Tony Stark’s disappearance naturally attracted the attention of countless people.
During the time he had been missing, the American media had practically gone into a frenzy.
In the words Ethan would’ve used in his previous life, Tony was making headlines every single day, and public interest had gone through the roof.
Naturally, S.H.I.E.L.D.
was paying extremely close attention to the situation as well.
Tony Stark’s disappearance had left its current Director, Nick Fury, particularly anxious.
After all, Fury had long entertained the idea of establishing the Avengers.
And an organization like that would inevitably require the support of a cutting-edge technology company such as Stark Industries.
There was also the fact that Tony Stark’s father, Howard Stark, had provided substantial support during the founding of S.H.I.E.L.D.
For those reasons, S.H.I.E.L.D.
dispatched an investigative team led by veteran agent Phil Coulson.
According to the original events of Iron Man, Coulson should’ve only just begun uncovering useful clues by the time Tony completed the Mark I armor and escaped on his own.
At this point, S.H.I.E.L.D.
had already narrowed its investigation to the Atala organization.
The problem was that they still didn’t know Tony’s exact location.
However, when the Atala militants brought Ethan back to retrieve his supposed personal belongings, they inadvertently left behind a crucial clue.
In fact, S.H.I.E.L.D.
personnel had continued monitoring the wreckage site of the convoy ambush.
They had already searched the entire area thoroughly, but they hadn’t cleared it.
Following standard federal military procedure, the bodies of the dead had been removed while personnel remained behind to continue investigating the scene.
Part of the reasoning was simple: Criminals often couldn’t resist returning to the scene.
And this time, that principle appeared to have paid off once again.
The agents stationed there clearly recorded footage of Ethan being escorted back to the ambush site and retrieving something from beneath the sand.
Not long afterward, Ethan’s file appeared on a screen inside Coulson’s temporary office at Bagram Air Base.
The young woman still going by the name Skye, who would later become known as Quake, read aloud from the information displayed on the screen.
“Ethan.
Chinese American.
Born March 1, 1990.
High school graduate.
Twenty years old.
Second-generation immigrant.” “He currently has no surviving family members in the United States.” “One year ago, he passed Blackwater’s outsourced PMC training assessment and became an external security contractor for the company.” “Twelve days ago, when Tony Stark’s convoy was attacked, Ethan was present as part of the escort detail.” Skye glanced at the surveillance footage.
“Based on the images we’ve recovered, he appears to have been captured.” “There’s currently no evidence suggesting he defected voluntarily.” Coulson frowned as he studied the footage.
“He was captured and he’s still alive.” “Given Atala’s usual methods, that’s unusual.” “We can’t rule out the possibility that he’s cooperating with the terrorist organization now.” At that moment, another woman studying the surveillance images noticed something.
She wasn’t formally part of Coulson’s investigative unit but had been sent to provide additional support.
She was one of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s elite field agents.
In Ethan’s previous life, practically everyone knew her name— Natasha Romanoff.
The striking red-haired woman focused on the moment when Ethan dug a metal case out of the ground.
“Agent Skye, enlarge this frame.” “Do you see the case he’s carrying?” Skye immediately zoomed in.
The markings on the white case became clearer.
She stared at them for a moment.
“What’s this symbol?” “U.C.P.?” She read the words beneath it.
“Unusual…
Control…
Protect…
Foundation?” There was an awkward pause.
Apparently, using an “S” wasn’t an option.
Natasha frowned.
“Does the federal government have an organization like this?” Skye quickly checked S.H.I.E.L.D.’s databases.
“There’s no federal agency by that name in our records.” She shrugged slightly.
“But…
who knows?” Before the two could continue discussing it, Coulson interrupted.
“We’ve compared the vehicle’s return route with the surrounding terrain.” “We’ve narrowed down the approximate location.” His expression became serious.
“We still don’t know what’s inside that Foundation-marked briefcase, but Atala clearly considered it important.” “If it’s a sensitive federal asset, S.H.I.E.L.D.
has a responsibility to recover it.” He paused before continuing.
“I’ve also received new intelligence.” “We’ve roughly identified the area where Atala is holding Tony.” “It’s somewhere deep in the mountains.” “Less than ten kilometers from that suspected base is a village located in a valley.” Coulson brought up another set of information.
“According to the reports, something happened there recently.” “The village appears to have been massacred.” “One of the survivors was so badly traumatized that he’s no longer mentally stable.” Coulson’s expression hardened.
“My current assessment is that Atala may have conducted a cleanup operation against nearby civilians.” After giving his analysis, Coulson turned toward Natasha.
“Agent Romanoff, you’re one of our best operatives when it comes to infiltration and undercover work.” “Why don’t you take Agent Skye and investigate the area?” Natasha nodded without hesitation.
“No problem.” “Leave it to me.” Coulson’s tone became more serious.
“If you encounter anything unusual, contact us immediately.” “Atala appears to have deployed powerful jamming equipment throughout the mountain region.” “That’s one of the reasons our searches have repeatedly failed.” “Even satellite surveillance hasn’t been able to identify anything abnormal.” He continued, “According to our intelligence, they recently acquired a batch of advanced Stark military technology through the black market.” “Do not underestimate them.” Natasha nodded.
“Understood.” “Agent Skye and I will work out an infiltration route.” “Tonight, we’ll have Agent Melinda May fly us to the designated insertion point.” “If possible, once we confirm the location, Skye and I will attempt to rescue the hostages and destroy their jamming equipment.” “Your team can remain on standby as backup.” Coulson nodded.
“That works.” “Agent Skye will coordinate the details with you.” “We’ll make sure the support team is ready.”