**Shirk Blame Swiftly! Seize Credit Stylishly!**

After the brief but intense battle in New York, the exhausted members of the Avengers got a short period of rest and recovery. All in all, there shouldn't be much for them to do in the near future—they could relax in peace and wait for the follow-up cleanup.

Sure, fighting aliens and protecting Earth was the Avengers' job, but duty couldn't put food on the table! The Avengers had gone above and beyond, so they definitely deserved rewards! Whether from S.H.I.E.L.D. or the World Security Council, they had to show their appreciation—that was non-negotiable! In terms of fame or fortune!

It was a matter of principle! You couldn't let your people bleed and cry without compensation! Otherwise, who would risk their lives for you in the future?

In fact, Tony Stark, Iron Man, was already planning to file for compensation to rebuild Stark Tower. Look, the guy fought tooth and nail to defeat the aliens, and in the end, his own home was flattened by them! You couldn't just leave him homeless, right? A token payout, a little gesture, was a must.

Of course, Bruce Banner, the Hulk, was an exception. The whole New York battle ended, and he showed up on a slow, beat-up motorcycle—who knew if he did that on purpose? You couldn't underestimate him just because he looked harmless!

The post-war cleanup was naturally S.H.I.E.L.D.'s responsibility, but the military showed up afterward and butted in, claiming they were protecting citizens and mopping up remaining alien forces. In reality, they were frantically scavenging Chitauri weapons and equipment.

You have to understand—this was alien tech! Even grabbing a little could leapfrog military industry forward by a huge margin! Sure, the biggest prize—the alien flagship's bow fragment—was hard to touch, since the whole world and S.H.I.E.L.D. had their eyes on it. But smaller bits and pieces were fair game: Chitauri infantry weapons, anti-gravity small craft, metal alloy fragments, and so on... These were scattered all over New York now, and every nation needed them to get a ticket to space!

On top of that, various TV stations were tearing into each other. Some were assigned to calm the public, others condemned the military's inaction! And then there were the bombshells: several outlets revealed that someone had ignored the S.H.I.E.L.D. director's objections and ordered a nuclear strike on New York! If the Avengers hadn't been good enough to even stop the nuke, New York would have been leveled! And this explosive report came with pictures, video, and evidence!

Furious citizens flooded the White House's inbox with protest letters and emails the moment they heard! And it didn't stop there—protesters took to the streets, waving banners and shouting slogans, blocking the gates. They demanded explanations and severe punishment for those responsible!

Of course, all the global fallout from the alien attack on New York had nothing to do with Annie. Right now, Annie was sneaking around in her little room, locking the door tight, and lying on her bed counting her spoils: a uniquely shaped staff and a square, faintly glowing blue gem!

Ha! Tibbers, look! We're rich now! Check it out—these are two divine artifacts, two of them!

Annie's eyes gleamed mischievously as she lay on the bed, her little bear Tibbers beside her. In front of them were the spoils from yesterday's New York battle: Loki's scepter, or staff? And the Tesseract, or perhaps one of the Infinity Stones—the Space Stone?

Clearly, Annie didn't care much about the names. Anyway, they were hers now, and no one was taking them! She planned to give them new names to establish ownership. Hmm, maybe keep it simple: Annie's Staff and Annie's Gem?

The Space Stone, or Tesseract, was a square, blue-glowing cube of energy. Annie noticed it seemed to have infinite energy in this world—a strange little thing! It might be a product of some rule, but it was definitely magical.

With that infinite energy alone, it qualified as a divine artifact! If news got out, it could spark a world war! But that wasn't what Annie valued most. She didn't care about energy—what she really wanted was its ability to open space portals. That was the key!

Annie was pretty sure now: the culprit that had inexplicably teleported her from the Voodoo Lands to this Earth was this Space Stone! After studying it up close, she was a hundred percent certain! This nasty thing had brought her to Earth, and if she wanted to go home, she'd need its help.

Lying crosswise next to the Space Stone was Loki's scepter—no, now it was Annie's staff! It was a uniquely shaped staff, originally swatted away during the fight by her bear, uh... by Tibbers' paw! But Annie had retrieved it right away.

Finding something radiating strong magical waves was a piece of cake for a mage like Annie! She had plenty of ways to grab it without anyone noticing! By now, while others were still scrambling through the rubble looking for it, the staff was already safely tucked away in little Annie's spatial storage pouch.

Annie already knew the staff's power. The gem on it seemed to be the same type as the Space Stone. Besides near-infinite energy, its special trait was mind control—or more precisely, soul control?

It seemed to let the user enter others' minds to control them! But its effect on higher-intelligence beings wasn't great—just look at how easily Hawkeye, the turncoat, broke free. Annie figured it might work better on low-intelligence creatures or undead? It seemed like an evil thing, but Annie liked it!

Because it was made into a staff, this gem now had, besides infinite energy and mind control, another ability: it could deploy a magic shield! With infinite energy backing it, this shield was practically unbreakable by magic! Annie had tested that herself yesterday.

The only downside: the shield didn't block physical attacks. The strength was obvious, but so was the weakness! Still, it could rightfully be called a divine artifact—infinite energy, magic immunity, and powerful control effects? Definitely a divine artifact, no one could deny that!

Seeing these two artifacts, Tibbers' mind started working: Great Master Annie! Considering how hard I fought and how diligently I've served for years, how about giving me one? Like that staff? What do you think? Imagine—if I wield the staff, I'd be immune to magic damage! And I'm already immune to physical damage, so I'd be invincible... What a beautiful picture that would be!

No! They're all mine! Annie lunged forward, shielding the gem and staff with her body. These were her things, and no one was taking them—not even Tibbers!

Tibbers, you have to understand—you're my bear! Even if I gave you the staff, your stuff is my stuff. Even if I really gave it to you, it'd still belong to me, because you belong to me. So there's no need to split things, right?

Besides! You saw the staff yesterday—when its shield is up, it can't move. If it can't move, you can't fight. Do you expect enemies to come right up to you for a bite?

Hmph! That's true... Tibbers thought it over and reluctantly gave up on becoming a staff-wielding bear!

"Hmm! This stone needs more study to figure out. So, it's settled—Tibbers, let's go take a bath. Aunt Melinda should have the water ready by now." Annie waved her hand, sweeping both items into her spatial pouch.

Studying the Space Stone wasn't something she could finish in a short time, and Annie's skill with space magic wasn't that high, so this was it for now! But Annie knew a place and a person who was pretty good at space magic. She'd go find her when she had time! Given how cute, clever, and lovable Annie was, she might... no, she'd definitely teach her, right?

What? Not teach? Impossible! Annie was so adorable—who could bear to refuse? If someone did, they'd be a bad person! Annie was great at dealing with bad people, and her bear Tibbers was especially good at convincing others with his claws! If she really wouldn't teach, then Tibbers would have a nice chat with her, and everything would be fine!

No! No! I don't want a bath! I'm a Shadow Bear! Fire-attributed! I don't like soaking in water! This is animal abuse! I protest!

"Be good, Tibbers! You fought yesterday! If you don't bathe, you'll stink! And then I won't want to cuddle you to sleep!" Annie grabbed Tibbers' arm and bounced toward the big bathroom downstairs! As for Tibbers' protests? Did that matter?

At the World Security Council headquarters, in a secret meeting room, a group of council bigwigs were in session. The atmosphere was tense—clearly, today's agenda wasn't going to be pleasant.

"Let's hear it. What do we do now?" one dark-faced council member opened the discussion.

"Hah! What do we do? What's it to me? I wasn't the one who suggested dropping the nuke yesterday!" another councilor replied dismissively. For a seasoned politician, shifting blame was second nature!

If the nuke had wiped out the aliens yesterday, he might have stepped up to claim some credit as one of Earth's unsung heroes! But now? Hah. The aliens were taken down by a few Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. Those who supported the nuke now had no credit—only trouble! The public was looking for a scapegoat, and he wasn't about to jump in and volunteer.

"Exactly! I said back then that nukes shouldn't be thrown around carelessly, but you wouldn't listen! Now look—regret it?" another councilor chimed in, shamelessly denying that he hadn't actually opposed it at all.

"Enough. It's done. I think you should take responsibility here. Since you proposed it, you should bear the consequences. Perhaps you're no longer fit for this important position. Let's vote." the person at the head of the table finally spoke, closing the matter.

"Aye!"

"Aye!"

"Aye!"

The resolution passed smoothly. The scapegoat was found—the council member who proposed the nuke yesterday was immediately removed from office! The news would be released soon, and the Security Council's awkward position would likely improve. The members, having successfully shifted the blame, filed out of the room without a glance at the poor wretch slumped in his chair.

"Bastards!" Malik, the council member who had spoken first, was livid, his face twisted with rage as they voted to oust him without letting him object. He was Malik, a current World Security Council member, a leader of Hydra, and a real-life 007!

He had been the one to propose the nuke yesterday. His goal, besides killing the aliens, was to take out the Avengers too. After all, that team was secretly founded by Black Charcoal Head Nick Fury, answering only to him. Malik felt they were too big a threat to Hydra, especially after seeing their battle footage from New York!

But now, those who had sworn to support his proposal yesterday had sold him out in an instant! A bunch of bastards! He had schemed for years to reach this position, and now it was all ruined in a flash? His council seat was gone just like that?

Maybe it was time to bring Hydra into the light! Malik's face darkened, his mind churning with grim thoughts. If they wouldn't give him what he wanted, he'd just take it himself!

~Begging for votes~