"Miss Tohka, are you saying you intend to obstruct the performance of our duties?"
As the leading soldier spoke, the soldiers behind him also raised their guns and aimed at Tohka.
"Hmph, I'd like to see if your little toys can actually hurt me."
Seeing the weapons aimed at her, Tohka let out a cold laugh. In an instant, she donned her Astral Dress and also drew her Sandalphon.
At this moment, she remembered who this lead soldier was—none other than Crossbones, one of the villains from Captain America 2, and a known Hydra agent.
If it were someone else, maybe Tohka could still talk it through, but this guy... sorry, no negotiation.
She was fully prepared to break out with Miku right now. If Tony and the others tried to question her later, she would just throw everything she knew on the table and go scorched earth.
As for how the world would explode as a result—she didn't care.
Worst case, she could just run off to another planet. That wasn't a bluff—if she could find Odin, he definitely wouldn't turn her away.
"..."
Neither side was willing to back down, and the tension was thick in the air.
Meanwhile, Miku looked at Tohka with tears in her eyes, uncertain what to do.
As for the medical personnel, they were the first to flee.
Are you kidding?
They were doctors—getting involved in this was suicide.
Tohka could tear buildings apart with her bare hands; they didn't think their fragile little bodies were sturdier than reinforced concrete.
The soldiers clearly didn't care either.
"What on earth are you doing?! Who authorized you to arrest Miku?"
Just as the situation was about to erupt, Nick Fury's large black face appeared among them once again.
Apparently, the fleeing staff had reported the incident to him.
"Yes, Director. We were acting on orders from Director Pierce to arrest Miku."
Regardless of anything else, Nick Fury was nominally still their superior.
Even if they didn't want to, they had to obey him now.
"I see. Then I'll handle this myself. You're dismissed."
Fury frowned slightly at the report.
As a former Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., he still needed to maintain face.
But this time was different.
Tohka had risked everything to protect her.
And not only that, Thor had also come here earlier and directly stated—on behalf of Asgard—that he would assist Tohka.
That changed the game.
If it were just Thor, it might be different.
But if Asgard was involved, then it meant Tohka might have gained political standing during her travels.
"But... Director Pierce..."
Crossbones clearly wasn't happy with Fury's order.
Miku's power was too valuable to let go.
They couldn't get Charles Xavier or his team right now—but Miku? She was the perfect opportunity.
If they used certain methods to bring her back to headquarters, she alone could save them a world of trouble when they made their move later.
But things had clearly gone off script.
They had never expected someone like Tohka—who always seemed cooperative in the files—to take such a hard stance.
And now Fury had stepped in to interfere.
He was absolutely fuming inside.
In their minds, Miku's issue was minor—it could be played down or dismissed.
Yes, she had controlled people—but there was no major destruction.
Their plan was to trick Tohka into agreeing to a few days of temporary detainment, giving them time to manipulate things.
What they hadn't expected was Tohka's fierce resistance. She was utterly unwilling to compromise.
"That's not your concern. Fall back immediately."
Fury wasn't interested in Crossbones' internal reasoning. He issued the order with absolute authority.
"Tch."
Crossbones glared resentfully at Miku, who was still being shielded by Tohka.
He had no choice but to lead his team away.
With so many eyes watching, he couldn't push too hard—it would only make Fury suspicious.
As for their plans... they'd have to leave that to Pierce to figure out.
"All right, Tohka, bring Miku with you to the command center. Thor has something he wants to tell you."
Watching Crossbones and his men retreat, Fury turned to Tohka.
Not even he had expected Tohka to react so strongly.
But he wasn't worried—after the chaos caused by Graviton today, Miku's incident would be easily buried.
"Got it."
Tohka gave Fury a brief response, then turned back to Miku with concern.
"How are you? Can you walk?"
"No problem. Just help me up a little."
Miku smiled as she looked into Tohka's concerned eyes.
For someone like her—rejected by the world after turning down those dirty offers—this warmth was rare and touching.
"Okay, here I come."
Tohka walked up to Miku and dispersed her Astral Dress, then supported her by the arm.
But what happened next caught her completely off guard.
Whether intentional or simply due to weakness, Miku leaned her whole body into Tohka.
And as the spirit with the largest bust...
Tohka could clearly feel the softness against her arm.
She had never experienced this before—her face instantly flushed red.
Fortunately, Miku knew there were surveillance cameras everywhere and didn't go too far.
And so, Tohka helped her along step by step toward the command room.
"Nice job, Tohka. Keep it up—I'm rooting for you."
As soon as she entered, Tony walked over with a teasing grin, speaking in an extremely ambiguous tone.
"..."
Knowing this guy was just stirring the pot, Tohka ignored him.
Instead, she looked around the room.
Thor was sitting there in a daze.
Nick Fury was talking with Spider-Man.
Coulson was fussing around his idol like a loyal fan.
As for Hawkeye and Black Widow—they weren't present.
They were likely still in New York handling the aftermath.
After all, this battle had left quite a mess to clean up.