The news broke on a Thursday morning: "Mysterious Object Destroyed in New Mexico, Residents Report Unusual Activity."
David pulled up the article immediately, his heart pounding. The report was vague, some kind of large metallic construct had appeared in a small town called Puente Antiguo, caused significant property damage, then been destroyed by unknown means. Government agencies were investigating. Residents reported seeing "unusual individuals" before the incident.
The Destroyer. Which meant Thor had proven himself, reclaimed Mjolnir, and fought Loki's weapon in downtown New Mexico. Which meant the Asgardian crisis was resolving itself, and the timeline was progressing exactly as David remembered.
Which meant the Chitauri invasion was approximately eleven months away.
David sat in his office, staring at the article, feeling time press down on him like a physical weight. Eleven months. Everything they'd built, everything they were planning, it all had to be ready in eleven months.
The Stark campus project would take eighteen months minimum. The South Bronx fortress-building was still waiting for final permits. Half their projects were delayed due to Meridian's harassment. And now they were under surveillance by unknown parties with government-level capabilities.
Eleven months.
His phone rang. Unknown number. Against his better judgment, David answered.
"Mr. Chen, my name is Agent Phil Coulson. I'm with SHIELD. Do you have a few minutes to talk?"
David's blood ran cold. SHIELD. Calling him directly. This was either a terrible sign or...he didn't know what the alternative was.
"What can I do for you, Agent Coulson?" David kept his voice neutral.
"I'd like to meet with you. Discuss your organization's work and some activities that have come to our attention. Nothing adversarial, I'm just hoping for a conversation."
"What kind of activities?"
"Perhaps better discussed in person. Would you be available this afternoon? I'm in New York currently."
David wanted to refuse, to avoid direct contact with an organization that might be infested with Hydra. But refusing would only make him look more suspicious, and if SHIELD was interested enough to reach out directly, they'd find ways to apply pressure until he cooperated.
"I'm available at 3 PM. My office in Queens."
"Perfect. I'll see you then."
David immediately called an emergency meeting of the core team.
"SHIELD just contacted me directly," he announced. "Agent Coulson wants to meet this afternoon."
The reactions ranged from alarm to resigned acceptance.
"This is because of the digital intrusion," Sofia said. "They know we detected their surveillance."
"Or they've been building a case and decided it's time to make contact," Marcus suggested. "Either way, this is a pivotal moment. David, how you handle this meeting could determine whether SHIELD becomes an ally, an enemy, or just leaves us alone."
"Recommendations?"
"Be honest but strategic," Patricia advised. "Don't volunteer information unnecessarily, but don't lie about anything verifiable. SHIELD has resources, they can check facts. Getting caught in a lie would be worse than admitting inconvenient truths."
"And remember," Marcus added, "Coulson might be straight SHIELD, or he might be Hydra. You can't know which, so treat everything he says with skepticism."
At 2:55 PM, Agent Phil Coulson arrived at David's office. He was exactly as David remembered from the films: middle-aged, nondescript suit, pleasant demeanor that concealed formidable competence. The kind of person who could blend into any crowd while actually being one of SHIELD's most capable agents.
"Mr. Chen, thank you for seeing me." Coulson shook hands with a warm smile. "I appreciate you making time on short notice."
"Agent Coulson. Please, sit." David gestured to chairs in his office, acutely aware that Sofia had the room bugged and Marcus was in an adjacent space, listening.
"I'll get right to it," Coulson said, settling in comfortably. "SHIELD has been monitoring certain activities related to urban development in New York. Your organization, the Foundation for Urban Development, has come to our attention as particularly effective and well-organized. We're curious about your methods and goals."
"We're a non-profit focused on community development," David replied carefully. "Our methods are transparent, community engagement, sustainable design, affordable housing. Our goals are to serve underserved neighborhoods. Nothing mysterious."
"On the surface, yes. But you've achieved remarkable results in a very short time. You've built infrastructure that's unusually resilient, attracted talented personnel with diverse expertise, and operated with a level of coordination that suggests sophisticated planning." Coulson's tone remained pleasant. "That's impressive. It's also unusual enough to warrant attention."
"Success attracts attention," David said, echoing what Tony and Catherine had told him. "But I'm not sure why a national security agency cares about community centers and affordable housing."
"SHIELD's mandate is broader than most people realize. We monitor organizations that demonstrate unusual capabilities or patterns, regardless of their stated purpose. We're not suggesting you're doing anything wrong, just trying to understand what you're doing and why you're so good at it."
David chose his next words very carefully. "Agent Coulson, I'm going to be direct. Someone has been surveilling our digital systems for weeks. Sophisticated intrusion that suggests government-level capabilities. Was that SHIELD?"
Coulson's expression didn't change, but something shifted in his eyes. "We conduct standard monitoring of organizations that come to our attention. I can neither confirm nor deny specific operational details."
"That's not a no."
"No, it's not." Coulson leaned forward slightly. "Mr. Chen, I'm going to be equally direct with you. SHIELD is interested in the Foundation for Urban Development because you've built something that works surprisingly well in a domain where most efforts fail. We want to understand if you're a threat, an opportunity, or simply an interesting anomaly. This conversation helps us determine which."
"And if you decide we're a threat?"
"Then we'd take appropriate action to mitigate that threat. But honestly, from everything we've observed, you seem to be exactly what you claim: a well-organized community development organization with a talented leader. That's not threatening, that's admirable."
David studied Coulson, trying to read between the lines. Was this genuine SHIELD interest or Hydra probing? Was Coulson himself compromised or clean?
"What do you want from us?" David asked.
"Transparency. Continue doing what you're doing, but keep us informed of major developments. If you're planning significant expansions or initiatives, let us know. If you encounter unusual situations or individuals, report them. In exchange, SHIELD can provide... facilitation. Regulatory obstacles that seem insurmountable might become easier. Financing that's difficult to secure might become available. Resources that would otherwise be out of reach might become accessible."
It was a deal with the devil, wrapped in reasonable language. SHIELD would help the Foundation, and in return, the Foundation would become an asset they could leverage.
"I need to think about this," David said finally.
"Of course. Take your time." Coulson stood, extending a business card. "My direct number. Call me when you're ready to talk further. And Mr. Chen? Whatever you decide, I'd recommend getting proper security for your operations. The kind of work you're doing, the visibility you're gaining, it attracts attention from various parties, not all of them friendly."
After Coulson left, David sat very still for several minutes before Marcus entered.
"Well?" Marcus asked.
"He offered a deal. SHIELD oversight in exchange for SHIELD support."
"That's a trap. They get hooks into our operations, and then we're beholden to them."
"I know. But he's also not wrong about needing protection. We're vulnerable, Marcus. Meridian proved that. Whoever surveilled our systems proved that. We're playing in a bigger game than we're equipped for."
David stood, moving to the window. Outside, Queens went about its business, ordinary people living ordinary lives.
"What are you thinking?" Marcus asked.
"I'm thinking we need to accelerate everything. The Stark project, the community integration, the infrastructure building. We need to be so established, so legitimate, so valuable that multiple powerful entities compete to work with us rather than against us."
"That's ambitious."
"We're out of time for caution. The world's about to get stranger and more dangerous. We need to be ready."
David pulled up news on his computer: "Tech Billionaire Expands Clean Energy Initiative," "Government Agencies Investigate New Mexico Incident," "Unexplained Phenomena Reports Increase Nationwide."
The world was changing, awakening to possibilities it had never considered. Gods walking among mortals. Technology that defied conventional physics. Threats lurking in shadows and arriving from stars.
And David Chen, architect and secret keeper, was trying to build something sturdy enough to shelter ordinary people through the coming storm.