Many Heads, One Tale - Recap
<-- Previous EpisodeNext Episode -->Gideon and Grant have food and Gideon talks about how the octopus symbolizes Hydra. Grant points out that he cleared away the fat of the old Hydra, and Gideon figures that he's looking for the Van Strucker vault. His guest doesn't believe him and figures that Gideon has the vault. It contains Hydra's greatest power, and Grant suggests that they put it to good use together. One of Gideon's agents, Mr. Giyera, comes in and Gideon explains that he doesn't have time to give Grant a history lesson. He has long-term plans that are coming together and Grant's vendetta doesn't fit in with them. Grant promises to find the vault, and Gideon warns that Grant isn't at the top of the food chain. Once Gideon and Giyera leave, four soldiers come in and open fire. Grant takes them out, killing one of them. He then questions the other three, explaining that he knows where the vault is but now how to get in. They say that they're not helping him, and Grant takes out a knife and advances on them.
Coulson and Rosalind oversee the transport of Andrew to the ATCU facility. Rosalind assures Coulson that they'll keep Andrew in stasis until they can find a cure. Mack listens and Coulson suggests that Rosalind come to the base so she can talk him through the process. Melinda is watching as the truck with Andrew drives by, and Coulson tells Mack that she'll talk when she's ready.
In the base lab, Jemma is looking at a photo of her and Will when Fitz snaps at a technician dropping manuscripts. He explains that the manuscripts are about anthropology and iconography, and hopes it matches the ram's head symbol on Will's uniform. Melinda comes in and stalks by them, and glares at Lincoln as he goes by with Daisy. Daisy assures him that he doesn't have to keep his space, and Lincoln asks if they need to talk about their kiss. She says that they can take it as it comes, and warns that Lincoln will have to earn his keep if he's going to stay.
Coulson goes to his office and finds Mack waiting for him. Mack is concerned that Coulson and Rosalind have grown close, and asks if they're sleeping together. Coulson refuses to answer, and Mack insists that it's his business if Coulson is playing some kind of an angle. His superior admits that he likes Rosalind, and hopes that he can trust her for a face-to-face meeting and find out if he can. Meanwhile, Coulson wants the rest of them to go behind her back. He meets with his team and says that they're launching Operation Spotlight. They're going to investigate the ATCU using Andrew's containment cell as a way to gain access. Bobbi and Lance will go in while Daisy and Mack oversee the operation from Zephyr One. Melinda will handle extraction, and she insists on taking Lincoln with her. Coulson says that he wants to know everything, including what they want with the Inhumans that they've gathered. When Daisy wonders why they're going ahead now, Coulson says that Rosalind finally trusts him. As they leave, Coulson asks if that answers his concerns. Once he's alone, Mack says that it raises new ones.
After Grant tortures the prisoners without success, he takes a blowtorch out of his case and prepares to move onto the next step. He drags one man over and builds the anticipation, inviting the man to go in with him. One of the other men says that Gideon uses different men each time he goes to Zepkow, Germany, and none of them know where the vault is buried. Satisfied, Grant admits that he didn't know which vault. He shoots the man dead and then congratulates the man he was going to torture.
After flying in circles for six hours, Coulson brings Rosalind into the base. They scan her phone for wireless sniffers and confirm that it's clean.
On Zephyr One, Daisy and Mack receive the upload from Rosalind's phone and activates a homing signal on the containment unit. She tells Lincoln that it should wig out the ATCU's IT department. The head IT man, Steve Wilson, calls the FBI cyber investigative task force and Mack intercepts the call. Mack claims that multiple agency servers have been attacked and they've traced it to the ATCU, and they're sending a unit to investigate.
Bobbi and Lance go in as the unit and Wilson assures them that their systems are perfect. Daisy feeds information to Lance to pass as a tech, and Bobbi claims that Lance is a rogue hacker that they recruited. She shows Wilson Rosalind's credentials as proof that the ATCU has a leak, and Wilson admits that they brought in one thing: the containment module. He goes to make a phone call.
Coulson shows Rosalind the lab as Wilson calls her. He explains that they have a security link and suggests that it's the containment module. Rosalind asks Coulson if the module tried to access the ATCU, and he admits that all of their hardware scans local units. She says that they're going to have to shut it down and Coulson readily agrees. Rosalind tells Wilson to work with the FBI and get the matter settled.
In the conference room, Jemma discovers that Will was sacrificed. She shows Fitz a page confirming that the symbol is tied to a ritualistic blood sacrifice. She worries that they never know who is next to us.
Grant catches a flight and flirts with the attendant. He says that it's the only flight he could find passing over Zepkow, and whistles in her ear. The attendant stares at him in shock and then quietly sits down. Grant makes sure that his parachute is secured and then tells the passengers to prepare for a sudden shock. He then blows out the hatch and is sucked out.
At the base, Fitz notes that the symbols trace back thousands of years and tie in to devil worship. Jemma insists that there's nothing there to open the portal, and tells Fitz that he has to stop. She tells him that he has to do the right thing and storms out.
Coulson shows Rosalind his collection of spy memorabilia. He explains how S.H.I.E.L.D. recruited him and she says that he's the first SIELD agent that he's met. As they talk, Coulson checks his watch.
Wilson takes Bobbi and Lance into the IT department and Daisy talks Lance through why he needs access. Wilson gives him a terminal and Daisy gets remote access. Lance types very slowly and finally logs in. and Daisy tells Melinda that she's up. Melinda and leaves and Mack tells Lincoln to go with her. Once they access the base schematics, Mack passes the directions to Enhanced Specimen Control to Bobbi, and then rings her phone. Bobbi steps out to make a report, and Mack tells her to grab any samples and see how many Inhumans the ATCU has. Meanwhile, Lincoln joins Melinda in the cockpit of the Quinjet and they undock from Zephyr One.
Fitz follows Jemma into the lab, and she wants him to get angry. He says that he's furious and figures that they're cursed to be apart. Fitz complains about how Jemma was swept off to another planet before they could discuss things, and asks Jemma if she loves Will. She admits that she does, and Fitz that he hasn't found anything on Will. When Jemma reminds Fitz that he dived through a hole in the universe to rescue her, Fitz kisses her. Jemma kisses him back and then Fitz says that they're cursed and steps away. Jemma looks down at one of the books and asks if it's what she thinks it is.
Bobbi makes her way to the ATCU lab and Daisy opens the door for her.
Gideon visits Andrew in his containment cell and explains that he advises the President's staff. Andrew figures that they're a decade away from treatment, and Gideon asks Andrew if he wants treatment. He points out that S.H.I.E.L.D. hasn't protected anyone, and points out that they have good intentions but questionable methods. Andrew agrees, and Gideon offers to help him in return for inside information about what else S.H.I.E.L.D. is hiding.
Bobbi reports that there are no Inhumans or cell samples in the lab. She finds vials of fish oil pills, and a door in the back of the lab. Inside are dozens of refrigerated cases.
Lance continues stalling with Wilson, who finally goes to get some coffee. Banks arrives outside and Lance says that they have to extract him before Banks recognizes him.
Daisy confirms that the ATCU is administering mandatory treatments to their staff as well as any public witnesses. She figures that they're creating Inhumans, not turning them, while Bobbi finds a petrified victim in one of the cases.
Coulson takes Rosalind to a containment cell and says that she needs to convince him that she's not Hydra. He brings up the schematic of the ATCU lab and warns that if she fails then she isn't leaving. Rosalind says that his team won't find anything that she wouldn't tell him, and insists that she's not playing games. She accuses Coulson of having no emotions, and Coulson says that she lied about keeping Andrew at her facility. Rosalind says that of course he isn't.
As they fly to the ATCU base, Lincoln asks Melinda if she's torturing him. He refuses to apologize for revealing that Andrew was Lash. Melinda says that she wants to apologize to Lincoln for Andrew, because he killed Lincoln's friends and tried to kill Lincoln. She tells Lincoln that she should have known, and Lincoln thanks her for putting the bullets in Andrew when she did. Daisy calls to say that Lance needs extraction.
Two guards approach Bobbi, and she tells Lance to bring her briefcase. Banks and Wilson approach Lance, who faces away from Banks. He turns around, shoves Wilson away, and runs for Bobbi. Banks chases for him, and Daisy unlocks the door ahead of him and locks it behind him. Meanwhile, Bobbi takes on the guards.
Rosalind says that they don't risk nutcases breaking in to look around the facility. Coulson says that he always suspected something was wrong, and reminds her that the first time they met, she mentioned Tahiti. The only way she could know about that was through Hydra, and Rosalind refuses to say where she got the info. She admits that she did fall for Coulson, and he tells her that her agents have confirmed that there is no cure. Shocked, Rosalind says that no one is allowed on the floors and she gets weekly reports from Gideon. She says that Gideon is a friend and helped design the ATCU, and oversees the staff. Shocked, Rosalind says that Gideon gave her the Tahiti intel.
Daisy and Mack lose their connection to the ATCU computer. The last file they pulled has a catalog of all Inhumans the ATCU turned. One of them, Giyera, wasn't put in stasis.
Lance arrives in the lab and discovers that Bobbi has taken out the guards. Giyera and two more men come in, and Giyera telekinetically picks up the discarded guns and fires them at the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. Bobbi and Lance take cover, Bobbi takes the batons out of her case and throws them, taking out Giyera's men. Her magnetic bracelets pull them back, and Giyera grabs a pipe and attacks Bobbi.
Rosalind tells Coulson that she has to call her people, and warns that Coulson's agents are in serious trouble. She insists that she doesn't know what's going on and warns that if she doesn't make the call then they both lose everything.
Giyera telekinetically catches Bobbi's batons when she throws them... and Lance knocks him out from behind. Banks breaks in and says that he'll get them out. They have no choice but to go with him.
In Coulson's office, Rosalind tells Coulson that Banks will lead them to the parking lot. Melinda and Lincoln hover overhead and the entire lot opens to reveal a landing pad below.
Grant drops into the vault and Gideon is already there. The Hydra director admits that he's impressed by Grant's persistence. Gideon admits that he wanted Grant dead because he poses a threat to everything that he's built. But now he figures that Grant can be Hydra's second head next to his own. He offers Grant a drink and Grant takes it. Gideon then says that Hydra is much older than the Red Skull. He takes out a case holding a stone made of the same material as the portal, and explains that the stone and others like it have been passed down for hundreds of generations.
Rosalind tells the team that Gideon recruited him in 2001 when his company was working with NASA. They show her the ram's head symbol.
Gideon says that an Inhuman was born thousands of years ago and destined to rule Earth. Others were so afraid of him that they sent the Inhuman through the portal to a distant planet. The stone fragment briefly liquefies, and Gideon says that Hydra has taken different shapes over the generations.
Jemma and Fitz show the others the progression of the symbol from the ram's head to the Hydra symbol.
Gideon tells Grant that every generation of Hydra has sent men through the portals so that they could serve their leader. Now Hydra is building an army for it to command when it returns... and Gideon and Grant will rule at its side. Grant wonders why he should believe the story, and Gideon says that they're closer than ever to fulfilling their goal. He offers to help Grant destroy S.H.I.E.L.D., and in return Grant will help him learn how S.H.I.E.L.D. was able to bring someone back through the portal.
Andrew demands answers from his captors. A technician hooks up the tranquilizer gas, and Grant comes in and tells Andrew that he's learning. Andrew promises that he's going to die as Grant turns on the gas, and Grant says that it's mustard gas. They want to turn Lash back on. Grant thanks Andrew for closure now that he knows Melinda prefers monsters, as Andrew screams in pain.
Coulson and Rosalind oversee the transport of Andrew to the ATCU facility. Rosalind assures Coulson that they'll keep Andrew in stasis until they can find a cure. Mack listens and Coulson suggests that Rosalind come to the base so she can talk him through the process. Melinda is watching as the truck with Andrew drives by, and Coulson tells Mack that she'll talk when she's ready.
In the base lab, Jemma is looking at a photo of her and Will when Fitz snaps at a technician dropping manuscripts. He explains that the manuscripts are about anthropology and iconography, and hopes it matches the ram's head symbol on Will's uniform. Melinda comes in and stalks by them, and glares at Lincoln as he goes by with Daisy. Daisy assures him that he doesn't have to keep his space, and Lincoln asks if they need to talk about their kiss. She says that they can take it as it comes, and warns that Lincoln will have to earn his keep if he's going to stay.
Coulson goes to his office and finds Mack waiting for him. Mack is concerned that Coulson and Rosalind have grown close, and asks if they're sleeping together. Coulson refuses to answer, and Mack insists that it's his business if Coulson is playing some kind of an angle. His superior admits that he likes Rosalind, and hopes that he can trust her for a face-to-face meeting and find out if he can. Meanwhile, Coulson wants the rest of them to go behind her back. He meets with his team and says that they're launching Operation Spotlight. They're going to investigate the ATCU using Andrew's containment cell as a way to gain access. Bobbi and Lance will go in while Daisy and Mack oversee the operation from Zephyr One. Melinda will handle extraction, and she insists on taking Lincoln with her. Coulson says that he wants to know everything, including what they want with the Inhumans that they've gathered. When Daisy wonders why they're going ahead now, Coulson says that Rosalind finally trusts him. As they leave, Coulson asks if that answers his concerns. Once he's alone, Mack says that it raises new ones.
After Grant tortures the prisoners without success, he takes a blowtorch out of his case and prepares to move onto the next step. He drags one man over and builds the anticipation, inviting the man to go in with him. One of the other men says that Gideon uses different men each time he goes to Zepkow, Germany, and none of them know where the vault is buried. Satisfied, Grant admits that he didn't know which vault. He shoots the man dead and then congratulates the man he was going to torture.
After flying in circles for six hours, Coulson brings Rosalind into the base. They scan her phone for wireless sniffers and confirm that it's clean.
On Zephyr One, Daisy and Mack receive the upload from Rosalind's phone and activates a homing signal on the containment unit. She tells Lincoln that it should wig out the ATCU's IT department. The head IT man, Steve Wilson, calls the FBI cyber investigative task force and Mack intercepts the call. Mack claims that multiple agency servers have been attacked and they've traced it to the ATCU, and they're sending a unit to investigate.
Bobbi and Lance go in as the unit and Wilson assures them that their systems are perfect. Daisy feeds information to Lance to pass as a tech, and Bobbi claims that Lance is a rogue hacker that they recruited. She shows Wilson Rosalind's credentials as proof that the ATCU has a leak, and Wilson admits that they brought in one thing: the containment module. He goes to make a phone call.
Coulson shows Rosalind the lab as Wilson calls her. He explains that they have a security link and suggests that it's the containment module. Rosalind asks Coulson if the module tried to access the ATCU, and he admits that all of their hardware scans local units. She says that they're going to have to shut it down and Coulson readily agrees. Rosalind tells Wilson to work with the FBI and get the matter settled.
In the conference room, Jemma discovers that Will was sacrificed. She shows Fitz a page confirming that the symbol is tied to a ritualistic blood sacrifice. She worries that they never know who is next to us.
Grant catches a flight and flirts with the attendant. He says that it's the only flight he could find passing over Zepkow, and whistles in her ear. The attendant stares at him in shock and then quietly sits down. Grant makes sure that his parachute is secured and then tells the passengers to prepare for a sudden shock. He then blows out the hatch and is sucked out.
At the base, Fitz notes that the symbols trace back thousands of years and tie in to devil worship. Jemma insists that there's nothing there to open the portal, and tells Fitz that he has to stop. She tells him that he has to do the right thing and storms out.
Coulson shows Rosalind his collection of spy memorabilia. He explains how S.H.I.E.L.D. recruited him and she says that he's the first SIELD agent that he's met. As they talk, Coulson checks his watch.
Wilson takes Bobbi and Lance into the IT department and Daisy talks Lance through why he needs access. Wilson gives him a terminal and Daisy gets remote access. Lance types very slowly and finally logs in. and Daisy tells Melinda that she's up. Melinda and leaves and Mack tells Lincoln to go with her. Once they access the base schematics, Mack passes the directions to Enhanced Specimen Control to Bobbi, and then rings her phone. Bobbi steps out to make a report, and Mack tells her to grab any samples and see how many Inhumans the ATCU has. Meanwhile, Lincoln joins Melinda in the cockpit of the Quinjet and they undock from Zephyr One.
Fitz follows Jemma into the lab, and she wants him to get angry. He says that he's furious and figures that they're cursed to be apart. Fitz complains about how Jemma was swept off to another planet before they could discuss things, and asks Jemma if she loves Will. She admits that she does, and Fitz that he hasn't found anything on Will. When Jemma reminds Fitz that he dived through a hole in the universe to rescue her, Fitz kisses her. Jemma kisses him back and then Fitz says that they're cursed and steps away. Jemma looks down at one of the books and asks if it's what she thinks it is.
Bobbi makes her way to the ATCU lab and Daisy opens the door for her.
Gideon visits Andrew in his containment cell and explains that he advises the President's staff. Andrew figures that they're a decade away from treatment, and Gideon asks Andrew if he wants treatment. He points out that S.H.I.E.L.D. hasn't protected anyone, and points out that they have good intentions but questionable methods. Andrew agrees, and Gideon offers to help him in return for inside information about what else S.H.I.E.L.D. is hiding.
Bobbi reports that there are no Inhumans or cell samples in the lab. She finds vials of fish oil pills, and a door in the back of the lab. Inside are dozens of refrigerated cases.
Lance continues stalling with Wilson, who finally goes to get some coffee. Banks arrives outside and Lance says that they have to extract him before Banks recognizes him.
Daisy confirms that the ATCU is administering mandatory treatments to their staff as well as any public witnesses. She figures that they're creating Inhumans, not turning them, while Bobbi finds a petrified victim in one of the cases.
Coulson takes Rosalind to a containment cell and says that she needs to convince him that she's not Hydra. He brings up the schematic of the ATCU lab and warns that if she fails then she isn't leaving. Rosalind says that his team won't find anything that she wouldn't tell him, and insists that she's not playing games. She accuses Coulson of having no emotions, and Coulson says that she lied about keeping Andrew at her facility. Rosalind says that of course he isn't.
As they fly to the ATCU base, Lincoln asks Melinda if she's torturing him. He refuses to apologize for revealing that Andrew was Lash. Melinda says that she wants to apologize to Lincoln for Andrew, because he killed Lincoln's friends and tried to kill Lincoln. She tells Lincoln that she should have known, and Lincoln thanks her for putting the bullets in Andrew when she did. Daisy calls to say that Lance needs extraction.
Two guards approach Bobbi, and she tells Lance to bring her briefcase. Banks and Wilson approach Lance, who faces away from Banks. He turns around, shoves Wilson away, and runs for Bobbi. Banks chases for him, and Daisy unlocks the door ahead of him and locks it behind him. Meanwhile, Bobbi takes on the guards.
Rosalind says that they don't risk nutcases breaking in to look around the facility. Coulson says that he always suspected something was wrong, and reminds her that the first time they met, she mentioned Tahiti. The only way she could know about that was through Hydra, and Rosalind refuses to say where she got the info. She admits that she did fall for Coulson, and he tells her that her agents have confirmed that there is no cure. Shocked, Rosalind says that no one is allowed on the floors and she gets weekly reports from Gideon. She says that Gideon is a friend and helped design the ATCU, and oversees the staff. Shocked, Rosalind says that Gideon gave her the Tahiti intel.
Daisy and Mack lose their connection to the ATCU computer. The last file they pulled has a catalog of all Inhumans the ATCU turned. One of them, Giyera, wasn't put in stasis.
Lance arrives in the lab and discovers that Bobbi has taken out the guards. Giyera and two more men come in, and Giyera telekinetically picks up the discarded guns and fires them at the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. Bobbi and Lance take cover, Bobbi takes the batons out of her case and throws them, taking out Giyera's men. Her magnetic bracelets pull them back, and Giyera grabs a pipe and attacks Bobbi.
Rosalind tells Coulson that she has to call her people, and warns that Coulson's agents are in serious trouble. She insists that she doesn't know what's going on and warns that if she doesn't make the call then they both lose everything.
Giyera telekinetically catches Bobbi's batons when she throws them... and Lance knocks him out from behind. Banks breaks in and says that he'll get them out. They have no choice but to go with him.
In Coulson's office, Rosalind tells Coulson that Banks will lead them to the parking lot. Melinda and Lincoln hover overhead and the entire lot opens to reveal a landing pad below.
Grant drops into the vault and Gideon is already there. The Hydra director admits that he's impressed by Grant's persistence. Gideon admits that he wanted Grant dead because he poses a threat to everything that he's built. But now he figures that Grant can be Hydra's second head next to his own. He offers Grant a drink and Grant takes it. Gideon then says that Hydra is much older than the Red Skull. He takes out a case holding a stone made of the same material as the portal, and explains that the stone and others like it have been passed down for hundreds of generations.
Rosalind tells the team that Gideon recruited him in 2001 when his company was working with NASA. They show her the ram's head symbol.
Gideon says that an Inhuman was born thousands of years ago and destined to rule Earth. Others were so afraid of him that they sent the Inhuman through the portal to a distant planet. The stone fragment briefly liquefies, and Gideon says that Hydra has taken different shapes over the generations.
Jemma and Fitz show the others the progression of the symbol from the ram's head to the Hydra symbol.
Gideon tells Grant that every generation of Hydra has sent men through the portals so that they could serve their leader. Now Hydra is building an army for it to command when it returns... and Gideon and Grant will rule at its side. Grant wonders why he should believe the story, and Gideon says that they're closer than ever to fulfilling their goal. He offers to help Grant destroy S.H.I.E.L.D., and in return Grant will help him learn how S.H.I.E.L.D. was able to bring someone back through the portal.
Andrew demands answers from his captors. A technician hooks up the tranquilizer gas, and Grant comes in and tells Andrew that he's learning. Andrew promises that he's going to die as Grant turns on the gas, and Grant says that it's mustard gas. They want to turn Lash back on. Grant thanks Andrew for closure now that he knows Melinda prefers monsters, as Andrew screams in pain.
