The Doctor turned around and hid the bottle behind him. James wanted to laugh. Did he really think he was blind for making such a big move?
However, James first shot Ian Quinn, knocking him out. Then he put away his gun and went up to talk to the Doctor.
"Doctor, we're leaving—"
The doctor directly swung the bottle at James.
James caught Hall's wrist mid-strike.
"Looks like you leaked your own itinerary," James said dryly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Phil Coulson ordered the BUS to hover directly above the villa. The rear hatch lowered smoothly until it kissed the ground. The aircraft never fully landed.
Melinda May handled the maneuver expertly. The fact that it looked effortless said more about her than the machinery.
James emerged from the villa with Dr. Franklin Hall and Ian Quinn restrained. They were loaded aboard immediately. Then he took them directly to the plane, which immediately took off and left.
Malta's radar systems detected them within seconds.
S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters responded just as quickly.
There was justification for the extraction—clear and documented justification—but that didn't stop the diplomatic fallout. Arguments would soon follow. They always did.
Coulson's Office — En Route
A secure video channel opened.
Nick Fury's image filled the screen, with his one eye narrowed.
"You entered Maltese airspace and extracted a civilian without authorization," Fury said flatly. "That puts us on the defensive. If you didn't have evidence, S.H.I.E.L.D. would be bleeding political capital right now."
James didn't respond verbally.
Instead, he raised one hand.
A transparent containment cylinder materialized midair. Suspended at its center was a silver, liquid-like substance, slowly rotating, unaffected by gravity.
James spoke calmly. "Ian Quinn discovered this. It's a matter-powered energy source capable of generating a localized gravitational field. It could be used to run motors, structural manipulations, and has high Weaponization potential."
He paused.
"It's also catastrophically unstable. This isn't technology Earth is ready for."
Fury stared at the container for a long moment.
Then the anger drained from his voice.
"Next time there's such a situation," Fury said, easing his anger, "report to me first so I could prepare. Just send the artifact to the Slingshot. I'll send someone to receive it."
The call ended.
Coulson exhaled and allowed himself a faint smile.
"If that had been anyone else, I'd still be getting yelled at."
James shrugged.
"Dr. Hall intended to die with Ian Quinn, that outcome benefits no one.
Quinn was caught at the scene, he had orchestrated the whole kidnapping, so no corporate board can shield him now."
He leaned back to release tension.
"To be put in S.H.I.E.L.D. custody suits him. Some people just deserve permanent containment."
The Slingshot Base
Quinn and Hall were transferred without incident. The recovered materials were logged, sealed, and removed from James's concern entirely.
He didn't care what S.H.I.E.L.D. did with them—only that no one died from curiosity.
They were on vacation again, the days when there were no missions.
James resumed training the three rookies as usual. Fitz and Simmons practiced controlled firing drills.
Skye continued physical conditioning under James's supervision. He wanted to make the future Quake stronger.
"You're training me harder than them," Skye complained during a break.
"Because they have a foundation," James replied evenly. "You don't. If you want to give up, I'll help you file for termination and you can walk away."
Skye scowled but she wasn't leaving.
Later, during a rest period, she tried again. "Where do you keep your armor? And the stuff you took. I didn't see you bring it with you."
James smiled faintly. "It's not the right time to tell you yet."
He glanced at her current state. "Your endurance is terrible. You need longer training, and hey, this training helps in giving you a good figure, ain't that a win?"
Skye huffed and walked off.
Coulson's Office — Later
Coulson called James in. "The survivor has been discharged from the hospital," Coulson said. "We're tailing her."
James nodded. "Good. Let's see who she contacts."
"We dug into her background," Coulson continued. "Every record is fake. Garrett's already cleaned every trace."
Coulson rubbed his temple. "We know it's him. But we can't touch him."
James remained calm. "My Mind reading can't be used as evidence. Not yet, It's good enough to know so much already. Can't really ask for too much."
He met Coulson's eyes. "Without me, you'd still be assembling fragments of information. Don't rush it."
Coulson sighed. "You're sacrificing a lot by staying quiet."
James shrugged again. "Mind-reading scares idiots into hiding. But it doesn't scare professionals. They would know that it requires physical contact, and there's no way to use it as evidence in court."
He paused. "When it matters, we'll use it."
Before Coulson could reply, there was a knock.
"Come in."
Melinda May stepped inside. "The Hong Kong Branch is calling. We got a new mission."
James felt a flicker of irritation. 'One episode short of the plot. Why did he skip it?'
This is reality, not a serialized fiction. Variance is expected.]
'When do you finish fine-tuning?'
[When your control improves. Spatial displacement is possible. With sufficient mastery, instantaneous travel is achievable.]
James's eyes sharpened—but he kept moving.
Conference Room — Hong Kong Feed
A live feed showed agents sweeping a cluttered apartment.
Coulson briefed them. "Chen Haoran. A street performer until recently. Manifested pyrokinesis. At low-output but confirmed."
Fitz frowned. "How did he suddenly get this ability?"
"Not sure yet," Coulson said. "Still under investigation."
The Hong Kong lead, Agent Guan, appeared on screen. After a brief exchange in Cantonese with May, he reported.
"Almost nothing. I only found this, a small piece of aluminum foil material."
A small fragment was held up.
Simmons reacted instantly. "Fire-resistant composite could be used as protective gear. Whoever took him knew he had awakened his superpowers."
Guan nodded. "There's more. Our systems were hacked three days ago."
James already knew the answer.
Guan finished. "Same signature as before. Tide Rising."
Silence fell.
All eyes turned to Skye.
Phil's Office
Phil Coulson sat behind his desk, looking at Skye as she stood in front of him. James leaned against the side cabinet, arms crossed, observing them.
"Tide Rising is a huge or," Skye said sharply. "Their hackers from all over the world. This could've been any one of them—not me."
"No one said it was you," Coulson replied evenly.
"But you all think it though," Skye snapped. "I can see it. Everyone is looking at me differently."
James almost smiled.
She wasn't wrong—but she also wasn't entirely right. What amused him wasn't her defensiveness, but how quickly she had begun thinking like an agent instead of a suspect.
"We're assessing the situation," Coulson said flatly.
Nick Fury's warning still rang in his head.
Skye took a breather, forcing herself to stay calm. "I've been on your plane nonstop. Doing shooting drills and physical training. I haven't touched a terminal unsupervised. There's no way I hacked the S.H.I.E.L.D. database."
Coulson interrupted gently but firmly. "That may be true. But you have breached our systems twice before. This evidence alone isn't enough to clear you—or convict you."
Skye clenched her jaw. "Fine. Then I'll trace it myself and prove it wasn't me."
James shifted slightly, interest sharpening.
Before he could enjoy the moment, his phone buzzed."The surveillance team just checked in," came the voice. "The survivor is heading to Hong Kong."
James looked up immediately. "So Chen Haoran is still in Hong Kong. Inform Agent Guan. Shadow her. See where she goes."
"Copy that."
Coulson was already issuing follow-up orders.
James, however, was thinking bigger.
Garrett wouldn't expose himself yet. The serum wasn't finished. That meant this phase was still bait-and-hook. The question was whether to cut the line—or let the fish keep swimming.
Skye was very talented indeed. She was able to track him back very quickly, but the result was not what she wanted.
"Miles Leyden," she breathed out with a voice of disbelief.
A well-known hacker, A Media darling, and a Professional provocateur.
The result wasn't what she'd hoped.
Austin, Texas
The aircraft adjusted course midair.
James didn't bother disguising his intent. He wasn't here to arrest Leyden. He would just shadow Skye and ruin their plan.
After landing, Coulson, May, and Skye went after the public lead. James split off alone. Fitz and Simmons remained on standby as remote technical support.
James sneakily trailed behind Skye. She stopped outside a small coffee shop.
May spotted Leyden first—but he recognized her and bolted. Coulson's vehicle cut him off, but he slipped away in the chaos.
James didn't chase.
He followed Skye instead.
She returned to her apartment—a modest second-floor unit. James kept his distance, waited until she went inside, then circled to the side of the building.
Minutes later, Leyden arrived.
He parked away from the building, approached on foot, scanned the street carefully for any pursuers, then entered.
James watched from across the road, finishing a buc-ees brisket sandwich and a small drink. When Leyden disappeared inside, James wolfed down the rest of the sandwich and crossed the street, positioning himself beneath the balcony.
His heart rate dropped, and the world slowed.
When no one was watching, he jumped—caught the balcony rail and rolled smoothly inside.
He sent the address to Coulson.
Then he listened.
"Are you insane?" Skye hissed. "They'll hunt you until they find you. Who did you sell the data to?"
Leyden laughed. "Shouldn't you be saying you're glad to see me?"
"That's not funny. Why did you hack S.H.I.E.L.D. again?"
James didn't wait for more.
He pushed the balcony door open and stepped inside, raising his new stun pistol.
Leyden spun around, panicked. "You brought them here?!"
Skye shot back, furious. "If I did, why would I text you to meet up?"
James spoke calmly. "Sorry to interrupt your reunion. But that conversation answered everything."
He leveled the weapon. "ow put your hands on your head and lay on the ground."
Skye froze—then sank onto the sofa, stunned.
Leyden glanced toward the door, thinking of his chances to escape.
"I won't repeat myself," James said coolly. "Get down or I'll make you."
They complied.
James cuffed Leyden tightly, but he didn't bother to restrain Skye.
Then, he began to search the room. He still needed some things to nail the scumbag completely. After finding them, he could end their relationship. At that time, it would be much easier for him to make his moves.
As he worked, he asked casually, "Is this why you turned down my invitation for dinner?"
Skye ignored the question. "How did you find me? Did you follow me?"
James almost laughed. "You didn't think we'd let you operate solo, did you? Either I tail you, or May does. Someone is always watching."
He paused, holding up a sealed black envelope.
"This involves Tide Rising, and you're a part of it. S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't trust anyone blindly."
A knock came at the door. James went straight to open it and Phil Coulson came in with his men.