Incident

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Life went on as usual. Kai would have dinner with Steve from time to time. Through Steve's introduction, he also met Sam Wilson, also known as Falcon, and they quickly got along.

Other times, Kai found himself being dragged away by Tony, either to compare his magic with Yinsen's or to continue studying Uru metal in hopes of upgrading the battle suit's technology.

And just like that, time passed.

Until 2012.

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TIME SKIP

**YEAR - 2012**

SHIELD – Tesseract Research Base

Coulson led Nick Fury underground, briefing him along the way.

"How bad is it?" Fury asked.

Coulson's tone was serious. "The worst part is that we still don't have a clear picture. Four hours ago, Dr. Selvig detected a surge of energy from the Cosmic Cube. But it wasn't triggered externally—the Cube activated itself."

Maria Hill, following behind, frowned. "The Cube activated on its own?"

Coulson nodded.

Fury's expression darkened. "What's the energy level now?"

"Still climbing," Coulson reported. "Selvig can't shut it down. We're preparing to evacuate."

Fury's voice was firm. "How long will that take?"

"About thirty minutes."

"Make it faster."

With that, Fury descended deeper into the base while Coulson turned back to handle the evacuation.

As they walked, Hill spoke again. "Sir, if we can't control the Tesseract energy, evacuating won't matter. No matter how far we run, it won't be enough."

Fury stopped, glanced at her, and gave his orders. "Then make sure nothing gets left behind. Move all essential equipment underground."

Hill nodded and left. Fury continued forward until he arrived at the main chamber, where Dr. Selvig was working.

"Doctor," Fury called out. "Tell me what's going on."

Seeing Fury arrive, Selvig let out a tense breath and quickly walked over. "Director, the Tesseract is unstable. And very… unpredictable."

"Are you joking?"

Selvig shook his head. "I wish I were. The Cube has become active, and I can't control it anymore."

"Have you tried cutting the power?"

Selvig gestured to the Cube. "It's a power source in itself. And if it reaches peak energy levels…"

Fury cut him off. "Isn't that what we've been preparing for? Harnessing energy from the universe?"

Selvig turned to his computer, shaking his head. "We don't have the technology to handle this yet. My calculations aren't even close."

Pointing to the Cube, he added, "It's releasing energy disturbances. Radiation—low-energy gamma rays. Not lethal, but still…"

Fury's gaze hardened. "That could still be dangerous."

Then he asked, "Where's Agent Barton?"

Before Selvig could answer, one of his assistants interrupted. "Doctor! The Cube's energy is surging again!"

The room trembled as the Tesseract pulsed violently. The energy built up until it exploded in a wave of blue light, tearing open a swirling portal.

A moment later, a figure emerged from the smoke.

Loki.

Dressed in his Asgardian armor, the trickster god surveyed the room, his sharp gaze locking onto the people before him.

Fury immediately stepped forward. "Sir, put down the weapon in your hand."

Loki looked down at the glowing scepter he was holding. Then, with a smirk, he turned his attention back to Fury and the SHIELD agents surrounding him.

Without warning, he raised the scepter and fired a blast of energy.

Fury barely dodged in time, thanks to Clint Barton—Hawkeye—who shoved him aside.

The SHIELD guards retaliated, opening fire, but Loki was unfazed. With swift, calculated movements, he struck down each guard. He impaled one through the chest, then threw a dagger at another, hitting him in the neck. Finally, he turned and blasted Selvig away from the computer.

Within moments, only Fury, Hawkeye, and Selvig remained standing.

Loki stepped closer to Hawkeye, looking into his eyes. "You have strong willpower."

Then, before Hawkeye could react, Loki pressed the tip of the scepter against his chest.

The Mind Stone glowed.

A second later, Hawkeye's expression shifted. His resistance vanished. His stance changed.

He was under Loki's control.

Fury, seeing this, subtly reached for the Tesseract—but Loki noticed.

"Don't take it," Loki said, his voice smooth yet firm. "I went through a lot of trouble for that."

Fury faced him, keeping his tone level. "No need to make this a bigger problem than it already is."

Loki chuckled. "I am Loki of Asgard, and I have a sacred mission."

Selvig, still recovering from the blast, looked up in shock. "Loki… Thor's brother?"

Loki approached him with a smile. "I bring you salvation."

Fury tilted his head. "What salvation?"

Loki gave a speech about his vision of order and control, then turned and touched Selvig's chest with the scepter. The scientist's eyes glazed over as the Mind Stone took hold of his mind as well.

With both Selvig and Hawkeye under his influence, Loki easily retrieved the case containing the Tesseract. Then, with his new followers, he exited the base, stealing a SHIELD vehicle.

Moments later, the unstable energy from the Tesseract reached critical levels.

The entire base collapsed in a massive explosion, leaving a deep crater in the earth.

As the explosion rocked the area, Kai received an urgent call from Gear.

"Master, I detected a massive energy spike. Based on the readings, this wasn't caused by any Earth-made weapon."

Kai smirked. "Oh? Looks like something big is happening."

Meanwhile, in his workshop, Tony was busy fine-tuning his battle suit when Jarvis interrupted.

"Sir, I've detected a large explosion near New York. The source remains unidentified."

After the previous Asgard-related incident, Tony had instructed Jarvis to monitor any potential threats. That decision was now paying off.

Tony straightened up. "Pull up the satellite feed. I want to see what we're dealing with."

As images appeared on the screen, both Kai and Tony knew—

Something was about to go down.

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