Time: 2011 August. Location: Joint Dark Energy Mission Facility, Mojave Desert, Nevada, US.

Dr. Erik Selvig had seen many things, one of which was even a Nordic deity from space. However, he had not anticipated a guy covered in bruises with two different bleeding wounds in his abdomens to emerge from one of the Tesseract trials. Erik hurriedly asked the medical staff in the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division to tend to the man's injuries before dialing Nick Fury's personal number to report the occurrence. Based on what he understood about extraterrestrial lifeforms, he decided it was preferable to remain on their good side than face their wrath later.

…

After some time had passed, Nick Fury stood in front of the hospital bed, peering at the unidentified being peacefully resting in one of his facilities. Finally, his head turned towards Maria Hill and questioned, "Who is he?"

"Based on our facial recognition program, he does not exist, sir," Maria responded in kind.

"Alright. Then what is he?" Nick Fury's brows wrinkled as he proceeded.

"Based on the data collected from the Skrull's and Captain Carol Danvers' database, there are no alien species with resemblance to him except for humans. More than that, his skin and tissues are too durable to be extracted by any of our current existing technology. However, a sample of blood collected from the injures he suffered had been sent to one of our labs." Maria responded once again.

Nick's scowl deepened as he listened to Maria's reply.

"I want him monitored at all times. Transfer him to a secure location and notify me when he shows signs of waking up. Also, get that damn results from the hematologists." He exited the room after issuing his order.

…

Time: 2011. Location: Unkown.

Frei awoke from his healing coma a few days later, with his body almost restored to normal. Only crude monitoring gadgets could be seen by a pair of deep brown eyes as they ran around the room. He climbed out of bed and felt shackles and cuffs on his arms, legs, and neck. As soon as he saw the restraints, he laughed and pulled them free.

Frei, who stood at his full six-foot-seven-inch height, proceeded to investigate the place he was in. The enormous piece of mirror opposite the bed piqued his curiosity. He approached the two-way mirror and checked on the glass.

(A/N: Viltrumites do not have superhearing or supervision in the comics. However, Mark and Nolan could talk while flying at break-neck speed. It makes no sense, to be honest, but I'll roll with the comics. Later on, they had the technology to enable telepathic communication when they were fighting in space. I doubt Frei has it right now.)

Despite the fact that he couldn't see or hear anything on the other side of the glass, he knew what it was. He was in the military before joining the insurgency. These people were watching him. Frei debated whether he should just fly out of here or go through the wall that separated them in order to startle the inhabitants. The military policy required that foreign life forms be subjugated and brought to their knees, but Thaedus taught him otherwise. His companion thought that each species had its own set of benefits and drawbacks. He should treat them with respect and decency as though they were equals.

Frei could not return to Viltrum any longer. The Imperial army was out there to kill him. He hoped he would be able to reach Thaedus in time, but he had no idea where he was currently. After all, space travel was dangerous. First, he would cooperate with the locals, find out what they know about the cosmos and if possible, have them craft him a spaceship to return to his fight. A scientist or engineer, Frei was not. He was a warrior at heart, so constructing a spacecraft was out of the equation.

His thoughts turned to the question of whether or not he should continue in the fight. However, before he could finish his thought, a guy with an eye patch and a distinct-looking woman entered the room through a previously locked door.

"That was some costly equipment you just damaged there," Nick Fury said as he switched his focus from the bed to the stranger.

"Where am I?" Ignoring the remark, Frei confronted the one-eyed local and her female companion.

"Maria, what language is he speaking?" Nick Fury answered with a question, his view turned towards Maria Hill.

"He's not speaking any languages known on Earth, sir," Maria answered.

Frei did not understand what the locals said, and yet they ignored his question. 'Bravery or stupidity?' Frei thought. Frei stared down at Nick Fury and pondered how they were not afraid of him. 'Do they not know of the Viltrumite Empire and its people's might.' He turned his view again towards the equipment in the room. They were pitifully primitive. He did a visible sigh. Frei now thought he was on some backwater planet with no connection to the intergalactic relations. It was good. He could not make contact with Thaedus but it might mean that Viltrum would not easily find him here. The language barrier was difficult; he had never had such a problem before. It was unusual to him.

To help them comprehend where he came from, Frei pointed at himself and then to the sky. Nick Fury seemed surprised at that but recollected himself quickly. "I want some damn language specialist on this case. Teach him how to speak ours and maybe learn his language as well." His one eye still keeping caution on the alien. "Also set up some accommodation for this guy here in the meantime."

"Yes, sir," Maria replied.

Then he nodded to Frei and motioned to the bed. Frei realized what the man wanted. For the time being, he was inclined to follow. It was not a good idea to pit himself against these natives. He was safe, and Thaedus was capable of handling himself. It was preferable to stay quiet for a while and wait for the situation on Viltrum to settle down. Frei's emotions, on the other hand, were out of control. He sat on the bed, allowing his mind to wander to the people he had left behind, the ones who had sacrificed themselves for his escape, and the political nightmare that was unfolding on Viltrum.

The last few weeks had been calm compared to his time on Viltrum. Being part of the Rebellion did not allow Frei much time to rest. This was a vacation in comparison. Every day, someone would come to teach him their language, English, and he would teach them Viltrumese in return. He believed in equivalent exchange.

The locals guide him to a different room, which he considers to be much larger and far more comfortable. They fed him three times a day, which he greatly appreciated. Human food was adequate, but it lacked the flavors of the greater galactic community. Frei didn't mind where he was before in the medical room, but it was nice to regain some respect for his noble bloodline.

The locals were constantly monitoring Frei. He knew it would not be easy for these humans to accept where he came from, and he allowed them to do so with the exception of the washroom. He broke all the monitoring devices he could find there. It was necessary to keep some of his dignity.

Relative fluency of the English language came easy to Frei, partially thanks to the skillfulness of his teachers. With it being similar to his own language, there were few problems with his learning process. He was getting tired of his confinement and requested to his "teachers" or whoever was in charge to let him out to the outside world.

The locals reacted promptly. The woman he met when he first awoke on this world knocked on his door and entered the room the following morning.

"My name is Maria Hill. I'm here to lead you outside of the base." Maria said in Viltrumese. Surprise took hold of Frei. He did not think they could learn his language so quickly. Maybe there were more to these humans than he first believed.

"They called me Frei. I appreciate your accommodations. Please lead the way." He spoke in English and gestured his hand towards the door.

As they walked through the corridors, he saw waves after waves, people busying themselves and walking past him. It seemed like his arrival was not known to many people, even here, where he resided. The residents had no fear or curiosity towards his existence. He had half expected to see surprised expressions while walking out of the facility, yet few had any reactions towards him. Nonetheless, Frei did not care for it. He was getting what he wanted, and that was all that mattered.

"Would you be able to indulge in my curiosity? What was it like where you came from?" Maria asked. Frei wondered whether this was an attempt at small talk or manipulation. During his stay with these people, S.H.E.I.L.D, he had revealed some information on Viltrum that he deemed trivial. He knew that the information would be passed down through the ranks, but he was willing to give that much. Frei had no doubt that this "Maria Hill" already knew of his planet. 'What game are you playing at?' His view looking towards the woman.

"It was a beautiful world. Our people were bestowed with strength from the cosmos, and we used them to protect the people in our empire." A lie he sprung to gain a positive relationship. There was no need to cast doubt on his people just yet.

"And what about the people who are not in your empire?" Maria asked.

Frei frowned at that. He was no politician nor spy so lying was not of his forte. He guessed that his slip of the tongue already gave the woman and her organization some answers to the question. "We let them be," Frei answered quickly, not wanting to let out any more information than he wanted. "How about this planet? Earth, you called it?" He went on the offensive.

"We have our problems, but for the general parts, our nations worked together for the betterment of mankind. S.H.E.I.L.D serves to protect Earth from outside forces." Maria gazed over to him at those last words.

'Had I been too soft on them?' Frei questioned in his mind. He had been more than civil in his acts, and now they had started to show their fangs at him. He would let it slide. They have been helpful enough to him, so he didn't want to spit in their hospitality.

"If you are worried about me, then I'll tell you right now that I have no intentions of doing harm to your world, Maria Hill." Frei's steps tread behind the woman. he did not know whether or not she believed him, but on some levels, he meant it.

"We are grateful for that." She replied with nothing to show of her emotions.

Before long, the two had exited the facilities to the outside. Frei, for the first time in a long time, was able to take in the pure air around him.

"I'll be back," he said to the puzzled agent.

"What do you m…." Before she could reply, the alien shot off the ground towards the sky. Still staring at the direction Frei flew off to, she wrote down onto her notepad, 'subject has the ability of flight.'

"We need satellite on the Viltrumite. I've lost sight of him." In her phone, she spoke.