Charles pushed open the door to the meeting room and walked in.
Coulson was sipping coffee, but upon seeing Charles, he immediately set the cup down and extended his hand.
"Long time no see, Mr. Charles," Coulson greeted.
Charles shook his hand with a smile, saying, "If Tony and the others knew you were still alive, they'd be thrilled."
Coulson chuckled, "I'd like to tell them myself."
Taking a seat on the sofa, Charles looked at Coulson and asked, "So, what brings you here this time?"
With a slight smile, Coulson replied, "Mr. Charles, I'm here about Skye. I heard she entrusted herself to you as part of a mission commission payment."
"I'm wondering if there's a way I could exchange her back."
Coulson picked up a nearby case and opened it, revealing 50 energy cubes, exactly the cost of one intelligence consultation.
Looking at the cubes, Charles shook his head, "Coulson, once a mission contract is signed, it has to be carried out exactly as specified, including the payment method. These cubes aren't enough to exchange for Skye."
"And frankly, the amount here is far from sufficient."
Coulson's pupils narrowed at this, realizing Skye's parents might be connected to the supernatural world.
As Coulson mulled over this, Charles continued, "Besides, I doubt Daisy will ever want to return to S.H.I.E.L.D."
"Daisy?" Coulson asked in confusion.
Charles nodded, "Yes, her real name is Daisy Johnson."
Understanding but still puzzled, Coulson asked, "Why wouldn't she want to return?"
Charles looked at the energy cubes in front of Coulson and then said, "Coulson, this is valuable intelligence—very significant intelligence."
"For you, it's as vital as the information about Daisy's search for her parents."
"And I believe you won't regret knowing this information."
Coulson was taken aback. What kind of intel could make him understand why Daisy wouldn't want to return to S.H.I.E.L.D.?
Could it be connected to S.H.I.E.L.D. itself?
At this moment, Coulson had some suspicions but said, "Mr. Charles, these 50 energy cubes are S.H.I.E.L.D.'s last reserve. Could you share one more piece of intelligence with me beyond Daisy's reason for not returning?"
Seeing that Coulson was trying to negotiate, Charles didn't refuse. Allowing Coulson to meet with Skye would reveal the specifics anyway.
"What intelligence do you want to know?"
"With these 50 cubes, I can't share highly classified information."
Coulson nodded and asked, "Who is the Clairvoyant?"
Charles paused for a second before replying, "Not enough cubes."
Coulson's mind raced—Charles actually knew about the Clairvoyant. Could the Clairvoyant be a ninja or some sort of prophetic supernatural being?
"What was the true cause of my resurrection?"
These two questions had weighed heavily on Coulson recently. Solving even one would be a gain for him.
"Not enough cubes," Charles replied again.
Coulson understood this matter likely involved the supernatural.
Though he didn't get the answers, Coulson realized he had narrowed down his search.
He thought a moment before asking, "Why was Skye classified as an 0-8-4?"
Charles gave him a serious look and then replied, "That one meets the value."
"Let's start with why Daisy won't return to S.H.I.E.L.D."
"Aside from her commitment to me, there's a deeper reason she can't go back."
"Daisy's mother was a supernatural being, and she was studied and dissected by S.H.I.E.L.D., with all her organs removed and her blood drained."
Coulson's whole body shuddered at the revelation.
"This... How could that be?"
Charles didn't hold back, "Coulson, has that brain surgery made you forget who S.H.I.E.L.D. really is?"
"Do you truly not understand what kind of organization S.H.I.E.L.D. is?"
Coulson looked at Charles, shaken, "You… you know…"
He wasn't referring to anything other than his own resurrection. At the same time, Coulson sensed that certain memories about S.H.I.E.L.D.'s darker side seemed to be slipping away, almost erased from his mind.
As an agent in a global intelligence organization, he knew S.H.I.E.L.D. had its dark side—something he couldn't have avoided entirely—yet now it was like he couldn't recall those memories.
Suddenly, Coulson fully understood why Daisy wouldn't return to S.H.I.E.L.D.
Knowing her mother had been dissected by the very organization he represented, he couldn't, in good conscience, ask Daisy to return and serve it.
Still, Coulson needed confirmation, "So why did S.H.I.E.L.D. classify Daisy as an 0-8-4?"
Charles began, "Daisy being an 0-8-4 has two reasons."
"Thank you," Coulson said, grateful.
Charles continued, "Katherine Shane, the agent who placed Daisy in foster care, used her level 8 clearance to set up a foster system where Daisy would be moved to a new family every few months."
"Because of this setup, Daisy's records became vague and mysterious, and according to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s classification, she was marked as an 0-8-4."
Coulson nodded, recognizing this from his own knowledge.
Charles then added, "There's another reason. Even as an infant, S.H.I.E.L.D. had already marked Daisy as an 0-8-4."
"Katherine Shane's team had, in fact, been tasked with retrieving Daisy as an 0-8-4 item. This classification is connected to her mother's supernatural bloodline."
"Supernatural abilities can be inherited," Coulson murmured.
Charles nodded.
While he had the answers he sought, Coulson's curiosity only deepened.
The information Charles provided was not only related to the supernatural world but involved internal S.H.I.E.L.D. matters, even specifics about level 8 clearance.
Did ninjas have prophetic ability, or did they possess some magical means of gathering information?
With lingering questions, Coulson stood and said, "Thank you for the information, Mr. Charles. I hope you'll look after Daisy."