SHIELD Helicarrier – High-Level Debriefing Room
The tension in the air was thick enough to cut with Captain America's shield.
Tony sat at the roundtable, fingers drumming against the armrest of his chair, eyes flicking between the people gathered. The Avengers—if that's what they were now—looked worse for wear, battle fatigue weighing on all of them. Across from him, Steve Rogers sat rigid, ever the soldier, arms crossed like he was bracing for another fight. Natasha and Clint were unreadable, the well-trained spies they were, though Tony had no doubt their minds were already five steps ahead, assessing every possible move on the board.
Bruce, back to his usual mild-mannered self, was rubbing his temple, looking like he'd rather be anywhere but here. And then there was Thor—towering, golden-haired, and freshly battle-worn—seated like he was holding court, the weight of his homeworld's authority resting heavily on his shoulders.
Then there was Loki.
Projected in the middle of the table, his image flickered behind an energy containment field, bound in sleek cuffs that hummed with Asgardian magic. The God of Mischief was lounging like he wasn't a prisoner of war but a guest of honor. His smirk was the same infuriating one he had worn throughout the battle. Unbothered. Unshaken.
Tony had to resist the urge to roll his eyes. 'Yeah, sure. Act like you didn't just get your ass handed to you by the Hulk.'
Fury stood at the head of the room, one hand planted on the table, his lone eye sweeping across the assembled group. "Alright," he said, voice carrying the weight of command. "Let's get this straight—New York just got invaded by an alien army, half the city is in ruins, and we barely stopped it. Now we're left with two big problems: this guy—" he nodded toward Loki's smug face, "—and that glowing blue cube he was using to rip a hole in our sky."
The Tesseract sat in a reinforced containment unit at the far end of the room. Even from a distance, it pulsed with power, its eerie blue glow casting faint reflections across the polished table.
"We need to decide what happens next," Fury continued. "Starting with Loki."
Steve leaned forward. "Thor, you said he's your responsibility?"
Thor nodded solemnly. "Yes. Loki is Asgardian. He is my brother—"
"Adopted," Tony interjected reflexively.
Thor shot him a glare.
"Right, sorry, go on."
Thor exhaled through his nose before continuing. "As I was saying, Loki will be taken back to Asgard. He will answer for his crimes before the throne of Odin."
Steve frowned. "And what exactly does that mean?"
"Yeah, because forgive me if I don't exactly trust 'mystical space god trial' as a secure punishment," Tony added, folding his arms.
Thor's grip tightened on Mjolnir. "It means justice will be served. Odin Allfather's judgment is not to be taken lightly."
Bruce adjusted his glasses. "Right. So you're saying we just... hand him over to your dad and trust that he won't just try this again?"
Loki let out a soft chuckle. "Oh, how little you understand of the cosmos."
Tony narrowed his eyes. 'Oh, buddy. If only you knew how much I understand.'
Loki's gaze flickered toward him for the briefest of moments, and for a second, Tony wondered if he had let something slip. But no—Loki was just playing his usual mind games. The trickster had no idea that Tony wasn't just Tony Stark.
Fury crossed his arms. "Fine. Let's assume we let Asgard deal with Loki. That still leaves the Tesseract. That thing just opened a portal big enough to let an army through. I'm not exactly thrilled about the idea of letting it out of our sight."
"It belongs in Asgard," Thor said firmly. "It was never meant to remain on Midgard."
Steve shook his head. "Look, no offense, but the last time Asgard had it, it still ended up here. I don't think just sending it back is the best idea."
"I agree," Natasha added. "There's no telling what kind of threats might be out there. If we just hand it over, we lose any control over it."
Tony tapped his fingers against the table. 'Oh, if only you all knew the real threats coming.'
Then, as if the universe had decided to throw gasoline on the fire, the artifact in the center of the table—a golden, rune-covered relic Tony hadn't even noticed before—began to glow.
A deep, commanding voice filled the room.
"The Tesseract must not remain on Midgard."
The air grew heavy, vibrating with an ancient power none of them truly understood. Even Thor stiffened.
Fury's hand twitched toward his holster. "What the hell—"
The voice continued. "The Titan moves in the shadows. If he gains what he seeks, all realms will fall."
Tony clenched his jaw. 'And there it is.'
He didn't need Odin to tell him who 'the Titan' was.
But the others?
The confusion on their faces was instant.
"Who the hell is 'the Titan'?" Clint asked, brow furrowing.
Thor's expression darkened. "A name only whispered in the darkest corners of the universe… Thanos."
Tony already knew this. Knew it better than anyone in this room. But the way Thor spoke his name, like it carried the weight of a thousand dead worlds, sent a chill through the air.
Steve frowned. "I've never heard of him."
"Nor should you have," Thor said grimly. "He is not of Midgard. But he is a force unlike any you have faced. If he seeks the Tesseract, then all our worlds are in peril."
Bruce rubbed his face. "Fantastic. So not only do we have to worry about this thing—" he gestured toward the cube, "—but now we have some intergalactic warlord gunning for it too?"
"Pretty much," Tony said casually. "And trust me, you really don't want this guy knocking on our front door."
Fury exhaled sharply. "Well, that just made our decision harder."
The room fell into silence, the weight of reality sinking in.
Finally, Steve spoke. "We don't have a choice, do we?"
Thor shook his head. "No. If we keep the Tesseract here, Midgard will be vulnerable."
Fury looked unconvinced. "And if Asgard falls?"
Thor met his gaze. "Then we will fight until the last."
The words were spoken with unshakable conviction, but Tony wasn't convinced. Even Asgard might not be enough.
But they didn't have time to debate.
Thor stood, gripping Mjolnir. "It is decided. I will take Loki and the Tesseract back to Asgard."
A moment later, a swirling vortex of energy surged into the room—the Bifrost. Its golden light cast long shadows against the walls, illuminating Loki's still-smirking face as he and the Tesseract were engulfed.
Just before they vanished, Tony called out, voice steady but firm.
"Even Asgard might not be enough to keep it safe."
The light swallowed them whole, and they were gone.
Silence lingered in their wake.
Then Fury turned to Tony. "Alright, Stark. You clearly know more than you're letting on. What's our next move?"
Tony exhaled.
'Step one: survive the storm that's coming.'
He smirked. "Oh, I've got a few ideas."