Ward's face showed disappointment as he heard Coulson's words.
"That's really unfortunate. I thought it could boost the strength of those who have already taken the body enhancement serum."
"Compared to ninjas, we're still too weak."
Coulson nodded in agreement. "Yes, it's a real disadvantage."
…
Meanwhile-
In the command room-
Skye was working hard to track down the hacker who had breached S.H.I.E.L.D., while Simmons approached Killer Bee, asking curiously:
"Your people from the village have come. Are they going to take you back? Will we still be able to see you?"
Killer Bee thought for a moment before replying, "I don't know how the village is planning things. They might let me wander outside for a while, or they might want me to return."
"But I believe even if I leave, we'll meet again."
Hearing Killer Bee's response, Skye, nearby, also breathed a sigh of relief.
It was then that May suddenly spoke up: "Coulson just mentioned that there might be some cooperation between Cloud Village and S.H.I.E.L.D. Do you think your people will bring over some more body enhancement serums?"
"It's possible. After all, those serums are pretty rare around here."
"But that's just my guess. I don't know the exact details."
May looked at Killer Bee and asked, "If it's possible, could you help our team members get some of those serums?"
Seeing May's eager expression, Killer Bee replied, "I can't promise anything right now, but when I meet them, I can mention it."
"If it's a deal with S.H.I.E.L.D., it doesn't really matter who gets it, as far as the village is concerned."
May, grateful, said, "Just hearing that is enough for me."
May, once a renowned field agent at S.H.I.E.L.D., was always eager to enhance her strength.
Though she had shifted to a desk role for a while, her martial arts and physical fitness had never waned. Now, with the hope of gaining further power, it was hard for her not to be excited.
At that moment, it wasn't just May—Skye, Fitz, and Simmons all turned their eyes to Killer Bee as well.
After some conversation, the group left the command room, leaving Skye alone to continue her work.
…
The next day-
As the sun rose, Coulson entered the command room and saw Fitz and Simmons watching Skye at work, with the rest of the team already gathered.
"How's the progress?"
Skye looked up at Coulson and said, "Almost done."
Fitz added, "She's identified the remote access trojan and the terminal that was compromised."
Simmons chimed in, "She's linking the transmission control protocol with the signed information in the hypertext. After that…"
"Everything will be sorted."
Coulson glanced at Ward and asked, "Did you understand any of that?"
Ward, expressionless, responded, "Not a bit."
At that moment, Coulson tapped the screen and said, "We found the source—Austin, Texas."
Coulson looked over and asked, "Do we have a name?"
"We know the coffee shop where the hacker was working, but I pulled up the credit card transactions from that day to see if we can match them with any known hackers."
Skye continued typing quickly, and within three seconds, she said:
"Got it."
The next second, a face appeared on the screen. Seeing the person displayed, Fitz said:
"Miles Lydon. It's not Skye."
"Everyone can relax."
Coulson looked at Fitz, "Do you know him?"
Skye responded, "Every hacker in the world knows him."
Simmons added, "Not just hackers. He hacked into the Kremlin."
Fitz quickly chimed in, "Exactly! That shirtless picture of Putin riding a horse? That's his work."
Both Fitz and Simmons smiled at the thought.
Ward, however, stated more seriously, "And he's also responsible for leaking S.H.I.E.L.D.'s classified data."
Coulson immediately gave orders: "May, change the flight plan. We're heading straight to Austin."
May typed a few commands and said, "Done."
Skye looked at Coulson, "What now?"
"Find Mr. Lydon. Bring him in, and let's see what he knows and who he's been selling the intel to."
After giving the instructions, Coulson left, and the rest of the team smiled supportively at Skye.
…
Austin, Texas-
Through the team channel, Skye reported, "Just left the café where Miles logged in. The cashier said they haven't seen him for over a week."
Ward's voice came over the comms, "I think I spotted him."
However, as soon as Miles noticed Ward, he bolted into the crowd.
"He spotted me."
Ward immediately pursued him and notified the team, "He's heading east on Fifth Avenue."
"He just got into a silver Jetta."
Seeing him get into the car, Ward didn't attempt to chase him on foot—he couldn't risk exposing his abilities in public.
"I'll follow him," Coulson said, driving after the Jetta, tailing closely behind Miles.
Miles, glancing in his rearview mirror, spotted Coulson's car and muttered, "Alright, officer. You asked for it."
He quickly tapped an app he had pre-programmed on his phone—something called the "Traffic Jam Protocol."
The program activated instantly, changing the traffic lights ahead and causing several trucks to move forward, blocking Coulson's path.
Coulson slammed on the brakes, narrowly avoiding a collision with the trucks. He jumped out of the car and watched as Miles' car sped away, the taillights disappearing around the corner.
"I lost him."
…
Miles Lydon made it back to his apartment, locking the door behind him as he entered. Suddenly, a woman's voice spoke from the shadows—Skye.
"Are you sure you lost them?"
Miles turned around, relieved to see Skye.
"Yeah, but it wasn't easy."
"And thanks for the text warning."
Miles looked at Skye and noticed something off about her expression, "Wait, are you angry?"
Skye crossed her arms and glared at him. "Are you kidding me?"
"I don't have time for this. Who did you sell those files to?"
Miles, shocked, replied, "Wait, what's going on?"
"I'm happy to see you, Skye."
"I leaked the files to the public. It's where they belong."
###
Access All Chapters(1400+): pat reon . com/gfdsa