They kept moving, eyes scanning for enemies as Cortana helped by feeding positional cues of incoming enemies.
Melinda moved to cover behind him, catching blind spots he couldn't see.
The stairwell was cleared—one body at a time.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
James's marksmanship was precise, hitting every shot, even on blindspots. The stun pistol in his hand behaved much like a conventional sidearm—slightly heavier and slower on the draw—but the difference didn't matter. For ordinary agents, it could be an issue. But for James, it was merely an adjustment to his usual.
Eight guards dropped in rapid succession.
"Reloading," James called out.
He stepped back without breaking sightlines. Melinda May moved forward seamlessly, covering the corridor as James reloaded. Once seated, he tapped her shoulder and returned to leading the assault.
They breached the third-floor computer room moments later.
James cleared the doorway, moved straight to the central console, and began overriding the system. Within seconds, he routed full control to Fitz aboard the aircraft.
"All doors unlocked," Fitz reported. "I've got control of the building."
Behind them, the Hong Kong division began sweeping the first and second floors. Resistance was minimal. Those levels weren't meant to be fully secure.
Fifth Floor — Isolation Control Room
"They're already here," Debbie Hynes said tensely. "Chan Ho Yin's been injected, but the serum hasn't stabilized yet."
She was the woman that S.H.I.E.L.D. had been following, and the person she was talking to was Raina. "Then just draw his blood!"
"The results of the experiment are not out yet. We can't guarantee success. Why don't we just retreat with him?" Debbie suggested.
"No, that's too dangerous. Just draw his blood and take it to the other bases for experiments. We need to go!" Raina said with finality.
Fourth Floor
James moved fast.
With Fitz controlling surveillance and access points, there was no resistance. The stairwell was cleared in seconds.
"Let's hurry it up," James said under his breath. "They should already know we're here and will try to flee."
He glanced back once.
"May. You and I push straight to the fifth floor. The rest spread out and clear the area."
"Don't worry, I got your back."
James accelerated—but not fully. Melinda was exceptional, but she was still human. He slowed himself deliberately, never letting the distance between them widen too far.
Fifth Floor — Experimental Chamber
"Go straight… right… left… that door," Fitz called out to them, barely keeping up.
James picked up speed and slammed the door in.
The chamber was vast, packed with experimental equipment. Chan Ho Yin was strapped to a reclined chair, veins glowing faintly beneath his skin. A woman in a floral dress leaned close, whispering to him.
James raised the stun pistol and fired.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
Every technician in protective gear dropped instantly.
Raina froze.
She hadn't expected the security perimeter to collapse this quickly.
Other than Chan Ho Yin who was strapped down on the inclined table, only Raina and Debbie remained standing.
James scanned the room once.
"Melinda," James said evenly. "Take care of the women. Leave Chan Ho Yin to me."
May moved without hesitation.
Raina recovered fast. She turned back to Chan Ho Yin, voice urgent and persuading.
"They want to turn you back into nothing," she whispered. "They fear what you've become. Destroy them, my Scorch."
Chan Ho Yin ripped himself free of the restraints. Flames gathered in his hands, swelling with heat.
"S.H.I.E.L.D. will not stop me again," he roared. "You're nothing but obstacles to be destroyed."
Twin fireballs tore across the room.
James and May split opposite directions.
James fired several to incapacitate him but then stopped.
A wall of fire formed in front of Chan Ho Yin, vaporizing the stun rounds before they reached him.
James frowned, holstered his weapon, and stripped off his gear, tossing them aside.
"Chan Ho Yin," James said calmly, stepping forward, "are you really willing to die for people who already plan to discard you?"
Chan Ho Yin laughed, eyes wild. "I am the Scorch."
James exhaled slowly. "If we hadn't arrived this fast, you'd already be dead, and don't flatter yourself, you ain't as strong as you believe."
Chan Ho Yin answered with flames.
He merged both fireballs into a single blazing mass and hurled it forward.
"Die!"
The flames swallowed James whole.
Chan Ho Yin laughed—loud and sure of his triumph.
"I told you—no one can stop me."
A calm, electronic voice answered from within the fire.
"You're weak."
A metal thud struck the floor.
Heavy footsteps followed.
The flames parted ways as the Umbra Sentinel mark III revealed itself, a black armor gleaming from the lick of fire, unharmed.
Blue energy gathered in its palm.
The energy pulse hit Chan Ho Yin and launched him across the room. He struck the wall and collapsed—unconscious.
The armor detaches from James as he steps out, stored the armor and re-equipped his gear before turning back toward Melinda.
Raina and Debbie Hynes were already restrained.
They felt indignant and disappointed.
They hadn't obtained the blood.
They hadn't escaped.
This was not part of the plan.
James looked at the two women who had been restrained by Melinda May. He felt a faint unease, but there was no alternative now. They had to be arrested in secret. Fewer witnesses meant fewer complications.
"Phil," James said through a phone as he muted the comms, "don't let anyone in. Find an excuse to seal the precinct."
He deliberately used his phone instead of the comms. The open channel was crowded, and anything said there would be heard by everyone. The Hong Kong branch and headquarters traffic often overlapped—better to be cautious of any eavesdroppers.
Phil Coulson arrived moments later. He had been supervising the sweep of the fifth floor, but aside from this room, it had been nearly empty.
"What happened?" Coulson asked, scanning the scene.
"We moved faster than expected," James replied calmly. "No one had escaped, so the plan changed. The police will take most of them. We'll take one—off the books. Publicly, we announce that one suspect got away."
He pointed to Raina, unconscious on the floor.
Coulson frowned. "What makes her so special?"
"She's the one who pushed Miles Lydon to break into our database," James said. "I want to turn her into an informant. Let her believe the experiment continues. When the results mature, she'll lead us straight to the person we actually want."
Neither James nor Coulson avoided Melinda May's presence. May was trustworthy but did not fully understand the situation.
"All right," Coulson said finally. "I'll arrange it. What about Chan Ho Yin?"
"Send him to prison," James answered flatly. "He attacked us, believes S.H.I.E.L.D. is suppressing him, and calls himself the Scorch. His power spike came from the serum, not a Centipede implant. The effect is limited. So let the bureau handle him."
Coulson nodded and stepped aside to make the calls.
James lifted Raina and moved her out of sight.
An hour later, the institute was sealed. Cleanup was complete. Officially, one suspect had escaped. Unofficially, James and the team departed with Raina in tow, leaving the remaining fallout to Coulson and Melinda May.
Back on the plane, Skye and Miles Lydon were still confined in the interrogation room.
At James's instruction, Fitz and Simmons escorted them out. Miles was transferred directly to local custody. Skye remained behind—Miles could not be allowed to see who had truly been taken.
Skye waited in the plane's living area, tense and restless. When she saw James return, she stood quickly.
"What's going to happen to Miles?" she asked.
James said nothing at first. He secured Raina in the interrogation room, then returned and sat across from Skye.
"He's facing fewer charges now," James said. "Chan Ho Yin survived. But there are still plenty left."
"Can't you give him a chance?" Skye pressed. "He's talented. Could S.H.I.E.L.D. recruit him?"
"No," James replied without hesitation. "We don't recruit just everyone. You were given an opportunity and you took it. He doesn't have that opportunity. He's lucky prison is all he's getting."
James stood and walked away.
Miles Lydon would not walk free and all his assets would be seized. That was final.
Skye remained on the sofa, unsettled.
Phil Coulson and Melinda May soon returned, but the plane stayed grounded. There were still two matters unresolved: Raina, and Skye.
"Come to my office," Coulson said to Skye. "James—you too."
They went up to the third floor.
Skye hesitated outside the door, then steeled herself and stepped inside.
"I don't want to hurt anyone," she began, sitting down hurriedly.
Coulson cut her off. "Don't lie. You've been lying since the day you boarded my plane."
"I'm not—"
"You are," Coulson snapped. "And you're doing it again. I've taken pressure from you. The team is starting to trust you. But what about you? Why are you here?—You've been hiding something from us, not just your boyfriend. You're hiding a secret. I'll give you one last chance." Phil Coulson threatened
Skye was silent, she reached into her jacket and placed a small memory card on the desk.
"That's everything," she said quietly. "All the information I have. Everything about me."
Coulson inserted it into the reader.
James watched the screen: photos taken only from behind, files blacked out almost completely. A life that was erased.
"That's why I became a hacker," Skye said, her voice shaking. "Why I joined Rising Tide. I searched everywhere. But there was nothing. No records. Just one document— and it was redacted."
Tears fell freely now.
"S.H.I.E.L.D. Confidential," Coulson read softly.
"No matter what you do to me," Skye said, "I won't stop looking."
"You might not like what you find," Coulson warned.
"Maybe," Skye replied. "But it can't be worse than this."
Coulson stood. "Go outside. I'll assign you a supervisor."
Skye rose, glanced once at James—who had remained silent—and left.
James finally spoke. "You're not thinking of assigning me to her, are you?"
Coulson smirked faintly. "Why not? Haven't you been trying to ask her out since day one? A supervision assignment to her seems like something you would like."
He handed James a small case.
Inside was a silver restraint bracelet, designed to limit access to electronic systems.
"Should she know the truth?" Coulson asked.
James considered it. "You can't stop her forever. Tell her slowly. Let her prepare."
Coulson nodded. "Fair enough. Now it's your turn. There's another woman waiting in the interrogation room."
James sighed. "Don't phrase it like that. I haven't read her memories. She's sharp—too sharp. Interrogating her risks exposing my ability. Let her wait."
He paused.
"Send Fitz and Simmons to analyze Chan Ho Yin's blood. Extract some samples. We'll need them."
"All right."