"Alright," Melinda May nodded, agreeing to Daniel's request after a brief moment of consideration. It wasn't that Daniel was unwilling to help the Inhumans; it was simply too complicated. Cultural differences between the East and West played a significant role.
For example, in China, if people gained supernatural abilities, most would likely choose to keep a low profile. But in the West, only a small portion might remain discreet, while the majority would either use their powers for personal gain, revenge, or even proclaim themselves as divine beings destined to rule over humanity.
Take Carlton Drake from the Life Foundation, for instance. Just gaining Venom's powers led him to declare himself a god. Imagine the chaos if mutants existed in this world as well.
In the case of mutants, their two prominent leaders both opted for the worst ways to address their people's plight, especially one certain bald man who, despite possessing the power to influence global consciousness, never used it effectively. Instead, he made his abilities widely known, constantly exposing them and inviting opposition. It was almost on par with the Uchiha clan's notorious tactics in another world.
Meanwhile, another bald-headed powerhouse, who could shatter planets with a single punch, remained almost entirely unknown, spending his days searching for bargain deals at the supermarket. That stark difference in discretion was telling.
Daniel could suppress an individual Inhuman's abilities if they wished, but there were simply too many. After Jiaying, Skye's mother, released the Terrigen Mist from the Obelisk recently, a significant number of Inhumans had been created worldwide.
Unless he abandoned all other duties to focus exclusively on neutralizing the powers of every Inhuman, it would be impossible for Daniel to handle the task on his own. Even if all Earth's Inhumans were somehow cured, there were still many on the Moon. Now that the Inhumans had formed a distinct race, Daniel had no intention of interfering in their survival.
Not only were the leaders of mutant factions problematic, but so was the Inhuman monarchy on the Moon. If possible, Daniel would recommend they study China's five thousand years of history to learn a thing or two.
The Inhumans had become a hot target, with many factions vying to capture them. S.H.I.E.L.D. wanted to protect them and ensure public safety, but other groups, like Hydra, Tricell, and the military, saw Inhumans as valuable assets for warfare.
It likely wouldn't be long before we saw bio-enhanced weapons utilizing Inhuman abilities. Fortunately, while some Inhumans possessed unique abilities, most were too weak individually to make significant use of their powers, and many even struggled with control.
For instance, Daisy Johnson, a.k.a. Quake, theoretically had the potential to destroy planets, but that was only in theory. If she were placed in a world like One Piece, her power wouldn't seem exceptional.
"Mel, are you there? We've got a mission. A new Inhuman has been located; you need to bring him in immediately." Just as Daniel was about to examine Andrew Garner's physical condition, Melinda's communicator chimed in.
"I'm busy here; I can't leave right now," Melinda replied, then cut off the communication. No matter what, Andrew was her ex-husband, and despite their divorce, their relationship remained amicable. They had parted ways mainly due to the demands of Melinda's work as a high-level S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, with missions constantly pulling her away.
Andrew eventually couldn't handle her prolonged absences, leading to their separation. Recently, though, he'd shown signs of regret and wanted to rekindle their relationship, which was part of why he'd been exposed to the Terrigen Mist and awakened his Inhuman powers.
Andrew had been conducting research on Inhumans, preparing to offer psychological counseling, when Jiaying's trap lured him into contact with a Terrigen crystal hidden in a book.
In a way, Andrew actually saved lives at S.H.I.E.L.D., as anyone else examining those books without Inhuman genes would have been killed on the spot—even Coulson wasn't immune.
Jiaying, as the leader of the Inhumans, had indeed been cunning, and even though she was dead, her influence was still palpable.
"Is it melting, or maybe a high-temperature ability?" After Melinda cut off the communication, Daniel pulled out his phone and switched to holographic mode, projecting a news report.
The screen displayed a panicked Inhuman, surrounded by terrified onlookers, as metal objects like cars and steel beams slowly melted and fused nearby.
"That's the Advanced Threat Control Unit." Soon, a group of heavily armed soldiers appeared on-screen. Based on their uniforms, Daniel immediately recognized who they were.
After S.H.I.E.L.D.'s disbandment, its authority had been reclaimed by the five-member Security Council, and even though S.H.I.E.L.D. had been rebuilt under Coulson's leadership, its power had been significantly reduced.
The Advanced Threat Control Unit was created specifically in response to the Terrigen Mist incident, with the official mandate of capturing Inhumans to protect civilians. However, Daniel knew their true motives. While Coulson, in his idealism, might trust them, Daniel certainly did not.
Even without Hydra infiltration, Daniel didn't trust the ATCU's intentions. In fact, the only organization he trusted in Marvel was Coulson's branch of S.H.I.E.L.D., not the version led by the infamous Director Fury.
"Seems like Melinda and Coulson might not have a shot anymore," Daniel mused. With Andrew potentially cured, he and Melinda might reconcile, leaving Coulson without a chance unless something unforeseen happened to Andrew.
Of course, Coulson himself wasn't alone; the ATCU's director was currently quite close to him.
The ATCU's leader wasn't inherently malicious but was constrained by her superiors. Although her rank was high, there were others above her with different agendas.
"So, a special Inhuman to counter Hive and other Inhuman threats, courtesy of the Kree, huh? The Kree's initial experiment wasn't a failure by choice, but either due to a forced retreat from Earth or a different outcome," Daniel pondered.
Considering the Inhuman abilities, it was hard to believe the Kree would have abandoned the project willingly. After all, certain Kree warriors still sought Quake's power, proof of its inherent value.
However, Kamar-Taj had little information on this subject. While they possessed many ancient artifacts, they lacked substantial historical data. The Ancient One probably wasn't interested in collecting such information.
"Focus on the mind and soul, then?" After examining Andrew Garner, Daniel used a soul-calming spell to stabilize Andrew's psyche, allowing him to revert from Lash to his human form.
Andrew's transformations had been triggered by a bloodthirsty impulse; if his mind could be soothed, he would return to normal. Previously, he had managed to kill several Inhumans identified by S.H.I.E.L.D., but because he was Melinda's ex-husband and S.H.I.E.L.D.'s psychologist, no one suspected him.
Melinda had only discovered the truth by chance when Andrew nearly transformed in her presence. Though Lash's instincts urged him to kill, his lingering feelings for Melinda made him hesitate, allowing her to subdue him.
She had then called Daniel to help.
"What… what happened?" Andrew asked in surprise upon regaining consciousness, seeing Daniel and Melinda before him.
"Is he cured?" Melinda asked Daniel, astonished.
"Do I look like a god? This is only temporary. I've just calmed his mind; real treatment takes time."
"Then I'll leave him to you." Satisfied with Andrew's condition, Melinda prepared to leave.
"One piece of advice: remind Coulson not to trust the ATCU too much. Don't forget the recent bioweapon incident at the military base. The ATCU may be well-intentioned, but their superiors may not be."
Melinda nodded at Daniel's warning and left the room.
"Alright, let's talk," Daniel said to Andrew after Melinda left.
Explaining the process, Daniel told Andrew that purging Lash from his body would require time. Although the procedure wasn't that intensive, Daniel wanted to make it clear that this was an exception and could not be offered to every Inhuman.
"Coulson owes thanks to Jiaying and Gonzales," Daniel thought as he sent Andrew off to his private lab. Though it seemed he was leaving afterward, he actually headed to another S.H.I.E.L.D. base instead.
Following S.H.I.E.L.D.'s collapse, two factions emerged: one under Coulson, continuing S.H.I.E.L.D.'s original mission of global peacekeeping, and the other, U.S.-centric, led by older agents and overseen by an elderly man named Gonzales.
Gonzales's faction rejected Nick Fury's compartmentalized command structure, which had allowed Hydra to infiltrate S.H.I.E.L.D. so thoroughly. Instead, Gonzales sought transparency, making all information accessible to all agents, which attracted some of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s best and brightest.
Gonzales had continually clashed with Coulson, even planting spies like Bobbi Morse within his ranks. In the original storyline, Coulson's severe losses forced him to rely on people like Bobbi. But thanks to Daniel's intervention, many top agents were still around, including the formidable Agent 33, who was only slightly less skilled than Melinda.
Given Coulson's current abundance of capable agents, Bobbi's influence had diminished significantly.
When tensions between the two factions escalated, they finally entered negotiations, and Coulson agreed to merge the two, with Gonzales becoming the director of the new S.H.I
.E.L.D.
Gonzales was thrilled by the prospect, as he coveted not only Coulson's agents and resources but also the legacy of the S.H.I.E.L.D. director—a black cube containing all of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s intelligence.
Unfortunately for Gonzales, the Inhuman incident intervened. As the newly appointed director, Gonzales was forced to confront the threat of the Inhumans and was promptly killed by Jiaying, who also eliminated other senior agents opposing Coulson.
In a swift turn of events, Coulson became director, inheriting Gonzales's men, assets, and equipment.
However, the integration was slow, obstructed by a U.S. Air Force brigadier general, who represented government interests. Negotiations between the two factions were ongoing.
Daniel had learned all this from Melinda during their conversation about the Inhumans. It also provided him with a unique opportunity.
Gonzales's S.H.I.E.L.D. operated from a warship holding valuable items from the old S.H.I.E.L.D., including a unique relic—a black stone.
The black stone was capable of transporting people to an alien world at specific times and could even be activated manually using a machine. Gonzales's faction didn't understand its significance, only that it was precious, whereas Coulson's scientists, Simmons and Fitz, knew how to manipulate the stone's portals.
In the Marvel universe, beyond the six Infinity Stones, there existed three other remarkable stones: the Space Stone, the Time Stone, and the Dimensional Stone.
Though not on par with Infinity Stones, these three were still intriguing. Daniel hadn't previously paid much attention to them, but after the Ross incident, he now wanted to prevent Coulson from acquiring the black stone. If Coulson's team ventured into another world, too many things could be exposed.
Although exposure wouldn't be disastrous—it was another planet, after all—it could strain relations within the Avengers, especially with Stark. While he trusted Coulson, he couldn't extend that trust to a certain black-eyed overseer, who likely lurked in the shadows, watching everything.
Upon reaching the warship, Daniel found it in chaos, with gunfire and screams echoing around. Someone was launching a full-scale assault.
"Hydra operatives. So, Stephanie's targeting Hive, it seems," Daniel deduced. Though Hive was dead, Stephanie evidently hadn't received the news.
After Hydra's full exposure, it had begun to operate openly under its own banner, even gaining the secret support of certain nations.