Skye, noticing everyone else had badges, asked, "Do I have one? Or is it just me and Killer Bee who don't?"
Coulson pointed to the bracelet on her wrist. "That's your 'badge,' meaning you're still far from Level 1."
"As for Killer Bee, someone will take him to meet C and Karui from the Hidden Cloud soon."
Killer Bee nodded in understanding, though he was still a bit curious about S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters.
As she followed Coulson, Skye asked, "So does that mean I can't use any of the computers here?"
"Maybe I could look up that file S.H.I.E.L.D. edited about my parents."
"Skye," Coulson's voice was firm.
Skye sighed, "I just… that file has to be here, right?"
Coulson glanced at her, "I'll investigate, but right now we have other priorities."
Without dwelling on Skye's disappointed expression, Coulson turned toward an approaching agent and greeted him, "Agent Sitwell."
"Agent Coulson, glad to see you're feeling better."
Sitwell then looked at Killer Bee, who had two swords on his back, "This must be Killer Bee from the Hidden Cloud, a young hero indeed."
"I'm Agent Sitwell, and I'll be taking you to meet C and Karui."
Killer Bee shook hands with the bald agent before Coulson added, "Killer Bee, he'll be escorting you."
Killer Bee nodded and followed Sitwell as they headed to the Hidden Cloud's base in New York.
Coulson turned back to his team and said, "I'm going to see the Director. Wait here for me."
"Yes, sir!" they responded in unison.
Coulson used his badge for authentication and entered through a secure door, taking the elevator upstairs.
Fitz and Simmons exchanged glances before Fitz said, "We should head to the tech department. I can't wait to see the new chemistry gear."
"Definitely!" Simmons replied enthusiastically.
As the two walked off, Skye stayed close to Ward.
…
Coulson reached the top floor and knocked on Nick Fury's office door.
Fury, looking up as Coulson entered, frowned slightly.
"Coulson."
"Director."
"Since I gave you more autonomy, you've gotten quite bold—going so far as to promise an 084 item without clearance."
"Do you realize one 084 item can be exchanged for a dose of the Super Soldier Serum?"
Seeing Fury's anger, Coulson explained, "I had no choice, sir. It was the only way to save my team."
"I'm willing to take full responsibility for this."
Fury eyed Coulson and then said, "Full responsibility? Do you even understand what that means?"
"I could demote you to below Level 0. Do you know how valuable a dose of the Super Soldier Serum is?"
Coulson, serious, nodded, "I understand, Director."
Fury pointed at Coulson, "Agent Hand has a mission lined up. Tomorrow, take your team and complete it flawlessly."
"If there's even a single mistake, I'll demote you to below Level 0."
"And keep working on building a relationship with Killer Bee. Learn more about the Hidden Cloud's situation and see if there's any way to get some Super Soldier Serum through him."
"The intelligence we've been getting from the Hidden Cloud has been very promising."
Coulson nodded firmly. "Understood, Director."
…
Meanwhile-
Sitwell escorted Killer Bee to the Hidden Cloud's base in New York.
"This is the Hidden Cloud's headquarters here. The property is yours," Sitwell said.
Killer Bee surveyed the surroundings and nodded, "Not bad."
At that moment, the villa's door swung open, and Karui and C stepped out. Karui immediately ran over to Killer Bee, lifting him up in an embrace.
"Hahaha, finally, I get to see you!" Karui exclaimed as she lifted Killer Bee high into the air, spinning him around in circles.
Watching this, Sitwell thought to himself, "Their bond seems much stronger than the analysis at headquarters suggested."
What Sitwell didn't realize, though, was that Killer Bee didn't actually know Karui and C personally. He only knew they were fellow Hidden Cloud ninja.
C approached Sitwell and extended his hand, "Agent Sitwell, we appreciate you bringing Killer Bee to us."
Sitwell smiled, "Just doing our job."
C looked over at Karui. "Karui, don't just stand outside. Show Killer Bee to the room we've set aside for him."
Hearing this, Karui quickly put Killer Bee down, her excitement still evident.
"Come on, I'll show you to your room!"
It was the first time Karui had lifted her teacher up, and she couldn't help but get a little too excited.
As Karui and Killer Bee rushed inside, C shook his head with a smile, clearly amused.
Sitwell chuckled, "Seems like they have a really good relationship."
"Yeah, they do. Their bond is strong." C agreed. After all, who could contain their excitement at seeing their mentor from childhood?
…
After sitting down in the living room and exchanging some pleasantries, C asked, "Agent Sitwell, besides bringing Killer Bee here, is there another reason for your visit?"
Sitwell replied, "S.H.I.E.L.D. is planning to trade two doses of the Super Soldier Serum for 084 item. The trade is scheduled for tomorrow at 2 PM."
"As for the specific 084 item, we'll take you to the warehouse to choose it."
Hearing that the trade involved the Super Soldier Serum, C smiled. "Two doses? No problem."
Just then, Killer Bee came back from choosing his room and said, "Agent Sitwell, can one of those doses be given to Agent May?"
Killer Bee hadn't forgotten May's request. Over the time he'd spent with Coulson's team, each member had been incredibly kind to him, giving him snacks, drinks, music tapes, CDs, and even arranging for him to meet rap artists and attend concerts.
Since they had been so good to him, Killer Bee didn't mind helping out in return.
Sitwell shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I can't make that decision. The allocation of the Super Soldier Serum is strictly controlled by S.H.I.E.L.D."
"However, if you personally want to give May one of your doses, no one can take it from her once it's in her possession."
Hearing this, Killer Bee looked over at C.
Seeing Killer Bee's gaze, C, unsure of the reason, paused for a moment before saying, "Killer Bee, I can arrange for May to receive a dose of the Super Soldier Serum."
"But it won't be free. At the very least, we'll need some valuable resources in return."
C held up three fingers, "The equivalent of 30 million dollars in medicinal herbs, including century-old ginseng, polygonum multiflorum, and Tian Shan snow lotus."
Sitwell smiled upon hearing this. "No problem. I'll relay the good news to May. I'm sure she'll figure out a way."