"We have a new report."
Under the watchful stares of Fury, Stark, and Natasha, Marcus Lee's expression shifted.
The perfect smile vanished.
"Anthony..." he murmured the name quietly, as if reciting a forbidden spell.
"No..." Marcus lifted his head. His eyes were bloodshot, filled with the kind of sorrow only someone who returned to a world that had moved on without him could understand.
"Hey, are you alright?" Steve Rogers asked. He was the first to hear the tremor in Marcus's voice, and his tone softened.
"I remembered something..."
"That's right. I am Anthony Starr."
The words froze the air in the briefing room.
Tony Stark slowly lowered the leg he had casually propped up.
Natasha leaned forward, studying him.
Fury's single eye narrowed, searching Marcus's face for the smallest crack.
"That cannot be," Agent Hill whispered behind them. "Anthony Starr died one year ago."
"I did not die."
Marcus began his performance.
"I remember the storm." His voice dropped, heavy with pain. "The yacht capsized, and the freezing water dragged me under. I truly thought I was gone."
"I blacked out. I thought it was the end."
"When I opened my eyes again..." He paused, letting the tension build. "I was somewhere I cannot even describe."
"What kind of place?" Fury asked immediately.
"A place without light, without darkness. I do not know how long I stayed there." Marcus leaned into his favorite trick: keep the details blurry and let everyone fill the gaps themselves.
"Then something found me."
"Something?" Tony asked, unable to hold back.
"I do not know." Marcus shook his head with pained confusion. "They erased most of my memories, even what they looked like. All I remember is that they changed me. They experimented on me. They gave me this..."
He raised his hand and stared into his own palm.
"This power. This curse."
"When I finally woke up, I was on an uninhabited island. I do not know how long it took before I learned to control myself. I learned to fly and eventually made it back to the mainland."
But I could not even remember where home was.
He let his voice fall to the perfect breaking point.
"I became a monster, didn't I?" Marcus forced a bitter smile. "I can hear heartbeats miles away. I can see right through you, down to your bones."
He turned to Natasha.
"Agent Romanoff, your heartbeat is elevated. Ninety-two beats per minute. You are nervous."
Natasha's face went pale.
He looked at Tony.
"Mr. Stark, your arc reactor is aching, isn't it? And your left knee has an old injury."
Tony's smirk faltered.
Finally, Marcus met Fury's gaze.
"Director, you keep an FNP-9 hidden inside your coat. Thirteen rounds in the magazine and one in the chamber. And a pager? Very old school."
"Enough." Fury slammed his palm on the table.
The room fell silent.
"I am sorry." Marcus lowered his head, every line of his face radiating perfect vulnerability.
"I was afraid my powers would hurt people. Afraid the world would see me as a monster. So I hid in the shadows of the city like a homeless ghost... until today."
He lifted his gaze, and now there was fire behind his eyes.
"I saw a hole open in the sky. I saw aliens slaughtering people in the streets I call home."
"And I understood. Maybe I am not a monster."
"Maybe..." He paused, letting the weight of the moment settle. "...maybe I came back for this."
Silence followed.
Long, suffocating silence.
Steve Rogers was the first to stand.
He walked toward Marcus, seeing in this misplaced soul a reflection of his own past, a man torn from time.
"Son," Steve said gently, placing a steady hand on Marcus's shoulder, "you are not a monster."
His grip tightened with sincerity.
"You are a hero."
Ding.
Only Marcus heard the sound.
System message: Key figure Captain America successfully impressed. Hero Persona Foundation established.
Special Popularity Bonus: +10,000.
"One down," Marcus laughed inwardly. Outwardly, he only showed gratitude.
"Thank you, Captain. You are the real hero."
Tony Stark rubbed his chin, lost in thought. He was skeptical, of course he was. But the story... damn, the story was too wild to dismiss. A billionaire heir survives a shipwreck, is taken by mysterious captors, rebuilt, vanishes for a year, then returns as a self-made hero king?
"This script feels familiar," Tony muttered, though he could not yet pinpoint why.
Only Natasha and Fury remained unconvinced.
Natasha never trusted coincidences.
And Fury trusted no one.
"Very well, Mr. Starr," Fury said, leaning back as if reluctantly accepting the narrative for now.
"Welcome home."
"We will verify your identity. Your parents left behind a substantial trust fund, and your Upper East Side apartment... well, it has probably gathered a thick layer of dust."
Fury stood up and moved closer.
"SHIELD will restore your life. In return, you will be on call."
"Of course, unless the sun rises in the west," Marcus forced a polite smile. "I will need a place to start over."
"Good." Fury nodded and handed him a sleek smartphone.
"Agent Hill is already processing your reinstatement. Your accounts and assets are being unfrozen step by step."
Fury rested a hand on his shoulder. "Inside is the address to your apartment. Go. Get some rest. New York... thanks you."
"We will stay in touch," Fury added.
Marcus tucked the phone away, grumbling internally: Sure you will. Too bad my suit has no pockets. Good luck trying to track me. But hey, scream loud enough at the sky and I might show up just for fun.
Outwardly, Marcus simply bowed his head with humble gratitude.
"Thank you, Director Fury. And thank all of you."
He stepped to the door, paused, and offered the Avengers his most sincere smile.
"If you need me, you know how to find me."
Whoosh.
A streak of blue light, and he vanished from the helicarrier.
"...Cool," Tony whistled. "I think I like this guy."
"He might really be a hero, Tony," Steve murmured, eyes following where Marcus disappeared.
"He is a mystery, Nick," Natasha added. "Are you certain he is Anthony Starr? Plastic surgery is not exactly rare."
"Iris scan matches the records," Fury said grimly.
He stared at the doorway, the unease still clinging to him like smoke.
"I hope I am wrong. I hope he really is a hero and not another god who refuses to be tamed."