Coulson looked at the machine in front of him, "I've surfed before, but this doesn't feel like surfing at all."
Raina's voice was calm and soothing, "That's because you're resisting. Fighting it will only drown you. Your brain will burn out."
"You'll stop breathing once again."
Coulson's expression turned resolute, "Then I'll die again. Or I'll hold out until my team finds me."
"Either way, you're not getting any classified information from me."
But Raina shook her head, "I'm not interested in other secrets."
"The Clairvoyant can see into any agency, any government—he even knows what the President dreams at night."
"We have a common goal: to uncover one secret."
"A secret S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't want you to know."
"You're clinging to the one thing you have left: the comforting memory of your resurrection."
Coulson replied, "Your boss told you I died, that I have memory gaps."
"Ever consider that this mind reader might just be feeding you symptoms he found online?"
But Raina countered, "He also told me that it keeps you up at night."
"You're desperate for answers. And when you asked for them, you were denied, which torments you."
"Am I right?"
Coulson, who had been stoic until now, gave a wry smile.
"I trust S.H.I.E.L.D. Secrets exist for a reason."
Raina continued her verbal assault, "Then why would S.H.I.E.L.D. hide the truth about your death from you?"
"They're your family—the only family you had after your mother passed."
"You've sacrificed so much."
Coulson retorted, "Sacrifice is part of the job. I give it willingly."
Raina pressed further, "You didn't just give your life."
"You gave up the chance to be an ordinary person, gave up love."
"She did love you, Agent Coulson."
"She was lied to about your death. When she heard, she cried her heart out."
"When we captured her and she learned you were alive, her joy was unmistakable."
"And now they're lying to you too."
Coulson's face showed a hint of pain, "No, they're not."
Raina leaned in closer, "Aren't you even a little curious about what happened on that trip to Tahiti?"
Coulson looked up and replied, "It's a magical place."
But Raina's gaze remained unwavering, clearly unconvinced.
Coulson repeated firmly, "That's what I always say."
"Don't you want to know why?"
As he looked at the machine in front of him, his breathing grew heavy. After a few seconds, he spoke again, "Turn it on."
At that moment, Coulson, too, wanted to know what happened to him after his death.
…
Meanwhile-
In her room, with the help of Red Queen, Daisy quickly hacked into Vanchart's bank account and found a recent large transaction from Raina's end.
After locating Raina's account, she proceeded to hack it, examined the transaction history, and pinpointed the exact location tied to a recent expense.
In no time, Daisy identified Coulson's location.
As she looked at the coordinates, memories of what Charles had told her about S.H.I.E.L.D.'s treatment of her family and herself flashed through Daisy's mind, along with moments with Coulson's team.
After a few seconds of hesitation, Daisy pulled out the phone Simmons had given her before she left and finally made the call.
At that moment, Simmons and Fitz were briefing Ward and May on a new weapon designed to combat Centipede warriors when the phone rang.
Seeing the number, Simmons recognized it as Skye's call and immediately answered.
Daisy, seated in her chair, spoke up, "Simmons, it's me."
Simmons responded, "Hello there, Dr. Nugent."
"Is anyone around?"
"Oh, stop with the code! You're a terrible liar."
"Just remember our safety protocol."
Seeing Simmons' reaction, May instructed the three research agents with them, "You three, please step out."
The agents left the lab, and Daisy continued, "Listen, I think I've found where Coulson's being held."
At this, May took the phone from Simmons and said, "Skye, what did you find?"
Momentarily surprised to hear May's voice, Daisy quickly continued, "Coulson is being held in the desert, a hundred kilometers away from you."
"Raina recently purchased property there, and I'm almost certain she's holding him there."
"I'll send the coordinates shortly."
Daisy ended the call and forwarded the address.
After doing all that, she slumped over the desk as tears flowed out of her eyes.
…
Elsewhere-
Hand looked at Ward and May, who had just arrived.
"We're about to launch a major assault on Centipede's lab, and now you want to take your team out to the desert on Skye's hunch?"
Ward clarified, "It's not a hunch."
Fitz added, "Skye tracked Centipede through Vanchart's account and discovered they recently purchased property less than 100 miles from here."
Hand scoffed, "Congratulations on expanding their real estate portfolio, but our intel shows activity at the lab."
"I'll lead the assault team to investigate. That's final."
May intervened, "Then we'll split up. You take the assault team to track Centipede, and we'll follow Skye's lead."
"We'll see if Coulson's there."
Hand turned to May, "You agreed with my decision to kick Skye off the plane."
May replied, "Seems like it's working."
Hand smirked, "Looks like you outmaneuvered me."
Ward added, "This isn't about undermining you. I'm taking my team to find Coulson."
"If you're willing, send backup."
With that, Ward and the team turned and headed out.
…
Elsewhere-
Coulson looked at Raina as she prepared the machine, "How can you be so sure this machine works?"
Raina replied, "Because it worked on me."
Raina had, in fact, used this very device to uncover hidden memories from her own subconscious.
Surprised, Coulson watched as Raina prepared to start the machine. He asked, "One thing before we start: why do you like flowers so much?"
Ever since he'd met her, Raina had always been in floral-patterned dresses.
Raina smiled, "Who doesn't like flowers? I'm glad you noticed."
"Now, close your eyes and relax."
Coulson adjusted himself, then closed his eyes.
Raina prompted him, "Recall your first memory after you died."
She then started the machine.
Watching Coulson on the monitor, Raina began guiding him with her words.
"What do you see?"
As Coulson explored his subconscious, he replied, "A beach… blue waves… just like I remember."