- "When the Three arrive, they'll need bodies to inhabit."
"All I hear you talk about is how weak we are. But you want what we have."
"And I will have it without your weakness. You've seen it with your own eyes; our wounds will heal, our bones will mend. You won't be in pain much longer." - ―Izel and Yo-Yo Rodriguez[src]
The Battle at the Temple of the Forgotten was a mission undertaken by S.H.I.E.L.D. in order to stop Izel and Sarge from unleashing the forces of the Fear Dimension on Earth.
Background[]
As part of the worship of the entity Izel, a temple was built in Yucatán, using the same material that composed the Di'Allas. Although it was never used, the temple could be used as a gateway between Izel's realm and the Earthly Plane. Over the centuries, the temple was abandoned and lost in history, while the worship of Izel entirely disappeared and she was no longer heard of.
However, in 2019, Izel tracked down the Di'Allas that she had lost on Earth, and sent her Shrike to herald her arrival on the planet, being hunted down by Sarge and his squad in the process. Following a successful infiltration of S.H.I.E.L.D. during which she attempted to awaken Pachakutiq's personality within Sarge, Izel was able to force S.H.I.E.L.D. scientist Marcus Benson to disclose the location of the Temple of the Forgotten which he had rediscovered during his research.[3]
Battle[]
Having found the Temple of the Forgotten, Izel tied up Alphonso Mackenzie and Yo-Yo Rodriguez, who she had abducted from S.H.I.E.L.D., to a pillar. She then exposed them to the energy of the Di'Allas contained in the Gravity Containment Device, causing the appearance of a recreation of the Inhuman Flint.[3] As Flint attempted to use his geokinesis powers against her, Izel figured out that she could use this ability to rebuild the Di'Allas using the energy in the device and the stone material of the temple, and thus possessed him to achieve her goals.
Quake, Melinda May and Sarge arrive at the Temple of the Forgotten
With the monoliths having been recreated, Izel enacted the final phase of her plan: summoning an army of Shrike which were meant to bring a large number of hosts to the Temple, waiting to be possessed by Izel's kind once the portal to the Fear Dimension would have been opened. This swarm of Shrike hosts clashed with a team sent to the temple by S.H.I.E.L.D. comprised of Quake and Melinda May, assisted by Sarge, who still desired revenge on Izel. Although they were able to take down many hosts, Quake decided to split from the group to create a diversion, attracting the hosts towards her so that May and Sarge could enter the temple.
Deke Shaw saving Yo-Yo Rodriguez, Alphonso Mackenzie and Flint
Meanwhile, in the temple, Izel broke lint's leg to prevent him and her other two captives from escaping. However, they received the unexpected assistance of Deke Shaw, who had transported inside the temple with his ShawDrive and provided them with Sonic Barrier Cuffs, thus enabling them to avoid being controlled by Izel. Thanks to Shaw, Rodriguez was able to momentarily take down Izel, allowing her and Mackenzie to escape from the temple with Flint. Barely affected by this setback, Izel began singing her song that activated the Di'Allas, opening the gateway to the Fear Dimension.
Sarge fatally stabs Melinda May
With the Shrike hosts having been mostly dealt with, May and Sarge were able to arrive in the portal's room and confront Izel. However, Sarge turned out to be unable to strike Izel with his sword. Indeed, his original personality buried deep within his consciousness prevented him from doing so, which enabled Izel to manipulate him and cause his personality as Pachakutiq to resurface for good. As a result, Pachakutiq stabbed May with the sword instead before sending her through the portal.[4] The act was witnessed by S.H.I.E.L.D. agents Leo Fitz and Jemma Simmons at the Lighthouse thanks to a camera planted by Shaw, and they relayed the shocking news to their colleagues on the field.
Melinda May battling with Izel
In the Fear Dimension, May found out that she was not dead, and was able to take down The First, The Second and The Third before they could achieve the opening of the door that would unleash all the forces of their realm on Earth. She was confronted by Izel, who engaged in a ferocious fight against May. Eventually, Izel was defeated, but she was still able to finish activating the door before returning to the Earthly Plane.
Alphonso Mackenzie is brutal beaten by Pachakutiq
Meanwhile, Pachakutiq was confronted by Quake, Mackenzie and Rodriguez, while Shaw also returned to the temple to repel the remaining Shrike hosts. Pachakutiq was able to single-handedly hold his own against the three S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, as he was mostly unaffected by Quake's powers, forcing Mackenzie to go into a brutal fist fight against the entity, while Rodriguez suffered from her infection by a Shrike. Although Mackenzie resisted, he was no match for Pachakutiq and was defeated.
Sarge is killed by Alphonso Mackenzie
While Mackenzie tried to help Rodriguez, who began attacking him due to losing control of her body to the Shrike infecting her. Quake confronted Pachakutiq again, even though she knew her chances against him were thin. She was approached from behind by Izel, who prepared to kill her, but Izel had actually been followed by May, who slayed her with Sarge's sword. She then tossed the sword to Mackenzie, now free to move since the Shrike in Rodriguez had died, and, while Pachakutiq was distracted by Quake, Mackenzie struck him with the sword, killing him as well and sealing S.H.I.E.L.D.'s victory.[5]
Aftermath[]
Melinda May in a Healing Pod
- "Isn't it a bad idea to leave those behind?"
"They'll be gone soon enough." - ―Alphonso Mackenzie and Jemma Simmons[src]
With both Izel and Pachakutiq having been killed, the entire race of the Shrike was exterminated and the portal between Earth and the Fear Dimension was shut down, thus permanently ending the threat of an invasion.[5] Although she had been grievously wounded, Melinda May survived the battle, and was placed into a Healing Pod by a team led by Jemma Simmons and comprised of the future counterparts of the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who had returned after a long conflict against the Chronicom Hunters.
Chronicom warship attempting to destroy the Zephyr One
Before departing the temple, Jemma Simmons had her team sample a fragment of the Time Di'Alla she and Leo Fitz would later use to gain time to achieve the designs that would help them to victory against the Chronicom Hunters. The other Di'Allas were left in the Temple of the Forgotten, and were soon buried under a massive pile of rubble after the temple was destroyed by Ionizer Missiles sent by a warship commanded by Sibyl in an attempt to destroy the Zephyr One, which teleported away before being hit by the missiles.[6]