As Skye helped Audrey retreat, the team collectively exhaled, relieved that no tricks had been played by the opposition.
"Fitz, activate the tracker," May instructed.
Fitz immediately tapped his device to initiate the tracking function.
Seeing Coulson faint and being carried by the enemy, Ward spoke up, "What happened? Why is Coulson unconscious?"
"Report back, we need reinforcements," he added urgently.
"I can't take a shot in this situation; they'll kill Coulson on the spot."
As a sniper, Ward knew he could only eliminate one Centipede soldier, but that would leave Coulson vulnerable to the other.
Unable to act, he watched helplessly as they loaded Coulson into the car.
"Stick to the plan. I'm contacting headquarters," May called out.
After issuing her command, she got back into the car while Fitz and Simmons rushed to meet Skye and Audrey as they returned.
"This is SHIELD RG422; we need satellite support now," May reported to HQ.
Once Audrey was safe, she shouted to Ward, "Shoot out their tires! I'll intercept them!"
May quickly sprinted toward the enemy vehicle. However, as she neared the concrete mixer trucks, a sudden explosion erupted.
"Boom!"
The two mixers exploded simultaneously, throwing May back through the air.
Seeing the fiery blast, Skye screamed, "No! May!"
Fitz and Simmons froze in shock, staring at the towering flames.
Ward, too, cried out in pain, "May!"
As he adjusted his rifle's scope to target the enemy car, it exploded in the next instant, flames consuming it entirely.
The blazing inferno lit up the bridge, and the team stared at the remains of the car.
"Coulson!" they gasped in shock.
But just then, a helicopter rose from beneath the bridge, ascending into the sky.
"Tat-tat-tat!" The helicopter unleashed gunfire toward Ward's position, striking him in the chest and sending him to the ground.
The three remaining agents feared Coulson had been taken away in the helicopter, deducing that he might have escaped the car explosion, as there were no visible remains in the burning wreckage.
They quickly rushed to May's side, where Simmons turned her over and shouted, "Hurry, get her back to the Airbus and use the med machine! Her injuries are severe!"
…
On the helicopter-
Coulson slowly regained consciousness, but he felt utterly weak, his entire body restrained.
"We'll land in half an hour," a voice said.
Raina nodded, "Good. The sooner we start, the better."
Turning his head toward Raina, Coulson said, "Whatever this is for, whatever you think you're doing, it won't work. I won't let you get what you want."
Raina looked at him with a smile, "Oh, you will. What we want is simple."
Coulson looked at her, remaining silent.
Raina continued, "We want you to tell us about that day you died."
Realizing her true objective, Coulson's eyes narrowed in understanding.
...
Onboard the Airbus-
Looking at the critically injured May, Simmons said, "Our medical setup here isn't sufficient. I'll have to place her in a hyperbaric chamber to keep her stable."
"If Killer Bee was here with his healing ability, it would make a huge difference," she added.
The recent explosion had severely injured May, who had been at the blast's center. If not for the enhanced physical serum, there might not even be a body left to save.
Nearby, Ward finished stitching up his own chest wound and said, "I've contacted headquarters. We'll head straight to the SHIELD HQ."
Fitz asked, "With May in this condition, who's going to fly the plane?"
"I'll do it," Ward responded.
"I know how to pilot this plane."
Skye glanced at Audrey, standing outside the command room, "What about her?"
"We'll take her back to New York. HQ will arrange protection for her," Ward replied.
Skye nodded.
In just a single day, they had lost their commander, and one team member was seriously injured.
Ward left the command room, heading to the cockpit and soon had the plane en route to SHIELD HQ in New York.
…
At SHIELD HQ-
Upon hearing of Coulson's capture, Nick Fury stood up, knowing all too well the importance of Coulson and the information he held.
He picked up the phone, saying, "Send Agent Hand to see me."
A few moments later, Agent Hand entered Fury's office.
"Agent Hand, Coulson has been captured by Centipede," Fury informed her.
Agent Hand looked momentarily surprised but stayed silent.
Fury continued, "Coulson's Airbus will be arriving at HQ soon. From then on, you'll be in charge."
"You have 48 hours to mobilize SHIELD's resources and get Coulson back."
Agent Hand accepted the timeline without question; she understood that the next 48 hours were critical.
Considering the valuable intel Coulson possessed, his captors would likely keep him alive until they obtained what they wanted.
"Yes, sir!" she responded.
Fury nodded, "It's in your hands."
Watching Hand leave, Fury made a decision: if Coulson wasn't rescued within 48 hours, he would call in Charles Doyle's agency.
Charles's track record with rescue operations was unmatched, and he knew Charles would be the best choice if external help became necessary.
For now, though, he hoped Agent Hand would succeed.
…
Ward piloted the Airbus back to HQ. As soon as they landed, medics boarded the plane, taking May in the hyperbaric chamber to surgery.
Agent Hand arrived with her team and received a brief handover from Ward, who then headed to the medical bay.
Ward sat outside the operating room, awaiting the outcome.
Inside, the SHIELD doctors were doing all they could for May, whose body bore extensive burns, multiple fractures, and a severe abdominal wound from shrapnel.
"May's going to be okay, right?" Skye asked Ward.
Ward rubbed his face and replied, "She'll pull through."
Skye nodded, though worry lingered on her face. Her thoughts drifted to the ninja with extraordinary healing abilities, particularly Killer Bee's skills that seemed like miracles.
If Killer Bee's healing technique was so powerful, she wondered how formidable medical ninjas specialized in such techniques would be.
After what felt like hours, the operating room light turned off. A doctor came out, and Ward stood up, asking, "Doctor, how is May?"
The doctor looked at Ward and replied, "She's stable and out of immediate danger, but it'll be a while before she's fully mobile. Her abdominal wound and burns are quite severe."
"You can see her once she's awake," he added.
The team sighed in relief, grateful that May's life was no longer at risk.
Ward clenched his fist, saying, "We have to take down Centipede and rescue Coulson, for May and all of us."
Skye nodded, thinking silently to herself: once Coulson was safe, she planned to go to the Charles Agency.