Skye sat on the bed with her legs crossed, her arms folded around her knees, and she counted the cracks in the white wall in front of her, boredly.

This is the isolation pod of a S.H.I.E.L.D. airliner, and she's been in it for two days.

There aren't many activities that can be done in the isolation pod. Coulson had arranged for her a special TV set to pass the time, but she soon got bored with watching it. One is because there is no mood, and the other is because this TV can only receive so many limited news channels.

Recently, a terrorist organization called the "Ten Commandments Gang" seems to be quite arrogant, and all news stations are overwhelmed with news related to this organization. They openly provoked the President of the United States and launched a number of vigorous and resolute terrorist attacks, which set off quite a wave in public opinion.

Several channels are rummaging through the Ten Commandments Gang, and the "Manchu adult" who claims to be the leader of the gang talks about fortune cookies on the screen, threatening to teach the United States a lesson. Skye only watched it for a moment before he got upset and simply turned off the TV and ignored it.

After returning from that damn underground city, she seemed to be completely different. The reaction of Agent Jenma Simon in the lab after giving her a blood test made her feel like she had become a whole new species.

According to the lab, it seems that her body has become completely different on a genetic level, and it is almost impossible to be called human anymore. Agent Simon explained to her that the purified DNA molecule had been detected by gel electrophoresis or something, and that Skye didn't quite understand what she was talking about about DNA reordering and additional macromolecules, but there was only one thing she understood.

That is, she is no longer herself.

A day later, agents reportedly found Rena, the woman who had been infected as she had been in the Terrigan Mists as it spread through the temple. According to the agent's account, Rena appeared to have grown horrific black barbs on her head, her eyes turned amber gold, and her entire face was deformed. In the words of eyewitnesses, it was like "an angry beast."

When she heard this, Skye couldn't help but think that if Rena turned into "an angry beast", then what am I?

The mission's terrible experience left everyone feeling down, especially one of their best agents, who was stoned and smashed to pieces. They had an argument about it, a fierce quarrel. In Skye's mind, she never seemed to see anyone lose control of their emotions like this.

She doesn't remember exactly what happened, only that she was nervous and felt terrible...... Then the whole plane began to tremble, as if someone was pulling the plane with a string and swaying violently.

She blew up a few light bulbs and a few glasses that she lost control, but luckily didn't shatter anything too important. But since then, everyone's eyes have changed when they look at her. In the past, she could see trust in the eyes of her teammates, but now she sees only worry and fear...... It's like looking at a monster hidden beneath a beautiful skin.

To make matters worse, when she looked in the mirror and looked directly at the person behind the mirror, she suddenly felt that she had also seen a monster.

If everyone thinks you're a monster, if even you start to think you're a monster, then what's the proof that you're not?

Skye has been fatherless, motherless, and homeless, and has never been able to settle down anywhere. Aegis was the first place she'd found so far that she felt she could call home...... A home.

If you were human, you would need such a place, right? Even Superman needs a place where he can let his guard down, unwind his guard, be with those close to him, and sleep peacefully with those close to him.

If even such a destination were gone...... She didn't know what to do in the future.

On the bright side, she's in the cage now anyway, so how can things get any worse? She thought to herself, laughingly.

The door to the containment chamber clicked open from the outside. Director Coulson walked in.

"You'd better pack your bags, Skye." He said, "We've got to get out there." ”

"I guess you can't tell me where we're going, can you?"

Coulson was noncommittal.

"Pack your bags." "We'll be off in ten minutes," he said. ”

Skye suddenly had a strange premonition.

She began to think that maybe things could get worse.

***

By the time Michael unlocked the door and walked into the lab, Shirley had already scanned his trophies inside and out, with all sorts of sophisticated instruments—the clusters of blue Kerry crystals.

"Is our loot research going well?"

"It's almost done, sir."

"Show all the data, projected on a virtual screen."

"Yes, sir."

The pale blue interfaces opened one after another, forming a circle around Michael. He stretched out his hand and dragged the virtual screens constructed by the light in front of him one by one, and carefully read and studied them.

"The crystals themselves are harmless to the average person?"

"I ran a number of tests and was convinced that the Terrigen crystal itself was harmless. Its composition is an extremely unstable compound that carries components that recognize specific mutated genes, but it also stores an extremely large amount of energy. If enough crystals are weaponized, it is theoretically possible to create extremely powerful weapons of mass destruction. ”

Whitehall's lifelong obsession with ideals is not entirely utopian, and the weaponization of the obelisk is theoretically possible.

Michael asked, "So what's the petrification phenomenon?" I remember that there were records of non-Inhumans who came into contact with the obelisk being petrified. ”

"I believe it's due to the protective metal on the outer layer of the Terrigen crystal." Shirley replied, "The metal wrapped around the crystal is an aggressive alien material that produces an instinctive response similar to immune rejection to non-inhuman gene carriers. ”

Michael had gone through all the analyses to get a general idea of most of the properties of the Terrigan Crystal, and was convinced that the vast amount of energy contained within it could be extracted and used as a weapon.

What's more, although the energy that Terrigan Crystal can provide is not endless, it can absorb the elements in the air on its own and automatically transform and replenish it, no matter how much energy it consumes, as long as it is given enough time, it can recover itself.

It's simply an impeccable source of perfect energy.

Then he called up the project file of the "X-06" vibranium armor that he had saved earlier, and projected the stereoscopic projection of the half-finished armor on the test bench. He spent about four hours designing and modifying the power core and power supply lines of the new armor, and finally succeeded in building a virtual model of the armor powered by Terrigan crystals.

The energy problem is solved, and the design of the vibranium armor is basically completed. After some minor changes, Michael saved the model, re-stored the data back in the "X-06" file, and instructed Shirley to prepare the materials for the actual operation.

"By the way, there's one more thing." Michael remembered something, "Help me check if there are any members of Tianjian's Eastern European branch who have a little more social influence?" ”

After a few moments of searching, Shirley quickly found the result. The photos and detailed information of seven or eight Eastern European political leaders and financial tycoons all jumped out of the three-dimensional screen of the experimental bench, and each of them was the eyes and ears of the Heavenly Sword.

Michael skimmed a few people's messages, and finally his gaze stopped at the owner of an Eastern European multinational group.

"Lauren Beard, that's it." Michael pointed to the gray-haired old man in the projection photo, "Give the branch over there and say I have a task for him." ”