Warning: Spoilers of the TV show Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Title from episode 2x11.

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"Nick Fury, director of S.H.I.E.L.D. I'm here to talk to you about the Avengers Initiative." Movie Iron Man (2008).

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"Aftershocks"

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Circa 2009, S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nick Fury created the top-secret project T.A.H.I.T.I. to develop ways to potentially save a mortally wounded Avenger. At a classified location, a few selected scientists started to work with a preserved extraterrestrial Kree corpse – codename guest-host – to synthesize medical drugs. Including the GH-325 that was able to completely regenerate cellular tissue, effectively curing terminal diseases in six volunteers. Unfortunately, all patients exhibited mental deterioration and needed complete memory replacement. Regretful, the project supervisor, agent Phil Coulson, recommended its termination.

Tragically, in 2012, Coulson's death changed everything.

Ignoring any previous issues, Fury ordered the impossible. Using several of those alien-origin drugs and experimental surgical procedures, a team of doctors worked non-stop to resurrect the agent. Although successful, the miraculous process was too long and traumatic… inhuman. In order to repair the neurologic damage and restore Coulson's sanity, all his memories about the entire program were wiped and replaced with a pleasant vision of recovering on a beautiful beach.

After waking up, that was what he remembered, "I stopped breathing for about 40 seconds. I got out of the I.C.U., Fury stuck me in a grass shack in Tahiti."

In addition, he was led to believe that Fury had faked his death to motivate the Avengers. One of the few operatives to know the truth, Deputy Director Maria Hill confirmed the whole story, "The death of a common ally is a particularly effective team builder."

Afterwards, Fury re-inserted Coulson into duty, with the mission of handling the cases that hadn't been classified yet. The level 8 agent received a small team and an airborne mobile command station, called the Bus. The downside was that he would remain officially dead to the world, including the superheroes. Only a few selected S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel would know he was alive.

One year ago.

Hydra Infiltration turned Coulson's world upside down once again. And on top of that, after an exhaustive, painful investigation, he discovered all the truth beneath his classified-level-10 'death and recovery' report file.

"Why bring me back in the first place?" yelling furiously, he demanded explanations from his boss, "That program was supposed to be used only in an emergency, the fall of an Avenger!"

"Exactly," Fury replied straightforwardly, leaving Coulson completely startled. "Before it was torn apart, S.H.I.E.L.D. was a lot of moving parts. Guys like you were the heart… worth saving. Now, you'll be the head," the Director explained, giving the agent the most important mission of his life – to rebuild the agency from scratch. "There's no one else I trust with this, Phil," shaking hands, he added, "Director Coulson."

The noble task couldn't be harder.

Hiding underground with limited resources and agents, the New S.H.I.E.L.D. had to fight against bad and good guys. Leading the U.S. Armed Forces, Colonel Glenn Talbot was its biggest opponent. Wanting to make amends, Maria stepped in, trying to cook up a deal to save her friend. They all met at the abandoned secret base called Providence, but Coulson refused the offer, and she ended up helping him to escape from the military.

The secret was in the wind.

It didn't take long for Maria to be summoned to an Avenger's emergency meeting, by her new boss.

"Rhodey, please, repeat what you told me," Tony started.

As the military's chief liaison to Stark Industries, Colonel James Rhodes ended up also representing the superhero team, and he was visibly concerned. "Colonel Talbot said that Maria Hill and Phil Coulson assaulted him, at a secret base. He's accusing the Avengers of siding with a known terrorist organization."

Bruce tensed at the mention of his old enemy. "Talbot is Ross' lapdog. I'm sure they're dying for a chance to come after me."

In their last encounter, when acting as a S.H.I.E.L.D. consultant, Tony had managed to infuriate the General to extremes. "Yeah, Ross loves me too, but that's not the point," he demanded, "What the hell is going on, Hill?"

"Phil Coulson?" Thor frowned, "If this is a joke, I surely failed to comprehend it."

"Phil's grave was overturned," Clint opened a holographic projection of the cemetery, exclaiming, "The coffin is empty!"

While trying to find answers to help her friend and boss, Melinda May had found an USB flash drive inside Coulson's empty casket, but hadn't bothered to cover it up. "Agent May… she shouldn't have done that," shaking her head, Maria said as calm as possible, "It was level 7 classified information."

Both former high-level S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives, Natasha raised her eyebrow and Clint replied sarcastically, "Really?"

"I was level 8," Steve replied sternly, "Is that true, Maria?"

Unable to lie to Captain America, she confessed, "Yes. Coulson is alive."

Outraged, the Avengers started to talk in a turmoil, "You lied to us!"

"No, I didn't," she tried to explain, "Coulson really died on the Helicarrier. But after the battle, Fury… resurrected him."

They looked at each other, quite shocked, and Bruce pondered skeptically, "That's medically impossible."

Quiet until that moment, Natasha asked directly, "So that's what happened in the Guest House?"

Suspicious, Tony accused, "Did you know?"

"Fury's secrets?" the redhead spy said as ironic as upset, "Obviously not this one."

Talking to the genius, Bruce chuckled, "You said before, Fury's secrets had secrets."

Confused, Clint asked, "But what's the Guest House?"

"A reported collapsed World War II bunker, not a sanctioned S.H.I.E.L.D. facility," Natasha explained, "Fury went down there a few times, but there wasn't a single file about it in the database. I checked."

"You read the entire S.H.I.E.L.D. database?" surprised, the archer looked at the smirking spy, before smiling, "Of course you did."

"Well, I didn't make the connection with Coulson," Natasha added dryly.

"JARVIS could've found him, if I had asked…" Tony added.

Thor said pensively, "I could've asked Heimdal, but I didn't think of that."

"No one did," Steve turned to the Asgardian, "I would've never imagined that anyone could play with something so serious."

Tony was beyond pissed off, "Fury played us."

Maria tried to ease their moods, "Guys, please. No one planned Coulson's death…"

"But Fury didn't hesitate to use it," Clint complained.

Natasha tilted her head, "He would use anything."

Disappointed, Steve added, "You should have been straight with us."

Clearly uncomfortable, Maria sighed, "Look, we were all following Fury's direct orders. The whole operation was a liability."

The group started at once, "What about Coulson?"

"Where is he now?"

"Is he okay?"

"Why didn't he come to us?"

"Where the hell is Fury?"

"Fury is dead," Maria raised her hands, looking at the incredulous eyes, "You know the man." Pausing for a moment, she thought about how her troubled friend was obsessed with his personal vendetta, and spoke with real concern, "Coulson didn't want to come with me. I asked. A member of his team was Hydra, Grant Ward. And he was working directly with one of the leaders, John Garrett." She showed the double-agents' files on the screen, explaining, "Coulson is… he's after them."

"I know these scumbags, we can help," Clint offered promptly.

"No, we can't, not directly anyway. They're… politically toxic," Maria replied with sadness, and Rhodey nodded quietly.

Sensing the other woman's reluctance, Natasha questioned, "Does Coulson want our help?"

Maria took a deep breath, before saying, "He needs to figure some things out. Let's give him some time, okay? I'm keeping an eye on him."

"What am I going to do with Talbot?" still upset, Rhodey asked the final question.

"I'll deal with him. I'll cough up some meaningless intel about that Providence base," Maria answered, and they all agreed silently.

Turns out that when Natasha had been disabling S.H.I.E.L.D.'s security protocols, dumping secrets onto the Internet to unmask Hydra and Alexander Pierce to the world, she hadn't been working alone. From the control room, Maria had started the hidden security protocol called full-eclipse, to protect high-level and sensitive archives, moving them to one of Fury's top-secret bases. No surprise. The old director wouldn't let his life's work to be lost so easily.

Despite the feelings of being betrayed and played, the team was glad to know that Coulson was alive. It was the one good news in the middle of all that chaos.

Present time.

During the past year, the Avengers and the New S.H.I.E.L.D. had worked in parallel, with Maria acting discreetly as an unofficial connection point between them. The heroes took care of huge threats under the spotlights, while the agents had remained fighting in the shadows – both teams in an exhaustive path to vanquish Hydra.

Sadly, after many wins and a few losses, death struck again, taking one of Coulson's agents. The small group was the closest thing he had as a family, and it shook him on a deeper level. "When you sign up for this kind of life, you accept that loss will be part of it. But you never get used to losing one of your own… especially when it's a good man like Trip. It happens too much. And over time, it makes it harder to let people in. Sometimes, just makes you want to pack up and run."

In spite of his own demons, Coulson wouldn't avoid his responsibilities. He went personally to deliver the tragic news to Antoine Triplett's mother – her tears were heartbreaking.

The experienced, jaded agent was devastated, and couldn't help but think about the people who had mourned him. The man remembered his former lover, the cellist Audrey Nathan, realizing he couldn't forgive himself for having caused her such pain. That's why he couldn't let her know he was alive… he couldn't come back. More than ever, his life would be dedicated to his mission, "To serve when everything else fails, to be humanity's last line of defense, to be the shield."

No matter what, Coulson would honor the ones who swore the same oath, and died in the line of duty. Trip deserved to be recognized for his heroic actions, to have his record cleared, and a proper burial.

"Can you help?" he called Maria, asking her to inform the family's most famous friend.

Right after being thawed, Steve had looked for information about his Howling Commandos, and their families. Turns out that Antoine Triplett was Gabriel Jones' grandson. They met once, but the dedicated S.H.I.E.L.D. agent didn't want to be treated differently because his origin, and respectfully had asked the Captain to keep the secret. Steve couldn't have been more proud of the young man, and wouldn't fail him now.

The service at the cemetery was short, intimate, but very emotional. A musician was playing a gentle and somber melody on the trumpet – a homage to Gabe, who was an accomplished jazz trumpeter, and used to play for his grandson. As former co-workers, Natasha, Clint and Maria were there, paying their respects to the family. Wearing his Army uniform, Captain Rogers stood tall by Mrs. Triplett's side, and was one of the pallbearers, carrying the flag-draped coffin. His comforting presence had special significance, honoring the man Trip had become, and the work he had done.

Antoine Triplett had died as a hero, and was buried as one.

Disguised, and from a safe distance, Coulson and his team observed everything quietly. Grief and pain were consuming every single pair of eyes, but as soon as it ended, they left quickly, without looking back.

The three Avengers watched pensively, worried about Coulson's emotional state, and Maria tried to explain, "He asked me to thank you all, and say that he's sorry… But he's on a warpath. For Coulson, Trip was the embodiment of the principles he wants S.H.I.E.L.D. to be built upon, compassion, loyalty, heart. That's their strength. And Trip's death reminded Coulson that Hydra doesn't have that, and that is their weakness. He can't stop now."

The archer said quietly, "He should know we'll always have his back…"

"I think he's not ready," the spy pondered wisely.

As they were walking towards the exit, the Captain asked for a moment alone, and stood by Jones' grave. While Clint and Maria headed to one car, Natasha waited, by the other.

Melancholically, Steve thought about his old friend and former teammate, and prayed in silence. The place was almost empty, when a black-coated man stopped by his side. Without taking his eyes from the tombstone, the soldier tried to contain his anxiety. "Do you remember Gabe?"

"The music."

"Yeah, he was amazing."

"I went to the museum…"

"Did you remember… anything else?"

"You… but I didn't know…" his voice was slightly trembling, but the dark haired man remained still. After a long pause, he spoke again, "My file… The one I found in London. It said I had hallucinations with an 'American soldier with a shield'. That's why they needed to wipe me out… to stopping me from breaking down the conditioning… from remembering."

Those painful words sank deep in Steve's heart, and he stuttered, "I'm sorry, Bucky… I failed you…"

"No, Steve. The only thing that's left from who I was, are the memories they couldn't erase."

"So, please… stay…"

"I can't… It hurts… That's what I came to tell you. For now… James Barnes is better off dead," and as quickly as he came, he disappeared.

Once again, Steve felt as if Bucky was falling into that abyss, and he couldn't do anything to save his best friend. Tears fell silently from his sad blue eyes.

Minutes had passed by, when Natasha approached quietly. Sliding her arm in his, she pulled him close, whispering, "He's alive. He'll come through."

That was the simplest but most complete truth, and with her unconditional support, she filled Steve's heart with hope.

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Author's note: I was writing about Ultron when I saw the episode "Aftershocks." I needed to write Coulson's story, which is connecting all the movies in the MCU, and talk about the amazing character that Trip was. Please, if you hadn't done it yet, watch the show. It has good and bad points, like any story, but it's amazing.

Forgive any English mistake, my first language is Portuguese. Spanish comments are welcome.

Thanks for all the messages! You're the best!

Love, Mari

Ref: Movies: The Avengers (2012) – [Tony about Fury] He's a spy. Captain, he's "the" spy. His secrets have secrets.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) – Steve Rogers, level 8.

Ref: Marvel One-Shot: The Consultant (2011) – Tony Stark and General Ross.

Ref: TV Series: Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2013-2015) – Project T.A.H.I.T.I.; S.H.I.E.L.D. Civil War; characters and backgrounds.

1x01 "Pilot" – [Maria] The death of a common ally is a particularly effective team builder. (…) [Coulson] I stopped breathing for about 40 seconds. (…) I got out of the I.C.U., Fury stuck me in a grass shack in Tahiti.

1x18 "Providence" – [Coulson] I swore an oath, we all did. To serve when everything else fails, to be humanity's last line of defense, to be the shield.

1x22 "Beginning of the End" – [Coulson] Why bring me back in the first place? (…) that emergency was supposed to be the fall of an Avenger. [Fury] Exactly. (…) Before it was torn apart, S.H.I.E.L.D. was a lot of moving parts. Guys like you were the heart. Now… You'll be the head. (…) [Coulson] You want me to start over, rebuild S.H.I.E.L.D. [Fury] From scratch. (…) There's no one else I trust with this. (…) Director.

2x01 "Shadows" – Antoine Triplett disguised himself as "General Jones", hinting the Howling Commando Gabe Jones.

2x11 "Aftershocks" – [Coulson] He died a hero. (…) When you sign up for this kind of life, you accept that loss will be part of it. But you never get used to losing one of your own, especially when it's a good man like Trip. It happens too much. And over time, it makes it harder to let people in. Sometimes, just makes you want to pack up and run. (…) [May] For Coulson, Trip was the embodiment of the principles he wants S.H.I.E.L.D. to be built upon – compassion, loyalty, heart – and that is S.H.I.E.L.D.'s strength. And Trip's death reminded Coulson that Hydra doesn't have that, and that is their weakness.

Ref: Cartoon: Avengers Assemble (2013-2015) 2x01 "The Arsenal" – [Clint to Natasha] You read the entire S.H.I.E.L.D. Database? Of course you did.

Ref: Comics: Winter Soldier: The Bitter March Vol 1 #3 (2014) – [Bucky] Hallucinations... An American... a soldier with a shield.

Ref: Marvel wikia: Gabriel "Gabe" Jones – an accomplished jazz trumpeter at an early age.