Noah watched the portal with interest, trying to guess who would emerge in place of Loki, who definitely wouldn't be appearing this time. However, instead of a figure, several blue energy projectiles erupted from the portal, hurtling towards them at high speed.
These projectiles were so fast that only he and Hawkeye, with his superhuman vision, managed to notice them. However, their speed was too great for Clint to react in time. The others weren't even aware of the threat, their attention focused on the blinding light of the portal, leaving them no time to defend themselves.
Whoosh!!
If these energy spheres had struck the people in the room, Nick Fury and his team could have suffered heavy losses, if not been wiped out entirely. But a suddenly appearing wall of wind intercepted the attacks, negating the enemy's chance for a surprise strike.
The projectiles, colliding with the wind barrier, exploded, scattering blue flames of energy through the air. This energy destroyed the equipment located beyond the wall. If the wind hadn't stopped them, the ordinary people in the laboratory would have surely perished on the spot.
Hawkeye, instinctively trying to protect Fury, lunged towards him, intending to tackle him to the ground. But, barely touching Fury's shoulder, he stopped, noticing the attack had already been repelled.
Fury also flinched from Hawkeye's sudden movement and, startled, looked around at what was happening. At that moment, everyone else realized what had occurred. Black Widow and the lab agents raised their weapons and aimed them at the portal.
Not everyone immediately understood the origin of the wind wall, but no one wasted time on questions at the moment. Especially since Noah, standing in front of everyone, was already prepared, twirling a long white sword, which had appeared out of nowhere, in his hand.
Noah hadn't expected the attackers to be so decisive, launching an assault without knowing exactly what or who was on the other side of the portal. However, the reflected energy wave probably alerted them that their attack had failed. After the explosion of the energy projectiles, figures finally began to emerge from the portal.
The first two, similar in height and build to humans, but with distinctly alien appearances, stepped onto the platform. A third figure followed, moving much slower and appearing more timid compared to the first two.
When the last guest emerged, the portal began to shrink, losing stability, and gradually transformed into a flickering cluster of energy that rose to the ceiling.
Everyone present shifted their attention to the three uninvited guests. Nick Fury moved slightly closer to the Tesseract, assuming these beings had come for it.
He studied the alien arrivals intently, trying to discern their intentions. They were clearly not from Earth, but their appearance might offer some clues. Before them stood two figures—a man and a woman, both armed with long weapons. The man also held a short scepter in his other hand, topped with an oval, glowing blue crystal.
Data about the beings, including an analysis of the objects they carried, appeared on Noah's heads-up display. The scepter with the crystal was marked with red warnings—his armor's system identified it as containing immense energy.
He ignored the warnings displayed by his armor's system. He already knew what the scepter was: the blue crystal at its tip was one of the Infinity Stones, the Mind Stone. And the two figures standing before him were also familiar. They were Proxima Midnight and Corvus Glaive—two of Thanos's generals who fought alongside the Mad Titan in "Avengers: Infinity War." He remembered them being referred to as the "Black Order."
His memories of Proxima and Corvus were quite vivid, as they hadn't shown themselves in the best light in the movie. Yes, Corvus managed to severely wound Vision by attacking him from behind, but after that, both were brutally beaten by Captain America, Black Widow, and Falcon, practically without putting up a fight. But that was in the movie. Reality didn't adhere to the laws of special effects and budget limitations.
After it became clear that Loki was no longer a factor, he wondered if the portal activated by the Tesseract would still bring someone from space, as it should have in the original storyline. Or had his intervention completely altered the course of events?
Now it was evident that events were unfolding similarly, albeit with deviations. Instead of Loki, the portal had brought Proxima, Glaive, and another individual who looked like an extra. Noah only now noticed this third figure: a humanoid with pinkish skin, resembling a human.
"Hey, strangers! This is private property. What is the purpose of your visit?" Nick Fury stepped closer to the Tesseract and addressed the uninvited guests.
But Proxima and Corvus didn't react to his words. Did they understand Earth languages? Of course. Each of them had a universal translator that allowed seamless communication with any race in the galaxy. However, they saw no point in responding. Instead, their gazes swept across the room, assessing the potential threats.
The third figure, standing behind them, turned out to be a Kree researcher who conducted experiments in the Chitauri laboratories. This unfortunate individual was chosen to accompany them to Earth after they increased the portal's capacity. Now, standing behind the two warriors, the Kree scientist looked terrified. Although he wore armor, he didn't have a helmet, and he didn't know how dangerous Earth weapons were. He imagined his head wouldn't withstand a single shot. Nervously backing away, he tried to hide behind Corvus, hoping to avoid being hit if a fight broke out.
Meanwhile, Corvus assessed the situation. In his opinion, the people in the room didn't pose a serious threat: their weapons were too primitive. But one individual, standing at the front—the one wearing the advanced armor—made him uneasy.
He only needed a moment to consider. He tightened his grip on the scepter with the Mind Stone. Proxima, without missing a beat, understood his signal—and both, fully prepared for battle, lunged forward simultaneously, attacking.
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