However, what Voss didn't know was that less than half an hour after he left Beacon Publishing, a middle-aged man in a navy jacket pushed open the office door and stepped inside.
"Phil! You're back!" Editor Oscar looked up, breaking into a long-awaited smile. "How was your time at sea?"
"Don't even mention it. Wind, rain, and rough waves the whole way. I nearly lost my breakfast more than once."
Phil Coulson set his hat on the rack, his usual gentle smile firmly in place.
"But the haul was good enough to let me rest for a while."
Oscar put down the manuscript in his hand and gestured toward the chair opposite him.
"Come sit. You've come just in time. While you were gone, these manuscripts nearly drove me insane."
Coulson glanced at the desk and raised his brows. The stack of submissions was even higher than the last time he'd visited. "Business looks good. Plenty of new material."
"Business is good, yes. Quality, not so much." Oscar sighed.
"If one manuscript in ten is halfway decent, I count myself lucky. Most are flowery romance clones, or second-rate fantasy knockoffs trying to copy The Lord of the Rings."
Coulson sat down and casually scanned the pile. "Anything good come through lately? I was dying of boredom on the ship—needed something worthwhile to read."
"Good?" Oscar gave a bitter laugh. "Not a chance. Nothing worth a second look all month. A few pieces of highbrow lit, but you're not exactly the 'literary realism' type."
Coulson nodded. He was a dyed-in-the-wool Captain America fan; what he loved were stories with courage, action, and heart. Literary experiments rarely hit that note.
"Then let me help you sort through these." Coulson rolled up his sleeves. "I've got free time, and you know I've got a decent eye."
"That would be a lifesaver." Oscar exhaled in relief. "Your feedback is always on point. Last time, you caught the plot holes in Love of the Wolf Ghost. That saved me a headache."
The two fell into an easy rhythm. Oscar kept skimming his pile while Coulson began working through another.
"Love in the Rainy Season of New York… another dime-a-dozen romance." He set it aside.
"The Secret of the Magic Academy… feels like a bad Harry Potter imitation."
"Interstellar Adventure… interesting premise, but the writing's awful."
Coulson read fast. Years as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent had trained him to absorb information at a glance, and his lifelong love of books gave him a knack for spotting quality.
Of course, Oscar had no idea about Coulson's true job. To him, Coulson was just an old friend with a fisherman's cover story. And Coulson preferred to keep it that way.
Then something caught his eye.
"Reborn into World War II: Fighting Beside Captain America?"
His eyes lit up. As a devoted fan of Cap, anything tied to Steve Rogers instantly hooked his interest.
"Oscar, when did this one come in?" Coulson held up the printed sample.
"Oh, that." Oscar barely looked up. "A young guy dropped it off this afternoon. Poor kid didn't even own a phone—just left me an address."
"A young guy?" Coulson flipped to the first page. "What did he look like?"
"Twenties. Blonde. Big dark circles under his eyes, like he's been up all night writing. But he carried himself with confidence—seemed sure of his work."
Coulson nodded and began to read.
My name is John Smith, just an ordinary military history buff. If you'd told me I'd wake up in America, 1942, turned into a mutant and fighting alongside Captain America himself… I'd have called you crazy.
The opening hooked him immediately. The first-person voice was sharp and immersive, the premise fresh.
As he read further, Coulson noticed how carefully the author painted 1940s America—the storefronts, the cars, the clothes. Everything dripped with period authenticity.
And the protagonist's inner turmoil was vividly drawn. Confusion, awe, fear, and excitement all swirled together in a way that felt real.
"This guy knows his WWII history." Coulson thought. His own background with S.H.I.E.L.D. made him sensitive to historical accuracy, and this was spot-on.
Even more compelling was the portrayal of Steve Rogers—still the scrawny kid from Brooklyn, not yet Captain America.
Steve was small, frail even, but his eyes burned with an unshakable sense of justice. Anyone could see he was destined for something greater.
Coulson smiled unconsciously. That reverence for Steve mirrored his own feelings.
"Oscar," he said without looking up, "this one's different."
"Oh?" Oscar set aside his own manuscript. "How so?"
"The author isn't just cashing in on Cap's name. He knows the history, understands Steve, and he's building a real story here." Coulson tapped the page.
"The main character's setup is clever—modern knowledge, mutant abilities, but not overpowered. He fits into the world without breaking it."
The pacing impressed him too. The first meeting between John Smith and Steve was natural, their relationship believable. And the protagonist's inner dilemma—knowing future events but fearing the butterfly effect if he interfered—kept the tension tight.
"The writing's good as well," Coulson went on. "Dialogue feels natural, the descriptions are vivid. Sure, it's a little raw, but for a new author, it's leagues ahead of most."
Oscar came over, curious now. "Let me see."
He flipped a few pages and raised his brows.
"You're right. This is much stronger than anything else we've seen today. This John Smith story… it has real pull."
"And this is just the start," Coulson said firmly. "If the rest holds up, it's absolutely publishable."
Oscar thought for a moment. "Then tomorrow I'll pay this author a visit. See what he's really got."
"Tomorrow?" Coulson's smile widened. "Mind if I come along? I'd like to meet him myself."
"You want to come?" Oscar chuckled. "He lives in a rough part of town. Not sure it's worth the trouble for you."
"It's fine." Coulson waved it off. "I'm no stranger to rough places. And anyone who can write like this is worth meeting."
Oscar looked at his friend's eager expression and knew Coulson had found something that truly excited him.
"Then it's settled." He carefully tucked the manuscript away. "Tomorrow morning, we'll go visit this… Mr. Voss."
Coulson nodded, already looking forward to it. As a lifelong admirer of Captain America, he was eager to see what adventures this unknown young author had in store for Steve Rogers.