After hearing the extra heartbeat, every muscle in Melinda May's body tensed. She swiftly rolled over, drew the pistol from her waist, and gripped it firmly, holding it out with a steady, flat aim.
She crouched low, scanning the surroundings with practiced caution, every nerve on high alert for any sign of immediate danger.
Coulson reacted just as quickly, drawing his own weapon and taking up a defensive stance behind her, back to back, ready for whatever threat lurked in the shadows.
"This room's off," Coulson murmured, his eyes darting across the darkened space, pistol raised and pointed forward.
"Yeah, I felt the same as soon as I stepped in," Melinda replied, her voice calm but carrying an edge of tension. Her eyes swept the room, narrowing with each passing second.
Years of experience as agents had taught them both how to assess threats quickly. If a third party had been hiding here before they arrived, they'd have detected them already. The only logical conclusion was that whoever was here had only just arrived.
But this room, so bare and exposed, was making them both uneasy. Whoever had managed to slip in unnoticed had done so with impressive skill. It didn't help that they couldn't figure out how he'd avoided detection—until now, every corner had been clear.
"This Mr. Meiwes isn't planning on just walking out and surrendering, is he?" Melinda muttered with a dry smile, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Or should we expect him to start shooting at us with an assault rifle?"
"Considering his speed, it's highly likely that our bullets won't even touch him," Coulson said, his tone serious. His body was rigid with tension as he surveyed the space, clearly not as optimistic as Melinda. "I don't like this."
"Well, how do you know unless you try?" Melinda replied, her voice cool, betraying none of the nerves that had begun to coil in her gut.
They had both made the leap that the unseen person must be Patch Meiwes. After all, they had watched the video footage. Meiwes was fast—fast enough to avoid detection and slip in without a sound. That kind of ability was nothing short of extraordinary.
But then, something felt off. In most movies or TV shows, the moment the agents draw their weapons, the villain is either too arrogant or too cocky to hold back. He'd either step out to face them or taunt them, maybe even open fire with reckless abandon. The situation didn't seem to follow the usual script at all.
Then, it happened. The heartbeat.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The heartbeat grew louder, faster, even during their brief exchange. It echoed like thunder in the room, reverberating through the floor and walls.
Coulson's eyes narrowed as the sound intensified. "May, this... this heartbeat... it's not normal."
"I know," Melinda replied in a low, measured tone. "There's no way a human heart should be beating that loud or that fast. The only time I've heard something like this is with a certain... green-skinned giant."
"The Hulk?" Coulson blurted, clearly stunned. He quickly shook his head, trying to make sense of it. "But that's—no, that can't be right. If it was him, we'd be in serious trouble."
Neither of them truly believed the Hulk was here, but the force behind the heartbeat sent a chill down their spines. Even if it wasn't the Hulk, they both knew they weren't dealing with a normal human being.
Melinda's sharp eyes flicked to the closet across the room. "Coulson, listen. The heartbeat... it's coming from there."
Coulson paused, closing his eyes for a moment to focus. He nodded slowly. "Got it. Let's move."
Without another word, they began to move silently toward the closet, their guns still raised, each step calculated and deliberate. The tension between them grew as they approached the potential source of the heartbeat. Whoever—or whatever—was hiding inside, they were about to find out.
As Melinda and Coulson neared the closet, Melinda assumed a stance. After a quick nod from Coulson, she swiftly delivered a powerful side kick to the closet door.
With a loud crack, the door split in two, collapsing to the floor.
Immediately, Melinda and Coulson exchanged a glance, their movements synchronized as they closed the distance and aimed their guns at the dark interior of the closet.
But what followed stunned them both.
The closet was empty. Not a soul in sight.
"What's going on?" Melinda asked, her expression a mix of confusion and disbelief. She was certain her instincts had been right.
"May, did you forget about Patch Meiwes's ability?" Coulson asked, his voice steady, but with a hint of concern.
Teleportation!
Melinda's eyes widened. She realized that Patch Meiwes had likely escaped using his ability.
However, the next sound they heard shattered her train of thought.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The low, rapid heartbeat echoed once again—but from inside the closet!
"Colson, be careful!" Melinda shouted, urgency rising in her voice.
At the sound of her warning, Coulson snapped to attention, his focus razor-sharp. He quickly raised his pistol, aiming it toward the closet as he crouched down.
They moved toward the closet again, but inside... still nothing.
"This is so weird," Melinda muttered under her breath, her vigilance unwavering as her eyes swept every corner of the closet.
"What did you just say, Mei?" Coulson asked, not quite catching her words.
"Colson, don't talk," she replied, her voice low but firm.
Melinda crouched and tilted her head, inspecting the bottom corner of the closet with intense focus.
"Huh?" she suddenly said, her eyes narrowing as she spotted something. She reached into the corner, her hand disappearing inside.
"Mei, what are you doing?" Coulson asked, his voice laced with concern. He moved forward, prepared to stop her if she was in danger.
But before he could intervene, he froze in shock.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A dark, ancient jar appeared in Melinda's hands, and inside it, the same pounding heartbeat filled the air.
Coulson's expression froze, his mouth half-open in disbelief. "My God… how is this possible?"
He quickly squatted down beside her, his eyes locking onto the jar in Melinda's hands.
The jar was made of aged, black pottery, its surface matte and dull. A strange piece of paper, covered in symbols, was sealed on top. It looked eerily similar to the brownish-yellow paper they had seen on their desk not long ago.
"Nothing is impossible, Coulson. Haven't we seen our fair share of strange things at S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Melinda said after taking a deep breath, her gaze fixed on the black clay pot.
Coulson relaxed slightly at her words, though skepticism still lingered on his face.
He looked at her, curiosity piqued. "May… should we open it?"
"Yeah," Melinda nodded, her voice steady.
She, too, was eager to see what was inside. Could it really be… a person's heart, like they'd heard?
"Coulson, get ready. I'm going to open it now." Melinda gave him a heads-up before placing her hand over the paper sealing the jar.
Coulson, ever cautious, crouched down slightly, pointing his gun at the jar as he stood at the ready.
Melinda glanced at him, then without a second thought, tore away the paper.
"Boom!" "Boom!"
The explosion they expected never came. Instead, both of them froze in surprise at the sight inside the jar.
There, floating in the dark liquid, was a heart—alive, beating, its rhythmic pulse audible. The veins and blood vessels were visible, twisting beneath the surface.
But it wasn't just any heart. The shock wasn't just from its strange presence—it was the color. The heart was blue. Deep, oceanic blue.
"Who… who moved my heart?" a voice echoed from nowhere, chilling the air around them.