Night blanketed the earth, and all was quiet between heaven and land.
On the banks of the Potomac River stood S.H.I.E.L.D.'s iconic headquarters, the Triskelion, facing the Washington Monument across the river. Not far away was the famous Lincoln Memorial, its Greek temple-style structure of gleaming white granite and marble especially eye-catching.
Nick Fury strode into his office, with his trusted aide Coulson following behind. Ever since inviting Tony Stark to join S.H.I.E.L.D., the one-eyed director had set his sights on the Fantastic Four. Unfortunately, Reed was unwilling to cooperate closely with government agencies; he preferred to be a scientist buried in research.
The first phase of the Avengers Initiative had temporarily reached an awkward impasse, giving the once-confident Nick Fury a headache. He had finally persuaded the World Security Council to approve the proposal, only to run into recruitment difficulties almost immediately. It was nothing short of a tremendous irony.
Fortunately, there was still good news. With the awakening of that war hero who had slept for seventy years, the Avengers had finally found their first member: Captain America, the Super Soldier from World War II, a man of unwavering will and noble character.
Those government officials would not take an outdated war hero seriously, while the military was busy figuring out how to uncover the secrets of the Super Soldier through Captain America. Only S.H.I.E.L.D. could shield him from all that. And so the tall man named Steve Rogers became a member of this secretive organization.
"Captain Rogers went out today," Coulson reported as he entered the office.
This legendary figure, known to nearly everyone in the United States, had only truly awakened not long ago. A misunderstanding had even caused quite a fiasco. After regaining full awareness, perhaps due to his old soldier's instincts, Steve Rogers had