Chapter 86: The Avengers Assemble
In a S.H.I.E.L.D. underground base, five agents navigated a labyrinth of security checkpoints, descending to the facility's lowest level. This was the fortified laboratory where the Cosmic Cube, the Tesseract, was stored and studied under the tightest scrutiny.
As the group approached the final barrier, two guards stepped forward, their expressions unyielding. "No entry permitted!" one barked.
The agent at the center of the five, exuding calm authority, gave a subtle nod to the man beside him. A sly smile spread across the companion's face. He sauntered toward the guard, then, in a shocking move, leaned in, wrapping his arms around the guard and pressing a kiss to his lips.
The sudden embrace left the second guard dumbfounded, his hand hovering over his holster. But before he could react, his eyes glazed over, a vacant stare replacing his alarm. Mechanically, he stepped aside, opening the reinforced door without a word.
In that instant, the bodies of four of the five agents shimmered and fractured like shattered mirrors, revealing their true forms—alien intruders. The man who had kissed the guard transformed into a striking blonde woman clad in a green, off-shoulder miniskirt. She parted from the guard, her voice smooth as silk. "Take us inside. Find the Cosmic Cube."
"As you command, great mistress," the guard intoned, his will no longer his own.
Amora, the Enchantress, turned to the figure at the group's center—Loki, gripping the Mind Scepter. A triumphant smile curved her lips. "Loki, the Cosmic Cube is within our grasp."
Loki, his eyes glinting with cunning, nodded. "Well done, Amora. You and Stern remain here with the controlled agents. Clear and I will retrieve the Cube."
Amora's gaze flicked to Samuel Stern, codenamed Leader, his green skin and elongated skull making him a towering, unsettling presence. Her distaste for the mission was evident, but she acquiesced with a curt nod.
Satisfied, Loki, Mind Scepter in hand, strode into the underground research institute alongside
Unbeknownst to him, S.H.I.E.L.D. had detected the breach. As Loki and Creel entered the laboratory, six agents, led by Clint Barton—Hawkeye—lay in wait, their weapons trained on the intruders, ready to thwart Loki's scheme.
Loki's eyes gleamed with triumph as he spotted Hawkeye and the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents positioned behind a fortified bunker. He turned to his companion, his voice sharp with command. "Creel, it's your moment. Unleash the power I've granted you!"
Carl Creel, known as the Absorbing Man, nodded. His gaze swept the laboratory's sterile interior before his hand pressed against a reinforced concrete wall. In an instant, his body transformed, his skin hardening into a rough, gray concrete texture from his palm outward. His strength and resilience surged, and he charged toward Hawkeye and the agents with unstoppable force.
"Fire!" Hawkeye barked, his voice cutting through the tension.
The S.H.I.E.L.D. agents unleashed a barrage of gunfire, bullets screaming through the air. They struck Creel's concrete form, gouging fist-sized craters, but he pressed forward undeterred, the impacts barely slowing his advance.
Hawkeye, undaunted, nocked a specialized arrow and loosed it with precision. The projectile struck Creel's right knee, flashing red before detonating in a concussive blast. Even Creel's concrete body couldn't withstand the explosion; a chunk of his leg shattered, and he collapsed, struggling to rise.
"Keep firing! Focus on the target!" Hawkeye ordered, his eyes locked on Creel.
A voice, smooth and mocking, interrupted from behind. "I'm afraid I can't allow that."
Hawkeye spun, swinging his longbow in a swift arc, but Loki materialized from nowhere, seizing the bow mid-strike. With a deft kick, he sent Hawkeye crashing into the wall, the impact echoing in the lab.
Loki stared at Hawkeye, who was slowly rising, with a raised eyebrow. "You're not like most mortals. Your reflexes, senses, and physique surpass the ordinary. Your archery would impress even Asgard's finest. So, Rejoice! You're worthy to serve me."
Hawkeye's lip curled in disdain. "Sorry, not interested."
Loki's smile was cold. "Your interest is irrelevant. Mine suffices."
Before Hawkeye could retort, Loki raised a hand, conjuring a lattice of dark green energy that pinned him against the wall. Stepping forward, Loki pressed the Mind Scepter's glowing blue gem against Hawkeye's chest. The gem pulsed, and Hawkeye's eyes clouded, shifting to a gray-blue hue as his will succumbed, transforming him into Loki's loyal pawn.
Meanwhile, Creel had dispatched five of the six agents, his concrete fists unrelenting. The final agent aimed at Loki, finger tightening on the trigger, but Hawkeye—now under Loki's control—moved with lethal precision. A dagger flashed from his hand, striking the agent's throat, ending him instantly.
Loki nodded, pleased. "Well done. Now, Creel, Hawkeye, follow me. Lead me to the Cosmic Cube."
Guided by Hawkeye, Loki entered the heart of the underground laboratory. There, Nick Fury stood, securing the Tesseract in a reinforced briefcase, poised to flee.
"Human," Loki intoned, his voice dripping with menace, "surrender the Cosmic Cube, and I may spare your life."
Fury ignored him, his one good eye fixed on Hawkeye. "Clint, what's happened to you? Why are you following this clown?"
Hawkeye tilted his head, expression blank. Without warning, he loosed an arrow, striking Fury in the chest. Fury cried out, collapsing, the briefcase slipping from his grasp and clattering to the floor.
At Hawkeye's signal, Creel retrieved the briefcase. Loki and Hawkeye approached the cowering scientists in the corner. Under Hawkeye's direction, Loki identified Dr. Erik Selvig and pressed the Mind Scepter to his chest, enslaving him as he had Hawkeye. Loki opened the briefcase, confirming the Tesseract's presence, its blue glow illuminating his triumphant smirk.
As Loki prepared to depart with his prize, he noticed something amiss. Nick Fury, presumed mortally wounded, was gone, having slipped away unseen.
"Hmph, cunning mortal," Loki muttered, dismissing Fury's escape as inconsequential. In his eyes, a single human's survival was a trivial matter.
With the Tesseract and key personnel—Hawkeye, Selvig, Creel, Amora, and Samuel Stern , Leader—in his grasp, Loki wasted no time. He led his cadre out of the facility, the Enchantress and the towering, green-skinned Leader flanking him. These were the linchpins of his plan to conquer Earth, and the Tesseract was the key to his dominion.
Loki's inner circle was a carefully curated assembly of power and ambition. Amora, the Enchantress, was a loyal subordinate honed in Asgard's shadowed halls, her loyalty to Loki unwavering. Carl Creel, the Absorbing Man, was a product of Loki's earthly experiments, the sole survivor of his magically enhanced test subjects.
Samuel Stern, the Leader, with his towering intellect and grotesque, elongated skull, had sought Loki out, driven by his own enigmatic motives.
Loki was no fool—he knew Stern harbored his own agenda. But such schemes mattered little to the trickster god. As long as Stern served his purpose, Loki tolerated his ambitions. Should the Leader's plans threaten his own, Loki would crush him without hesitation, a preemptive strike to ensure his dominion.
Under Loki's command, his team sliced through S.H.I.E.L.D.'s defenses with ruthless efficiency. Hawkeye, now a puppet of the Mind Scepter, escalated their escape by detonating a high-explosive charge within the base. The blast tore through the facility, collapsing corridors and sowing chaos, ensuring their departure was unimpeded.
As the dust settled, Nick Fury stood outside the ravaged base, his gaze fixed on the dwindling speck of Loki's aircraft vanishing into the sky. His jaw clenched, he pulled out his phone and dialed Phil Coulson.
"Director!" Coulson's voice crackled through.
"Coulson, it's time. Officially launch the Avengers Initiative," Fury said, his tone grim.
A pause, then Coulson's voice, laced with concern. "Sir, what's happened?"
"The Cosmic Cube's been stolen," Fury replied. "It's Loki, from Asgard, as our intel warned. He's got Clint under his control. This isn't a random heist—their plans are bigger, and we're running out of time. Regular agents can't handle this. The Avengers Initiative is our only shot."
"Understood," Coulson said. "I'll contact Stark immediately."
Fury's voice hardened. "One more thing—reach out to the Dark wizard, Sebastian Shaw. He has faced Loki before and won.
Stark says Sebastian operates on equal exchange. Tell him S.H.I.E.L.D. will pay any price within our mandate if he'll join the fight."
Coulson hesitated. "Any price?"
"Yes," Fury confirmed, his voice resolute. "Whatever it takes."