CH-23. Tell us the future!

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"People all need their own space, don't they?" Michael said calmly.

"But your independent time is over. You'd better come back immediately; we have a mission!" Phil Coulson said seriously.

---

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Skye's fists, wrapped in gauze, were hammering the punching bag as she trained with intense focus. She was sweating all over, her vest showing off her well-toned figure.

"Honey, what are you up to?" Michael asked, approaching her curiously.

Skye smiled, still punching, "I can't help it. My boyfriend is just too awesome—I need to keep up with him!"

Michael chuckled and steadied the bag for her, "It's not ideal to train in isolation. If you're serious about this, you might want to ask May for some tips. With her guidance, you'll improve much faster."

"May, huh?" Skye considered it, nodding. She decided she'd find time to talk to May about it later.

Just then, the plane's intercom sounded, calling everyone to the briefing room.

As they gathered, Phil Coulson entered and began, "Half an hour ago, a S.H.I.E.L.D. transport vehicle was attacked. It was carrying a high-priority asset along Highway 76 in Sterling."

"High-priority asset?" Skye asked curiously.

Coulson clarified, "The asset is Dr. Franklin Hall, a Canadian physicist. He was carrying critical research with him." He displayed Dr. Hall's information on a tablet for everyone to see.

"Dr. Hall?" Simmons and Fitz looked shocked, exchanging glances. They both spoke up in unison.

"He was our kinetics instructor back in our sophomore year."

"Yes, he was passionate about science, and we admired him a lot. Are we going to rescue him, right?" Simmons looked hopefully at Coulson.

Coulson nodded, "He's one of ours, and we'll do everything we can."

"Who were the attackers?" Michael asked casually from the side.

"Invisible forces." Coulson replied as he turned away.

The plane landed, and the team made their way to the crime scene together.

"Dr. Hall is an 'asset'?" Skye still found it strange how S.H.I.E.L.D. referred to people.

"He's one of the few scientists S.H.I.E.L.D. has been safeguarding. These are individuals our enemies would do anything to capture. We keep them hidden and constantly on the move," Coulson explained.

"It's an honor to have had him as a mentor." Simmons added.

"But he's not in our hands anymore." Fitz noted, a bit somberly.

"What exactly does 'high priority' mean?" Skye asked.

"It means security was supposed to be impeccable..." Coulson said but trailed off as he looked up at a car lodged in a nearby tree, "Perfectly secured!"

Everyone stared at the car in stunned silence. Clearly, their 'impeccable' security had fallen short.

They arrived at the incident location, where Coulson questioned a shaken S.H.I.E.L.D. operative about the attack. The operative recounted how he hadn't seen anyone; the vehicle had just flipped over by itself. He added that it felt as if someone knew their route ahead of time and suspected there might be a mole in S.H.I.E.L.D.

Michael, Skye, and the others surveyed the scene. The overturned vehicle looked as if it had been lifted up and slammed down by an invisible force.

Simmons, using special glasses and a scanning device, called out. The others gathered around as she picked up some soil and gently shook it. To everyone's amazement, the soil formed a miniature whirlwind without any apparent wind.

"What's going on?" Skye asked, startled.

"I think this static field scanner triggered... something." Simmons responded, uncertain.

As she spoke, the wind intensified, pushing against them. Michael quickly activated his telekinetic powers, forming a protective barrier that shielded everyone from the gusts.

"Can you shut it off? Now!" Coulson shouted over the wind.

Simmons struggled to turn off the scanner, but it wasn't responding. The wind continued to grow stronger, battering Michael's shield.

Seeing her difficulty, Michael grabbed the device, "Enough!" With a sharp twist, he crushed it in his hand.

The wind ceased immediately, the soil dropping back to the ground.

"You're welcome." Michael said dryly, glancing at his team's startled expressions.

Simmons, though upset about the damaged device, noticed something on the ground. She bent down and carefully picked up a small, circular iron ring with tweezers. Inside the ring, a tiny iron sphere floated in suspension.

"What is this?" Skye asked, intrigued.

Coulson examined it and replied gravely, "It's not a simple thing."

Michael rolled his eyes and muttered sarcastically, "You don't say. It's obvious this isn't ordinary."

Back on the plane, in the lab, Fitz was analyzing the strange iron ring. Coulson and Melinda were discussing the possibility of a mole. Although May doubted there was one, Coulson thought they should investigate to eliminate any suspicion.

Melinda nodded, agreeing to look into it.

Coulson then instructed, "Let's analyze the tire tracks—see if there's anything there."

"Got it. I'll upload the photos and start looking..." Skye began, but Michael interrupted.

"No need." He said confidently.

"Why?" Skye and Coulson looked at Michael curiously, surprised by his certainty. Then, Coulson said, "Michael, do you already know something? I know you have the ability to predict the future, but... this isn't the future; it's something that has already happened!"

"Of course, we can't predict what has already happened, but we can foresee what's yet to come. I don't know who kidnapped the doctor, but I do know who you'll be dealing with in the future, and I also know where the doctor is." Michael paused, then continued, "Since we know who's involved, there's no need for a lengthy investigation!"

"Who is it?" Coulson asked in a serious tone.

"This seems to be a small device that can affect gravity." Michael said, pointing to the round iron ball that Fitz was examining, "Quinn International Corporation."

"Quinn International Corporation? Fitz, Simmons, you must have studied its CEO when you were studying chemical engineering or seen him on the cover of Forbes—Ian Quinn!" Coulson added gravely.

"He must have kidnapped Dr. Hall in hopes of controlling a large gravity proton device, probably for researching certain abilities." Michael remarked casually.

"He's currently in the Republic of Malta and has obtained Maltese citizenship. He's holding a cocktail party." Skye noted, having already tracked down his location.

"The doctor is there. " Michael confirmed.

Coulson frowned, "This is tricky. S.H.I.E.L.D. has no jurisdiction in Malta, and we can't act there without risking international repercussions. Rescuing Dr. Hall may not be easy. The local government won't allow a commando force, and Ian Quinn's property is heavily guarded, complete with electric fences. Without an insider, entry would be nearly impossible."

"The only option would be to go in alone. S.H.I.E.L.D. would allow it unofficially, but we'd be on our own if anything goes wrong. Even if we bypass the power grid and lasers, we'd still likely be discovered." Melinda added.

Coulson nodded, "That's our dilemma."

"Michael, in the future you predicted, how did we manage?" Coulson asked.