[ indistinct talking ] [ speaking cantonese ]

[ speaking cantonese ] how did you do that? a magician never reveals his secrets. then i'll have to pierce your shell and gaze within? you understood. chan ho yin. raina. i would love to see that fire trick again. i don't think that's a good idea. of course not. it's a great idea. [ keys jingling ] i am sorry for the clutter. i'm in between places. [ door closes ] how long have you been here?

[ bottles clinking ] you seem to have an appreciation for the greats. i idolized him for many years. and now? there's no real magic there, just tricks. and what you do -- those aren't tricks? show me. i'm sorry. [ chuckles ] houldn't. says who? what are you afraid of? it's not me who's afraid. [ gasps ] that can't be real. see for yourself. [ gasps ] how long have you been able to... first time was a few years ago.

st burned down my entire apartment. [ breathes sharply ] and it doesn't hurt? not even a little. you have a gift. i've never seen anything like it. why not show the world? i ask that same question every day. there are people who... never mind. it's just...for years, i did illusions, tricks, like the rest. and then this happens. it's real -- real magic. if i believed in such things, i would say it was a miracle, that this happened for a reason. i believe you've been chosen. you do? close your eyes...

that'll do. [ grunting ] [ engines roaring ] ward: every decision you make so be warned... the kiddie gloves are off. skye: g7. hit. yes! ha! so, explain to me again what this has to do with my training. it's important for every s.o. to evaluate their student's thought process. mm-hmm. and i like board games. b10.

he dark, but it's nice to take a break from the workouts. well... you deserve a break. i got to give coulson credit. i would have never pegged an ex-rising tide hacker as a good fit, but...you're picking things up pretty fast. did you just give me a compliment? i -- no, i made a comment. a kind one. did it physically hurt to do that? do you need an ice pack? [ both laugh ] wow. a compliment and a smile. comment. i don't want to ruin the moment, but i'm gonna have to respond with...g4. say it, ward. [ sighs ] say it. you sank my battleship. [ laughs ] yes! all right, best 2 out of 3. i beat you. best 2 out of 3. best i just won out of nothing. she's fitting in nicely. may: gloating? a little.

heard you puttering around even before i started tai chi. having trouble sleeping? no, i feel great. just have a little extra energy to burn. if you want, i could lay out the mats downstairs. we could go a few rounds, like the old days? [ chuckles ] [ alarm blaring ] saved by the bell. chan ho yin -- when mr. chan began to exhibit moderate pyrokinetic abilities. so what gave him powers? it's still under investigation, but chan did live near the decommissioned wan tai nuclear plant when it caught fire. to our knowledge, no other nearby residents have exhibited similar traits. so how did we find out about him? informant saw him lighting torches in a street show... with his pinkie. brought it to s.h.i.e.l.d.'s attention. we told him to keep his abilities under wraps. he's been on the index ever since. the index? simmons: it's a list s.h.i.e.l.d. keeps

are there? are you saying there are more people -- not many. well, enough to keep a list. a short list, meant to protect them. though, in rare cases, s.h.i.e.l.d. has had to take action. action against objects or people? well, that's drastic with a side of creepy. how are they monitored -- tapped phones, satellite surveillance, body probes in dark, unpleasant places? fitz: body probes? now, that's ridiculous. s.h.i.e.l.d. doesn't do that. we don't do that. do we? the methods vary. mr. chan was low-risk. he was assigned a case agent who checked in with him every few days. that's how we discovered him missing. [ speaking cantonese ] [ speaking cantonese ] everyone, this is agent kwan, chan ho yin's case agent. what can you tell us? not much, i'm afraid. chan is a magician, so at first, i thought he'd made himself disappeared. the file says you'd caught him violating his index agreement before. on two separate occasions --

but late last night, he was taken by professionals. the only thing they left behind was this scrap of aluminized material. fireproof clothing. so whoever took him knew about his power. yes, and we think we know why. over the last few days, tech division discovered a crack into our data stream. it's the same cyber punks who hacked us before. somehow, they got in again. it's the rising tide. hello? it got real quiet. you guys still there?

the rising tide is a huge organization of hacktivists from all around the world. any of them could have done this. it wasn't me. no one's saying it was. but you're thinking it. i can see your faces thinking it. coulson: we're assessing the situation. then i'm sure you're taking into account that i have been living on a plane with you this whole time. it would be impossible for me to hack s.h.i.e.l.d. or easier. we're gonna need more than that. fine. let me trace the hack, and i'll prove it. i believe her, sir. and if she's telling the truth, we need to track down the person responsible. dig up something, and fast. the longer mr. chan's missing, the more danger he's in. raina: good morning, chan. [ grunts ] what the hell? i apologize for last night.

oh. s.h.i.e.l.d. tell agent kwan i don't need to be read the power protocols again. it was just a street performance -- it's not like i set anyone on fire. i don't work for s.h.i.e.l.d. i come as a friend. english isn't my first language, but that word means something different than you think. i understand your frustration, but i believe you have a gift. and if you let me, i'd like to help you nurture it. i can increase it. you'll get people's attention then. increase my power? why? what's the catch? i'd like to run some tests. there it is. now, will you let me go, or must i fight my way out? leave now, and i'll forget you, i promise, but so will everyone else. stay, and you can be remembered, known the world over.

no. you need a simpler name, a -- a more powerful name, a name like... scorch. scorch? are you joking? have you ever heard of steve rogers? no. but captain america -- now, he's on the news, on a lunchbox, on a poster on the wall. i don't want to be a superhero. you want to be recognized... for your gift. and who is more recognizable than them? i was given this power for a reason. i just want people to see what i can do. they will. all i want is what you want -- for you to be remembered, to be seen for what you're meant to be... ...a star. scorch.

[ chuckles ] how close are we? almost there. she's identified the remote-access trojan and the infected endpoint... and is searching for a tcp to correlate the hypertext with signature information and then... bob is your uncle. ...voila. you get any of that? only the uncle part. we got our origin -- austin, texas. you got a name? just the cafe our hacker worked out of, but i'm in the system. i'm gonna check to see if any credit-card charges from that day match up with any known hackers. we got a hit. miles lydon, not skye -- that's to all of our relief. you know him? every hacker in the world knows him. not just the hacker world. he infiltrated the kremlin. yeah, the picture of, uh, putin shirtless on horseback -- that was his hack. it was also his hack that got chan kidnapped. may, set a course for austin. just did. what about chan? kwan's got a s.h.i.e.l.d. team on the ground. our best bet is to chase this thing from the other end. find mr. lydon.

[ engines roaring ] where miles logged in. cashier says she hasn't seen him in over a week. ward: i may have eyes on him. i've been made. heading east on 5th street. target is now in a silver jetta. coulson: i got him. [ tires screeching ]

[ beeps ] gridlock protocol. [ horns honking ] [ tires screech ] [ sighs ] i lost him. woman: you sure they're not following you? yeah. had to pull out all the stops, though. thanks for the text. wait, are you mad? are you kidding me? i don't have much time. who did you leak those files to? wait a second. what? "good to see you, too, miles." i released them into the world, where they belong. they'll keep hunting you unless they have someone else to look for. and why the hell would you hack s.h.i.e.l.d.? because that's what we do. not when i'm on the inside. you could have ruined everything, you dumbass. seems like you handled it.

t? did you just call me "dumbass"? stop smiling. i'm serious. because i taught you everything you know, so what does that make you? no, you didn't. i'm sorry. i can't help it. i've been missing you like crazy. [ laughs ] ahh...still sick, huh? i'll take it from here. i'm good. i just took new mucinex clear and cool. ah! what's this sudden cooooling thing happening? it's got a menthol burst. you can feel it right away. wow, that sort of blind-sided me. and it clears my terrible cold symptoms. ahh! this is awkward. new mucinex fast-max clear & cool.

start the relief. ditch the misery. let's end this. hey honey, yes, dear. you're washing that baked-on alfredo by hand, right? yes, dear. dish issues? cascade platinum powers through your toughest stuck-on food. so let your dishwasher be the dishwasher. this turned out great.

when you get a cold, you need medicine that works fast. jim! you're in! coricidin hbp is the only brand that gives powerful cold symptom relief without raising your blood pressure. coricidin hbp. that's where you keep that, huh? better safe than busted. making any progress on that? i'm digging, but your little stunt is gonna make it harder. [ sighs ] where's my top? you know, i could be helping you. if you send me ciphertext, i could be working on algorithms -- no, i can't contact you. i never should have. there's a s.h.i.e.l.d. team looking for you right now -- my team. and if they suspect something, i'm screwed. there's a joke here that i'm resisting that involves the word "screwed." shut up. there's a guy in trouble because of you, and i got to get back. so if you want to help me, help me find my clothes. hey.

really, i am, if i messed anything up. i've missed you. me, too. but we talked about this when i left for l.a. i've got a chance here. so s.h.i.e.l.d.'s off-limits, okay? okay. at least tell me what it's like. come on, the belly of the beast. surprisingly... unbeastly. i've got good people i'm working with. some good stories, though, i hope? [ chuckles ] miles. you have no idea. but that's classified. miles: you did not just say that to me. [ laughs ] come on, you got to tell me something. someday. well, if they ever let you go on leave or whatever, let me know, and i'll get us a suite at the... fancy hotel that has suites, and you can regale met. a suite? you? that's funny. but they're never gonna let me go on anything

get...dressed. [ doors close ] i know how this looks -- how long have you two been in contact? i contacted him once the day i joined to tell him i was okay and once earlier today. ive suspect? no, it's not like that. miles and i -- we met when we were both a little screwed up. scratch that -- he was a little screwed up, i was a lot. but we looked after one another. that's why i warned him, not because we're working together on this, but because we're... friends. i'm really sorry. noted. if not you, then who is mr. lydon working with? no one. he's an idealist, believes in freedom of information.

that. no, i came here to find out what miles knows about chan. and? nothing. miles is a dead end. he's harmless. we'll see. really, i was gonna find out everything i could to try to help. i just -- i felt like i couldn't tell you guys everything. i know. that's why i asked may to follow you. seems that wasn't a dead end. why would skye do this to us for him? i thought she was our friend. i think she is, fitz. he's just obviously more than that. yeah, but we've been through so much together, and she didn't even tell us that she has a guy. well, who knows what they've been through together? may: the classified information you stole from us -- who did you give it to? it's information. it has a life of its own. what happened to mr. chan? i don't know who that is, so why don't you tell me? [ glass shatters, clattering ] so, are you guys just gonna destroy all my stuff?

anything? i don't have to talk to you. take him in. gather all the evidence and secure the prisoners. we got what we were looking for here. we're going to hong kong. i'm so sorry, ward. this is not what it looks like. hands. now get up. uh, you missed a button. [ sighs ] what is this big place, raina? and who are these guys? they'll assist you with anything you need.

and it's big because we'll need the space. this serum strengthens the cytoskeleton within each cell of your body. one dose, and you'll feel incredible... until it wears off. and it will wear off? yes. but the effects in average subjects have been impressive. in you, i'm excited to see. what do you think of the name "scorch"? [ gasps ] breathe. [ breathes deeply ] feel it? now let's see what you can do.

[ chuckling ] oh, sorry! you almost got scorched. this is incredible. whoo! you are a beautiful angel -- you know that? your power is an amazing gift. and s.h.i.e.l.d. wouldn't let me use it. but thanks to you, the whole world can finally see what i can do. from now on, nobody holds me back. [ breathing deeply ] [ grunts ] [ engines roaring ] so, i guess due process isn't really s.h.i.e.l.d. protocol. they don't have time for it. whoa, are you defending them? these people are denying our basic rights. this isn't about us. they're trying to save someone's life. listen to yourself. that's what they always say to justify invading privacy, skye. these people stand for everything we despise --

enough with the manifesto, miles. we can't let them get away with it. manning, snowden, aaron swartz -- these are modern-day revolutionaries. this has nothing to do with that. you leaked -- [ computer beeps ] guy's hiding behind platitudes. he's dirty. i can feel it. scrubbed clean, actually -- nothing much on him. he's got no family records. his apartment's under an alias. and he plays a lot of "minecraft," where he runs a rather nasty mob. is it -- is it zombie? zombie pigmen. keep looking. go ahead. say it. i don't do petty. but you called it. i trusted my gut, even though you said she was a risk. when someone breaks into my house, i usually don't invite them to stay, but that's me. that was me, too. then that alien staff went through my heart. sure it didn't go through the brain?

what is your gut telling you now? that she's still hiding something. sir, we found some evidence. she's been defending you, saying you're a stand-up guy. so i'm going to give you a chance. do you want to tell her, or should i? don't have to listen to you -- there goes your chance. your boyfriend here made a few deposits in the days following the leak. all said... it's about a million dollars. what? real stand-up guy. i can explain -- did you sell information? miles? yes or no? did you?! yes, but -- ohh! you are so dead.