Chapter 206: The Cosmic Cube

Night had fallen, and an unsettling alarm echoed throughout a secret S.H.I.E.L.D. base.

"Attention, all personnel, evacuate immediately!" blared over the loudspeakers, a warning that filled every room of the facility. People were rushing through the base in a frenzy, hastening their steps as they tried to leave.

A helicopter descended slowly onto the base's landing pad, its blades slicing through the air. Agent Coulson stood waiting, his dark sunglasses barely concealing the stern expression on his face.

The helicopter finally touched down, and the door opened, revealing Agent Maria Hill and the one-eyed man himself—Nick Fury. Fury's face was as grim as ever; only the most critical situations could make him wear such an expression.

Nick Fury, clad in his trademark leather coat, strode towards Coulson and asked, "How bad is it?"

"The worst part is that we don't know yet, sir," Coulson replied, his usual easy demeanor replaced with a serious tone. He took off his sunglasses, and his brows furrowed.

Fury, Hill, and Coulson boarded the elevator down to the underground lab. They passed rows of elaborate test stations, technology in every corner that buzzed and blinked.

"Dr. Selvig detected a surge from the Tesseract four hours ago," Coulson explained.

"NASA didn't authorize Dr. Selvig to run any tests," Fury responded.

"He didn't," Coulson clarified. "It turned on by itself."

"The Tesseract activated on its own?" Agent Hill questioned, her brow raised.

"How high are the energy levels?" Fury asked, concern etched on his face.

"Still climbing. Dr. Selvig can't shut it down, which is why we issued the evacuation order," Coulson answered.

"How long until everyone's out?" Fury continued.

"Should be done in about half an hour." Coulson responded.

"Make it faster," Fury ordered, quickening his pace as they continued deeper into the facility.

Fury and Hill descended a spiral staircase leading into an even deeper underground section. The dim lighting added an oppressive weight to the atmosphere.

"Sir, evacuation may be pointless," Hill began.

"You want me to tell everyone to go back to bed?!" Fury snapped.

"If we can't control the Tesseract's energy, running won't matter," she replied.

Meanwhile, in the Brooklyn neighborhood of New York, on Cranberry Street.

Jon was just about ready to call it a night, snuggling comfortably into his bed. He sighed with exhaustion, but his Guardian Spirit, Alessa, suddenly interrupted.

"I suggest you hold off on sleeping," Alessa said dryly.

Jon rolled his eyes. "Is there really anything more important than sleeping after a long day? I wonder~"

He pulled the blanket over himself, ignoring Alessa's tone.

"I just sensed something strange. There's a foreign power somewhere on this planet, quite close to us—it's within this city. The energy seems extraterrestrial, and it's trying to communicate beyond Earth," Alessa warned.

"Oh, you mean an alien invasion?" Jon responded dismissively. "No big deal. I'm sure they'll take their sweet time prepping for it. I'll sleep first and kick their butts in the morning."

"You infuriating man!" Alessa snapped, frustrated by Jon's cavalier attitude, even though she knew he had the power to back up his arrogance.

"Listen. If you head over right now and stop this energy source, you could prevent this whole invasion from even happening," Alessa pressed.

"Why would I do that?" Jon responded lazily. "Alien invasions are fun. It's been ages since I've had a proper fight. My fists are practically itching for it."

Alessa sighed in exasperation. "Wait a minute... You mentioned something about an alien invasion earlier when talking to that big guy. Are you telling me this is what you were talking about? You knew this was coming?"

Jon sighed. "Alright, alright. I'll tell you. Yes, I knew. And this invasion is tied to the most powerful force in the universe."

"This world contains an immensely powerful artifact called the Infinity Stones—six stones, each holding different abilities: Power, Time, Space, Soul, Mind, and Reality."

"Two of them are on Earth right now. The Time Stone is under the protection of the Sorcerer Supreme, and the Space Stone is what you just sensed. It's known as the Tesseract."

"And the Tesseract is about to summon an alien. His name is Loki—yes, that Loki from Norse mythology. God of Mischief. Thor's brother."

"Loki will arrive with a scepter that contains another stone—the Mind Stone. So that means three Infinity Stones will be on Earth. Imagine the kind of power that attracts."

Alessa spoke softly, piecing it together. "You want to get your hands on the Stones."

"Exactly. They'll be far safer with me than with S.H.I.E.L.D.," Jon replied firmly. He hadn't forgotten that Hydra had infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D., leading to the disastrous misuse of the Stones in creating beings like Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch, and later, the catastrophic creation of Ultron by Tony Stark.

"But you're allowing this invasion to happen, knowing many will die," Alessa said quietly. "All for those Stones?"

"Hey now, don't get all righteous on me," Jon shot back. "You of all people should understand—after everything you've done."

"I never pretended to be a hero. I'm just a villain doing what I want. But you… I thought you were different," Alessa countered.

Jon sighed deeply. "First of all, let's be real. I'm not here to be anyone's hero. People are going to die—innocent or not—and that's just the way it is. I'm not responsible for them. You know better than anyone that this world isn't kind, and I didn't sign up to save it."

His logic twisted through the argument, leaving Alessa momentarily speechless.

"Secondly, knowing something bad is going to happen and choosing not to stop it doesn't make me responsible for it. Their deaths are on the aliens, not me. I never signed up to be a superhero. I'm just a guy given power by a devil, not a caped crusader."

"And lastly," Jon added, "Out there in the universe is a very dangerous being trying to collect these Stones. If he gets all of them, half of all life across the universe could be wiped out in an instant. By keeping these Stones with me, instead of letting them drift through the cosmos for that guy to find, I'm actually saving people."

Alessa couldn't find a response, left in silence by Jon's cold and calculating logic.

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