THE ROOM WAS lit by only three ceiling lights. A door was at the corner of the room beside a one-way glass that people on the other side can look through.

He was handcuffed to a railing under the table and had his head laid against the metal surface. His eyes were squinted, as if he was trying to use all his mental power to remember...something.

Minutes later, an African American man wearing a black vest and trench coat walked into the room. One distinctive feature caught the attention of the handcuffed patron, his eye-patch.

"I apologize about the restraints. It's just a precaution." The man said.

"Precaution for what?" The other replied.

He didn't answer, and simply looked down at the files he had. It wasn't much, just one single paper in a brown folder.

"The name's Nick Fury. Do you know who you are?" He asked the handcuffed man.

Immediately, the man recalled his name as if that question unearthed an answer he was trying to look for.

"Y/N." He answered, "Y/N L/N."

Fury nodded as he looked into the folder, then tossed it on the table.

"That explains the name on the uniform we found you in."

Y/N looked at the single page displaying a photo of an old rugged uniform with his last name on it. It looked like it was from the military.

"What's this?" Y/N asked, trying his best remember why he'd wear that.

"Do you not recall where you're from?" Fury asked with furrowed brow.

Y/N shook his head, and Fury rested his hands on the sides of his waist as he sighed.

"That uniform is USMC issued circa 1966. During the Vietnam war."

Y/N just looked at the agent with a puzzled look. Fury took notice and tried to explain further.

"That was your uniform, L/N." He said.

At that moment, some memories of his time in the service resurfaced. It wasn't much though, all he can remember was some of his training and a few moments in the forest.

"Okay...so what? You need me back on the field or something?"

"The war's over. Do you know what year it is?"

Y/N paused for a bit, that was something he didn't think about. He didn't bother to do so during all that time waiting in the room trying to garner a single memory from before he woke up in one of their quarters.

"No."

Fury looked directly at him, not breaking eye contact.

"It's 2010."

Y/N inhaled deeply, then exhaled. He tried to process the fact of it being so far into the future since the last time he remembered.

"We found you in stasis a few days ago. Whoever's been keeping you that way has been doing so for the last forty-something years."

"Stasis?" Y/N asked after a few moments of silence. He also kept looking down at his restrained hands.

"We found you on an island a few ticks of the coast of Lithuania." Fury began, "A contact told me that some suspicious activity was going on there."

"And that suspicious activity...was me?" Y/N asked, still looking down.

"Some scientists were there at the base...but they were already dead."

"Why?"

"I don't have a single clue. You were the only one there alive. In your capsule."

Y/N exhaled again. His whole world was crashing down onto him as he didn't know what to do now.

"I don't know what their plans were for you. Would you know why they'd be keeping you?" Fury asked.

"How would I know? I just woke up like you said." Y/N shot back.

He then began to think back, trying to remember anything from years ago. One thing started to resurface that made his eyes widen.

"Where are my parents?" Y/N asked.

"That we don't know." Fury replied.

"I need to know."

"If I had the answer, I'd tell you." Fury said, then sighed, "But unfortunately, regarding how it's been almost half a century...they're probably dead."

Y/N started to get angry. He could remember the faces of the people who raised him. He couldn't bear the thought that his loved ones, the only people he can confide in during this new world, were dead.

"You don't know that!" He exclaimed, and easily broke his restraints off and stood up from his seat.

Fury didn't react, but it didn't stop two agents with rifles from barging into the room and aiming at Y/N. Two other agents followed, a middle-aged man with a bow strapped to his back and a young red-headed woman with a pistol on each side of her waist.

Fury raised his hand and eased the agents, causing them to lower their weapons. Y/N just panted as he looked down at his hands in awe. He didn't know, or remembered, how he had his enhanced strength.

"Precaution, as I said." Fury remarked, then looked at his agents, "Leave us."

They obeyed and started to leave, but Fury looked at the last two, "Barton. Romanoff. You two stay."

Romanoff and Barton stood beside Fury as they looked at Y/N. The young man calmed himself and sat back down on his chair, rubbing his face with his now free hands.

"You're special, L/N. Whatever you are is the reason they had you on that island." Fury said.

"So am I just an experiment?" Y/N asked in a defeated state, "Some project they were working on?"

"Not to us." Fury said, which caused the young man to look back up at him.

He continued, "Who knows? Somebody else could've found you and used you for their gain in a much sinister way. I want you to serve a greater purpose, one you grew up knowing about."

Y/N gave a weak chuckle, "Grew up knowing about." 

Fury sighed, remembering his unusual case of amnesia, "Poor choice of words, sorry."

"So what's this purpose?" Y/N asked.

"I know you're a great man, Y/N. And I want you to work with great people. I want you to be a part of S.H.I.E.L.D."

"You're hiring a 21 year old man to be a part of whatever it is you do?" Y/N asked, somehow remembering his age before his stasis. It meant he was technically in his late 60s.

"What are you exactly?" Y/N added after a slight pause.

"An agency founded under one principle: Protection. Protecting people...the planet...the greater good." Fury explained.

Y/N sighed, thinking of his current situation. He was in a new time and a new world. He didn't know what was outside the walls of the room he was currently within.

He would've been alone. But at least with Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D he could find some form of solace.

Y/N feigned a smile, "Well, I'm gonna need some help catching up to the current times. And I assume all my past friends are dead so it'd be nice to make new ones."

"We'll make sure you're integrated well enough." Romanoff chimed in.

Y/N nodded, surprised and also slightly grateful that somebody other than Nick Fury spoke to him. Y/N gave a light genuine smile back, before looking back down at his hands.

• • •

IN NICK FURY's office, the director sat behind his desk and typed into his computer. He had the file on Y/N L/N up on his screen, and on another tab were results from his blood tests.

Fury looked at all the information he gathered from it in awe. He sat back on his seat, taking it in as he rubbed his chin. It gave him an idea about his abilities...and his lineage.

The young man was quite special after all.

Suddenly, Natasha Romanoff came into the room. Fury quickly composed himself and closed out of the tabs on his computer. He awaited the young agent to walk up to his desk.

"Romanoff. How's our time-misplaced friend doing?" Fury asked.

"We got him settled into a room. You should've seen the look on his face when he saw the flat screen." She replied as he crossed her arms.

"A lot of things are gonna be quite a shock to him." Fury stated, "At least he's not from the 40's."

"Barton's taking time outta his day tomorrow to show him around D.C."

"That's unusually nice of him."

"He expects a bonus."

Fury chuckled, "Now I see why."

There was pause before Natasha continued, "So...all that talk about him being special and stuff? Were you just buttering him up or did you mean it?"

Fury gave a slight nod before simply replying, "I did."

"Just because he broke out of those cuffs?" She asked.

"There's more than meets the eye, Romanoff." Fury began, "Barton took a chance on you. Hell, I took a chance on Stark."

"So far Stark's an iffy subject." Natasha cut in.

"Point taken. But we all know Stark's intentions are good. In L/N's case, I see that too. He'll be a great asset."

Natasha nodded, understanding his words.

"Well, if you trust him, then okay." Natasha said, then started to walk away, "Let's see how he does."

"I'm sure under the tutelage of you and Barton, he'll be fine." Fury remarked.

"We're on babysitting duty, now?" She chuckled as she stopped by the door.

"Consider it mentorship for the time being. Maybe L/N is a fast learner." He replied.

"You better pray he is. Our school of hard knocks is underway." She said, then walked out of the office.

Fury stared at the door for a moment, then went back to his computer. Back on the Y/N's file, he continued typing into it. Afterwards, he opened a new tab containing Clint Barton's and Natasha Romanoff's file and added Y/N to it. Two more names were on the pending side of it: Bruce Banner and Thor Odinson.

The file's name...the Avengers Initiative.