Ward held the hostage firmly, remaining calm, and casually remarked to May, "You should always carry two guns."
The situation escalated into a standoff, and Ward contacted Coulson inside the temple.
"Coulson?"
Coulson responded over the radio, "Go ahead."
"There's a situation outside."
Skye spoke from the side, "This area is known for its rebel activity."
Coulson dismissed the idea, "Rebels wouldn't be this subtle."
He then instructed Fitz and Simmons, "You two continue working, I'll handle this."
Coulson exited the temple and saw the tense standoff at the entrance. He addressed the group, "Good morning, I'm Agent Coulson. We're here on a matter involving international security."
At that moment, the opposing commander stepped forward. She was a woman in military attire wearing sunglasses.
Recognizing Coulson, she exclaimed, "Philip?"
Coulson also recognized her and called out her name, "Camilla?"
Then, gesturing toward the armed soldiers, he said, "Could you ask them to lower their weapons?"
Camilla shrugged and replied, "You first."
Coulson nodded, signaling to Ward and May, who released their hostage and holstered their weapons. Seeing this, Camilla ordered her soldiers, "Stand down, lower your weapons."
As the soldiers obeyed, Camilla quickly walked up to Coulson, removed her sunglasses, and greeted him with a kiss on each cheek.
Coulson smiled at her, saying, "You've been promoted to commander—congratulations!"
Camilla laughed, "That happened three years ago, but thank you."
Coulson then introduced his team, "This is Agent Melinda May and Agent Grant Ward. This is Commander Camilla Reyes of the Peruvian military police. We've worked together before."
May and Ward exchanged glances, both sensing that Coulson and Camilla had a deeper connection.
Coulson then instructed Ward, "Let the others know everything's fine."
Ward nodded and headed back into the temple.
Camilla turned to Coulson and said, "I understand you've found something unusual on Peruvian soil. We should discuss how to handle this."
Coulson agreed, "Of course, but you know the 084 doesn't belong to the country where it's found."
Camilla, shifting the topic, remarked, "You look well."
"Yes, I try to stay in shape," Coulson replied.
Camilla, linking arms with Coulson, said, "Come, let me show you something."
Inside the temple, Fitz was analyzing the data from the scans and pointed out to Simmons, "Did you see this? It's alive."
Skye, intrigued, asked, "You mean alive as in life and death?"
Fitz clarified, "It has a functioning power source."
Simmons added, "The 'Sleepyhead' detected radioactive isotopes, but they don't match anything known."
Fitz continued, "I'm getting a temporary match, but the readings keep fluctuating. Is that even possible?"
Skye, feeling completely lost in the technical discussion between Fitz and Simmons, decided to excuse herself, saying, "I'll go find Coulson."
Just then, Ward entered the room and announced, "We've got company. The national police are here."
Fitz, puzzled, asked, "What? What are they doing here?"
Ward approached the artifact embedded in the wall and explained, "They've heard about this thing and are probably here to protect it. There are quite a few rebel uprisings in this area."
Skye chimed in, "Yeah, the people are resisting the government's mining policies. Pretty cool."
Ward, displeased with her comment, responded, "Yeah, violence is super cool."
Skye quickly apologized, "Sorry, that's not what I meant."
Ward, unimpressed, retorted, "Right, you can say that safely from your van, all alone."
He then turned to Fitz and Simmons as he asked, "How much longer? We need to get out of here."
Fitz, confused, asked, "Why the rush?"
Simmons also seemed unsure, "Are we in danger?"
Ward, with a serious expression, replied, "As long as everyone does their job, we won't be."
He then turned to Skye and asked, "What's your job, exactly?"
Skye was caught off guard by Ward's question and struggled to find an answer.
…
Outside-
Camilla pulled out an item wrapped in a napkin and said, "This cocoa comes from a secret village in Peru. It's very special—some of the best chocolate in the world."
Coulson took a piece, tasted it, and commented, "Could use a bit more sugar."
Camilla laughed, "Typical American."
As they walked, Coulson said, "You know me, Camilla. I'm a simple guy."
Camilla smiled and responded, "Your last mission here was anything but simple."
Coulson chuckled, "I had some help from a friend."
Camilla then shifted to the main topic, "We can't keep that artifact, can we?"
Coulson shrugged, "It's not my decision, but I'm sure we can find a respectable way to resolve this."
He was about to continue when an explosion interrupted them—a grenade had destroyed one of the Peruvian military vehicles.
Immediately, the Peruvian soldiers began exchanging fire with the rebels. Camilla drew her gun and informed Coulson, "Rebels."
Coulson pulled out his weapon from his waistband and said, "Stay behind me, and stick close."
A large group of rebels, identifiable by their red scarves, began attacking the area, using grenades and RPGs to destroy vehicles and cause chaos.
The explosions outside were heard inside the temple, prompting Ward to say, "Looks like they're engaging with the rebels. We need to move."
Fitz and Simmons quickly began packing up their equipment, including their drone.
Skye stepped forward to help Fitz pack, but he quickly refused, "No, no, you can't do it like that."
Skye insisted, "It's fine."
Fitz, panicked, shouted, "Let us handle it!"
Simmons told Ward, "We need a secure container to transport the 084."
Ward glanced back, his expression tense, and replied, "We don't have time."
Fitz tried to explain, "But it has a fluctuating power core, with frequencies above ten megahertz..."
Before he could finish, a grenade exploded outside, causing the temple to shake and dust to fall from above. Ward looked at Fitz, then walked over to the 084 artifact and, without hesitation, began to forcibly remove it from the wall.
Just then, a figure slowly materialized within the temple, appearing out of thin air. It was none other than the young ninja Killer Bee, who had just teleported into the scene.
Skye, who happened to see this, gasped, "Oh my God, what is that?"
Fitz quickly turned around, witnessing the scene Skye was pointing to, "This...this..."
Ward, having just pulled the 084 artifact free and placed it in his backpack, looked up, puzzled by their reactions, "What's going on..."
As he followed their gaze, he too saw the figure. "A... a ninja..."