The Battle at Calvin Zabo's Building was a three-sided conflict between S.H.I.E.L.D., HYDRA, and a faction of Inhumans led by Calvin Zabo.
Background
- "Johnson...Is that your last name?"
"Was. Pretty ordinary, huh? I changed it to something more sinister when I went on the run." - ―Skye and Calvin Zabo[src]
Calvin Johnson worked in Milwaukee, Wisconsin as a doctor. Eventually, he left the practice and went to China on an assignment for Doctors Without Borders; there, he met a woman named Jiaying, who helped him with his poor Chinese, and together they had a daughter they named Daisy.
Jiaying and the elders of her village were kidnapped by HYDRA and brought to Austria where Werner Reinhardt ultimately killed her. Johnson pursued the operatives in search of his wife; he found her dissected. However, Johnson knew that she was an Inhuman; putting Jiaying back together, Johnson witnessed as her life -absorption powers helped heal her wounds.
Johnson and Jiaying then learned that their daughter was gone. Calvin Johnson changed his name to Calvin Zabo, as he created a formula to endow him with super-strength while he and his wife searched for Daisy. Zabo never returned to his practice.
Years later, Zabo was reunited with his daughter who now called herself Skye. Zabo wished to show her his past so he took her to see the building.
Meanwhile, HYDRA scientist Doctor List was researching a phenomenon called Quantum Entanglement; it occurred whenever the Inhuman Gordon would use his teleportation power. List would capture people who were in the vicinity of the Entanglement, and experiment on them, but he was unable to find its originator. Gordon teleported Skye and Zabo to Milwaukee; List traced the Entanglement to Calvin Zabo's Building.
Jiaying asked Lincoln Campbell to tail the father and daughter, to assure the safety of Skye; Zabo was not mentally stable.[4]
Sunil Bakshi was kidnapped and brainwashed by Grant Ward and Kara Palamas.[5]
S.H.I.E.L.D. director Phil Coulson was in pursuit of Doctor List; he recruited Deathlok to apprehend him. To get closer to HYDRA, Coulson recruited Ward, who had Palamas accompany him. The group created a plan to use the thralled Bakshi to infiltrate HYDRA, get close to List, and set up List's capture. They followed him to Calvin Zabo's building.[4]
Battle
- "Fan out! If the teleporter is here, we want him alive."
- ―Sunil Bakshi to his HYDRA operatives[src]
Sunil Bakshi leads a HYDRA team
Calvin Zabo gave Skye a tour of his building and showed her the operating kit he had used to sew Jiaying back together. They were interrupted by a noise in the building. Zabo grabbed a knife and they went to investigate but found it was Lincoln Campbell, who had been sent by Jiaying to watch over Skye. Zabo became angry that Jiaying did not trust him with his own daughter and that he was no longer welcome in Afterlife. Campbell tried to keep Skye away and Zabo slammed him against the wall.
Sunil Bakshi, Deathlok and a team of HYDRA agents arrived and attacked. Campbell used his electrical powers to subdue the first agent and Zabo killed three more. Campbell ordered Skye to run as her powers could destroy the building. Deathlok spotted Skye but Campbell used his powers to lift him off the ground but he was unable to hold him for long due to his cybernetic implants.
Lincoln Campbell battles Deathlok
Phil Coulson, Grant Ward, Lance Hunter, Leo Fitz and Agent 33 landed on the roof in a Quinjet and headed into the building. Coulson and Ward headed to find Skye while Hunter and Agent 33 engaged the HYDRA agents. Hunter was shot in the side by one of the agents before he was killed by Agent 33. Coulson and Ward came upon Deathlok and Campbell, who were still fighting. Deathlok scanned for Skye and Coulson and Ward headed in her direction as Bakshi entered the hall with two agents. Bakshi ordered the agents to take them both and one fired a Pulse Grenade that knocked them both out.
Coulson and Ward found Skye but Gordon appeared to teleport Skye back to Afterlife. Zabo entered the teleportation field and was transported as well. A HYDRA agent took aim at Coulson but was shot in the back by Ward. With Hunter injured and HYDRA outnumbering them, Coulson ordered his team to evacuate while he stayed behind and surrendered to Bobbi Morse and Alphonso Mackenzie.[4]
Aftermath
- "Take me to your leader."
- ―Phil Coulson[src]
Lincoln Campbell was left behind and was captured by HYDRA. Deathlok was also captured. Phil Coulson surrendered to Robert Gonzales's S.H.I.E.L.D. faction in hopes to reunify S.H.I.E.L.D. against HYDRA and to end the S.H.I.E.L.D. Civil War.[4] The reunified S.H.I.E.L.D. mounted the Attack on the Arctic HYDRA Research Facility to rescue Campbell and Deathlok.[6]