"Finally, some results. It wasn't easy!"
A clone disguised as an ordinary citizen spoke with some emotion while looking at the spaceship wreckage and the frozen Kree corpses. Her luck had finally turned. Pulling out a scroll, Artoria's clone began to pack up and take the corpses. It was a bit of a pity there were no Skrull corpses. Having fought such an unfair war against the Kree for so many years, it really wasn't easy for them to hold out so long with inferior weapons using only their racial talents.
Although they were nearly wiped out, this was definitely something worth showing off. One must know that Ronan the Accuser had destroyed many Planets, rivaling Thanos. With the help of a weapon and partial use of the Power Stone, the Kree's combat talent was definitely not low.
"Thanks for the gifts, everyone. Bye-bye!"
With one scroll, everything was easily settled. Artoria's clone, still in an unrecognizable disguise, walked out. She arrogantly lingered in front of the surveillance cameras for a bit and spoke to the Special Agents who had been knocked to the ground before swaggering away. She had successfully drawn a lot of aggro, but back at headquarters, Nick was currently preoccupied with another headache and didn't have time to manage things here.
So, Loki was a good helper, doing a great job. He put the items on the plane sent by Artoria, and his clone went out for another round of chaos. This drew all eyes to her. By the time the plane had flown far away, S.H.I.E.L.D. might not even know that the items were no longer on the clone. By the time everything was discovered, it would be too late.
"Bastard! What on Earth did this guy do?"
Nick soon received a report from the branch. Such an important item had been taken so easily. Moreover, he successively received news of many branches being attacked. It was obvious that someone was targeting S.H.I.E.L.D. So, who was this person? Currently, the biggest suspect was definitely 'Loki', the Asgardian who had come to Earth, the so-called 'God'. He now directed all his suspicion toward Loki.
Because right now, in his mind, only this guy who took the Cosmic Cube possessed abilities he didn't know about, making him the prime suspect. He couldn't think of anyone else with both the suspicion and the ability. As for Artoria, although he was a bit suspicious, he had no clues or reasons.
In Sharon's report, Artoria hadn't taken a single step out of her company. Therefore, the intrusion into so many branches might not have been her doing. Thus, he temporarily ruled out Artoria's possibility.
"Have you found the target's location?"
A headache-ridden Nick asked the technician beside him. Fortunately, they had the wave spectrum of the Cosmic Cube. According to the computer matching, they should be able to quickly find that so-called 'God' from Asgard. He was almost ready to explode with rage. Special Agent Barton and Dr. Banner both seemed to be controlled by the strange Scepter in his hand, and he didn't know how to break it. What a hassle.
"Reporting, Director. We don't know what technology the target used, but we can't find any trace of the Cosmic Cube at all right now."
Special Agent Hill looked at the operator; from the frustrated face of the other person, she guessed they couldn't find it.
"Where are those guys? How much longer until they all arrive?"
Nick rubbed his head—a habit he hadn't had for a long time. Although he had no hair now, he couldn't help scratching his head. Maybe that's why he had no hair! But there was no choice; no one else could handle the mess in his hands.
"Captain has already arrived, Natasha was already here. As for the others..."
Seeing the expression on Nick's face, Hill spoke hesitantly, making Nick feel a bit uneasy. Fine! A bunch of problem children. But what could he do? He was the one who chose them; he had to carry his own cross.
"Is Sam here?"
"He is currently on vacation."
Hearing this news, Nick felt a bit guilty. He seemed to owe quite a few people their vacations. Especially when they heard Sam was on vacation, the people around reflexively looked at Nick. The meaning in their eyes was clearly: 'Director, I haven't had a vacation in a long time.' One pair of eyes would be fine, but a whole crowd looking at him longingly—those large eyes made Nick's back feel a bit chilly. But the black-hearted and thick-skinned Director Nick ultimately ignored those gazes.
"Notify him that his vacation is canceled. He is to return for combat readiness immediately."
"Yes."
With that, the gazes diminished quite a bit. Well, since the Director said so, if they wanted to take a vacation later, they'd better not cause trouble at a time like this. Otherwise, the black-hearted Director might send them to Antarctica to catch Hydra, and they'd never come back. Remember the last unlucky kid who thought this was a charity? He went straight to the Director to demand a vacation in a huff, and as a result, no one had seen him for a long time. It was said he was still planting potatoes in some godforsaken place like Siberia!
Right now, the Director was in a desperate situation. Anyone looking for trouble was equivalent to seeking death. For the sake of their lives, they'd better get to work.
Poor Sam, though; your vacation seemed to be completely gone. Unlucky fellow. Although they felt he was unlucky, why did they feel so refreshed? Indeed, true happiness is built upon the pain of others.
"Director, there's movement. The mysterious target has appeared in the Banquet Hall."
"What?"
Nick was stunned to hear this news. Then, seeing the address on the big screen, he understood. This place wasn't somewhere ordinary people could go. These government officials or other elites might be in danger. If S.H.I.E.L.D. didn't show up now, S.H.I.E.L.D. would be in big trouble later.
"Notify Sam, Steve, and Natasha to rush to the location immediately. Minimize casualties and try to capture the target. If that's not possible, then find a way to take him out on the spot."
While giving orders to Hill, Nick felt very uncertain. From the first time he clashed with this guy, he knew he wasn't simple, especially that mysterious power in his hands, which made him even more wary. Special Agent Barton was an example. He really didn't know what this guy was planning. If the suspicion against him wasn't cleared, then the debt of the branch attacks should also fall on this guy's head. Now that the Avengers hadn't fully assembled, he had to let the people he had deal with it first.
Additionally, tell that problem child Tony that there's trouble here. Since you're coming over, you should show up for this trouble. As for Dr. Banner, better not make it hard for him. Before he can control the Hulk, once he goes on a rampage, it'll be a bigger headache than Loki.
"What exactly are you planning, Loki?"
Looking at the surveillance footage on the screen, several people were killed, and Loki stood arrogantly on a high point, proclaiming something. Nick's brow furrowed; this matter wasn't simple.
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