"Miles?" Skye asked, her voice trembling with anger.
"Yes or no."
"Is it true?"
Seeing Skye's furious expression, Miles Lydon tried to explain, "Yes, but—"
Before he could finish, Skye stood up, attempting to hit him, but her wrists were cuffed to the table.
"You're dead."
"What were you thinking?"
Miles said, "One million dollars, Skye. One million! Enough to change my life, our lives."
"And the woman didn't seem malicious. I checked her out."
Skye was livid. "If she wasn't malicious, why would anyone spend that much money on this information? Did you even think about that?"
"I did think about it! If I had known she had bad intentions, I never would've—"
At this point, Ward interrupted, "Who is this woman you're talking about?"
Miles answered, "She's a fan of the Rising Tide. A rich girl in a floral dress."
"She knew who I was and said I had talent. She thought people like us deserved more."
Skye with her voice dripping with sarcasm, spat, "You deserved more."
Ignoring her, Miles continued, "She gave me a S.H.I.E.L.D. transmission signal from the Peru division and asked me to hack it."
Ward, growing more suspicious, asked, "And you thought there was no harm in that?"
Miles glanced at Skye and said, "I looked into the data stream. It was similar to the stuff you and I used to release, Skye."
"I also checked the account she used to pay me. It wasn't tied to any evil corporation."
"It was just an environmental research lab. Otherwise, I would never have—"
Ward slammed his hands on the table, leaning in closer, his expression stern, "Environmental research?"
"Yeah, they study insects. Centipedes, stuff like that."
"No harm in that, right?"
At that moment, Ward and Skye locked eyes. They both realized the connection: the Centipede Project.
…
Meanwhile-
On the other side of town-
The Sound Four arrived at the lab. They began unloading equipment they had obtained from S.H.I.E.L.D., using storage scrolls as instructed by Orochimaru. Each piece was placed in different labs as directed.
Kabuto approached Orochimaru and said, "Master, they want a stabilizer for the Extremis virus, something to prevent the explosions."
Orochimaru licked his lips and grinned, "We already have that, don't we?"
"If they need it, we'll give it to them. That extra funding will be perfect for purchasing our base."
"But one base isn't enough. Kabuto, find two more sites."
"And make sure they're in crowded city centers. I don't want another maniac sending missiles our way. At least in a city center, even a missile's power wouldn't do too much damage."
"As for test subjects, get in touch with the local gangs and smugglers. We'll need a lot of them."
"Understood, Master," Kabuto replied.
…
Meanwhile-
In the command room, Coulson addressed the team, "It seems the purchase of the ninja intelligence was orchestrated by Centipede."
Ward raised a question, "First in Los Angeles, now San Francisco. What kind of organization are we dealing with?"
Coulson replied, "It's global, well-funded, and dedicated to creating super-soldiers."
"Hopefully, with the leads we have now, we can find some answers."
Ward added, "They're also the ones in contact with the Sound Ninja. I remember Michael was kidnapped by them, right?"
"There's no way Centipede plans to team up with the Sound Ninja, right?"
Coulson paused for a moment before responding, "It's not impossible. The Sound Ninja takes on missions, and with Orochimaru on their side, their research capabilities are very advanced. A collaboration is entirely possible."
Coulson then operated the screen and said, "Based on the account information provided by Mr. Lydon, we've located their lab in San Francisco."
"May, change course for San Francisco."
"Yes, sir."
…
In the interrogation room, only Miles Lydon and Skye remained.
Miles, with his head down, muttered, "I'm so sorry. I really didn't know."
Skye, still angry, asked, "Were all the things we talked about a lie?"
"I risked so much to help you, and now I find out that everything you said after we met was nonsense."
Miles shook his head, "It's not like that."
Skye recalled Miles' past ideals, "Democratizing knowledge. The truth will set people free."
She then glanced at his handcuffs. "Well, the truth sure is out now."
Miles defended himself, "I still believe in all of that. I just don't understand why we should live in poverty for those beliefs."
"Come on, Skye, you lived in a van for two years."
Skye, clearly frustrated, retorted, "Are you insulting my van now?"
Miles tried to explain, "I could get us enough money to last for years. You wouldn't have to compromise your principles by joining this corrupt organization just to find your answers. What's so wrong with that?"
Skye was utterly unimpressed, "I'll tell you what's wrong. The Centipede Project's experiments have killed so many people. And now they're trying to team up with ninjas."
Miles insisted, "You know I would never intentionally hurt anyone. I just wanted to improve my life."
"At least you know what you're looking for. I don't even know what I want anymore."
"For a long time, I thought what I wanted was you. But it turns out I was wrong."
Skye nodded. "I think I was wrong too."
…
Later that night in San Francisco-
Coulson's plane landed at the local airport.
In the command room, Ward stated, "We need to apprehend the Centipede members inside the lab."
"Maybe we can hack into their system first, use the surveillance to get a better understanding of their layout."
"That would give us a tactical advantage and help us coordinate better."
Coulson agreed but added, "We don't have much time. If they realize Miles Lydon has been captured, they might decide to flee."
Coulson brought up blueprints of the bio-lab on the screen. "These are the original plans from when the building was constructed. It's five stories above ground and two underground."
"The first four floors are for research. The fifth floor is labeled as maintenance, but it consumes half the building's electricity. That's most likely where they're researching the Centipede virus."
"Fitz, Simmons, how long will it take for you to break into their network?"