Avenger still no assemble

The room was cold, wide, and mostly steel—filled with glowing screens, holographic projectors, and an enormous SHIELD emblem at the far end. Kai stood beside Tony, hands in his pockets, while Fury paced before them like a general readying his soldiers.

A giant hologram hovered over the center table—Earth, spinning slowly, marked with red and yellow dots scattered across its surface.

"This," Fury began, "is the current global threat grid."

Tony yawned. "Still many active anomalies? Must be a quiet month."

Fury didn't smile. "We've detected off-world energy signatures, multiple rogue events, two mystical disturbances in Europe, and one old friend currently frozen like a popsicle in Brooklyn General."

Kai blinked. "Wait—frozen? Like… literally?"

Fury tapped a control pad. The image shifted to a hospital bed under high-security lockdown. Monitors beeped softly. Inside the bed, beneath layers of preservation technology…

Captain America.

Steve Rogers.

The legend himself, asleep in a new century.

Kai stared pretending. "No way. He's real?"

Fury nodded. "The Super Soldier. Frozen during World War II. Found in ice seventy years later. Still breathing."

Kai's voice lowered. "He's still asleep?"

"We're easing him in," Fury said. "Waking up in the future is... complicated."

Tony looked thoughtful for a rare moment. "I read his file. He jumped on a bomb to save his unit. Before he even got powers."

Kai gave a low whistle. "So he was a hero even without the serum."

"Exactly why he's important to the Initiative," Fury said. "Which brings us to you."

He pointed at Kai.

With a wave of his hand, the projection changed. Faces appeared.

Some familiar.

Some not.

First—Clint Barton. Codename: Hawkeye. Quiet, intense eyes. Bow and quiver slung over one shoulder. Dressed in tactical gear.

"Sniper. Expert in nearly every projectile weapon on Earth. We call him in when precision matters more than explosions," Fury said.

Tony grinned. "You mean when I'm not available."

Next, the image shifted to a red-haired woman with an icy stare and a posture that screamed "don't mess with me."

Natasha Romanoff. Codename: Black Widow.

"Espionage, infiltration, and hand-to-hand combat," Fury said. "She's been part of more classified operations than anyone alive. If you meet her, be polite."

Tony nodded. "And don't play poker. Learned that the hard way."

Kai looked at the images. "They don't look... 'super.'"

Fury folded his arms. "You don't need superpowers to be dangerous. You just need the will to act when it counts."

Then he stepped closer to Kai.

"And from what I've seen—you've got that."

Kai looked away, toward the glowing Earth hologram. So many threats. So many unknowns.

He rubbed the edge of the Omnitrix on his wrist.

"What exactly am I signing up for?"

Fury looked him straight in the eye.

"A front-row seat to madness."

Tony added, "And possibly a flying suit. We're still in negotiations."

Fury ignored him.

"You're not just a delivery boy anymore, Kai. You're walking around with alien tech strapped to your body. The kind of thing entire governments would kill to get their hands on. You've seen gods fall from the sky. Robots destroy cities. Monsters tear through streets."

He paused.

"Earth is getting stranger. And we need people ready for what's next."

Kai slowly nodded. "Then count me in."

Later, as the briefing ended, Fury escorted them down a hallway to a less formal SHIELD operations room.

There, standing beside a table, were Clint and Natasha.

Clint was cleaning a compound bow, quiet and unreadable.

Natasha gave Tony a curt nod. Her eyes landed on Kai with mild curiosity.

"You're the watch kid?"

Kai blinked. "Uh. Yeah."

"You look normal."

Tony snorted. "That's the trick."

Kai extended a hand. "Kai. Friendly neighborhood delivery boy. Also sometimes... a twelve-foot fire alien."

Natasha gave a small smirk and shook his hand. "Natasha."

Clint looked up, nodded once. "Just don't explode near me and we'll be fine."

Kai blinked. "Okay. Noted."

Tony whispered to Kai, "That's the warmest welcome you'll get from him, trust me."

Later that night, Kai stood alone on a SHIELD balcony overlooking the forested valley. Stars twinkled above. His breath fogged gently in the night air.

"…Am I really part of this?"

Footsteps approached. It was Tony, two coffees in hand. He passed one to Kai.

"Thinking heavy thoughts?"

Kai nodded. "I used to just bring groceries to grannies."

Tony smiled. "Now you might be saving them from interdimensional monsters."

"Cool. Cool. No pressure."

Tony clinked his cup with Kai's.

"Welcome to the team, Kai."