Chapter 116: Chitauri (End)

"What did you do?" Daniel asked after listening to Stark.

"After I got here, I had Jarvis run a decryption program. We'll know soon what Fury was hiding," Stark said, projecting the contents from his tablet onto a large screen.

"This isn't right," Banner said, shifting his gaze from Loki's scepter.

"Since they called us here but didn't tell us the whole truth, aren't you curious about what they're hiding?" Stark chuckled.

"Impressive," Daniel remarked, watching various classified files flash across the screen. He wasn't particularly concerned. SHIELD's network defense was undoubtedly strong, even the Red Queen couldn't infiltrate it silently.

Stark managed to crack SHIELD's database in just a few hours since they boarded the helicarrier. This was not only due to Jarvis's capabilities but also because Stark Industries had built SHIELD's network defenses. Thus, bypassing their alarms was child's play for Stark.

Stark wasn't interested in SHIELD's undercover lists or other secrets; he was focused on information about the Tesseract. Soon, the screen displayed relevant data, causing both Stark and Banner's expressions to change immediately.

Instead of energy research, the documents revealed a weapon development project, akin to what Red Skull had done, using the Tesseract as a power source for weapons.

"As expected," Daniel smiled lightly, continuing to munch on his snacks. SHIELD's snacks were particularly good because they were products from his own company, made with ingredients from the Harry Potter world.

If a powerful artifact like the Tesseract fell into the hands of government-level entities, it was natural they'd use it for military purposes.

"What are you doing?" Captain America entered the room, fully suited.

"SHIELD is using the Tesseract to make weapons," Banner replied, losing interest in studying Loki's scepter.

"What?" The Captain saw the documents on the screen, his face changing as he recognized the weapon designs similar to those used by Red Skull, his old enemy from Hydra. Even after all these years, SHIELD's approach to using the Tesseract was no more advanced than Hydra's.

Soon, Fury and Carter arrived in the lab. Seeing everyone in silence, Fury immediately noticed the screen and understood what had happened. His expression turned grim—if it could get any darker, considering he only had one eye left.

Carter also saw the screen and sighed, giving Stark a stern look before walking over to the Captain's side.

With her intelligence, Carter had already suspected Fury's story had holes. However, she wouldn't openly expose it, just as she and Howard Stark had pressured Dr. Pym for Pym Tech back in the day.

The Captain, because of his past, might tolerate Carter to some extent, but he would never compromise on principles, which would later lead to the famous superhero civil war.

No one had initially expected the independent Stark to sign the Sokovia Accords while the rule-following Captain would refuse and become a fugitive.

In truth, the Captain and his team were primarily hunted by the USA; most other countries ignored the arrest warrants.

From the Captain's perspective, once government agencies controlled superhuman powers, they'd inevitably do things contrary to those powers' intentions, which he wanted to prevent.

"So, you all know," Fury scratched his head, speaking up.

"How is this different from what Red Skull did?" the Captain asked angrily.

"I have my reasons," Fury replied.

"Every criminal has their reasons," Stark muttered.

"I'm doing this to protect our planet," Fury said loudly. "You all know what's been happening. Asgardians can come and go as they please, Loki has been running circles around us. If more of them come, what then? And what about Daniel? Luckily, he means us no harm, but what if another powerful sorcerer comes? Without power, how can we protect ourselves?"

"Quite a grand excuse. It seems my fabricated world has really taken root," Daniel murmured. Fury's concern about him indicated they had wasted no small amount of brainpower trying to figure him out.

"Do you want to rely on Asgard's so-called protection?" Fury pounded the table.

"No reason justifies weaponizing the Tesseract," the Captain said firmly. Unlike Stark and Banner, who might consider the bigger picture, the Captain saw things in black and white. Wrong was wrong, no matter the justification.

Even historical figures with notorious motives had followers who believed in their reasons.

After saying his piece, the Captain left the lab, not even Carter could stop him. When it came to principles, nothing could sway him.

"For the record, I'm from Earth, just inherited some magical knowledge. As for your fears of magical invasions, you're overthinking it. The universe is full of advanced and beautiful planets; most beings out there have no interest in this backwater world."

If not for the Infinity Stones appearing here due to various circumstances, no one would bother with this remote planet.

Banner glanced at Daniel after he spoke, then also left the lab.

"Let's discuss this after we handle the current crisis," Carter suggested, giving Stark another sharp look before leaving.

Fury looked helplessly at Stark and Daniel, then left as well.

"I wonder if Stark will still fight in a civil war once he learns the truth about Howard's death," Daniel thought, watching the silent Stark. Howard Stark was killed by the Winter Soldier, who was Bucky, the Captain's close friend. The Captain would fight Stark to protect Bucky. Now with Carter in the mix, it was uncertain if it would ease their conflict.

Daniel's thoughts wandered because he had found records of Howard's assassination in the files he retrieved from Roxxon Industries, including a video disc. The Red Queen discovered these during the paperwork sorting; Hydra hadn't digitized them to avoid detection.

These files could be a weapon against Hydra, revealing their secrets online would turn public opinion sharply against them.

The only aspect missing from the records was related to the Malick branch of Hydra, the most secretive faction focused on economic growth and resurrecting Hive.

Given the sensitive nature of the information, Daniel planned to give it to Stark at the right time to avoid unnecessary conflict later.

"Maybe I should find Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver," Daniel mused, wrapping the power of the Ope Ope no Mi around Loki's scepter to study the Mind Stone. Thanos was quite confident to leave this stone behind, betting on collecting all Infinity Stones.

Boom.

Before Daniel could delve deeper, a series of explosions rocked the helicarrier, causing it to tilt.

"We're under attack. Impressive, Hawkeye," Daniel remarked, abandoning the scepter to head outside. He didn't want to confront Loki head-on.

Exiting the lab, he saw scientists fleeing in panic, unable to believe SHIELD's helicarrier was under attack with no warning.

The helicarrier's defenses were rigorous, making it nearly impossible for outsiders to even approach, let alone attack. But Hawkeye, well-versed in SHIELD's operations, exploited its vulnerabilities, blowing up one of the anti-gravity turbines.

Hawkeye and Loki's forces then infiltrated, with Hawkeye taking down SHIELD agents one by one.

Daniel had known about the attack but chose not to warn Fury. Predicting it accurately might make Fury suspect him of colluding with Loki.

"Let's save Coulson while I'm at it. But where is he?" In the chaos, Daniel aimed to save Coulson, who was destined to die at Loki's hands, but he realized he didn't know Coulson's exact location.

"Hand grenade!" Turning a corner, Daniel saw a grenade thrown his way and used Apparition to evade it, reappearing inside the containment chamber for Loki.

"Too late," he muttered, seeing the glass chamber gone, then quickly moved on, using Apparition sparingly due to its risks, especially in such a volatile environment.

Boom.

Just as Daniel moved, a loud crash echoed from his left, and the Hulk burst through the wall.

"Impressive," Daniel thought, seeing the Hulk break through the helicarrier's metal walls, which were far sturdier than regular walls.

Roar.

The Hulk roared, smashing through SHIELD agents and Loki's henchmen alike.

Seeing the Hulk charge towards him, Daniel realized the earlier containment had enraged him. Using the Ope Ope no Mi, Daniel created several barriers, but the Hulk smashed through them effortlessly.

"It's a shame we're on the helicarrier; otherwise, I'd love to spar with you," Daniel mused, opting to evade rather than confront the Hulk directly. Leading the enraged Hulk towards the helicarrier's edge, Daniel aimed to prevent further damage.

"See you later," Daniel said, using Apparition to appear behind the Hulk, who then crashed through the wall and plummeted out of the helicarrier, falling towards the ground below.

"Thousands of meters in freefall without harm. This physique rivals that of a certain suicidal maniac. Thor survived a similar fall; Loki must have ensured his safety, implying Thor can't die from such a fall. When will I reach that level?"

With the Hulk dealt with, Daniel noticed the helicarrier stabilizing as repairs were completed.

"You saved us," Fury said, seeing Daniel arrive in the damaged hall. Through the monitoring system, Fury had seen Daniel handle the Hulk.

"You don't look great," Daniel remarked, noticing Stark's dented armor and the Captain's disheveled appearance.

Stark turned away, not explaining that he had been caught in the turbine during repairs, barely surviving thanks to his suit.

The Captain had been punched by the Hulk, sustaining only minor injuries thanks to his shield.

Thor had been trapped and ejected by Loki, contributing little to the fight.

Hawkeye had been subdued by Black Widow and Shuri, ending up with a severe headache thanks to a brainwashing method Daniel had suggested earlier, involving repeated head

 trauma.

"The scepter is gone, and Coulson is dead," Hill reported after assessing the situation.

"Couldn't prevent it," Daniel sighed. Even if he wanted to save Coulson, he couldn't stay by his side constantly. Coulson, a dedicated agent, wouldn't heed warnings about his fate.

Stark and the Captain, close to Coulson, looked somber upon hearing the news. Coulson had admired the Captain, collecting his memorabilia at great cost.

"Though Coulson is gone, we..." Fury started, pulling out blood-stained Captain America trading cards to rally them, but was interrupted by Hill.

"Director, over here," Hill said, displaying a scene on the large screen. Stark Tower was under attack, with a massive portal opening above it, releasing numerous metal serpents and alien creatures, including three large triangular ships.

As the triangular ships opened, horde-like creatures poured out, attacking civilians.

"This wasn't supposed to happen," Daniel muttered, recognizing the creatures from Thanos's later invasion of Wakanda, not expected in the current battle. 

"Black Order shouldn't appear yet. With Ancient One and Odin still around, sending them now is suicide."

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