Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Season 7

[The team find themselves in 1931 New York]

Deke:
Navigating the past happens to be my specialty.

Yo-Yo:
Last time, you got stupid drunk and ended up in jail.

Deke:
That's not true. I was pleasantly drunk. It was hilarious.

Daisy:
He'll be fine. It's Prohibition, so alcohol's illegal anyway.

Deke:
It's what? Who would think that's a good idea? Even the Kree let us make our own boot juice.

Daisy:
That's what I'm worried about. The butterfly effect. Just us being here, walking down the street, we could've already changed the course of events.

Deke:
Yeah, the butterfly effect is just one aspect of the multiverse branch theory. Personally, I subscribe to the Time-Stream idea.

Mack:
Let me guess. That's the one that lets you do whatever you want.

Deke:
Okay. Imagine time as a stream, right? And we were sticks that were thrown into it. The water, it... it moves us... it moves around us.

LMD Coulson II:
But it ends up in the same place.

Deke:
Right. Now, too many sticks thrown in and that will create what's called a dam, and... and that'll change the direction of the water forever, and that's bad. So as long as we can avoid that, we should be able to splash around a little bit and we're all good.

Mack:
Okay, I know where this is going. Agent Shaw, you will not be filing any patents. Is that understood?

[The team is posing as members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police]

Police Officer:
What's a gal like you doing trying to be a Mountie? Can't you find a husband?

Daisy:
Okay. Yeah, I mean, I wish that I could hold on to a husband. But for some reason, they just end up with broken ribs whenever they give me lip. Now move, or a gal like me will knock out a guy like you in front of people like them.

Cain:
Time. You will never comprehend its true nature. Our anthropologists have studied Earth for thousands of years. To speak in metaphor, we know the exact thread to pull at the exact moment to unravel S.H.I.E.L.D... forever.

LMD Coulson II:
The new gang. They're after Freddy.

Ernest Hazard Koenig:
Oh, applesauce. He's a nobody.

LMD Coulson II:
He's a target. Give me a reason.

Koenig:
They're not after his dad's money. When old man Malick jumped out that window, his debts were paid.

Daisy:
What did you just call him?

LMD Coulson II:
His full name. What is it?

Koenig:
Wilfred Malick. Why?

Daisy:
Wilfred Malick. As in father of Gideon Malick? Future head of Hydra in America?

LMD Coulson II:
If the Chronicoms kill Malick, then Hydra is stamped out before it ever takes hold and S.H.I.E.L.D. is never formed.

Daisy:
So you're saying, to save S.H.I.E.L.D...

LMD Coulson II:
We have to save Hydra.

LMD Coulson II:
If Hydra doesn't form, then S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't form in response.

Daisy:
Well, because it doesn't have to. I mean, think about all the future lives we'll save if there's no Freddy Malick.

LMD Coulson II:
We can't disrupt the timeline. If we take out Malick, something even worse could rise up in his place.

Daisy:
But then we'll just deal with it when we get back, right?

Simmons:
To a future we won't recognize... Killing Malick was the Chronicoms' intent. They do know the consequences.

Daisy:
And we'll only know what happens if he lives. None of this is pretty.

Yo-Yo:
But why does it have to be a live-or-die situation? Can't we stay here awhile, uh, be a good influence for him, change his heart?

Simmons:
Technically, that would still be killing the historic Malick, who...

Daisy:
Has no heart.

[Simmons wants to run tests on a drop of green liquid that she found]

Simmons:
I need some alcohol. 90 proof or better.

Koenig:
I like the way this bird sings.

Simmons:
I'm a biochemist, not a bird. I also need some salt, some cork, something made with silver. Let's hope it's not what I fear.

[After testing]

Simmons:
I know what it is. By heating the compound inside an alcohol-based solution, I was able to produce a decomposition reaction, separating and isolating...

Koenig:
Whoa, cut... cut... cut to the chase. I'd like to get this package before Christmas.

Simmons:
The compound is part of a formula that first appeared in Germany during World War II.

Koenig:
D... During World War II? I think you're half-cocked from the moonshine.

Simmons:
It was synthesized by a German scientist named Abraham Erskine.

LMD Coulson II:
I don't like where this is going.

Simmons:
And first used by a man named Johann Schmidt.

Daisy:
The Red Skull.

Simmons:
Freddy Malick is about to deliver the key ingredient used to create the Super Soldier Serum.

Koenig:
You give a name like that to your juice, it better have a helluva kick.

LMD Coulson II:
You have no idea.

Daisy:
If we don't stop him, he's gonna build up Hydra and create the Red Skull.

LMD Coulson II:
He already did. We can't fix the mistakes of the past.

Yo-Yo:
Why not?

Koenig:
I'm beginning to think you people are crazy. Hydra? Red Skull? Super Soldier Serum? Sounds like something out of the funny papers.

Daisy:
Yeah, well, there's nothing funny about it.

LMD Coulson II:
We can't stop it.

Daisy:
Yes, we can.

LMD Coulson II:
I mean we shouldn't. I'm sorry.

Daisy:
With all due respect, it's not your call to make. Mack is the Director, and he doesn't have all the information.

[Interrogating a woman from Hydra]

Daisy:
Now that I know what you are, I will ask you one more time. Where is Freddy gonna end up?

Woman:
On the right side of history. You can't stop progress.

LMD Coulson II:
We don't want to stop anything. We just want to find our friends.

Woman:
Well, then you can go to Hell.

Koenig:
Wait. Wait. I know where that is. I've been there.

Yo-Yo:
I'm sure you have.

Koenig:
No, no. Hell's Harbor. Where the double-crossers go to double-cross the double-crossers.

[Enoch has been left behind in 1931 with Koenig]

Enoch:
It is my specialty. I call it a Barracoolada.

Koenig:
Hmm. Ooh. That's a damn fine concoction.

Enoch:
I do, as you say, know my onions.

Koenig:
Oh, that, you do. You're hired. But I have a couple of conditions. First, I want to know more about this S.H.I.E.L.D. outfit. I feel like I could be a help there.

Enoch:
Indeed, you will. As will this fine establishment. What is the second condition?

Koenig:
I want to know all there is to know about robots.

Enoch:
Chronicoms.

Koenig:
Whatever you call yourselves. I-I find it fascinating.

Enoch:
As will your grandchildren.

Koenig:
My... My grandchildren? Enoch... this looks like the start of a marvelous friendship.

Mack:
Look. We know you're not the bad guy. But you may have given access to one, so help us out.

Gerald Sharpe:
Okay! Okay. Okay, I'll tell you. [Changes his tone to one of defiance] When hell freezes over. I'm a loyal American. Did you really think that I would break for bush league commie scum like you?

Mack:
We're trying to prevent something terrible from happening.

Sharpe:
And by "terrible", do you mean America's continued dominance and unparalleled excellence?

Yo-Yo:
That arrogance is putting lives at risk.

Sharpe:
Oh, is that so, Mamacita? Ooh. Caliente. Good thing your boy's here to keep you in line.

Mack:
Did he just call me "boy?"

Sharpe:
Allow me to introduce myself. Gerald Sharpe. Department of Defense. Ex-military. I didn't just teach interrogation and resistance, I wrote the field manual. So do your worst.

Simmons:
[Speaking to LMD Coulson II] Getting to the bottom of this may be difficult. If the Chronicoms have infiltrated, they would all look and act exactly like this.

LMD Coulson II:
Okay, but now you're just trafficking in stereotypes.

Simmons:
Well, I mean, perhaps. But until a more diverse population goes into STEM fields, I'm afraid... any one of them could easily be mistaken for a Chronicom.

LMD Coulson II:
True, but we don't have to test if they're Chronicoms. We just have to test if they're human. All we have to do is trigger an emotional response.

[Speaking to the group of scientists in front of them]

Simmons:
[Speaking quickly holding up three fingers] How many fingers am I holding up? Nope, you're wrong...

Scientist #1:
You didn't give me a chance...

Simmons:
It was two fingers. Thank you.

LMD Coulson II:
John Wayne. Bit overrated, don't you think? I mean, you're rugged, you're on a horse... who cares?

Scientist #2:
Who cares? Who cares about John Wayne? America cares.

Simmons:
[In tears] She couldn't stay with Rick. She had to go with Victor. Haven't you ever made a sacrifice for someone you love?

Scientist #3:
Yes.

LMD Coulson II:
How does it make you feel when I say the word "moist"? [Pause] Moist.

Scientist #4:
P-Please stop.

LMD Coulson II:
Moist.

[Simmons has been posing as Peggy Carter]

Daniel Sousa:
Agent Carter?

Simmons:
In the flesh.

Sousa:
Well. Glad to finally put a face to the name. I gotta say, I've waited a long time to meet the famous Agent Carter. But I'm surprised to find you here, running a security op in our little patch of desert.

Simmons:
I apologize for the short notice, but we had to act quickly. I believe this base may have been infiltrated.

Sousa:
No. Imagine that. An infiltrator, right under our noses.

Simmons:
And you arrived just this morning, Agent...?

Sousa:
Call me Daniel.

Simmons:
Daniel. And where exactly did you materialize from?

Sousa:
I just flew in from L.A.

Simmons:
Oh, you work at the old SSR [Strategic Scientific Reserve] office.

Sousa:
I'm in charge of it.

Simmons:
Daniel, your surname wouldn't happen to be Sousa?

Sousa:
It would.

Simmons:
Which would make you the former colleague of Agent Peggy Carter.

Sousa:
It would.

Simmons:
I suppose you'll be arresting me now.

Sousa:
You got it all figured out, don't you?

Sousa:
[Sees Daisy in his office] Who the hell are you?

Daisy:
Who I am is on a need to know basis.

Sousa:
I need to know.

Daisy:
Ah, no, you don't. Because I don't exist and we never met. Now, can you shut the door, please?

Sousa:
Not to be rude, but it's been one of those days, so produce some credentials or I'm gonna put you in handcuffs.

Daisy:
Here. [Shows him a card] I should inform you that's not my real name. My initials are "C", "I", and "A". Catch my drift?

Sousa:
Subtle, but yeah, I get it. I'm also gonna call your bosses in Foggy Bottom and confirm it. [Picks up a phone]

Daisy:
Oh, please do. I'm sure they would love to learn how two moles walked into this base on your watch. Let me guess. They rolled in with flawless ID cards, made a beeline for the scientists... for some routine questioning?

Sousa:
[Puts down the phone] How'd you know that?

Daisy:
CIA. We know all. Even about you, Mr. Sousa. How you were a scout for the 28th infantry till you took shrapnel at Bastogne, worked at Isodyne Energy, took down Hugh Jones and the Council of Nine. And those are just the investigations that I am cleared to talk about.

Sousa:
Why are you really here? Is this about the report I sent you guys?

Daisy:
I can neither confirm nor deny that.

Sousa:
Well, I hope so. Because if S.H.I.E.L.D. has been infiltrated with sleepers post-World War II, we need to root it out right now, before it takes hold.

Daisy:
Look, all I can say is that you are not crazy. And the people that you have locked up [Simmons and LMD Coulson II] might be the key to proving it.

[Outside the cell where Simmons and LMD Coulson II are being held]

Sousa:
The lady pretending to be Carter? Worst fake accent you've ever heard.

Daisy:
You should tell her that.

[In the cockpit of Zephyr One]

Mack:
[Over an intercom from Zephyr One to Sharpe, who is on the ground] Earthling. You will not reveal what you've seen here today, or the next time we abduct you... you will be... [Pause] probed. [Flies away]

[In a nearby diner]

Sharpe:
Someone help me! I was just abducted by aliens!

Waitress:
Looks like we got a live one.

Sharpe:
You have to believe me! I saw their spaceship! And... And I'm pretty sure they were Communists... from the future!

LMD Coulson II:
[Narrating in a film noir parody] Fate. I don't believe in it. But I know history. I know how the story goes. And when it's playing out right in front of you, it feels like you can't escape it. That fate's gonna catch up to you, tap you on the shoulder, whisper in your ear that your time's up.

[Cut to Sousa confronting someone]

Sousa:
I thought I shook you. [He is shot]

LMD Coulson II:
And then your story ends. Sometimes the hero has to die, and there's nothing you can do about it. That day started in a fog. My circuits were crossed up. Color had bled from the world, and I could hear my thoughts pinging around my head.

[Deke is driving Yo-Yo to pick up an object]

Deke:
In the '50s, were women allowed to drive?

Yo-Yo:
Yes, of course. Why would you...

Deke:
I'm sorry! I don't know. I mean, we were just in the '30s and they were really stylish, but it was... so sexist and racist. But the '50s, though... are still pretty sexist and racist.

Yo-Yo:
It always gets better, just never fast enough.

Deke:
And some things never change.

Yo-Yo:
Can't hurt to try, though.

[LMD Coulson II is posing as a scientist]

LMD Coulson II:
The agent's life... must be exciting.

Sousa:
It fills the days. Lot of threats out there.

LMD Coulson II:
Russians.

Sousa:
And others. Lying low, biding time. I take it science doesn't leave much time for a personal life either.

LMD Coulson II:
I don't follow.

Sousa:
No ring on your finger.

LMD Coulson II:
There was someone. I couldn't stick around long enough to make it last. How 'bout you?

Sousa:
Similar story.

Mack:
It's easier to let a bad man live than to let a good man die.

LMD Coulson II:
That's catchy, and I wish I'd said it, but Agent Sousa's sacrifice was an inspiration to others in S.H.I.E.L.D.

Mack:
Like yours was for the Avengers.

LMD Coulson II:
Well, let's not oversell it.

[After waking from being shot with an ICEr, Sousa sees a S.H.I.E.L.D. logo on the wall and realizes the team's affiliation]

Sousa:
S.H.I.E.L.D.

LMD Coulson II:
Future S.H.I.E.L.D. We're in a fight against body-snatching robots from another planet who want to wipe us out and take the Earth. The melting man you saw was one of them.

Sousa:
Why didn't you lead with that?

LMD Coulson II:
Do I really have to answer?

Sousa:
You'd be surprised what I've seen.

LMD Coulson II:
I sort of doubt that.

[The team is now in 1973. Sousa emerges from a clothing store still wearing his suit from 1955]

Daisy:
What happened to blending in?

Sousa:
I just don't understand the functional appeal of those... elephant... pants.

Daisy:
You mean the bell-bottoms?

Sousa:
Sure. How do people in your time function with all the extra fabric around their feet?

LMD Coulson II:
I got news for you. This isn't actually our time period.

Daisy:
Well, fortunately, there's unfashionable squares in every decade, so you are... set.

Sousa:
And nobody seems to look you in the eye now.

May:
Wait 'til they all get cellphones.

Sousa:
So, I was thinking, how do you guys know I was supposed to die in 1955?

LMD Coulson II:
It's in the history books.

Sousa:
Yeah, but... but what if you always plucked me out of time? Does that mean I always survive? And if we end up in your present, will we even be in the same timeline?

Daisy:
I'd stop thinking about it. Your brains will spill out.

Deke:
Sometimes you punch the bag, sometimes the bag punches you, am I right? I get that Mack wants me to do combat training before I return to the field, but seriously, I got kidnapped by a Hydra boss one time.

Simmons:
I don't think Freddy will be bothering you anymore, considering his funeral was three years ago.

Deke:
Good riddance. Not that I was... rooting for his death, but kinda. Did you hear anything from Bobo? Bobo... or grandpappy, whatever you want to call him.

Simmons:
Oh, Fitz. No, I haven't heard. But, um, even if I had, I couldn't disclose...

Deke:
Right, because the Chronicoms will probe our brains and blah, blah, blah, and it's very dangerous, no one can know... I get it.

Simmons:
We'll be reunited soon.

Deke:
Well, I hope so. Because if you and Fitz don't... bump lemons... so to speak... You know, my mom is never going to exist, and then I won't be born... again. I think. But, honestly, I've made so many mistakes in my life, I wouldn't mind a chance at a little do-over.

Simmons:
Wouldn't it be easier to prevent the mistakes through, say, preparation?

Deke:
Taking the hint. Letting you get back to work. Bye, Nana.

[Mack and Yo-Yo are scouting the Lighthouse]

Yo-Yo:
I was wondering why you brought me here. I'm hardly even fit for recon. What if we run into complications, Mack?

Mack:
You're damn fine at what you do, with or without your powers. They don't define you.

Yo-Yo:
Then why do you call me "Yo-Yo?"

Mack:
'Cause you always bounce back.

[After noticing that the base is still occupied]

Yo-Yo:
Let's take the Quinjet and get back.

Mack:
What, are you worried? It's still S.H.I.E.L.D., just an active base.

Yo-Yo:
You saw the man in blue

Mack:
The Agent in the throwback uni? Hell, I thought he looked pretty tight.

Yo-Yo:
You ever see a James Bond movie, Mack? An underground base full of men in jumpsuits... always a bad deal. [A door opens, revealing a rocket being assembled] See? Called it.

Sousa:
No. Is that... Little Ricky?

LMD Coulson II:
If by "Little Ricky" you mean General Rick Stoner, then yes. He's top brass at S.H.I.E.L.D. You knew him?

Sousa:
Yeah. I remember when he was an enlistee. Poor kid couldn't tell a mag from a clip.

Stoner:
Alright, thank you. Thank you for coming. Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to thank all of you for being here today. I know that you are all excited to, uh, kick off S.H.I.E.L.D.'s next phase in global security. So please welcome the man responsible, my boss and our friend, Wilfred Malick.

May:
Freddy's still alive.

Freddy:
Thanks, General. So good to be here. I got my start working in this gin joint, long before it was a S.H.I.E.L.D. asset. Look how far we've come. From hiding underground, keeping vigilant watch, to having eyes in the sky, ensuring the Earth's safety. Using targeting satellites and pinpoint laser telemetry, S.H.I.E.L.D. will now be able to neutralize hostiles anywhere in the world before they pose a threat.

Sousa:
This sound familiar to you?

LMD Coulson II:
Yeah. Sounds like Hydra's 40 years ahead of schedule.

Freddy:
I present to you... Project Insight.

Sousa:
So, these folks are secretly squids.

LMD Coulson II:
No, just a few at the top are Hydra. Most are loyal S.H.I.E.L.D., like Stoner.

[LMD Coulson II, May, Daisy, and Sousa are fleeing Chronicoms when they see a car pull up]

Enoch:
Come with me if you want to continue to exist!

Daisy:
Enoch, you're here.

Enoch:
Yes. As I have been for the last 40 years. Now buckle up.

LMD Coulson II:
Sorry we left you behind, thanks for the lift, and sweet ride.

Enoch:
Thank you. Consumer Reports gave this vehicle a five-star safety rating, and its fuel economy is best in class.

[Daisy wakes up after Nathaniel Malick captured her and Sousa]

Daisy:
My head. Ohh, I can barely... Feels like there's cement running through my veins.

Sousa:
Drugs. Haven't been this messed up since the field hospital.

Daisy:
I want to hear that story when I can remember it. [Tests her powers] I can't quake. Malick's little psycho...

Nathaniel:
Psycho? That's unfair... and very well-timed. Wow. Right as I'm walking in. Hi. Nathaniel. Uh, the two of you took me hostage... changed my life.

Daisy:
Yeah. Uh, will you unchain us, and we can hug it out? And Hydra and S.H.I.E.L.D. can be together at last.

Nathaniel:
Hydra? I-I look like Hydra to you? Take a look at Ron's suit. Guy's here 'cause he's got mouths to feed, not 'cause he worships a space octopus. No. Religion's not really my thing.

Sousa:
I don't want to know what your thing is, kid.

Nathaniel:
But it's you, Daniel. You're my thing. Whoa. Come on. Danny. You know. I know. Daisy here can move things without touching them. And you? You either fought the Krauts in diapers or you're aging much slower than the other 60-somethings I know.

[Daisy is very weak after Nathaniel finished a round of experimentation on her]

Sousa:
Hey, hey, hey. You wanted to hear my story, right? Right, well, I think it was, uh, foggy. I can't really remember the hit, but I came to, and my leg was a pulpy mess... and I was completely alone. Okay. And then Mike Stephens showed up. And the thing about Mike is he was a resolute ass. He would never shut up. He was always bullying the new guys, stole cigs. But that day, he just kept talking to me... carried me back from the line. Hey. Hey. Wake up. Okay? Stay awake, okay? For the next couple hours, he stayed with me. When the Germans advanced, when the cold got so bad I thought we would freeze, he just kept telling me, "We are going home". And then at some point, I was in a field stretcher, and, uh... Mike wasn't. So... consider my yapping as a way of passing on the favor. We are going home, Agent Johnson. You hear me? We're going home. But you have got to fight.

[Deke had disabled Enoch after seeing him working on an implant in Simmons]

Simmons:
Forget what you saw. Enoch is a friend.

Deke:
No, no, what I just saw was Creepytown, USA, population... the... the two of you. No, no. I want answers... real ones.

Simmons:
He was fixing my memory so we can fix the ship.

Deke:
Wait a second. Do you... Do you not know how to fix the time machine that you are currently ripping apart?

Simmons:
You cannot imagine how impossible it was to track the Chronicoms through time. But Fitz and I found a place where all their moves could be observed. And to guide us, Fitz stayed there. He is completely exposed, and they will kill him if they find him, so no one can know his location.

Deke:
But you knew.

Simmons:
Yes. I designed a biological implant to suppress my memories. I named her "Diana." She's adorable, and we're inseparable. Literally.

Deke:
But then you won't remember how to find Fitz again.

Simmons:
I'm worried I might. Diana is acting up, and I'm... I'm forgetting the things I'm supposed to know, and more dangerously, I'm remembering the things I'm not.

LMD Coulson II:
What's the difference between a Chronicom and a human?

Sibyl:
Time. Humans have a limited amount of it and therefore fear death. They act irrationally to prevent themselves or others from experiencing death. Chronicoms cannot die. Time has no consequence. You should ask yourself which category you fall into.

LMD Coulson II:
So, that's the difference that makes your species more valuable.

Sibyl:
Less fleeting. With a home planet intact, we will exist long after you're gone. Once you realize that, you'll give up. Or... you'll run out of...

LMD Coulson II:
...Time. Yeah, you said that. I would argue that you're wrong about three things, if you don't mind.

Sibyl:
Please.

LMD Coulson II:
First... the difference is sacrifice. Yeah, time is limited... which means sacrifice comes at a real cost... not just data. Heart and pain and blood and sweat and tears... all the good human stuff. And we will never give up.

Sibyl:
You said I was wrong about three things. What's the third?

LMD Coulson II:
Me. You see, I haven't feared death for a long time.

Sibyl:
Is that so?

LMD Coulson II:
Yeah. The fact is, dying... it's kind of my super power.

Deke:
Um, yeah, E-Enoch, I'm sorry... about before. I-I didn't realize that things were so dire.

Simmons:
And... ?

Deke:
And... you are a valued member of our family.

Enoch:
That is the greatest compliment one could be paid. Apology accepted.

[Mack and Deke are stranded in 1983. Mack found out that Deke has a band performing songs from later in the 1980s.]

Deke:
This isn't a cover band. The band is a cover. Director, I want to introduce you to The Deke Squad. That's Roxy Glass. She runs covert ops and tactical. Kind of the brains of the operation. Alright, y'all ready? Tommy and Ronnie Chang, a.k.a. The Chang Gang. Both masters of disguises, not to mention total honey pots. Olga Pachinko... resistance from the Balkans. Only speaks limited English, though she is fluent in the international language... demolitions. And finally, there's Cricket. Cricket's... well, I mean, mostly, we just really needed a drummer.

Mack:
Wait, wait, wait. Didn't you tell me that dude was shady?

Deke:
Yeah, but that was before I found out he had a steady job.

Mack:
Doing what?

Deke:
Selling coke. Although, I've never seen him drink any.

Mack:
Look, I appreciate the effort you put in. I really do. But this is terrible spy-craft to be this high-profile.

Deke:
Exactly. That's the whole point. Think about the practical applications. We move freely from town-to-town. Big cases of high tech "equipment" are part of the gig. And any strange behavior, they just chalk it up to drugs.

Olga:
Cursed machines will not lick defeat unless we slay head robot.

Deke:
I think you mean "taste" defeat, but props on the English.

Deke:
[To an attacking robot] Hey! Surrender now, and I promise not to make a Speak & Spell out of your spare parts. 'Cause that would probably be embarrassing for a robot.

[Deke is about to introduce Mack to Mack's younger self]

Deke:
Last semester, you got straight A's, you racked up the high score on Ms. Pac-Man and you cried buckets when you read Where the Red Fern Grows.

Mack:
That stays between us.

Deke:
Not making any promises.

Mack:
Uncle Marcus's car looks nicer than I remember.

Deke:
You don't say.

Mack:
How are Reuben and I... doing with, uh... You know.

Deke:
Still hard. I mean, they were your parents. I don't think that pain ever goes away completely. But every day's a little easier, and your Uncle Marcus has been great. I think that you and Reuben are even closer in this timeline. Now, remember, you're just a friend from my band, okay?

Mack:
Yeah, okay, but what instrument do I play?

Deke:
I don't know. I was thinking maybe... harmonica?

Mack:
Oh, what? Harmonica? Oh, hell no. No. No, no, no, no. I'm a sax man all the way.

Deke:
Of course the big man plays the sax. Alright, I'm into that, but we're gonna have to get you a couple lessons. It's got to be authentic.

[After his body was destroyed in the previous episode, Coulson is now a Max Headroom-like figure]

May:
Good to see you, Deke. [Casually] You, too, Coulson.

Max-Headroom Coulson:
That's really not the reaction I was expecting.

May:
Simmons gave specific orders to find your hard drive. Said it was our most important asset. I might even agree with her.

Max-Headroom Coulson:
Did she mention anything about...

May:
Building you a new body?

Max-Headroom Coulson:
Yeah.

May:
You'll just have to wait and see.

Max-Headroom Coulson:
That's cold, May, even for you.

Yo-Yo:
This plan's pretty thin, May.

May:
I'd rather have a thin plan than live through the '80s again.

Yo-Yo:
We never came up with a cover story.

May:
Well, just try to keep it simple, tell part of the truth.

Yo-Yo:
An alien bird flew into my mouth in the future.

May:
Maybe not that part.

Deke:
Stand back. There's gonna be a big surge of electricity. Electricity's dangerous.

Sousa:
Do I look like a Neanderthal to you?

Enoch:
I spent time with a tribe of Neanderthals. Agent Sousa does not resemble one. He lacks the characteristic brow ridges.

Jiaying:
Yes. We did a thorough search for any contaminants, foreign particles, pathogens. Nothing came up. I'm sorry, Elena, but your problem isn't physical. It's in your mind.

Yo-Yo:
So, that's it? That's your theory? I'm not making this up. This is real.

Jiaying:
The fact that it's psychological doesn't make it any less real.

Simmons:
[Recording a message] Fitz, I don't know if you'll ever get this, but the mission hasn't exactly gone as planned. I'm not sure why we lost contact when I rescued the team from Izel's temple, but the drive is malfunctioning, and we may have to abandon the Zephyr in 1983. Yo-Yo might be able to fix it, but if not... It won't be easy, but I know we'll find some way to be together again. Time, space... it's never stopped us before. And I won't stop trying. I love you.

Daisy:
You won't believe this, but I keep...

LMD Coulson III:
Repeating the same events over and over again? Yeah. How long did it take you to figure it out this time? I was really hoping not to have this conversation again, but if you forgot everything we went through, I guess that means you died again.

Daisy:
I died?! "Again"?

LMD Coulson III:
And always say it just like that. We're the only two who remember, so each time you die in one of these loops, you don't remember anything in the next reset, so then you have to learn everything all over again.

Daisy:
That's awful.

LMD Coulson III:
It's annoying. 'Cause who has to teach you every time? This guy. I've done it 14 times so far.

Daisy:
We've done this 14 times?

LMD Coulson III:
Oh, no. No, no, no. You've died 14 times. We've been through this loop 87 times, or I should say 87 that I know about.

Daisy:
That you know about?

LMD Coulson III:
'Cause you don't come power me up every time! It's okay. Not your fault. P.S., not a big fan of starting each loop powered down. Disconcerting.

LMD Coulson III:
Someone keeps trying to kill our people. Why doesn't that piss you off? It should. I'm sorry. I don't like watching you die. I don't like watching any of you die... over and over.

Daisy:
We will figure this out. You know we will.

LMD Coulson III:
Sure. But in the meantime, it is soul-crushing. If I even have a soul.

Daisy:
Don't talk like that again. Of course you have a soul.

LMD Coulson III:
Don't say that. Don't say "of course". I'm not who I was. I'm this thing. I was Max Headroom for a year. And you know what? Being trapped in a time loop, watching my friends die, helpless to stop it, it's not some time-space anomaly. It's a damn metaphor. This is my life now.

Daisy:
Does it not occur to you that I might know something about watching my friend die over and over again?

LMD Coulson III:
This is different.

Daisy:
Is it?

LMD Coulson III:
I will watch all of you die, one by one. Everyone I love. Because someone decided I should. I'm a machine now. I have programming.

[In one time loop, the team was thoroughly beaten]

May:
Deke's dead?

Daisy:
Very.

Mack:
Do we need to be sad about that?

Daisy:
We do not.

Daisy:
Every time I ask you for help, you say yes. Even if I don't ask, you're waiting here to make sure I rest or... whatever. Why? Be honest.

Sousa:
Honest? I know your type.

Daisy:
My what, now?

Sousa:
I know people like you. Some of my favorite people are people like you. Focused on the greater good, even at your own expense. You want people to think you like being alone, even though you always end up back with friends. You hate losing.

Daisy:
Everyone hates losing.

Sousa:
Yeah, but you'll keep running at the problem full-tilt until you either solve it or slam headlong into a brick wall.

Daisy:
Some of those walls are literal.

Sousa:
I know.

Daisy:
But how does that...

Sousa:
Because when people like you run into those walls, you should have someone there to pick you back up.

Daisy:
And you... you like to... be that someone?

Sousa:
Not for everyone. It helps if they're fun to be around and if they say what they mean and if they have that superpower where they can rock things around, which is very impressive.

Daisy:
That's, um... that is awfully specific.

[To save the team, Enoch has sacrificed a key component keeping him alive]

Daisy:
Does it hurt?

Enoch:
It does, a bit. But it's not the physical pain that troubles me. I am acutely aware that in my thousands of years observing humans, I never used to feel lonely. I have been alone many times. To be candid, I preferred it. But it wasn't until I met this particular team of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents that being alone meant... feeling lonely. And I don't care for it. So, I am feeling, as you might expect, some anxiety now.

LMD Coulson III:
You don't have to. You're not alone. Daisy and I will stay with you right up to the end.

Enoch:
That is very kind of you. But... it's that last part, isn't it? You can stay with me up to the end, but you can't come with me at the end. I will have to leave you. And I will have to do that alone. And I can't help wondering... when that happens... will I feel lonely?

LMD Coulson III:
I can say with some authority that you're not wrong. Dying is lonely. But the feeling is temporary... at least for the person dying. The ones who are left behind... less so. I guess that's the one advantage to going first.

Enoch:
Yes. It's different, watching your friends go before you, isn't it? I have been through that, as well. It can be harder to stay than to leave. I'm sorry, Philip J. Coulson.

Daisy:
Enoch, the team will carry on the mission. We will survive because of you. Thank you.

Enoch:
You are most welcome. But, Agent Johnson, while your friends will indeed survive, the team will not.

Daisy:
What do you mean?

Enoch:
I have seen the future. Carry on this mission and cherish it, for it will be your last mission together.

Daisy:
It... That's... That's not possible. I-I... Enoch, this is my family.

Enoch:
Of course. Yet this is the nature of family, isn't it? I have seen it countless times on countless worlds. People arrive, so we celebrate, and people leave us, so we grieve. We do what we can with the time in between, but the cycle is always there. No one escapes it. Not even me.

LMD Coulson III:
Which means you're not alone. You're a part of that cycle.

Daisy:
Like every other living thing.

Enoch:
Fitz... He was my best friend.

Daisy:
And you were a good friend to Fitz. You were a good friend to all of us.

Enoch:
As I have always...

[Enoch dies, leaving Coulson and Daisy staring tearfully]

LMD Coulson III:
Timeline's coming apart. We have to put it back. Nathaniel Malick's out there with quake powers and a new base. You made a promise to Daisy's mom that she wouldn't have to fight him alone. I think it's time to keep that promise.

Young John Garrett:
I've seen it all, bud, everything you did to me.

LMD Coulson III:
I'm sorry. Have we met?

Garrett:
Not yet, but I got a sneak peek at my future, and you play a big part in it. Here's a hint: you vaporize me with a space laser.

LMD Coulson III:
Garrett. Clever, digging up our greatest hits.

Garrett:
I'm not even mad. They let me watch you die a bunch of times. Made me feel better.

LMD Coulson III:
Oh, yeah? Which one was your favorite?

Garrett:
Uh... Oh. Long-haired creepo, stabbed you with a pointy stick. That was funny.

LMD Coulson III:
You haven't changed a bit. And I'm aware that statement makes no sense.

Sousa:
[Regarding his new prosthetic leg] I think I'm a fan of the 21st century.

Daisy:
Yeah, don't get your hopes up. We make a mean prosthetic, but, uh, fascism is back.

Sousa:
You mean the thing I helped wipe out 10 years ago?

Daisy:
Yeah. The past won't leave us alone.

Sousa:
Yeah, Mack caught me up. You know, you said her name to me when Malick was doing a number on you. "Jiaying."

Daisy:
Hydra did the same thing to her. They cut her up, they took her power, in my past and in her future. She can heal herself, live a long time.

Sousa:
Malick thought that's what I could do. He's after the real thing now.

Daisy:
Did Mack say anything about what happened with her and I? Yeah, well, things got really bad, and it's a long story. But it came to an end.

Sousa:
Maybe now's your chance to experience what she was like before that. You should talk to her.

Daisy:
No, I shouldn't. She can't know who I am.

Sousa:
Why not?

Daisy:
Because of the timeline...

Sousa:
The timeline is screwed. Pardon my French. And look who you're talking to: a guy who served under "I Like Ike" and was supposed to be dead by now.

Daisy:
Ike?

Sousa:
Point is, you got a rare opportunity here. I got a list of people long gone by now I'd do anything to have one last stolen moment with. Regardless of what space-time has to say about it.

Jiaying:
Kora lost control. There were accidents. The more I tried to help, the more she pulled away.

Daisy:
That must be hard. Being so close to someone and not being able to reach them.

Jiaying:
The others, they wanted her gone. But they don't see what I do. Kora has a good heart. She's worth saving.

Daisy:
Well, she's lucky to have you.

Jiaying:
My power has allowed me to live a long life. I used to think it was my greatest gift, but I was wrong. It was her. [Off Daisy's look] Sorry. Did I say something?

Daisy:
Growing up, I never knew my mom. And when I finally found her, she wasn't who I'd hoped she would be.

Jiaying:
She hurt you. I can't speak to your mother's reasons, but for me, sometimes, trying to do the right thing comes out all wrong.

Simmons:
Why am I here? What do you want?

Nathaniel:
My pal Sibyl ran the numbers, and every outcome where we don't come out on top has one thing in common.

Simmons:
Fitz.

Kora:
I'm sorry about your [Mack's] parents. They didn't deserve to die. But it's also the proof you needed.

Daisy:
Proof?

Kora:
You must realize it by now.

LMD Coulson III:
Proof that this is a new timeline.

Kora:
He gets it. That old one that you were fighting to preserve is long gone. Director, you still remember growing up with your parents. Daisy grew up without a sister because I died alone weeks ago. Yet here we are.

Kora:
I thought I had a happy childhood.

Daisy:
Didn't you?

Kora:
Every child loves her mother.

Daisy:
Not every mother loves her back.

Kora:
I'm sorry you didn't get that.

Daisy:
I'm sorry you threw it away.

Kora:
I just want to spend time together, to talk. With you and me on the same page, we can do anything.

Daisy:
What, like a sister superhero squad?

Kora:
Sibyl said there is no future where Daisy Johnson lets her sister fight alone.

[Later]

Daisy:
Sibyl dropped Kora in my lap because they knew I'd want to save her. The thing is, I already have a sister to save. Her name is Jemma Simmons.

Daisy:
Enoch said that this will be the team's last mission together.

Mack:
Well, maybe it's time. We've had a crazy ride.

Daisy:
What? How can you say that? That's it? Just, "Talk to you later"?

Mack:
Look, we have these things called phones. Now, I know you millennials like to use them just for taking pictures of yourselves, but in the '80s, we actually used them to talk to each other.

Daisy:
I'm serious. We're not just gonna turn into the people who used to work together and, you know, "Hey, I'm in town", and, "We used to be close a long time ago". That's...

Mack:
Sounds like we might.

Daisy:
You guys are my family. I don't know who I am without you guys.

Mack:
You know exactly who you are. With anyone. [Sees Daisy glance at Sousa] Really? Subtle.

Daisy:
In the time loops, we kind of kissed. Whatever. He's a dork.

Mack:
See, that's messed up, because he doesn't remember that.

Daisy:
Then why are you smiling?

Mack:
'Cause Yo-Yo owes me $20.

Daisy:
It won't be the same.

Mack:
No, it won't. But that's okay.

Mack:
What are your intentions?

Sousa:
Sir?

Mack:
With Daisy.

Sousa:
I don't have any intentions.

Mack:
Well, then, you better get some. And quick. 'Cause this thing is coming for you.

Sousa:
This thing?

Mack:
She's into you. And I'm not even sure she knows it yet, but pretty soon, she'll figure it out. And when she does, watch out. 'Cause when she gets something into her head...

Sousa:
She won't stop. Yeah, I noticed.

Mack:
But listen, Daisy's been hurt. Bad. So, I'm happy she's ready to dive back in, and I'm happy it's you. I like you. You seem like a good man. Even if you're a little, you know, straight ahead...

Sousa:
Wait, is that bad?

Mack:
But I'm not about to let her get hurt again. You hear what I'm saying?

Sousa:
I think so. I think you're... threatening me. Sir.

Mack:
No. Not just me. Every member of this team. And we have technology at S.H.I.E.L.D. that you've never even seen...

Sousa:
I hear you. Loud and clear. I would never hurt her.

Mack:
[Lightens up a bit] Imagine that. The man out of time and Quake. Just like a damn comic book.

Sousa:
Hold on. What did you just call her?

Mack:
Quake. It's her superhero name.

Sousa:
Really?

Mack:
[Starting to giggle] Yeah. Yeah, really.

Sousa:
[Also starting to giggle] Do you not hear how hilarious that sounds? Quake.

Daisy:
Thank you.

Sousa:
For what?

Daisy:
Just, being here.

Sousa:
It was nothing, but you're welcome, Quake.

Daisy:
I'm sorry, what, now?

Sousa:
Nothing, just happy to help, Quake. Whatever you need.

Daisy:
Are you being funny?

Sousa:
Uh, is it funny? Not if that's what you like to be called, Quake.

Daisy:
The press called me that. I never...

Sousa:
You should probably put a Q on your utility belt so people know it's you.

Daisy:
That is really smart, yeah. Yeah, yeah, make fun of the person who can literally turn you to dust.

Sousa:
Yeah, you can Quake me. No, I get it. That's why they call you that.

[The Chronicoms had injected Simmons with a substance that is messing with her memory.]

Deke:
Fitz.

Simmons:
I know that name.

Deke:
Yes. You do. Maybe this will help, okay? [In a Scottish accent] I'm the man you love. We're a team. You're bio, I'm tech. My name is...

Simmons:
...James Bond.

LMD Coulson III:
I'll say it if no one else will. That's a Chronibomb.

May:
I'm still getting used to the idea of you as a techie.

LMD Coulson III:
I'm still getting used to the idea of me as just "tech".

May:
You really believe that?

LMD Coulson III:
No. Not really. Still figuring it out.

May:
Me too. We're not the same people we were.

LMD Coulson III:
Pretty sure everyone would agree on that.

May:
I'm wondering if we change the timelines or if they change us.

LMD Coulson III:
The Melinda May I know would never ask these philosophical questions.

May:
Which is the point. How did I become this me?

LMD Coulson III:
I don't know. But I like this you. And if I'm completely honest, I like this me, as well.

[Simmons's memory is still scrambled.]

Simmons:
I keep forgetting. Where are we going?

Daisy:
Home.

Simmons:
Home. I have a home. And I'm married. I remember being married. Is that a secret? Who did I marry? I can smell his hair, but I can't see his face.

Daisy:
We'll talk about this later.

Simmons:
But isn't this later? It's about being married, joining together, join. I can do it, even if I don't know why. Marriage is the key. Heart in hand and singing. Can a key sing? After we're joined, we're unstoppable. But I'm afraid we stopped.

Sibyl:
Here's something much more interesting. There's a 100 percent chance that this is the last time the S.H.I.E.L.D. team will ever be together. The end is at hand.

[One person will have to stay behind to send the rest of the team to the main timeline]

Daisy:
I don't know if that matters. 'Cause this is the last mission together, isn't it?

Fitz:
How could you know that?

Simmons:
Enoch told us. Before he died.

Fitz:
Yeah, that's true. In fact, no matter what the outcome, this will be the last time we're all in the same room together. Ever.

Sousa:
I'll stay. I belong here. I've already been given the privilege of a second chance, of meeting all you fine people. It's only right. If the Army taught me anything, it's that you can't...

Deke:
[Blows a raspberry] I'll stay. First of all, I'm the one with the scientific knowledge to be able to repatch the power. Danny boy over here is still impressed by a light bulb.

Sousa:
That's not accurate or nice.

Deke:
And second, seems like you and Daisy have a real thing going, and I just want you to be happy. [To Fitz] And third, as long as you reconnect with Nana and then, you know, connect, then maybe you'll see me again someday. And honestly, I'm kind of a rock god here, anyway.

...

Mack:
Watch over little Alphie, will you? Hell, watch over all of us.

Deke:
You know I will. I don't...

Mack:
You don't give up on friends. I know better than anyone. Thank you for everything, Agent Shaw.

Mack:
That's some serious flying there.

May:
That used to be all I did.

Daisy:
[About to fight Nathaniel] If you've seen my battles, you know how this will end.

LMD Coulson III:
The war's over.

Sibyl:
You surrender?

LMD Coulson III:
We won. Fitz and Simmons are retaking the Lighthouse as we speak. [Noticing Sibyl smirking] Oh, a creepy smile. That's new.

Sibyl:
So that's where they are. All available Hunters, disembark for the Lighthouse, where we have established a stronghold. All spacecraft, prepare to fire on previously targeted S.H.I.E.L.D. posts.

LMD Coulson III:
Now it's my turn to smile. We just needed you to enter your authorization.

Sibyl:
Oh? And what comes next?

May:
[Enters through the ceiling] The Cavalry.

[One year later, the team holds a virtual reunion.]

Simmons:
I vote we make this a tradition.

Mack:
Yeah. I agree. We can't lose touch. We've been through too much together. A miracle we survived. Well, except for Coulson. And Fitz.

LMD Coulson III:
And Daisy.

Simmons:
And May.

Yo-Yo:
Geez, I was a zombie once.

Fitz:
So was Mack, actually.

Yo-Yo:
Really? Was I there for that?

LMD Coulson III:
Look, if this is a contest, I died like seven times.

May:
Is that all?

Daisy:
But I didn't even exist in Deke's timeline.

Yo-Yo:
Aw, Deke.

Simmons:
Deke.

Daisy:
I miss that little weirdo.

Simmons:
Yeah. We may see him again one day.

Mack:
Look, I'm sure the D is doing just fine. He's probably playing Madison Square Garden right now.