- "Haven't you ever seen an alien movie?"
"Mack, it's the best way to cover the most ground."
"Okay, you see, you see, that's exactly what they say before they get picked off one by one, and you know who the first one will be." - ―Alphonso Mackenzie and Quake[src]
The Escape from Level 3 was an escape attempt orchestrated by Phil Coulson and his team to escape from the infested level of the Lighthouse.
Background[]
- "I was enjoying a meal, and then I was taken and zapped to this place."
- ―Phil Coulson to Deke Shaw[src]
In 2017, a group of soldiers under Enoch's command busted into Rae's Restaurant, where the agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. were eating. Enoch activated a device which emitted a high pitched sound, freezing Coulson and all of the agents in stasis. Then, he ordered soldiers to take the agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. away[2], with the exception of Leo Fitz. Using the Time Di'Alla, the agents was transported to the Lighthouse in 2091.[1]
Escape[]
Vrellnexians' Hunt[]
- "And you saw an alien?"
"No. We saw what they can do." - ―Yo-Yo Rodriguez and Phil Coulson[src]
Before Coulson's appearance, Virgil, Jerry and Jones who entered level 3, were attacked and drained of their blood by the Vrellnexians. When Virgil tried to kill one of them, he blew open a window, which caused the creature near Jerry to be sucked into the vacuum of space. After that, they met with Coulson, who didn't understand where he was and what was happening. While they were talking, another Vrellnexian killed Jones. Virgil, who realized who Coulson was, took out his energy gun and told Coulson that he is one of the True Believers. Before he could give Coulson more details about their situation, Virgil was knocked unconscious by Alphonso Mackenzie.
When Coulson and Mackenzie reunited with Jemma Simmons and Yo-Yo Rodriguez, they decided to interrogate Virgil. He revealed to them that he had studied their history for years, and that he believed that they would save humanity from a terrible future. However, a Vrellnexian killed Virgil seconds later, forcing the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to flee. Yo-Yo tried to shoot it, but it managed to avoid the shots. Before the Vrellnexian could hurt them, it was killed by Quake.[1]
Tortured by the Kree[]
S.H.I.E.L.D. agents found a room with computers programmed in English. Before they could proceed further, they were attacked by Kree Watch guards, who imprisoned them. The guards then took Mackenzie and Rodriguez to interrogate and punish them. Later, the agents were saved by Deke Shaw, who managed to talk the Kree guard into believing that Virgil stole their Metrics.
In the meantime, Mackenzie was brutally tortured by the guards. While they were beating him, the captain noted Mack's durability, and offered to give him to Kasius for battles in Crater. Having made a decision to leave Mackenzie alive, they began to torture Rodriguez, freezing her hands with freon before being saved by Quake, who attacked guards and freed her friends. In an ensuing battle, Kree guards were killed by S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.[1]
Aftermath[]
- "You made the wrong choice."
"Is that gonna be a problem?"
"Two? You killed two? It's only a problem for the herd of people they will kill in retaliation." - ―Deke Shaw and Alphonso Mackenzie[src]
When Deke Shaw arrived at the room where Mackenzie and Rodriguez had been held captive, he was shocked at the sight of the guards' bodies. Shaw scolded the trio, as he explained that the Kree would retaliate and kill a herd of humans in revenge. To cover up the situation, he helped them hide the bodies at Level 3.[3]