It was the start of something big.

He could feel it.

"Tony, do you mind?"

Or at least it would be if the group of extraordinary people in front of him learned to work together. Watching with his one good eye as Stark poked Banner in the side with a pen, Nick Fury prayed to every deity for the patience he would need to get through the day.

"Stark!" he snapped, finally having enough of Steve's huffing. "Stop assaulting Dr Banner with that pen and pay attention."

Rolling his eyes, Stark stuck his tongue out, but put the pen down all the same.

"Why were we even called here?" the multi-millionaire whined, grating on the Director's last nerve. "Bruce and I just had a break-through on locating the Teseract, and it's not like Green horns there can do much in his padded cell."

Feeling Thor tense up beside her, Natasha turned to the playboy and glared.

"Maybe if you shut up, we'll find out."

Sending the Russian a quick glance of gratitude, Fury pointed to the two giant screens that were being lowered behind him. "We have just received word that someone we've been tracking for quite some time has come out of the woodwork."

The effect of the words was instant. Steve and Natasha straightened in their seats, their full attention on the mission, whilst Bruce shuffled even further back into his, making himself as small as physically possible. Thor raised an eyebrow, but otherwise did not seem overly interested. The only one that didn't seem fazed by the news of a possible threat was Tony.

Picking up the pen he had abandoned earlier, the genius flipped it over a couple of times before using it to point at the Director. "So what? Your agents couldn't take him on, so you've decided to beg us for help. I thought we were already on a 'save the world' mission?"

"He's not a foe, Stark."

Picking up the small remote that Steve had been fiddling with earlier, Fury pointed it at the large screen and pressed play. Instantly the group was bombarded with footage of a young man with black hair and emerald eyes, fighting his way through a battlefield.

"Oi," Natasha muttered, eyes wide as she watched the lithe man take down a solider twice his size.

Pushing his seat back, Tony glared at the man before him. "How do you know Him?" he barked, not paying the slightest bit of attention to the screens or the rest of the people now looking at him.

"I told you Mr Stark, we've been keeping an eye on him. He disappeared for a while, but now that we've found him-"

"You what?"

"-he will be debriefed," Fury continued, ignoring the brunette. "Gentlemen; Lady, I would like you all to meet your newest member-"