03x02 - Purpose in the Machine

Episode transcripts for the TV show "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.". September 2013 to current.*

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The missions of the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division.
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03x02 - Purpose in the Machine

Post by bunniefuu »

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

A team centered around people with powers?

Daisy: There exists a small percentage of the population with a dormant alien gene.

There's a chemical compound that activates this gene.


And you, Joey, are one of the first people to come into contact with it.

No leadership means nobody giving orders, and that sure as hell includes you.

Aah!

I'm done flying solo.

I miss having a team around me.

Coulson: I miss her, too.

I'm having a hard time accepting it... all of it.


I-I'm on my third hand.

May took off on vacation and never came back, so I lost my right hand, too.

We need to say goodbye. Jemma would want us to do that.

[Screams]

Do someth-i-i-i-ing!

<b>3x02 - Purpose in the Machine</b>

May our gifts see you through the journey.

Perhaps it w... What if I fail to fail return?

Be brave, my lord.

[Monolith warbling]

[Growling]

[Manzini screams]

Will he come back?

Our best minds are working to understand this.

But as far as we know, in all of history... no one has ever returned.

Daisy: I think Joey's a real candidate.

[Scoffs] Sure. He's Inhuman. But... doesn't meet my criteria.

He's a decent guy, and you know it.

Getting that unit up and running is priority.

Yeah, but it doesn't mean it has to be a rush job.

Look, Dr. Garner will make his recommendation.

And it will be the same as always... three months observation and counseling before reassessment.

He's as much of a buzzkill as you are. [Chuckles]

And if you haven't been keeping score, our team's down to three musketeers.

May and Simmons are gone.

Fitz might as well be, Bobbi's on the DL.

And from what I hear, Hunter's planning to leave.

Yeah, but not for good. He's got a score to settle.

It's Fitz!

Fitz broke into containment!

[Screaming]

Fitz!

Fitz, get out of there!

Are you crazy?

Close it! Close it!

I got it!

[All gasping]

[Click]

Damn it, Fitz.

I had to know... had to...

Had to know...

I already lost Simmons to that thing.

I cannot afford to lose you, too.

Trying to get yourself k*lled?

Sorry. [Sighs]

I won't give up. I can't give up.

None of us want to, Fitz, but...

Fitz, you tried.

Okay? You tried your hardest. Everybody knows that.

No. I missed something.

I m... I missed something.

[Breathing heavily]

What is that?

Proof.

Sand. Not just sand... impossible sand.

The Monolith's case is a clean room.

There's nothing in there but that rock. Not even dust.

Unless you blast it open with a shotgun and contaminate everything.

That's not what this is.

Okay, the sand itself... not unusual.

Mostly silicone-dioxide particles just like on Earth.

But you're saying this sand is not from Earth?

Sir, carbon dating shows that...

It predates the Earth by a billion years.

So you think the rock is a portal?

No. No, I'm proving that it's a portal, okay, to another planet, a-a very old planet... a cr*ck in space-time that carried Simmons away... and carried the sand back. Which means...

She's out there.

But it's been months.

Yeah?

She could be long gone from wherever this thing dropped her.

Yeah.

She could be dead.

Yes.

But we're gonna find out, aren't we?

Yeah.

You're damn right.

Yeah.

Okay, Fitz, what do you need?

Uh, uh, well, uh, more historical data.

People have studied this thing for centuries.

I need an expert on quantum mechanics and Einstein-Rosen bridge theory, and a... a sandwich would be nice.

I might have an idea... about the other things.

You two, stay with our new Inhuman guest.

Be here for Dr. Garner's assessment.

Building that team is still the priority.

What did I say?

Bobbi...

I'm on this with Fitz.

Yeah, haven't you been on this with Fitz the whole time?

Hiding his trip to Morocco, covering for him on a constant basis?

Have I? [chuckles]

And you know where you're going.

Coulson would be pissed if he knew what you had planned.

Part of our agreement.

He won't sweat the details, and I won't share them.

You really think Ward's back with HYDRA?

Damn it. I wanna go after him with you.

You're still on the mend.

Plus, you've been undercover with HYDRA, and that face makes an impression.

The rest of you makes a bloody statement.

[Beep] You like me stuck here in the lab.

[Chuckles] Too bloody right.

[Beep]

You're missing half a lung because you took a b*llet Ward intended for me.

Nearly bled out in my arms. If you being in the lab means I never have to see something like that again, I'm all for it.

Bobbi, you want to fly?

Desperately.

Good. Here's our destination.

Who's Professor Randolph?

This Monolith has been studied for centuries.

Well, Randolph's actually been on the planet for those centuries, and he's traveled through space in a portal and he's also an alien. So he's got a lot going for him.

Bobbi: Don't die out there.

And, Hunter... make sure he does.

[Tires squealing]

[Screaming]

Hell of a machine, Kebo. Built for precision, speed... [Screaming continues] ...designed to handle flawlessly under any conditions.

But Carmine here bought it as a status symbol to show off.

Never opened it up, denied it of its true purpose.

[Squealing continues]

Old HYDRA's full of guys like him... soft, entitled, mistaking wealth for success, privilege for power.

Their greed splintered HYDRA into a thousand pieces.

Their time is over. Time for a leaner generation.

[Tires screech]

[grunts]

Ward: These people have proven themselves in blood.

Did you see how they didn't even flinch?


Now's your chance to prove you still have purpose.

Show me you're not dead weight.

So, tell me... where's the kid?

I'm sorry. I can't help you.

Can't or won't?

Potato, puh-tah-toe.

And your reason?

The nightly news, cities flying into the atmosphere, government task forces, and now the public is freaking out about alien outbreaks.

Pretty crappy time to be on Earth if you're not a local, so I am staying low.

And of course [chuckles] there is my current situation.

Bobbi: Destruction of property, public drunkenness.

Yes, well, Asgardians can generally hold their drink.

It's just, well, one night I tried to hold all the drinks.

Asgardians are also strong, right? You could easily break out.

What? And miss dinner? [Chuckles]

Oh, no. Yes, Norse prisons are surprisingly evolved... decent food, comfy bed, extensive library, and no attention being drawn to me.

Come back in a few months, why don't you?

Maybe then I'll be in the mood.

We don't have a few months.

And neither do you.

I don't have to remind you that I saved your life, though I did just mention it in case you forgot.

But I'd still have no problems contacting those task forces you mentioned.

I bet they'd go bonkers to have a real-life Asgardian to dissect in their labs. I don't know how comfy you'd be there.

Why, Agent Coulson... are you threatening me?

I wouldn't call it a...

Well, yeah, I guess I am. That's absolutely a thr*at.

You're different now. You know that?

One must accommodate the times or things get messy.

What's with the hand?

Things got messy.

Well... you'll have to cover my release.

And if there is a portal, which I will have to see to believe, you are diving into very dangerous waters here.

[Exhales sharply] All right.

Well, it's not like you're giving me any choice.

[Alarm blaring]

[panting] He did it.

[Chuckles]

[Engine humming]

Good to see you, Dr. Garner. [laughs]

Hmm, enjoying the use of the private jet?

It's very helpful. Thanks.

Those jump seats aren't made for transcontinental trips, I'll tell you that.

Are you hungry?

I can have something whipped up for you.

That would be great. Thanks.

Anything to drink?

Daisy, trying to butter me up?

What, are you not hungry?

Hey, look, my job is to keep everyone safe.

Not just potential recruits, but you, as well.

Bribery's not gonna get this guy approved for the team any faster.

Wouldn't know, because you haven't approved anyone yet.

[Clears throat] Well, here's, uh, Joey Gutierrez.

Yeah, I was reading his file on the flight... liquefies metal. How's he holding up?

Well, he's terrified.

That's a healthy response.

What about you two? How are you guys doing?

No, no. Unh-unh-unh.

You are not getting me on the couch today, doc, unless it's a conversation between friends.

That's all I meant.

Great. How's May?

Where is she? Is she ever coming back?

You should ask her yourself.

Well... I would if I knew where she was.

[Sighs]

Charlie: No, no, no.

You don't watch where the ball goes.


Then how would I find it?

You're usually very good at things like this... a natural.

Yeah, well, there's nothing natural about this game, but your comments after every swing make it super fun.

You'll get hooked. You'll see.

All right, fair's fair.

10 sh*ts for me, 5 reps for you.

That's why we're here. Work that hip.

You don't have to worry about my rehab, and that's not why you're here.

I may not be a spy, but 20 years with your mother has taught me to pick up on things.

You're not here because you care about me.

Oh, now I don't care about you.

I didn't say that.

I said that's not why you're here.

Come on, Mellie.

You... You take a trip to Honolulu with Andrew...

It was Maui.

...and you come back the daughter of the year.

Something is not right.

[Sighs]

All right, I'll figure it out for myself.

[Birds chirping]

Well, I hate to disappoint, but it looks like your regular, old...

Oh. How often does it do that?

It's random.

No. No, no, no, no. It may seem random.

But this... something is clearly triggering it.

I've checked it against tides, relation to the sun, rotation...

On this planet. So you have no idea how to control it.

Why come to me? I'm no interstellar-travel expert.

I've never even studied gravitational lensing or zero-point energy fields or quantum-harmonic oscillation theory.

Yet you know all those words you just said.

And you're scared of portals.

You're scared of being dragged back home through a portal.

So I think in your drunken stumble through history, you've probably investigated every story involving one.

And I've seen you eyeing all of your exits, my knee brace, wondering if you can get away with it.

The only reason you came with us was to confirm its existence.

And destroy it.

You'll have to go through me.

And I could. Literally.

But, then, I don't know what Amazon woman and Robot hand are capable of these days, so I will help you get her back.

I'm not entirely heartless. But if I do, I want your word that we will demolish this portal and no one passes through it again.

I'll sleep better at night.

Good.

Well, I've investigated a lot of these wormhole rumors, but that's all they were... rumors. None have panned out.

So we know nothing of its origin.

Kree maybe.

And this parchment was found with it.

Well, hello.

I've seen this.

It's a common Hebrew word.

Yes.

What else do we know, Mr. Fitz?

Uh, well, the Monolith changed hands a lot... Germanic tribes, spent the hundred years' w*r in France.

But before the Napoleon era, it was moved again.

I lost track of it somewhere in...

England.

Yeah. How did you know that?

Because I have seen this word carved into the walls of a castle in Gloucestershire, England, in 1853.

To the plane!

Wh... Am I allowed to say that?

Let's all go to the plane, I guess.

[Indistinct conversations]

Ward: What's the point of a boat if you never take it out of the dock? It's like camping in a living room.

[Chuckles]

There.

There are easier ways of getting money than kidnapping.

Mr. Braun needs to see the world for what it really is.

He can open many doors for us.

Sorry, girls.

Not allowed to post, but happy to take some of you.

That's great.

Perfect.

[Rats squeaking]

[Woman screams]

[Screams]

[Indistinct shouting]

[woman screams]

What's going on down there?

Private party.

It's okay. I'm on the list.

[Grunts]

Good thing I dropped by.

Why's that?

I'm an exterminator.

[thud]

Yes. Yes, yes.

I came here for a costume ball...

That was the pretext, of course...

'cause I had heard rumors of travel to the stars.

Found it all to be nonsense. But it was a fun party.

The carvings?

Oh, right, right. Of course.

So I was here admiring the stone work, and...

The same as the scroll... "Death."

"Maveth."

Yeah, one of its translations is actually "death by punishment."

Could mean "no trespassing."

A Hebrew warning carved in an English castle struck me as odd.

Out of place. Seems ancient.

But you stopped looking into it?

A man dressed as an owl, of all things...

I got him drunk enough to admit that no travel to other worlds was even occurring.

Just ritualistic killings.

Eh, the whole thing stunk of half-baked satanism...

Just some fabrications to entice new members.

And, well, there were fire dancers. I got distracted.

Coulson: Here's another one.

This is why I got rid of all the S.H.I.E.L.D. logos on our vehicles. It's like screaming for attention.

You know, there's a ginormous eagle symbol on top of our jet.

Yeah, sometimes I can't help myself with the cool.

[Rumbling]

You certain about this? It does say "death by punishment."

After you.
[Door opens]

Let me guess. Joey Gutierrez is unfit for action physically, psychologically, and emotionally.

The man can't open a doorknob without melting it.

My Psych-101 students could tell you he's not ready.

Maybe, in time.

We are running out of time! Things keep coming at us.

It's like punching a waterfall.

New Inhumans, the ATCU, and this... this new guy.

You should have seen him. It was a whole new level.

You want to fight fire with fire. I get it.

But you can't be reckless about it. All these people who transform have the potential to turn into monsters.

But the team you do have has that danger, as well.

Sounds like there's some sage advice coming.

Everywhere you turn, fires are burning.

Coulson's desperate to win on any front.

But desperation leads to mistakes.

Giving Hunter carte blanche to get payback, letting Fitz try to open a portal to save one life... these are questionable decisions.

You should be telling him that.

He doesn't want to hear it right now. He's... He is who he is.

But you... you're still changing.

You see something I don't?

Horns?

You're turning into a leader, and I'm concerned about how you're handling the adjustment.

Wow. I totally just gave you permission to analyze me, didn't I?

You are on a couch.

Look, you are laser-focused on finding members for this team.

I understand the need for these secret warriors.

No, it's more than that.

When I changed, I felt like a monster. I needed help.

This is a chance to show people they have a place to belong.

[Scoffs] It sounds stupid.

No, but what you're describing sounds more like a halfway house.

I'll gladly help you build that.

My mother created a halfway house for Inhumans, and it was not enough.

I... I want Inhumans taking action with S.H.I.E.L.D. to see that being different can mean making a difference.

Charlie: [chuckling] Whoa.

You chop like your mother.

I think she chopped her vegetables like that as a warning to me. "Stay in line, old man."

You left the kitchen window open again.

Paranoid... a quality you share with your mother.

You see her much?

Mm... she calls me now and then to see if I'm still living. [Chuckles]

You haven't called anybody yourself. Are you in hiding?

Come on over. I want to show you something.

I found it while I was downsizing.

Ta-da!

[Scoffs] God.

You put on skates at 7 years old, and you didn't take them off until five years later.

A natural.

I was obsessed with Dorothy Hamill.

I remember that well.

Mostly I remember how hard the ice was when I'd fall... over and over.

That's why I switched to martial arts... padded floors.

Well, and you could hit people.

You expecting company?

No, but I'm not afraid of the prospect.

Aah! Aah.

What the hell are you doing here?

Uh, neighborhood watch?

[Speaks native language]

Okay, well, this room wasn't on the last tour.

It's an odd shape for architecture this period.

Definitely built after I was here.

Bobbi: Reminds me of the bunker under the Louvre.

What? There's no bunker under the Louvre.

That's a joke, right? You're messing with me.

All right, great. Now I'll have to check.

It's late 1800s.

[Electricity crackling]

Still got some life to it.

[Rushing]

I hear water.

Could be a stream underground, maybe hydroelectric power.

[Mechanical whirring]

This looks a lot like it was made to hold...

The Monolith.

This machine was designed to control the portal, to open and close it at will.

Coulson: Do you know that, or is that just what you hope it to be?

Well, there's only one way to find out.

[Sighs]

[Beep]

Mack, I need you to load something onto Zephyr-1 and bring it to us.

Mack: What exactly am I bringing, sir?

Yeah... you're not gonna like it.

You never earned a single thing in your life.

You're a waste of your family money.

So... we're taking everything.

Starting with banking passwords.

Go screw your... [Grunts]

I'm not asking.

From here on out, you want something, you earn it.

Teeth, eyes, fingers... whatever it takes.

Get the passwords.

A lot of speculation back at HQ as to why you went AWOL.

Spiritual walkabout, midlife crisis... early midlife crisis.

I know you didn't elope with your ex, 'cause he's actually been around.

Hawaiian islands couldn't rekindle that old flame, eh?

You heard about Simmons?

Coulson and I spoke on the phone.

I know. He traced it.

Pay phone at L.A.X.... one of the surviving few.

How did you find me?

Been reaching out to some of my less savory associates, trying to dig up anything I can on HYDRA.

My mate in Leavenworth said they'd received an anonymous call from a woman asking the same questions.

Pay phone again. Careless.

You do know that only .3 of the population of Sun City are Asian?

What do you want?

Your skills.

I plan to put Ward six feet underground at the least.

Your help would be appreciated.

I'm out. My father needs me.

Oh, yeah. Car accident. Broke his hip.

Police called it a hit-and-run.

Looks like Mr. May's doing okay to me.

He's getting there.

But they never found the driver.

It was an accident, and I'm here to help him get back on his feet.

Yeah? Is that why you nearly decapitated me for dropping by?

Why you're making anonymous calls to old C.I.s?

Part of you wonders if it was Ward going after the people you care about.

We both know he's capable of it. And unless I'm off the mark, he's out there pumping new life into HYDRA.

And we both know where they'll come knocking first.

What's your way in?

From below.

Climb the ranks. Hail HYDRA and all that.

He sees your face, you're made.

If he's close enough to see my face, then I'm close enough to put a b*llet in his.

I'm out.

I'm gonna nab a payload from these gunrunners to establish my cover. If you change your mind.

Whatever your reason, you'll never be truly out if you're always looking over your shoulder.

And next time, it won't be me outside the window.

Zephyr-1, you're clear to retract.

Wow. Room full of ancient gack.

Kind of reminds me of your office, director.

Realistically, what are the odds of this thing working?

If we were realistic, we never would have gotten this far.

Well, Andrew Garner thinks I need to be more so.

He recommended three months observation and counseling before reassessment for Joey.

Says I'm reckless.

Don't take it personally. He probably just meant that...

He said you're desperate.

What? He didn't say that.

Did he say that?

Bobbi: Let me guess.

I'm struggling to come to terms with physical limitations and losing my sense of self instead of redefining it.

No, he didn't mention you.

Oh.

Oh, he did. That's what he said.

Oh, good.

Yeah.

Mack... Mack, push that lever.

No, the one... the one that's... the one that's down.

The one... the one beside it. Push it.

[Click]

[Mechanical whirring]

[Rumbling]

Everybody, stay clear!

Bobbi: Fitz, it's working.

It's staying open. Light! I need more light!

[Groans]

We got a problem!

I need some bloody light!

Fitz!

[Groans] Help...

The gears have locked! Bobbi!

Skye? Hey.

Skye, are you okay? Skye?

It's Daisy.

What?

It's Daisy now, sir?

You're really having a hard time with this, huh?

Damn it. Yeah. Daisy, hey.

You all right?

Yeah. I'm better.

That pulsing sound was k*lling me.

What pulsing sound?

Are you serious? It was deafening.

Slow down. Slow down. Slow down.

It holds the portal open. That flare sh*t straight through. if we could send a hard-wired probe through, we can see the other side.

We can find her.

We'll fix the machine, Turbo...

We have to fix it.

...but you got to chill...

How are we supposed to fix a machine we don't know how it works?

[grunts]

[laughs]

I figured you for a mama's boy.

One slap, and you spit out the info.

[Grunting]

It's been a good run, kid.

Now, let's just get to the end.

[Grunting]

Come on.

[Breathing heavily]

Okay. You win.

[Both grunt]

Nobody treats me like that and lives.

Raah!

Do you even know who the hell I am?

Do you?!

Ward: You're Werner von Strucker.

Your father was Baron Wolfgang von Strucker, one of HYDRA's greatest leaders.

Powerful family name doesn't mean you deserve respect.

You earn that.

I wondered if you had it in you.

Your old man would be proud.

Come on. Brought tacos.

[Crickets chirping]

[Lock clicks]

Unfinished business?

Is that what you're in hiding from? [Sighs]

[Chuckles] You and your mother.


Silence always means yes.

You take after her in that way.

In every way.

So that's what this visit is all about?

Things with you and Andrew did not work out so well, so you feel damaged in some way.

But there are worse things to be than your mother's daughter.

[Sighs]

[glass thuds]

I just want to have a normal life, dad, away from S.H.I.E.L.D.

I want to see if I can.

Normal?

With a handgun in your golf bag?

Trying to protect me from some unfinished business that follows you like a shadow?

You remember the pain when you hit the ice, but I always remember how quickly you would get up.

I was a kid. It didn't hurt as much then.

My daughter always got back up.

[Door opens]

You needed a push. I had to know you could handle the fall.

I should have you k*lled.

Okay.

First thing, if you're gonna k*ll someone, don't thr*aten them. Just do it.

Oh, my father would have you...

Your father kept you in the dark and then d*ed a meaningless death, leaving you to hide your face with no answers.

I know what it's like to come from a complicated family.

HYDRA's fractured, in pieces.

We're gonna rebuild it.. the right way... by force.

My father so rarely let me see any of his world.

It's your world now.

And when we put these pieces back together, they'll be stronger than the original.

It'll just rattle apart again.

We have to reinforce the connections.

Reinf... look, most of the workings are under the ground.

We just can't tear the castle down.

And actually, we're lucky the room is shaped this way, or the machine might have shaken it apart on top of us.

[Grunts]

Wait. [Metal clangs]

Wait. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's the point.

Quantum harmonic oscillation theory, like the professor said.

I know that look.

It's a strange shape for this time period because it's made to resonate, uh, to... to... to... uh... create a-a quantized field within the stone.

Fitz, you're talking, but we're not totally following.

The room is a speaker. The machine is an amplifier.

Uh, a sub... subsonic frequency to resonate with the Monolith.

You saying you figured out a way to fix the machine?

No.

I'm saying I figured out that...

We don't have to.

I can do it. I can open the portal myself.

Well, turns out we're standing in the middle of the world's largest subwoofer.

Yeah.

If the point of the machine was to resonate the room at a certain frequency, I can do that.

And you can replicate it?

Kind of drilled into my brain.

And it could k*ll you. How long do you think you can hold it?

Maybe a minute.

If it's too much, you pull back.

I can't lose you, too.

I got this.

Here we go.

Camera and data sensors are hard-lined back to us through a cable... no signal loss that way.

If Daisy can hold it, we'll get a visual of the other side.

That's what we're looking for. All right, you listen to me.

You take care of yourself.

We lose that probe, nobody cares.

Uh, I'm confused.

What exactly is she planning to do here?

[Rumbling]

[Strained] Sorry. Still tuning.

[Breathing heavily]

Hold it open as long as you can.

Fitz, no!

[Wind gusting]

[Grunts]

[Panting]

Jemma!

Jemma!

Jemma!

[Wind gusting]

Jemma!

Simmons: Fitz! Fitz!

Jemma?!

[Breathing heavily]

Jemma?!

Jemma!

Fitz!

[Grunts]

Damn it. Pull him back! Get him back here.

Aah!

I can't hold it!

No!


[Gasps, coughs]

[Panting]

[Breathing heavily]

[Panting]

You did good, tremors. You did good.

[Panting]

Fitz...

No sign of radiation or infection.

Fitz would never have found her, but she saw the flare.

We brought a woman back from the dead today.

And, happily, you kept up your end of the bargain.

The portal is destroyed.

Thank Daisy for that.

Yeah.

Agent Coulson... what exactly is Daisy?

They call themselves Inhumans.

I have not heard that word in a very long time.

Yes?

Your team pulled off a miracle today. Fitz got Simmons back.

I thought you deserved to know.

They think she's gonna be okay if you want to come back and see her. Or stay.

I think headquarters is big enough for the two of us.

I'm glad she's safe.

Simmons is back. She's okay.

Are you serious? She's alive?

Fitz, you absolute beauty!

Come on, beers?! Let's get a beer on it!

Come on May, small for once in your eye.

[Gasps]

[Breathing shakily]

Coulson: We'll return in a moment.

First thing tomorrow morning, all right?

Man: Dr. Garner?

Yeah. Yeah?

I'm sorry for the intrusion, but I was hoping to add your class.


You okay with a few weeks' makeup work?

Yeah, I-I just transferred.

I think psychology might be my major.

Okay.

You know why most people take psych, right?

Ahh, damn this pen. Here. Give me your back.

They're trying to figure out their families.

You got me there.

You wouldn't believe how messed up mine is.

He's moving North! [Panting]

A nation terrified of Inhumans.

Tell your men to stand down.

They will start a w*r.

They are people...


You are not cursed. You are not some horrible thing.

...with real human emotions.

You're wasting your time caring about me.

I know the real you.

Until they are betrayed...

You know what I want.

...by those they trust.
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