A/N - Sorry for the delay. I was wanting to get this out last week, but we had some sad events happen here. I realize some of you may no understand this type of heart ache but it is a pain still the same. We had to put our almost 8 year old puppy down. :( She had suffered from a slipped disc in her back after chasing a ball. Her right hind leg instantly gave out on her and she couldn't walk on it...it dragged under her. We took her to the vet on Tuesday and she was given a steroid/pain med combo in hopes that the swelling would go down and she would regain feeling. She then lost the ability to walk with both her hind legs. She did have some feeling in her legs when they did a pinch test but not enough to walk. That gave us hope but at the same time, we knew that she was experiencing a lot of pain due to the pinched nerves. After a lot of consideration as to what was best for her, we came up with the painful conclusion that it would be best to not allow her to suffer. It was so hard to do it considering she was otherwise healthy...but she had stopped eating and drinking in the few days after her accident. We had to carry her everywhere and force her to stay in one place, which was hard enough. We had the option of surgery for her back, but it would cost us up to $6000! We had to remind ourselves that she is still just a dog. It was so hard to see her struggle to move around. As much as we wanted to keep her in our lives, we knew it would be selfish of us to do so. So...with tears in my eyes, I dedicate this chapter to her. My little Casey.

Maria walked out of the room, and caught Natasha's eye in the hallway. She had heard the entire interrogation. Natasha watched it, looking for any obvious patterns in the young man's stance, his expressions and body language. She had to admit that he remained quite neutral. It was obvious that he cared for the woman down in quarantine and that he reacted just slightly when Maria mentioned Tony Stark. As much as she wondered what that meant, she was more concerned about what their next plan of action was. Natasha couldn't believe that the young man asked for Phil Coulson by name. Just the mention of Coulson brought that painful memory of his death back to her.

"What are we going to do now?"

Agent Hill walked up to Natasha soberly. "We're going to get Coulson."

Natasha scoffed at the blatant humour that she assumed Maria was attempting. It wasn't funny to her at all.

"I'm serious," Maria told her.

"You're serious?" Natasha had to ask. "That's a pretty horrible joke, if you ask me."

"It's no joke," Maria said, her face full of seriousness and attempt keep the information quiet. "He's alive."

Romanov didn't ask anymore questions, nor did she say much after that. She simply followed Agent Hill, trying to make sense of what the agent had told her. It wasn't until she was standing behind her as Agent Hill sat at her desk and turned on her laptop to a smiling image of Agent Phil Coulson, that she felt herself stop breathing.

"I have an update for you sir," Agent Hill began.

"I was hoping that you would," he replied, glancing up at Natasha and frowning when he did so. It was clear that he was surprised to see her face yet he let out a smile for her. "It's good to see you again, Agent Romanov."

Natasha didn't say anything. She was still trying to wrap her mind around what she knew and believed were true.

He looked back at Agent Hill. "I wasn't aware that Agent Romanov had clearance to certain knowledge within S.H.I.E.L.D."

"No, sir," Maria said. "She does not. But with the current events, I thought it prudent to enlighten her."

"Events? What events?"

"It turns out that our guests have knowledge that you are alive and well," Maria told him.

"Are they Hydra?"

"Not that I'm aware of," she told him. "We have them under tight security. We need you to come down here."

"Why?"

"They had a USB drive on them with encrypted files that we have been unable to open. I've been told that besides them, you are the only one capable of opening the file. Also, the young man will only speak to you. He wont tell us his name or anything."

"Finger prints?"

She shook her head. "Not in the system."

"DNA?"

"Nothing either. Facial recognition is coming up empty as well."

Coulson looked down for a brief second before glancing back up at the screen. He had worked hard over the past few years to keep his past life separate from his present life. Going back and facing people whom he hadn't seen since before his accident would bring back too many memories. But he knew that this was a big deal and had no choice.

"Send me those encrypted files. I'll tie up loose ends here and be there within the hour."

"See you soon, sir."

"See you soon Agent Hill." Coulson paused for a moment before glancing up at Natasha. "You too Romanov."

The screen turned blank and Natasha seemed to let out a breath that she was holding for the entire time. It seemed so surreal.

"Sir?"

Hill turned in her chair and winced. "Yeah, that's a long story."

3 years, 1 month and 13 days.

Coulson had a running calendar in his head of how long he had lived this second existence. He assumed that one day he'd reveal that he never did die that fateful day by Loki's hand. He just never assumed it would be because he would be forced to.

As he walked down the corridor with Agent Hill at his side and Romanov walking a few steps behind him, the full fledge of his existence within the S.H.I.E.L.D. base was being known. A few agents were aware of his miraculous resurrection but as he walked down the hallway, it was evident on the faces of those who didn't know. Some agents would stop along the hallway and stand at attention as he passed, while others stood in awe and he could practically hear their internal conversation about what they were seeing in front of him. He knew the feeling. It took months for him to look at his reflection in the mirror and not see a ghost of himself.

But this was important.

After gaining access to those encrypted files that he found so shocking that S.H.I.E.L.D itself couldn't open, he was risking it all. The technology that brought him to life rivaled that that brought the two guests to their time. It was just as impossible.

As he rounded the corner to head towards the interrogation rooms, he was met with three faces whom he had only seen on recordings and photos over the past few years. Coulson was aware that in the time that he made his way to the S.H.I.E.L.D base, that Agent Hill had informed the Avengers that they were getting a guest and to keep an open mind.

He was surprised to find that it was only, Clint, Thor and Captain America who met him. He was expecting Mr. Stark in the very least or even perhaps Dr. Banner, although he wasn't as familiar with the man.

"It's good to see you again...Director Coulson, is it?" Steve said with a cautious smile and extended his hand.

Phil couldn't help but smile as he shook the man's hand.

"It's good to be back," Coulson replied with a nod before looking to both Thor and Clint.

Although he never voiced it, Maria Hill seemed to know Coulson's unspoken question.

"Dr. Banner and Mr. Stark are working in the lab right now," she told him, before directing him to the room where Daniel sat silently. Coulson paused and looked at Daniel through the glass as the young man paced with his arms crossed in front of him before turning to Agent Hill.

"I want all outgoing audio cut from that room," he told her. "And I want that young woman you have down in isolation brought up here so that I can speak with her as well."

Maria instantly began to object. "Sir, I don't think that is a good idea. It is for everyone's safety that she be-"

"-And I'm telling you that I want to speak with her," Coulson intercepted. "Is that understood?"

Maria backed down and nodded as Coulson reached for the interrogation room door.

Daniel paced within the small, quiet room. His mind was on Anna. He could understand the fear that S.H.I.E.L.D. had in holding her within a place where she could potentially cause damage or hurt someone. But they weren't aware that she was incapable of doing anything of the sort and he wasn't about to explain it to them. Because he was unable to protect her, like her parents had told him to, she was now a prisoner in isolation.

Their mission had become a failure.

From the moment they arrived on that beach, everything had gone wrong. The plan to upload the program into Stark's computers was far from happening. Thier current predicatment caused him to consider how good of an agent he was. He had been trained by some of the best S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, but nothing could have ever prepared him for this. There was never a 'Time Travel 101' course that was offered.

He shook his head and snorted at the thought as the door suddenly opened.

Neither one said anything for a few seconds until Coulson reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He put it on vibrate before setting it on the table in the middle of the room and then undid his suit coat and put it around the back of the chair.

"I figure that I may be here for a while so we may as well get comfortable," Coulson said, pulling the chair out to sit down.

Without saying a word, he glanced at the chair opposite him before looking up at Daniel. After a beat, Daniel pulled the chair out and sat down.

Again, a few seconds passed when neither one spoke. Finally, Coulson sighed.

"I'm sorry," he began. "I'm finding this situation a bit unusual. It's not everyday that you meet someone from the future."

Daniel glanced nervously at the glass after Coulson spoke those words.

"Don't worry. Audio is turned off."

Daniel smirked slightly and glanced down at his lap.

"I know the feeling, sir."

Coulson smiled.

"I'm sure that you do." He paused for a moment before continuing.

"I had the opportunity to open those files on the USB stick that was found on you," he told Daniel. "I have to say that it was slightly disconcerting to have an image of myself from twenty-something years in the future speak to me. I was hoping that you could assist me in decoding what is exactly on it. I can't ask any of my agents for obvious reasons."

"Unfortunately sir, I'm not experienced with that," Daniel told him. "But the young woman who accompanied me, is."

Coulson nodded. "The young woman with the Extremis virus, right?"

"It is dormant within her cell structure, although it does give off a signature that some scanners may treat as active."

"Like our scanners," Coulson concluded, as Daniel nodded.

"She isn't dangerous."

"Unfortunately, until we can completely verifty that, we are simply taking precautions."

The sound of the door opening caused Coulson to look over his shoulder.

The first thing Daniel saw was the bag over the persons head before he glanced down at the fully encompassed hands within a metal cylinder and finally the shakles around the ankles. A second later, the bag was pulled off the head and he met Anna's brown eyes. Her dark auburn hair sat haphazardly over her face from being inside the dark bag.

Daniel quickly stood up as Coulson followed suit.

An unrecognizable voice spoke from behind her.

"I should inform you that if your body temperature rises above 105 Ferenheit or if you attempt to leave this room unaccompanied, an electric pulse will instantly stop your heart from beating."

Anna swallowed.

"Keep my cool, I understand," she said softly, in a feeble attempt to hide her anxiety.

Daniel had never heard her speak so fearfully.

Once the door closed and effectively locked behind them, Daniel made his way over to her.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"I'm fine, considering everything I've been through," she replied sarcastically, as she raised her bound hands and attempted to brush her hair out of her face. Daniel, seeing her struggled rubbed his hands over her face and into her hair.

"I apologize for your situation," Coulson spoke up from where he stood by the table. He had been watching the exchange with interest. "Your confinement has been merely a precaution. I'm hoping that we can resolve some of that."

Coulson gestured to the seat where Daniel had been sitting before.

Anna glanced from Coulson to Daniel. Besides Captain American, Coulson was the only other person they had a connection to in both times that they have seen. Seeing the man in a younger version of himself was surreal. Anna couldn't help but stare at him as she slowly made her way towards the table. The shackles rattled against the floor as she walked and she was relieved to finally sit.

"I'll get straight to the point," Coulson said, looking at the pair in front of him. "I know that you're from the future and as much as I'd like to know about it, I don't. I understand that S.H.I.E.L.D sent you both back in time in order to prevent an event from occuring. Unfortunately and perhaps fortunately, my older counterpart never devolged that information on that USB drive. There was a program within it along with some other details that I don't want to understand, but I do."

Coulson reached forward and picked up his phone and quicklly found the details of the file that he wanted clarification for.

"It looks like these are specifications for our long range radiation scanners," he said, turning the phone towards the pair.

Daniel reached forward and took the phone. After a simple glance at it, he held it in front of Anna.

"Yes, they are to be updated and further enhanced as an early warning system."

"Early warning system," Coulson muttered to himself.

"I hate to ask this," he began. "But why?"

Anna turned to Daniel beside her, unsure of what to say. She defaulted to allow him to answer.

"Within a few years time, you'll be thankful you have it," Daniel replied.

"Do you have any idea how twisted this whole situation is?" Stark exclaimed. He laid on a cot on the otherside of the room where he and Banner had been working. An arm rested over his eyes. "Agent Coulson is alive. Phil Coulson. The man who had his heart stabbed by crazy-cracker Loki. The same agent man who dropped into my life the day I returned from my time in the desert."

"No matter how you say it, he's still Coulson," Bruce stated.

He had been hearing Tony rant for nearly an hour about how they had been kept in the dark for years, how they had mourned and ultimately sought their revenge against Loki for the death of their friend, only to find out now that he's perfectly fine. Even Dr. Banner had trouble wrapping his scientific mind around it. He wasn't aware of the medical intervention that must have taken place to bring him back to life but it must had been extensive. It made what he was currently doing look like childs play.

He focused on extracting the DNA sequence on the 3d model in front of him to break down the genes in hopes of matching it to one of the many Extremis patients.

"I suppose we shouldn't be too surprised," Stark suddenly said. "This is S.H.I.E.L.D were talking about here. What I don't understand is how two kids with intense radiation levels was the reason why he came out of the closet, so to speak."

"They're hardly kids," Bruce retorted with a chuckle. "They're both at least twenty years old."

He heard Stark scoff before he continued his verbal thinking.

"But still, why now? What makes these two so special?"

"You've got me there," Bruce told him. "He must have his reasons."

Stark groaned audibly. "This whole thing is giving me a headache. Do you know where I'm supposed to be right now?"

"No, where?"

"I was supposed to be sitting on the beach on Grand Cayman Island," he said. "Pepper is there right now, waiting for me. I told her this would be a quick job for S.H.I.E.L.D. She understood when I mentioned it had something to do with someone with Extremis. She's going to flip when I have to stay longer."

"I think she'd understand given the circumstances."

Stark turned his head and looked at Bruce.

"She's a redhead, Banner," he deadpanned. "That alone is a death sentence to anyone who would dare change her plans for this vacation that she has meticulously planned for 5 months."

Bruce shrugged as Tony went back to covering his head with his arm. Finally, the room fell silent once again. Banner smiled to himself when he heard the soft sounds of Tony snoring. He knew there was a reason why the man had stopped speaking. As much as he enjoyed conversing with Tony Stark, he also looked forward to the time apart.

Turning back to the woman's DNA sequence, he smiled with satisfaction as he had successfully extracted the DNA molecules housing the Extremis. He ran the Extremis-free DNA sequence along with the one with Extremis through the database. He was about to stand, knowing that this procedure was more than likely going to take hours or at least bring up no results once again. A beeping from the computer caught his attention.

Bruce turned, and glanced at it. He raised his glasses to his face when he couldn't believe the results he was reading in front of him. He quickly glanced back at the man sleeping soundly across the room before turning back and tapping some commands on the keyboard.

"That's impossible," he whispered to himself. "This can't be right."

A second beeping alerted him to the other DNA test being complete as well. He had broken down the man's DNA in hopes of figuring out a parental decent, and he had.

Bruce gasped, seeing the results being stated plainly in front of him. It was unbelieveable and actually incredible to even consider in some aspects.

The sound of Tony speaking out suddenly while he slept, startled Bruce. He looked over his shoulder, slightly guarded at the information that he had in front of him. With a few commands, he sent that information to the printer across the room before shutting down the program he was using. He quickly stood up upon hearing the printer come to life, afraid that it would rouse the sleeping billionaire. Bruce glanced at Tony and grabbed the sheet of paper the moment the printer finished spitting it out. As he made his way towards the door, he pulled on his glasses and suddenly tripped over a low lying filing cabinet partially hidden under the table. The commotion was enough to wake Tony. He sat up straight on the cot and exclaimed a few words of jargon before seeing Bruce on his hands and knees, pushing himself up to stand.

"Hey Banner, you all right?" he asked, running his hand over his face.

"Uh, yeah," Bruce said, avoiding eye contact with Tony as he picked up the sheet of paper off the floor. "I...I uh, I just need to get this to...uh, Coulson."

"Sure Pal," Tony stated, watching as Bruce quickly left the room.

"That was weird," he quipped, looking at the closed door before turning towards the work station that Bruce had been working at. The computer had been put to sleep. Tony swung his legs over the cot and walked towards it. Rubbing his eyes, he jossled the mouse and brought the computer back online. He was surprised to find the program and DNA tests that Bruce had been running was suddenly shut down. As far as he was concerned, they still hadn't gotten their results yet.

"What are you up to, Banner?" he whispered as he slid into the doctor's chair.

It wouldn't take long for him to backtrack. After all, Tony Stark was never one to back down from a challenge.