Work surrounding the Monolith was still ongoing, and although Fitz wanted to say something, Agent Coulson's questions remained unanswered.
"If it's an infectious disease," Leopold Fitz said, "I can solve it. I just need time."
"I don't believe you'll find a solution for a parasite that can lie dormant in the body and devour flesh in an instant. And even if you could, that self-aware parasite won't let you succeed," the archmage said through the electronic modulation of his voice. "If Jemma Simmons is infected, then she's no longer herself. Her thoughts will be twisted and controlled by the parasite. Her past memories will become weapons against those she once loved." He pointed at the synthetic humans below, armed with flamethrowers. "This is our final insurance policy—airtight powered armor and fire. Fitz, I'm sorry, but the best method of handling this is incineration."
Agent Coulson gently squeezed Fitz's shoulder, trying to offer some form of comfort. "How much do you actually know, Solomon?" Coulson looked up at the knight clad in his elegant black armor. "Don't lie to me—was the Monolith your goal all along? Did you manipulate my mind?"
"Because I couldn't let a team like yours gamble with humanity's fate," Solomon said. "I don't know what changed in you after your death, but if it were the old S.H.I.E.L.D. or Nick Fury, they'd understand that my actions deserve support. The current S.H.I.E.L.D. is no longer capable of bearing the consequences of failure. You're no longer enforcers—you're vigilantes. You treat humanity's fate as equal to your emotional bonds, dancing on the edge of extinction-level events like it's a fucking romance drama where you can express your feelings and solve your psychological issues."
Solomon didn't want to explain further; his tone turned cold. "I've already apologized for the sacrifices you may have to make. That's enough. The sooner we resolve this, the less likely Jemma Simmons is to be infected. Our next move may very well determine the direction of humanity's future! So either join the work or shut up. We're standing on the edge of life and death, and if anyone obstructs my work… don't make me regret letting you live!"
"I'm in. No one knows the Monolith better than I do," Fitz nodded. He took off his filthy suit and donned a white lab coat hanging on the wall of the temporary command center. "I'm going to pull up my research data. If Jemma's going to die, then I'll die with her. Coulson, don't try to stop me. You know what I'll choose."
Solomon needed a scientific method to control the activation of the Monolith, and Fitz's research was indispensable.
With Fitz joining in, the research progressed rapidly. Melinda May (soon to go on vacation) and Skye (Daisy Johnson) came by the temporary command center to check on things. Bobbi Morse and her ex-husband Hunter, after a medical checkup, were ordered by Coulson to withdraw from the research site. Although the Monolith was sealed inside a transparent container, it was not truly airtight, and any staff not wearing protective gear could still be at risk of infection.
"The probe," Fitz explained over the comms to Solomon, "If we can keep the Monolith in its liquefied state, we can use a probe to scan the environment on the other side. But this comes with risks—like you said, the source of infection might break through at any time."
"Then do it."
"Also, I traced the Monolith's appearances through history. I need every piece of research humanity has ever produced on it," Fitz cleared his throat, "And I need a scientist who's an expert on Einstein-Rosen bridges."
"I can provide the first. As for the second… my mentor is otherwise occupied, and Professor Selvig is preparing for an award ceremony. I think my master's degree should suffice. I assure you, I didn't get a PhD simply because I didn't have the time. My knowledge base is more than enough." This might have been the most human-sounding thing Solomon had said since entering the base, but Fitz didn't care about that.
"Fine. We'll also need to transfer the Monolith into a new container, or we won't be able to deploy the probe."
"Do as he says." Solomon gave the order to the engineering team that had been standing by, and simultaneously issued a covert instruction to the heavy weapons unit to accompany Fitz during the experiment. Their flamethrowers could reduce any organic matter to ash—regardless of how sophisticated a Kree-engineered bio-weapon Hive might be, it couldn't defy the laws of physics.
Fitz shrugged. He didn't care who the flamethrowers were aimed at.
Several hours later, Fitz had assembled a compact wired probe with his bare hands. Solomon, watching alone from the temporary command post, observed with some admiration as Fitz disassembled an underwater drone, removed unnecessary components, and added walking mechanisms—turning it into a bizarre little Mars rover. Meanwhile, the engineering team had successfully transferred the Monolith into a makeshift "pool" welded together with prefab panels. Due to time constraints, they didn't have tempered glass of sufficient size, so they used pest-control-grade inflatable plastic enclosures. Two layers were used, along with a temporary decontamination chamber to prevent any hazardous materials from escaping.
Before Fitz could finish the probe's software, the Monolith suddenly liquefied, scaring the researchers inside the enclosure into stumbling backward. A similar incident had occurred before Fitz returned, but due to the seemingly random timing of the liquefaction, all the terrified staff could do was record historical data and go through rigorous cleansing to ensure no infection source reached Earth.
Inside the innermost inflatable enclosure, the heavy weapons team immediately pointed their flamethrowers at the Monolith, as they had done before. This was part of the cleansing protocol—high-temperature sterilization remained the most reliable method. However, since the current enclosure hadn't been fireproofed yet, using flamethrowers now might cause it to rupture.
"My lord!" the heavy weapons team called Solomon over the comms. "Something's wrong! Leopold Fitz jumped into the 'pool'! He only brought a handgun!"
"Understood." Solomon's tone was frighteningly calm. He left the temporary command center and stepped down the creaking iron stairs toward the orange enclosure. "The probe?"
"Deployed… receiving data… My lord, the Monolith has returned to solid form. The cable's been severed." Catherine's voice cut in sharply, "Leopold Fitz is missing!"
"Inform Agent Coulson of this disaster, and continue the work. We must master this stable portal and even understand the Monolith's transmission mechanism."
"What do you plan to do, my lord?" Stephanie, who had just woken up and was still groggy, asked. Several days of intense work had left her exhausted. Though she had long since handed over the Monolith samples collected by the Malick family to the Undying City for testing, the city's scientists had yet to unravel its operational principle.
Catherine interjected, "The area around the Monolith is filled with sand, my lord. Researchers are analyzing it. It might tell us about the composition on the other side of the portal—but they need time."
"I'm going to take a look myself," the archmage said over the comms. "Collect all the sand, have it tested, and bring it to me. Open the airtight hatch and decontamination chamber—I'm going to open another portal here."
"My lord!" Stephanie met him at the other end of the decontamination chamber, frowning deeply. "I don't think this is a good idea."
"Don't worry. It's just a parasite." Solomon patted the long sword and firearm at his waist. "Everything has to be resolved on the other side. You know exactly what I mean."
(End of Chapter)
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