"Release him. Loki is an Asgardian. Even if he has committed a crime, he should be dealt with by Asgard, not locked in this cage."
Thor said to Nick Fury. Even if Loki had done wrong, he didn't want to see him treated this way by Earthlings. Besides, he had heard that Loki hadn't actually committed any crime yet, only attempted to rob a superhero... and failed.
When Nick Fury mentioned this earlier, Thor had held back from saying "Loki is my brother," because it was a bit embarrassing.
"As long as you can keep him from causing trouble, of course you can take him. Your compatriot doesn't seem to have a very favorable attitude towards Earth. Based on our assessment, he looked like he was about to start a war..."
Despite saying this, Nick Fury still lifted the restrictions on Loki.
As he left the cage, Loki raised his hand high, but the next second, Mjolnir pressed against his chest.
"Loki, you deceived all of us. Now, you'd better honestly tell us what you did after leaving Asgard!"
Loki smiled and gestured to the people around them. "Right here?"
Hearing this, Thor glanced at Nick Fury and the other SHIELD agents. After a moment's thought, he released Loki's collar.
Asgardian matters shouldn't be overheard by Earthlings and turned into jokes. "We'll talk later..."
Nick Fury felt a bit disappointed. He had hoped the two would start fighting immediately. Then SHIELD could gather more information, even if some equipment got damaged.
"Would you like a private room to talk?"
Nick Fury suggested, still unwilling to give up. But Thor declined.
He had come to Earth for two reasons: first, to find Loki, and second, to retrieve the Tesseract. Earthlings didn't know the Tesseract's secrets, but as Odin's son, he understood it well.
The Tesseract's power came from the Space Stone, one of the six fundamental forces in the universe. For powerful gods like his father Odin, the Space Stone might not be significant.
But for others, the Space Stone held immense allure. If it fell into the wrong hands, it could spell disaster for Earth and other civilizations.
As Odin's son and Earth's protector, Thor wouldn't allow that to happen.
"If you don't want to talk, how about talking with us? We want to know..."
Before Nick Fury could finish, an agent entered, signaled to him, and pulled him aside. After a whispered exchange, a troubled look crossed Nick Fury's face.
"If you don't mind waiting a while, after I handle that matter, I think SHIELD can discuss things with you."
"I don't think there's much to discuss. I came to Earth for two things: find this guy," Thor pointed Mjolnir at Loki, then turned back to Nick Fury, "and take the Tesseract."
"...If that's the case, then you definitely need to wait. Or, you could sit in."
After saying this to Thor, Nick Fury walked off in another direction.
Confused, unable to understand Nick Fury's meaning, Thor turned to ask Loki: "Loki, what did he mean?"
"Why would I tell you? Unless you remove this..."
Before Loki finished, Thor grabbed his collar and followed Nick Fury. If Loki wouldn't talk, he could just go and ask himself.
As for Loki, with Asgardian restraints on, he was essentially powerless.
"Two new faces. No matter who you send, SHIELD's answer is always the same: provide evidence. Without proof, I won't believe a word you say."
Nick Fury said preemptively to Ajak and Phastos in the conference room. Previous encounters had been similar: controlling strangers to approach SHIELD, urging cooperation.
In Nick Fury's view, these people were also a threat. They didn't treat humans as equals. Recently, one of his agents had even been controlled by what seemed like a mind-controller, but Nick Fury couldn't track them down.
"We sincerely want to cooperate this time. I apologize for any misunderstandings caused by our previous actions..."
As she spoke, Ajak used her abilities to change into Eternal attire, proving herself to Nick Fury. After a moment of tense alert from the SHIELD agents, she reverted to her human appearance.
"There's something I think you should know. Your involvement could also reduce our risk."
Ajak had just finished speaking when she saw Thor push open the door and enter. His appearance surprised her slightly. She knew Thor's identity and background. When guarding Earth, Ajak always investigated any visitors from beyond.
"Thor, the God of Thunder. It seems SHIELD's guests are also quite extraordinary. You have the power to stop this."
Hearing someone call his name, a stranger at that, Thor asked, "You know me?"
"I've gathered information about you. After all, this isn't your first appearance on Earth."
After saying this, Ajak signaled to Phastos beside her.
Receiving Ajak's look, Phastos directly implanted his pre-set remote intrusion program into SHIELD's internal network. The next moment, the conference room's network was under Phastos's control.
"Shit."
Nick Fury cursed under his breath. First Tony Stark, now this black, fat man. It seemed anyone could breach SHIELD's internal network. Were the cybersecurity personnel HYDRA remnants? That would explain SHIELD's weak network security.
Ajak wasn't Druig, so she didn't know Nick Fury's thoughts. After Phastos displayed the satellite images of the desert left after the Divine Tree fruit ripened, she addressed the people in the room: "Director, though you may not be aware, I think you should see this."
"What is this?"
Nick Fury sighed and asked. Sand control should be handled by the Geological Survey or environmental protection agencies. SHIELD wasn't responsible for that.
"Desert. Formed within a single day. Also, did you notice that during this time, all life on Earth lost consciousness for a few minutes, and none noticed upon waking... including my companions. One of them can control anyone's mind, yet found himself controlled by another."
As Ajak spoke, Phastos displayed all the data they had gathered for Nick Fury and the others. Only then did the gravity of the situation begin to sink in.
Within a day, actually less than a day, an area with a radius of nearly fifty kilometers had turned to desert. If not man-made, this was a terrifying natural disaster.
But all evidence pointed to it being man-made. Nick Fury's heart tightened instantly. If he remembered correctly, this place wasn't far from one of Stark's former large-scale weapons manufacturing plants...
He glanced at Hill beside him. She had been undercover at Future Biopharmaceutical Company but was recalled earlier to help purge HYDRA. Now, she quickly pulled up data on the area for Nick Fury.
Unsurprisingly, including the weapons plant over ten kilometers away, this whole area belonged to Future Biopharmaceutical Company. And this used to be farmland.
"Is this the Tesseract's power? Have they achieved results?"
Nick Fury could only speculate in that direction. His knowledge was limited; the most powerful force he could imagine was the Tesseract. And they had indeed taken the Tesseract for research.
"No, no. The Tesseract doesn't have this kind of power."
Thor interjected upon hearing Nick Fury's words: "The power is completely different. Though the Tesseract contains immense energy, it's impossible..."
Thor stopped mid-sentence, suddenly recalling that the Tesseract might indeed be capable of such things. His father simply hadn't explained clearly.
"You're so ignorant, brother. Do you really think an Earth superhero could capture me? Look at my scepter. Don't you think something's missing..."
Loki suddenly spoke to Thor with a smile: "You've always thought I was Earth's greatest enemy, but the real enemy has long been overlooked. Like right now..."
Clap.
Before Loki could finish, Thor sealed his mouth with an Asgardian muzzle. Turning around, Thor warned Nick Fury and the others: "Don't believe a word Loki says. He is the God of Mischief and Lies. Trust him, and you'll fall into a trap."
Ajak shook her head. "No, I think he's right. In fact, one of our companions has already lost contact over this. Barring a miracle, she's likely dead now."
"Her? That one who looks underage?"
"Yes, Sprite. But she is several hundred times your age, Director."
Nick Fury fell silent after hearing Ajak's words. One thing led to another. From escorting a problematic Asgardian, so many issues had emerged. And from Loki's words, it seemed this person had also been in contact with the mastermind behind Future Biopharmaceutical Company...
"I think we need to discuss this. Mr. Thor, if you don't mind, would you stay at SHIELD for a few days?"
Seeing Hill had more to report, Nick Fury decided to keep them here. This matter couldn't be decided quickly; SHIELD needed internal discussions.
Thor agreed without much thought. He also wanted to figure out what was happening. "Sure, I have no problem."
As for Ajak, she left Phastos's contact information. If anything came up, they could reach her through him immediately.
Hill wanted to report on Brock Rumlow. Someone at Future Biopharmaceutical Company had convinced the International Security Council members to drop the pursuit of Rumlow.
By the time Nick Fury learned of this, Rumlow's wanted status had already been rescinded internally. Even as director, he couldn't reverse it.
Only insiders knew about Rumlow's HYDRA affiliation. Tony Stark had made his revelations but hadn't released a complete list of members. Ordinary citizens had no idea Rumlow was a high-ranking HYDRA member.
They only noticed the Super Seven Team had a new member, albeit a candidate. Most believed it wouldn't be long before Rumlow became a full-fledged member.
Moreover, the codename "Weapon Master" sounded cool. Coupled with a released video of Rumlow skillfully wielding various weapons – from tanks to pistols, spears to bows, dual swords – it looked so smooth that some fans had already started a fan club for him.
Additionally, Hyuga Mirai gave Rumlow a vial of serum. Developed by 18, this serum enhanced the body about fourfold in all aspects. After using it, Rumlow's physical capabilities were on par with Steve Rogers.
Having so many people concentrated in New York was wasteful. Wanda and Peter often competed to respond to superhero activities, and some criminal gangs no longer dared to linger even in the suburbs.
So Hyuga Mirai sent Rumlow to Los Angeles. In fact, many cities hoped to partner with the Super Seven Team. Aside from training, Pietro's superhero activities had decreased. Still, some cities had set their sights on him, hoping to recruit him as their city's hero.
But Pietro wasn't interested. He had little enthusiasm for it. No matter how persuasive the offers, he didn't want to leave New York. Besides, he was still underage; he just looked mature.
The most popular remained Wanda and Spider-Man. Peter had the highest popularity among ordinary citizens and was New York's icon. If any other city tried to poach him, the first to object would be the Mayor of New York and the NYPD Commissioner.
As for Wanda, she was unlikely to leave either. She wasn't eighteen yet, and she didn't want to leave New York.
"Director, are we just supposed to watch?"
Steve Rogers pointed to the video on the screen and asked Nick Fury.
"Of course not. We have a choice: turn it off."
With that, Nick Fury looked at the control panel and directly closed the virtual screen. The video of Rumlow's interview would no longer appear before them.
"You know that's not what I mean. He's HYDRA, the only member who remains free, without trial or atonement..."
"No evidence, Captain."
Nick Fury said, "And this was the Council's decision. Rumlow's wanted status has been cleared. All past offenses are wiped clean!"
(End of Chapter)