Location: The Bus - Holding Cell
Date: September 15, 2013
Time: 0312 Hours
Akela Amador sat in the holding cell, hands cuffed, ocular implant still active and glowing faintly in the dim light. Fitz and Simmons had been working on a way to disable it safely for hours, but the technology was more advanced than anything they'd seen.
Antonio watched her through the one-way glass, studying the way she sat perfectly still, eyes unfocused. Not sleeping. Not really awake. Just... waiting.
Being controlled.
"It's like she's not even there," Skye said quietly, standing beside him. "Like someone else is driving."
"Someone is." Antonio's jaw tightened. "Whoever's on the other end of that camera is watching us right now. Listening to every word."
"Creepy." Skye shuddered. "Can Fitz-Simmons disable it?"
"They're trying. But the implant is connected directly to her optic nerve. Remove it wrong and she goes blind. Maybe worse."
They stood in silence for a moment, watching Amador's blank expression.
"That could be any of us," Skye said. "Captured. Controlled. Turned into a weapon against our will."
Antonio thought about the Red Skull. About being six years old and having his entire identity stripped away. About being molded into a weapon, trained to kill, conditioned to obey.
It was me, he thought. For years, that was me.
"Yeah," he said quietly. "It could."
The lab door opened. Fitz emerged, looking exhausted and frustrated. "We've got a problem. The implant has a fail-safe. Try to remove it surgically and it sends a kill signal directly to her brain. Try to disable it electronically and same thing happens. Whoever designed this really didn't want it coming out."
"So we're stuck," Antonio said.
"Not necessarily." Fitz pushed his glasses up. "We can't disable the implant itself, but we might be able to hijack the signal. Feed false information to her handler while we work on extraction. Buy us time."
"How long would that take?"
"To set up the signal hijack? Maybe three hours. To actually remove the implant safely?" Fitz grimaced. "Days. Maybe longer. We'd need specialized equipment we don't have on the Bus."
Antonio looked back at Amador. Three hours minimum with her handler watching everything, learning about the team, potentially planning countermeasures.
Three hours of exposure.
"Do it," Coulson's voice came from behind them. The handler approached, coffee in hand, looking like he hadn't slept either. "But make it fast. The longer that signal stays active, the more intel we're giving away."
"Already on it," Fitz said, heading back to the lab.
Coulson moved to stand beside Antonio, both of them watching Amador. "How are you holding up?"
"I'm fine."
"That's what people say when they're not fine."
Antonio glanced at him. "I used my abilities on camera. Whoever's watching through her eye saw everything. That's going to have consequences."
"Probably. But you saved Amador's life and completed the mission. Sometimes consequences are worth it."
"And if whoever's watching decides to share that footage? If it gets out that S.H.I.E.L.D. has an enhanced speedster operating in the field?"
"Then we deal with it." Coulson's tone was steady. "Together. As a team. You're not alone in this anymore, Antonio."
The words hit harder than expected. You're not alone.
When was the last time that had been true?
"Thank you," Antonio said quietly.
"Don't thank me yet. We still have to figure out who's controlling her and what they want." Coulson took a sip of coffee. "Any theories?"
Antonio's mind ran through possibilities. The level of technology required for the ocular implant. The precision of Amador's missions. The targets she'd been sent after—all high-value intelligence related to experimental technology or enhanced individuals.
"Someone's collecting information on enhanced people," he said slowly. "Every target Amador hit in the past three months relates to super-soldier research, alien technology, or individuals with abilities. They're building a database."
"Why?"
"To exploit them. Control them. Use them." Antonio's voice hardened. "It's what organizations like Hydra used to do. Catalog potential weapons for future use."
Coulson's expression sharpened. "You think this is Hydra?"
"I think it's someone with similar goals. Hydra's been quiet since the war, but their methodology lives on. Whoever's controlling Amador thinks like them."
"Then we shut them down." Coulson finished his coffee. "Get some rest. When Fitz gets that signal hijacked, we're going to need you sharp."
As Coulson left, Ward appeared from the opposite corridor. He'd changed clothes, showered, but his eyes were still hard. Still suspicious.
"We need to talk," Ward said. "About what happened in Minsk."
"Not now."
"Yes, now." Ward moved closer, voice low. "I saw you move. Saw you disappear and reappear behind her in less than a second. That's not enhanced reflexes or adrenaline. That's something else."
Antonio said nothing.
"How fast can you move?" Ward pressed. "What are your actual capabilities? Because if we're going to work together, I need to know what you can do."
"Why? So you can catalog my weaknesses? Figure out how to take me down if I become a threat?"
"Yes." Ward didn't flinch. "That's exactly why. I protect this team. All of it. That includes protecting them from enhanced individuals who might lose control."
"I'm not going to lose control."
"Everyone says that. Right up until they do." Ward crossed his arms. "I've seen enhanced people go rogue. Seen what happens when someone with abilities decides the rules don't apply to them anymore. It's never pretty."
Antonio studied him. Saw the genuine concern beneath the suspicion. Saw someone who'd been burned before, who'd learned not to trust people with power.
Saw someone who had no idea he was the real threat on this team.
"I can move at approximately Mach 1," Antonio said quietly. "Sustain it for maybe three to four minutes before exhaustion. Enhanced perception allows me to slow down my perception of time, process information faster, react to threats before they fully develop."
Ward's eyes widened slightly. "That's... significant."
"I know. That's why I hid it."
"What else?"
"Enhanced strength. Not Captain America level, but well above normal human. Enhanced healing—about three times baseline. Bone density and muscle fiber composition are also enhanced."
"Weaknesses?"
"Sustaining top speed burns through calories fast. I need about eight thousand per day just to function normally. More if I'm using abilities heavily. Push too hard and I'll collapse from exhaustion or starvation."
"So you're powerful but not invincible."
"No one's invincible."
Ward nodded slowly, processing. "Okay. That's... actually helpful. If we're in the field and you need to use your speed, I'll know what to expect. How to position around it."
"You're not going to try to bench me?"
"Why would I? You're a tactical asset. A powerful one. As long as you use that power for the team and not against it, we don't have a problem."
Antonio hadn't expected that. Had expected more suspicion, more hostility. Not... acceptance.
"Thank you," he said.
"Don't thank me. Just don't make me regret trusting you." Ward's expression hardened again. "Because if you do, if you betray this team, I will find a way to stop you. Enhanced or not."
"Understood."
After Ward left, Antonio stood alone in the corridor, listening to the Bus's familiar sounds. The engines. The climate control. The distant murmur of Fitz and Simmons working in the lab.
Team sounds.
He was part of something now. Something real. Something worth protecting.
Even if it meant exposing himself completely.
Even if it meant facing whatever consequences came from being seen.
0847 Hours - Lab
"Got it!" Fitz announced triumphantly, fingers flying over his keyboard. "Signal's hijacked. Amador's handler is now seeing a loop of her sitting in the cell doing nothing. We've got maybe two hours before they realize something's wrong."
"Two hours to do what?" Simmons asked.
Coulson pulled up holographic displays. "Two hours to trace the signal back to whoever's controlling her. Skye, you're up. Can you backtrack the transmission?"
Skye cracked her knuckles, sliding into the workstation chair. "I can try. But if these people are sophisticated enough to create brain implants, they're probably sophisticated enough to hide their digital footprint."
"Do your best."
Skye's fingers danced across the keyboard, code streaming across multiple screens. Antonio watched over her shoulder, his enhanced perception letting him follow the data patterns even at her impressive speed.
"They're using multiple proxy servers," Skye muttered. "Routing through seventeen different countries. This is serious encryption."
"Can you break it?"
"Given enough time, maybe. But two hours?" She shook her head. "I'd need—wait. There's a pattern. They're using a repeating algorithm for the encryption key. If I can just—"
Her fingers flew faster. Code compiled. Programs executed. Firewalls fell.
"Got something," she said. "Partial trace. The signal's originating from... Hong Kong. Specific location still masked, but definitely Hong Kong."
"Hong Kong," Coulson repeated. "That's where Amador disappeared three years ago. That's where S.H.I.E.L.D. lost her."
"So whoever grabbed her is still operating from the same location," May said. "Bold. Or stupid."
"Or confident they can't be touched." Antonio studied the data. "What's in Hong Kong that would interest someone collecting intelligence on enhanced individuals?"
"Lots of things," Ward said. "It's a major hub for international espionage. Could be anyone—Chinese intelligence, Russian SVR, corporate entities, independent contractors."
"Or Hydra," Antonio added quietly.
Everyone looked at him.
"You keep mentioning Hydra," Ward said. "Why? They've been dormant for decades."
"Because their methodology matches," Antonio replied. "The systematic cataloging of enhanced individuals. The use of invasive control mechanisms. The targeting of experimental technology. This is exactly what Hydra's science division would do."
"You sound like you know their playbook pretty well," Ward observed.
Antonio met his eyes. "I studied them. Know your enemy and all that."
It wasn't technically a lie. He did know Hydra's playbook. Intimately. Because he'd been trained in it.
"Regardless of who it is," Coulson interjected, "we know where they are. That's step one. Step two is planning an extraction. We go to Hong Kong, we find Amador's handler, we shut this operation down."
"What about Amador?" Simmons asked. "We still can't safely remove the implant."
"We bring her with us. Once we've neutralized her handler, the implant becomes inert. Then we can work on removal without the fail-safe triggering."
"That's assuming we can neutralize the handler," Ward pointed out. "If they're sophisticated enough to create this technology, they're sophisticated enough to have security."
"Then we'll need to be smarter." Coulson looked at Antonio. "You've operated in Hong Kong before. Multiple times, according to your file. What do you know about the city's intelligence networks?"
Antonio pulled up mental files from years of missions. Hong Kong. The crossroads of East and West. Where secrets were currency and loyalty was purchased by the highest bidder.
"Chinese intelligence has a heavy presence, but they're careful about direct action in Hong Kong proper—too much international scrutiny," he said. "Russian SVR operates through shell companies in the financial district. Corporate espionage is rampant. And there are at least three known criminal syndicates that deal in information brokering."
"Which one would have this kind of tech?"
"None of them, traditionally. This level of sophistication suggests either a state-sponsored program with serious funding, or a private organization with access to cutting-edge research."
"So we're looking for a ghost," May said.
"We're always looking for ghosts." Antonio smiled slightly. "It's what we do."
Skye's computer beeped. "Got more. The signal's routing through a front company—Centipede Corporation. They're registered in Hong Kong but their actual business operations are unclear. Could be a shell."
"Centipede," Coulson repeated. "Run a full background check. Everything you can find."
"On it."
As the team dispersed to prep for Hong Kong, Antonio felt his phone vibrate. Not his S.H.I.E.L.D.-issued phone—his other one. The one that hadn't received a message in seven years.
He pulled it out discreetly.
Unknown number. Single word: HEIMDALL
Antonio's blood ran cold.
Heimdall. The Norse god who could see everything. A code word from another life. From Hydra's internal communication protocols.
Someone was reaching out.
Someone who knew he existed.
Someone who knew what he was.
He deleted the message immediately, then powered down the phone. His hands were steady, his breathing controlled, but his mind raced.
They found me. After seven years of silence, they found me.
Or they've been watching all along.
The question was: what did they want?
And more importantly: what was he going to do about it?
1634 Hours - Hong Kong
The Bus touched down at a private airfield outside Hong Kong proper. The team disembarked in civilian clothes—tourists, business travelers, anything but S.H.I.E.L.D. agents hunting a shadow organization.
Amador came with them, still cuffed, still controlled. Her handler had no idea the loop had been broken, no idea S.H.I.E.L.D. was coming.
That was the advantage.
"Skye and I will work the digital angle," Coulson said as they loaded into nondescript vehicles. "May, you're with Fitz-Simmons. Get to the safe house and set up mobile operations. Ward, Velaz—you're on reconnaissance. Find the Centipede facility. Don't engage, just observe."
"Copy that," Ward said.
They split up. Antonio and Ward took one of the vehicles, driving into Hong Kong's neon-lit chaos. The city pulsed with energy—millions of people, thousands of secrets, hundreds of crimes being committed in the time it took to cross a single street.
Perfect place to hide.
Perfect place to hunt.
"You've been quiet," Ward said as they navigated traffic. "Something wrong?"
"Just thinking."
"About?"
About the fact that Hydra just contacted me for the first time in seven years. About the fact that someone knows I'm here. About the fact that I have no idea what they want or how much they know.
"About how we're going to find a facility that's probably underground, probably heavily secured, and probably expecting us," Antonio said instead.
"We've handled worse."
"Have we?"
Ward glanced at him. "You really think this is Hydra?"
"I think it's someone who learned from Hydra. Which might be worse. Hydra had ideology, twisted as it was. These people just seem to want power."
"Power's always been the point," Ward said quietly. "Ideology is just the excuse."
Something in his tone made Antonio look at him more closely. Ward's expression was carefully neutral, but there was something beneath the surface. Something bitter.
He knows something about power, Antonio thought. Something personal.
But before he could probe further, his phone buzzed. The S.H.I.E.L.D.-issued one this time.
Text from Skye: Found it. Sending coordinates. Warehouse district. Looks abandoned but thermal shows activity underground.
"Got a location," Antonio said. "Warehouse district."
"Of course it is." Ward changed direction. "It's always a warehouse."
They approached the coordinates carefully, parking three blocks out and proceeding on foot. The warehouse looked exactly as Skye described—abandoned above ground, but Antonio's enhanced senses detected vibrations below. Machinery. Generators. People.
A facility hiding in plain sight.
"How many do you count?" Ward whispered, both of them crouched behind shipping containers.
Antonio extended his enhanced hearing, filtering through urban noise to focus on the warehouse. Footsteps. Multiple sets. Voices speaking Mandarin. The hum of electronic equipment.
"At least twenty people inside," he said. "Mix of security and technical staff. Heavy weapons. Professional setup."
"Too many for just the two of us."
"Agreed. We need to—"
Antonio's other phone vibrated in his pocket. The one he'd powered down.
Which meant someone had remotely activated it.
He pulled it out slowly. New message, same unknown number:
We know you're there, Weapon Zero. Come inside. Alone. We have much to discuss.
Weapon Zero.
His designation. His code name from before Antonio Velaz existed. A name only the deepest levels of Hydra would know.
Ward saw his expression. "What is it?"
"They know we're here."
"How?"
"I don't know." Antonio's mind raced. Surveillance? Tracking? Or had they been expected from the moment they left the Bus?
Another message: Bring Ward if you must. But you will come. Or everyone on your precious team dies. Starting with the hacker girl.
Skye.
Antonio's blood ran ice-cold. "They're threatening the team."
"What?" Ward pulled his weapon. "How do they even—"
"They've been watching us. Probably since Minsk." Antonio stood, hands visible. "They want me specifically. They know what I am."
"Then we definitely don't go in there."
"They threatened Skye. Said they'd kill her first if I don't comply."
Ward's jaw tightened. "Could be a bluff."
"Could be. But are you willing to risk it?"
They stared at each other. Two agents weighing impossible odds.
"If we go in there," Ward said slowly, "we're walking into a trap."
"I know."
"They'll try to capture us. Use us. Maybe kill us."
"I know."
"But you're going anyway."
"Yes."
Ward was silent for a long moment. Then he checked his weapons, adjusted his gear, and met Antonio's eyes.
"Then I'm going with you. Because that's what the team does. We don't leave anyone behind."
Antonio felt something crack in his chest. Trust. Real trust. From someone who'd been suspicious and hostile just hours ago.
"Thank you," he said quietly.
"Don't thank me yet. If this goes bad, I'm blaming you."
"Fair enough."
They approached the warehouse together, weapons holstered but ready. The front door was unlocked. Waiting.
Inside, LED lights illuminated a staircase descending underground. At the bottom, a figure waited—woman in her forties, business suit, calm expression.
Dr. Raina. Antonio recognized her from old Hydra briefings. Science division. Specialization in human enhancement.
Not Hydra anymore, he realized. Something else. Something new.
"Agent Velaz," Raina said pleasantly. "Or should I say Weapon Zero? It's been so long. We have so much to discuss."
Antonio's hand moved toward his weapon, but faster than human perception, a dozen red laser sights appeared on his chest. Snipers. Hidden. Professional.
"I wouldn't," Raina said. "We mean you no harm. We simply want to talk. About your future. About what you could become."
"What makes you think I'm interested?" Antonio asked.
"Because you're wasted at S.H.I.E.L.D. Hiding your abilities. Pretending to be something you're not." Raina smiled. "We know what you are, Antonio. We know where you came from. And we can offer you something S.H.I.E.L.D. never will."
"What's that?"
"Freedom. To be yourself. To use your gifts without shame or limitation." She gestured to the facility around them. "We're building something new. Something better. An organization where enhanced individuals aren't weapons to be controlled, but partners to be empowered."
"That's a nice speech," Ward said. "But we're not buying."
"Agent Ward. We know about you too. Your past. Your training. The things you've done that S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't know about." Raina's smile widened. "Everyone has secrets. Everyone has darkness. We simply embrace ours."
Antonio felt the walls closing in. This wasn't just about him. This was about something bigger. Something that knew far too much about all of them.
"What do you want?" he asked.
"A demonstration. Show us what you can really do. Prove you're as fast as our research suggests. And in return, we'll give you information. About who made you. About why. About the Red Skull's final project."
Antonio's heart stopped.
"You know about the Red Skull?"
"We know everything." Raina's expression turned serious. "We know you were his final weapon. His masterpiece. The one that got away. And we know that S.H.I.E.L.D. will never let you be anything more than a tool."
"This is a trap," Ward said quietly. "We need to leave."
"Too late for that." Raina raised her hand. "You're already in it."
The facility lights went red. Alarms blared. And from every entrance, armed personnel poured in.
Not attacking. Just surrounding. Containing.
"Last chance," Raina said. "Show us what you can do. Or we show S.H.I.E.L.D. everything we know about Weapon Zero. Everything about Hydra's sleeper protocol. Everything about the monster hiding in their ranks."
Antonio stood frozen. Exposed. Trapped.
All his secrets, all his lies, all his careful construction of Antonio Velaz—about to come crashing down.
Unless he gave them what they wanted.
Unless he became the weapon again.
Ward looked at him, saw his expression, and understood.
"Whatever you're about to do," Ward said quietly, "I've got your back."
Antonio closed his eyes. Made a choice.
And became the Phantom.
END CHAPTER 5
NEXT: Chapter 6 - "FZZT"
In which Antonio's demonstration has consequences, the team learns the truth about his past, and Centipede proves to be just the beginning of something much darker.