Morning at the Coulson Team Base.
"Good morning, Kai!"
"Morning. Fitz and Simmons in the lab again?"
After a brief exchange with Coulson and Melinda, Kai headed back to his lounge.
He brewed himself a cup of tea, leaned back in his chair, and unfolded the morning paper.
Tony Stark furiously denies actress's claims: says he's not a three-minute man!
Kai nearly spat out his tea. "Wow… there's a follow-up to that story?"
Then again, it made sense. No man could tolerate that kind of rumor — not even Tony.
Smirking, Kai pulled out his phone and texted Tony about the headline.
Seconds later, Tony replied with a single word — one that started with F.
Kai laughed in satisfaction and went back to his newspaper.
Borsalino Role Performance +0.1%
Ah, another beautiful and leisurely day.
A few minutes later, Coulson walked into Kai's office.
He spotted Kai relaxing with the newspaper and, without asking, poured himself a cup of tea from Kai's pot.
Kai set the paper down and noticed the unfamiliar man standing stiffly behind Coulson — arms crossed, chin up, attitude radiating arrogance.
"Who's this guy? New team member?"
"I forgot to introduce you!" Coulson said.
"This is Grant Ward, Level 6 S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. Former tactical unit. Excellent combat skills. Hill says his recon ability is just slightly below Natasha's."
Ward interrupted immediately. "Sorry, slightly below? My combat skills are top-tier. I can handle any mission — hell, I once disarmed a nuclear bomb alone."
Coulson just shrugged. "And that right there is why Hill said your interpersonal skills are absolute crap. She even drew a doodle of a pile of sh*t with a knife stuck in it on your report."
Kai snorted, nearly spilling his tea.
Ward's jaw tightened, his face darkening.
Coulson turned back to Kai. "Anyway, we've got a new mission. It's connected to that situation in Texas — remember Miss Catherine Jones?"
Kai groaned, leaning back. "Ugh, what a hassle… Coulson, we just got back from Texas. How long before we get a week off?"
"That depends on when this world finally stays quiet," Coulson said with a grin. "No more villains, no more chaos."
"Yeah, so… never," Kai muttered.
Ward, standing nearby, jumped in. "If you think it's too much trouble, I'll take the mission. I don't mind a challenge."
Coulson spread his hands toward Kai. "See? That's exactly why Hill said his people skills were a knife-stabbed turd."
A few minutes later — Mission Briefing Room.
Coulson activated the holographic projector, and a 3D video appeared.
A hooded man burst from an exploding fifth floor, carrying a woman in a red dress.
He landed hard enough to crack the concrete — yet walked away completely unharmed.
The clip had gone viral online, though the man's face was obscured.
"So, another enhanced human?" Simmons asked.
"I just finished analyzing the tissue from that orc-like mutant, Drake. Along with the Super Soldier Serum, he had traces of a gene mutation drug."
"I'm studying it now. Only a genius could've designed this compound. It's probably what triggered Drake's transformation."
Simmons spread her hands. "So, this hooded guy — could he have taken the same thing? Or has someone else besides Captain Rogers been injected with the serum?"
Coulson's silence was answer enough.
Simmons' eyes widened. "Wait, really? There are others besides Captain Rogers?"
"Coulson, if you could get me a clean sample of the original serum, I could run a comparative test—"
"Not now, Simmons," Coulson cut her off. "You'll get your chance. Right now, we don't even know who this man is. He never registered with S.H.I.E.L.D."
He tapped the console again, and another video began — this one accompanied by an ominous voice.
"For decades, your organization has hidden too many truths — mutated humans, alien life, unexplained phenomena.
You've buried it all. The people deserve to know what's real. We exist to give them that truth."
The video showed alien ships crossing the night sky, flames engulfing cities, and the same hooded man saving people.
Coulson paused the feed. "Courtesy of our friends from the Rising Tide organization."
"I have a question," Ward said, glancing at Kai — who was lazily peeling an orange and not paying the slightest attention.
"How did they get this footage before us? Are they more advanced than S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
Coulson chuckled. "Let's just say they cracked our PSA encryption system. They're that good."
"So, what now?" Ward asked. "Do we hunt them down?"
"Of course not," Coulson said with a smile.
"We'll use them. If Rising Tide wants to expose secrets, they'll eventually lead us to the hooded man. And judging by his powers, he's going to need our help before long."
Ward nodded — though he couldn't stop glancing at the so-called "superhero" sitting across the table, looking like he'd just woken up from a nap.
This guy's supposed to be Flashman?
The same one who fought aliens with the Avengers?
Even more confusing — Melinda "The Cavalry" May handed Kai a bag of chips like he was some kind of golden retriever.
Fitz kept sneaking awkward glances at Simmons.
And Coulson seemed perfectly fine running a mission briefing with an orange peel on the table.
Ward blinked, feeling his entire worldview tilt.
What kind of team did I just join…?