章節 30: Talk
Liam walked down a street toward an old café on the outskirts of New York. 'They went remote in case things go south, huh?' he thought, looking at his surroundings. The black SUVs parked outside made it clear he was in the right place. As he looked around, he spotted several agents attempting to blend in. 'That's a lot of precaution,' he mused.
Entering the café, Liam spotted Agent Coulson seated at a table in the middle of the room, with Clint Barton—Hawkeye—standing beside him. A few other agents behind them, 'the agents seem nervous. I wonder what he told them.' Liam wondered.
"Good to see you, Liam," Coulson greeted, gesturing toward the empty chair across from him.
"Agent Coulson." Liam's looked at the agents behind him. "Are they necessary?"
Coulson replied with a calm smile, "They certainly are, given we're dealing with someone who isn't affected by bullets and can take out dozens within minutes."
Liam smirked. "If you know that, why are you so comfortable here? Is it the man with the bow giving you confidence?"
"We trust your character. And yes, having the 'bow man' does provide some reassurance," Coulson replied smoothly.
"Alright, enough with the small talk." Liam sat down, fixing his gaze on Coulson. "What do you want from me?"
"Straight to the point. I appreciate that," Coulson said, leaning forward. "Let me reintroduce myself. I'm Agent Phil Coulson, from the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division. S.H.I.E.L.D. specializes in monitoring and containing supernatural existences to keep our country safe."
"I see. So, are you here to make a deal with me… or deal with me?" Liam asked.
"We're here to understand your motives for what happened with those 30-plus people—and how you did it," Coulson said. "So, what was your motive, Liam?"
"My motive?" Liam leaned back. "Do you really need a motive when you're getting rid of people like that?"
"The law was made for situations like that," Coulson replied. "Why did you feel the need to take justice into your own hands?"
"If the law was supposed to protect innocent people, why were those criminals free to terrorize them in the first place?" Liam replied, his voice low. "I don't kill for fun, Agent Coulson. I don't want to be an executioner. But if it comes down to it, I'm not going to stand by while innocent people are terrorized by savages. Knowing I could help and choosing to do nothing? That would make me as bad as they are." He paused. "Does that answer satisfy you?"
Coulson nodded, taking a moment to study him. "Yes, it certainly does. But would you also answer a few questions regarding a certain… 'monster,' 'armor,' and 'red spear'?"
Liam smirked. "There's only one answer. Magic." As he looked at Coulson he couldn't help but be amused.
"Magic?" Coulson raised an eyebrow, clearly skeptical. "You understand, of course, that we can't allow someone to roam freely who can cause that level of damage?"
Liam gave a slight nod.
"Which is why I'm here to offer you a choice." Coulson leaned back. "Join S.H.I.E.L.D. as an agent, or let us confiscate your… weapon."
Liam appeared to think for a moment before shaking his head. "I appreciate the offer, but I think I'll go with the third option—which is neither."
"Are you sure?" Coulson pressed. "As a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, you'd have access to resources, advanced training, and support from some of the best specialists in the world."
"Becoming an agent sounds good," Liam replied. "But I'm not interested in being controlled by an organization." He paused, standing up. "However…"
At this, the agents behind Coulson raised their weapons, and Clint notched an arrow, aiming at Liam.
Turning his back on them, Liam summoned his armor. The agents fired immediately, but the bullets ricocheted harmlessly off the armor. Once the gunfire stopped, Liam continued, "While I'm not interested now, I may reconsider joining S.H.I.E.L.D. sometime in the future. Until next time, Agent Coulson. And you, Clint."
Clint's eyebrows shot up, clearly surprised that Liam knew his name. Coulson, however, simply watched.
Liam turned and walked towards the door. The agents stationed outside, having heard the gunfire, grouped around him, but he sprinted past them.
Coulson exhaled as the door closed. "Well, that could've gone better.... At least he's considering S.H.I.E.L.D. in the future."
"How the hell did that kid know my name?" Clint asked, frowning.
"That's a good question," Coulson said. "At any rate, we should prepare to follow the tracker you shot onto him."
After a few minutes, Coulson checked his phone, watching as the tracker signal stopped moving, pinpointed at a nearby park. "Let's go—he's stopped."
When they reached the park, Coulson's gaze fell on something odd: a bundle of clothes spread across a bench, with the tracker resting on top.
"Well," Clint said, half amused, "looks like the kid knew afterall."
Coulson approached the clothes, frowning. As he picked up the tracker, he noticed a small piece of paper underneath it. He unfolded the note and read it:
'I left your gift behind. While I appreciate it, it wouldn't be welcome where I'm going. I left a little gift of my own—you'll find it soon.'
"A gift?" Coulson muttered.
---
As Liam walked away with a pack of limited time Captain America cards in his hands, his thoughts went back to the talk. 'That went better than expected. With the little "gift" I left for Coulson, I may be able to arrange a meeting with Fury next time.' He smirked. 'Since I showed some interest in joining them in the future, they'll probably leave my grandfather alone, too. In this way I won't join S.H.I.E.L.D. to do dirty work, like Clint or Natasha.'
章節 31: Gift
Coulson and Clint climbed back into their SUV and returned to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters. Upon arrival, they headed straight to Fury's office to report what had happened.
"So you're saying the witnesses were correct and he had the armor that couldn't be damaged by bullets?" Fury asked.
"Yes," Coulson confirmed with a nod.
"So, where is the armor now?" Fury pressed.
"He didn't want to join yet, and he refused to hand over the armor, so there wasn't much we could do," Coulson explained.
"Yet?" Fury raised an eyebrow.
"Yes. He mentioned he didn't want to join a large organization but said he might reconsider in the future," Coulson replied.
Fury nodded. "And his whereabouts? Do we know where he's been for the past few months, or where he is now?"
"I managed to get a tracker on him, but he figured it out and left it behind. Our agents weren't quick enough to catch up," Clint admitted.
Fury considered this. "How would you assess his character?"
"He's determined, quick-witted, and seems to have a strong moral compass. According to his actions and statements, he believes in taking the law into his own hands to protect civilians from harm, and based on what we saw, he seems to have good intentions," Coulson reported.
"Alright, that's enough for now. Coulson, I have a new mission for you. Clint, stay here; I need a further report," Fury said.
Coulson nodded, a small smile on his face, and left, heading toward his locker.
Once Coulson was out of the room, Fury turned back to Clint. "If you came across him again, would you be able to kill him if necessary?"
Clint's response was immediate. "There'd be only one way to find out."
Fury nodded. "Unknown bulletproof armor, huh… did you see any apparent weaknesses?"
"No, the armor looked fully encased. A few bullets hit his helmet visor, but there wasn't a scratch. The entire suit seems to have the same strength a—"
Suddenly, a loud "NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" echoed from downstairs.
"Report, Coulson! Report!" Fury asked in his earpiece, but he got no response.
Maria Hill instinctively drew her gun, signaling to a few agents to follow. Fury was right behind them.
When they reached the lower floor, they found Coulson kneeling, tearing up. "Boss… I found the 'gift' he mentioned…" he choked out.
--
Moments Before
---
"Boss seemed to take the news well," Coulson muttered to himself as he walked downstairs. 'This day couldn't get any better… I finally got the last card for my limited-edition Captain America collection,' he thought, grinning.
"All that's left is to enter the code and put these beauties all together," he said to himself, filled with excitement as he approached his locker.
Putting in the code, he heard the locker unlock. But as the door swung open, Coulson's face froze. Sitting on top of a small box were two pieces of paper.
"I didn't put these here… what's this?" Coulson muttered, picking up the top note. It read:
P.S. I'm sorry there wasn't enough room in your locker for these notes, so I had to take out some of your belongings.
Coulson's heart skipped a beat. 'Wait… no, it can't be!' He snatched the second piece of paper and stared at the small box inside the locker. "NOOOOO!" He fell to his knees, crushed, he had been collecting these cards since he was a child and now they were gone.
With shaking hands, Coulson flipped the first note over and saw the words on the back:
I might return it… if I feel like it. Consider this karma for using my grandpa against me.
The moment he read those words, he understood who was behind this and why. Just then, he heard Fury's voice as his boss came in, followed by Maria Hill and a couple of agents.
"Boss… I found the 'gift' he mentioned," Coulson, tearing up and sniffling.
Fury's brows twitched as he looked at his 'best' officer, who was tearing up. ''Coulson report clearly.''
"Liam left a note about a 'gift' for me. I figured he was bluffing since I didn't find anything in the park. But when I opened my locker just now, I found two pieces of paper that I definitely didn't put there," Coulson said. ''And.... my prized collection of Captain America cards is... gone.''
Fury raised an eyebrow. "You didn't leave them? So he managed to infiltrate this highly secured facility?" Fury held out his hand. "Give me the notes."
While receiving the notes from Coulson, Fury ordered Maria to check the security cameras in the hallways for any information.
After receiving the notes, Fury started reading:
Burn this paper after reading it.
Hello, as I said before to Coulson, I don't want to join S.H.I.E.L.D. just yet. I want to negotiate another time about when I join. For now, I want you or Coulson to bring my grandpa to safety (This has to be completely off any records), since I don't want enemies to use him against me. And no, Fury, I am not a threat to the world; like you, I am trying to protect it. The reason why I don't want to join right now is rather complicated, but I can only ask you one question: Is your S.H.I.E.L.D. really S.H.I.E.L.D.?
P.S. Also, don't try to invite me again for anything less than being an Avenger.
After reading the paper, Fury took out a lighter and burned it. Once the paper had been reduced to ashes, he looked at the crushed Coulson and said, "I have a different mission for you, Coulson."
"Yes, sir," Coulson replied, slowly standing up. Fury heard a voice behind him.
"What's this commotion about, Nick?"
Turning around, he responded, "It was nothing."
"That scream sure didn't sound like nothing," Alexander Pierce said.
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