Plot

Ward's betrayal and HYDRA's shocking secrets are revealed as Coulson's team goes undercover on a mission that leaves no one unscathed.

The episode opens with a flashback to Ward (Brett Dalton) in a juvenile penitentiary in Massachusetts. He is visited by Garrett (Bill Paxton). They talk and it is revealed that he stole a car and drove home from his military school and then set his house on fire with his older brother inside. His family is pressing charges and his brother is pushing to have him tried as an adult. Garrett makes a vague offer to bring Ward into a secret organization and teach him to be a man. It takes some pushing, but Ward finally says yes and S.H.I.E.L.D. agents immediately burst in the room and keep everyone at gunpoint while Garrett and Ward leave. In the present, Coulson's (Clark Gregg) team is watching a news report about Deathlok (J. August Richards) killing a drug lord in Bogota. Coulson calls a meeting. He's realized that the connection to everything they've been through is Cybertek. Garrett has been developing the Centipede serum and wants GH 325 as the final ingredient. Skye (Chloe Bennet) has developed a way to hack Cybertek's system, but they need to get to one of their computers first. Deathlok returns to the Bus and meets with Garrett and Ward. As a reward for a job well done, Garrett allows video of Petersen's son to be streamed to him. Ward seems to question what Garrett has done to Deathlok.

Coulson says the team is going to a Cybertek office in Paulo Alto. Fitz (Iain De Caestecker) isn't so sure that Ward is entirely evil, but Skye says he is. Triplett (B.J. Britt) shows up with a trunk full of his grandfather's old spy gear. Coulson starts geeking out over it. Fitz accidently sets the curtains on fire with a laser disguised as a cigarette.

In another flashback, Ward is questioning how he and Garrett won't be caught. Garrett tells Ward that won't be a problem. Garrett tells Ward that he has to hunt his own food and shelter and leaves him out in the wilderness with nothing but some clothes and a dog, saying he'll be back in a couple of months. In the present, Coulson and May are posing as scientist (in Fitz and Simmons' clothes) to get inside Cybertek. Meanwhile, Skye is using the old spy gadgets to scan for information. She finds something suspicious on the heavily guarded fourth floor. May (Ming-Na Wen) and Coulson take out security and make their way there. May takes out another guard before he can sound the alarm. They find the data room and realize everything is in hard copies rather than digital.

On the Bus, Deathlok talks to Raina (Ruth Negga). He blames her for turning over his son, but she says she was just following orders. Deathlok asks why she's here and she says she's here for people with gifts and that she's waiting for what's inside to be revealed. She says she believes that she and Skye have something in common on the inside.

At Cybertek, May and Coulson discover a Deathlok file from 1990 revealing that Garrett was the first Deathlok. They hear security coming and throw the file cabinet out the window then leave the same way. Another flashback of Ward huddled and shivering in the rain.

In the present, Ward is arguing with Garrett about letting Deathlok possibly kill him to get the drive. Garrett calls him weak and then doubles over in pain. Ward rushes him to the medical area to stabilize him.

Coulson and his team are studying the Deathlok file, which says Garrett was patient zero. Skye puts together that Garrett wants GH 325 not just for Centipede, but to help stabilize his own body.

On the Bus, Ward has rebooted Garrett. Garrett tells him that its been happening more and more often and that his organs are failing. He has a month or two to live.

May goes inside to talk to Skye alone. Skye asks May if she thinks Ward is being controlled, and May says absolutely not. Skye calls her a Zen warrior who feels nothing, but May says she's furious and building up rage to use on Ward. Coulson comes in and says they've gotten a lead in Cuba.

In Cuba, Ian Quinn (David Conrad) is getting a haircut at Hydra's secret base. Garrett and Ward show up. Garrett plans on making Quinn the face of their new business. Ward gets a message from Raina and goes to see her. Raina tells Ward that she now realizes that Garrett doesn't share her interest in special people. She tells Ward that Skye's DNA matches someone she heard about a long time ago. A province in China was torn apart by monsters looking for a baby girl. The monsters were the girl's parents.

In another flashback, Garrett returns to find Ward's camp where he's set up shelter and killed animals for food. Ward puts a shotgun to Garretts head. It's been six months. Ward said he survived by raiding cabins and taking tools and a tent. Garrett tells him he's proud of Ward and then puts a gun to him. Garrett shoots out several items around him to begin target practice.

In the present, Garrett tells Ward that Raina unnerved him. Garret asks what she wanted earlier and Ward lies and says she questioned his moving their lab. Raina gives Garrett a vial of a near complete recreation of GH 325, the only one in the world.

Triplett and Fitz are gearing up with Trip's grandfather's old stuff. Coulson explains the plan to the team and they move out. At the barber shop, they find nothing. Skye is still picking up a lot of voltage. Fitz and Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge) find the Bus but its being loaded up to leave. Skye reminds them that they have her program and can put it in a computer in the barber shop to track them. Meanwhile, Fitz and Simmons decide to put a dwarf on the Bus to track them, but Ward finds them.

In a flashback, an older Ward is talking to Garrett about their dog, which then leads to a discussion of Garret's mechanical parts. Garrett explains that he was left behind after being wounded by an IED and realized that S.H.I.E.L.D. didnt care about him. That's when he decided to defect to Hydra.

Ward brings Fitz and Simmons on board. Garrett tries to speed up the launch, but Fitz hits the EMP he took from Trip's pack, shutting down all electronics including Garrett's cybernetic parts.

On the Bus, Ward is trying to save Garrett from dying. Ward tells Raina to call Cybertek for help. Fitz tells Ward he should let him die so he doesnt need to take order anymore. Ward tells his men to take Fitz away. In a flashback, Garrett tells Ward that hes been accepting by S.H.I.E.L.D. Ward is grateful, but Garrett tells him he can't get attached to anyone if he's going to work as a mole for Hydra. He tells him to kill Buddy, the dog, and then they can leave. Ward hesitates and Garrett asks "That's not a weakness, is it?" Ward says no.

In the present, Garrett tells Ward to kill Fitz and Simmons. Ward hesitates and Garrett again asks if thats a weakness. Ward says no.

Raina begins working on Garrett. She discovers he's been running on Centipede. It's failing him now because he's too far gone. Garrett tells Raina to inject him with the synthesized GH 325.

Fitz and Simmons make a run for it and Ward catches them. They lock themselves behind the armored door. Fitz says he still believes Ward is good.

In a flashback, Ward is seen shooting into the air so that Buddy runs away.

In the present, Fitz and Simmons refuse to open the door. An image of Buddy in a crosshair flashes by and Ward admits that he cares about them and that's a weakness. He ejects the sealed chamber, with Fitz and Simmons inside it, out of the plane and into the ocean.

Raina injects Garrett with the synthesized GH 325. Ward returns and tells Garrett the job is done. Garrett begins convulsing. He glows red and then stabilizes. Ward asks him how he's feeling. Garrett says the universe.

Coulson, May, Skye and Trip are still searching the barber ship and find a secret door. They come upon several Centipede soldiers.

In Washington D.C., Ian Quinn is meeting with army and navy military leaders. Hes using Deathlok's actions in Bogota as an example of what Cyberteks Deathlok program can do, though he calls them super-soldiers. He cites the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the rise of Hydra as proof of the need for new soldiers and offers to give the leaders a tour of their new super-soldier facility.