While Soren was still basking in the satisfaction of earning a surge of mission points from healing both Daredevil and Bullseye, the tides of fate were already shifting far beyond Earth's atmosphere.
… in the unfathomable reaches of the cosmos.
Somewhere in the infinite starry expanse, in the cold domain of death and silence, a figure emerged from the shadows of a war-torn asteroid, floating silently amidst a shattered moon.
It was a fallen god, master of mischief, eyes gleaming with hatred and glorious purpose.
From the shadows, a massive figure approached, his silhouette outlined in the glare of distant starlight. Armor black as the void, his voice was calm, yet heavy with menace.
"The Tesseract… awakens."
"It lies within a tiny world… the world of humans."
He paused, then sneered.
"Ants… scrambling to contain a power they cannot begin to understand."
Loki bowed slightly, smiling with reverence and wicked excitement.
"Then allow me to crush the ants."
"I will be your vanguard. Let me loose upon their world. I'll tear it apart from within."
The massive figure extended a glowing scepter to Loki. Its head pulsed with yellow energy, dark tendrils flickering beneath the surface.
"This… is the Mind Scepter."
"With it, you shall control them. When the Tesseract is ours, the Earth is yours to rule. And the Nine Realms… shall kneel to you."
Loki's eyes gleamed as he accepted the scepter, his grin stretching unnaturally wide.
Back on Earth…
The Tesseract, now unearthed and in SHIELD's custody, pulsed with energy.
In an underground bunker, Director Nick Fury stood beside the glowing blue cube, watching it from behind armored glass.
"It's not just a power source."
"It's a beacon."
Across from him, Dr. Erik Selvig rubbed his temples, peering at the readings flashing across his monitor.
"This thing… I've never seen anything like it." He briefed.
"It's not just emitting energy, it's communicating. But with what… or who… I don't know yet."
Fury crossed his arms.
"Whatever it's talking to, I doubt it's friendly."
A thunderous crack shook the base as a portal tore through space, a violent spiral of blue and violet light exploding from the containment chamber.
The alarms screamed.
Armed guards poured in.
And from the portal… stepped Loki, clad in black and green, scepter in hand.
With a flick of his wrist, the first wave of guards dropped minds overwhelmed by the scepter's control.
Clint Barton, Hawkeye resisted for a moment… before his eyes glazed over, swallowed by blue.
Beside him, Dr. Selvig's mouth fell open in horror, just before he too was consumed by the scepter's power.
Loki smirked.
"You humans always build such pretty prisons… for things you can't control."
He plucked the Tesseract from its chamber and raised it high.
The entire SHIELD base erupted into chaos as Loki vanished into the night with his new monkeys and the Tesseract.
Elsewhere, high-level military leaders shouted at one another in a war room.
"We just lost a cube of infinite energy, several operatives, and a damn base."
"Who the hell is this guy?!"
"We don't know. Not yet."
In the middle of this maelstrom stood Nick Fury, calm as ever.
"We were never going to be ready for this."
"That's why we built the failsafe."
"Initiate the Avengers Protocol."
He turned to Agent Hill.
Hill blinked. "You're serious?"
"Hell yes, I'm serious." Fury turned toward the giant monitor flashing red.
"Because the universe just knocked on Earth's front door…"
Everlife Medical Center
Sitting across from Soren was Agent Phil Coulson, wearing his signature suit and that polite, almost apologetic half-smile. But tonight, the lines on his face made him look… burdened.
"That's the situation, Dr. Macaluso. We're facing something alien. Bigger than anything before."
Phil's voice was calm, but his eyes gave him away. He was desperate.
Soren leaned back in his chair, arms crossed. He raised an eyebrow at the agent, his tone dry.
"Phil, how many times do I have to say this?"
"I'm a doctor. A healer. Not some interstellar guide savior."
"World peace is your problem."
Phil gave a defeated sigh, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Believe me, if it were up to me, I wouldn't be dragging you into this. But Fury gave the order. He's initiating the Avengers Initiative."
Soren knew what this meant.
So it's started.
The dominoes are falling. The Tesseract, Loki… the invasion…
As much as he wanted to turn his back on it all, he could sense the inevitable pull of what was coming. Coulson's earnest call for aid was hard to ignore.
Despite his reservations, something stirred inside him. He had a unique skill set, one that could be of use, even if he wasn't willing to play the hero.
A long pause passed. Coulson looked tired.
"So? Will you help us?"
Soren exhaled through his nose, tapping his fingers on the desk.
"I won't be joining your little superhero club. Not my style."
"But… I'll do you a favor."
Phil looked up, intrigued. "A favor?"
"Tell me, Phil…" Soren leaned forward, eyes narrowing, "…do you remember a man who came to Earth not long ago? Tall, blonde, carried a hammer like it weighed a mountain?"
Coulson's face lit up with realization.
"Thor…"
"Yes." Soren nodded.
"You want help dealing with Loki? Then you need Thor."
Phil's brow furrowed.
"That's the problem. He's not on Earth anymore. He left after that… hammer thing. Went back to Asgard, right?"
Soren's smile widened slightly.
"Did you know that Thor and Loki are brothers?"
Phil's face went pale.
"Brothers? Wait, what?! You're saying the guy trying to conquer Earth is Thor's brother… the Loki from Norse Mythology?"
"Technically adopted." Soren said offhandedly.
"But yes. Odin raised them both. Loki's little 'exile Thor to Earth' stunt didn't work out too well. And now he's gone rogue."
Phil sank into the chair, running a hand through his hair. The implications hit him like a train.
Asgard…
God-like beings…
If Loki's threatening Earth, and Asgard sees him as a traitor…
Then maybe… maybe they'll help.
"Dr Macaluso…" Phil said slowly, hope creeping into his voice, "…can you contact Thor?"
Soren gave him a casual nod and stood up.
"Better." He snapped his fingers.
A sudden whooshing sound filled the room as a portal of golden runes and starlight spiraled open in the courtyard outside the window, like a whirlpool in the air itself, humming with divine energy.
"Do you want to go to Asgard?"
"Is that...?"
"Yes." Soren turned, sliding his white coat off the back of the chair.
"That's a shortcut to Asgard."
Phil jumped to his feet. "You're taking me there?! Now?!"
Soren turned slightly, smiling over his shoulder.
"You said you needed help, right? Consider this… my referral."
Without waiting for a reply, he stepped toward the portal, his figure silhouetted against the swirling light.
Phil, stunned for a moment, hurried after him.
"Wait, wait! Shouldn't I pack something?! A weapon? A translator?! A jacket?!"
"Just don't say anything rude about goats." Soren muttered, "And you might live."
Together, the two vanished into the swirling light.
꧁𓊈𒆜༺⚜༻𒆜𓊉꧂
Dare you peek into my other tales? The opening three chapters of select stories are free to all.
PhantomDream