- "So, your plan was to ask the guard to let you in?"
"You know how persuasive I can be." - ―Melinda May and Phil Coulson[src]
The Infiltration into the Burkov Mining Facility was a S.H.I.E.L.D. mission executed by Phil Coulson and Melinda May to retrieve an 0-8-4 from a mining facility in Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia. The failure of the presiding SVR unit to protect the unidentified object ultimately led to their executions; this was the catalyst for Anton Ivanov's plan to seek revenge against Coulson, blaming S.H.I.E.L.D. for the incident.
Background[]
- "May and I were sent to retrieve an 0-8-4."
- ―Phil Coulson[src]
As a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, Phil Coulson was sent to retrieve a mysterious artifact, which had been labeled as a 0-8-4, in the Russian Burkov Mining Facility. Unbeknownst to him, Melinda May requested to join the mission and also journeyed to the Burkov Mining Facility to assist him.[1]
Infiltration[]
- "What are you gonna say to them, anyway?"
"There's a biohazard contamination. Bio always works." - ―Melinda May and Phil Coulson[src]
Phil Coulson drove his SUV to the Burkov Mining Facility and informed the security guard at the entrance about the reason of his presence. As the guard was about to call his superiors to report Coulson's presence, he was knocked unconscious by Melinda May who had come as backup for Coulson. The two S.H.I.E.L.D. agents then proceeded to infiltrate the mining facility.
Phil Coulson and Melinda May try to open the vault
Coulson and May entered a deserted building where they found a locked safe. While Coulson intended to try to unlock it, May signaled the presence of four SVR agents, prompting them to switch roles: May would open the safe's door while Coulson tried to convince the SVR agents that his mission was well-grounded.
Coulson did his best to persuade the SVR, whose leader informed Coulson that they had also been sent to retrieve the mysterious artifact from the mining facility. When May finally broke in the safe and stole the object, the SVR agents tried to find her, but she escaped with Coulson's SUV, leaving him behind. The SVR soldiers mocked Coulson for being abandoned by his partner and captured him, putting a hood on him and taking him in their van.
However, it turned out that May had not abandoned Coulson at all. Indeed, she smashed Coulson's SUV into the SVR van. The SVR soldiers got down and tried to capture May as well, but she knocked them out all and released Coulson. The two S.H.I.E.L.D. agents then left the facility while flirting, taking the Russian 0-8-4 with them.[1]
Aftermath[]
The skeleton of a SVR soldier
- "They were interrogated, tortured, and executed, all to cover up for you. They were my comrades. They were my brothers."
- ―Anton Ivanov to Phil Coulson[src]
Having failed to retrieve the artifact and to capture the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who had stolen it, most of the SVR team was executed. Only Anton Ivanov somehow escaped the execution. He dug out the bodies of his fallen comrades to give them proper burial and swore to exact revenge on those who had wronged him.
Years later, Ivanov had Phil Coulson come back to the Burkov Mining Facility where he had put the corpses of his fallen comrades so that Coulson would find them.[1]