On the plane, the laboratory was alive with tension and quiet urgency. Fitz hunched over the workbench, meticulously inspecting the mysterious round iron ball recovered from the crime scene. The device, with its floating iron core, spun slowly under the lab lights as Fitz ran his tests, his brow furrowed in concentration.
Across the room, Coulson and May spoke in hushed voices. Coulson's tone was grave. "We need to investigate the possibility of a traitor within S.H.I.E.L.D. The attackers knew the convoy's route and timing-too much to be coincidence. At the very least, we need to clear everyone's names and remove suspicion."
May, pragmatic as ever, shook her head. "I don't believe there's a traitor in S.H.I.E.L.D.," she replied, but she nodded and slipped away to begin her own discreet investigation.
Coulson turned to the rest of the team. "Check the tire marks. See if there's anything unusual or any clues we might have missed."
"On it," Skye replied, already preparing to upload the photos she'd taken at the scene. "I'll run them through the database and see if anything pops up-"
Before she could finish, Su Zhan's calm, confident voice cut through the room. "There's no need," he said, his tone both light and assured. "There's no point in digging through all that evidence."
Skye and Coulson both looked at him, surprised. "Why not?" Skye asked, curiosity bright in her eyes.
Coulson's gaze sharpened. "Su Zhan, do you know something we don't? I know you have precognition, but this isn't the future-it's already happened."
Su Zhan smiled faintly. "I can't see the past, but sometimes the future is clear enough to make the present obvious. I don't know exactly who kidnapped Dr. Hall, but I do know that, in the near future, you'll find out who you're dealing with-and exactly where Dr. Hall is being held. Since I already know the answer, there's no point in wasting time with background checks and forensics."
Coulson's expression grew serious. "Then who is it?"
Su Zhan gestured toward the iron ball Fitz was examining. "That device is a miniature gravity manipulator. The technology is advanced, but the signature is unmistakable-it belongs to Quinn Worldwide."
At the mention of the company, Coulson's eyes darkened. "Quinn Worldwide? Fitz, Simmons-you must have come across their CEO during your chemical engineering days or at least seen him on the cover of Forbes. Ian Quinn."
Su Zhan nodded. "He's the one who orchestrated Dr. Hall's abduction. His goal is to force Hall to help him control a large-scale gravity device, using it to develop new abilities or weapons."
Skye, who had been searching on her phone, looked up. "Quinn is in Malta. He's a citizen there now, and he's hosting a high-profile cocktail party."
"That's where Dr. Hall is being held," Su Zhan confirmed.
Coulson frowned; the weight of international law heavy on his mind. "This is tricky. S.H.I.E.L.D. can't operate openly in Malta. If we do, we risk violating international law, and the local government won't allow us to send in a strike team. Quinn's estate is a fortress-electric fences, armed guards, the works. Without someone on the inside, there's no way to get in undetected."
May spoke up, her voice cool and analytical. "Our only option is to go in covertly. S.H.I.E.L.D. will authorize the mission, but if anything goes wrong, we're on our own. Without an inside connection, we can't bypass the sensors. Even if we deal with the electric fence and security systems, we'll still be discovered. A straightforward rescue isn't possible."
Coulson nodded. "That's the situation."
He turned to Su Zhan. "If you've seen the future, how do we pull this off?"
Su Zhan didn't answer immediately. Instead, he glanced at Skye, who was busy typing on her phone. He knew she was arranging an invitation to Quinn's party, using her Rising Tide credentials to gain access. It was a dangerous move-Skye had never undergone field training, and the risks were high.
"Honestly, rescuing Hall isn't that difficult for me," Su Zhan said at last. "The security is tight, but nothing I can't handle. I can create a distraction, draw the guards' attention, and trigger the electric fence. While they're focused on me, the rest of you can slip inside and extract Dr. Hall."
Coulson regarded him with a mixture of uncertainty and hope. "Are you sure? This is a high-risk mission."
Su Zhan nodded. "If Dr. Hall is worth saving, I'll handle the front line."
"Alright. Fitz, can you rig a device to shut down the electric fence on Su Zhan's signal?" Coulson asked, turning to the young scientist.
"Absolutely," Fitz replied, already sketching out plans. Jemma Simmons handed Su Zhan a specially designed watch. "When the red light turns green, you'll be inside the perimeter. Just press the button, and the electric fence will go down."
Su Zhan examined the watch, admiring its sleek design. "Understood," he said, slipping it onto his wrist and fitting the earpiece into his ear. He headed off to rest before the mission.
He already knew that rescuing Dr. Hall would not be straightforward. In the original story, Hall was not just a victim-he was ultimately swayed by Ian Quinn and became complicit in the scheme. In the end, Hall would fall into the Gravitonium device, his body fusing with the element and granting him the power to manipulate gravity itself. This was the origin of Graviton, a villain of immense potential in the Marvel universe-one whose name was known only to those who truly understood the hidden dangers lurking beneath the surface.
As Su Zhan prepared for the mission, he couldn't help but wonder: was he about to save a scientist, or unleash a new threat on the world?