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*****
Hearing Fini's words, Skye lowered her head and remained silent for a long while. Whatever crossed her mind, her face eventually flushed a faint red, and she gave a reluctant, begrudging nod of agreement.
While Fini was busy persuading Skye, Nick Fury had already left the base and immediately set out to contact the World Security Council.
"This could very well be Earth's first interstellar war," Fury stated, his voice steady despite the gravity of his words. "We aren't ready for it. I need a response team—a group that can stop this war before it truly begins."
"You're playing with fire, Director!"
On the screen, one of the council members stared down at Nick Fury. "These are forces beyond your control."
The other members shared this skepticism toward the Avengers Initiative. They were particularly bothered by Fury's explicit note in the proposal stating the team would be autonomous and beyond their direct oversight, so they remained silent for the moment.
"Have you ever been in a war, Councilman?"
Fury looked at the group of superiors who had spent far too long in the comfort of their offices. He said in a low, gravelly voice, "When the fighting actually starts, do you enjoy being micromanaged?"
"You say Loki has an army. Does this mean Asgard is declaring war on Earth?" another councilwoman asked, diverting the topic after her colleague was left speechless.
"Not Asgard. Just Loki."
Fury remembered Fini mentioning that Thor would likely come to help, so it was impossible for the army to belong to Asgard itself.
"And what of his brother? That Thor?" she continued.
"According to our intelligence, Thor bears no ill will toward Earth. But he is a world away right now; we're on our own," Fury replied.
"And the Silver Knight?"
The councilwoman brought up Fini. "Can even the Silver Knight not stop Loki?"
The news of Fini's disappearance was known only to those at the base, and since he had returned that very day, Fury kept a straight face as he answered: "He needs support. Which is exactly why we must assemble this response team!"
After a lengthy period of bureaucratic bickering, Fury finally forced them to budge. They agreed to the temporary formation of the response team, though its permanent status would depend entirely on their performance in the coming days.
With the legalities settled, Nick Fury didn't waste a second resting; he immediately headed to his next destination.
Inside an old-fashioned boxing gym with a sense of history, a man with powerful muscles and an athletic build was relentlessly punishing a heavy bag. Left hook, right cross—every movement was crisp, sharp, and brimming with power.
"Can't sleep?"
Fury walked up to the sweating Steve Rogers, having already visited the Captain's new apartment.
"I slept for seventy years, Director. I think I've had my fill," Steve replied, his breath steady despite the workout.
"Then you should get out more. See the sights."
As Fury drew closer, Steve finally stopped his assault on the sandbag. He began unwrapping the tape from his hands. "Got a mission for me, Director? Trying to help me 'fit in' to the new world?"
"Trying to save it."
Steve hesitated for a moment before taking the file Fury handed him. He opened it, and his eyes immediately landed on a photograph of the Tesseract.
Fury gave a brief rundown of the situation with Loki, adding slowly, "This world has changed faster than you can imagine."
"Nothing surprises me anymore."
Steve's voice was flat, still feeling a surge of resentment over the Cube. He began packing his gear to leave.
"I've left the detailed mission briefing at your place."
Watching Captain America hoist the sandbag to move it, Fury paused, then added, "Regarding the recovery of the Tesseract, do you have any specific advice?"
"You should have left it in the ocean!"
Steve didn't look back as he left the gym and headed home.
Upon seeing the files Fury had placed in an unmissable spot, Steve sighed and sat down to read through them seriously. The documents didn't contain a specific battle plan; instead, they were introductions to the other players: data on Asgard, Thor, and Loki; the situation regarding Dr. Banner; and Tony Stark's identity along with his Iron Man suits.
Meanwhile, acting on Fury's orders, Coulson arrived at Stark Tower to find Tony and Banner.
In the penthouse of Stark Tower, Tony and Pepper were enjoying a quiet moment together when JARVIS's voice interrupted. "Sir, I have Agent Coulson of SHIELD on the line for you."
"Tell him I'm out!"
Despite his title as a consultant, Tony still didn't harbor much affection for SHIELD.
"I'm afraid he won't believe that, sir."
As Tony continued to upgrade him, JARVIS's intelligence level grew more sophisticated.
"Have a little confidence, JARVIS. I'm on a date!" Tony quipped, intending to get back to Pepper.
Pepper, however, understood the importance of maintaining these connections. She also had a certain level of respect for Agent Coulson. She nudged Tony. "See what he wants first. What if it's about Fini?"
Tony's expression shifted at the mention of the name. Finally, he gave in and took the call.
"Stark, we need to talk. It's urgent!"
Coulson's serious face appeared on the screen.
"What is it? Is the world ending?" Tony joked casually.
"Just about."
Coulson's answer gave Tony pause. Seeing that the agent wasn't joking, Tony opened the security clearance and allowed the elevator to bring him up.
"What kind of mess did you guys stir up this time?" Tony asked irritably as Coulson walked in carrying a laptop.
"You might want to look at this first." Coulson held the laptop out toward him.
"I don't like being handed things. You can put it on the table."
Tony didn't take the computer. Instead, he shrugged and walked over to the sofa, waiting for Coulson to set it down.
Pepper could see that Coulson was anxious and stressed, so she stepped in to save him the embarrassment. She took the laptop with a smile. "It's fine, I love being handed things."
She walked over to Tony and shoved the computer into his lap.
Tony looked at the laptop, then at Pepper, and then at Coulson. With a helpless pout, he started the computer, transferred the data to the tower's servers, and projected it onto the room's holographic displays.
Pepper watched the data floating around them in amazement. Suddenly, she spotted something and turned to Coulson. "Fi... the Silver Knight? He's appeared?"
"This is the most recent intelligence compiled by the Director."
Coulson nodded. Although he hadn't seen Fini return with his own eyes, he had read the detailed reports and knew Fini had appeared alongside Loki.
Hearing this, a small, involuntary smile tugged at the corner of Tony's mouth. "I knew that kid wouldn't go down that easily."
"By the way," Coulson added, "we'd appreciate it if you could inform Dr. Banner. The Director would very much like him to participate in this mission as well."
With Fini's influence changing the timeline, the dangerous task of contacting Banner no longer fell to Natasha—even if this meant Banner might miss out on a romance that was probably doomed from the start anyway.
(End of Chapter)