Centipede Investigation

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"I understand you've been busy. Heard you put some miles on my plane."
"The manhunt has yielded some impressive results. Centipede operatives have been taken down around the globe."

―Phil Coulson and Victoria Hand^[src]

The Centipede Investigation was an organized investigation conducted by S.H.I.E.L.D. into the HYDRA cell known as the Centipede Project.

Background[]

Centipede Project[]

In 1990, S.H.I.E.L.D. agent John Garrett stepped on an IED in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia. The blast left him in a mortally-wounded state, and his calls for extraction were met with excuses. Realizing that he was more loyal to S.H.I.E.L.D. than S.H.I.E.L.D. was to him, Garrett swore that if he survived he would treat S.H.I.E.L.D. in the same manner in which they treated him. Garrett moved his intestines back into place, duct-taped his wounds shut and made his own way to safety.

Garrett survived those wounds, and would soon be recruited into HYDRA, while maintaining his cover as a loyal S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. With the help of the Cybertek corporation, he became the first test subject in Project Deathlok, a project carried out by Garrett's new allies in HYDRA and Cybertek to build a super soldier via cybernetic prosthesis. Decades later, Garrett's organs would start failing, and his biomechanical parts would be the only thing that kept him alive.^[4]

As a member of HYDRA, Garrett became the mastermind behind the Centipede Project, a science group dedicated to the creation of super soldiers. Garrett, however, saw it as a means of finding a way to reverse his failing health.^[5] Garrett recruited Edison Po into Centipede, and for a time, Po was the project's only means of contact with Garrett, even while Po was in Havenworth Federal Penitentiary.^[6] Garrett also recruited billionaire Ian Quinn to his cause.^[7]

Using his access to personal files, psych evaluations and other classified information, Garrett almost seemed to be able to read minds and foretell the future. Using this seeming ability, Garrett took on the alias of "The Clairvoyant" to those within Centipede.^[6]

The project's scientists created the Centipede Serum, derived from a variation of the Super Soldier Serum, mixed with gamma radiation and the newly discovered Extremis formula, as a means of granting powers to their subjects, but their initial results were highly unstable with explosive results.^[8]

When Garrett's old friend Agent Phil Coulson, was slain before the Battle of New York and restored to life days later through means unknown, Garrett felt discovering the truth about Coulson's return was the key to both the Centipede Project and to restoring his increasingly failing health. The details of Coulson's resurrection were classified Clearance Level 10 by Nick Fury. In an attempt to uncover this secret, Garrett planted Grant Ward on Coulson's Team.^[9]

History[]

The Hooded Hero[]

Mike-Peterson-saves-Debbie — Mike Peterson rescuing Debbie from the fires

"That's a superhero, Agent Ward. An unregistered gifted. Identity... unknown."

―Phil Coulson to Grant Ward^[src]

The Project first came to the attention of S.H.I.E.L.D. in 2013. Phil Coulson and his team were investigating the incident surrounding the explosion and the unknown Hooded Hero in Los Angeles. To gather more information about the subject, Coulson and agent Grant Ward kidnapped Rising Tide member Skye and took her to the Bus for interrogation. After being questioned in the Cage of the Bus, Skye agreed to help them. Skye told the team about the Centipede Project, an unknown subject for the team, and gave the identity of Mike Peterson. Coulson sends agents Melinda May, Leo Fitz and Jemma Simmons to investigate the scene of the explosion. They find out that Centipede is a combination of alien technology, gamma radiation, the Super Soldier Serum, and Extremis. The serum was highly unstable, causing Mike Peterson could explode at any moment.^[8]

Chase of Mike Peterson[]

Peterson1 — Mike Peterson and Skye going on the run

"I've seen giants up close and that privilege cost me nearly everything. But the good ones, the real deal, they're not heroes because of what they have that we don't. It's what they do with it."

―Phil Coulson to Mike Peterson^[src]

Phil Coulson and Grant Ward arrived at Union Station, and Coulson tried to convince Mike Peterson to surrender himself. Peterson punched the door off of Skye's Van and tried to escape with Skye and Ace Peterson into the building. Skye was able to distract him by attacking a group of men and making a run for him. Ace was moved aside by his father to protect him, who easily defeated the men attacking him thanks to his strength.

Coulson found Ace and had a police officer to take him outside. Ward attacked Peterson from behind, but Peterson easily defeated the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and followed Skye. Debbie sent an assassin disguised as a policeman to kill Peterson, and the assassin started to shoot him on sight. Coulson ordered Ward to only shoot Peterson if absolutely needed.

Melinda May fights and subdues an assassin

On the second floor balcony, Skye tried to convince Peterson that S.H.I.E.L.D. could help him, but the assassin approached for behind and shoot Peterson with a shotgun and make him fall to the ground floor of the station. May arrived and defeated the assassin before he could kill Skye. Coulson approached Peterson, with evident signs of the Extremis side effects, and they discussed the possible outcome of the situation. Peterson assured that being a good person should matter in the outcome, and Coulson reminded him of his son Ace needed him. Peterson replied that his son was another thing that had been taken from him, just like his wife, his house or his job.

Coulson was able to convince Peterson to surrender by saying he was counting on him becoming a hero just before Peterson was hit by a bullet. Jemma Simmons ran in to check on Peterson, as Ward shot him with the newly developed Night-Night Gun that Leo Fitz brought to him. Simmons smiled as a sign that their plan worked, and Peterson's explosion had been prevented without harming him.^[8]

Infiltration into Todorov Building[]

This section needs a rewrite

Phil Coulson and his team investigate a series of miraculous jewel robberies, at the scene the team discover the heists were committed by a single thief with possible psychic powers. Skye uses social media to run a facial recognition software and Coulson quickly identifies the thief as his former protege, Akela Amador.

Amador is tasked to acquire a security pass in exchange for the stolen jewels. Skye and Fitz-Simmons find a live feed that shows an X-ray of the Short Bus right before Amador rams it with a truck. Skye traces the signal and the team discover it is actually Amador 's eye that is the camera. While Coulson wants to bring her in safely, May wants to take out the threat and goes off alone to confront Amador at her hotel. The two fight a bit before Coulson arrives and tranquilizes Amador with the Night-Night Gun.

While Amador wakes up at the Bus with Coulson, Skye has reprogrammed the signal so its rerouted to a pair of glasses that Ward is wearing so he can complete the mission while the rest of the team remove her eye's kill switch. Equipped with the security pass, Ward makes it to the first checkpoint with little difficulty, but then he is ordered to seduce a male guard, which ends up with Ward knocking the guard out and moving on the next door. He enters a room filled with equations on the walls, with two people using typewriters. He transmits back a mysterious chalk drawing, completing the mission. By the time he has left the first room the alarm has been triggered and he has to escape and fight his way out. Fitz calls him and clarifies a question about disabling the kill switch, seconds before Ward looks into a mirror, alerting the handler.

Throughout the mission Coulson and May have been tracking the handler and eventually find him after the mission ends, but the Englishman was another puppet and quickly executed via his kill switch.^[10]