Avengers The Captain's Secret

Part 10: Message From Beyond

CAP POV

I watched Coulson sit back in his chair. I started checking the background of the video. He was definitely on the Helicarrier.

"Evie--" He closed his eyes for a second. "Evelyn is a very special girl-young woman." He took a deep breath. "She is the granddaughter of Ororo Munroe, also known as--"

"Storm." I said it with the recording, leaning forward. "Oh, boy."

Coulson took another deep breath. "Storm had a daughter named Kymera, who left the Xavier School for the Gifted before finishing. In that time away, she got pregnant. We do not know who the father is, but we do know he isn't human." He paused, seeming to know I'd need a minute for that. "Kymera returned to her mother to give birth, and died minutes after Lesedi Evelyn Munroe was born; we call her Eve, or Evie. When Evie was small, she often used her powers unintentionally in moments of heightened stress. For small children, this is easy to occur, but not common since most mutants come into powers during adolescent years. Storm came to us for help, and Fury brought her to SHIELD for her own protection."

Coulson swiveled in his chair and put the focus on a monitor. "Fury treated her more like a specimen than an innocent little girl, so I became her advocate." I watched a short film of Evie as a child being put through some tests, and receiving different injections or having blood drawn. There were other tests to make her use her capabilities. She spent most of the footage crying or in fear. Then the film cut to Evie standing in what looked like a bedroom. The place looked like it was in a snowstorm and she was crying in the middle of it. No one could get near her. Some scientists and medics tried, but to no avail; she was generating some sort of cold blast. Fury tried, and she backed away from him but hit him twice as hard. Finally, Coulson came into the room, and started talking to her. He had taken off his jacket and tie, bent low as he maintained eye contact with her. As he neared her, the elements subsided, and he picked her up, rocking and holding her. When Fury entered the room, Coulson put a hand up, and shoved past him, taking her out of the room. Coulson swiveled away from the screen and put the camera back on himself. He swallowed hard, still affected by that memory. "Over the years Nick Fury has had her undergo tests to find the specifics of her capabilities. I have been what stood between them. In short, if I didn't agree to a test, Evie simply didn't do it. I had become her parent, and I love her as such."

Coulson stopped for a moment. Just as I thought he couldn't look more serious or sad, he began to speak again. "Evie's father. I have a theory about him. I think he may be an Asgardian. In SHIELD history we have known of a few who came here despite the King and Queen's warnings. I have been able to collect DNA samples from Thor when he tried to reclaim his hammer, which was why I allowed it. I believe that-others-" he gave a meaningful nod. "will show themselves now that we have the Tesseract." He sat as if waiting for me to put it together myself. "You've probably guessed that I plan to try to get information and DNA from Loki now that we have him in custody," Coulson said quickly. That was when I noticed the video was made the day he died, after we met. "No matter what, Evie is my daughter, and finding the truth for her is worth everything, but is becoming dangerous. This made me think who could I trust with all I knew? Who would I trust with her?"

I paused the video. Now in hindsight, I realized that Coulson believed that Evie's father was none other than Loki, who would murder him later that day. It was possible, but now there were so many possibilities in hindsight that Coulson could not have seen. This was a lot. "No wonder she didn't get brain freeze." I took a deep breath. I wanted footage of that room from the time Loki came on board till he escaped . I wanted all of it. I had a feeling more happened in that room than anyone let on, or anyone really knew. Then I thought about our conversation:

"It's a huge honor to have you on board."

"Hope I'm the man for the job."

"Oh, you are, absolutely."

Those words had a new meaning. I leaned forward, and hit play. "Oh, no, Phil. Not me. Not...me!" I watched the play of emotions across his face. Oh, no...

"Yes, I am begging you to look after her." Coulson's face got closer to the screen, and I sat back. "She is powerful and vulnerable. I know no one-there is no one I know of-that could have her best interests at heart and protect her, maybe even from herself. When this mess is over, I plan to introduce you. I kind of botched our first meeting and I need to clarify things, but if this doesn't happen, I need you to understand. I hope you do. Evie will know that you have received correspondence from me if you refer to me as Philly or call her Sedi." He paused. "Destroy this first chance you get, and not on the ship. Fury is part conspiracy theorist, so things you throw away are the first things he will search through. Thank you for whatever you do. Good luck, and tell Evie I love her. Good luck."