"Of course, it turned out alright. Though he was powerful, he had no brains and seemed very temperamental. Such kinds of opponents are relatively easy to handle..."
Coulson scribbled on the paper: "The red-throated lizard is incredibly temperamental, its anger making it stronger. The Captain was constantly on the back foot, always at a disadvantage against the creature."
"Of course, I have to admit, Little Stark's mecha explosion did play a part..."
Coulson continued writing vigorously: "Iron Man employed his tens of millions of dollars worth mecha for a grandiose, utterly irretrievable self-destruction. It finally managed to drive the monster back a couple of steps. According to Captain America, there were at least 20 waves of explosions, five mechas detonating in each wave, before finally bringing the monster down."
After Steve finished speaking, he stared at Coulson, saying, "Can I take a look?"
Coulson quickly tucked the notebook away before standing up, shaking Steve's hand with utter sincerity: "Captain, you are a combat hero! Always have been!"
Meanwhile, on the other side, Shiller hung up the phone saying, "Thank him. The Elders Council Hospital has one bed left. Who do you want to admit?"
"Who do you think is most likely to be injured?"
"Well then, Stark. He did detonate his mecha after all. Being grazed by shrapnel is normal under the circumstances. I'll call the hospital director later, get him to put together a consultation with specialists. I'll have the reimbursement form for the consultation fees delivered to you, and as for the hospitalization costs..."
Natasha said: "As usual, best room and best care. Do you know any proficient doctors? Have him accompany throughout the process, we'll pay him by the hour."
"Coincidentally, I do know a pretty good neurosurgeon, although he does have a drawback - he is expensive. Oh, but now that is an advantage..."
By nightfall, Coulson came in, Natasha and two other agents trailing behind him, carrying a pile of reports.
Shiller rubbed his hands together and said, "Let me see, this should be our achievements for today. How are things on Nick's end?"
"Director Nick cursed out everyone present, the generals had no chance to talk back. He reprimanded the military, top to bottom, for misappropriating defense funding to develop dangerous bio-weapons and expanding their arsenal in disregard of safety protocols."
"He went off for at least six hours, without repeating a single sentence. The walls of Congress might as well record his voice..."
"Didn't the military talk back?"
Natasha leaned against the files, hand on her hip, and said, "Why do you think Nick and General Robert never got along? It's because Robert was the only one who could argue back. Now that he's dead, those who are left are just military academy graduates who couldn't say a word."
Coulson shook his head and said, "The military really messed up this time. They secretly created this monstrosity which caused such a stir. Congress couldn't just turn a blind eye to it. Director Nick took advantage of the situation and bit off a significant chunk."
"The loss of the alien test subject gave him an excellent excuse. Nick insisted that the military had stolen it from S.H.I.E.L.D. The senators were skeptical too. After all, the things from S.H.I.E.L.D. disappeared, and the military came up with a monster. These two incidents are clearly related."
"Won't they question S.H.I.E.L.D.'s security measures?"
"Security measures? Since when did S.H.I.E.L.D. have those?"
"That's just an excuse, right?" Shiller asked, "The symbiote didn't actually escape from you, did it...wait, did it?"
Natasha shrugged and said, "Well, no one knows. The entire staff of the Dangerous Creatures Containment Department sacrificed themselves last December, and then again in March when we had budget constraints."
Ok then, Shiller thought. It didn't matter where Venom had come from. What he looked forward to now was how Venom, having made Stark its host, would evolve.
After a while, Nick's voice came on the intercom, "No good, the accounts still aren't balancing. You guys better think of something and get more funding."
Natasha and Coulson both complained that they had tried everything. They even invented ridiculous reasons such as the death of a few rats on the street, which would require funding for plague prevention.
Shiller rolled up his sleeves and said, "I have a good solution, at least, it will balance your accounts for a year."
Natasha and Coulson both looked at him. Natasha said, "You might not understand, Doctor..."
"Actually, I think you could find a way to grant me the qualifications for a legal sanatorium, then periodically send over a batch of agents stressed from work for recuperation."
"There is always a need for beds and medicine in these places, of course. Since S.H.I.E.L.D. agents earnestly serve their country, standards for rooms and beds cannot be low, as well as best medicine."
"A mental sanitarium differs from regular hospitals as we aim to allow patients to achieve peace of mind. There has to be at least one hydrotherapy center, a gym, and one yoga and meditation room."
"Of course, these are just basics. To achieve better therapeutic effects, there has to also be a horse racing track, a ranch, a golf course…""
"Of course, having these facilities aren't sufficient. Many activities must be carried out under professional guidance, like yoga masters from India, meditation masters from the Himalayas, world horse racing champions, zoologists, natural scientists, and race drivers."
"I know, I know. The cost might be a little high, but these agents have bled and sweated for the country, and they deserve it."
"The location couldn't be too far either. I think New York City area is pretty good, it's expensive for sure, but it's practical."
"Considering how unsafe New York is, the construction has to meet standards for level 10 or above earthquake-proof buildings. The design cannot be done by an ordianry person, it must be a world-class architect. We can't be slack on the construction team either. The largest construction company in America... what's it called? I think their build quality isn't bad."
"The ribbon-cutting ceremony once the construction is done is also absolutely necessary. If some old person from Capitol Hill is willing to loosen his grip, he can also invite the media over and make a public appearance."
"We'd be more than happy to accept all parties to come here for consolation and speeches. After all, the people here are genuine soldiers who have served the country. If they want their support, they can't skimp on donations right?"
"Of course, if they donate a lot, we could give them the position of an honorary hospital director. You know, I wouldn't mind…"
After Shiller finished speaking, Nick Fury's roar came out of Coulson's walkie-talkie: "Coulson! Get him to my office within ten minutes!! Immediately!! Right now!!"