In Tahiti, Miranda dozes on the beach. She wakes up to see Coulson smiling at her, and he says that he likes watching her sleep.
The lights flicker and Miranda sees herself in a room, tied up. She wakes up from her dream and discovers that she's in Sarge's truck. Sarge explains that he sedated her, parks the truck, and Snowflake strokes Miranda's hair. He tells her to keep her mission simple, and that Snowflake is all that he's got with Paco and Jax captured. Sarge wishes her happy hunting and turns to Miranda as Snowflake walks away. He then tells Miranda that he's going to turn her.
Mack contemplates the monitors at the Lighthouse, and is informed that Deke is out of surgery and will recover. Yoyo comes in and Mack looks at her briefly. She looks back and then leaves. Mack goes after her and asks how she's doing. Yoyo says that she's been working the prisoners and all they said was that their leader is Sarge. Mack advises her to take a minute to deal with losing Keller, and Yoyo says that she's lost a lot of people. He admits that he couldn't measure up to Coulson and now his double is out there killing people, and he feels like he's losing control. Yoyo wonders what else Mack wants from her besides obedience, and Mack has nothing to say. She asks if Marcus is up to dealing with the parasite, and Yoyo tells Mack to keep an eye on him before leaving.
On the ship, Enoch considers being decommissioned and hunted. Daisy and the others are unimpressed, and Daisy says that they need to plot a course and wonders where Malachi has gone with Fitz. Enoch says that Fitz was his only friend, and Jemma and Daisy assure him that they're also his friends. They assure him that humanity survived because a future Enoch got them home, and Enoch explains that hunters are the most feared of the Chronicoms. Jemma insists that she's not going to stop searching for Fitz. The power systems fluctuate and Davis reports that something hit them. Multiple Remorath spaceships arrive near the Zephyr.
Sarge checks Miranda's weapons and says that Snowflake is loyal. He tells Miranda that he's never been to a world where people recognize his face, and opens a suitcase full of knives. He takes one out and points out that Miranda hates him more than the others, and says that they'll get into why.
As Daisy and the others prepare for boarding, Enoch says that if they wanted them dead they'd be dead and figures that it isn't the Confederacy, and opens the hatch. Another Chronicom, Altarah, comes in and Enoch greets her by name. She says that it's been a long time since they've met, and Enoch explains that before he came to Earth Altarah was his superior. She says that Enoch is to be tried for tampering with the universe and Enoch says that he'll face his punishment.
The hunters toss Piper and Davis into a cell.
Altarah takes Enoch, Daisy, and Jemma aboard her ship and says that the hunters took it from the Confederacy. She tells Enoch that their homeworld was destroyed and all that remain of their fleet are aboard the ship. Altarah explains that there were rumors of entire worlds destroyed, and eventually it happened to theirs. It began with minor distortion in space that unleashed a plague. The Chronicoms failed to act and their planet was destroyed. They don't know what caused the plague, and when the Confederacy came for them they fought back. Altarah says that they only engage in conflict when necessary. Enoch figures that Altarah wants to know how they traveled back through time, and Jemma says that they don't know how.
Altarah doesn't believe her, and reveals that they have Fitz. He's a hologram, and Malachi hits him in the stomach when he tries to talk. When Daisy threatens to destroy the ship, Altarah says that they're holding Fitz on another ship and if her ship is destroyed, the other Chronicom ships will scatter and they'll never find him.
Sarge realizes that Coulson died and he looks just like him. Miranda promises to kill him, and asks who Sarge is. Sarge figures that Coulson was some kind of shapeshifter and that it was no coincidence that he looked like him, Miranda says that Sarge is the imposter, not Coulson, and she knows everything about Coulson's background. She tells Sarge to ask who he is. Snowflake calls on the radio and says that she has the person she was sent for. Satisfied, Sarge puts a bag over Miranda's head and says that they'll talk more later.
As Miranda and Coulson talk, Coulson flinches briefly. She comes over to comfort him.
Sarge removes the bag, showing Miranda that Snowflake has brought a prisoner. He says that it's her initiation, and advises her to thrust a knife into the man's ribcage. When Miranda tells the prisoner that no one is going to hurt him, Sarge shoots him dead, tosses her the keys to her manacles, wishes her luck, and leaves with Snowflake. As Miranda frees herself, the body comes to life and attacks Miranda. He knocks Miranda to the floor and one of the parasites crawls out of her mouth. She throws him away, and the body crawls toward her. Miranda fends him off and knocks him down, and he sprouts metal shards. She grabs the knife and thrusts it into the ribcage as Sarge advised.
Sarge and Snowflake come in and Sarge welcomes Miranda aboard.
Marcus is dissecting Keller's organs when Mack comes in. The scientist admits that he hasn't determined anything about the parasite that infected Keller, and tells Mack that he needs a night off. Mack tells him that he can take time off however he wants as long as he's responsible. He says that they need to know Marcus is bringing his best, and Marcus says that the knife killed the creature and goes back to work.
Enoch tells Altarah that he and Fitz are best friends and Fitz is no threat to her, and says that he has changed on Earth and it's for the better. Altarah says that Enoch isn't the man who she invited into her charging port, and tells him that she'll proceed her way if Enoch won't cooperate. She tells Malachi to kill Fitz, and Jemma explains that the monolith in the future gave them time travel and it was destroyed. Altarah isn't convinced, but Enoch says that Fitz is the only one who can solve the mysteries of time travel. Jemma admits that he had the end of world as motivation and that no longer exists. Altarah asks Enoch what would motivate Fitz to do what they need, and Enoch says that if they put Jemma in danger, Fitz will solve the problem. Altarah agrees and tells her hunters to kill the others because they're unnecessary. Daisy figures that Fitz is safe, stuns Altarah and the hunters, and leaves with Jemma.
Marcus finds Yoyo in his lab sitting next to Keller's body. She reminds him that he killed Keller to save his life, and that even though she made the right choice it still felt wrong. Marcus sympathizes and says that two years ago his husband Tom was rendered brain-dead in a car crash. He ended up turning off the ventilator and took comfort in the place that he made the right decision, and tells Yoyo that she should as well. They discuss the knife and how it killed the parasite. The creature now has a crystalline similar to the spikes, and Yoyo recognizes it.
Sarge tells Miranda that the parasites are called the Shrike and come from another world. They jump to a new world and take a host, and when the host is killed they go berserk and look for another host. Sarge says that the creatures supercharge the host body and go berserk, and they track the Shrike to a new world and kill anything that doesn't belong there.
Mack meets with Yoyo and Marcus, and they speculate that the parasites are connected to the third unidentified monoliths. Marcus suggests that it controls life and death, and they figure the Shrike are heading to the Ley Lines. Marcus says that Ley Lines are a nexus of planetary energy, and if the parasite had initiated the same process then the results would have been catastrophic. He tries to remember the word that Tinker said.
Sarge tells Melinda that Pachakutiq is coming and it's the death of everything. The Shrike serve Pachakutiq, and Melinda asks Sarge what he remembers of his past. Sarge tells her that he's been alive for over a hundred years and the tick of the clock is getting louder.
Coulson says that the tick of the clock is getting louder, and Miranda should teach at the Academy.
Sarge insists that he's going to make sure Earth is the last planet the Shrike infect. When Pachakutiq arrives, he's going to destroy Earth.
Piper and Davis try to pry the cell door open, and Daisy and Jemma come in and tell the agents to follow them. Altarah and her hunters arrive with Enoch, and Jemma says that she and Fitz are a team and she'll go with the Chronicoms if they let the others live. She tells Daisy that there's no other choice and she won't keep putting them in danger. Jemma thanks them for their support and tells them to go home, and Daisy reluctantly agrees.
As Sarge drives through the night, Miranda wonders why Sarge keeps Snowflake on the team. She says that even Sarge thinks that she's unhinged, and Snowflake insists that she can free Miranda from her chrysalis of negativity. When the truck hits a bump, Snowflake falls and Miranda knocks her out. She then goes up front and strangles Sarge, who manages to brake the truck to a halt. They fight and Miranda hits Sarge while remembering Coulson. She finally knocks him out and handcuffs him to the door handle.
Coulson drifts off and Miranda watches him. She takes a wineglass from his hand and puts it on his chest.
Miranda puts Sarge's free hand on his chest and drives off.
Marcus finds Mack in his office and says that he needs a Quinjet and a pilot to go to Yucatan where the first monolith was unearthed. " Pachakutiq" is an Incan word and Marcus figures that it's a connection. He admits that it's a long shot but they need to try. Daisy calls in requesting for permission to land, and the techs cheer. Mack and Yoyo welcome them back, and Khan tells them that Melinda called in to report that she captured Sarge and is heading back.
The hunters take Enoch to Fitz's cell, and the Chronicom tells Fitz that Jemma is safe and the others have returned home. He explains that the Chronicoms need Fitz to develop a means of time travel so they can go back and save their homeworld. Enoch finally says that he told Altarah that Fitz was the only one who could develop time travel and Jemma would serve as motivation. He tries to explain that it was the only way to save Fitz from execution, but Fitz yells at him that he's useless and the last thing he wants is for Enoch to be in danger. He tells Enoch to get out, and Enoch says that he will always consider him a friend and then floods the room with gas. Fitz passes out as Enoch stares at him.
Written by Gadfly on Jun 15, 2019