LVII
From the comments on MH Dispatch Worldwide, a forum dedicated to tracking people with metahuman abilities:
fthisbullsht
Oh so now we're worshipping them
acheronislive:
You're missing the point here. I'm not saying metahumans are gods - I'm saying they are a reincarnation of those old powers. The universe is cyclical. Someone said that in an earlier comment and I totally agree with them. We used to worship beings with special powers as gods. Their power made sense in that context, for past humans. But now we've moved on, as a society. We don't need gods. We don't need concepts like worship and devotion. But we still need a word to describe the power that these people hold.
hediN209
yeah i get what your saying. metahuman is kinda the word were looking for but not quite. they're like neo-gods.
fthisbullsht
this has nothing to do with the goddamn universe. its evolution. yall r goin wild with this shit n im not in for the cult vibes
acheronislive
Oh so you can lift things three times your body weight? You can emit glowing radiation from your hands?
You're literally ignoring everything i'm saying. This isn't some cult shit. I'm acknowledging the fact that people with incredible powers exist. Maybe this has always happened. Cycles. And in this most recent cycle, we're no longer calling them gods, but metahumans. That's it. That's my entire point.
fthisbullsht
this hasnt happened before. there are no cycles. time is a progression. i bet u believe in the multiverse theory too. And essential oils. Jesus
hediN209
Dont be an asshole
fthisbullsht
oh ok they're talking about gods actually being metahumans and disrespecting ppls religious beliefs but im the asshole ok
acheronislive
It's a theory. I'm allowed to talk about my theories adn if you don't like it get off this forum. You're not contributing anything constructive here.
fthisbullsht
Yeah you're allowed to talk about your theories but this is a free country and im allowed to call u out on your stupidity
hediN209
get out of ur moms basement and get a fuckin life bottomfeeder
fthisbullsht
You give metahumans this platform & they will for sure take advantage of it thats all im sayin. lmao. no need to get so butthurt. beep me when the first metahuman starts claiming they're a god & try to start a church & they want you to donate ur money. its gonna happen. & you sad mfers will be the ones doin it. Peace out & suck on a lemon
acheronislive
God I hate the internet sometimes.
LVIII
Raina is wearing SHIELD-issue sweatpants. Something petty that lives deep in Coulson's stomach is gratified by this. "Looking good, Detainee Number Three Thousand Seventy Nine."
Raina tilts her head. "You knew my size. Should I be charmed, or worried?"
"I'd prefer intimidated and willing to cooperate." Coulson sits down on the other side of the table. He didn't bother bringing a manila folder. No victim pictures, none of the physical evidence. They know what she's done, and she's well aware. And not the type to be stung with remorse.
"Well, that depends." Raina smiles. "What do you want?"
"Your supplier."
"How very lowbrow of you, Coulson. Following the money." She blinks almond-shaped eyes at him. "Not all of us are so constrained by material possessions. I let the universe furnish what I need. I trust in powers higher than humanity."
He barely acknowledges the New Age bullshit she's spouting. "Let me know when the universe starts accepting cash or credit. In the meantime, tell me who your supplier is."
"Or what?"
There's that feeling of being a school principal again. Coulson didn't miss it. He glances down and sighs. Then tries another tack.
"I could take a leaf out of your book." Raina's expression is blank. With a hint of vitriol, Coulson clarifies. "What you did to Agent Morris. To the doctor you kidnapped, Dr. Flagretti."
"You could," she agrees. "Though I fear that would reveal more about you than me." Raina arches one brow in a challenge.
"Did they fight you?" Coulson presses. "When you forced the Ring on them?"
"The doctor did. Stubborn one. That agent of yours, though…" She laughs. "He only trembled."
Raina taps her fingers on the table. "Eld, on the other hand. That sadistic bastard seemed to enjoy it. At first."
The last thing Coulson wants Raina fixating on is Eld. Those two seem to be a volatile mix. "And what would you do, I wonder?"
Her eyes are dark. "If you used the ring on me? I'd tell you the truth, I expect. And I'm sure you wouldn't want that. Too many listening ears." She looks to the one-sided mirror.
He lets that pass without comment. There's no one back there who doesn't know. About the Tesseract weapons. Only Roberts, and May. Lukas Eld was supposed to attend, but with the recent enmity between him and Raina… not to mention what Roberts had told him about her visit to the old woman's house.
Still, some things are better left unsaid for now. A lot of potential complications. "Let's talk about this ring. It isn't yours. You didn't make it. You couldn't. So where'd you get it?"
"It was entrusted to me." Such a statement could be worrying, but she follows it up with, "By higher powers. You wouldn't understand."
"The universe again?" The derisiveness in his voice isn't faked.
"Humanity is a stepping stone. There is so much more." Raina folds her hands delicately in her lap. The chains around her wrists clink together. "That's the difference between you and me, Coulson. You're trapped in the mortal realm. The lowest order. Whereas I… I can see the future clearly. The path to ascension."
"Is that why you're trying to recreate the serum? Is that your path to ascend?"
Trying being the operative word. Skye had dug into their system, when they'd raided Centipede's base. Simmons had sifted through their reports. Raina's people are making advances, but they don't have anything like the serum that turned Steve Rogers into Captain America. Thank god they'd gotten Dr. Flagretti out of there before Raina had squeezed out all the information she could.
The woman is serene, calm across the table. "We need to be strong. It's the way forward, to become what we are meant to be. To meet our destiny."
"The universe? Destiny? Next you'll be giving me my horoscope." Coulson shakes his head. "I never took you for a mystic."
"Narrow minds. That's what has always held S.H.I.E.L.D. back from greatness. So focused on your trivial concerns that you can't see the bigger picture. Striking off one enemy's head and letting another flourish." She smirks.
Coulson decides to needle her. "I'm a Libra, by the way. If you were wondering."
"You're funny," Raina tells him indulgently. "It's a pity you'll be culled with the rest of the unworthy when we ascend."
For the first time in days, Coulson thinks of the short-lived supersoldier. The one who'd died, gurgling, poisoned by his own blood, a victim of Centipede's attempts at ascension. The disappointment and relief mingled in Steve Rogers' face. Dr. Flagretti has his body at her temporary medical facility in Manhattan. No one's quite decided what to do with it.
"If your path is the way to ascend, I think I'm just fine down here in the lowest order." Coulson shakes his head. "And I have to say, I'm glad Eld found your little hiding place."
Raina pauses, searching his expression. "He didn't find it. More like stumbled in, when I was in the middle of a business meeting. I wouldn't call that particularly clever."
"I don't mean your little weapons convention at the warehouse by the river." It's not completely relevant, but Coulson does want to see her face when she realizes how easily Eld had recovered the ring. "Centipede's base," he reminds her. "Where you stashed the ring."
She tilts her head. "Are you trying to be cryptic, or are you just confused?"
"Eld found your precious ring, Gollum." Raina rolls her eyes. He continues, knowing he sounds just a touch too self-satisfied and not able to hide it. "Where you hid it, in the cell you'd kept Dr. Flagretti."
Her annoyance vanishes. A giggle escapes her throat. Coulson watches her. There is no effort to hide her amusement. It's not a cover for resentment. No anger or disdain twists her features. "Hid it?" she asks. "Oh, that sneak. I would never have hidden it. I tried to take it with me, of course. Until Lukas Eld stole it away."
"He - " Coulson stops.
"Yes, you heard me correctly. Eld hunted me down, assaulted me, and then stole the ring while I lay bleeding on the floor. And then lied about it." She hums. "I had thought that was strange. Giving up the ring to S.H.I.E.L.D. But now I understand. It was a ploy to gain your trust."
Swallowing, Coulson struggles to meet her gaze. Like this isn't a revelation. As if there had been no trick, no misdirection.
"But you can't trust him. You know that, don't you?"
"However he did it… he helped us catch you," Coulson settles on, grasping. "I'd say that's a point in his favor."
"Don't play the fool. It doesn't suit you," she says, her dark eyes cold. "He shouldn't be here. He's dangerous."
"A bit hypocritical, don't you think?" His palms are slick and clammy.
"And you're being a bit naive."
"Lukas Eld is a consultant for S.H.I.E.L.D. He made a pledge to us. That means something. You wouldn't understand." Coulson holds on to this. So Eld lied. That's the currency S.H.I.E.L.D. works with. Everyone he knows is a spy. Everyone he knows lies, at some point.
Raina leans forward, slow. Her gaze is calculating, her posture tense and ready, almost predatory. "You know, don't you?" she asks softly. "About Eld? And what he can do."
"What about him?" Coulson says. The muscles in his back ache from his own rigidity.
"He's not one of us," she hisses, tugging at her cuffs. "His power…"
Now that's something to dig into. "Why, I'm surprised, Raina. I thought you were all for the great evolution of the human race. Or is that just rhetoric?"
"I am," she retorts fiercely. "The enhanced generation is the future. Better than human. More than human. The future of Earth."
"Then why reject Eld from your future? If he can do whatever you imagine."
She darts a glance at his face from under her lashes. "Why… indeed."
Raina suddenly stretches, all but reclining in her metal chair. Coulson watches, his throat dry. "So you don't know," she drawls. "Not really."
He makes a noise of disgust, low in his throat. "We're back to the same old schtick, then. You always have to know more than all of us combined. It's transparent insecurity."
"Oh, but I have seen him. Pathetic, lost creature. Falling and falling, reaching out to stop the inevitable descent and only succeeding in tearing down everything around him. He'll pull you down, too." Her voice grows harsh by the end, rasping and edged with malice.
Coulson stands and pushes his chair back. He's nearly at the door when Raina speaks again. "Perhaps you should ask your pet prince of thunder."
He stops in his tracks. How did she know? Someone must have let it slip. She's been in holding the entire time since Thor arrived.
The question comes unwillingly. "What do you mean?"
"The great Thor knows a thing or two about secrets in his midst."
Coulson wrenches the door handle harder than he means to. He doesn't like the idea of being in the dark.
"Haven't you heard?" She calls after him, taunting. "There are traitors in the House of Odin."
He pushes the door shut behind him.
Roberts is waiting in the hall. "What did she mean?" she asks, blunt and straightforward.
"I don't know."
"Do you think - what Mrs. Franklin said…"
The old lady likes to talk, Roberts had told him when she got back to the Helicarrier from her trip to Virginia. Roseanne Franklin was sweet and accommodating and chattered like a hen. Most of what she'd said had corroborated Eld's story. He works at the museum, he's a historian, he came from the UK. But when she was making the third cup of tea, Brenna told Coulson, she'd mentioned how glad she was to see Lukas happy. That she'd often worried someone was going to come looking for him, that she knew he was afraid of being found. Roseanne had been glad he was finally adjusting, no longer jumping at shadows.
Coulson frowns at the steel flooring. Brenna hesitates, shuffling her feet. He waves her on and she blurts out words like she's been choking on them. "I just - I know it's crazy, but… I've been thinking. We don't know where the Ring came from. We don't know how Raina got it. But Eld knows it. He knows it. He told us not to use it. He told us how dangerous it was. And he's running from something, hiding from something… and he doesn't want to see Thor."
That jolts him. "You think - he stole the ring from one of Thor's people?"
"I don't know! I don't see how. I just… he makes me question everything I've ever known to be true." Brenna squeezes her eyes shut. "I thought I finally understood. When we found out he was a metahuman. I thought I finally knew what he was hiding. But what Raina said makes it clear that we don't have any real idea who he is."
Eld showed up two years ago in this country, without explanation and with a fake name, apparently running scared. The ring showed up a while ago, indeterminate, but long enough that Raina found it and learned how to use it.
"It's not a theory that I like, but it's one that I can't discount out of hand," Coulson admits. "We need more information."
"Well, Eld is back on the Helicarrier," Roberts mutters. "So we'll get our chance, I bet."
"When did he get back?"
"An hour or so ago. He came on Captain Rogers' transport. Everyone's in the lab. I think Tony Stark wanted to see Eld's device."
"It's done?" This was news to Coulson.
"That's what I heard."
Coulson's started walking before she finishes her sentence. Brenna's theory rattles around in his head. Something is off with it, something is wrong in her conclusions. Nothing he can pinpoint precisely. And he can't help but see Raina's smug face. So you don't know. Not really.
The lab door slides open with their approach. Stark glances up, as does Eld. Fitz and Simmons wave at them. Tony quickly ducks back down, ignoring them, focused on what's in front of him. Eld's gaze lingers. His eyes are deeply shadowed. There is no hint of a smile on his face.
"He knows, doesn't he?" Brenna says under her breath.
"That you were at his house? I think so."
She seems to find that blank spot on the wall remarkably fascinating. "He's angry."
"He couldn't have expected any different," Coulson argues. She doesn't seem placated. "You were doing your job, Agent Roberts. You have nothing to be ashamed of." They enter the lab. Eld's device sits in the middle of the almost comically mismatched group.
Stark tilts his head at a ridiculous angle. "Looks like an egg, don't it?"
Barton hums his agreement. "Yeah. But, like - from a robot chicken."
"Who would make a robot chicken?" Fitz asks, leaning forward to get a better look. "I mean. Robots don't eat, so they wouldn't make a robot chicken. And we couldn't eat a robot chicken. And to have functional reproductive systems - it seems so unnecessarily complicated."
The archer shoots Fitz a look. "Unlike your thought process?"
"Well, you can't just say things like robot chicken, without being prepared to defend your reasoning as to their existence."
"How come there's gotta be a reason? Maybe I just like chickens. And robots. Although - " A suddenly thoughtful expression comes over Clint Barton's face. "Could be cool to see 'em fight. You know, without any real chickens gettin' killed."
"Are we assuming these robot chickens haven't gained consciousness - " Stark breaks in, but Coulson has had enough.
"I thought you were working on the distortions."
"We are," Stark protests.
"And that's your plan? We're building an army of robot chickens?" Coulson flicks a glance at Fitz. "Next time, don't let him sneak in any Redbull."
The kid sputters. "Mr. Stark said it was his medicine - "
"It's my brain juice," the billionaire says. "Just a splash of Redbull with my vodka in the morning and I'm raring to go."
Clint shoots him a sideways look. "And here I thought I was fucked up."
Coulson sighs. "I'm going take a wild guess and assume no progress has been made on the distortions."
"I'm thinking," Stark says. "It's a delicate process." He abruptly wheels and points at Eld. "I had a question for you. Portals. You mentioned portals."
The consultant narrows his eyes. "Yes?"
"If these distortions are portals, how come nothing has come through?"
"Well," Barton coughs. "Um."
"The alien panther thing in Mexico." Steve pipes up, and Coulson blinks over. He hadn't even seen him, leaning over his knees in a chair by the wall. He seems surprised when someone hears him, and his cheeks tint pink. Coulson presumes this is the first time he's been able to get a word in edgewise.
"Alien panther?" Tony raises an eyebrow. "Has someone been hitting the brain juice over there?"
Steve stands, unfolding to his full height. Stark has to look up and doesn't seem happy about it.
Simmons nods. "He's right. We think it came through a distortion." She glances at Eld.
"So there's at least two aliens on Earth right now," Stark summarizes. "A panther thing and a handsome blond thing. That brings me to my next question. How did the handsome blond thing get here? Through a distortion?"
"No," Coulson answers. "The first time - it was some kind of colorful wormhole."
"Yeah," Barton agrees. "Didn't feel anything like these cracks. Holes. Distortions, whatever." He waves vaguely.
"I dunno about you, but this is the first I've ever worked with interdimensional portals," Stark says. "Do we know that the colorful wormhole isn't a distortion too?"
Simmons hums thoughtfully. "How does Thor open the wormhole?"
"And did he happen to leave a manual lying around?" Tony babbles. "Does he - I dunno, wave his hammer around and smash a hole in the universe so he can fly through screaming Yeahhhhhhhh like the hunky Viking version of the Koolaid man?"
Lukas Eld stares at Stark like he's something pulled off the bottom of one perfectly shined shoe. "Wave his hammer around? Smash a hole in the universe? Hunky - Koolaid man?" He turns to Coulson. "And why did you tell me this man was a genius?"
"Ha! I knew you thought I was smart, Coulson." Tony shoots him with a couple of finger-guns. "And as for you, O High And Mighty One, at least I'm throwing around some practical theories. You've given us jack squat." Tony throws up his hands. "Thor pops up on Earth round the same time these distortions do. Just sayin'."
As Eld popped up when the ring did. All circumstantial. It's enough to make Coulson want to bash his head into the bulletproof glass of the windows. "We need clarification. Someone get Thor here," he says.
"Thor's not on the Helicarrier," Simmons reports.
"What? Where is he?"
"He said he was going to take a look around." Fitz shrugs. "Then he flew off the upper deck."
"Take a look around what?" Steve asks.
Simmons scrunches up her nose. "Earth, I guess."
"Can we get a hold of him?" Coulson says.
"He doesn't have a phone," Fitz tells him.
Tony Stark puts his hands together in a mimicry of prayer. "Please hear us now, Thunder God! Hear our plea and deliver us from evil!" He waits a moment, then snaps his eyes open. "Looks like his voicemail box is full."
"When he gets back here, I want to talk to him. Shouldn't be too much of a wait. How long can he fly around, anyway?" Coulson's not expecting an answer, but this does spark a debate between Stark and Fitz that he does he best to shut down quickly.
"You're welcome to ask, but I wouldn't bet on either of you getting a look at his hammer." Coulson glances to Eld, who has been uncharacteristically quiet. "Will you show your device to everyone when Thor gets back?"
Eld blinks rapidly, seeming to take a few seconds to come back to the present moment. "There is nothing to show. The device is ready. I have only to activate it, which I can do when the right power source is in the vicinity. Once activated, it will alert us automatically when it senses any portal energies forming."
That's not the answer that Coulson is looking for. He tries to be more direct. "Okay. That's great. Will you stick around a while and ask Thor how he accomplishes interdimensional travel? I think you'd be the best guy for the job, seeing as you already know all this stuff about portals."
Lukas all but radiates reluctance. "I know little more than your Agents Simmons and Fitz here. They will be just as effective."
He's stalling. Brenna was right. He doesn't want to meet Thor. "You got somewhere else to be?" Coulson asks, pointed.
Eld's jaw tightens just a fraction. "Yes, actually. I am only here to consult, remember? I do have other responsibilities that I have been neglecting while I opted to help you and your organization."
Stark is studying him intently. He's the one to finally come out and say it. "I don't get it. You don't wanna meet the guy who literally inspired the myths and legends you based your entire career on? I thought you'd be jumping at the chance."
"I have no need to meet him. He only inspired the legends, he did not create them, nor did he have any direct influence on how they evolved throughout the years or how they affected culture and society. That is my area of study."
"But aren't you curious?" Stark presses.
"Of course," Lukas grudgingly admits.
"What then—are you afraid of his big metal hammer?"
Eld does not respond immediately. He shakes his head, huffs his breath. There is no cringing. No trembling.
But something in his whole posture speaks of hesitation. His eyes move, not settling on anything, seeming almost to dart to the sky and then back down. His fingers twitch against his black pant leg.
Stark's eyes flash with comprehension, and he speaks in tune with Coulson's thoughts. "You are," he says. "You are."
Anger brings a flush to the consultant's cheeks. Stark heads him off before he can bite any words out. "No! I get it! I really do. The guy could crush us like bugs if he wanted." Stark shrugs. "But he says he's here to help."
"It is not that I don't believe he believes in his good intentions," Eld says, each word clipped. "The legends I study are not borne of nothing, as you say. I know well his power, as the rest of you do not. I am simply wary of how he may wield it, as you should be. As your entire organization should be. He threatens you all by merely setting foot on this realm."
"He's here to offer us an alliance," Brenna Roberts breaks in. "That's what he said. He's not here to threaten us."
"He is the prince of a powerful alien civilization," Eld says. "Everything he does has more weight to it because of this fact. He could mark this planet as a target by his simple presence. Or - were something to befall him, here on Earth, you could very well become the enemies of Asgard."
None of that is incorrect. "What would you have us do?" Coulson says, irritation poking at him like he's sat in a patch of nettles. "Turn him away?"
"Yes," Lukas snaps. "Ideally, yes. Send him back where he came from."
They're on the brink of a full-blown argument, and Coulson refuses to do this in front of a crowd. "Get back to work," he barks at his agents. "Stark, the distortions. Fitz, Simmons, help him. Barton - I don't even know what you do half the time, but go and do that."
Brenna stubbornly remains at his side while the others file out. Stark pretends to tiptoe past Coulson. He resists the urge to trip the billionaire. Soon it's just them and Eld. And Captain America, who stands with his arms folded. Coulson can't bring himself to order Steve out.
"What's the problem?" Coulson demands. "C'mon. Out with it."
"You're mad that we talked to your landlady," Brenna says before Eld can speak. "That we tried to dig into your little secrets. Well, tough. It's part of the job." It's an admirable effort to disguise her guilt, Coulson thinks.
"Oh, forgive me for being upset that you barged into my residence and interrogated an old woman who has no knowledge of my being associated with S.H.I.E.L.D." He makes a sound of exasperation in the back of his throat. "I did not realize that becoming a consultant would require an absolute invasion of my privacy and a disruption of my life."
Steve is frowning behind Eld's shoulder. Coulson doesn't know what Eld told him, but it was surely biased against S.H.I.E.L.D.
"Secrets don't work in an environment like this," he tells Eld sternly. "I need to be able to know the people I work with. Trust them. Understand them. S.H.I.E.L.D. has a big job to do. I can't be ignorant of my team." He chews on his lip for a moment before he decides to say it. "For example. I'd like to know whether or not my consultant really happened to find the ring that Raina hid. Or whether he planted it there to be found after taking it off her."
"I see," Eld says, stiffly. "Now you're taking the word of a proven kidnapper over my own. That is comforting."
"I'm not taking her word," Coulson argues. "I'm asking you directly about what she said. Was she lying? If she was, fine. If she wasn't, then you let me go into an interrogation and be blindsided by a suspect. This is what I mean - we can't afford these kinds of secrets."
"And what of your secrets, Agent Coulson?" Eld asks, low, almost a growl.
"What?"
"Surely you do not want them bandied about carelessly for anyone to hear." Lukas leans forward, his irises bright as emerald fire. Coulson wonders if he's doing that on purpose. Reflecting the light.
Raina had mentioned his power. She'd seemed - not frightened, exactly, but wary. He's more convinced than ever that Eld is holding out on them. How much, though. That's the question.
"I wasn't going to post your secrets on Facebook, Mr. Eld." He sighs. "Your past may contain a potential security risk. I'm doing my duty by investigating it."
"You agents do have a curious definition of risk," Eld says sharply. "A person's dead past qualifies, but tinkering about with objects of power is perfectly alright."
Something twists, low in Coulson's gut. He has a sudden premonition of Eld's next words. He'll pull you down, too.
"The Tesseract is not to be handled lightly, Agent Coulson."
Steve's head whips around so fast his neck cracks. "The Tesseract?" he demands, the ends of his words clipped and sharp. "S.H.I.E.L.D. has the Tesseract?"
"I - " There's no way he can finish that sentence without tripping and falling into a trap of some kind.
"Wait…" Steve rests two fingers on his temple, leans the weight of his head on his hand. Coulson has to look away from Captain Rogers' face as he continues speaking.
"The weapons - Raina stole them - from S.H.I.E.L.D.? You were developing weapons from the Tesseract?"
He won't deny it. It's the truth, and anyway, Coulson doesn't believe it was wrong. The fact that Raina was able to steal them is appalling, and embarrassing, yes. And, of course, he hadn't wanted Captain Rogers to find out. A touchy subject, what with Johann Schmidt, and how Hydra handled the Cube.
"Not all of us can use a shield, Captain," Coulson finally says. "We're building an arsenal for defense. Of the human race. To protect people."
Steve's response is quiet and controlled. "S.H.I.E.L.D. is doing exactly what Hydra was doing. Taking the Tesseract's power and forging weapons from it."
Coulson meets his gaze and realizes there is no convincing Steve. His jaw is set, pushing his chin stubbornly outward.
Agent Coulson had read internal reports - from back when S.H.I.E.L.D. wasn't S.H.I.E.L.D., but the SSR. Reports from wartime commanders, with their blunt complaints about Captain America's reluctance to follow orders alongside their commendations of his actions. Memos alluding to the futility of getting Captain Rogers to do something he doesn't want to do. Operation set to proceed - though likelihood of success remains extremely low given opposition's tactics - disrupting the chain of command - including but not limited to barging into General's tent while he's sleeping and shouting about casualties loud enough to wake entire barracks - will report after first stage has commenced.
Captain Rogers isn't shouting now, but Coulson feels distinctly wrong-footed, as the General in that memo must have felt, like he's been woken too soon and unexpectedly come face to face with an immovable wall colored in red white and blue.
"Agree to disagree," he manages.
Steve does not like that answer. "I died to stop the Tesseract from being exploited. To stop civilians from losing their lives." He leans forward. "I took that plane into the water to end a war, and S.H.I.E.L.D. is doing its damned best to start one up again."
Coulson feels that as a gut punch. Captain America's sacrifice is the benchmark by which he measures his own morality. Am I willing to die to defend this? That question knocks around in his head, when it's quiet in the Helicarrier. Would I be strong enough, to give my life if it were necessary?
He doesn't know the answer. How he would react, in a certain situation. But he knows how Steve Rogers would respond. Has responded. Which is why Coulson holds him in the highest esteem, and why it seems like his spine in contracting inward with every syllable from the Captain's mouth, crunching down, rendering him smaller and smaller, less and less.
"We're protecting civilians," Coulson argues.
"From what I understand, one civilian is already dead at the hands of these weapons," Steve shoots back. "A bystander to a robbery. If it had been a gunshot, he might have survived."
"And we apprehended those responsible. We recaptured the weapons. We stopped the operation that was selling them. We have this under control."
Steve flings his arms out. "Clearly, S.H.I.E.L.D. isn't in control, if you allowed Raina to steal your weapons! And then - and then you didn't even notice that she had." He huffs. "Tell me - do you even know how she got ahold of them?"
There is nothing to say to that. He won't admit his ignorance, not out loud. S.H.I.E.L.D. is working on it. They will find out how.
Steve's face is grim. "I'm not going to agree. At all," he declares. "Having the biggest arsenal isn't a defense. It's ruling with fear. Putting a weapon to an enemy's head and telling him to back down, because you're holding the better gun. You really think that's gonna stop anyone who is determined? It's temporary. All short-term."
His shoulders sag, those clear blue eyes looking down and his words coming quietly. "I'm not gonna agree with anything less than SHIELD's firm commitment to destroying these weapons and never attempting to create anything using the Tesseract's power again."
"That, I think, is wise," Eld puts in.
Coulson glares across the table at him.
Lukas simply points his nose in the air. "My official position as S.H.I.E.L.D.'s consultant is that the Tesseract is an astonishingly dangerous alien object, and, as such, should not be interfered with." His eyes seem to lose focus. "With untold power… connecting that which should not be connected…" His voice grows soft, trails off, face suddenly somber. "Dangerous," Lukas finally repeats.
A dangerous alien object. Like the one Eld stole from Raina. Maybe even stole from Thor's people to begin with. A spike of paranoia pierces him through the chest. Is that what this was about? Eld maneuvering himself into place, getting close, near enough to lay hands on the Tesseract too…
But he'd given the ring to S.H.I.E.L.D. Coulson bites the inside of his cheek. Raina's words are digging into his brain. That's most likely what she wanted. He can't figure it out. What does Eld want?
"Then what about your metal egg pod - uh, robot chicken… device thing?" Roberts challenges him. "Isn't that supposed to use the Tesseract to sense any distortions opening?"
The consultant taps the egg-shaped device, sitting on its one flat end. "This isn't a weapon. And it's not drawing on the Tesseract's power to fuel itself, it is only making use of what is already there, the potentiality of the cube's infinite existence."
"And we're taking your word for that," she says flatly.
Eld stiffens. As does Coulson, for different reasons, he's sure.
If he could just figure it out - why Eld is here, what he's doing, what does he want -
The consultant notices Coulson's gaze dart to the pod device. Silence stretches between them, a fine thread, barely tethered.
It breaks. "Fine," Eld snaps out, brittle and edged. "I won't activate it. Until you've scanned it, or done whatever tests you like. Look for sabotage. Go ahead."
Lukas Eld stalks out of the room. Captain Rogers looks at Coulson, then Roberts, gives his head a shake, and follows him.
Brenna takes the pod with her when she leaves. "I'll, uh, I'll get Fitz and Simmons to take a look."
Coulson nods, still silent. She hovers by the door. "I'm sure he hasn't tampered with it."
"Are you?" he finally says. "I'm not."
Roberts' face scrunches into a frown, but she doesn't add anything else before she slips out.
Coulson remains sitting in the dim, diffuse light of the Helicarrier's deep interior. And he thinks.
Not about Captain Rogers. He can't. Not right now, not without a sick feeling low in his stomach. Instead - he thinks about what he's good at.
As a SHIELD handler, he's had to become an expert in logistics. Moving things around where they are needed, and moving people too. People are the hardest part. Getting them to do what you want them to, what they're supposed to do, or not strictly supposed to. Applying the right amount of pressure. Motivation.
Coulson sits and thinks of Lukas Eld, the way he'd flayed open S.H.I.E.L.D.'s secrets, a sort of petty vengeance for prying into his own. Of Tony's assertion that Eld is afraid of Thor. What was it Raina had said - ask your pet prince of thunder.
Fear is a very successful motivator. Coulson is certain it can work just as well for metahumans as it does for humans. And what is a metahuman to a god? Finally, there's somebody he can throw at Eld that is more than a match for him. Throw at him, and see what happens. See what falls out.
Lukas doesn't want to meet Thor, which is more than enough for Coulson to decide that's exactly what has to happen. Even if Eld didn't steal the ring from an Asgardian. He needs someone to - to just hold Lukas Eld in place, hell, just block the damn exit, while Coulson asks him. What do you want? Why are you here?
Who are you?
There is something hidden here, and if Coulson's good at anything, it's digging up information.