"The Tesseract has awakened, in a world of mere mortals... a world of humans.
Humans think they can harness its energy, but only our allies know its true power. They are deluded.
He will be our vanguard, and we—the Chitauri—shall follow. Give him Earth, and we shall claim the entire universe.
How can humans resist? They can only wait for death."
In the dark expanse, a mysterious voice echoed, resonating with an eerie authority. A figure clad in dark armor, humanoid in shape, passed a scepter to another figure—a man in gold armor and a green cloak.
Behind the first figure, thousands upon thousands of alien warriors, fully armed, stood in formation. They were ready, preparing to invade and plunder the resource-rich planet called Earth.
***
Back on Earth, deep within S.H.I.E.L.D.'s secret facility, Nick Fury spoke into his comms, his voice steady but filled with urgency. "Agent Barton, report."
Unable to get the answers he wanted from Dr. Selvig, Fury turned to one of his most trusted agents—Hawkeye.
Nick Fury had placed Hawkeye, Clint Barton, on watch, keeping an eye on the Tesseract's activity. He was also there to keep an eye on Dr. Selvig, who, being an outsider to S.H.I.E.L.D., warranted precautionary monitoring.
From his vantage point atop a high platform, Clint Barton responded to Fury's call. He swiftly descended the cable line, landing beside Fury as the director approached.
"I put you here to keep an eye on things," Fury said curtly.
Walking side by side towards the Tesseract, Barton responded, "Eyes work better from a distance."
"See anything that might've caused this?" Fury asked.
A woman in a lab coat suddenly called out, "Doctor, the energy readings are spiking again!"
Fury and Hawkeye arrived at the Tesseract's containment area—a glowing, cube-like artifact that seemed to pulse with an ethereal energy. It was cradled within a complex assembly of machinery, functioning like a power core.
"Selvig's clean. He hasn't contacted anyone or sent any signals," Barton noted as he glanced at Dr. Selvig. He turned his gaze back to the Tesseract. "If someone's playing tricks, it's not our people, Director."
Fury's brows furrowed. "What are you suggesting?"
"You said the Tesseract is a doorway to the other side of space," Barton explained. "Doors open both ways."
No sooner had he finished speaking than the Tesseract began to emit an ominous hum.
A strange sound echoed, and the Tesseract emitted visible energy pulses. Blue electricity snaked across its surface, growing more chaotic with each passing second.
Suddenly, the room began to shake violently. Technicians and scientists stumbled, struggling to keep their footing amidst the quake.
The energy emanating from the Tesseract intensified, swirling into a massive vortex, then shot out a dazzling beam that cut across the room, stopping in mid-air.
A portal formed—a shimmering blue gateway that twisted and pulsated in the space above the Tesseract. On the other side of that portal was a black, swirling void.
Another deafening rumble, and the energy exploded outward. The entire lab was thrown into chaos—equipment sparking, personnel tossed backwards by the shockwave. Then, silence as the energy subsided, leaving the Tesseract eerily still.
The security team slowly approached the area, weapons drawn, their eyes scanning for any danger.
From the portal, a figure began to emerge—someone in golden armor, wearing a green cloak. A man with striking features and a mischievous smile.
His eyes swept over the room, eventually landing on someone he recognized—Dr. Selvig. Upon seeing him, the man's smile faded slightly.
"Sir, put down the scepter!" Fury called out.
The man's sudden appearance was surprising, but not enough to rattle Nick Fury—he had seen his fair share of strange things.
The man in green glanced at the scepter in his hand, then looked back at Fury, an expression of amusement crossing his face. Without hesitation, he pointed the scepter at Fury.
A blue blast shot out. Barton leaped, pushing Fury out of harm's way just in time.
S.H.I.E.L.D. security opened fire, but the man moved swiftly, almost gracefully, evading each shot. He lunged forward, plunging the scepter into one of the agents, then flicked out two daggers, eliminating two more before they could react.
With practiced precision, he dispatched the rest, advancing towards Barton, who barely had time to react before the man had him in his grasp.
"You're different," the man said, almost intrigued.
With that, he placed the glowing tip of the scepter against Barton's chest, the blue light enveloping him.
Barton's expression went slack, his eyes turning glassy as he came under the man's control.
The man grinned, and Barton holstered his weapon obediently. Fury watched, stunned at the speed and ferocity of what was unfolding.
Within moments, Dr. Selvig was also under the man's thrall. Fury took advantage of the momentary distraction to grab the Tesseract, shoving it into a briefcase, ready to make his escape.
"Leave the Tesseract," the man commanded. "I still have need of it."
"You don't need to make this worse~" Fury retorted.
"Of course I do," the man replied, a twisted smile playing on his lips. "I went through all the trouble of coming here for it."
"I am Loki, of Asgard~!"
***
Back in Brooklyn, Jon had just wrapped up his nightly check-in with the Punisher, ensuring the guy's powers were stable, and had used teleportation to return to his bedroom.
"Can't sleep?"
No sooner had Jon reappeared than a voice spoke out from the darkness. Jon turned to see a familiar face—the bald-headed man with one eye, Nick Fury, comfortably seated on his chair.
"Your bedtime stories are something else, Nick," Jon quipped.
Looking at his uninvited guest, Jon added, "Breaking into my home is illegal, you know. You do realize I could shoot you, and it'd be self-defense?"
Fury smirked. "Do you even need a gun to kill me?"
Jon shrugged. "Fair point. So, what do you want?"
Fury cut to the chase. "I'm here to discuss something important."
Jon plopped onto his bed, his expression already bored. "Save your breath. I'm not interested."
Fury's brow furrowed. "You don't even know what I'm going to say."
"Coulson already talked to me about your little 'Avengers Initiative,'" Jon said. "I'm not joining."
Fury looked at Jon for a moment, a hint of surprise crossing his face. "You never fail to surprise me, Jon."