118

Chapter 118: Why Did Your Majesty Rebel?

Fury couldn't believe his ears.

"Wait," he interrupted Gwen, seeking clarification: "Are you suggesting the Justice League?"

"Yes, sir. What's the issue?" Gwen replied, her tone firm.

This posed a serious problem.

Joining the Justice League on his S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier? Was anyone speaking common sense?

Fury had initially underestimated Spider-Woman, expecting her to be more compliant, but now she seemed quite the opposite.

After a moment's consideration, he responded, "Perhaps you have a better suggestion."

"Such as?" Tony queried.

Fury took a deep breath, finally unveiling his long-held aspiration, "The Avengers, of course!"

"We need anyone who dares threaten Earth to face our retaliation, our strength. They must know our pain!"

To his dismay, after he spoke, everyone stared at him with incredulous expressions.

The situation was embarrassingly awkward, prompting Fury to demand, "What's wrong with that?"

"You still haven't given up on your personal boy band dream, Fury," Tony retorted.

Gwen added, "I'm sorry, but I think the Justice League makes more sense."

"Black Superman once warned us of impending global and universal threats, prompting us to form it preemptively. Perhaps he foresaw this day," Gwen continued.

Tony jabbed again, "I'd rather prevent disasters than seek revenge, like avoiding meddling with the Cosmic Cube."

Fury scoffed inwardly. If Black Superman truly foresaw this, Fury vowed to change careers.

As for Tony's quirkiness—did anyone understand Tony?

He chose to ignore it for now.

Meanwhile, Steve's trust in SHIELD wavered due to the Cosmic Cube incident. Observing Gwen, he felt a growing satisfaction, tilting the scales.

"Fury, perhaps we should focus on the immediate matter," he suggested diplomatically.

Fury sensed the tide turning against him. Surveying Tony, Banner, Gwen, and Felicia, he realized none were truly on his side.

Thor, still reeling from issues with Odin, leaned towards Black Superman.

Even if Captain Steve remained silent, Fury knew he'd lost Steve's loyalty. All he could hope for was compliance.

Natasha remained unsettled, haunted by the Hawkeye incident.

Each seemed at odds with the others. Fury lamented internally, feeling like his authority was being challenged.

In his mind, it felt almost as if his sovereign authority was being questioned.

Yet, that was only his perspective.

On the other side, Gwen sensed the team finally beginning to coalesce and function together.

Steve's objections waned, either because he saw reason or merely conceded. It was akin to joining the Justice League.

Tony and Felicia were already aligned with the team.

Dr. Banner had no reason to decline, and Thor welcomed the camaraderie among friends.

They were beginning to understand they were united.

It wasn't perfect unity, but it was a promising start.

At that moment, Banner's scanner detected a presence.

Everyone grew serious instantly. Banner rushed to the controls to retrieve information.

"Prepare yourselves. The scans indicate the enemy is here," Banner warned, but his expression suddenly froze mid-sentence.

Confusion rippled through the room. Suddenly, a massive explosion rocked the mothership, dangerously close to their location.

The room shook violently. Steve and Tony were thrown to the ground, shielded by the door.

Natasha and Banner, less fortunate, crashed down to a lower level. Natasha's legs pinned under debris.

Only Gwen and Felicia, with their respective powers, remained unscathed.

Gwen swiftly lifted the rubble off Natasha, impressing everyone with her strength.

Felicia rushed to aid Banner, but to her horror, the stimulation caused Hulk to stir within Banner's form.

Hulk's unpredictable nature terrified Felicia, second only to Black Superman in her mind.

Gwen and Natasha tensed as Hulk's adolescent defiance flared. Could they restrain him this time?

Banner's demeanor shifted. "Back off!" he commanded firmly.

Miraculously, Hulk ceased growing, oscillating between sizes.

Banner continued, "Listen, Hulk. If you can't behave, I'll ensure you never get out again!"

In the past, Banner's gentler approach had worked. But facing Hulk's growing power and rebelliousness, Banner realized he needed a firmer hand.

Their struggle intensified, a battle of wills.

Felicia, overwhelmed, asked timidly, "Dr. Banner, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Banner gritted through the pain.

Gwen and Natasha, worried but respecting Banner's command, deliberated.

"We can't leave you like this," Gwen insisted.

"Do you need any assistance?" Natasha asked.

"This is our issue," Banner asserted. "Remember, the Cosmic Cube is in Stark Tower."

In the end, Gwen and Natasha decided Felicia would stay with Banner, the best chance to handle any Hulk-related issues.

Felicia protested, "Am I being bullied because I'm a cat?"

As Gwen and Natasha departed, a new dilemma confronted them—where to go next?

Though they knew the Cube was in Stark Tower and had relocated, the chaos aboard the Space Carrier made immediate action risky.

Drawing on her experience, Natasha made a swift decision.

"Barton (Hawkeye) must be the attacker. We must locate him before he causes further damage!" she declared.

Meanwhile, aboard the mothership, chaos reigned in the control room.

"We're under attack!"

"The exterior's damaged, and Engine No. 3's offline!"

"The turbines are running, but no one can reach the fault area mid-flight."

"Disable another engine, and we won't stay airborne!"

"Find someone to assess the damage!"

"Stark and Captain are already outside."

Amidst the disorder, Stark, the sole aviator aboard, was tasked with resolving the crisis.

Loki remained a concern. Fury ordered, "Coulson, lock down the detention area and armory!"

"Sir, someone's breached our defenses," Coulson reported grimly.

"Who?"

"Thor. He broke through and entered."

"Alright, the brothers are reunited. Now let's deal with these intruders!"

Before Fury could finish, a grenade detonated, breaching their defenses. Armed assailants stormed the room.

Despite initial chaos, the highly skilled agents regained control and engaged the intruders.

Then, an arrow, rigged with explosives, pierced the room.

Hawkeye, although absent until then, suddenly appeared and swiftly neutralized the agents with his precision.

Gwen and Natasha arrived just in time, Gwen using her spider silk to intercept Hawkeye's explosives.

"Don't go setting off explosives randomly!" she admonished.

But Hawkeye evaded them. Natasha warned Gwen of Hawkeye's prowess in ambush and accuracy.

"I know," Gwen affirmed.

Activating her suit's infrared and spider sensors, she pinpointed Hawkeye's location.

However, Hawkeye circled back, anticipating her move.

Gwen reacted swiftly, dodging his arrow with her spider sense and countering with her spider silk.

Hawkeye attempted escape, but Gwen's webbing ensnared him. Moments later, an explosive spider silk bomb detonated, ensnaring him completely.

But Gwen's victory was short-lived as alarms blared.

Turning, she saw Hawkeye's arrow had struck a console, compromising systems.

"He's the perfect shot," Gwen muttered guiltily. "I should've stopped him."

"It's not your fault, Spider-Woman," Natasha reassured her, checking on Hawkeye. "Barton had succeeded the moment he fired that arrow."

Her intent had been to illustrate Hawkeye's skill, but Gwen surprised her with a direct response.

"I understand. Next time, I'll make sure he doesn't succeed," Gwen declared.

Natasha nodded approvingly. As they spoke, the agents regrouped, anxious and on edge.

Then, another crisis struck—the engines faltered, and the mothership teetered dangerously.

Tony and Steve, unable to assist, could only watch helplessly.

Suddenly, a report came in: "Target approaching rapidly!"

Fury checked the monitors, but to his bewilderment, they showed nothing.

Then, the mothership lurched as if pushed by an unseen force, startling everyone aboard.

As captain, Fury struggled to make sense of these anomalies.

"Damn it, someone tell me what's going on!"

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