"Nice to meet you, Mr. Ronin!"
Phil Coulson walked straight up with a polite but clearly fake smile plastered on his face.
Ronin stood blocking the doorway, his expression making it obvious he wasn't happy to see the visitor. Making friends with Tony had been useful, but getting tangled up with a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent—or the organization itself—would only bring a whole bunch of unnecessary headaches.
Coulson stopped right in front of the door and spoke in a calm, even tone. "Let me introduce myself. I'm Phil Coulson, an agent with a certain national defense agency."
"So how exactly did you get my home address? And why should I believe anything you say? There are way too many people trying to kill me lately."
Ronin was playing dumb on purpose. He had to stay in character as the young CEO of Overwatch Films.
"We have information and addresses on pretty much everyone. As for my credentials, take a look at this." Coulson reached into his inner jacket pocket and pulled out his ID.
Ronin took it and glanced over it: Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division — Agent Phil Coulson, complete with an official stamp.
"So what? I don't think I've done anything illegal. What does an agent want with me?" Ronin still showed no intention of letting him inside.
"Don't you think you've had an awful lot of trouble lately? I'm here to help you deal with it."
Coulson hadn't expected the guy to be this cautious, but it made sense. You didn't build a massive company like that without some serious guard up.
"Sorry, but the mastermind behind all the attacks on me is already dead. I don't think I'll have any more problems." Ronin shrugged.
Vroom…
Suddenly, the roar of an engine tore through the air. A sports car came barreling toward them like a raging bull at full throttle.
Coulson glanced back, his face changing instantly. He dodged to the side. Ronin quickly ducked inside and hid the armor case.
The car looked like it was about to slam right into the house, but it screeched to a perfect stop right at the front door.
Thomas jumped out, gun already drawn and pointed straight at Coulson. "Talk! Who sent you?!"
Coulson smiled. "Nice driving, buddy."
"Who the hell is your buddy? Don't try that friendly crap with me!" Thomas moved closer slowly.
Coulson's eyes narrowed. In one smooth motion, he dropped low, grabbed Thomas's legs, and flipped him hard. Thomas tumbled through the air and hit the ground. Coulson followed up with a kick that sent the gun skidding away.
Ronin stepped back outside and clapped his hands slowly. "Nice moves. So you came all the way here just to rough up my driver?"
Coulson shrugged. "Sorry. Having a gun pointed at me doesn't feel very safe. You'd do the same thing in my position."
Thomas got up looking completely confused and scratched his head. Wait, this guy wasn't here to attack the boss?
"Sorry about that, buddy. Next time, figure out the situation before you pull a gun."
Coulson helped brush the dust off Thomas's clothes and added, "Seriously, great driving—and nice car."
"Who the hell are you?" Thomas demanded.
"Someone who can offer you protection."
Ronin cut in. "I think I've made myself clear enough. The guy who wanted me dead is already gone, so there's no need for your help—or whatever that ridiculously long name of your agency is. I can protect myself just fine."
Coulson frowned, clearly annoyed. "It's the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division."
"Don't you think that name is way too long and impossible to remember?" Ronin spread his hands.
"You can just call it S.H.I.E.L.D."
"S.H.I.E.L.D." Ronin repeated it and nodded. "Yeah, that rolls off the tongue a lot better."
"Alright, I'll stop beating around the bush. I'm here to investigate you."
Coulson finally lost his patience. He had to admit it—this guy could probably stand in the doorway chatting all day if he didn't get straight to the point.
"Investigate? You should've just said that from the start." Ronin finally stepped aside and pushed the door open. "Come on in, Agent."
Coulson felt a headache coming on. This guy really didn't play by any normal rules.
"Tea? Coffee?"
"Coffee would be great, thanks."
Coulson sat down on the sofa and finally relaxed. If I'd known it would be this easy, I wouldn't have wasted all that time arguing outside.
"Actually, I think I only have tea at home."
Coulson's face twitched. He wanted to say, Then why the hell did you ask about coffee? But he was on a mission, so he kept his voice pleasant. "Tea is fine."
"Bi Luo Chun? Longjing? Tieguanyin? Maojian?"
???
Coulson looked completely lost. He figured those were different kinds of tea, so he just said, "I don't know much about tea. Any kind is fine."
Ronin brewed the tea and sat down. Thomas took a seat nearby as well.
"I consider myself a law-abiding citizen. What exactly does the agent want to investigate?" Ronin asked.
Coulson decided to lay it all out. "Mr. Ronin, several recent incidents have all been connected to you. And every single time, Soldier: 76 shows up. Soldier: 76 is the superhero created by your own company. Don't tell me that's just a coincidence."
"What's so coincidental about it? Soldier: 76 exists to fight crime. Whenever there's a bad attack, of course he shows up. As for why he's a hero from my company, I'm still wondering about that myself. The first time I saw him, I was shocked for a long time."
"Then why don't we ever see Soldier: 76 at crime scenes anywhere else—only here in Manhattan?"
"Soldier: 76 may be fast, but he's not Superman. You can't expect him to handle every terrorist incident across the country. Maybe he just lives somewhere in Manhattan."
"But Soldier: 76 seems awfully close to you."
"Maybe he watched the movie Soldier: 76 and liked it, so he has a good impression of me. Plus, he's saved me three times—four times if you count last night. Is it really that weird for me to invite him over?"
Coulson was suddenly at a loss for words. It was like this guy had already known every question he was going to ask. His answers came out fast and smooth, and they actually sounded pretty reasonable.
After talking so much, Coulson's throat was dry. He picked up the teacup and took a sip. His face immediately twisted—his features all scrunched together.
"Ugh… this is so bitter. Are you sure this is tea and not medicine?"
"You don't like strong tea, Agent? My bad—I brewed it to my own taste." Ronin got up and made him a milder cup.
Coulson fell into thought. Ronin came across like an aloof, arrogant CEO, but the connection between him and Soldier: 76 definitely wasn't simple. Unfortunately, he didn't have enough intel yet to figure it out.
Maybe he should try recruiting him first? That way S.H.I.E.L.D. could keep constant watch on him. If Ronin made any suspicious moves, they'd know immediately.
He was convinced there was something unusual between Ronin and Soldier: 76, and one day the truth would come out.
But before recruiting him, he needed to write up a full evaluation report on Ronin's character and abilities for the Director. If the Director approved, they could bring Ronin into S.H.I.E.L.D. If he turned out to have no real value, they could just let him go. S.H.I.E.L.D. wouldn't lose anything. And if Ronin really did have some kind of super-soldier serum, they could guide him onto the right path. If he went the wrong way… well, S.H.I.E.L.D. would eliminate the threat.
"Agent, is there anything else you need to investigate?" Ronin asked.
Coulson smiled and shook his head as he stood up. "Sorry for the intrusion, Mr. Ronin. We might see each other again in a few days."
Back in the car, Coulson pulled out a blank evaluation form and started writing his assessment of Ronin.
Being able to read a person after a short conversation was basic training for any agent. Coulson thought his evaluation was pretty fair.
He moved his pen and wrote the first line:
Overall character quality: Extremely poor…