Chapter 150: Meeting Sif Again

"Everyone, take a seat." In the luxurious airplane lounge, Daniel Davis greeted Coulson, Skye, and the others, directing them to sit down as if he had already become the master of the place.

Though they had lost Ward, a key member of the team, Trip had filled in. Perhaps it was because Trip was a descendant of the Howling Commandos, or maybe because Daniel had intentionally saved Trip, clearing him of suspicion. After a thorough review, Trip had joined Coulson's team, much earlier than in the original story.

Daniel was pleased with this development. Fury couldn't say much, as Coulson's team was genuinely committed to saving people.

After S.H.I.E.L.D.'s collapse, many agents were dissatisfied with Fury's compartmentalization, leading to divisions. Daniel was indifferent to this. Honestly, if he didn't have a good impression of Coulson's team, he wouldn't have responded to Coulson's calls for help so promptly.

Many members of Coulson's team had died due to misunderstandings that Daniel believed could have been avoided.

Then there was the matter of Coulson's death and resurrection. Fury, worried about potential issues, had formed this team, leading to many misunderstandings. If Fury had told Coulson the truth earlier, many problems could have been avoided. Even his most trusted subordinate was kept in the dark, showing Fury's unchanging nature.

"There are things Fury won't tell you, but it doesn't matter to me. I'll tell you some things I know about you." Daniel waved his hand, and bottles of purified water flew to each person.

This wasn't magic, but the control ability of the Ope Ope no Mi. To those unaware, it looked like telekinesis.

"Isn't this against S.H.I.E.L.D.'s confidentiality rules?" Fitz asked.

"I know you have your rules, but don't you wonder why Coulson was reluctant to use that life-saving drug on Skye, and Simmons, you can stop your research. GH325 can't be mass-produced. Continuing your research is just a waste of time."

"But this drug could change the world. Why shouldn't we study it?" Simmons asked directly.

"Because it has significant side effects. Coulson didn't want to use it on Skye because of these side effects."

"I don't feel any problems with my body," Skye said, looking at Coulson.

"That's because the drug doesn't have side effects for you, but it does for Coulson. This is because your genes are different from normal people, Skye, so the drug that has side effects for ordinary people doesn't affect you."

"You know my origins?" Skye stood up, her expression very agitated. She had joined S.H.I.E.L.D. to find out about her origins. After joining Coulson's team and being moved by their cause, she officially joined S.H.I.E.L.D., although the agency collapsed on her first day.

"I know a bit. Let's discuss your origins later. First, let me explain GH325."

"GH325 isn't a normal drug. It's derived from the body of an alien. These aliens have highly advanced biotechnology, making substances from their bodies akin to magical elixirs for ordinary people."

"Aliens? Does that mean Skye is an alien?" Fitz glanced at Skye. Everyone present was smart, and even though only Simmons was a biochemical expert, the others understood basic concepts.

Daniel had mentioned GH325 had side effects, but not for Skye, leading Fitz to consider if Skye was an alien.

Skye herself was also confused, wondering if she was an alien.

"Don't worry, Skye isn't an alien. She just has some connections to them. I'll explain that later." Daniel turned to Simmons, "Now you understand why GH325 can't be researched further."

"Coulson, the side effects of GH325 aren't that mysterious. What you've been seeing aren't strange symbols but a map—a map leading to a temple left by aliens on Earth. Once you find this temple, the side effects will disappear."

"A map? You're saying that's a map?" Coulson's voice was anxious.

"Exactly. Thousands of years ago, several major powers in the universe were engaged in prolonged wars. The Kree Empire, facing a stalemate, devised a plan to create super-soldiers. They conducted experiments on several inhabited planets, all of which failed, except on Earth. Here, they succeeded.

"Unfortunately, by the time they succeeded, the war had ended, so the Kree abandoned the experiments and left Earth. However, the humans they experimented on, now possessing abilities beyond normal humans—what we call superpowers—continued to pass on these traits, forming the Inhumans.

"The reason Skye could fully integrate GH325 is that she's a descendant of the Inhumans."

Daniel's words left everyone silent, the information overwhelming them. For Daniel, these things weren't a big deal, but for Coulson and his team, this was beyond their imagination.

"Wait a minute, you're saying Skye is an Inhuman, but she doesn't have any superpowers," Fitz finally asked.

"When the Kree left Earth, they sealed the abilities of the Inhumans to avoid potential issues if their experiments were discovered. However, they left a key to unlock these abilities in a temple. There is another way to activate Inhuman abilities—using the Obelisk."

Daniel conjured an image of the Obelisk with magic.

"This is it. During World War II, some Hydra members studied the Inhumans. This artifact is harmless to Inhumans but deadly to ordinary people. If touched, unless the affected limb is immediately amputated, the person will turn to charcoal."

In the original story, Coulson lost a hand because he touched the Obelisk. If it weren't for quick action by those around him, Coulson might have died.

Speaking of Coulson's lost hand, Daniel recalled the Captain's shield. Coulson's lost hand had a device installed for this purpose, showing his dedication as a Captain America fan.

"That's the gist of it. Any more questions?"

Seeing no response, Daniel continued, "Okay, then discuss it among yourselves." He left the lounge and headed to the entertainment room. With a long journey ahead, the plane's entertainment options included a room full of movies and games.

"I knew you'd call me." As Daniel watched a sci-fi movie in the entertainment room, his phone rang. Seeing Fury's name on the screen, he answered.

Daniel had divulged crucial information, so it was no surprise that Melinda May had contacted Fury.

"Important information like this, and you didn't inform me first?" Fury's tone was annoyed.

"Even if you don't trust me, you should trust Coulson. He should know these things rather than worrying needlessly. I suggest you tell him everything soon. Overthinking can lead to problems. Also, share any information you have about Skye with her."

"You seem quite concerned about her."

"With S.H.I.E.L.D.'s capabilities, I don't believe you don't know my connection to her."

Daniel's relationship with Skye was straightforward. They were both former members of the Rising Tide hacker group. Daniel had learned hacking from Skye, although she didn't know this. While this could be kept from Skye, it couldn't be hidden from S.H.I.E.L.D.

The Rising Tide fancied itself significant, but to S.H.I.E.L.D., they were minor annoyances. If S.H.I.E.L.D. wanted, they could easily round up all its members.

The group had several skilled hackers. Skye could even use a tablet to hack S.H.I.E.L.D., but only its outer layers. The core of S.H.I.E.L.D. was beyond her reach.

"I understand. I'll provide Coulson with the relevant information. Do you know anything about the Kree temple's location?"

"If I knew, I'd have told you. I only found information on the subject, not the specific location. I'll continue investigating, but don't get your hopes up. Now that you know, you can handle the follow-up. I need to get back." Daniel prepared to hang up.

"Wait, there's something else I need your help with."

"I'm not one of your agents, Fury. Remember, I do these things for Coulson, not for you."

Daniel's words made Fury silently curse. As the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. and a Level 10 agent, it irked him that he had less influence than his subordinate, an Level 8 agent.

This was the difference between people. Coulson had a natural charm, which was why he handled contacts with Stark, Daniel, and Captain America.

If not for special circumstances, Coulson would likely have been the one to approach Banner too.

"It's about Asgard. We detected a significant energy surge, indicating someone might have come through."

Fury quickly explained the situation.

Knowing about Asgard and the Bifrost, Fury, the master spy, had prepared a response. S.H.I.E.L.D. scientists, along with Stark and Banner, had developed a way to monitor energy surges in the atmosphere to detect Asgardian arrivals. This didn't mean they could do much against Asgardians, but it allowed for some forewarning.

"Is Thor coming?" Daniel asked curiously.

"I don't know, but you should check it out." Fury's plan was simple: use Daniel as a counter to the Asgardians.

After learning about Sun Tzu's *Art of War* and the *Thirty-Six Stratagems* from Daniel, Fury was immersing himself in these texts. Their conversation had once veered into this topic, leading Fury to delve deeply into these strategies.

Not that it was manipulation; these ancient strategies still had relevance in the modern world, depending on how they were used.

"Alright, I'll go take a look."

After hanging up, Daniel saw that the plane was already heading to the destination, indicating that

 Fury had already given orders to Coulson during their conversation.

Despite just learning many secrets, Coulson's team had to carry out the mission. Fury knew how to keep his agents focused, giving them tasks to prevent overthinking.

California, near Death Valley.

In the desolate wilderness, four S.H.I.E.L.D. cars were stationed, with eight agents carefully monitoring the area.

As Daniel, Coulson, and the others arrived in a Quinjet, Coulson showed the agents his orders, directing them to leave. Shortly after they left, a rainbow-colored beam of light descended in front of the Quinjet. As the light faded, a familiar figure appeared.

It wasn't Thor but Sif, one of Thor's trusted warriors, fully armored.

"Why, it's you! I thought it might be Thor." Daniel greeted Sif with a smile.

"Hello, your highness is currently quelling a rebellion and couldn't come." Sif nodded at Daniel, explaining Thor's situation.

Due to the Bifrost being destroyed during Thor and Loki's battle, some of the Eight Realms under Asgard's rule had tried to rebel.

Asgard's ability to maintain control over the Eight Realms relied on the Bifrost's rapid deployment capability. Without it, they couldn't swiftly suppress uprisings.

Thus, Thor was currently very busy, so much so that he didn't have time to visit Jane Foster.

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