"Previously on "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D."..." "I swore an oath." "We all did." "To protect the world against the much appeared world." "It's got to be some sort of activation signal to Hydra members within S.H.I.E.L.D." "We'vehadawolf in the herd the whole time." "They've infiltrated the highest levels of our organization." " Ward!" " Ward!" "Ward, you don't have to do this!" " Fitz ... is he okay?" " He's alive." "Onbehalfof  the United States armed forces," "I order you to stand down." "We're not Hydra." "We're agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." "Well, right now, to the rest of the world, that's the same thing." "Fury always said a man can accomplish anything when he realizes he's a part of something bigger." "You want me to start over, rebuild S.H.I.E.L.D." " What is this place?" " I call it the playground." "It is an honor to meet you, sir." "I know we don't have much, but what we have is yours," "Director Coulson." "2x01 - "Shadows"" "_" "_" "I don't think I need to remind you that the clock is ticking." "We are almost finished loading." "Herr Reinhardt, I-I fear Schmidt ..." "Oh, there's no reason left to fear the Red Skull." "He's dead." "However, his vision is not." "The work Hydra has done will live on." " The Obelisk?" " They are bringing it out now." "Carefully, I hope." "I don't understand." "I thought this stockpile held only artifacts." "Not everything we dug out of the ground was an antique, my friend." "Some of it was quite advanced." " Is this the reason these men...?" " Hmm?" "Ja." "The Red Skull said it may hold the answer ... the answer to death itself." "I'll give them an "A" for effort." "Guten tag, boys." "All right, nice and calm." "No sudden moves, or we'll tie a blasting cap to your..." "Hey, Dugan, what's the German word for "nuts"?" "I don't know, Jim." "But tie a blasting cap to them, I'll bet we'll hear it." "Put it down." "Down." "These assets are now under the protection of the Strategic scientific reserve." "They'll be relocated and hidden out of sight, indefinitely... as will you." "Cut off one head, two more shall grow in its place." "Then I guess we'll keep cutting them off." "Get him out of here." "All right, boys, let's pack it up." "Agent Carter, what the hell is all this stuff?" "Dangerous." "Right now, we need to contain everything and get it out of enemy territory." "Mr. Stark plans to go through it tonight." "And that, we must never touch." "This is the last Hydra site we know of." "They're finally beaten." "You don't sound thrilled." "Well, these things can't simply be boxed up." "Someone needs to establish a permanent unit during peacetime." "To keep dangerous technology contained?" "And watch over people like Stark who are toying with it." "Until then, all we can do is box it up, lock it up, and dedicate ourselves to making sure it never sees the light of day." "_" "We've got ears on them." "The package is in the open." "Don't engage until the deal's done." "Copy that." " Trip, we got eyes?" " Now we do." "That's what I'm selling." "I'm sure you'd like to see some credentials." "Agent Browning, for ex-S.H.I.E.L.D., you seem awfully indifferent to who we are." "What you are is the highest bidder." "Whether you're in it for profit or for Hydra, it doesn't concern me, not anymore." "That's what we want to hear." " What are they buying from him?" " Intel, not hardware." "The mystery I'd like to solve is, why should we be paying you so much?" "This looks like a box." "Sorry ..." "a picture of a box... a picture of a box you don't have." "The government has it, along with thousands of other assets they've seized from S.H.I.E.L.D., and they don't know what to make of half of them." "I worked in a S.H.I.E.L.D. containment facility that had hundreds of boxes that look just like this." "But this is the only one that has a level 10 classified file dedicated to it." "You're selling us a needle in a haystack." "Finding the haystack is up to you." "I know your reputation." "I'm sure you'll be fine." "What I don't appreciate is you changing the terms on me now." "We're asking for clarification, Browning." "You're the one who changed the terms, bringing more than the two guards we agreed upon." "I only brought two guards." " What the hell are you doing here?" " Who was that?" " A third party." " A party's what you'd call that?" "He's gone." "25-foot drop." "This was supposed to be an undercover operation." "You want to explain why you're shadowing us?" " We were your backup, which you needed." " Yeah." "So did he." "Sir, Mark's down." "Third party, possibly Hydra, and we're out in the open." "What are our orders?" "Go dark." "They're fugitives, and they deserve to be punished." "We witnessed the single greatest intelligence collapse in recorded history, George." "We have a duty to the American people to hunt down those responsible." "So, no, I don't sleep most nights." "General Talbot, you said you have S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel and weaponry locked in a secure facility, so is it fair to say that S.H.I.E.L.D." "and the Hydra terrorists who poisoned its ranks have been defeated?" "The corrupt institution has been dismantled, yes." "We cut down the tree, we pulled up the roots, but let's just say" "I'll rest easier when we throw it all on the bonfire." " So, you didn't get them all?" " Our black-market contacts were the reason the guy believed we weren't with S.H.I.E.L.D." "Coulson knows Hartley." "She's the only person on your team he trusts." " But why'd you break silhouette protocol?" " He ordered us to." "We can't maintain solid cover with agents tailing us." "And we can't be sure you won't run off with the money." "Any idea how that freak show found us, Hartley?" " I have a theory." " Cool it." "The man said we were the highest bidder." "That means he sent the word out wide." "And he paid for that mistake." " Yes, he did." " That's an understatement." "Operation didn't go well, I take it?" " What gave you that idea?" " That's a shame, man." "I was hoping that agent you were scoping out would have some tech we could use." "Sorry, Mack." "No new toys." " You get anything?" " A new enemy." "I know." "I know." "Director wants you for debrief." "The feeling is mutual." "Throw him up on the big screen." "We'll tell him that his enemies have gone bulletproof." " He's in his office." " Wow." "Coulson's here?" "Kind of buried the lead there, Bill." " Just Agent May." " Copy that." "Really?" "Well, tell him I'd like to voice my opinion, too, on being kept in the dark, 'cause I don't like being left... out." "Get used to it." "So, the guy was bulletproof, huh?" "That's sweet." "What ..." "like, protective clothing or...?" "Maybe." "We found these metal shards." "They broke off with the bullet hits." " I'm gonna take it to the lab." " I'll let Coulson know." "It'll be good to see him..." " if I see him." " He's a busy man." "Sorry." "That's all I can give you." "Try to move up with your head down." "And, hey, only use the dead drop from now on." "There aren't enough pay phones left in this country." " Hi." " You're the man in charge, but I'm in charge of you, remember?" " I had two rules." " Avoid field operations ..." "And check in with me every few days." " It's been two weeks." " And I'm flying back out tonight." "I have to focus on recruitment." "It's starting to wear me down." " The hours?" " The numbers." "Between the traitors, military detainees, and the sell-outs in the private sector, the people who could possibly be considered loyal to S.H.I.E.L.D." "is not impressive." "And they're scattered all over the damn globe." "Well, you have no choice but to meet them face-to-face," " get a read on them." " I know, and I prefer it." "But flying economy blows." "Any progress on the cloaking equipment?" " Like I can tell." " Well, we need it now, badly." "Our plane's been gathering dust for months, but I still can't risk a takeoff with this guy trying to throw us on a bonfire, so flying coach it is..." "Though I did score an exit row on the way back from London." " And what was in London?" " Allies... ready to be activated, if necessary." "It's a decent start, but it's gonna be slow-going without more resources." "Bad news on that front." "We were hoping agent Browning would be a friend." "And if not, at least sell us tech." "Negative on both." " The assassin ..." "Hydra?" " Likely." "Possibly gifted." "Killed Browning." "He wanted the intel." "Another 0-8-4, I guess." "What's your assessment of Hartley's people?" "You know what I think." "They're mercenaries, here for the money." " But what's your assessment?" " They're good mercenaries." "Well, Hartley spent a lot of years undercover." "Those are the kinds of friends you make." "If she trusts them..." " What?" " S.S.R. I just read about this." " It's not in any of the history books." " No." "It's in Fury's toolbox." "Koenig, cancel my flights." "What did it say about this?" "An 0-8-4 could be anything ..." "that much we've learned." "It's not just an 0-8-4." "It's the first." "And all Fury knew about was the trail of bodies that follows it." "Talbot's saying he's beaten both sides, but we're just hiding underground." "If Hydra gets their hands on this, they may not have to." "Hail Hydra." "Yeah." "Is the package secure?" "Uploading now." "He expected a positive result and sent a gift along as a reward ... for this assignment and the next." "A diamond." "Musgravite, from the caves of Madagascar, one of the rarest gemstones in the world." "He believes you'll find its structure quite pleasurable." "Was he right?" "He's always right." "Whatever." "It's better than that crap you cooked up in Budapest." "I didn't have much to work with." "It was farm to table." " It broke my tooth." " That's 'cause you're English." "Hartley, Hunter, Idaho." "What's the word?" " In his office." " The director requests an audience?" "Oh, the man doesn't do requests." "And, listen, when we get in there, no matter what you do, don't look him in the eye." " Really?" " Nah, he's all right." "But you should both focus on not saying anything overly stupid." " Yes, ma'am." " I'm not making any promises." "You took the material to the lab?" "That's the top priority now." "Yeah." "But I don't know at it'll get us." "How's the mood in there today?" "It's as good as can be expected." "Fitz, now would be the time I'd have you test the resonant frequencies of the metal so that I could determine what properties we're dealing with." "Fitz?" "Fitz, can you even hear me?" "Yes, Simmons, I can hear you." "I'm trying to hear the bloody resonant frequency you keep going on about, but all I can hear is you." "Calm down." "I'm only asking." "You haven't been able to isolate ..." "No, I haven't been able to isolate the... the, um... the..." " Rate of oscillation." " Yes." "I was just about to say that, actually." "And, no, I haven't because it keeps... um..." "What's the word again?" "Give me the word." " Fluctuating." " Yes." "Good." "Fine." "Thanks." "Go away." " Have you taken your medication?" " Yes." " Hmm." " Don't." "Don't." "Please don't touch anything." "That's the cloaking technology for the plane." " How's it coming?" " Good." "Slower than I'd like." "I've had a few bumps, but it's ..." "I'm close." "And I don't need you mucking it up." " Fitz, I'm trying to help." " I know." "I know." "But I also know how important cloaking is, okay?" "So I just need everybody to be..." "everybody to be..." "I just need everybody to be, um..." " Patient." " Yes." "You need to be patient with yourself, Fitz." " You're almost there." " Yeah." "Yeah, I'm almost there." " Any update on the metal we found?" " Yeah." "Yeah..." "Um, no." "Actually, no." "I'm just having a bit of trouble identifying the... a bit of trouble ..." "I'm having a bit of trouble identifying the material." "Okay." "Yeah, so, this is the same lead that we use in our bullets, but there's... there is something... bleeding." "Uh..." "Uh, okay." "That's ... are you ..." "can you see that?" " Looks like flesh." " Yeah, I see it." " It's blood." " Good." " I mean, that's ... what?" "That's weird." " Can you figure out whose blood?" "That shouldn't be too hard." " That shouldn't be too hard." " I'll stay and help anyway." " So the man had powers?" " We emptied our mags at the guy." "Might as well have been blowing kisses." " Never seen anything like it." " I have." "And usually these encounters come with better financial compensation." " Hunter..." " What?" " Don't be yourself right now." " You like me like this." "Look, you both have your S.H.I.E.L.D. traditions and all that nonsense, and personal reasons for being dedicated to the cause, but you've known me a long time, Izzy." "And what gets me out of bed in the morning?" " He's not a big picture kind a guy." " Sound like my ex-wife." "And you should have listened to her, too." "DNA match." "Carl Creel." "He was on the index." "More importantly, crossed off the index." "S.H.I.E.L.D. protocol." "Sometimes hostile gifted individuals are put down." " Well, they didn't do a great job here." " They didn't try." " Check who was the supervising agent." " Agent John Garrett." "They must have faked Creel's termination, recruited him." "Well, now we know he's Hydra." "John Garrett?" "Isn't that your mate who, you know..." " went to the dark side?" " Oh, yeah." "Then he went nuts." "It's a little bit strange." "I mean, they're exactly the same." "You really think they were just twins?" "Come on." "I have heard all your theories, Trip." "And Koenig's always mentioning other brothers." "Every day, another brother." "If he brings up one more brother, I don't know what I'm gonna do." "Coulson said we can trust him." "There's something fishy going on there, man." "You'll go crazy staring at this crap." "What is it again?" "Not sure." "Something Garrett was messing with." "Coulson put me on it a month ago, searching deep web contacts, even Rising Tide, looking for a match." "I've got nothing." "There he is." "Happy to see you, sir." " Agent Triplett, Skye." " Sir." " Can you give us a moment?" " Watch this." "What?" "No hugs?" "He was really looking forward to it." "I've cross-checked the writing from the lab with the new images you've given me." "Mostly the same, but the code breakers haven't found anything ..." "That's not why I'm here." "The bulletproof assassin you encountered on the sting?" "We know who he is." " You want me to go down there, don't you?" " You're the only one who can." "Is this really what it takes for you and I to get a one-on-one these days?" "Why now?" "Because the technology in play warrants it." "And do I have a say in this?" "Copy that." "There's an inertial confinement laser barrier down there," "Which is cool." "Now this button turns it soundproof." "This button makes it opaque." "Just tell me there isn't an "off" button I can accidentally hit." "You'll be safe." "I promise." "Aren't you a sight for sore eyes." "I told Coulson weeks ago that I was willing to speak to you ... to give you intelligence." "Why now?" "Something bad happen?" "Carl Creel." "Garrett reported him dead." "Turns out he's alive." "Do you have any information on that?" "How have you been?" "The name sounds familiar." "Do you have a picture?" "Coulson didn't tell you." "I went through a... rough stretch." "First pair of pants they gave me had a ... a button on the back." "They took that away." "But you fold a piece of paper just right, it gets sharp." "When they took that away, I started running at the walls." " You should have run faster." " I'm through all that." "When I came out of sedation, I was clear-headed, accepting... of who I am, what I've done, and why." "You sure about this?" "Giving Ward exactly what he wants?" "Of course he said he'd only talk to Skye." " He wants to fill her head with lies." " He hasn't lied yet." "Your arms tell a different story." "I see May's training you." "She's got you favoring your left side first" " 'cause you're right-handed." "Smart." " I'm gonna say this once." "I'm not gonna believe a word that comes out of your mouth." "But if a single word is about anything other than the question that I'm asking, I walk." "Okay." "Creel was a boxer, nicknamed the Crusher." "Turns out any opponent has a glass jaw when you have steel fists under your gloves." "Garrett thought he'd be an asset." "Now, once Creel touches a substance, he can absorb it and somehow consciously transform the molecules of his body into that substance." "He wouldn't tell us how, but he enjoys the way it feels..." "Almost as much as he enjoys killing." "You two must have gotten along great." "Well, this was fun but pointless." "We've already figured that stuff out," " so if you don't know where to find him, then ..." " Wait." "When Hydra was communicating with S.H.I.E.L.D., we'd use white noise in the gaps between S.H.I.E.L.D.'s quantum key distribution channels to hide messages." "Now, S.H.I.E.L.D. might be gone, but not those frequencies." "If Hydra is giving commands to Creel," " that'll be how." " We'll see." "It's true, and so will be every word I say to you for the rest of my life." "I'm not asking for forgiveness." "I just want to help you." "And when that information proves true, I hope you'll come back." "There's so much I want to tell you about your father." "And believe it or not, there's a directive going out over those channels right now." "Now, I can ping an echo request, see if there's other receivers out there, how many Hydra agents can communicate this way." "So he's telling the truth." "It looks like it." "Thank you." "I guess that visit was the first of many, huh?" "We kept Ward here for this reason, and it's paying off." " What is his deal?" " I really don't know," "But it doesn't matter, as long as he's giving us an inside look" " at Hydra's operations." " Yeah, guys?" "About that." "You called it." "Talbot hasn't crushed Hydra." "Just sent them slithering back to the shadows." "I hate being right." "The Navy?" "He said that?" "You must be kidding me." "He said he likes boats." "He likes messing with his old man is what it is." "Don't go far." "Excuse me." " The Navy." " Yep." "I'll tell you what ..." "I'll have something to say about that." "Sweetheart, he's 11." "I'm sure you'll wear him down soon enough." " Glenn." " Yeah?" " Your phone's ringing." " That's not my ..." "Take George." " Get to the car now." " What?" " Now!" " Okay." "All right." "Who is this?" "General Talbot, you're in danger." "We're here to ensure your safety." "Please listen carefully." "Agent Coulson, is this you?" "Show yourself so we can talk about it." "There's no time." "We're here to protect you." " Listen to me." " No, you listen to me." "I have my own protection and a cell for you at Gitmo." "This is Talbot." "I need reinforcements at my location now." "Watch your six!" " Secure that bastard!" " Move, move, move!" "General, let's get you to cover, sir." "General!" "Go, go!" "General, we should get you somewhere safe." "General?" " Hi, again." " Son of a bitch." " Are these straps really necessary?" " You tell me." "I guess." "To ensure your safety." "I'm hoping we can work together," " be buddies like we used to be." " "Buddies"?" "Last time we saw each other, you assaulted me and my team." "So I could go stop a killer, which I did." "Whereas you discovered that secret base." "Got a big promotion, Brigadier General Talbot." "Sounds like a pair of best buds to me." "I got to say..." "I respect you." "You managed to evade us for an entire winter." "And I respect you for making it so damn hard." " I'm exhausted." " I'll bet." "But I want to make your job easier." "Chasing us is a waste of resources, general." "We're the good guys, and we can help you catch the bad guys." "Kidnapping me and tying me up in your honeycomb kill room is not helping your case." "Do you think I'm an idiot?" "Oh, no." "You're the real deal." "But you're surrounded by people who constantly underestimate the threat they're up against." "Me and my people swore an oath we don't intend to break ... to protect the innocent, to watch out for people ..." " people like your son." " How dare you bring my family into this." "We save lives, including yours, whether you like it or not." "That was smooth." "Riled him up, got him to grab the arm rests, and now active fingerprint analysis ... 89%." "We were there for your protection." "Everyone is save." "No one got hurt." "Look at Koenig, running analysis." "Well, it looks like we've got our new golden boy." ""New"?" "As opposed to the original?" "Yes!" "Me." " And I've been sidelined." " No." "Well, I mean, maybe, but in the way that a player is sidelined due to injury in a football match." "Football or American football?" "'Cause a head-trauma joke right now, Simmons, that's in severely poor taste, even for you." "And I see the way they look at me." "Especially when they keep on asking about the..." " Cloaking." " Yeah." "No, they're just anxious about it." "They know you're nearly done." "Yeah, well, I may not seem like the genius I used to be, but I still have ideas." " Yeah." " I'm just having a hard time..." "I'm just having..." " Expressing them." " Yeah." "And that ... that doesn't mean that they have to treat me like..." " Like what, Fitz?" " Treat me like I'm gonna break." "It's distracting." "And, you know, talking to you is the only time I feel clear." "And calm." "Like I might actually get better." "You are getting better." "Every day." "I see it, they see it, and soon you'll see it yourself." "Yeah." "You know, they really should be analyzing speech patterns and tracking voice..." " Voice biometrics." " ...biometrics." "Yes, Fitz, I think they are." "Coulson, I don't think we see eye-to-eye on this." "My team was up to the task when they took that freak into custody, before you took me." "They have him on lockdown." " That's the problem." " How is that a problem?" "You've said in your numerous public appearances that you have a facility where you're storing the technology and prisoners captured in the S.H.I.E.L.D. raids, yes?" "Yeah." "I'm flattered you keep up with my press." "What's your point?" "Creel's after a deadly weapon stored in that facility." "Here's some more press." "He targeted your family to force you to give up the location of that facility, but now he doesn't have to." "Your people just took a man they have no idea how to contain to the one place he wants to be." "Now I need your help to stop him." "I'll make you a deal." "You let me out of here, and I promise not to kill you." "But there is no way on god's green Earth I am ever gonna help you." "Well... you might." "Son of a bitch!" "This is Brigadier General Glenn Talbot, access code Delta-3-6-5-Sierra-Victor-Niner." "I want double detail on that prisoner." "I want the walls crawling with semi-autos," " and a vehicle at my location now!" " Uh, absolutely, sir." "We'll ... we'll get right on that." "Victor-niner." "Niner." "Okay." "Yeah, all right." "You just ... you hold tight, general." "Okay, we, uh, traced the number to a spot near the Pentagon." " We are ready to go." " We have a small logic question." "Why?" "Why are we going in?" " Look, we trust Coulson's judgment." " We do?" "But Talbot's not a bad guy." "And last I checked, the U.S. Government is one of the lesser evils." "So they've got the weapon in a locked box." "And now they've got this absorbing man in a locked box, too." " That's not so bad." " She's got a point." "It does seem as safe a place to keep them as any." "But they have no idea what they're dealing with." "Yeah, but is that danger worse than the risk of sending every field operative you have available into a secure military compound?" "Yeah, guarded by the same people that's been hunting us." " Belly of the beast, man." " Well, we're already on our heels." "We can't even get this thing out of the hangar." "Exactly." "This is a make-or-break moment." "For an object we have zero data on." "That's not the only thing we're after." "Now it's all or nothing, huh?" "Well, all right, then." " You taking point?" " Coulson will be on comms." " Hey, let's stick together on this one." " You got it." " General." " Come on, girl." "You know I look good." "No, they're saying General Talbot up and vanished." "Don't know how." "Think this guy might have pulled some kind of magic trick." "What the..." "He's gone." "Call upstairs." "I have General Jones and his party here" " to meet with General Talbot." " General Jones?" "Sir." "I'm sorry, sir." "I don't have this visit in the register today." "You might want to double-check that." "Military installations bury all their cables." " Wisely." " Not that wisely." " Okay." "Delta-3-6-5-Sierra-Victor..." " Niner." "If it's not in here, there's nothing I can do." "Exit to the left, please." " Gatehouse." " This is General Talbot." "Why has General Jones and his government escort been delayed at the gate, soldier?" " Wave them through." " Uh, sir." "Sorry, sir." "His name's not in the register, and my orders are to strictly ..." " Now, you listen to me, son." " Private Tilden." " It's Private Tilden, isn't it?" " Yes, sir." "Well, I don't care about this register or that." "I want General Jones and his friends sent directly to the ordnance depot to meet me." "Hey." "Hey." "Go bigger." "Go bigger." "...or I'll have you so deep in horse manure, son," " You'll need a damn snorkel." " I understand, sir, but I can't ..." "Oh." "Never mind ... sir." "Nice work, soldier." "Next time you see me, come shake my hand." " Talbot out." " What?" "!" "Stay and keep it running in case we have to abort." "Got it." "Needle in a haystack." "Turns out I was not exaggerating." "All right, we know what we're looking for." "Don't we?" "I've got the 0-8-4." "Repeat ..." "I've got the damn thing." "Southwest side." "Okay." "Why don't we find out what all the hype's about?" "No!" " What the hell's happening?" " I can't let go!" "Okay, Hartley, just relax your hand." "I can't let go." "Don't touch it." "Just stay away." "They'll be on us any second." "Okay, time to go." "Help me get her up." " Can you walk?" " I think so." "What are you waiting for?" "!" "We need to get her out of here before we all get killed!" " We got what we came for!" " Not everything we came for." "Wait." "What are you talking about?" "Coulson, Hartley has the item, but it's attacking her." "She needs medical right now." "Do we abort?" "Alarms have sounded." "Chances of them being captured or killed here just skyrocketed." "Should we just cut our losses?" "Coulson?" "!" "Come on!" "Come on!" "S-sir, I repeat ... what are our orders?" "Do we go dark?" "Negative." "Do not abort." "Proceed as planned." " You heard him." " Help me up." "I can follow." " Are you mental?" " We have our orders." "Screw the orders." "We need to get you to a doctor." " Hunter ..." " No, no, stay here and die if that's what you want to do, but I'm making sure she doesn't." "I wish you the best of luck, really, but we're out of here." "Go!" "Go!" " They're headed to the West door!" " Move!" "Move!" "Go!" "Go!" " Get us the hell out of here!" " You got it." " Cut it off." " What?" "N-no." "Okay?" "We'll get you to a hospital." "They'll fix this." "This thing is killing me." "I can feel it." "I need you to cut it off, or I won't make it to the hospital." "It's no big deal." "You've seen what they can" " do with robotics these days." " Uh, probably be an upgrade." "I don't want to die." "Okay." "I know it was a risk." "If we went down today, we'd probably be down for good." "But now we have a chance to survive." "We have soldiers willing to sacrifice, but they need weapons." "The enemy has the advantage." "We need one of our own." " You risked that for a quinjet?" " No." "For what we can do with one." "Disappear." "Become ghosts." "That's how we have to live now ... in the shadows, to save people, even when they don't know it, don't want it." "Fitz said he could engineer cloaking, but..." "I'm afraid he can't do anything." "The damage to his temporal lobe was too extensive." "He's not the same, and... since Simmons left, he's only getting worse." "And this is number two of five." "But if we get this one finished today, there's not much ..." "Simmons, I said not to touch anything." "Yes, yes." "I know." "I know." "And I have told them to be patient, like you said, but I'm still having trouble communicating the... the ... yes." "Thank you." "Sorry." "Simmons said she thought he'd be better without her here, but her leaving just broke him." "In the months since, he's grown isolated, talking to himself more and more." "I know." "I know." "I'm almost there." "We have to fight on for him, for those we've lost." "We have to take risks... so the sacrifices they made were not made in vain." "And then... we'll disappear." "Creel has escaped and did indeed make off with the Obelisk." "He should contact us shortly." "I would have him come in, but I'm being overly discreet with this operation." "I know how long you have been searching for this," "Dr. Whitehall." "You have no idea."