"I have to admit, comparing Fury's head to a bald egg is a very vivid and apt description..." Just then, Coulson's expression changed as he stood outside the door, chatting happily with Lu Yifang.
"What's wrong?" Lu Yifang asked, puzzled by Coulson's sudden pause.
"You can come in now." Professor X's voice came from inside.
"Oh, looks like the bosses are done talking. I've really enjoyed chatting with you, Lu Yifang." Coulson smiled at him.
"Likewise." Lu Yifang smiled back. He knew he might be dealing with S.H.I.E.L.D. before long, so getting to know Coulson was both useful and necessary. If not for that, he would have made an excuse and left ages ago.
"Then I'll be off, Professor X." Coulson spoke respectfully to Professor X, closed his briefcase, and turned toward the door.
"So, Professor, things didn't go too well with the S.H.I.E.L.D. director?" Lu Yifang spun around on his swivel chair.
"Not bad." Professor X answered vaguely. He didn't elaborate, instead changing the subject.
"Yifang, you look bored. Come out with me this afternoon. We're going to meet someone."
"Who?" Lu Yifang had been bored enough to practically grow mushrooms, so he immediately perked up.
"My old friend, Magneto."
Meanwhile, Coulson had reached the school gates with his metal briefcase in hand. A Red Convertible was parked there. It looked almost new, but its style made it seem like an antique from the seventies or eighties.
A Chinese-American woman sat in the driver's seat. She looked close to forty and wore a cool, blank expression.
"Hey, Mei. I thought I told you that nobody but me was allowed to sit in Lola's driver's seat." Coulson looked displeased as he eyed his longtime partner, Melinda May.
"I was just taking a look. I have no interest in your old jalopy." Melinda said coolly, then climbed back into the passenger seat without a second glance.
"Lola isn't an old jalopy. In fact, its engine and equipment are all state of the art." Coulson had returned to the driver's seat and corrected her.
Melinda couldn't be bothered arguing about it, so she quickly changed the subject. "How did the mission go?"
"Pretty well. Aside from the warning Professor X gave me leaving me a little dizzy, things went smoothly." Coulson shook his head.
"You should be grateful he's a representative of the Mutant moderates. With mental power as immense as his, you'd probably have ended up a vegetable otherwise."
"Oh, is that so? Then maybe I should say thank you." Coulson took the computer from Melinda.
"Can we be sure it's him?" Melinda leaned closer to ask. Even if she seemed cool on the outside, her curiosity had gotten the better of her.
"I'm about eighty percent sure it's our young friend." Coulson stopped typing. Lu Yifang's photograph and information were displayed on the screen.
Below Lu Yifang's profile was an image clipped from footage of the battle on Liberty Island. It had clearly been enhanced with sophisticated software and was now much clearer, making out the outlines of the two people in the frame.
Software comparing the mysterious man beside Old Magneto with Lu Yifang showed a resemblance of around sixty to seventy percent. That was the basis for S.H.I.E.L.D.'s initial assessment.
"So he let something slip?" Melinda pressed.
"No. You could say he hid it very well. I talked with Lu Yifang for dozens of minutes, and he was very careful with what he said. Whenever I brought up sensitive information, he skillfully sidestepped the questions."
"Then what makes you so certain?"
"Because he was too cautious. I didn't sense any resentment or dislike toward me, but without a doubt, he was on guard—guarded against having his secrets discovered.
"And when I brought up the Liberty Island incident, he seemed indifferent, as if he didn't care much about it. That wasn't normal. You know, there are over two hundred microexpressions that can indicate a lie. I can recognize at least a few of the common ones." Coulson smiled.
"Clearly, he lied. He knows something about what happened on Liberty Island."
"Isn't eighty percent too high a level of confidence based on so little?"
"Before Professor X warned me, I would've agreed with you. But now I think that estimate is very conservative. Professor X clearly thinks highly of Lu Yifang, enough to make his position unmistakable." Coulson gave his final assessment.
"I never would've guessed. He still looks like a kid, yet he can fight on a level comparable to Magneto." A rare look of surprise crossed Melinda's cool face.
"If he couldn't, Fury wouldn't have sent us. He even classified this mission at Level 4 confidentiality." Nick Fury had never been the sort of man willing to take a loss. Although he hadn't gained the slightest advantage in his encounter with Professor X, he had expected that. And as far as the results went, at least the other mission seemed to have gone very well.
"During our conversation, I slipped in a few subtle psychological tests. They let me roughly assess his personality and determine how dangerous he might be. For a potentially newly emerged, powerful Level 4 Mutant, it's essential to complete his file." Coulson explained.
"You seem to be in a pretty good mood." Melinda noticed the subtle change in Coulson's expression.
"That's right. Actually, I had a pleasant chat with him, especially about how much Fury's head looks like a bald egg."
"If Fury heard you say that, you'd be done for." Melinda said, though she couldn't quite hide a hint of amusement.
"Then don't tell him. I trust you won't, Mei. Right?" Coulson's lips curled into his trademark smile.
"A new mission just came in, Phil." Melinda didn't say anything more on the subject and opened a tablet.
"What is it?"
"It's related to General Ross. Fury wants to know what that green thing is, the one that can take a hit from an Armed Helicopter." Melinda handed the tablet to Coulson.
"Oh, I see. That's great. I thought Fury's assignment was still to get close to the kid and gather as much information as possible. If that were the case, Professor X might really have to give me some kind of mental treatment." With a deep sigh of relief, Coulson started the car and headed for the military base listed in the mission briefing.
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