Helheim's skies were always shrouded in heavy clouds. This sky had once become quite clear beneath the mighty force of thunderstorm, but this time, the clouds were actually a man-made smokescreen.
Hidden behind the clouds was the forward base for this operation. Of course, if all they needed to do was go down there and throw punches, there would be no need for a base, nor did it have to be built in the Underworld. But the base was not merely for stationing troops. Its greatest purpose was still research.
"Alena, how's the portal expansion coming along? Do you need another unit of energy?" Standing before a mirror, Strange turned and called out to the other Archmage by the window, who was pouring energy into the M'Kraan Crystal. "I still need two and a half units of energy. When will Peter get here?"
"I'm here! I'm here!" Peter Parker hurried over from the end of the corridor, wearing glasses and carrying a backpack. He looked like a high school student who had just gotten out of class, but he had actually rushed over from Stark's most advanced laboratory.
As he ran, he pulled a paper from his bag and waved the pages at the mages. "Don't rush to feed it energy yet. Let me put the equipment down first."
"Quick, quick, quick!" Peter shouted at several robots behind him. "First, take readings of the surrounding environment, then deploy the equipment."
Watching the robots descend in an orderly fashion, Peter quickened his pace and came to Strange's side. Strange handed him a glass of water. After taking a few deep breaths, Peter said, "Kamar-Taj's monitoring and recording equipment is way too outdated. We can't afford to miss data this valuable."
Strange smiled at him. "You've worked hard, Peter. You know large-scale