Stark Mansion, Malibu, Los Angeles-
-July 2, 2009. 0900h local-
"So, Fury finally showed himself, huh?" Naruto said when he saw the folder, Tony was reading. Tony turned around and went towards the dining room entrance. "Damn, did you sleep?" Tony had dark circles under his eyes.
"To answer your question, a creepy pirate did indeed come, and I couldn't sleep after I started reading this…" Tony replied as his usual sarcastic self. "I had JARVIS search for everything he could find about what's in here."
"So, what did he find?" Naruto asked, genuinely curious about what JARVIS could have found considering SHIELD's strict information control.
"Something and nothing at the same time…" Tony picked up his phone on the table and scrolled through it. "I got a lot of news articles, journals, papers, social media, conspiracy theories, yadda yadda… But the thing is, I got nothing substantial on anyone in this except for the Banner guy."
"What makes him so different?"
"I already met him at some conventions. Brilliant guy, a little weird. Maybe that's just what happens if you collect seven doctorates…" Tony answered absent-mindedly before he realized he was moving away from the topic. "Anyway, I got most of his papers with electromagnetic waves, particularly high energy radiation. I have to say the guy really is a genius…" He added. "I found a lot of clips of him wrecking the military. I guess that's what they wanted the sonic cannon for."
"You're missing two guys in here…" Naruto removed the cover page of each Avenger candidate and lined them up on the table. Interestingly enough, Nat's and Clint's photos use generic silhouettes and were heavily redacted. Banner's cover page also had some partial redaction. "We're not going to discuss the two silhouettes since their files are redacted for a reason. All I can say is that they are agents of SHIELD. The cream of the crop…" He explained. "Banner's files are partially redacted because of his work with the military. Your files are not redacted for obvious reasons…" He moved the cover photos to the side and retrieved two sheets of paper from behind him. "This is my file. I have no idea why it's not there. Maybe they thought you know me enough, but anyway, here it is if you would like to read it. Partially redacted, of course. Now, this is the Cap's file. I guess Fury still wants him to be kept secret since they still haven't woken him up."
Tony took both sheets of paper and looked over it, starting with Cap's file. There were still some redacted areas on it but probably less than before. The redacted areas were mainly focused on Project Rebirth. What surprised him, though, was the number of missions listed. He's no military man, but he was sure that doing over 100 special ops missions in the span of two years was impressive enough but add the fact that there were no failures. The boy scout was just showing off.
He moved his focus to the other sheet of paper, and he noticed that there were more redacted areas compared to the Captain's but not enough to make it annoying like the agents profiles. He skimmed over it and noted that he already knew most of what's inside. The only detail added that piqued his curiosity was the aliases and works Naruto has done. Nine-Tails and the Fox, codenames given to the most prolific and effective information broker/mercenary out there. There were only estimated jobs done since most of it was done in secret, and the number alone was staggering. Approximated 5000 information gathering jobs and 800 mercenary jobs.
"What the fuck, man!? How the hell did you do 5800 jobs!?" Tony exclaimed.
Naruto did a single hand sign before a clone of himself appeared beside him.
"Shadow Clones. I got thousands of these guys around the world though not all of them are active." Naruto replied. Only a few hundred of his clones were not henged as inanimate objects, while merely a few dozen are not disguised.
"Cheating alien bastard," Tony mumbled before going back to the folder and cross-referencing everything that he could find.
Naruto decided to just stay silent and fix some breakfast since he could sense Pepper preparing herself for the day. He turned on the coffee machine and cooked some eggs and bacon. He finished cooking just in time since Pepper walked down the stairs as he transferred the food to the plates.
"Wow, Naruto is cooking this morning!" Pepper excitedly. She considered Naruto's cooking as one of the best out there. Naruto placed the food and coffee in front of Tony and Pepper before setting one for himself.
"Eat up. You two got a lot to do today, but Tony will probably stay behind studying those little ass folders." Naruto replied.
Pepper took a bite and released a small moan. She still had no idea how Naruto could make eggs and bacon taste so good. She looked towards Tony and noticed that his sole focus was on the folder in front of him.
"How long has he been awake?" Pepper asked.
"Probably the whole night. A one-eyed pirate came to visit last night and gave Tony that folder." Naruto answered, intentionally leaving out that the pirate was trying to recruit Tony into his super-secret superhero boy band.
"What?"
"Nick Fury, the head honcho of SHIELD, came to visit. You should ask him about it, not me. He's your fiancée."
Pepper felt that Naruto was hiding something, but she decided to ignore it for now. She stood up and walked behind Tony and tapped his shoulder.
Tony was obviously startled but quickly recovered when he saw who it was.
"Hi, Peps. How long have you been there?" Tony asked.
"Long enough…" Pepper replied with a small huff. "What are you reading there? That does not look like our typical company report."
"Oh, this. Some one-eyed black guy gave this to me. Said something about the Avengers Initiative. These are the candidates he wanted…" Tony answered truthfully, not even bothering to lie. "By the way, we're going to hire a bodyguard just for you. Some things out there are just crazy."
Pepper reached for the folder in Tony's hand and started to skim through it. To say she was shocked was an understatement. Super spies are somewhat believable. World War 2, Super Soldiers? She already knew about that thanks to Naruto. Advance Exo suit/ armor? Her fiancée was the one who made it. What really got to her was a scientist that could transform into a green rage monster and the guy inside their house right now. One of the best information brokers/mercenaries around. She knew Naruto was some kind of muscle for hire, but how good was the guy to earn him a do not engage status.
"They wanted Tony to join this?" Pepper asked Naruto.
"Yup. The Avengers, the first and last defense of humanity against any enemy that they are not prepared to face…" Naruto replied. "Fury wants to build a team that can fight guys like me…" He said, causing incredulous looks to form on Tony's and Pepper's face. "Well, not guys like me, that's just a massacre waiting to happen, but aliens and extra-dimensional entities." Tony's eyes widened and latched onto one detail.
"Aliens are real? Not like you but like ET and martian kind of thing?" Tony inquired.
"Hey! I'm an alien!" Naruto retorted, but Tony just raised his eyebrow. "I'm not alien-like, but I can still be an alien…" Naruto released a sigh. "There are aliens. We don't get too much alien traffic since Earth is a backroad planet, at least that's what Fury has in his files. However, there are still a good number of aliens currently with us."
"If we are a backwater planet, is there really a threat from out there?"
"You would be surprised. As far as records go, the most recent incident that almost wiped out humanity happened in 1995. According to Fury's hidden files, Kree Accusers had already launched a wave of orbital bombardment kinetic thermobaric bombs. I have no idea what the hell an Accusers is, but Kree is an alien race that has blue skin…" Naruto recounted, ignoring the Stark's aghast expression. "Good thing Fury met a human-alien chick that took care of the problem."
"Human Alien? Don't you mean, half-alien?" Pepper interjected.
"Nah, like human-alien. She's a human that was taken by aliens and brainwashed. Don't worry, she's fine now." Naruto replied.
Pepper stared at Naruto before snapping out of her stupor.
"I miss the time when the only problem I had was fixing up the company reports…" Pepper stated. "I can't believe that ignorance really is bliss."
Tony was just staring out into nothingness, his mind running a thousand miles a second. Ever since he started inventing, he was always a problem solver. Engine not putting out enough power? Just slap a turbo on it. Missile targeting system acting up? Invent a hybrid targeting system to fix it. The problem he was trying to solve now was the proverbial ax hovering over their neck, aliens with a fleet designed to decimate the population on the planet. He really doesn't like the feeling of helplessness.
"Tony, Tony. You okay there?" Naruto called out, causing Tony to shake his head.
"You have to tell me that you have got vital information on those aliens." Tony said seriously, expecting that Naruto would turn into his usual 'how the fuck did he know about that' self.
"Sorry to disappoint you, man, but I don't have much info on anything out there, only what public and private organizations have like Fury's private files…" Naruto answered a little sheepishly. "And from what I can tell, the aliens on our planet are outcasts and refugees. The largest alien community has a hundred individuals of shapeshifters called Skrulls. They're leftover from the main refugee group that left in 1995, so they don't have many files and alien tech with them."
Tony unconsciously released a groan.
"How about the Kree? What does Fury have on them?" Tony asked with a hint of desperation.
"The Kree empire is a militaristic race that has an AI as its leader. They're the ones that pushed the Skrulls to the brink of extinction…" Naruto said, trying to recount what Fury has in his files. "Based on the world's average technological level, we are maybe 50 years behind them. Their blood can also be used by humans to accelerate healing and possibly revive the dead."
"Who the hell tested that?" Pepper interrupted.
"An independent research group Fury established. They acquired a half-dead body of a Kree and started testing shit with it."
Tony stood up and retrieved the Avengers folder from Pepper's hands before walking out of the room, presumably towards his workshop. Naruto and Pepper couldn't do anything but stare at Tony's retreating back.
"So, is he going to eat that or what?" Naruto asked, pointing to the untouched food.
-New York City, New York-
-July 12, 2009, 1000h local-
Naruto and Peggy were currently in an office space he rented overlooking the SHIELD safehouse. In front of them was a collection of screens showing the interior of the safehouse. The largest screen was showing a small room, an imitation hospital room from the 1940s. At its side is a screen showing the large room where the mock hospital room was placed. Fury basically ignored Naruto's advice.
It was only a day ago when Fury gave Coulson the all-clear to wean Captain Rogers from the anesthesia. According to the medical requisition forms, they were using ten times the recommended amount just to keep the Captain knocked out. This only reinforced the physiological changes the Supersoldier serum had on the Captain.
SHIELD and what he assumed were HYDRA agents, as well as some agents from private companies, have all been trying to get biological samples from the first successful super soldier to create their own version. The keyword was trying. Naruto had been replacing the blood and hair samples with ones from a golden retriever, the perfect animal substitute for the Captain if there ever was one. Not that he was going to say it anytime soon.
"How can he be so stupid!? I taught him better than that." Peggy complained with a groan.
"To be fair, you taught him to think like a spy. His default is to keep secrets and lie. Nobody can just go against their nature at the drop of a hat." Naruto replied. This caused Peggy to glare at Naruto.
"Don't start with me today. I'm not in the mood." Peggy countered before looking back at Steve's sleeping form.
Naruto looked at the other feeds, focusing on one monitor in particular. He could see Coulson briefing a red-haired agent named Grace Van Pelt. He was looking into everything else in the base. As far as he could tell, the only other thing noteworthy in the base was a garage filled with two security team squads. He was still focusing on monitoring the safehouse when somebody knocked on the door.
Peggy quickly drew her gun and aimed it at the door, thinking that some undesirables figured out their position. However, she noticed that Naruto remained calm and just continued checking the feeds.
"Come in!" Naruto shouted, which partially surprised Peggy.
The door slowly opened, revealing Jessica carrying a coffee tray and a paper bag from the coffee shop around the corner.
"Hey, I brought coffee…" Jessica greeted before closing the door. She sauntered towards Naruto and gave him a quick peck before dropping the food and coffee on the table. "So, what are we doing here?"
"Checking out how SHIELD is going to fuck up waking up Captain America…" Naruto answered. "What time is your class?"
"My 3 pm class canceled, so I'm free for the whole day…" Jessica walked towards the screen where the Captain was still sleeping. "Wow, he looks damn hot for a guy sleeping for over sixty years."
Naruto immediately turned his head towards Jessica with mock indignation.
"Hey! I'm hot!" Naruto retorted, causing Jessica to chuckle.
"I'm not saying you're not hot. I'm saying that I can understand one of the reasons why Aunt Peggy here can't get over the guy…" Jessica sent an exaggerated wink towards Peggy, causing her to blush. "So, anyone care to tell me what they're going to do?"
Naruto nodded and turned around towards the monitors. He pointed towards the screen where Agent Van Pelt was talking with Coulson.
"See that redhead there?" Jessica nodded. "She's going to dress as a 1940s nurse when Captain Rogers wakes up. They are going to try to convince him that he has just been retrieved from the ice a week or so after the crash."
"How is that going to work? They can't just lock him up in that room forever." Jessica commented. Perfectly encapsulating one of the problems in Fury's plan.
"You're going to graduate college with honors. No doubt about it." Naruto said seriously.
Jessica smiled when she heard Naruto's comment. She walked in front of Naruto and sat on his lap before looping her arms around Naruto's neck and kissed him.
Peggy ignored the couple and just focused on the feed. A few minutes later, she noticed that Steve Rogers was finally waking up, evident by the shake of his head. She couldn't help but flash a smile when she finally saw Steve's clear blue eyes.
Naruto and Jessica noticed Peggy's emotional moment and quieted down, giving her a moment to enjoy the moment.
-SHIELD Safehouse, New York-
-July 12, 2009, 1100h local-
Steve Rogers, aka Captain America. The first avenger. The first superhero. Widely regarded as the human representation of freedom. One of the most influential factors that pushed the World War 2 effort in favor of the Allies by leading the Howling Commandos against the Johann Schmidt or Red Skull and HYDRA.
Steve Grant Rogers was born on July 4, 1918, to Sarah and Joseph Rogers. His father was killed in action during World War 1. He had always been a small and sickly kid, causing him to form only one significant friendship in the form of one James Buchanan Barnes. His mother died from tuberculosis during his last year of high school.
When Steve and Bucky heard that the US finally joined World War 2, they immediately tried to enlist, but Steve was always denied due to the many health problems. Bucky, on the other hand, was immediately accepted and sent to basic. Steve Rogers never gave up, though. He tried to enlist at different recruitment centers around New York City.
His fate changed during the 1943 Stark Expo. Steve was pulled by Bucky into a double date, but he slipped away to try and enlist once again. Coincidentally, Dr. Abraham Erksine, a defector from Germany, took notice of Steve's morals and fast-tracked Steve's record after a short interview.
Steve was sent to Camp Lehigh for assessment and training. He was chosen by Dr. Erksine for Project Rebirth, a top-secret super-soldier program by the US military and the Strategic Scientific Reserve or SSR, the predecessor of SHIELD. Project Rebirth was a success causing Steve Rogers to pack muscle and gain almost a foot of height. However, Dr. Erksine was killed by an undercover agent, effectively killing Project Rebirth.
Steve Rogers, or now known as Captain America, was used as a mascot and propaganda machine, boosting US military recruitment. His fate changed yet again when he went on an undercover mission to rescue Allied soldiers, particularly the 107th Infantry regiment, which Bucky was a part of, from a Nazi HYDRA concentration camp. This mission alone had proven his worth as a soldier and leader.
Captain America led multiple raids against multiple HYDRA bases with his specialized unit, the Howling Commandos. Along the way, Howard Stark gifted Captain Rogers with a circular shield made from Vibranium, one of the strongest metals known to man.
Every win he accomplished over HYDRA tilted the war in favor of the Allies, but everything must come to an end. The first blow came with the death of Bucky Barnes during the mission to apprehend Dr. Arnim Zola. The next blow, however, came with the defeat of the Red Skull. As a last-ditch effort to deal considerable damage to the US, the Red Skull harnessed the Tesseract's energy to create bombs that would decimate the US cities.
The Red Skull was able to take off with one of the bombers forcing Captain Rogers to crash the plane in the Arctic circle. Everyone thought that the Captain perished that day, but multiple search and retrieval missions were done to find the Captain's body. Howard Stark successfully found the Tesseract but not the Captain. Captain America inspired the US to build SHIELD.
Steve Rogers never expected that he would be able to wake up alive. He fully expected to wake up in the afterlife, heaven or hell, wherever he was destined to go. He pushed himself up on the bed and observed his surroundings. There was something disconcerting with everything he was sensing. He focused his attention on the 'live' baseball game on the radio. It didn't take long before a nurse/secretary check up on him.
"Morning…" The nurse greeted smoothly before 'checking' her watch. "or should I say afternoon."
"Where am I?" Steve asked.
"You're in a recovery room in New York." The nurse answered.
Steve listened in on the surroundings and confirmed that the statement was not quite right. One of the side effects of the super-soldier serum was the acquisition of an eidetic memory.
"Where am I, really?" Steve asked again slowly.
"I don't understand." The nurse replied, getting a little nervous.
"The game, it's from May 1941. I know because I was there…" Steve stated with absolute certainty. Van Pelt knew that the plan had failed, so she immediately pushed the panic button. He stood up from the bed and walked towards Van Pelt. "So, I'm going to ask again, where am I?"
"Captain Rogers." The nurse said, trying to calm down the situation.
"Who are you!?" Steve shouted, but four armed men in black combat suits entered the room.
-New York City, New York-
-July 12, 2009, 1130h local-
"Well, that was a dud… As expected..." Naruto said while looking out the window. He was looking at Captain Rogers running barefoot down the street towards Times Square. He then turned towards Peggy. "What do you want to do now?"
Peggy took a deep breath to calm down her mind. All she wanted to do was run out the door to meet Steve face to face again, but she knew it was not exactly viable right now. She needed to remain hidden for as long as possible to keep an advantage over HYDRA.
"We're going to wait for Fury to bring him to the old gym before meeting him…" Peggy stated. "For now, we should keep watch of the situation."