Deep within a classified S.H.I.E.L.D. underground facility, agents stood guard with unwavering vigilance. Inside the lab, Dr. Erik Selvig, personally recruited by Director Nick Fury, was engrossed in analyzing the Tesseract's properties. His objective was to harness its immense energy for practical applications.
Suddenly, one of the control computers emitted a sharp alert. The Tesseract's radiation levels spiked, glowing with an otherworldly blue light.
"What's happening? The Tesseract's been activated!" Selvig exclaimed. The instruments, which had been powered down moments ago, sprang to life on their own. Rushing to manually shut them off, he quickly realized his efforts were futile.
From the shadows, Clint Barton, codename Hawkeye, stepped into the room. "Dr. Selvig, we're not scheduled for a test right now. Shut it down."
"Damn it!" Selvig muttered under his breath as he scrambled through a maze of instruments, cutting off power supplies. Yet, to his horror, the energy output continued to climb. The Tesseract, a self-sustaining power source, rendered his attempts meaningless.
Holding up the severed power cable in his hand, Selvig turned to Barton. "See this? The Tesseract doesn't rely on our energy at all."
As he monitored the readings on his console, Selvig's expression darkened. "This could be triggered from the other side. We need to alert Fury immediately."
Barton circled the Tesseract and its machinery, confirming that every power conduit had been severed. Yet the cube's glow only intensified, radiating an almost hypnotic brilliance. Reaching for his phone, he dialed Fury.
At that moment, Fury was fresh off handling an incident in Mexico and preparing to recruit Dr. Bruce Banner into the Avengers Initiative.
"Do you really think the Hulk can help protect people?" Banner asked hesitantly, his voice tinged with doubt about Fury's proposal.
Fury, unfazed, handed him a file and replied, "Take your time to consider it. I believe you can control that part of yourself."
He then leaned toward Agent Phil Coulson, speaking in a low voice. "Make sure Banner boards the helicarrier and meets us. Let the U.S. government handle those Mexican officials."
As Fury glanced at his phone, an uneasy feeling crept over him. The call was from Barton—a trusted operative who rarely made contact unless it was urgent. Fury's mind immediately jumped to the worst-case scenario: trouble with the Tesseract. After all, he knew Thanos had set his sights on the cube as a precursor to invading Earth.
Answering the call, Barton's voice came through, steady but grave.
"Director Fury, the Tesseract just activated itself."
"Was it Selvig?" Fury asked, suspecting an experiment gone wrong.
"No. It's the cube. It's unstable," Barton confirmed.
"I'm on my way," Fury said tersely, his thoughts racing. The Tesseract was crucial to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s plans to develop weapons capable of repelling extraterrestrial threats.
Meanwhile, on the far side of the cosmos, Loki emerged from the Bifrost's collapse, tumbling through a wormhole. He was intercepted by the forces of Thanos.
Fueled by resentment and ambition, Loki accepted Thanos's terms, agreeing to act as his vanguard in exchange for the promise of ruling Midgard.
Sitting atop his throne, Thanos cast a commanding gaze at Loki. Raising a hand, he conjured a portal with a burst of violet energy.
"On the other side lies the Tesseract," Thanos declared. "I can send you there, but it will be your task to retrieve it and open the gateway to Earth. The Chitauri army awaits my command. And Loki…" His voice lowered ominously. "Don't fail me as Ronan the Accuser did."
Loki met his gaze with a calculated smirk. "I will not disappoint you, Lord Thanos. Once I deliver the Tesseract, Midgard will be mine to rule."
"Wait," Thanos said, halting Loki just as he turned to leave. Tossing a scepter to him, Thanos continued, "Take this—the Scepter of Mind. It will aid you in controlling others and serve as a key to the spatial gateway."
As Loki disappeared into the wormhole, General Corvus Glaive of the Black Order turned to Thanos, voicing his doubts.
"Lord Thanos, this Asgardian relies on trickery. I fear he will fail."
Thanos dismissed the concern with a knowing look. "Schemes and deception often achieve what brute strength cannot."
Unconcerned about losing the Scepter, Thanos added, "The Mind Stone and I share a bond forged over years. It won't stray far from my grasp."
Turning to Black Dwarf, Thanos issued his final command. "Once the Tesseract is secured, annihilate every sentient being on that planet."
"As you command, Lord Thanos." While Thanos's penchant for planetary genocide was well-known, his subordinates seldom questioned his motives, focusing instead on executing his orders.
With war against the Shi'ar Empire occupying his attention, Thanos couldn't yet make his move toward Earth.
Back at the S.H.I.E.L.D. facility, the Tesseract unleashed a dazzling surge of energy. The shockwave rippled through the underground base, sending equipment flying like debris in a storm.
Hawkeye, shaken but unharmed, rose to his feet. Standing in the lab's center was an unfamiliar figure: Loki. Without hesitation, Hawkeye drew his bow and loosed an arrow.
"A mortal's welcome for his king?" Loki taunted. The arrow phased through his projection as Loki materialized in front of Hawkeye, pressing the Mind Scepter against his chest.
"You have potential," Loki remarked, watching Hawkeye's eyes cloud over as the scepter bent his will. His pupils darkened, and his posture stiffened under Loki's control.
Cowering behind an overturned table, Dr. Selvig recognized Loki's voice, memories flooding back from his time in New Mexico.
"You're Loki! Thor's brother!"
Loki darted toward Selvig, seizing him by the neck. His grip tightened in anger.
"Don't mention that fool to me. I'll rule here, then reclaim what's rightfully mine in Asgard."
Face flushed, Selvig managed to choke out, "You won't succeed. You failed before, and you'll fail again."
From behind, Hawkeye's voice cut through the tense moment. "Director Fury's Avengers could be a problem. They'll need to be dealt with first."
Selvig gasped. "Agent Barton, you—"
Ignoring the doctor, Loki's mind turned to the Avengers—particularly a young man who had stood against the Destroyer, a troubling memory he couldn't dismiss.
"I'll handle them," Loki said. "Now, bring the Tesseract. We're leaving."
With Selvig under his control, Loki led the group out of the lab. Alarms blared throughout the base, and security feeds captured the chaos in the lab. By the time Fury arrived from Mexico, the Tesseract—and Loki—were gone.
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