IMPORTANT NOTE:
This is my P_A_T_R_E_O_N link please support me. Thank you guys
patrèon.com/Tony_stark_3000
remove the è and put a normal e.
If Patrèon is not your cup of tea, then buy me a coffee 😉.
https://buymeacoffee.com/Tony_Stark_3000
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Sorry for the delay over the last few days, guys.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
The atmosphere inside the laboratory of the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier had already become heavy long before Natasha and Thor entered. The giant engines of the flying fortress hummed faintly in the background, a constant metallic vibration beneath everyone's feet. Blue screens flickered continuously across the room, reflecting cold light onto the faces of the people gathered there. Outside the reinforced windows, dark clouds rolled endlessly across the sky several kilometers above the ocean.
Nick Fury stood beside the central table with an ugly expression on his face. His single eye carried visible anger as he looked toward Tony Stark.
"Stark," Fury said coldly, "what exactly are you trying to do?"
Not long ago, someone had forcefully broken through S.H.I.E.L.D.'s internal system using a sophisticated virus. Fury didn't need to think much about who was capable of doing something like that. In his mind, only one person aboard the Helicarrier would casually hack S.H.I.E.L.D. while drinking coffee.
Tony Stark.
Tony leaned against the operating table lazily, completely unconcerned by Fury's expression. He crossed his arms casually while the blue light of the computer screen reflected off his face.
"That's funny," Tony replied calmly. "I was about to ask you the same question."
Fury's face darkened further.
"You should be focusing on finding the Tesseract."
Bruce Banner, who had been quietly working at the computer beside Tony, pushed his glasses slightly upward and pointed at the screen.
"The search model is complete," Banner said calmly. "We've narrowed the Tesseract's energy signature down to roughly an eight-hundred-meter radius."
Tony nodded casually before looking toward Fury again.
"So once we get the Tesseract back," Tony asked lightly, "what exactly is 'Phase Two'?"
The moment those words were spoken, the atmosphere changed.
Bang!
A heavy sound echoed throughout the laboratory.
Steve Rogers suddenly threw a large Hydra weapon onto the metal table with visible anger in his eyes.
"Phase Two," Steve said coldly, "was S.H.I.E.L.D. using the Tesseract to develop weapons."
The room instantly became silent.
Fury frowned deeply.
"Captain," Fury began immediately, "collecting research materials doesn't mean we were planning to—"
"You don't need excuses, Fury," Tony interrupted directly.
Tony tapped one of the nearby screens.
A missile blueprint immediately appeared on the monitor.
Steve looked toward Fury with obvious disappointment. For a moment, memories from World War II surfaced in his mind again. Hydra. Weapons powered by the Tesseract. Endless destruction.
"So Hydra used the Tesseract to build weapons," Steve said slowly, "and now S.H.I.E.L.D. is doing the exact same thing?"
Thor stood quietly nearby, his expression gradually becoming serious as well.
At that moment, Natasha walked into the room with calm steps. Behind her followed Jack, still disguised as the ordinary S.H.I.E.L.D. soldier "Tom."
The moment Jack entered, he immediately sensed the tense atmosphere inside the room. Fury looked angry. Steve looked disappointed. Tony looked sarcastically amused. Banner looked uneasy. Thor looked increasingly displeased.
Jack almost laughed internally.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Loki's plan was unfolding perfectly.
Jack shoved both hands casually into his pockets and walked in with a lazy smile.
"Wow," he said cheerfully, looking around the room, "it's really lively in here. What are all you important people discussing? Mind letting an unimportant little soldier listen too?"
He paused dramatically before adding shamelessly:
"So I can act cool later too."
Natasha glanced sideways at him, already somewhat used to his nonsense.
Tony raised an eyebrow.
"This kid's interesting," Tony said casually. "At least more interesting than Fury."
Fury ignored both of them completely and continued looking at Steve.
"We developed those weapons because SHIELD needed protection," Fury said heavily. "After what happened in New Mexico, after what happened with Thor, after what happened with Jack… the world changed."
The moment Jack's name was spoken, the expressions in the room subtly shifted.
Thor's eyes instantly became colder.
Steve's face tightened slightly.
Natasha unconsciously clenched her fist.
Banner looked down silently.
Only Jack himself nearly burst out laughing.
Tony folded his arms.
"So your solution to aliens showing up," Tony said mockingly, "was building bigger guns?"
"Yes," Fury answered directly. "Because people like Thor and Jack proved one thing very clearly."
Fury's single eye swept across the room.
"Earth is no longer alone in the universe."
The laboratory became silent again.
Even Tony's expression turned slightly serious.
Thor stepped forward slowly.
"Jack is not comparable to ordinary enemies," Thor said in a deep voice. "That man destroyed Asgard's royal palace. Countless Asgardian warriors died because of him."
Steve frowned slightly.
Even now, he still found it difficult to fully imagine the scale of Jack's strength.
The Jack he fought during World War II had certainly been dangerous, but according to Thor, the current Jack was something entirely different.
Natasha glanced toward Thor.
"You really believe he's that dangerous?"
Thor's eyes darkened.
"You haven't seen his true form."
Jack stood quietly at the edge of the room listening to the discussion with great interest, almost like someone enjoying a story about another person entirely.
Inside, however, he felt rather pleased.
Being feared by gods had its charm.
Thor continued coldly:
"In his normal state, I can still fight him evenly. But once he transforms… only my father Odin could suppress him."
Banner looked toward Thor.
"Transform?"
Thor nodded seriously.
"He possesses several forms. The final one is no longer human. It's closer to a monster forged from destruction itself."
Jack almost applauded.
Thor really knew how to make things sound dramatic.
Meanwhile, the tension in the room continued increasing.
Tony looked toward Fury again.
"So let me get this straight," Tony said sarcastically. "You gathered us together to stop Loki while secretly building super weapons using the Tesseract."
"Humanity needs protection," Fury replied firmly.
Steve shook his head slowly.
"That's exactly what every dangerous organization says before things go wrong."
The contradiction between everyone was becoming sharper and sharper.
Jack watched everything quietly from the side, the corners of his mouth slowly lifting.
Exactly as Loki predicted.
No.
More accurately—
Exactly as he himself predicted.
Everyone in this room had pride, secrets, and distrust buried inside them. Loki merely needed to push lightly, and the cracks would naturally expand.
At that moment, Natasha suddenly frowned slightly.
Something felt wrong.
Very wrong.
She immediately looked toward the surrounding monitors.
"Where's Barton?" Natasha asked suddenly.
Fury's expression changed slightly.
The next second—
Warning alarms suddenly exploded throughout the Helicarrier.
WOOOOOO—
The sharp emergency sirens instantly shattered the tense atmosphere in the laboratory.
Everyone's expressions changed.
A S.H.I.E.L.D. agent's panicked voice echoed through the communication system.
"Emergency situation! We're under attack!"
Boom!
The entire Helicarrier shook violently.
The lights flickered crazily for a moment.
Banner immediately grabbed the table to steady himself while Tony's expression changed.
Thor frowned deeply.
Steve instantly entered combat mode.
Only Jack quietly lowered his head slightly, hiding the evil smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.
It started.
Loki's fuse had finally exploded.
Boom!!
Another violent explosion shook the Helicarrier.
Several nearby screens burst apart with sparks flying everywhere. Smoke immediately began spreading through parts of the laboratory.
"Engine Three has been hit!"
"We're losing altitude!"
"Enemy aircraft approaching!"
The voices from the communication system became increasingly chaotic.
Fury's face darkened completely.
"Hawkeye," Fury said coldly.
Natasha's expression turned ugly.
Loki had succeeded.
Tony immediately stood upright.
"Well," Tony muttered, "there goes the team-building session."
Steve grabbed his shield instantly.
"Everyone move!"
Thor spun Mjolnir tightly in his hand while electricity crackled faintly around the hammer.
Banner, however, looked increasingly uncomfortable.
The tension.
The shouting.
The chaos.
Everything was beginning to affect him.
Jack watched Banner carefully from the side, his eyes flashing slightly with excitement.
The Hulk.
Soon, the green monster would appear again.
And once Hulk lost control inside the Helicarrier…
The real chaos would begin.