Thomas Nash responded, "It's good to see you in person."
"Now I understand why I couldn't see you after you died."
"Because you couldn't see yourself. You're just a broken man, completely unaware of it."
Coulson glanced at the screens behind him, then turned back to Nash and replied, "And aren't you the same?"
Garrett looked at Coulson and said, "Let's get this freak back into cold storage."
Nash's voice echoed again, "Agent Garrett, look at me."
"I'm strapped to a chair. How much more restrained can I get?"
Garrett glanced at Nash, then asked, "Can someone tell me how to shut off that annoying voice?"
Nash continued, "I'll meet Raina in prison, Agent Coulson."
"But no matter where you go, I'll always see you."
"Just like I saw you cradling Fitz, watching him bleed out, blaming yourself for his death."
Coulson stepped forward, stopping directly in front of Nash, and said, "They say you can see the future. So, what do you know about the Ninjas?"
Instead of reacting to Nash's taunts, Coulson cleverly shifted the conversation to test Nash's supposed precognitive abilities while probing for secrets about the Ninjas.
For Coulson, it was a win-win: whether Nash could answer or not, he would gain valuable insights.
"Don't overestimate my abilities," Nash replied, "I can't foresee everything."
When Nash admitted this, Coulson felt a mixture of disappointment and relief. Perhaps Nash's abilities weren't as formidable as rumored.
But doubt lingered in his mind. Was this truly the actual Clairvoyant, a man with actual precognitive powers?
After all, the Asgardian Enchantress had shown no discrimination when controlling humans, Ninjas, or Asgardians alike.
Nash's synthetic voice broke Coulson's thoughts, "The Ninjas are not of this world."
"Alien things, like you, are beyond my sight."
Hearing this, Coulson's heart skipped a beat.
Aliens...
If the Ninjas were alien, and the GH325 serum that saved him was extracted from a blue-skinned alien corpse, then perhaps this connection explained why Nash couldn't see him.
Coulson's suspicion that Nash was indeed the Clairvoyant grew. However, if Nash couldn't predict the Ninjas' actions, his usefulness diminished.
"We're locking you up," Coulson declared, "No one will have to listen to your nonsense again."
Nash retorted, "I can see your anger, your frustration that I can't glimpse the Ninjas' future and help S.H.I.E.L.D. shine."
"But you're blinded by lies. Someone has betrayed you."
"You're worried about what's to come, afraid the Ninjas will shatter Earth's peace."
Coulson countered, "Nothing will happen. These are just empty threats from you."
"No, it's inevitable," Nash said. "A force you can't comprehend is coming for you."
"You and Fitz have something we need."
"When we take it, he will die."
"I've already seen it."
Coulson leaned closer to Nash and said coldly, "Go to hell."
Nash replied, "No matter where I go or what you do to me, I will always..."
"Bang!"
Ward fired a shot straight into Nash's heart. The heart monitor connected to Nash immediately sounded an alarm, and within two seconds, the heartbeat flatlined to zero.
Coulson stared at Ward in disbelief. "What are you doing?"
May quickly drew her weapon and aimed at Ward, then cautiously disarmed him, confiscating his gun.
Everyone was stunned by Ward's actions. Even Fitz in the command vehicle outside, as well as Hand, Simmons, and others in the S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters command room, were shocked.
Simmons gasped, "Oh my god, I can't believe this."
Hand commented, "The Clairvoyant definitely didn't see this coming."
Garrett glanced at the heart monitor and remarked, "He's dead. It's over."
With Nash's death, everyone began securing the scene. Meanwhile, Ward was escorted into a vehicle.
Outside the building, Garrett watched as Ward was led to the car. He turned to Coulson and said:
"He's a tactical specialist. Cold-bloodedness is a basic requirement for them."
Coulson, still watching Ward being escorted, replied, "I know."
"But I still can't believe Ward would do such a thing."
Garrett looked at Coulson and said, "When I assigned him to your team, I hoped you could temper his bad attitude."
"Maybe you were too successful. Now, he's letting his emotions cloud his judgment."
"Do you want me to escort him back to headquarters for questioning?"
Coulson looked at Garrett and replied, "No, I want to talk to him before he faces the review board."
Garrett nodded, "Understood. I'll get back to my mission, tracking the Death Warrior's whereabouts."
"Got it. Let me know if you find anything."
"I will. Take care of yourself."
"Oh, and Phil, don't be too hard on the kid."
With that, Garrett turned and left.
At that moment, May approached Coulson and reported, "We've just received word from headquarters. Director Fury is back."
"He's waiting for you at the newly rebuilt Triskelion."
Hearing this, Coulson narrowed his eyes, "It's time."
May added, "You can talk to him about what's been troubling you."
"What's troubling me is more than just one thing."
With those words, Coulson turned and walked away.