The torrential rain had been gathering over Brooklyn for three days. The charges within the clouds crackled like crumpled tinfoil.
Lin Xiu stood atop the lightning rod on the Statue of Liberty's pedestal. Rain streamed down the edges of his dark silver armor as the Nanite Swarm seeped from the interface at the back of his neck, gathering in his palm to form a signal transmitter glowing blue.
"Oracle, what is the weather simulation success rate?" he murmured to the air, a faint stream of data flashing through his pupils.
"92.3%." The mechanical voice vibrated against his eardrums. "The pressure gradient at the center of the storm meets the ionization conditions for Asgardian lightning. The Statue of Liberty's copper structure can amplify electromagnetic signals—this is the most suitable location in all of New York for a 'lightning bait' that you could find."
Lin Xiu lowered his gaze to the transmitter in his palm.
Three days earlier, while retreating from S.H.I.E.L.D.'s underground garage, he had used the Nanite Swarm to gnaw through Natasha's communicator chip, forcibly extracting half a data chain from the Shadow Protocol's residual permissions.
The transmitter was now looping a recording that had undergone twelve layers of voice modulation: "I have a Tesseract Fragment." It was the bait he could think of that would most effectively strike at the Asgardians' nerves.
"Begin."
The signal wave spread through the curtain of rain like a pebble dropped into a deep pool.
Almost at the exact same moment, a thunderous roar came from deep within the clouds.
Lin Xiu looked up and saw a streak of golden light split the rain—Thor gripped Mjolnir, his red cape snapping in the storm, violet ionized light dancing in his pupils.
"Loki's lackey!" Thor's voice carried with thunder, making the lightning rod's steel cables hum.