Inside the Bus—
"Michael Peterson!"
After getting the hooded man's name from Skye, Coulson immediately asked Fitz to dig into the database.
Within minutes, all the information came up on the holo-display.
"Michael Peterson," Fitz read. "Factory worker. Married with one child. Wife left him. Laid off after an injury. Never received his compensation."
He looked up from the screen. "From what I can tell, he's not a bad guy—just had a streak of terrible luck."
Then Fitz tapped another file. "But here—look at this. Security footage from this morning. He assaulted the manager at his old factory."
Skye frowned. "That's not the Michael I met. He didn't seem violent at all, he—"
"Hey, it's okay," Coulson interrupted with a calm smile.
"Everyone makes mistakes. As long as they're not felonies, we can work with it. Though, technically, assault is a felony."
The room went quiet.
Coulson continued, "Still, his coworkers' testimonies say he was a decent man. That's something."
He turned to the others. "Ward, May—get ready. We're bringing Michael in."
Then he looked at Kai. "Kai, I need you to head to Stark Industries and retrieve the Extremis suppressant Tony made."
Fitz raised a hand. "Actually, sir, I think Kai should come with us to talk to Michael."
Coulson glanced over. "Why?"
Fitz brought up another file. "I cross-checked records. During the Battle of New York, one of the civilians Kai rescued was Michael Peterson's wife."
Skye's eyes widened. "That makes sense! When I told Michael that Kai—uh, 'Flash'—was working with S.H.I.E.L.D., he froze up. Totally stunned."
Coulson nodded. "Good point. May, you and Kai handle Michael. Ward, you're with me to Stark Industries."
Before leaving, Kai turned to Fitz. "Do me a favor—put together a short clip of someone self-destructing after using Extremis."
Fitz blinked. "You want a visual aid? Brutal. But sure."
He quickly condensed the footage into a ping-pong–sized holo-player and handed it to Kai.
Thirty minutes later—
In a small, half-empty apartment about to be foreclosed, Kai and May stood at the doorway.
"No need to panic, Michael," Kai said softly. "It's just me and May."
He sat on the couch, smiling as he handed a candy bar to Michael's young son.
May led the boy over to play quietly in the corner while Kai turned to Michael.
"Michael, we're here to help. We know you're a good man, and I don't want to see you end up like the others."
He activated the holographic player and passed it to Michael.
Michael hesitated. Skye had told him that Kai now worked for a secret government agency—an organization that hunted people like him.
But this was the same man who had saved his wife's life in New York.
After a pause, he pressed play.
A shaky video flickered in front of him—showing a man injected with the Extremis formula screaming in agony before detonating into a fireball.
Michael jumped up from the couch. "I'm different from them!"
He yanked up his sleeve, revealing a centipede-like device embedded into his arm.
"I have this controller! It keeps me stable—I won't explode!"
Kai stayed calm. "Maybe. But can you be sure?"
He stepped closer, voice steady but firm. "Michael, sometimes the world doesn't run on our willpower. You have a son—what is he, seven? You're a good father.
But even if there's only a one percent chance that you'll blow up, is that a risk you're willing to take? Would you let your kid lose his dad over that?"
Michael's breathing slowed. His anger faded into silence.
Kai looked him in the eye. "I'm not here to arrest you. I'm here to save you—just like I saved your wife in New York."
Michael hesitated, then turned to see May laughing softly with his son.
He took a deep breath. "Promise me… in your name—that S.H.I.E.L.D. won't hurt me."
Kai nodded. "I promise. In the name of Flash."
He added with a small grin, "And Coulson will help you get a job. Something stable. You'll be able to pay the rent and take care of your kid."
Michael's expression softened.
He reached out and shook Kai's hand. "I believe you. You saved my wife. You're a real hero."
Later, outside the apartment—
"Whoa…" Little Michael's eyes widened as the sleek, black-winged S.H.I.E.L.D. fighter descended.
Simmons came over to take him aboard, letting the kid explore the interior.
May stood beside Kai, watching Coulson escort Michael onboard.
"I'm impressed," she said. "I thought you'd use force."
Kai smirked. "He's not a bad guy—and his son was right there. Not my style."
He glanced at his watch. "Ten minutes till the end of my shift."
A while later, Skye walked up to Kai's desk.
"Hey… thanks," she said quietly. "At first, I wanted to use Michael to expose S.H.I.E.L.D. and leak their secrets online. But after today, seeing what he went through… I just—"
"What a hassle…" Kai muttered, leaning back in his chair.
He tapped his watch. "I'm off work in ten minutes. If you've got questions, Coulson's your guy."
He grabbed his PSP and started playing, clearly done with the conversation.
Skye sighed, gave a faint smile, and walked away.
Through this mission, her view of S.H.I.E.L.D.—and of Kai—had shifted.
But Kai didn't care much either way.
As the clock hit quitting time, he yawned, packed up, and vanished from the Blackwing aircraft.
Mission complete. Another beautiful day.