Hearing Amador's exclamation, Coulson calmly said:
"We've hijacked the video feed. One of my agents is wearing glasses that simulate your implant. What's being transmitted now is what he sees, not you."
"We can even project reverse-scatter images."
Amador quickly added, "I can still receive messages from my handler."
Coulson responded calmly, "So can we."
"My agent is on his way to the Todorov Building to complete the mission for you."
"At the same time, we're going to disable the fail-safe device in your eye."
"I promise, they won't see you."
"It's okay, Akela, look at me."
Slowly, Akela turned her head to face Coulson, and when she realized the deadly device in her eye hadn't been triggered, she began to trust that her former mentor wasn't deceiving her.
Coulson continued, "Akela, how long have they been monitoring you?"
Taking a deep breath, Akela responded slowly, "Many years."
"Why are you doing this, Coulson?"
Coulson explained, "I need to understand why a single keycard is worth 30 million."
Akela stared intently at him, her tone serious, "No, why are you helping me? Why not punish me?"
After a brief moment of silence, Coulson softly replied, "I'm not like that anymore. I'm just glad you're still alive."
Akela Amador turned her body toward Coulson with a look of disbelief on her face.
"If I had done my job right, Van Chart wouldn't have caught us."
"I should've listened to you—trusted my team like you said."
"If I had, they might still be alive."
…
Meanwhile-
Ward was driving towards the Todorov Building, wearing the glasses, with Killer Bee and Skye seated in the back. The glasses were connected to Skye's laptop via a data cable plugged into the side of the frames.
Soon, Ward pulled up to the target location and stopped the car. Sensing the vehicle had stopped, Skye asked, "Where are we?"
Ward, looking ahead, responded calmly, "The Todorov Building."
"Seems to be a research facility, not military."
Skye glanced around and remarked, "Looks more like a prison."
Ward asked, "Can we switch to wireless control now?"
Skye hit the enter key, then sat up and said, "Done, ready for disconnect."
She reached toward the data port behind Ward's ear. As soon as she touched it—
"Ow!" Ward hissed, pulling his neck back.
Skye quickly steadied his head with her other hand and said, "Don't look at me! They need to think you're her."
"Oh my god, the super-spy is ticklish!"
Laughing as she spoke, Skye disconnected the cable from Ward's glasses.
…
On the other side-
Coulson continued to ask, "How did you escape?"
Amador shook her head. "I didn't. There was a firefight, and I got knocked out."
"When I woke up, I was in some triage center for injured soldiers. This eye was gone."
"Then I spent the next four years in a solitary cage, deep in a copper mine."
Coulson, looking at her intently, said, "We tried to find you. There were rumors you'd been taken to Shanxi Province."
Amador went on, "Eventually, a team came for me. At first, I thought it was S.H.I.E.L.D., but…"
Coulson interrupted, "Who were they?"
Amador responded with a sigh, "I still don't know. But they were highly organized."
"They took me to a clinic where I underwent several surgeries."
"Until one day, I could see again—through both eyes."
"I was grateful."
After a brief pause, Amador continued, "Until I realized what was really happening."
"They were watching you," Coulson said.
Amador nodded, "Every move I made was monitored. I didn't realize it until they sent me my first message."
"And then the missions started. Mostly theft, tailing people, or breaking into places."
"At first, I ignored them, but then the pain started. Like an electric migraine."
Coulson grimly noted, "The fail-safe."
Amador shook her head, "That's putting it mildly. In hindsight, those years in the cage seem preferable."
"I wish I could go back—be alone, and just sleep."
Coulson took a deep breath and looked at her seriously. "I know you're exhausted, but I need your help."
"If you're asking about the keycard, I really don't know anything."
Coulson stared at her, "You couldn't complete missions without intel."
Amador explained, "The information was fragmented. A name here, an address there."
Coulson stood up, walking back and forth, "Please, Akela."
"You've never seen anyone or spoken to anyone?"
"No."
Amador watched as Coulson paced. "The only contact I've ever had was through messages from the British guy."
"The British guy, your handler?"
"How do you know he's British?"
Amador explained, "The words he uses. He says 'lift' instead of 'elevator,' and 'boot' instead of 'trunk.'"
Coulson leaned in, "Think back to those messages. What else can you deduce?"
"He's probably around 40, and he uses a lot of old-fashioned terms."
"He calls flash drives 'disks.'"
"And when he talks about Myanmar, he still says 'Burma.'"
Coulson asked, "What's his typing like?"
"Not great. Lots of typos."
Coulson pondered, "Thick fingers, possibly a larger guy."
Amador smiled, "I forgot how good you are."
At that moment, Simmons' voice came through, "Sir, we're ready."
…
Meanwhile-
Charles, Tsunade, Tony Stark, and Pepper Potts met up in the hotel lounge, preparing for the day's activities.
Tony clapped Charles on the shoulder, exaggerating his expression, and then whispered in his ear, "What exactly did you guys do last night? The hotel staff just told me your bed collapsed, and they need to switch your room."
"Are ninja bodies so tough that regular beds can't handle you anymore?"
"Dude, do you need me to get you a titanium bedframe?"
Even though Tony whispered, Tsunade's sharp senses caught every word. Her brow furrowed, and with a swift motion, she brought her foot down on the nearby table, shattering it with a single strike.
"Boom!"
Tony, suddenly remembering Tsunade's terrifying strength, turned toward the approaching hotel staff.
"Put it on my tab," he quickly said.
The staff member immediately stopped in his tracks, choosing not to come any closer.
Charles glared at Tony, thinking, 'You just had to open your big mouth. Whispering in front of Tsunade is like yelling through a megaphone.'
Tony hurriedly let go of Charles, sensing the danger.
Meanwhile, Pepper Potts quickly pulled Tsunade aside, making light conversation to smooth things over and discussing the day's planned activities.
###
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