"Just tell us what happened after they finished fighting," Coulson said.
"That man smashed my stall." The middle-aged vendor angrily pointed at his balloon stand. Aside from a pile of tied balloons, there were only several scattered gas cylinders.
"What did he want balloons for?" May asked in confusion.
"He was after my helium. He knocked off the valve and took it."
"What did he need that for?" Coulson muttered.
Just then, Simmons's voice came through the earpiece. "Sir, Fitz was right. That definitely wasn't blood."
"What was it?" Mike immediately asked.
"Liquid nitrogen. The streetlamp became brittle from the low temperature and snapped.
"He must have been carrying a nitrogen supply with him. Sif must have damaged his gas cylinder device."
"So he didn't need helium. He needed the cylinder valve to repair his gas cylinder device." Coulson thought for a moment before reaching the answer. "But why would he carry nitrogen around with him?"
"Maybe as fuel, or perhaps as a weapon."
"If he's an Alien, maybe he uses it to breathe." May offered a different opinion.
"No," Sif said. "Within known space, only seven intelligent species require high concentrations of nitrogen, and none of them are humanoid."
May and Coulson both froze, then looked at her in unison.
"I learned that when I was a child. Didn't you?"
Coulson and May fell silent. No comparison, no harm. The question was simply too awkward for them.
Asgard was renowned throughout the universe, but Earth... humanity had not even left the solar system yet.
Other people's children learned cosmic knowledge when they were young, while they had probably still been playing in the mud with other kids.
Meanwhile, Aaron and Skye arrived at the nearest hospital.
"This should be the place." Skye held a tablet. "The surveillance footage