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Alice looked at Natasha and shook her head with a helpless smile.
"Natasha, just give up resisting. You're probably not White Queen's opponent. She's a little monster."
The room was brightly lit, yet the atmosphere remained strangely tense. Outside the large windows, New York's skyline stretched into the distance, while inside, an entirely different battle was taking place. It wasn't a battle of weapons or powers, but of personalities. Every person in the room carried their own burdens, secrets, and grudges.
Natasha let out a slow breath and finally stopped struggling.
"You people are all monsters."
There was clear annoyance in her voice, but beneath it was a trace of reluctant acknowledgment. White Queen looked like a harmless young girl at first glance. Anyone seeing her for the first time would assume she was the least dangerous person in the room. Natasha had made that mistake once. She would never make it again.
White Queen proudly placed her hands on her hips.
"I'll take that as a compliment."
Alice couldn't help laughing.
"Speaking of which, White Queen, what exactly happened between Natasha and Jack in India? She seems to hate him more than almost anyone."
The moment India was mentioned, Natasha's expression darkened.
White Queen immediately coughed.
"That?"
She waved both hands dramatically.
"If I tell that story, Natasha will probably hate me for the rest of her life."
"Then don't tell it."
Natasha folded her arms and turned her face away.
White Queen grinned mischievously.
"Oh, now I'm even more curious about telling it."
"Try it."
Natasha's cold gaze immediately locked onto her.
White Queen wisely retreated a step.
"See? Exactly the reaction I expected."
Alice smiled knowingly.
"Then I think I can already guess what happened."
"Guess all you want."
Natasha snorted lightly.
"I don't care."
Alice's expression softened.
"Don't worry. Nobody is going to laugh at you."
She glanced toward Jack before continuing.
"After spending enough time around him, almost nothing feels surprising anymore."
White Queen immediately pointed at Alice.
"Exactly. You should be the one telling stories."
Alice's expression darkened instantly.
"White Queen."
"Yes?"
"Be careful."
White Queen took another step backward.
"See? That's the look I'm talking about."
Ada laughed quietly from the side.
The atmosphere relaxed slightly.
For a brief moment, the tension that usually surrounded the group faded.
Natasha looked at Alice.
"To be honest, I never expected someone like you to stay with him."
Alice shrugged.
"I never expected it either."
"Then why?"
Alice was silent for a moment.
"Because life is complicated."
Her smile carried a trace of bitterness.
"You don't always get the choices you want."
Natasha studied her face for several seconds.
She could tell that answer came from experience.
Finally, she nodded.
She understood that better than most.
Jack walked over and glanced at the group.
"Looks like you're all having a very interesting conversation."
"More interesting than talking to you."
Natasha's reply came immediately.
Jack placed a hand over his chest.
"That hurts."
"No."
Natasha looked directly into his eyes.
"It doesn't."
Jack laughed.
"Fair point."
He casually sat down nearby, looking completely relaxed despite everything happening around them.
Ada crossed her arms.
"Enough joking around."
Her expression became serious.
"We still have bigger problems."
The room immediately quieted.
Jack nodded.
"True."
"The Chitauri invasion is coming."
White Queen's playful expression faded.
"That's exactly what concerns me."
She looked directly at Jack.
"You keep acting confident, but the enemy who attacked you before is still unknown."
The room became silent.
Even Natasha stopped talking.
Jack's expression remained calm.
White Queen continued.
"You fought under your normal human form and still got injured."
"That means we don't actually know how strong the enemy is."
Alice nodded.
"That's the biggest problem."
"We're preparing for the Chitauri."
"But there may be something far worse behind them."
Jack leaned back comfortably.
"Maybe."
Ada frowned.
"Maybe?"
"You don't sound worried."
Jack laughed.
"What's the point of worrying?"
"If they appear, I'll deal with them."
"That simple?"
"Yes."
White Queen shook her head.
"Sometimes I wonder whether you're fearless or just crazy."
"Probably both."
"That isn't reassuring."
The conversation slowly faded.
Far away, thousands of miles from New York, the Pacific Ocean stretched endlessly beneath the night sky.
The sea was calm.
Dark waves rolled gently beneath the moonlight.
Floating on the water was a damaged metal platform.
Tony Stark sat on it wearing a heavily damaged Iron Man suit. Warning messages flashed continuously inside his helmet. Sparks occasionally jumped from damaged systems.
Beside him sat Nick Fury.
Both men looked miserable.
Tony removed part of his damaged helmet and rubbed his forehead.
"Fury."
"What?"
"You're surprisingly heavy."
Fury stared at him.
"That's what you're worried about right now?"
"My armor is barely functioning."
Tony pointed toward the damaged Arc Reactor.
"After Jack wrecked half my systems, keeping us afloat isn't exactly easy."
Fury sighed.
"The fact that you're still alive is already a miracle."
Tony's eyes narrowed.
"Dying isn't an option."
"Not before I settle things with Jack."
His voice grew colder.
"I'll never let that go."
Fury looked toward the dark horizon.
The Helicarrier.
Years of planning.
Years of resources.
Years of work.
Gone.
Destroyed.
Thousands of lives had been affected.
For the first time in a very long while, Nick Fury looked tired.
Older.
Defeated.
"Half of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s work was wiped out."
"So many people died."
Tony glanced at him.
"Don't start feeling sorry for yourself."
"Easy for you to say."
"Someone has to."
Suddenly, a cold voice echoed across the ocean.
"Want revenge?"
Both men instantly turned.
"Who's there?"
Fury shouted.
A figure stood calmly on the surface of the water.
Dressed entirely in black.
Motionless.
Watching them.
Neither Fury nor Tony had sensed the person's arrival.
That alone was disturbing.
The stranger spoke calmly.
"I will become the ruler of this world."
The voice carried absolute confidence.
"You should feel honored."
"Because you'll become my subordinates."
Back in New York, atop Stark Tower, Erik Selvig stood before a massive machine.
The Tesseract floated at its center.
Blue energy flowed through the device like rivers of light.
The machine hummed louder and louder.
Loki stood nearby, staring at the glowing cube.
"Doctor."
"Is it ready?"
Selvig's eyes were filled with excitement.
"Yes."
"It's ready."
His hands trembled slightly.
"We're about to witness a new world."
The machine activated.
The Tesseract rotated faster.
And faster.
Blue energy erupted outward.
A massive beam of light shot into the sky.
The entire building trembled.
Loki looked upward.
His eyes widened.
The beam continued rising until it reached a fixed point high above Manhattan.
Then space itself began twisting.
The sky distorted.
A gigantic portal slowly formed.
Loki laughed.
"Hahaha!"
"The Chitauri are coming."
"At last."
The portal expanded further.
The night sky seemed to crack apart.
Wind roared across the city.
People stopped in the streets.
Cars came to a halt.
Everyone stared upward.
Loki spread his arms dramatically.
"This world will belong to me!"
Far away, inside Hammer Industries, Jack stood before a massive window overlooking the city.
The blue beam was visible even from a great distance.
Its light illuminated the clouds.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"The portal has opened."
Alice stepped beside him.
"Exactly what you wanted to see."
Jack smiled.
"Yes."
His gaze remained fixed on the sky.
"The real show is finally beginning."
White Queen crossed her arms.
"Let's hope your confidence isn't misplaced."
Jack laughed.
"When has it ever been?"
Above New York, the portal stabilized.
The air trembled violently.
Then something emerged.
A metallic creature burst through the wormhole.
Then another.
Then another.
Steel-clad alien soldiers poured out like a flood.
Flying Chitauri riders descended from the sky.
Their strange vehicles screamed through the air.
The city below erupted into panic.
People ran.
Police sirens echoed.
Emergency broadcasts began interrupting television stations.
The invasion had begun.
No more warnings remained.
No more preparations.
No more delays.
The battle for Earth was no longer approaching.
It had arrived.
And for Jack, watching the chaos unfold from afar, the corners of his mouth slowly curved upward into a satisfied smile.
Because the game he had been waiting for was finally beginning.