Kai and Coulson were still in the middle of their discussion when Melinda May knocked on the open office door.
"The Quinjet's ready. Fitz and Simmons are on board—we can take off anytime," she said crisply.
Then her tone softened as she looked at Kai. "By the way, Fitz and Simmons were worried about how dangerous this mission might be. But when they saw you show up for work this morning, they relaxed a lot."
She paused, almost awkwardly, then added, "I also left some snacks next door. Grab them anytime if you get hungry."
And with that, she turned and walked away.
Kai blinked in surprise. "What was that about? That doesn't sound like Melinda at all."
Coulson chuckled. "That's because you don't really know her yet, Kai. Underneath that cold exterior—like Maria Hill—she's actually one of the warmest people you'll ever meet."
He downed the last of his tea, then stood with a grin. "Come on, Kai. Time to pay Texas a visit—and maybe meet ourselves a real-life orc."
Kai sighed dramatically. "What a hassle."
Coulson just smiled. He'd learned by now that Kai's complaints were usually followed by something spectacular.
Aboard the Quinjet
"Based on the analysis," Fitz said, replaying footage on his tablet, "I estimate that thing's instantaneous strike power was at least five tons."
He glanced nervously at Kai, who was lounging nearby with his PSP.
Deep down, Fitz knew—if Kai was on the mission, their chances of survival were basically guaranteed. But still, the more they understood the target, the better.
"Look here," Fitz continued, slowing the playback. "When the creature jumped and grabbed the helicopter—see those claws? They punched through reinforced armor plating! That's not just brute strength. That's precision and sheer destructive capability."
"Also—"
Before he could finish, Kai elbowed him lightly and nodded toward Simmons, who was sitting across the cabin with a stormy expression.
"What's up with Simmons?" Kai asked.
Fitz lowered his voice. "Uh… she broke up with her boyfriend."
Kai raised a brow. "Oh?"
Fitz sighed. "You know she's a biochemist. She does autopsies and lab work. Apparently her boyfriend couldn't handle her touching him with the same hands that touched… corpses."
"Yikes," Kai said with a sympathetic wince. Then, smirking, he added, "Well, looks like your chance just opened up, huh?"
"Wha—me?" Fitz sputtered, face turning red. "No, no, I—I mean, she and I—"
Coulson patted Fitz's shoulder, chuckling. "Fitz, everyone on the team knows you've got a thing for Simmons. You're not fooling anyone."
"Not even Kai," he added.
Fitz gave a tiny, embarrassed laugh. "We've known each other forever. I'm just… afraid of ruining things, you know?"
"How can you know if you don't try?" Coulson said warmly. "Come on, she's single now. Go for it."
As Coulson spoke, he threw a knowing look at Kai—rumor had it that Natasha wanted to set him up with someone.
Kai ignored him completely, putting on his headphones and booting up his PSP.
The Quinjet cruised smoothly through the clouds, the view of snowcapped mountains stretching below them. Everything was calm—until the alarm blared.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
"Coulson! Kai!" Melinda shouted from the cockpit. "Radar's picking up a missile lock!"
She immediately activated the defensive systems, hands flying across the controls.
"Where did it come from?" Coulson demanded, moving to the co-pilot seat.
"Valley, two thousand meters below us!" Melinda replied.
On the radar, a single red dot streaked upward toward their position.
"Deploying jammers!" she said sharply. The Quinjet fired countermeasures, and the missile's trajectory veered off, detonating harmlessly in the clouds.
Coulson frowned. "That's not all. This feels like the warm-up act."
He was right.
Moments later, the radar flared again—multiple bogeys closing fast.
Out of the clouds burst several fighter jets, their machine guns lighting up the sky as they opened fire on the Quinjet.
"Son of a—" Coulson swore, activating the weapon systems and firing back. "Someone really doesn't want us reaching Texas alive!"
Melinda jerked the Quinjet hard left, dodging tracer fire as the sky erupted in explosions.
"Missile system in the valley has us locked again!" she shouted.
"Kai, I'll handle these fighters," Coulson barked. "You take care of that launch site!"
Kai snapped his PSP shut, smirking. "No problem."
He stood, glanced at the panicked Fitz and Simmons, and gave them a reassuring nod.
Then, in a flash of golden light, his body dissolved into glowing particles—vanishing from the cabin.
Valley Floor — Missile Base
"Second missile launch confirmed!" a soldier reported as another warhead shot skyward, leaving a burning trail behind it.
Watching the radar, the commander barked, "Don't stop! Fire everything we've got! Bring that Quinjet down!"
"Yes, sir!"
The base trembled as the next missile launched—
—only for a blinding golden light to streak through the sky.
In an instant, Kai appeared above the missile, standing right on top of it as it soared upward.
He grinned. "I've always wanted to try surfing a missile."
A burst of divine energy radiated from his feet, and the missile's trajectory bent violently midair.
Now it wasn't heading toward the Quinjet—
—it was heading back toward the launch site.
BOOM!
A massive explosion consumed the entire valley, the shockwave shaking the mountain walls.
Borsalino Role Performance +0.5%
Back in the base, the commander's eyes went wide as the feed went dead.
"Wh-what the hell—"
The last thing he saw before the blast hit was a silhouette made of golden light, standing calmly amid the inferno.