Somewhere in an underground base!
"Where did you find this hiding place?"
Dr. Selvig, controlled by the mind scepter, looked at the empty underground research lab and the group of people busily moving various instruments. He turned and asked Clint Barton, who was also under mind control.
"After a long time in S.H.I.E.L.D., you always end up knowing things others don't!"
After saying this to Dr. Selvig, Barton walked over to Loki. "All the experimental equipment and personnel are in place. We can proceed with the plan now!"
"Well done!" Loki looked at Barton and nodded in satisfaction, the scepter in his hand. "You know, initially, you weren't the one I wanted to control."
"After I got the mind scepter and understood its purpose, the first candidate that popped into my head was actually that guy on your planet—the one with the shield, the one who can pick up the hammer that belongs to Thor."
"You mean Captain Steve Rogers?" Barton replied blankly.
Under the control of the mind scepter, Barton didn't feel insulted. At this moment, it was more like he was listening to the statement from a third-person perspective, completely unoffended.
"That's him!" Loki found a rock to sit on, gazing at the scepter in his hand with a look of anticipation in his eyes. "It won't be long before the Chitauri arrive. Then, the foolish and narrow-minded people of Earth will understand what destiny truly is!"
"I, Loki, will be the new king of Earth, and I will bring a new order to these ant-like Earthlings!"
Having said that, Loki turned his head to glance at Barton. "But compared to that, I'd much prefer to see the look on Thor's face."
"If I can control that Steve Rogers, I could witness Thor's bewildered, furious, and frustrated expression when he throws his hammer but can't retrieve it, watching it fall into someone else's hands instead."
"I think that will be the greatest source of my joy from now on!"
Hearing this, Clint Barton pulled his bowstring. "Is it now? If you want to do it, I know where he is. Most likely, they're in the sky at this very moment."
"Let's forget it for now!" Glancing at the people carrying and assembling various instruments, Loki shook his head with a smile. "Let's focus on the main task first!"
"After all, there are people watching us from above. But the idea of controlling Steve Rogers and having him snatch Thor's Mjolnir... that is something I will never give up on!"
Seeing Loki's meaningful smile, Clint Barton looked up. Of course, he couldn't see who was watching them.
Aboard the Helicarrier
"Want some?"
Tony handed the bag of dried blueberries to Su Che, asking kindly.
After watching Su Che take a few dried blueberries and eat them, Tony Stark smiled and said, "I trust you, buddy, but I don't trust Nick Fury."
"He's secretive all day long, to the point of being ridiculous. And S.H.I.E.L.D. has been studying the Tesseract for so many years—who knows what they're really using it for?"
"Sure, he ordered a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent to hand over all my father's notes and data images to me. But I still don't trust him!"
With that, Tony Stark turned to look at Bruce Banner. "What about you, Dr. Banner?"
"Me?" Dr. Banner adjusted his glasses slightly. "Actually, I don't trust S.H.I.E.L.D. very much either."
"Ever since they tried to put me in a transparent container and dump me under the sea, I haven't held any goodwill towards them. I understand their choice was logical—the Hulk is too dangerous, after all. But I'm the one involved, so..."
Dr. Banner didn't finish his sentence, simply spreading his hands, but his stance was clear.
Hearing Dr. Banner's words, Tony Stark looked at Su Che. "See, buddy? That's two votes already! By the way, where's Steve?"
Noticing Steve hadn't followed them, Tony asked curiously.
"I was looking for something!" Pushing open the lab door, Steve walked in carrying a weapon. "This is it!"
He shook the weapon-like device at the three of them and placed it on the table. "Right after boarding this helicarrier, when Su asked you and Dr. Banner to look for the Tesseract, I took a look around..."
"And I wanted to know what S.H.I.E.L.D. has been researching with the Tesseract all these years."
"So when Su suggested I rest and that he would handle Nick Fury, I went searching instead."
"It turns out S.H.I.E.L.D. is actually using the Tesseract to develop weapons!"
Looking at the weapon on the table, Tony Stark stepped forward and picked it up. "Wow, really... I truly can't place any hope in them. Good thing I was just hacking the helicarrier's systems to see if I could find any useful surprises."
"But it seems that's unnecessary for now."
"So Steve, what's your vote? Yes or no?"
After fiddling with the weapon, Tony Stark asked Steve.
"Vote? What vote? Yes or no on what?" Steve turned to look at Su Che, curious.
Su Che explained to Steve what Nick Fury had said to him.
Listening to Su Che's account, Steve crossed his arms and thought for a moment.
"I agree with Su's proposal!" Steve said seriously, looking at everyone. "Actually, from the incident with Thor, it's not hard to see that Earth is far from as safe as we imagined."
"Who knows how many other aliens in the vast universe might set their sights on Earth next! Like Loki this time. Therefore, it's absolutely necessary for Earth to form a powerful team capable of dealing with threats from extraterrestrials!"
"The Avengers is indeed a very good proposal. But as Su said, the Avengers should be an independent team with clearly defined limitations and jurisdiction."
"At the very least, this powerful Avengers team should not be a mere tool in the hands of any individual or organization!"
"Not even S.H.I.E.L.D.!"
Steve Rogers spoke with utmost seriousness. He knew that if the Avengers to be formed became the armed force of a political entity, the consequences would be dire
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