Chapter 31: Ch. 31: Phil Coulson
Upon spotting Jon, his cousin Ayla darted forward, flinging herself into his arms, closely followed by Annie and Chris.
"My goodness, are you injured anywhere?!" Annie's eyes scanned Jon anxiously.
Echoing her concern, Chris chimed in, "Hey, you're alright, aren't you, pal?"
"I'm perfectly fine," Jon reassured them.
Annie Vinson, Jon's cousin, owned a convenience store in the heart of New York. The primary income for their family stemmed from this store, supplemented by Jon's sporadic earnings from utilizing his technical institute skills to perform repairs. However, the inconsistency of this income led him to seek employment at a company.
Chris, on the other hand, was the charismatic lead vocalist of a band. His earnings were substantial, but his relationship with Annie was still in its early stages. He was not yet officially part of the family, but given the current trajectory, it seemed inevitable. However, due to the erratic nature of his band life, and Annie's desire for Jon to secure stable employment before considering marriage, their union was on hold.
"Man, you're incredible!" Chris exclaimed, looking at Jon with a mix of disbelief and admiration. "I heard you were the sole survivor in your carriage!"
"Chris!" Annie interjected sharply, her voice barely above a whisper. "This isn't the place for such comments!"
She cast a glance at the surrounding family members, her face flushed with embarrassment.
Realizing his faux pas, Chris quickly apologized, "Ah, please excuse my thoughtlessness!"
"It's alright, let's move on," Jon suggested, offering a comforting smile to the couple.
"Excuse me, may I have a moment of your time?"
As they prepared to depart, a middle-aged man, impeccably dressed in a suit and polished leather shoes, obstructed their path.
"What can we assist you with?" Annie inquired.
Jon, however, was taken aback. He recognized the man. It was Phil Coulson, one of the main characters from the American TV series "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D."
'Great! S.H.I.E.L.D. is on my tail?' Jon thought, a sense of dread creeping in. 'Trust S.H.I.E.L.D. to sniff out any trouble!'
Coulson extended his ID card towards Annie, introducing himself, "Greetings, I am Phil Coulson from the S.H.I.E.L.D Bureau. I need to speak with Mr. Vinson."
His signature smile was in place as he shifted his gaze to Jon, standing behind Annie.
"Wh... what Bureau?" Annie's brow furrowed, hearing such a name for the first time.
Like many citizens, she harbored a deep-seated mistrust for government agencies, and naturally, she was reluctant to let her younger cousin engage with them.
"S.H.I.E.L.D, Mrs.," Coulson clarified.
"It's not 'Mrs.', but 'Ms.', I'm not married yet. And I've never heard of this agency," Annie retorted, her tone laced with irritation.
"My apologies, Ms. Vinson, I misspoke," Coulson responded, his tone laced with regret. "We merely wish to have a brief conversation with Mr. Vinson. It won't take much of your time." Sensing Annie's hostility, he adopted a more respectful demeanor.
Chris stepped forward, his gaze locked onto Coulson. "Listen, I don't care what your game is! Jon's just recovered from a catastrophe. What he needs now is rest, not interrogation!"
Jon, however, intervened. "It's alright, Chris. I'll speak with him."
Jon was curious about why S.H.I.E.L.D. was seeking him out. Was it due to suspicions about his superpowers, or was it related to the recent terrorist attack? He understood that if S.H.I.E.L.D. had gone to the lengths of dispatching a high-ranking agent to find him, the matter was likely serious. Even if he managed to evade them now, they would inevitably return.
"Are you sure, Jon?" Annie asked, her voice tinged with worry.
"It's fine. He just wants to chat, right?" Jon glanced at Coulson, who responded with a reassuring nod and a smile.
Releasing Ayla's hand, Jon moved towards Coulson.
"Let's find a quieter place to talk, Mr. Vinson. This isn't the most conducive environment for a conversation."
Jon followed Coulson to a secluded corridor, where they both took a seat.
"To avoid any misconceptions, Mr. Vinson, I should clarify that we, at S.H.I.E.L.D., operate under the Global Security Council. We're not exclusive to this country," Coulson began, extracting several documents from his briefcase. One document, in particular, caught Jon's eye. The cover read: "The Avengers Initiative, Preliminary Plan!"
"Quite a catchy name, isn't it?" Coulson noticed Jon's interest in the document. "Our director's knack for naming isn't always the best, but this one turned out well!"
Jon was taken aback. Wasn't the Avengers plan supposed to be top-secret? Why was Coulson casually carrying it around? And discussing it so openly, was that really appropriate?
However, Jon realized that Coulson hadn't divulged any sensitive information, merely making light conversation about the name.
Coulson, realizing he'd veered off-topic, quickly corrected himself. "My apologies, I was recently reassigned from another role where I had the chance to meet my idol. The excitement got the better of me. I'm sure you can understand!"
Jon's eyebrows shot up. Phil Coulson's idol? From what he knew, both in films and comics, Coulson had only one idol - Captain America.
Was Captain America about to be thawed and transported to New York?
If that were the case, it would explain why Coulson had the Avengers project documents on hand, as Captain America was undoubtedly a key figure in the Avengers initiative.
"But we can't afford to be lax, can we? Let's get down to business," Coulson suggested, pulling out a photograph from the stack of documents.
"We believe this attack may be linked to an international metal smuggling operation originating from Africa. Do you recognize this man?" Coulson held up a photograph, presenting it to Jon.
The man in the image was dressed in a suit and leather shoes, his face exuding an air of arrogance. He looked like a mobster masquerading as a businessman.
"I don't recognize him..." Jon began, shaking his head. Suddenly, a memory surfaced, prompting him to correct himself. "Wait! He does seem familiar. I believe he was in the same carriage as me on the subway!"
The man's distinctive appearance was hard to forget. It was rare to see someone in a suit on the subway, and his imposing physique made him stand out even more.
However, Jon quickly realized that if Coulson was showing him this man's picture, he might have been the target of the attack. But to detonate a subway to eliminate one person seemed like the act of a madman.
In Jon's view, there were far more discreet ways to dispose of someone if you had access to such a powerful explosive. Planting a bomb in that person's home, for instance, would be less conspicuous than causing a subway explosion. Not only would the latter harm innocent bystanders, but such a large-scale terrorist attack would undoubtedly draw the attention of law enforcement agencies.
Unless the attackers lacked the patience to wait for an opportune moment to discreetly eliminate the target, opting instead for the more direct approach of blowing up the subway. If that were the case, as Jon had initially suspected, the individual was indeed a lunatic.
"Excellent!" Coulson nodded appreciatively, his smile unwavering. He then produced another photograph. "How about this man?"
Jon's pupils contracted instantly upon seeing the man in the photo.
The image depicted a black man with dreadlocks, his eyes radiating a chilling indifference.
Jon had never met this man, but he knew who he was.
It was Eric Killmonger, the cousin of the Black Panther and the future supervillain known as the Golden Leopard.
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