Coulson watched Skye leave, then turned to Grant Ward and said:
"You're pretty hard on her."
Grant Ward said gravely, "She lied to us."
"She contacted Rising Tide while we were on a mission. If she wants us to trust her again, she'll have to earn it herself."
Coulson looked at Grant Ward and said, "The background check she did on Cross is a good start. Put it on the server and let Mei take a look after she finishes the interrogation."
Meanwhile.
At S.H.I.E.L.D.'s temporary base in the Inca Temple.
Sitwell and Barton's gazes were both drawn entirely to Xi's hand.
He took a vial of blue serum from the case and said:
"This is our Cloud Village's Physical Enhancement Serum, but based on the information you provided last time, it still isn't enough to obtain one vial."
Hearing that, Sitwell was not disappointed. Instead, he showed great interest. As long as they could negotiate, there was hope. If the value was not enough, they could simply add more.
"What would we need to pay to obtain this Physical Enhancement Serum from you, Mr. Xi?"
A smile appeared on Xi's face as he said, "For the first vial of Physical Enhancement Serum, on account of the previous intelligence, I can sell it to you at a discount."
"We need a base in downtown New York as a foothold for those coming from Kumogakure. It doesn't have to be too large. Any detached villa with a courtyard will do."
Hearing the first condition, Sitwell nodded. A villa with a courtyard in downtown New York was certainly not cheap, but it probably would not cost one hundred million dollars. A vial of Physical Enhancement Serum, if paid for purely in cash, would cost at least one billion dollars, and even