Chapter 10 – Bill Joins SHIELD

One day a middle-aged man and a Chinese woman walked through the door and entered the coffee shop.

Bill welcomed the man wearing a black suit and shades, with a smile. Instead of ordering coffee, the man went straight to the point, smiled and said, "Mr. Bill Monroe?"

"Yes. Hi!" Bill answered then asked, "What can I do for you?"

The man in the suit reached into the inside pocket of his suit and pulled out a badge and saying: "Phil Coulson, FBI. I am investigating a case. Can I talk to you?"

Bill resisted the urge to cast a spell and check if agent Coulson has other people waiting outside. He is hoping that black widow is the backup, but with agent Melinda May here, they would not assign more agents.

"Of course. Please, take a seat." Bill said while gesturing to the empty seat next to Phil Coulson.

Agent Coulson sat down while the Chinese woman stayed standing like a bodyguard. Phil looked at Bill and inquired, "Mr. Monroe, the past month there are mysterious cases of people getting knocked out and getting their injuries and sickness mysteriously healed. Do you know how did it happen? And who is responsible?"

"You came here knowing full well that I have something to do with it." Bill answered agent Coulson's question then gave his own. "I admit that I did it. Tell me Agent Coulson, what gave me away?"

Phil Coulson did not expect Bill to easily admit to it. Still, now that he did, this will make things go smoothly. So he answered Bill's question, "You were pretty good in avoiding the cameras but there were three instances where you were recorded. The first one was when you saved an old man who got shot. The other two instances were recorded by bystanders."

Before Bill could ask, Coulson added, "Don't worry, we already deleted the footage and warned them about disseminating your information."

"Im curious. Did I commit any crime?" Seeing Coulson move his head sideways to indicate that he didn't, Bill continued, "Then why are you here?"

"Mr. Monroe, one of our people is missing. We are in the process of looking for him but in the unlikely event that he is suffering from any injuries when we save him, we would like to be able to count on your help." Coulson could only be talking about Tony Stark. His disappearance has been reported in the news a few days ago. They haven't found him yet and they are already preparing for the worst. Well, this is SHIELD that we are talking about.

"You want to hire me? I don't think that the FBI has such a policy. Why would you do that?" Bill looked at Agent Coulson and the Chinese woman behind him. She has not introduced herself but she looks just like the one on the series.

"We do not discriminate against mutants. Personally, I understand that your ability can help save a lot of people. Can I invite you to come work with us Mr. Monroe?" Phil earnestly said. He really wanted to recruit Bill. As far as mutants go, his ability is something that everyone wants.

"Alright but I want to keep my coffee shop open." Coulson was relieved that Bill agreed but was puzzled at his request. SHIELD can give him a big salary. More than enough to live in luxury. There is something that he is hiding in this coffee shop.

"I would have to take it up with my superiors but I don't think that they would have a problem with you running a coffee shop. We can leave right now and visit the office. The documents that each employee have to sign are with HR. You can take some personal items at the ride will take a few hours." Coulson didn't disagree with Bill's request and even added some things that made the Chinese woman squint her eyes at Coulson.

If Bill is paying attention to the exchange between Coulson and the Chinese agent then he may have caught their silent communication through facial expressions. He heard what he wanted and was on his way to the employee only area to grab some things.

Coulson moved to keep up with Bill, "May I follow? I have actually never been to the inside of a coffee shop. I have always wondered if they grew coffee beans inside." He asked politely while signaling the female agent with his eyes.

"Ok. Just don't mind the mess. I was not expecting any guest." Bill said while waving them to follow.

"What was that?" the female agent whispered.

Coulson whispered back, "I have a hunch."

The room that Bill entered have a bed, a personal refrigerator and a few boxes of personal stuff. It is completely bare except for an ancient writing which the female agent secretly took pictures. After picking up a bag and stuffing a jacket, id, umbrella and book inside, they left after closing the coffee shop.

Coulson sent a message and one abandoned building was given a complete make-over. The agents were very thorough and one would believe that the building is being used for years as an office. He took the long route and even stopped for food in a restaurant to give his team enough time to complete the make-over.

When they arrived, one of the agents pretended to be from HR and walked Bill through a lengthy process of application. Complete with physical, ID creation, explanation of benefits, providing a blank debit card where his salary would be transferred and measurement for uniforms.

Phil Coulson was eating snacks when the Chinese Agent walked into the room.

"May, what is the result of the analysis of the ancient writings? Is it just random stuff? Maybe copied in google for decoration?" asked Coulson to the agent whose name is May. Full name Melinda May, also a level 7 agent like Coulson.

"You won't believe this." Melinda brought the report from the analysis team saying: "It says here that Bill is a banished disciple. His master removed his memories and skills except for weak illusion, healing and air bullet. It also says here that they wish for him to enjoy his civilian life. But if he ever wants to use his remaining skills and join any organization…"

"If he ever wants to join an organization, what?" Coulson couldn't help to ask because Melinda left him hanging.

"That's it. That's the end of the message." Melinda replied. "There is something about him. I think we should let the big boss know."