The Hub

I don't mean to alarm you, but I think you may have a mold problem. That sink with the standing water seems especially concerning. Just wait until the Interrogator gets here. He won't be smiling then. Looking forward to it. You have the intel on you? They know. They know? We have three minutes, Agent Shaw. Time to go, agents. - Exit? - Follow me. I was wondering what you guys had been up to. - Go. - All right. - Um, where are the dogs? - Don't be ridiculous. 1x07 - The Hub I bet you're usually the one holding something like this. Don't worry. She knows what she's doing. Whatever you do, don't breathe. That was a joke. You should, of course, feel comfortable breathing if you need to, just not through your nose. And very minimally through your mouth. Ah. There we are. That's all the intel you recovered? Ah. I certainly hope so. Well, thank you, Agent Shaw, for keeping it safe up there. We'll push this through to the Hub. In fact, we're headed there now to drop you off. Get you a change of clothes, a proper meal you'll be good as new. The Hub? Really? How exciting. It's been ages. Ah. Good. Done with that paranasal extraction nonsense. - Do you need me to analyze the data? - That won't be necessary. If it's encrypted, I can mine the chip for him. I'm afraid this mission's classified. Clearance level 8. - Uh - Ah. Wait. What? He can just shut us out of the process like that? Well, he did say the mission is level 8. And we're not, so we can't know about it. Right, but this is normally the part where we all stand around the holocom and we learn about stuff. I mean, aren't we all on the same team? No need to get started on one of your socialist riffs. S. H. I. E. L. D. 's whole infrastructure is based on the hierarchy and compartmentalization of intelligence. Every agent can't have the intel on every mission. Makes the entire organization vulnerable. Okay, fine, but if I just fought my way out of an underground Siberian prison, I'd kind of want to know what for. Coulson's got you used to the plane, the way we do missions here. The Hub is different. The Hub? What's the Hub? Wow. Didn't realize big brother was this big. Oh, this is nothing. Wait until you see the triskelion. Everyone's wearing the same suit. Someone tell me why, please. - Do I get one? - That's your badge, which means you've got a long way to go to even make level 1. Copy that. Does that also mean no access to any computers here whatsoever? I could run a search on the redacted S. H. I. E. L. D. file on my parents. - Skye. - But it just It seems like the place they'd keep them, right? I'll look into it. But right now, we've got more pressing matters at hand. - Agent Sitwell. - Agent Coulson. Good to see you feeling better. Agent Hand's waiting for you in the situation room. - And she doesn't like to wait. - So you know her? Only her reputation. After you. Your level 7s can join us in the briefing. Say cheese. - Victoria Hand - Is here. Ouch. Is this your subtle way of saying I can't come with? - We'll be back. - Wha We should probably head over to the tech corridor. - Oh, I can't wait to see the new chem-kit. - Yeah. I don't think it likes me here. - Agent Hand. - Agent Coulson. Nice to finally put a face to the name. Likewise. These are Agents May and Ward. Well, now that we've gotten that over with, here's what you can know. The intel you recovered from Agent Shaw tells us that a separatist group from South Ossetia has built a weapon called "ezbiitomet. " - The overkill device? - A little dramatic for my taste. I imagine something was lost in translation. We've intercepted chatter that tells us they plan to use the weapon in the next 24 hours to declare their independence from Russia and Georgia. We believe it creates sonic vibrations powerful enough to trigger weapons from a great distance anything from the missiles on a helicopter to a nuclear warhead sitting in its silo. So if we move on them, they could use our own weapons against us. Exactly. That's why I need a two-man team to sneak across the disputed border undetected, break into the separatist stronghold, and disable the weapon in the next 24 hours. And you have two people who fit my bill. Not a problem. I was in Georgia during the incursion in '08. I still have contacts on the South Ossetian border. And you'll have to use them. But we don't have specs on the device, so I need someone on the team who can identify and dismantle it on-site. - Do you mean - I think she does. I found a localized E. M. P., plus a few other party favors. Oh, come on. What the Open. It's stuck! The cart's stuck. That's unbelievable. What the hell?! Who designed this?! In the Hub, of all places. Oh, that's Seriously? I just can't believe you're going in dark, in hostile territory, without comms, lacking any real physical strength. - I'll be fine. - Did I give you an antivenin pack? The Caucasus have a plethora of highly endemic spider species. Jemma, stop. Stop worrying about me. I can do this. Thank you. And don't you do anything rash while I'm gone like jump out of an airplane. - Well, you'll be careful. - Yeah, I've handled worse. Oh, I almost forgot! I made you this. Your favorite sandvich. Prosciutto and buffalo mozzarella. - With your homemade pesto Aioli? - Just a hint. Hey, is this what you wanted? Also, what is this? Oh, Fitz. A full-sized mag pouch? Just one of the many tactical decisions I've had to make already. - Hmm. - And Ward said we needed it. You need to disable the overkill device by 0600 tomorrow in order to prevent the separatist attack. Once you signal S. H. I. E. L. D., the extraction team will get you both out. - Take care of him. - Of course, sir. More moving, less talking, Agent Ward. Time's not on our side. Does this feel okay to you? Shouldn't we be going with him? The people who put these ops together are the best of the best. The know what they're doing. So Simmons, by this point, does not have a bloody clue. You know, we're in the back, trying to contain our laughter. So Simmons goes into the vacuum chamber wearing wearing a-a bunny suit. Um, we just call it that because it it covers your whole body. So she's in the vacuum chamber, but when she takes her mask off to speak to me, she sneezes all over the Faraday cup which is funny. - Do you have the beacon? - Yeah. But it's funny because vacuum chambers are so dry, and this instrument was actually supposed to go into space. It had sensitive chemical components. Simmons actually tells it a lot better than I do. Listen. My contact's Yuri Dubrovsky. We'll pay him to get us across the border. We go back, but he doesn't like new people, so keep your mouth shut and your head down. "Rossiya!" Evening. Two vodkas, straight. One for me. And one for my friend, Yuri. Um, can you ask what beers that they have on tap? - Yuri is your friend? - Yeah. Yuri's dead. You have no friends here. Oh! No, no, no, no, no, no. Please be careful. Can you imagine what Fitz would do if the night-night gun was broken when he came back? Surely he'll be okay out there, right? Well, Agent May is level 7. Maybe she can give us an update on their mission. Does that mean that you do know something and you can't tell us, or that you don't know anything? - Which non-expression is this? - We know what we're supposed to. When we have more information, we'll react. All right, clear out. I need to run some diagnostics, then reboot. That means you two. Off. You guys may be okay with being in the dark, but I'm not into it. I need answers. And I know just the person who has them. - Who? - Coulson. I'm obviously talking about Coulson. I'm going to need three more chalks queued up at the border. - And a fourth standing by in Armenia? - Great minds. It must be nice to be off that plane. I understand you're almost through your recovery. The plane has nothing to do with my recovery. I only know what I've read. Seems Fury has a soft spot for his favorites. - Not everyone gets sent to Tahiti. - It's a magical place. All I meant was it must feel good to be back in the big leagues. Two of my agents are the key to this operation. I never left the bigs. Let's hope they're as good as you think they are. What's happening? Why haven't they killed us yet? I mean, I'm glad that they haven't killed us yet. They're waiting for their boss, so before he gets here, we need a plan. How long can you hold your breath underwater? I don't know. You familiar with the term "slam and cram"? No, and I d I don't think I want to be. How attached are you to your pinky? Very, very attached, and before you ask another terrifyingly vague question, let me be clear. - Any plan that involves - Sss! even one of those scenarios isn't going to work for me. As a matter of fact, I've I heard you were looking for your friend Yuri. And Yuri was friends with separatists. Are you separatists? - No. We're here to stop them. - Definitely here to stop them. Trust me. If you could just help us get across the border Ah, I'm missing the game! You're wasting my time, so let me be clear. You've given me no reason to trust you. And trust is everything to me. - Hey. Fancy seeing you here. - Skye, I told you I'd look into the file about your parents. No, I know. That's not why I'm here. I wanted to know more about Ward and Fitz's mission. Simmons is seriously starting to unravel without Fitz. I know it's hard to hear, but you don't have the clearance. But I have eyes. I saw six squads in full tactical gear, three crates of RPGs, and a full crew of analysts headin' to operations. Are you really telling me that has nothing to do with ward and Fitz's mission? If I'm right, give me a signal by not saying anything. Trust the system. - How did it go? - Nothing. He's acting like a robot version of himself right now. If we want the truth, we've got to get it ourselves. Okay. How would you suggest Oh, wait. No. No! - Yes. - No! I can't be a part of your bad-girl shenanigans. I like following the rules and doing what's expected of me. - It makes me feel nice. - Simmons, wake up! Ward and Fitz went on a top-secret, two-man operation, and look. There are more men. And either it's a bigger deal and they're not telling us, or something went wrong out there. And maybe there's nothing we can to do help, but we got to know if there is. What if they're injured or being tortured somewhere right now? Fitz. Tortured. What exactly do you have in mind? Okay! Enough! Okay. A little to the left, Vladimir. Gentle! Gentle. That's it. Okay. Can I get a little more light down here, Marta? Of course, Mishka. Thank you, sweetheart. Little bear? I like watching him work, that little bear. Okay. Ho-ho-ho! It's nothing. Really. - I'm just a man. - Get this man a drink. Oh, no. Here we go. Mmm. Salty. So let's talk business. Two million rubles? We need to work on your negotiation skills. I thought they were like pesos. And anyway, you should be thanking me. I shorted the circuit breaker with my localized E. M. P. when we were tied up. - Really? - Yes, and my plan worked because we're over the border now, aren't we? We're stopping. Why are we stopping? Quiet. Stay here. I'll check it out. Okay. Maybe we'll both stay here. Fitz! More border patrol. Already moving! Hurry up! Sorry. Am I disturbing you? You know, I like this plane. I like the way we do things here. Everyone's on the same page, no red tape. So far, it's working for us. Most of us. And maybe I'm getting soft, but I don't like keeping things from our team. If you knew No. You're right. Level 8. But I know. Trust the system. May? Thanks. Say cheese. Okay, you have the flash drive. I programmed it with a decoy crawler. It'll use my browser history to simulate my usual online activity, so while S. H. I. E. L. D. thinks I'm trolling reddit and facebook with the laptop you gave me You'll be hacking the files for Ward and Fitz's mission. Right. And remember, once you plug it in, you'll only have about Three minutes before S. H. I. E. L. D. catches on. Do you realize that you keep finishing my sent Your sentences. I know. I'm sorry. Bad habit. This is actually a bit thrilling. Ah, good. I'm glad. Now we've just got to figure out a way to get the panel open. Don't worry. I made a special something. It's what we do. All done. Really? Wow. Okay. Uh, now just find a USB port. - Okay. - Agent Simmons? It's fine. Just play it cool. Hello, Mr. Agent Sitwell, sir. May I help you? Drainage pipe. We'll wait them out over there. We can't wait too long. If they use the overkill device, everyone on the border's in danger. - I'm aware. - And that includes Marta and Vlad. Oh, you're on a first-name basis now? Yeah, well, I'm just saying, their lives are on the line, too, so let's not get too comfortable. - Call me Jasper. - Um, what brings you to this restricted hallway so late at night? - I could ask you the same thing. - No. Don't. Simmons, focus. Just make up an excuse. I was just on my way to the loo. I could swear it was two rights and a left, but is that it here? That's a wall panel. Why are you accessing it? Don't spiral. Just say something. Anything. You certainly have a gorgeous head, don't you? What?! I like men that are about my height, but heavier than me. Stop talking. Stop. Agent Simmons, do you have authorization to access that panel? Say yes. Say you do. Oh! Y of course. - Great. Yeah. - Of course. Um, I certainly have it right here in my bag. He's onto me. Stop talking to me! He can hear you! Are you on comms with someone? This is Agent Sitwell. I need an escort. I'm sorry! Oh, my god. Oh, my god. Alright. Okay. Okay. Oof. I've shot agent Sitwell. Good, good, good. - Was that all right? - That was terrible! You are terrible at this. That was a total meltdown. The night-night gun was right there, and I We need help. You need to go get May. - May?! No! - Listen. That flash drive will only give me a few minutes of access to the Hub's mainframe to find out what happened to our boys so just go get, okay? Just tell her it was an accident. I'm going to be court-martialed. I hope this works. Why do you think S. H. I. E. L. D. sent in just the two of us? I don't know. They said they needed a guy like you and a guy like me. - Mmm. - Is that a sandwich? Simmons made it. My favorite. Prosciutto and buffalo mozzarella with a hint of pesto Aioli. Here. You can have half. What the hell? There are dogs tracking us, and you bring a prosciutto sandwich. - I can't believe you just did that. - This is a mission, not a picnic! Oh, I'm well aware it's not "a picnic", Mr. Save the Day. - What's that supposed to mean? - Oh, come on. You obviously get off on it, being the guy who always gets to throw the last punch, who always swoops in to save the girl. And now you've destroyed the world's most dangerous sandwich. Congratulations. Well, I'll tell you something. I don't need to be rescued by anyone, Grant Ward. Yeah. Oh, and listen. Before we left, Coulson told me to take care of you. That is what I am doing. Nothing more, nothing less. Here. If you're hungry, eat this. It's odorless. All right, boys. Let's find out where you really are. "Redacted documents. " 0, 4, 26, 89. Okay. There it is if I could just access the raw file. Oh, crap. I don't have any time. Oh, my god. No extraction? - What did I tell you? - You told me to trust the system. And the system sent Ward and Fitz in there to die. Good day to be a rat. I mean, there you are, minding your own business, spreading filth and disease, scavenging for grub worms or rotten fruit, When lo and behold, you see it a prosciutto and buffalo mozzarella sandwich - Fitz. - with just a hint of pesto Aioli. Quiet. Feel that? A truck. It's coming. Zip up the mag pouch! I told you I'd get answers about your family. That's not what I was looking for! I was trying to find out what was happening with Ward and Fitz. - That's a classified operation. - It's a suicide mission! I saw it all the troop placements, the aerial assault. Once Ward and Fitz disable that device, there's going to be a huge attack on that compound, with no extraction plan, and you hid that from us! I didn't hide anything from you. You don't have the clearance to know that. Is that really what S. H. I. E. L. D. 's all about? Level 5s are more expendable than level 8? Is that all we are, just a number to you? - Are you done? - I don't know. Am I? If S. H. I. E. L. D. keeps a secret from you, it's for a good reason. - So they can hold all the secrets. - Don't interrupt! You just hacked a level-8 secure server, saw operational plans that you have no context for. If details get out, the whole operation could be compromised, lives could be lost, Ward and Fitz among them. I know. Those are two people we care about. On the plane, you're always telling me to think outside the box, so I went off book 'cause I was trying to watch their backs. Our team can go off book because there is a book. A Hub. An organization watching our backs. You claim that you want to be a part of that, a S. H. I. E. L. D. agent. Do you? - Yes. - Because someday, I may have to trust you with a secret, and I need to know that you can keep it. Can I ask you one question? What? Did you know there was no extraction plan for Ward and Fitz? That's classified. Okay. Go. Go. Go. Shh, shh, shh. Go, go, go. - I'll signal extraction. - Okay. Simmons calls it "the magic window. " You'd probably guess, "is that X-ray technology?" There are actually s-band microwave antennae embedded in this sheet. But it's more like a radar system really. Okay. Let's see. Okay. Okay, we have two guards on the West wall. Both carrying automatic weapons. Correction. Make that three guards. We have three guards now. Oh, my god. Oh, my god, Ward. He's attacking the others! He's coming straight for us. Ward. - Ward?! - Hurry. Inside. Ah. That makes sense now. This must be it. Weird. Core must be inside here. That's what's important. The piping around it just serves to amplify and direct the sound, to trigger munitions from a distance. Doesn't look like it could take a jet out of the sky. Well, you should know by now, Agent Ward, that looks can be deceiving. Yeah. This is gonna take a while. You have 10 minutes. I thought you'd say five. Agent Sitwell is in the infirmary. Apparently, a member of your team rendered him unconscious. A misunderstanding. I'll handle the matter internally. Tranquilizing an agent does not qualify as a misunderstanding. You're right. But being told there's an extraction team in place when, in fact, there isn't, that does. I'm level 8. I'm entitled to information regarding the welfare of my team. - You should have told me. - Seemed I didn't have to. And what would that have changed, Agent Coulson? You yourself have designed dozens of operations like this. - You know how this works. - Usually with an extraction plan. Barton, Romanoff they never have an extraction plan. They know that going in! Agent Fitz is unproven in the field, and knowing would have caused him - to lose focus or courage. - That should have been my call. I wasn't sure you'd comply. Your team includes an electronically tagged non-agent who is notorious for leaking secrets, which reminds me How did you get this information again? I know what the safety of a thousand men is worth. I know the importance of taking the overkill device out of play. But I also know my men and what they're worth! The decision to go in should have been theirs to make. Perhaps. But you need to trust the system, Agent Coulson. All right. Show me the final steps to disable this thing. I'll get it done. No, we stick to the extraction plan. I'll be done in a minute. - The extraction plan's a bust. - What? Exfil team didn't make contact. Once you take that thing apart and I set off the remote beacon, we're on our own. You should go. I'm not leaving. - Fitz, there's no time to argue. - You don't think I can't handle this? - No, I am trying to protect - Ah, you think I'm a coward. Is that it? What? No. I am every bit the S. H. I. E. L. D. agent that you are. Whoa. You don't have anything to prove. What you said about me always needing to swoop in I know you would have jumped out of the plane to save Simmons, and she knows that, too. I'm not trying to prove anything to anyone. Okay? Before we left, you're not the only one that Coulson talked to, okay? He told me to take care of you, too. And that's exactly what I'm gonna do. I'm not going anywhere. You understand? And I'm bloody starving. You got the information. Now we react. - We're gonna get our guys. - Somebody has to. - What about the S. H. I. E. L. D. assault? - We won't interfere. You don't need a battalion for an extraction. Three can pull it off. Four's better. You're in? I thought we all had to be level 8 to discuss this. We're not discussing anything. Ah-ah. Last chance, Fitz. Are you sure you don't want a head start? Because the second you pull that final wire Your turn. Beacon's hot. The device is disabled. Mission's a go. Okay Fitz. Let's go. We need to slip out of here before they notice the device is powered down. Got it. We need a new plan. - Are you sure this is gonna work? - Yes. Theoretically. Okay. Finished. What was that? S. H. I. E. L. D. They've started their attack, which means we don't have much time before they crush the compound. Get up there and take out as many of their weapons as you can with that thing. Fitz! Behind you! - I just did that. - Yeah. Okay. Let's go. You said they needed a guy like me and a guy like you, right? Right. It's the extraction team! Better. It's the cavalry. Never get tired of seeing that. - Are Coulson's people clear? - They are. I thought there wasn't gonna be an extraction. All our resources were needed elsewhere. And it's Agent Coulson's team. They didn't need one. Okay. Let's mop up. - Thanks for coming to get us, sir. - We take care of our own. Well done, Fitz. - So glad you're all right. - Yep. Good to see you, too. Oh! The sandwich how was it? Too much Aioli? It was delicious. You know, for a second there, I thought I'd have to find a new supervising officer. Sorry to disappoint. Truth is, I was in good hands. I had Ward's back the whole time. Yeah. Pretty much saved him from a gang of Russian mobsters and kicked a few guys' heads in. But enough mission talk already. - Um, anything exciting happen at the Hub? - I shot a superior officer in the chest. Hey. I was thinking about today, and I'm really sorry I just wanted to let you know that I didn't forget about what you asked me back at the Hub. Uh, what do you mean? The un-redacted file about your past. I found it. Oh. Uh, w-what did it say? The document wasn't about you directly. It was about the person who dropped you off at the orphanage. Turns out, it was a S. H. I. E. L. D. agent. A S. H. I. E. L. D. agent? Why? I mean, who? What does that mean? I The agent was unidentified. We don't know if she was your mother or if she just found you on a doorstep. Mother? It was a woman? I put in a request to dig further into the files for any related materials, but right now, that's all I have. I'm sorry. Sorry? Thank you. Thank you so much. - You finish reading it yet? - Mm. What did you tell her? The truth. I told her a S. H. I. E. L. D. agent dropped her off at the orphanage. - But you didn't tell her why. - I can't. Some secrets are meant to stay secret. Will you help me find out what really happened? Dangerous waters. - But I can try. - Thank you. Poor girl. "Marvel's Agents of S. H. I. E. L. D. will return in a moment Company. Yes, I need access to a restricted file. Bravo Charlie Yankee 307604. Authorization code? X-ray 2896. You're looking for a death and recovery report, sir? Yes, for a S. H. I. E. L. D. agent. Mostly interested in his recovery. It took place in Tahiti. I'm sorry, but you don't have access to that document, sir. There must be some mistake. I'm level 8. I have clearance for that file. The system indicates that you don't. Would you like me to submit a formal request to Director Fury, sir? No. Thank you.