Fitz quickly retreated, while the other strike team members began their search.
Meanwhile, Ward and two agents reached the northwest corridor.
The Death Soldier, locking onto them with his mechanical eye, raised his arm and launched a micro-missile.
"Whoosh!"
Seeing this, Ward shouted, "Enemy contact! Take cover!"
Even as he shouted, he dived for safety. However, the two agents behind him, lacking the enhanced reflexes provided by the serum, couldn't react in time.
"Boom!"
The missile struck a nearby pillar, and the explosion's shockwave hurled all three of them away.
Ward scrambled to his feet and immediately opened fire on the Death Soldier.
"Rat-tat-tat!"
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
The bullets struck the Death Soldier's armor with metallic clangs, but they failed to inflict any damage.
The Death Soldier glanced at Ward indifferently, then turned and walked away.
Ward, having emptied his magazine, sighed in relief as the enemy left.
Over the comms, May's voice came through, "Ward, are you okay?"
Ward looked back at the two agents lying injured behind him.
"Two of my team are down. We need medical support."
Back at the command vehicle, Fitz immediately responded, "Sending the medics now."
May added, "I'm heading your way."
As May ran through the building, she caught a glimpse of the Death Soldier, "I see him!"
She picked up her pace, pursuing him, but the Death Soldier, improved by his enhancements, was faster and more agile.
Coulson, armed and on the move, tried to cut off the Death Soldier's escape route.
At the edge of an escalator, the Death Soldier looked down the vertical drop of several floors and leaped without hesitation.
"Boom!"
He landed smoothly with a resounding crash and continued running.
Coulson, standing on the escalator above, watched him flee and reported, "He's heading into the southwest stairwell. I'm pursuing."
Without hesitation, Coulson jumped down the escalator and resumed the chase.
May arrived moments later. Assessing the height, she too leaped down, her improved physique allowing her to withstand the impact.
Coulson entered the stairwell, relaying updates on the Death Soldier's movements, "All teams, he's heading for the second basement level."
"I don't see him yet."
"Fitz, do we have any drones nearby?"
Fitz, hearing the command, responded immediately, "Sending them now."
He quickly deployed the drones, which zipped toward the basement level.
Coulson reached the second basement level, watching as a drone flew overhead. He cautiously advanced with his weapon raised, searching the area.
At a hallway corner, he nearly collided with Garrett, mistaking him for the Death Soldier.
Garrett raised his hands and smirked, "Relax, I'm not the one."
As they spoke, the Death Soldier suddenly appeared behind Coulson, using his mechanical eye to lock on and fire another micro-missile.
But the sound of the missile firing was especially conspicuous in the silent basement. Coulson immediately turned and opened fire.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
The metallic clangs echoed as bullets rebounded off the Death Soldier's armor. Realizing his ambush had failed, the Death Soldier turned and fled.
Coulson and Garrett raised their weapons and gave chase, but as they rounded a corner, the Death Soldier had vanished.
Instead, they heard faint noises coming from what appeared to be an elevator shaft nearby. However, the shaft was pitch-black, rendering visibility nearly impossible.
Coulson turned to the drone and asked, "Fitz, can you see anything?"
"Just barely, sir," Fitz replied.
"That leads to the sewage system. There's at least 12 meters of reinforced concrete down there, so there's no signal coverage."
Seeing that direct pursuit was impossible, Fitz redirected the drone to scout elsewhere.
Garrett, watching the drone fly off, asked, "Where's that little guy headed?"
As the drone explored further, Fitz made a new discovery and reported, "Sir, there's someone else down there."
"Got it!" Coulson replied.
Following the drone's guidance, Coulson and Garrett entered a room and immediately spotted the silhouette of someone slumped in a chair.
In front of them were numerous computer monitors and devices.
Approaching cautiously, they walked around to face the person in the chair. It was a man, hooked up to oxygen tubes and heart monitors, appearing utterly immobile.
Seeing the setup, Garrett scoffed, "What is this supposed to be?"
Just then, text appeared on one of the monitors, and a synthesized voice spoke, "Agent Coulson. Agent Garrett. I surrender."
Coulson, staring at the man in the chair and the display, was visibly stunned.
Moments later, Ward, May, and several field agents entered the room.
The synthesized voice spoke again, "Forgive me for not shaking hands. I dislike being touched."
The live video feed of Coulson's team in action was simultaneously transmitted to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s central command center, where Hand and her team watched the unfolding scene with astonishment.
Ward surveyed the room and commented, "Sir, there are a lot of wires in here."
Coulson responded, "Don't touch anything. We need to scan for explosives."
The synthesized voice interrupted, "There are no traps here, Agent Coulson."
"You're here because it was destined for us to meet."
Garrett looked at the man and asked, "Are you the Clairvoyant?"
"My name is Thomas Nash. Mr. Poe gave me that title," the voice replied.
"Frankly, I find it a bit exaggerated."
Coulson, still on edge, cautioned his team, "Stay sharp, everyone."
"We still don't know where the Death Soldier is or if anyone else is here."
The voice responded, "The Death Soldier is gone. I severed his connection. You won't find him."
Coulson asked, "But you lured us here using him. Why?"