Meanwhile-
At one of Centipede's bases, the woman marked as "The Mysterious Woman," Raina, approached Po.
Po was savoring a steak and wine. Upon seeing Raina, he commented, "It's nice to be able to cut my own meat again."
Raina smiled and asked, "How's the steak?"
Po complained, "Overcooked, and the surroundings leave much to be desired."
They were standing in a massive warehouse.
Raina laughed lightly, replying, "We're not here for the atmosphere. We've stabilized the serum with the technology from the Sound Ninjas."
"Now we need the Clairvoyant's help to find the key to initiating Phase Three."
She continued, "The Cloud Ninjas have already announced they're selling the physical enhancement serum to the public today."
Po stood up and began pacing, "I already asked him. The Clairvoyant encountered some challenges in locating your target and identifying his weaknesses."
"I don't mean to frustrate you, but that's the situation."
Raina displayed a photo of Coulson's team on her tablet, "What frustrates me is this."
"This SHIELD team has taken down two of our command centers. For safety, we now have to relocate every few days."
"Even the Cloud Ninjas' serum doesn't worry me as much."
Raina and Po turned toward the glass-walled lab, where scientists were conducting physical tests and administering supplements to three Centipede soldiers.
"This situation is challenging for our maintenance."
"These conditions are hard on the soldiers; after each mission, they're completely drained."
"Our people need frequent injections and regular maintenance."
"SHIELD's continuous pursuit makes all this more difficult."
Looking at the soldiers, Po said, "Then perhaps we should stop running."
…
Elsewhere-
At Ohio University-
Coulson watched a video feed Skye had sent of the mysterious woman's face.
"We might be able to identify her. Our guess is that Miles hacked SHIELD under her direction."
Leaning against his car, Coulson observed, "Three super-soldiers blasted into the prison to break him out. That tells us Po is important to her."
Skye asked, "But why him?"
"Centipede is building more super-soldiers. They might want Po to lead and coordinate them."
May analyzed, "He has a tactical background—exactly what they need."
Skye quipped, "So these super-soldiers have an experienced military strategist and someone who can foresee the future. Anyone want to switch teams?"
Coulson replied, "They don't have any psychics. There's no one on our list with those abilities—that's just a myth."
Skye countered, "Thor was a myth too. 'Clairvoyant' could be a codename."
Coulson instructed, "Run a search in our database to see if there's anything useful."
He noticed Ward beginning his assignment and said, "Ward is approaching Hayward's sister."
Ward walked up to the target, introducing himself, "Are you Laura Hayward?"
Laura looked at Ward, who was dressed in a suit, and smiled, "Yes, I am."
"Sorry to bother you, but I need a favor," Ward said.
Laura smiled, "Happy to help."
"I'm looking for your brother, Brian. Have you seen him recently?"
Hearing the question, Laura asked, "I'm sorry, but who are you?"
Ward handed her a card, "Dan Felch, Ohio State Gambling Commission."
"We're looking to get in touch with Brian with some good news."
Laura looked surprised, "Did he win something?"
Ward nodded, "$50,000."
"Really?"
Ward nodded again, "Yes."
Laura looked at him skeptically, "And you're still looking for him? Why not just keep the money yourselves?"
Ward sighed, "We'd like to, but we have to contact the winner before the ticket expires."
"Your brother has six days left to claim his prize. So, if you know where he is…"
Laura quickly said, "I don't know, sorry. We're not close."
"Ever since he returned from Afghanistan, we haven't talked."
"Well, now you have a reason to reach out. $50,000 is a pretty solid reason."
"Let us know if you hear anything from him."
Ward turned to leave.
Watching him walk away, Laura nodded, "Will do."
Back at Coulson's car, Ward commented, "I don't understand why you used a lottery story, sir."
Coulson laughed, "Nothing's more suspicious than a handsome man offering you free money."
Watching his device, Coulson smiled, "She's making a call."
Laura held the card in one hand as she dialed her brother, unaware the card was a high-tech device that tracked her call, pinpointing the IP address of her contact.
"Brian, it's me."
"Someone just met me at school, said you won the lottery."
"I know, we're not that lucky."
Ward turned to Coulson, "Is he nearby?"
Coulson looked at the address and shook his head, "No. He's in Oakland, California."
With that, he slipped on his sunglasses, hit the gas, and they headed back to the Airbus.
…
Meanwhile-
New York-
As news of the serum spread through social media and concerts, excitement surged among New Yorkers. Wealthier families started searching for any antique items they might own.
They didn't understand mystical objects—they just gathered anything that might be valuable and headed for the Cloud Ninjas' site, hoping it could work.
…
At the Cloud Ninjas' location-
C, Karui, and Killer Bee gathered.
Karui asked, "C, how will we identify those items? Some may be too discreet to detect."
C replied, "Don't worry; my sensory abilities aren't weak."
"Here, I can sense not only chakra but also other forms of energy."
"While it's not foolproof, we can still identify any artifacts containing energy."
Relieved, they both nodded.
"Let's get started; there's already a line outside," Karui said, standing up and moving toward the entrance.
Opening the mansion's doors, Karui saw a large crowd. Each person was holding an object, careful and cautious.
Some items were small enough to fit in pockets, others filled boxes, and there was even a massive crate.
Standing at the entrance, Karui announced, "Everyone, form a line. One person enters at a time, and only after one exits will the next enter."
Karui's voice, amplified by chakra, carried to everyone in the crowd.
The people quickly formed a line, no one daring to challenge Karui.
Leading the first person, a burly man, Karui said, "Follow me."
She formed hand seals, "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Leaving the original at the door, Karui's clone led the man into the mansion.
The crowd watched, their faces filled with curiosity and admiration.
This was the power of a ninja! To create clones—it was amazing.
"If I had this ability, I could send one clone out to work and earn more money…"