While the two escaped upstairs and the hours slipped into the late night, Coulson escaped downstairs. He slipped on his blue-tooth headset and turned on his laptop.

As soon as everything was set up, Nick Fury's face filled the screen.

"Agent," he nodded to the screen.

Coulson stood upright and saluted, looking past the screen at the blank wall across from him. "Evening, Director."

"At ease," Fury almost started to chuckle, but then he remembered the purpose of the call. "You said you had something... interesting to tell me?"

"Yes sir," Coulson began as he sat in front of the computer, "and things got even more interesting just now."

Fury pressed the tips of his clasped hands to his mouth. "Go on."

"You said that I was crazy for believing in heroes created by man and by accident," Coulson said, holding up his hands in a slightly defensive, slightly submissive way.

"Yes," Fury said, "and I still think you're crazy. But what are you getting at?"

"One of Steve's... friends, Bruce Banner-" Coulson started.

"Banner... Banner..." Fury's thinking cut him off, "I have heard that name before. Top ranked in all of the science classes, earned most of the science awards each year, offered scholarships from MIT, what about him?"

"Well, he and Steve and Tony Stark-" Coulson started again.

"Tony Stark... his father is Howard Stark," Fury cut him off again, "who is one of the most famous inventors. MIT is offering him a scholarship, too, for his excellence in robotics and physics."

"Well, as I was saying," Coulson began again, indirectly telling Fury to shut the fuck up.

Fury held out his hands submissively, allowing Coulson to continue.

"The three, Banner, Steve, and Tony, all had an extra credit assignment for their chemistry class. Bruce Banner had an idea to analyse the effects of Gamma radiation on a living organism, and so they were prepping a lab in Howard Stark's lab area. When Bruce was in the room for the radiation setting up the test specimen, Steve, what with his new body and all, apparently tripped, and started the radiation while Bruce was trapped in there."

"You have got to be kidding me," Fury commented, putting his thumb and index finger on the bridge of his nose, massaging his head.

"All Tony and Steve could see was this massive… thing, so Steve was the first one to break down the door and go into the room," Coulson said, beaming with pride, "obviously after the radiation stopped."

"Agent," Fury fumed, glaring into the camera, "is this story going to have a punchline?"

"The Gamma radiation that Bruce endured," Coulson stared Fury in the eye, "it should have killed him, right?"

"I've seen it myself," Fury spat, getting more and more frustrated. "Yes, it should have killed him. What are you trying to say, Agent?"

"It didn't kill him. Bruce Banner became a Hulk."

Fury's jaw dropped a small ways. He snapped it shut. "A what?"

"As Tony puts it," Coulson put visual quotation marks up, "Bruce Banner became an 'enormous green rage monster' because of the Gamma."

"So, Bruce Banner survived," Fury noted. "And what triggers this-"

"This Hulk," Coulson finished for Fury, "is triggered by stress or excessive anger that elevates the heart rate beyond control. I've helped Howard observe it as we have had Bruce under lock-down for a few days."

"So we don't even know if this thing is safe." Fury said, rubbing his head again. "You started off by telling me that you still believe in heroes. Any idea why you thought to say that? You thinking that this Hulk is gonna be some sort of hero?"

Coulson shrugged his shoulders. "It's anyone's guess. It's kinda hard to tell right now, mostly because Tony, who's just human, and Steve, the super soldier, were heroes in this situation, but..."

"Ok," Fury said, and Coulson could see him look down at his watch. "Not to sound like I don't care about this at the moment, but I'm out of time to listen to this."

"But I-Sir," Coulson tried to interject.

"Not now, Coulson," Fury calmly barked at the screen. "You know as well as I do that SHIELD needs heroes. Desperately. God only knows what fate will be bringing us later. But I'm not seeing any SHIELD-worthy heroes in your story other than maybe Steve. But even so, none of them are even legal yet. So why should I even consider them?"

"Well..." Coulson started.

"Rhetorical question," Fury ended his sentence before it could even form logic. "I've got to go. Call me when you have more than plenty of information."

"Wait!" Coulson shouted at the screen. Fury paused and glared at the camera.

"You have two minutes," he growled. "Go."

"Steve was outside watching the storm come in when there was a flash of lightning right outside our door, and a man appeared."

This time, Fury looked interested. "Go on."

"I didn't see him land, but Steve dragged him inside and told me what happened. The strange guy from the sky calls himself 'Thor Odinson'. Any ideas?"

"I've heard legends," Fury said, looking genuinely interested now. "Odin is kind of the top of the totem pole when it comes to Norse mythology. According to myth, Thor Odinson is his legitimate son, the heir to the throne of Asgard."

"Yeah, he kept calling Steve a 'small Midgardian', telling Steve he should respect him because he was 'of Asgard'. What exactly are Asgard and Midgard?"

Fury looked pleased that he was able to provide so much information. "Asgard is the home to the gods, according to Norse mythology. Midgard is the name they've given to us. To Earth."

"So..." Coulson pressed his hands to his mouth, trying to comprehend this new information. "Are you trying to tell me that I have a Norse god in my guest room?"

"I'm not saying that," Fury corrected, "but if you describe your, well, guest to me-"

"Tall. Strong. Long blond hair. Armour with big silver discs. A red cape. A silver, winged helmet. And a hammer."

Fury started laughing, a joyful disposition seen even in his eye patch. "Sounds like you've got a god of thunder on your hands."

"You have got to be kidding me," Coulson responded.

"Not that it's truly a disadvantage. The only problem is how he will adapt to our, well, Midgardian technology," Fury responded. He was followed by a large thump from upstairs.

"You're right about that," Coulson said, rubbing his temples. "It's gonna take more focus than raising a teenager."

"That's right, I almost forgot that you're Rogers' guardian. How is he?" Fury asked. This seemed to be the first time he had ever shown any genuine interest in Steve's safety.

"Oh, you know," Coulson replied, "the usual teenage boy stuff."

"But no extra gamma radiation experiments or girls or sex, right?" The words seemed to roll off of Fury's tongue.

Coulson flinched, and then was almost insulted. "Steve is a good kid, sir. I'd expect you, of all people, to have a higher expectation for him."

"You're getting attached, Agent," Fury commented, and then glanced down at a timepiece. "It's late. Go to bed. I will speak with you at a later date about all of this hero and Hulk nonsense, yes?"

"Yes, sir," Coulson said, and saluted before the screen went blank.

It wasn't as if he was crazy for believing in heroes. Steve tried to save Bruce's life before they realized that the Hulk was Bruce. That was one thing. And, though he was a Stark, Tony had tried to help save Bruce's life. Maybe Coulson was wrong about one thing; maybe heroes don't have to come with powers.

But it couldn't hurt.