The next day
Marcus, in the middle of his daily training, received a notification from Jarvis.
"Mr. Coulson is here to see you."
Coulson had received orders from Fury to bring Marcus to the helicarrier. Although they had captured Loki, they hadn't retrieved the Tesseract.
Loki hadn't been carrying the Tesseract at all—he himself was merely a decoy. The real operation was being carried out by Hawkeye Clint Barton, who was under Loki's mind control.
"Mr. Marcus, we meet again."
"Yeah, we meet again. Every time I see you, something dramatic happens."
With a smile, Marcus changed his clothes and walked outside.
Now that Loki had been caught, it was time for Marcus to act. He'd been eyeing the mind-controlling scepter for some time, but knowing Loki wouldn't resist capture, he'd been content to wait.
"Let's go meet that trickster god together."
With that, he and Coulson set off toward the helicarrier.
Aboard the helicarrier, Tony and the others had gathered to discuss S.H.I.E.L.D.'s research on the Tesseract.
Everyone had their own opinion about this cube of infinite energy.
As the only one who had experienced World War II firsthand, Steve despised using the Tesseract. If possible, he would rather it remained buried forever in the seabed of the North Pole.
The Tesseract's energy was too terrifying—not meant for human use. It was a key that unlocked disaster.
Tony believed that while the Tesseract's energy might be dangerous, if used responsibly, it could greatly advance human civilization.
Bruce Banner, who had also been summoned, offered his perspective as well.
He understood better than anyone how harmful uncontrollable energy could be. After his exposure to gamma radiation, he transformed into the Hulk whenever he experienced excessive anger.
The destruction wrought by the Hulk far exceeded the damage caused by energy weapons. He, too, was firmly against misusing the Tesseract.
While they were debating, Fury pushed open the door, and Marcus entered alongside him.
"Looks like you're all been influence," Marcus observed with a smile.
The energy emanating from the scepter appeared as visible waves to his enhanced perception. Everyone's minds were being heavily influenced.
The others looked confused—what did he mean by "influenced"?
A moment later, everyone's eyes turned to the scepter lying on the table.
"At least you're still aware enough to follow my gaze," Marcus said.
He walked toward the scepter. Under everyone's watchful eyes, he raised his hand and grasped it. Immediately, everyone's minds cleared.
"There, that's better. Carry on—I have things to do."
Walking to Dr. Banner's side, Marcus observed the seemingly mild-mannered scientist. As the embodiment of raw power among superheroes, the Hulk was a formidable entity.
"Dr. Banner? That green guy inside you seems a little restless."
With a smile and a pat on Bruce's shoulder, Marcus walked out, scepter in hand.
He needed to meet the god of mischief. After all, the "purple potato head" who had sent Loki to Earth was eyeing the planet with covetous intent.
Moving quickly through the helicarrier, Marcus's enhanced perception guided him better than any staff member could. Soon he arrived at Loki's prison cell.
"Hi, Bambi. We meet again."
Marcus stood outside the cell, greeting the imprisoned Loki.
This containment unit had been specially designed by Fury to prevent powerful beings from breaking free.
Marcus's greeting made Loki's expression turn cold. He'd already been mocked by Tony in Europe, and now this man was taunting him too.
Looking at Marcus with icy eyes, Loki appeared slightly taken aback after seeing him clearly.
He recognized Marcus from when Thor had been banished to Earth. Marcus had been standing guard near Mjolnir at that time.
But Loki didn't think Marcus should have been able to see him then. How could they be meeting "again"?
While Loki puzzled over this, Marcus smiled and knocked on the glass of the cell.
"You didn't think I could see you, did you? You were there to check on Mjolnir, and I saw you very clearly."
Loki now understood that Marcus had indeed seen him back then—that gaze had been directed at him, not at Mjolnir as he'd assumed.
"If you saw me then, why didn't you tell them?"
Loki stood and approached the glass, a sly smile forming on his face.
"Why would I say anything? It was more entertaining to watch your solo performance." As he spoke, Marcus tapped the scepter against the glass a few times. "You've modified this scepter, haven't you? Tony and the others were nearly at each other's throats. Let me think... what exactly are you planning?"
Pacing around the cell, Marcus continued with a knowing smile:
"Are you waiting for Tony and the others to become suspicious of each other, and then for Clint to come rescue you?" Marcus frowned suddenly. "Ah, your 'subordinates' have arrived."
He sensed several individuals with the scepter's energy lingering in their minds successfully boarding the helicarrier.
"We'll continue this conversation later."
With that, Marcus turned and walked away, but something about his departing figure made the previously confident Loki uneasy.
"What's going on with that guy?" Loki wondered.
As the god of mischief, Loki prided himself on his mental flexibility and ability to anticipate problems.
But now he couldn't figure out Marcus. The man seemed able to read his mind, guessing his entire plan with uncanny accuracy.
This made Loki nervous. He didn't want his plan to fail—too much was at stake. This was about a powerful cosmic entity.
That being's power exceeded even Asgard's, having destroyed countless planets. Loki didn't want Asgard to share their fate.
"I hope you won't cause too much trouble. If you antagonize him, Earth should prepare for his slaughter."
Watching Marcus disappear, Loki sat back down, his confidence shaken.
Meanwhile, Marcus had reached the helicarrier's command center. Fury and his deputy stood ready to give orders at any moment.
Swoosh
An almost imperceptible sound cut through the air as a specially designed arrow flew toward a crucial computer.
Snap
Midway through its flight, the arrow was caught firmly in Marcus's hand. He looked at Fury with raised eyebrows.
"Some director you are. You didn't even realize your enemies had already boarded your ship."
As he spoke, several heavily armed soldiers emerged from the shadows, aiming their weapons at everyone in the room.
Rat-tat-tat...
The instant gunfire erupted, a vortex appeared in front of Marcus. The soldiers and their bullets were all pulled in by the powerful force.
"Fury, your archer has returned to his senses."
Void energy spread from Marcus's fingertips, and the mind gem's influence over Clint and the others instantly disappeared. They all regained consciousness.
The plan to rescue Loki and disrupt S.H.I.E.L.D. had completely failed. Clint and his team had not only failed to free Loki but had been captured themselves.
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