Chapter 853

"Evenson. Emergency. Get to the Bus. Now."

Melinda’s voice was tight with urgency.

Part of it was Skye.

The hacker was hanging onto life by a thread. Melinda had always been hard on Skye, but that harshness had never been cruelty. It was the frustration of someone who cared deeply and desperately wanted the girl to live up to her potential.

The other problem was Coulson.

He had ordered the Bus toward Tahiti.

Without authorization.

That meant Coulson was knowingly violating S.H.I.E.L.D. protocol. Whatever disciplinary consequences came later were secondary. If he continued down this path, the truth about his resurrection would inevitably come out.

And Melinda couldn’t imagine what would happen once Coulson finally learned the truth.

Unfortunately, her desperate call earned her a remarkably lazy response.

"Come on, Melinda. Do you have any idea what time it is? I know you’re always traveling, but you could at least remember that time zones exist."

There was a distinct lack of enthusiasm in Evenson’s voice.

For one thing, he genuinely didn’t know where Melinda was.

It was the middle of the night in New York.

For another, Gospel Corporation had just finished a board meeting. Everyone had been working all day, and Evenson was exhausted.

Then there was the third problem.

After a long day, people tended to seek out ways to relax.

Evenson was no exception.

The sun had barely gone down before he had spent several rounds of extremely intimate quality time with the Eredar twins.

He was exhausted.

And he really didn’t want to get out of bed.

Especially since he still had morning training scheduled.

If he skipped it now, when exactly was he supposed to make up the session?

"This is an emergency."

Melinda’s words came through clenched teeth.

"I’m flying toward Tahiti right now, so you’d better get your ass over here."

"Listen to yourself. Does that sound like the way you ask someone for a favor—"

Evenson stopped halfway through the sentence.

"Tahiti?"

He sat upright.

"What happened? Who authorized this?"

"No one. Coulson made the decision himself."

"What?"

Evenson rubbed his face, then reluctantly climbed out of bed and began getting dressed.

"Coulson is practically allergic to breaking regulations. I can’t imagine him doing something like this without a damn good reason."

"What happened?"

Melinda quickly explained everything that had happened over the past few days, including Skye’s injuries.

By the time she finished, Evenson was sitting on the edge of the bed with his chin resting in one hand.

His eyes lowered.

"Skye’s injured?"

"And she’s barely alive?"

"That explains it."

His expression suddenly changed.

A faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Coulson really would risk everything for one of his people. That’s why all of you follow him so willingly."

"Then what exactly do you want me to do?"

Evenson’s tone became calmer.

"If Coulson has already made up his mind and the situation is that urgent, he’s not going to listen just because I tell him he’s making a mistake."

"Do you want me to use force?"

"Knock him unconscious and physically stop him from going?"

"Leaving aside the fact that you apparently think I’m capable of that, Coulson would probably hate both of us for the rest of our lives."

Melinda sighed.

"Honestly, if there were no other option, I’d support him."

"I’d support him against anyone who tried to stop him."

"But there is another option."

Evenson understood immediately.

"You want me to—"

"Get to the aircraft."

Melinda’s voice hardened.

"Use your ridiculous magic and heal Skye."

"If she’s already healed, Coulson has no reason to go to Tahiti."

The logic was sound.

Coulson was risking his career because Skye was dying.

If Evenson healed her before they reached Tahiti, Coulson wouldn’t need to continue.

No unauthorized mission.

No disciplinary action.

And, most importantly, no chance of exposing the secret of his resurrection.

It was a solution that seemed to cover every problem.

But Evenson shook his head.

"It’s not that simple."

"You can think of that solution. Coulson can too."

"Have you asked yourself why he didn’t come to me in the first place?"

Melinda went silent.

Then she realized.

"You think Coulson actually wants to go?"

"Of course."

Evenson chuckled.

"Under normal circumstances, Tahiti is a vacation destination."

"But Coulson knew the exact location of that facility."

"That means he’s been investigating it on his own."

"After the kidnapping, he learned that he’d been resurrected. Of course he’d become obsessed with finding out how."

Evenson’s expression grew more serious.

"And there’s another problem."

"The memories in Coulson’s head aren’t real. They’re a construct created by Mephisto."

"When he used that machine to forcefully recover memories from his past, he probably tore through the barrier protecting those memories."

"And no one repaired it afterward."

"So remembering those suppressed memories isn’t a question of whether it will happen."

"It’s only a question of when."

"Keep that in mind."

"He might look perfectly normal around you. He might not show any obvious symptoms."

"But those memories have probably already started affecting him."

"No."

Melinda immediately rejected it.

Evenson’s voice cooled.

"No?"

"Are you doubting my professional judgment when it comes to magic?"

"Or are you angry with yourself because you failed to notice that Coulson might be suffering?"

Melinda fell silent.

After a moment, she answered quietly.

"I believe you."

"I am blaming myself."

"But Coulson..."

She hesitated.

"If you’re right, then what he’s doing is using Skye’s life as a gamble."

"He’s using her condition as an excuse to pursue his own obsession without considering what happens if he fails."

"What if the treatment doesn’t exist?"

"That’s not Coulson."

"No matter what he’s been through, he wouldn’t become that kind of person."

"Hmm."

Evenson gave a quiet scoff.

"He’s not that kind of person."

"So tell me—was this phone call really outside his calculations?"

Melinda didn’t answer.

"When something gets too complicated, your team has developed a habit of calling me."

"Sometimes Coulson calls."

"Sometimes you do."

"Coulson probably knew you’d contact me."

"That way, he gets to investigate Tahiti without worrying about Skye dying."

"He gets both things he wants."

"He gets to uncover the truth."

"And Skye gets treatment."

Evenson’s tone became almost sympathetic.

"You’re simply too familiar with Coulson."

"You’re so used to seeing him as the team’s endlessly dependable good guy that you’ve forgotten something."

"He’s also an extremely capable senior agent."

"Strategic planning and contingency management are basic skills at his level."

Melinda went silent again.

She hadn’t considered that.

Coulson had actually calculated around her.

Fine.

After this mission, she was going to steal his precious bottle of Macallan, drink the whole thing herself, and replace it with the cheapest garbage she could find.

Let him learn a lesson.

"What are you going to do?"

"I’ll come."

Evenson sighed.

"Skye was my recommendation. I can’t exactly abandon her now."

"I’ll put aside what I’m doing and head over."

He ended the call and finished getting dressed.

The Eredar twins, however, had been watching him from nearby while scrolling through their phones.

One of them finally looked up.

"You’re leaving?"

"Just like that?"

"Someone calls, and you immediately run over."

She gave him a pointed look.

"You’re awfully obedient."

"I’ve told you two to stop saying things like that."

Evenson waved a hand dismissively.

Every time he accepted a S.H.I.E.L.D. mission in front of the twins, they made some variation of the same comment.

If the obvious comparison wouldn’t have made him sound even worse, they probably would have called him a loyal dog outright.

Evenson paused.

"Wait."

"What about the person in Behavioral Correction Room Thirteen?"

"Are they still alive?"

The twins looked at each other.

"Thirteen..."

Salorass narrowed her eyes in thought.

"Oh."

"Right. There was someone there."

"I’d almost forgotten."

"As far as I remember, your last orders were that he was to remain alive."

"Moira’s experiments may have no ethical boundaries, but she doesn’t violate orders."

"Good."

Evenson nodded.

"Get him out."

"He’ll be useful soon."

With that, Evenson cast a teleportation spell.

The world folded around him.

A moment later, he appeared aboard the Bus.

Simmons’s laboratory had been converted into a temporary intensive-care unit.

Skye lay unconscious on the bed, an IV running into her arm while monitors tracked every fragile sign of life.

Evenson’s expression darkened.

"How did she end up like this?"

"I was told she was just shot."

The lively hacker he’d known was now deathly pale and completely motionless.

Then he noticed the other injuries.

Bruises covered her arms.

One side of her face was badly swollen.

And one leg was immobilized in a splint.

"Wait."

Evenson stared.

"Was she tortured?"

Melinda had already switched the aircraft to autopilot and joined them.

"No."

Her expression was cold.

"Those injuries happened when Ian Quinn captured her."

"You’re kidding."

Evenson looked at Skye again.

"How hard did she fight?"

"Hard enough to get beaten half to death?"

"Who knows?"

Melinda’s jaw tightened.

"Ian Quinn is an idiot."

"He must have mixed up the intelligence on Skye and me."

"He apparently thought she had superhuman strength."

Evenson stared at her.

"They got that wrong?"

"That man is lucky he’s still alive."

Evenson glanced around.

"Coulson already left?"

"Yes."

Melinda nodded.

"He took a fighter to Tahiti."

"Alone?"

"Ward went with him."

"And Agent John Garrett and his people are going too."

Evenson’s expression changed.

"John Garrett?"

"Why is he involved?"

"He was originally sent by headquarters to escort Ian Quinn back."

"But given the circumstances, he decided to delay that order."

"He’s going to Tahiti with Coulson."

"If they find the treatment, they’ll use it on Skye."

"I see."

Evenson’s eyes lowered.

He turned toward Simmons.

"How bad is she?"

"Forget the external injuries. I can see those."

Simmons swallowed.

"The bullets passed through her stomach, large intestine, and small intestine."

"They also severed her spinal cord."

"She’s barely alive."

Tears glimmered in Simmons’s eyes.

"There’s nothing more I can do except keep her comfortable."

"I just want her to suffer as little as possible."

Evenson looked at Skye.

"She’s not going to die."

Simmons looked up.

"I’ve done the math."

Evenson sounded completely serious.

"She’s got the kind of luck that could curse an airplane out of the sky."

Melinda rolled her eyes.

"Are you seriously talking about fortune-telling?"

She sighed.

"Fine."

"If you’re going to bring superstition into this, then use your magic and heal her."

"Magic..."

Evenson crouched beside Skye.

He studied her for a moment before glancing sideways at Melinda.

"Magic has a price."

"You know that."

"I’ve said this before, but I’ll say it again."

"My magic isn’t exactly benevolent."

"Even healing magic changes the person it acts upon."

"Sometimes the consequences are minor."

"Sometimes they aren’t."

"Even something as simple as repairing a cut can have effects we can’t predict."

"With injuries this severe?"

Evenson shook his head.

"Who knows what might change?"

"Can you really make that decision for her?"

Melinda hesitated.

She remembered the pain she’d endured during her own enhancements.

If magic merely caused pain on that level, perhaps she could accept it.

But that wasn’t what Evenson was warning her about.

The changes could be unpredictable.

And he couldn’t tell her what Skye would become afterward.

Melinda clenched her jaw.

"I can."

Evenson looked at her.

"She just needs to live."

"She’s part of our team."

"She’s family."

"Whatever she becomes afterward, we’ll accept her."

"Even if those changes make her hate me."

"Even if she blames me for the rest of her life."

"I’ll accept that."

Evenson slowly straightened.

"That’s a hell of a commitment."

"All right."

"Then we’ll keep that as our backup plan."

"Backup?"

Melinda frowned.

Then realization struck.

"You’ve got another option."

"You think the treatment at Tahiti might work."

"You know that’s not as simple as it looks."

Simmons and Fitz were both present, so Melinda couldn’t discuss Coulson’s resurrection in detail.

But she didn’t need to.

Evenson understood.

Coulson hadn’t simply received an injection and stood up.

His resurrection had involved complicated procedures.

There was no guarantee the same treatment would work on someone who was still alive.

And there was no guarantee it would even be compatible with Skye.

"I’ve got no intention of relying on Tahiti."

Evenson reached out and carefully examined Skye’s life force.

"You two have far too little faith in modern medicine."

"Is she really at the point where only science fiction or magic can save her?"

"The first treatment she received was at S.H.I.E.L.D.’s trauma center in Zurich."

Simmons changed Skye’s IV.

"The doctors there couldn’t do anything more."

"Otherwise, Coulson wouldn’t have taken this action."

Simmons still believed Coulson’s desperate trip to Tahiti was solely about saving Skye.

Evenson snorted.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. isn’t the final authority on medicine."

"The best doctor in the world doesn’t necessarily work for your organization."

"I know someone who can handle injuries like this."

"Who?"

All three of them asked at once.

Evenson smiled.

"Stephen Strange."

Melinda’s expression changed immediately.

Stephen Strange.

The man had practically become legendary in medical circles.

"Miracle worker" didn’t begin to describe his surgical ability.

If someone had been shot in the brain and declared dead by every other doctor, Strange had the kind of reputation that suggested he’d still find a way to save them.

Skye’s injuries were severe, but if anyone could handle them, it would be Strange.

"But..."

Melinda frowned.

"I heard he destroyed both his hands in a car accident."

"And he’s disappeared."

"He didn’t disappear."

Evenson shrugged.

"He awakened."

"He’s in Kamar-Taj now."

"The same organization Clea belongs to."

"And he’s their new Sorcerer Supreme."

Fitz and Simmons exchanged a baffled look.

People said the end of science was theology.

Apparently the next step was medicine reaching the end of science and discovering magic.

"He’s supposedly abandoned ordinary life and devoted himself entirely to magic."

"But Strange and I have history."

"I helped him get into Kamar-Taj in the first place."

"With that kind of relationship, he’ll help."

"And if he can’t save her..."

Evenson shrugged.

"Then I’ll step in."

"But Skye doesn’t have much time."

Simmons looked worried.

"She’s completely dependent on these machines."

"If we disconnect her, she’ll die."

"That’s fine."

"I’ll have Strange prepare everything first."

"Then I’ll teleport Skye directly to him."

"The gap will be less than three seconds."

"She can survive three seconds, can’t she?"

Simmons hesitated.

"Three seconds?"

"You’re sure?"

"This is a life we’re talking about."

"I’m sure."

"Even if the doctors are slow and it takes half a minute to reconnect her to life support, she’ll be fine."

Simmons considered it.

"Then it’s worth trying."

Melinda looked down at Skye.

Medical decisions weren’t her specialty.

If Simmons believed this could work, then there wasn’t much else to do.

She turned to Evenson.

"Skye is in your hands."

"I’ll get everything ready."

Evenson stepped aside and made a phone call.

Once Simmons had removed Skye’s IV lines, Evenson reached for her.

Magic surged.

The air distorted around them.

A portal opened.

In the next instant, Evenson and Skye vanished.

They reappeared inside Gospel Corporation.

Moira and Helen Hailun were waiting nearby.

Both women stared expectantly at the unconscious girl.

Moira’s eyes lit up.

Fresh meat.

She caught herself.

"Er... a patient."