Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Previously on "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D."...

- You were dead for... days. - "GH-325."

Agent Coulson was injected with that, and literally minutes later,

his wounds showed signs of cellular regeneration.

I'd like to turn the machine on again.

It induces Theta brain-wave frequencies

to help uncover the secrets buried in the subconscious.

Please! Let me die!

- When did you start doing this? - First night I saw Garrett's writings.

- What do you think caused it? - The GH-formula.

This is what you've been doing up here.

It's what I did yesterday.

No matter how much I carve, it still means nothing to me.

- I don't even have a theory. - I do. It's a map.

You're being transferred. Your brother wants you in his custody.

Burning man, two years ago, we were stuck in the desert...

on a glow-in-the-dark bus.

- Is that it? - What's burning man?

Oh. Are you sure you're not from Iowa?

Because you just sounded like it.

- Baltimore, born and raised. - This is gonna drive me nuts.

I mean, it's crazy, right?

We see each other from across the bar, and...

we just wave at each other like we're long-lost friends.

I know I know you. I just can't figure out how.

To remembering.

- So, you're an artist. - Mm, yeah, I do some painting.

And I teach community art classes.

Is that how I know you?

- Are you an artist? - I do some carving now and then.

Well, maybe the reason we think we know each other

is because it was our destiny to meet tonight.

Look... I haven't been entirely honest with you.

We have met before,

and I've traveled a long way to be with you.

Okay. Maybe we should just slow this down.

No. We share so much ...

so many memories... so much pain.

How ... how ... how do you know about that?

I'll help you remember.

Damn it.

How long were you standing there?

Long enough. May gave us specific instructions ...

you go on a date with the crazy wall, I have to chaperone.

I didn't want to wake you.

Do I look like I've been sleeping?

- What's keeping you up? - It's all connected ... everything.

Ward has information about my father,

who just happens to have the alien buzzkill device,

which is somehow connected to the writing,

that is related to the G.H. serum that is in our blood ...

like we're pieces to a puzzle.

Except we don't know what the puzzle is or how the pieces even fit.

It's a hacker's worst nightmare,

everlasting gobstopper of firewalls.

It wants us to know. I can feel it.

Then it...

should tell us, because I have been trying

to match the writing to constellation maps,

navigational charts, genome diagrams.

And if it's a map, it's a map to nowhere.

I need you to stick with it.

The writing's coming more and more frequently.

Used to be two, three times a month.

Then once a week.

Now it's every day, every night.

I can't turn it off.

How do you function? When do you sleep?

That's why we need answers.

And what if we don't find them?

Anything else?

When does May get back?

Not until we find Ward.

This is Morse.

I have agents positioned at multiple locations.

- We have been sitting here for an hour. - He has 11 hotboxes

within 200 miles of his last known position.

Odds are, he'll show up at one of them.

Why isn't there a nationwide manhunt? He escaped from federal custody.

Senator Ward is covering it up. No one's looking but us.

Triplett here. I've got eyes on the prize.

I've got a clear shot and a trigger finger that needs some love.

No. Stand by and wait for your orders.

Director, say the word. I can end this.

- The senator wants him alive. - What do you want?

Bring him in... by any means necessary.

Copy that.

Damn.

I don't know how, but he knows we're on him.

He's got a dead man's switch

and enough C-4 to take down the block.

Bus 741 to Atlanta now boarding.

He's on the move.

Do not engage. He's not bluffing.

Keep an eye in the sky, May.

Have Agents Hunter and Morse in position at the next stop.

If we can't bring him in,

at least we can see where he's going.

We found Ward.

- What? - One of my sources, this guy micro ...

he's kind of a crime-scene junkie ... he came across something.

The writing, but not exactly how we wanted to see it.

- When were these taken? - Last night.

Whoever did this is still out there.

- This is the victim? - Janice Robbins.

Lives ... lived in upstate New York.

- She's a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. - No, she's an art teacher from Iowa.

- I have her full bio. - I'm not wrong. I've seen her.

We should check it out.

You know we're breaking about 14 laws right now.

One of the perks of being outlaws.

This had to happen on my shift? You couldn't wait till May got back?

May's got her hands full with Ward.

And we're the only ones who know what we're looking for.

- What are we looking for? - Answers.

You're right.

This place just screams S.H.I.E.L.D. agent.

You two don't have a single thing in common,

unless you have some Enya albums you've been hiding.

No. Nothing in common at all.

I take that back.

There's a lot of overlap.

We were definitely working on the same design,

but she has some pieces I was missing.

How does the carving we found in Miami fit into this?

Whoever did it was on our wavelength.

There's just a few pieces missing. It's almost there.

You were right. She's a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent.

Agent Rebecca Stevens, level 6. Stationed at the Triskelion.

- That's probably where I saw her. - Not recently, you didn't.

According to this, she died five years ago from cancer.

How is that possible?

We won't know until we perform an autopsy.

Don't you need a body for that?

How'd you two manage to acquire a body?

"Corpsey diem" ... seize the dead.

Huh. Like I told my man here, you want something in life,

you got to grab it and walk out like you own it.

Is that all it takes? Really?

Because I always thought if you wanted something in life,

you had to work hard and earn it.

Give me some room, please.

- Does she have any family? - No one. No relatives, no kids.

- She didn't deserve this. - Is anything coming back to you?

She was level 6. It should all be in my head.

But it's not.

We're going to need blood and tissue samples,

full CBC, and multi-element analysis.

Would anyone like to leave before we get started?

We'll stay out of your way.

I'll let you know when I finish.

- Need some help with those? - I'm okay.

It's no problem, really. I promise ... I don't bite.

- I'm Zack. - Eliza. This is Graham.

Hey, Graham.

So... want to give me a hand with this?

- Sure. - Alright.

Looks like you don't need my help after all.

Graham here is doing all the heavy lifting.

You mind if I tag along with you anyway? Where you heading?

- Dallas. - Must be fate.

Here you go, sweetie.

Thank you. You're a real savior.

- Join us for the ride? - I prefer the back.

Excuse me. Is that seat taken?

- All yours. - Thanks.

Don't like to fly, huh?

- Excuse me? - I never understood

why people would take the bus when they can fly.

Says the man on the bus.

Uh, last-minute trip. Didn't have a choice.

- You here by choice? - Oh, I like the scenery.

Can't see the world with your head in the clouds.

Can't see it with your face in a book, either.

It's a long trip. There's plenty of time for everything.

Well, you could just skip to the end.

- And miss all the good parts in between? - Can't be that interesting.

Why do you say that?

Because you were on page 117 when you were waiting outside.

And you're still on page 117.

So either you're a really slow reader...

- or you're working for Coulson. - Who?

I am impressed. You can tell him I said that.

- I almost missed you. - What are you talking about?

I'm sure they told you about this.

If you try or say anything...

everyone in this bus will be flying.

So, just keep reading your book and hope for a happy ending.

- Driver. - Yes, sir?

I'm on the wrong bus. Guess I, uh...

need to pay closer attention to things.

Sorry. Had to get rid of some excess baggage.

You were right, May. He's good.

Very good.

Hunter, if you're in position, he's all yours.

Copy that, darlin'. Happy to oblige.

The cuts were all quite deep,

but the cause of death was cardiac arrest.

She died from shock due to the pain, not from the wounds.

Very common in this type of ritualistic murder.