Not far from Patch's small apartment, a black SUV slowly came to a stop. Its tinted windows made it impossible to see inside.
"May. Melinda." The white man in the driver's seat called out twice to the Asian woman sitting beside him, who looked somewhat absent-minded.
It was clear that Melinda wasn't in the right state of mind. When she finally responded to his second call, she turned her head and asked, "Coulson, what is it?"
"May, you're not really fit to be on duty right now. How about we rest for a bit?" Coulson asked gently.
"Anyone whose vacation gets interrupted mid-flight would be a little off, don't you think?"
Melinda sighed, then shot him a glance. "What do you think?"
Coulson smiled awkwardly and didn't answer.
Of course, he knew that her uneasiness had nothing to do with being called back from vacation—it was because of something else entirely. But he didn't want to bring up the painful memories she clearly didn't want to revisit, so he chose silence.
"You're really boring, you know that?" Melinda muttered, shaking her head before clapping her hands lightly. "All right. I'm fine now."
"By the way, Coulson, what's the mission this time?" she asked.
"We're here to make contact with a rather special individual," Coulson replied, handing her a red file folder.
"Level Five clearance? Seems pretty important."
Melinda took the file casually and flipped it open, reading aloud. "Patch Mavis. Parentage unknown. Abandoned shortly after birth and later adopted by Sister Mavis from the Paramount Orphanage."
"He didn't speak his first word until he was three. Before that, he was even thought to be mentally impaired."
"Achoo—"
Far away on the outskirts of New York, Patch rubbed his nose while preparing for something big. "Huh? Who's talking about me?"
Melinda continued reading, "However, after that, Patch Mavis showed extraordinary talent. By the age of fifteen, he had self-studied biology, electronics, and mechanics beyond university level, and even earned a PhD in biology from Harvard University."
"After officially coming of age at sixteen, he left the orphanage, currently resides at 198 13th Street, New York, and holds a part-time position at Hammer Industries."
"Two months after Patch Mavis moved to 13th Street, local crime rates dropped sharply, and a figure known as 'The Cloaked Man' began to appear. Thanks to him, the area has now become a forbidden zone for gangs and street thugs."
"Oh? So this Patch Mavis must be closely connected to the 'Cloaked Man.' Even if he isn't the man himself, he's definitely related," Melinda remarked.
"But Coulson," she continued, "I'll admit this Patch Mavis and his alter ego seem competent—but do we really need two senior agents for this? And honestly, that nickname 'Cloaked Man' is pretty lame."
If Patch had heard that, he would've grabbed her hand and shouted, "Finally! Someone who gets it!"—
though, knowing Melinda, she probably would've flipped him onto the ground before he could touch her.
As a top S.H.I.E.L.D. combat agent, Melinda May was known for her ruthlessness—a fact made clear by her perpetually cold expression.
At age seven, she was personally recruited into S.H.I.E.L.D. by one of its founders, Peggy Carter, due to her remarkable talent. After the Bahrain Incident, she earned the codename "The Cavalry." Of course, if anyone dared call her that to her face, they'd better be ready for a hospital visit.
The man beside her, Phil Coulson, was no ordinary agent either. As Nick Fury's right-hand man, he was regarded as a model S.H.I.E.L.D. operative and would later go on to succeed Fury as the new director.
---
From Melinda's perspective, the so-called "Cloaked Man" who cleaned up New York's gang-infested streets wasn't particularly impressive. Those gangs weren't real criminal organizations anyway—just small-time thugs with a bit of structure.
Even a retired, well-trained soldier could take them out if properly prepared.
To put it in Patch's own words from his past life, "I could do that too."
As for Patch Mavis—the self-taught orphan with skills in biology, electronics, and mechanics—she admitted he had some talent, but that was all.
S.H.I.E.L.D. had plenty of geniuses like him, even more gifted ones. Melinda had seen too many of their kind to be impressed.
Coulson smiled silently at her dry humor and said, "Just keep reading."
"Fine."
Melinda rolled her eyes, but deep down she knew Director Fury wouldn't mobilize senior agents without a reason. There had to be something special about this person—or perhaps the two identities were one and the same.
Shaking her head, she continued reading.
"Nothing unusual here," she said after a moment. "Left the orphanage at sixteen, rented a small apartment on 13th Street, lived quietly, never caused trouble or socialized much in four years. Social security and tax records all check out—textbook example of a good New York citizen."
"If not for this 'Cloaked Man,' we probably wouldn't even be watching him."
"Exactly," Coulson replied. "A classic hidden case—a young man with special abilities and an overflowing sense of justice. Unfortunately, he didn't hide well enough. During a recent incident, we uncovered some traces of him."
If Patch himself had been there, he would've spread his hands helplessly and said, "Overflowing sense of justice? Please. I just needed money. You think I became a street vigilante to lighten the NYPD's workload?"
Too bad our dear S.H.I.E.L.D. agents didn't see it that way.