- "Did we just...?"
"Yeah. We did."
"We caught Hive." - ―Alphonso Mackenzie, Melinda May, and Lincoln Campbell[src]
The Battle at the Pacific Missile Silo was a successful attempt by S.H.I.E.L.D. to sabotage Hive's plan to transform all humans into Inhumans.
Background[]
- "Hive could potentially infect a significant percentage of the human race, turning them all into the swayed Primitive Inhumans that Daisy described."
"If and only if he finds a way to disperse it high enough in the atmosphere."
"He has a way. That thing he stole from the ATCU in Indiana. It was a warhead. A fully operational warhead." - ―Leo Fitz, Jemma Simmons, and Glenn Talbot[src]
The ancient Inhuman Hive, once exiled to Maveth centuries ago because of his powers, survived on the forsaken planet thanks to the ancestral cult having taken the name of HYDRA. Hive eventually returned to Earth, where he joined forces with Gideon Malick.[3]
Hive's followers take over the missile silo
Ultimately getting rid of his ally, Hive enlisted the assistance of Holden Radcliffe, who was forced to design the Absolution Virus. Hive intended to unleash this virus on Earth, turning most of its inhabitants in Primitives. After stealing a nuclear warhead from an ATCU facility in Indiana[4], Hive led his followers to a missile silo in the Pacific Ocean, where they captured the staff and got ready to launch their missile loaded with the Absolution Virus.[5]
Battle[]
- "Escort Dr. Radcliffe to the missile silo while I show S.H.I.E.L.D. something they haven't seen from me yet. Rage."
- ―Hive[src]
Melinda May flied a Quinjet beneath the surface of the ocean to approach the island undetected. Once close enough to the shore, the Quinjet emerged and landed on the island. May, Alphonso Mackenzie, Lincoln Campbell and Yo-Yo Rodriguez got out of the Quinjet and prepared to storm the missile silo. Once in the building, the team split up: Mackenzie and Rodriguez installed a Theta Brain-Wave Frequency Machine intended to stop Hive while Campbell and May would get an uplink with S.H.I.E.L.D. so they could stop the missile launch thanks to a kill code.
Hive orders Holden Radcliffe to resume the launch
May and Campbell successfully established the uplink functioning, also accessing security feeds in the process. Meanwhile, Leo Fitz, Phil Coulson and Glenn Talbot managed to get a kill code from the Department of Defense. Thanks to their combined efforts, the missile launch was averted just in time, preventing Hive from spreading the Absolution Virus on Earth. Infuriated with the failure, Hive ordered Holden Radcliffe to find a solution while he went to kill the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent.
Hive painfully experiences the Theta Brain-Wave Frequency Machine
Hive found Campbell and taunted him by mentioning the connection he had with Daisy Johnson, something Campbell could never achieve despite the strength of his feelings for her. Campbell, knowing that Hive was too dangerous for him alone to take him down, ran away to Rodriguez and Mackenzie. They managed to complete the setting of the Theta Brain-Wave Machine and activated it as Hive was moving forward to them. Their plan worked and Hive's mind was overrun with the memories of all his hosts, temporarily incapacitating him and enabling the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to escape.
Hive was found by Hellfire and R. Giyera, who were shocked to see their leader in such a disturbed condition. Nevertheless, Hive managed to partly recover his mind and ordered his followers to disconnect the warhead from the missile.
Holden Radcliffe tries to resume the missile launch
May made her way to the missile silo where Radcliffe was trying to resume the missile launch under the guard of Primitives. With the assistance of Radcliffe, May took down the Primitives and Radcliffe begged her to take him with her, which May accepted. However, May was unable to stop Giyera from taking the warhead.
Hive is captured in a Suspension Gel chamber
Meanwhile, Rodriguez released the staff who was being held hostage. Everybody got out of the building but Hive caught up on them and intended to attack them. However, Rodriguez used her super-speed to lock Hive in a Suspension Gel chamber. Thus, S.H.I.E.L.D. successfully captured his lethal enemy.[5]
Aftermath[]
- "It's not safe. If he got out, he..."
"He's not getting out."
"He can't be contained. He has to be destroyed." - ―Daisy Johnson and Alphonso Mackenzie[src]
Though theoretically a decisive victory for S.H.I.E.L.D., the capture of Hive forced S.H.I.E.L.D. to bring one of the most dangerous enemies they ever had to face in their very base, albeit incapacitated in a Suspension Gel. Taking advantage of this situation, Hellfire and R. Giyera would later smuggle equipment containing the Absolution Virus inside the Playground. Upon being released, the Virus turned many S.H.I.E.L.D. agents into Primitives who freed Hive, putting S.H.I.E.L.D. in a highly dangerous and vulnerable situation as they were being attacked in their own base by a deadly Inhuman and his brutal followers who perfectly knew the place.[5]