- "It's time HYDRA learned once and for all I'm not interested. I'm not afraid. I'm pissed off. And every HYDRA agent they send is going to feel it."
- ―Donnie Gill[src]
The Battle on the Maribel del Mar was an attempt by both S.H.I.E.L.D. and HYDRA to recruit Donnie Gill.
Background
- "Maribel del Mar. Anchored in the Port of Casablanca. It's a privately owned cargo ship. Supposed to cast off this morning but didn't. It's frozen in ice."
- ―Melinda May[src]
Donnie Gill discovered from the phone of the HYDRA agent who was assigned to recapture him that he was intended to be taken to the Maribel del Mar, that was harbored in Casablanca. In order to directly confront HYDRA, Gill traveled to Casablanca, located the ship, and froze the water surrounding the craft to avoid its departure.
By freezing the ship, Gill alerted both HYDRA and S.H.I.E.L.D. to his location. Phil Coulson relayed to his agents all of the intelligence he had on Gill, including his participation in the Battle at the Sandbox. Leo Fitz questioned Coulson's source; though it was Jemma Simmons, undercover, Coulson did not reveal it.
Meanwhile, Sunil Bakshi ordered Simmons to accompany him in capturing Gill since the two had a history that was printed in the The Daily Cadet.[1]
Battle
Blizzard kills the ship's captain
- "What about the primary target?"
"If we can't take him in, we take him out. Do you copy?" - ―Lance Hunter and Phil Coulson[src]
Donnie Gill confronted the captain of the Maribel del Mar, who warned him that he had no idea what he was doing, and that HYDRA would always find him. Angry and frustrated, Gill told him he just wanted to be left alone, but as HYDRA would never stop pursuing him, he decided to stop hiding and confront them, to show them that he was not either interested or afraid, he was just pissed off. Gill grabbed the ship's captain by the neck and froze his entire body, swearing that every HYDRA operative sent after him would feel his rage.
Meanwhile, a HYDRA team led by Sunil Bakshi arrived at Casablanca, boarding the Maribel del Mar with Jemma Simmons, trying to use her to recruit Gill. Bakshi gave Simmons an earpiece to communicate, saying that he would be guiding her in case of trouble. Simmons asked what would happen if Gill did not respond well and attacked her; Bakshi coldly replied there would be a job opening at HYDRA Laboratories.
Undercover S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Jemma Simmons
Inside the ship, Simmons called for Gill, seeing the frozen corpses of the crew members of the freighter, and as Gill appeared in front of her, he instantly recognized her, being surprised to see her. However, Gill quickly asked who had sent her, S.H.I.E.L.D. or HYDRA, wondering what side she had chosen after the HYDRA Uprising. Simmons answered that she was on his side.
Through her earpiece, Bakshi instructed Simmons to get close to him and convince him that she just wanted to help. Simmons said that she heard he was in trouble, and wanted to help him, just like she did when she saved his life.
A S.H.I.E.L.D. field team consisting of Melinda May, Skye and Lance Hunter arrived, parachute jumping over the ship, and May killed two of the HYDRA operatives sent to capture Gill on the deck, informing Phil Coulson, who was coordinating their mission from the Bus, that HYDRA had already arrived. Coulson said that he hoped they could arrive before HYDRA, but this outcome was not totally unexpected, so he ordered them to proceed and keep him briefed. Hunter asked Skye to cover the doors. She did not accept his orders, but she immediately accepted May's, who ordered her to protect their exit route.
Simmons continued to gain Gill's trust, saying how Leo Fitz often talked about him, having been impressed with the different blueprints he saw in Gill's room, and acknowledging the fact that Fitz was very hard to impress. Bakshi guided Simmons, ordering her to get Gill to trust her; Simmons compared Gill to Fitz, knowing he was a person he admired, saying all of them were scientists.
Gill said that many things had changed, but Simmons did not believe him, as their minds need to be used. That reference annoyed Gill, who angrily said he was tired of being used. Bakshi told Simmons not to let GIll get angry, and prompted her to repeat his words, reciting the trigger phrase for the Faustus method used to brainwash Gill.
Coulson contacted Hunter and May to learn about the situation inside the ship once he was informed by Leo Fitz and Alphonso Mackenzie from the Playground about HYDRA's intentions of re-trigger Gill's brainwashing process that was first activated while he was at the Sandbox.
Hunter informed that Gill was talking to Simmons, whom he believed to be a HYDRA operative instead of an undercover S.H.I.E.L.D. agent; Coulson ordered him to end their conversation. However, as Hunter was about to kill Simmons, May shot Hunter in the shoulder.
The noise and distraction freed Gill from his trance, just as his brainwashing was about to be re-triggered, and he attacked Simmons, who managed to escape thanks to May's cover. Gill pursued Simmons while Hunter informed Coulson that May shot him. Antoine Triplett regretted not having to be able to shoot Hunter himself. May informed Coulson that Simmons was on the ship with HYDRA, ordering them to maintain her cover.
Triplett, surprised, asked Coulson if Simmons was his source inside HYDRA, but Coulson informed how to proceed with Gill, that in case they could not retrieve him, he needed to be killed.
Simmons went to where Bakshi and the tactical team were waiting and apologized for not being able to convince Gill. Bakshi was not worried as what Simmons did would help them in any case. As Gill approached, Bakshi revealed himself, greeting him, and started reciting the trigger phrase to a visibly scared Gill, who begged him to stop.
Despite Gill's efforts to resist, Bakshi successfully retrieved his brainwash and ordered him to stop their pursuers. Dazed, Simmons asked what had happened; Bakshi said that thanks to Simmons' efforts, now Gill was a member of HYDRA again. Following Bakshi's orders, Gill froze the door of the ship, trapping May and Hunter, and started to freeze the entire ship to kill them.
Donnie Gill sinking
May and Hunter tried to escape from the ship but found the door was locked, and the entire hallway was beginning to freeze. To save her teammates, Skye was forced to shoot Gill, who fell to the ocean, where his body began to be covered by a thick layer of ice as he sank. In order to maintain Simmons' cover, Skye shot at the deck of the ship while Simmons pushed Bakshi from Skye's sight, in order to gain his trust. Seeing they were under fire, Bakshi ordered his agents to leave the ship.[1]
Aftermath
Daniel Whitehall and Sunil Bakshi discuss S.H.I.E.L.D.'s interference
- "S.H.I.E.L.D.'s becoming a problem. Do we know who's in charge?"
"I'm afraid not." - ―Daniel Whitehall and Sunil Bakshi[src]
Skye informed Phil Coulson that Donnie Gill had been neutralized and Jemma Simmons' cover within HYDRA had been maintained. Moroccan Law Enforcement started a search for Gill's body, to no avail. Despite S.H.I.E.L.D. not managing to recruit Gill, they confiscated all of the HYDRA cargo on the Maribel del Mar, which they subsequently loaded into the Bus and took to the Playground.
Realizing that S.H.I.E.L.D. was becoming a problem to their operations, Daniel Whitehall tasked Sunil Bakshi with learning the identity of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s leader. As a result of her actions, Bakshi asked Whitehall for authorization to bring Jemma Simmons from the laboratory, trusting her for the time being, but also stating that she can be made to comply if necessary.[1]