- "This is Hale's base."
"It's a decommissioned military bunker, which means it's highly secure and way off the grid."
"We need to hit them hard and fast, knock out their defenses before they even know we're there." - ―Quake and Melinda May[src]
The Attack on the HYDRA Preparatory Academy was an assault orchestrated by S.H.I.E.L.D. to capture HYDRA leader Hale and reclaim the Gravitonium in HYDRA's possession.
Background[]
- "She would be worthy of Whitehall's code name for the project: Destroyer of Worlds. Obviously, the guy was overcompensating for something, but..."
"No. No, stop. This is a huge mistake. A broken-planet-sized mistake." - ―Hale and Phil Coulson[src]
S.H.I.E.L.D. found themselves confronted to a new incarnation of HYDRA led by General Hale once they escaped from the future. Hale managed to capture Phil Coulson and took him to her base at the HYDRA Preparatory Academy, where she explained her plan to infuse someone with Gravitonium to create a super soldier able to impress the Confederacy, an alliance of extraterrestrial races, and convince them that Earth was a galactic power to be considered.
However, thanks to his journey to the future, Coulson knew the consequences of such a project.[2] Facing Hale's refusal to hear him out, Coulson successfully escaped from the HYDRA Academy with fellow prisoner Glenn Talbot[3] and informed other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents of Hale's plans. From this point, S.H.I.E.L.D. decided to thwart these plans and confiscate the Gravitonium from Hale.
Hale was soon confronted to another issue as her daughter Ruby Hale had escaped with Werner von Strucker and the Gravitonium to find the Particle Infusion Chamber in the HYDRA Herefordshire Facility, which had previously been infiltrated by Leo Fitz, Jemma Simmons and Yo-Yo Rodriguez.[4]
Attack[]
- "I surrender."
"And we totally believe you."
"There's no time for us to fight each other. I need your help. We all have to leave right now."
"Help you? You can't be serious." - ―Hale, Quake and Melinda May[src]
Thanks to a distress signal sent by the Sleeper Mechs due to their deactivation when Yo-Yo Rodriguez killed Anton Ivanov, S.H.I.E.L.D. was able to locate the HYDRA Preparatory Academy and identified it as HYDRA leader Hale's base of operations. Quake and Melinda May then took the Zephyr One above the location and prepared to storm the place.
Quake and Melinda May attack the HYDRA Preparatory Academy
Both Quake and May entered the plane's Containment Module. Quake instructed Agent Thomas to launch the Module as well as a missile. Upon exploding, the missile created a breach into the Academy's roof, enabling the Containment Module to land inside the Academy. Quake and May soon got out of the Module and began their attack.
Two HYDRA operatives immediately attacked May and Quake, who overpowered them with her powers. Another group of HYDRA operatives soon arrived in reinforcements, but they were no match for the two S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, who defeated them as well, with May being particularly aggressive. Quake and May then proceeded through the Academy and were confronted by another group comprising of several operatives, Candice Lee and Hale herself.
Hale surrenders to S.H.I.E.L.D.
Although the other operatives were ready to fight, Hale ordered them to stand down and told the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents that she surrendered. At first, Quake and May refused to believe her, but Hale insisted, claiming that they could not afford to waste time fighting each other as Ruby Hale intended to use the Gravitonium to become the Destroyer of Worlds, which would put the lives of Leo Fitz and Jemma Simmons at risk.[5]
Aftermath[]
Quake and Melinda May agreed to believe Hale and to collaborate with her. They took Hale aboard the Zephyr One and immediately led the plane to the HYDRA Herefordshire Facility in order to stop Ruby Hale. They arrived in the facility just as Ruby, who had forced Leo Fitz and Jemma Simmons to repair the Particle Infusion Chamber, was being painfully infused with the Gravitonium.
Thanks to their attack, Quake and May were also able to free Carl Creel, who they took in the Zephyr One as well and sedated to ease his pain of hearing the voices of Ian Quinn and Franklin Hall.[5]