(Attendence Please)
You can read 7 chapters early on my [P].[A].[T].[R].[E].[O].[N].
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While Coulson was upstairs in his office locating Ethan's kunai, a different scene was unfolding below.
In a fit of righteous fury, May brutally attacked Ian Quinn—who had been held in the Bus's interrogation "Cage" since Italy—for shooting Skye. She did not relent, continuing her assault until Quinn was coughing up blood and his face was a mask of crimson.
Finally, Ward had to physically pull her off him. Just then, both of them heard Coulson's voice over the intercom, summoning them to the main lobby.
"He deserves to die... not her," May stated as she entered the lobby, with Ward following close behind.
"Agreed, but right now Quinn doesn't matter. Only Skye does," Coulson replied.
"You heard what the doctor said... they can only make her comfortable," Melinda countered, her voice heavy and heaving, though the final words came out softer than the rest.
"They said there is nothing they could do for her. But I was brought back from the dead by Ethan Park. If he could do that, I bet he can save Skye," Coulson explained.
Just then, the sound of a Quinjet echoed in the distance, followed by a transmission over the radio: "SHIELD 616, this is Tower Michael Tango. You are in violation of SHIELD Directive 1297. Respond immediately."
Ward and May shared a look. "Disobeying a direct order," Ward spoke first, looking toward Coulson. "We didn't hand Quinn over for interrogation."
"Great," May muttered. She moved to the ship's built-in radio to communicate back. "This is SHIELD 616. How do we proceed?"
Coulson moved toward the window to observe the approaching Quinjets as the Bus leveled out in the sky. "Prepare to be boarded and relinquish command," came the cold response.
As the transmission cut off, Coulson walked out of the lobby with Ward following him. May headed toward the medical station to bring Fitz and Simmons up to speed.
"Really? Of all the war and chaos in the world, SHIELD sends a plane after us," Coulson exclaimed.
"Three planes," Ward corrected. "A small transport to dock and a pair of F-35s to
ensure we hand over Quinn."
S.H.I.E.L.D. intercepted the Bus, sending Agents John Garrett and Antoine Triplett to board the aircraft and retrieve Quinn.
Coulson explained to Garrett that Quinn had shot one of his agents and they could not relinquish him until Skye was safe.
The unsaid threat didn't get un noticed by Garrett, if Skye didn't survive neither will Quinn.
Garrett appeared empathetic to Coulson's situation stating that he himself had lost three of his own chasing Ian Quinn and they agreed to a temporary truce, where Garrett gets to interrogate Quinn on the bus immediately.
On the other hand, the interaction between Ward and Triplett was less cordial. After initially discussing the interior of the Bus, the two agents descended into a physical confrontation when Ward refused to hand over the prisoner.
Ward managed to overpower Triplett, but Garrett and Coulson interrupted the fight. They informed Ward that they had received permission from their superiors to interrogate Quinn aboard the plane, rather than immediately transporting him to the Fridge.
The Fridge is a massive S.H.I.E.L.D. detainment and storage facility at a classified location. The structure stands 100 stories tall and can only be accessed through the roof.
Inside the lab:
"I don't understand how he saved Coulson. Instant tissue regeneration? How did he revive the dead cells in Coulson's brain after the loss of oxygen? It all seems so diabolical..." Simmons spoke, having reviewed the files related to Coulson's resurrection for the hundredth time.
"I agree, but we can't argue with results. He's walking around, isn't he?" Fitz replied. They were squared away in their lab; on the main screen, Skye could be seen attached to life support.
They both looked toward Skye before Simmons continued. "Yeah, but at what cost? We were both there. Coulson was brought back from the dead—not from near-death, but from death death. No beating heart, no brain activity, nothing."
"Yeah, but this is different," Fitz countered. "Skye isn't dead."
Just then, May entered the lab. "You two. Be present in the Main lobby in Ten minutes, Coulson intends to summon Park" she commanded before leaving.
Fitz and Simmons share a grim look.
Inside the "Cage":
Coulson and Garrett entered the Bus's interrogation room.
"And here I thought I was going to get to play bad cop," Garrett remarked, eyeing the bloody condition May had left Quinn in.
"Ian Quinn, this is Agent Garrett. He's here to ask you some questions," Coulson explained in a monotonous voice.
"No, thank you. My head is still ringing from the last visitor," Quinn argued.
"At least the last visitor left you with a head," Garrett quipped. "I'm not always that considerate. I'm interested in one of your newer projects."
"Hmm, but there are so many to choose from..." Quinn tried to deflect, but Garrett reached out and gripped his jaw tightly.
"Let me be clear. You have no rights and no lawyer. The only thing keeping Agent Coulson from throwing you out of this plane is the very weak heartbeat of a young agent downstairs. And the only incentive I have for not tearing your tongue out is the hope that you'll use it to answer my questions. Is that clear?" Garrett made it perfectly clear: he was comfortable operating in a morally gray area.
Quinn mumbled something that sounded like an affirmation. Garrett tightened his grip and looked at Coulson. "Do you understand that?"
"No," Coulson replied immediately.
Garrett let go of Ian and sat back. "Tell me everything you know about Cybertek and the Deathlok program," he instructed.
"Deathlok?" Coulson questioned.
"Catchy, right? Sounds like some wrestler from the eighties," Garrett replied, looking directly at Ian.
"What is it, really?" Garrett asked.
"Those are dangerous waters," Ian replied. "And the last agent who waded into them wound up with two in the stomach." He received a sharp backhand for his troubles.
Coulson accuses Quinn of shooting Skye because what she saw back in Italy what the Cybertek delivered.
Quinn also revealed that it was "The Clairvoyant" who had disclosed the locations of the three Garrett-led agents who were killed in Berlin and Morocco.
"The Clairvoyant sees everything—except for how Ethan Park brings back the dead," Quinn explained, his gaze fixed on Coulson.
"This is still about me," Coulson whispered.
"Wait. You're going to need to rewind the tape, Phil," Garrett said, stepping directly in front of Coulson.
"You heard about how Park brought me back from 'near-death' right after the Battle of New York, right?" After receiving a nod of affirmation from Garrett, Phil continued. "There is more to it than that. Official reports say I was gone for six minutes. Turns out, it was hours."
"That's impossible," Garrett remarked.
"That's why the Clairvoyant will do anything to know how it happened," Quinn added.
"Even ordering you to shoot Skye," Coulson replied, finally reaching the grim conclusion.
"Wait. You don't know what Park actually did to save you," Garrett noted, observing Phil's grave expression.
"That's why we were going to call Park here before you guys showed up," Phil explained.
"So, shooting the girl forces you to summon Ethan Park," Garrett continued.
"So the Clairvoyant can finally see," Quinn added.
"Or you let the girl die," Garrett finished.
Inside Coulson's Office:
Coulson was back in his office, with May and Simmons beside him. He had just informed them of what had occurred in the Cage—specifically, that the Clairvoyant was the mastermind behind Skye's shooting.
"Frankly, sir, Fitz and I only understand about 70% of what happened to you. We still have no idea how it was possible, even though we saw him performing what he called 'Reverse Cursed Technique',
Within the medical community, the spontaneous regeneration of muscle tissue had long been relegated to the realm of the impossible—that is, until Ethan Park proved otherwise."Simmons clarified. "I highly doubt that even if this 'Clairvoyant' saw Mr. Park performing RCT, they would be able to replicate it with technology."
Seeing the slightly skeptically look on May face,Coulson asked." You disagree?"
"I think we need to do everything humanly possible to save Skye," May offered her two cents, "but we have to acknowledge that doing so might give the Clairvoyant exactly what he wants. We are 'assuming' he wants to know 'how' Park heals, based on the words of a man who shot Skye, And in Our line of Work, Assumption kills."
"It's a risk we have to take," Coulson replied.
Leaving no room for argument.
And so all three of them made there way to The bus main lounge
In the main lounge:
Agent Garrett lounged across the side sofa while Agent Ward leaned against the door frame. Agents Triplett and Fitz were fidgeting with the holo-table when Coulson walked in holding an antique wooden box, followed closely by Simmons and May.
Garrett stood up straight.
"So, this is what all this circus is about, huh?" Garrett remarked, taking a closer look at the box Coulson had brought.
"Not the box... it's what's inside," Coulson explained as he opened it.
Inside it lay a knife,
A specialized, three-pronged weapon designed by Tora to Ethan's specifications to facilitate long distances travel through Shadow Manipulation.
It features a unique trident-shaped blade, a thicker-than-normal yellow grip for better handling, and a sealing formula on the handle that serves as a permanent teleportation marker that had occurred due to the sacrifice of Rabbit escape shikigami.
The room was packed. Ward, Garrett, and Triplett stood on the left, while May, Fitz, Simmons, and Coulson occupied the right, with the kunai resting in the center of the room.
"So, how do you do it? Just throw it at the ground?" Triplett questioned. The weapon before them had become legendary within the spy community, even before the Battle of New York cemented Ethan's fame.
Its reputation had been forged in the aftermath of the Destroyer attack on Puente Antiguo, New Mexico.
"No, before that, I make a phone call," Phil answered, midway through dialing Ethan's number.
"Wait a second—you have Park's contact information? How?" Garrett asked, visibly stunned.
"He gave it to me after the Battle of New York. I guess dying has some perks, huh?" Phil quipped, attempting to lighten the mood.
He initiated the call. One ring, two rings, three rings... and on the fourth, the call was picked up and Coulson put it on speaker.
"What is it, Coulson? Don't tell me you're calling to wish me a Happy New Year..." Before Coulson could reply, a series of sounds erupted through the speaker.
Boom! Boom!
"Yes! Yes! Kill that boy! Kill that boy, Tora!" Ethan's energetic voice followed, punctuated by the rhythmic sound of his clapping.
Coulson and May, who was standing right behind him, shared a weary look as Coulson continued, "Are you in the middle of something, Park?"
Coulson took the phone off speaker and stepped into the next room. "You aren't actually harming anyone, are you?" he felt compelled to ask.
"Don't worry... it's just a friendly competition," Ethan explained, just as another massive explosion rocked the line.
Boom!
'It doesn't sound friendly,' Coulson thought.
Ethan was in the mirror Dimension with the evening sun overhead, surrounded on all sides by vast water with no land in sight. They had chosen this isolated location for the "duel," as Jack would call it.
The news of what had happened to Roslind Dyer had already reached them. Even Ethan was slightly disturbed by the level of cruelty Jack had displayed.
'This guy is a Cursed Spirit to the core,' he had thought but Ethan had let the matter rest.
Tora, however, had not, He had warned Ethan against sending "the freak" to deal with Dyer from the start.
Once Jack returned with his report, Tora was not pleased with the casual cruelty displayed by the cursed spirit, A certain level he could accept, for him Cruelty need to serve a purpose, like in Caleb cases were it served to send a message to thoes who thought they could use innocent victims to force Ethan's hands.
Without it they were no better than the cursed beings they were fighting against.
Seeing that Ethan was seriously considering never using him for forseeable future, Jack had desperately proposed a "Gentleman's Duel" against Tora to prove his worth.
The point was not to win, but to show he could still be of use.
Predictably, Jack was currently receiving the beating of his life—a thrashing second only to the day he had lost against Ethan himself. Though he had proved his point, having managed to keep pace with Tora for the opening minutes, the tide had clearly turned.
Coulson had then explained the current situation and Skye's dire predicament to Ethan over the line.
Returning to the main lounge, Phil walked toward the kunai resting in the center of the room. He picked it up and flicked it back onto the floor.
The room fell into a heavy silence. Ward and Triplett stood straighter; May shifted her combat stance. Fitz and Simmons watched from the sidelines, their eyes fixed on the weapon, while Garrett shifted in his seat and arched forward in anticipation.
A second later, Ethan flickered into existence before them. He had, of course, agreed to board the Bus and heal Skye.
While every high-ranking S.H.I.E.L.D. agent knew of his teleportation abilities, seeing it firsthand left the room momentarily stunned.
Coulson was the first to break the trance.
"Ethan, this is—" He began to introduce his team, but Ethan raised a hand to silence him.
"Introductions can wait. Take me to your agent," Park spoke, his gaze sweeping the room. Though His eyes lingered for a fraction of a second longer on Ward and Garrett than the others.
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A/N: So how was the chapter?
(Here. If you haven't watched Agents of shield series.)