It wasn't me... it must have been her."
…
Inside Quinn's office-
Skye removed the bone conduction earpiece from her ear and dropped it into a glass of champagne, completely cutting off the signal.
"Ah, that's much better," Skye said, feeling relieved. "It's the first time I've felt like someone was monitoring my every move since I passed my driver's test."
Quinn, eyeing the earpiece now submerged in the champagne glass, asked, "You want to explain what's going on here? Has S.H.I.E.L.D. contacted you?"
Skye explained, "They caught me in Los Angeles. I helped them handle a crisis."
"Now they want to recruit me."
Quinn set the champagne glass with the earpiece aside and said, "That's not surprising."
Skye continued, "As for inside information, I've got a bed on their plane."
"I've been gathering intel, waiting for the right time to put it to use."
"But I think I'm done with them this time."