Centipede Project

"Their technology keeps advancing at a disturbingly rapid pace. They must have endless manpower, resources." "And someone with a fat wallet."

- Phil Coulson and Skye

The "Centipede Group", or "Centipede" is the name given to the unknown agency behind the Centipede process.

History
"What kind of organization are we dealing with?" "International, well-financed and interested in creating a Super-Soldier."

- Grant Ward and Phil Coulson

Nothing is known of this group's history or their ultimate goals. Part of their agenda seems to be in creating super-powered soldiers for their cause.

Four years ago, they aquired captive S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Akela Amador from the international criminal Vanchat, who was holding her captive after she led a botched raid on one of Vanchat's gulags.

The group installed a bionic eye in Amadore through which they controlled her. They would give her assignments through the eye and insured her loyalty by way of a kill switch that they would activate at the first sign of treachery or capture.

These eye-devices are how they ensure the loyalty of all of their operatives. Akela Amadore's handler, a former MI-6 officer, and their enhanced soldiers had these eyes installed.

Los Angeles
"You exposed me! You exposed the program. The people who gave me this technology are very serious, and they do not want to be revealed."

- Debbie to Michael Peterson

They first came to the attention of S.H.I.E.L.D. in Los Angeles, where agent Phil Coulson and his team were investigating the case of Michael Peterson, a man who had received super-powers from a Group doctor named Debbie. Debbie had administered the Centipede serum through a Centipede-styled device to Peterson and another test-subject.

When that other test subject exploded due to Centipede's use of the unstable Extremis process, Peterson saved Debbie from the destruction of the lab. Rather than thank him, Debbie told him to disappear rather than compromise the secrecy of the project.

When Peterson seemed also on the verge of destabilizing, Debbie dispatched an assassin to ensure his silence. The assassin was stopped by S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Melinda May and Peterson taken off the grid by S.H.I.E.L.D., who managed to stabilize the Extremis reaction.

Stockholm and Belarus
"Who were they?" "Don't know. Even to this day. But they were organized."

- Phil Coulson and Akela Amador

Soon after, Centipede sent Akela Amadore on a series of diamond thefts in order to reach the $30 million asking price for a prox card that would allow access to a research facility in Zloda, Belarus. Amadore was an old protégé of Phil Coulson, and when Coulson heard about the crimes, he suspected Amadore and requested the assignment. Coulson and his team tracked Amadore from Sweden to Belarus and was able to take her into custody without her handler realizing.

Coulson's Team managed to isolate the signal to the eye, which allowed agent Grant Ward to carry out Amadore's mission, while Jemma Simmons and Leo Fitz performed occular surgery on Amadore to remove the prosthetic eye.

Ward successfully completed Amadore's mission by infiltrating the research facility and observing and transmitting an equation written on a chalk board back to Centipede. The higher-ups at S.H.I.E.L.D. have been unable to determine the exact meaning of the equation, but some believe it to be alien in nature. It is unknown what Centipede's interest in this equation is.

Coulson and his team were unaware of the connection to Centipede at this time.

Hong Kong
"We didn't cut off the head of the Centipede. Whoever sponsored that little experiment is still out there."

- Phil Coulson to Skye.

They again came to the attention of S.H.I.E.L.D. when "Index" registered pyro-kinetic Chan Ho Yin was kidnapped from his Hong Kong apartment by a woman named Raina, who worked for the Group. Chan was brought to a nearby lab where Debbie managed to harvest the fire-resistant platelets in Chan's blood. The platelets allowed the Extremis element of the Centipede process to be stabilized without the explosive after-effects. Having gotten what they needed from him, Debbie ordered Chan be drained, killing him.

But before that could happen, Chan was released by a S.H.I.E.L.D. extraction team led by Phil Coulson and agent Kwan Chen. Unfortunately, Chan (Now going by the name "Scorch"), was tired of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s interference in his life, and killed Kwan. Chan then confronted Debbie and Raina. Raina abandoned Debbie, leaving her to be incinerated by Chan. Raina escaped, but the lab was destroyed when Chan detonated from an Extremis over-dose.

Before the destruction of the lab, S.H.I.E.L.D. consultant Skye managed to extract a few files from the building's mainframe, hopefully enough to give S.H.I.E.L.D some new leads on their activities.



Havenworth
"We would like you to touch base with The Clairvoyant. See if any insights can given... on Stage Three" "The Clairvoyant doesn't like to be touched." "We all have to do things that make us uncomfortable, if we are ever to get our toy soldiers off the shelf."

- Raina and Edison Po

Raina was next seen at the Havenworth Federal Penitentiary speaking to a prisoner named Edison Po. Raina informed Po that with the stablization of the Centipede serum, "Stage One" of the project had been completed, and that they were moving into "Stage Two". She also passed along the request of the Group's unknown leaders that Po contact a mysterious individual known as "The Clairvoyant" for any insights he might have as to "Stage Three".

Oakland
"It's time to go." "'sir'." "Excuse me?" "'It's time to go, sir."

- Brian Hayward and Edison Po

Po was soon broken out of the facility by a squadron of Centipede powered soldiers. They took him to the new Centipede lab in Oakland California, where Raina updated him on the project's status. Po determined that Coulson's team presented a threat that needed to be taken care of. To this end, he set a trap for Coulson and his team with three Centipede-powered soldiers laying in wait.

However, unknown to Po, Coulson had recruited the Centipede-powered Michael Peterson to join his team. Peterson's presence turned the tide against the Centipede soldiers, but it also gave Po and Raina the inspiration for a plan of action.

Po had previously contacted the Clairvoyant, who claimed that he had trouble seeing the man that Centipede needed, the man who held the key the "Phase Three", and his weaknesses. After seeing Coulson and Peterson, Po realized that the man that the Clairvoyant couldn't see, the man who held the key to "Stage Three", was actually S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Phil Coulson.

Raina kidnapped Michael's son Ace and threatened to have him killed if Peterson didn't obey her instructions. Believing that Centipede wanted to exchange Peterson for his son, Coulson accompanied Peterson to the exchange. Seeing no other way to save his son, Peterson betrayed Coulson to Raina. After seeing to his son's safety, Peterson tried to make up for his actions by returning to rescue Coulson, but he was seemingly killed in an explosion.

Raina escaped the scene with Coulson by way of helicopter. Upon leaving the scene, Raina explained to Coulson that their true interest was in the nature of Coulson's mysterious revival after his "death" before The Battle of New York, as this is seemingly the key to "Stage Three" of the Group's unknown plans.

Technologies
"Who has tech like this?" "We don't. Not like this. Not this small and internal. That's at least a decade ahead of anything I've seen."

- Phil Coulson and Leo Fitz

The Centipede Group is known to use several advanced technologies.


 * Centipede Serum/Device-- Delivered with a Centipede-styled blood filter made of alien metals, the Centipede serum combines elements of the Super Soldier Serum, Extremis and Gamma radiation. The serum bestows super-strength, durability and regenerative powers to the user. The device cannot be removed without killing the user.


 * Backscatter X-Ray Eye Implant-- Installed into all Centipede assets, the Backscatter X-Ray Eye Implant grants the user the ability to see through solid objects. The eye is also a means of communication and control. Orders and instructions are sent directly to the user through the eye. Everything the user sees is seen by their handler, who can throw a kill-switch at an instant's notice if the user is captured or goes rogue.

Known Members

 * Vanchat
 * Debbie †
 * Raina
 * Edison Po
 * Brian Hayward †
 * Akela Amador (Participated under coercion)
 * Michael Peterson  (Former test-subject)
 * Chan Ho Yin (test subject) †