S.H.I.E.L.D. Welcomes You

"Sorry, sir. I wasn't able to complete the mission," Coulson said, having come away empty-handed.

There was nothing he could do. Tony had only just returned to the United States and hadn't fully awakened from that nightmare. He had plenty to think about and deal with.

He was considering things like shutting down the weapons division, or the device in his chest. He simply had no time to pay Coulson any attention.

"Just like Howard's son," the mysterious man said through the video call on the car's communicator. "He's got the exact same bad habit as his old man."

"What do we do now, sir? We still haven't found conclusive evidence of Obadiah's crimes, so we can't alert him. Now that Tony's back, Obadiah will definitely try to find another way to deal with him," Coulson said after thinking it over.

"This matter isn't that simple," the mysterious man said gravely. "I looked into it. The Ten Rings aren't an ordinary gang. We need unconventional forces to guard against their attacks."

"You mean people with superpowers?" Coulson understood what he meant. If the Ten Rings really had some terrifying abilities, Tony would be in danger. Ordinary agents couldn't possibly protect him. They needed someone special.

"Is Agent Barton unavailable?" Coulson asked. He figured Hawkeye's archery skills would make him more than capable of protecting Tony.

"Unfortunately, he's on another assignment," the mysterious man replied. "Do you have anyone suitable on your list?"

The list was S.H.I.E.L.D.'s record of people with unusual abilities. Coulson had been tasked with compiling it.

After investigating for a while, he had found a few people with special abilities. There weren't many, and their abilities were nothing special. He thought it over, but couldn't think of anyone on the list who was suitable.

Wait!

Just as he was about to say no, someone came to mind. That person wasn't on the list because Coulson had never figured out what his ability was—or even his true identity.

"I think there might be someone suitable," Coulson replied. "He delivers pizza."

"I can finally stop eating frozen sandwiches." Sitting at his dining table, William gazed at the steaming steak before him, his eyes watering. He looked so moved that he was nearly in tears.

Recently, William had found a part-time job at McDonald's. He had a little money now and no longer had to worry about sleeping on the street. So he'd finally brought himself to buy a steak—an inexpensive one on a limited-time sale at the supermarket, of course.

"Emmm... steak is so good."

William wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes, his face glowing with happiness. Had he really been moved to tears just from eating steak? Of course not. He'd simply irritated his eyes while cutting onions.

He had to admit, onion-seared steak tasted amazing. The hot steak paired with sweet onions, garnished with a few cherry tomatoes and some broccoli—it was the most expensive meal William had eaten since arriving in this world.

He'd been in the Marvel Universe for two weeks now. He'd caught thieves, fought bank robbers, infiltrated a gang, and battled Hydra. With the help of the Overwatch System, he grew stronger and improved every single day.

William now held Hydra's secrets in his hands. He'd been keeping a low profile lately. Aside from delivering pizza every day and working his part-time job, he'd been doing far less good Samaritan work.

He'd stolen something from them, so Hydra was bound to be looking for him. For all he knew, a Hydra agent was already waiting outside his door, ready to surprise him.

The doorbell rang, making William jump. It was the sound of his own doorbell.

He'd just been thinking that Hydra might show up to check his water meter, and now the bell was ringing. Who was outside? Could it really be Hydra?

At the thought, William grabbed the frying pan he'd just used to cook his steak and cautiously approached the front door. He gripped the pan in one hand and reached for the doorknob with the other. If the person outside really was from Hydra, he'd take them down in an instant.

"One, two, three..." William counted silently. The moment he opened the door, he swung the pan at the person outside—but stopped just before it struck their head.

It wasn't Hydra. It was Phil Coulson, the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent he hadn't seen in a long time.

"Mr. Lister, what do you think you're doing?" Coulson froze. The bottom of the frying pan was less than a centimeter from his face.

"Ahem." William immediately lowered his weapon and said sheepishly, "You know what it's like around here. It's not the safest neighborhood."

Coulson stepped inside. The place was still just as dirty and messy as it had been the last time he visited.

He brushed the dust off the couch and sat down. William asked curiously, "Agent Coulson, what brings you here this time?"

Coulson looked at William's harmless face. Who would have guessed this guy claimed to be from the future? Coulson hadn't believed him at first, but the deeper he investigated, the more he realized something was off.

He'd been reading books about time travel and the end of the world every day lately. He figured either William was crazy or he was.

"Our boss wants to see you," Coulson said bluntly.

"Can I say no?" William asked. The boss Coulson meant was obviously the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. William knew he'd have to face S.H.I.E.L.D. sooner or later. That was why he'd gone to such lengths to bluff Coulson earlier, laying the groundwork for his next act.

Looks like he was going to S.H.I.E.L.D. this time.

"No." Coulson shrugged. "You can either come with me willingly, or I can knock you out and take you there."

"..."

A red convertible vintage car sped along the road. Unable to hold back, William said from the passenger seat, "It's already the twenty-first century. How come you're still driving such an old car?"

"What do you know? This is Laura's charm," Coulson said coolly from behind his sunglasses.

"Laura?" William teased. "You even gave it a girl's name."

In the chaotic streets of Brooklyn, traffic was a nightmare. They hadn't gone far before they ran into a massive jam. Car horns blared around them, mixed with drivers shouting angrily. It looked like they'd be stuck for a while.

"Maybe there's been an accident up ahead?" William yawned.

"No way. Our boss hates it when people are late." As he spoke, Coulson switched on a device in the car.

Suddenly, Laura began to vibrate. William stared in amazement as all four tires rotated downward until they were parallel to the ground. The entire car slowly rose off the road and hovered in midair.

"Holy crap, this car can fly?" William exclaimed. He wasn't the only one. Many people who saw it stared wide-eyed.

In an instant, Laura shot forward. The red convertible roared through the air, flying over the tops of the traffic jam.

Coulson chuckled smugly. So what if they were stuck in traffic? So what if there'd been an accident?

"My Laura is the coolest!"