Deep in the universe.
There is nothing here. No light, no sound.
Loki's body was floating in the darkness. The explosion of Bifrost tore apart his shield, and the cold and vacuum were draining the last of his divine power. His consciousness began to blur, and his body became stiffer little by little.
Almost dead.
At this moment, a hole opened in the darkness in front of him.
Behind that opening was a fleet. Monsters made of meteorites and metals, parked quietly in the void.
Several black shadows flew out of the crack, grabbed him, and dragged him in.
He was thrown in front of a throne. The throne was Black Noir rock, with a huge shadow sitting on it, like a mountain. The shadow just sat there, Loki felt out of breath.
A skinny alien walked up to him, his voice dry and astringent.
"Prince of Asgard." said the creature, "You want the throne."
Loki struggled to raise his head, his eyes full of hatred. "I should have been the king."
"We feel your hatred and unwillingness." The voice was bewitching, "My master is willing to give you a chance."
The alien stretched out a three-fingered hand and pointed to the side. A scepter floated there, and the gem on the top glowed blue.
"This scepter will give you strength. There is also an army, Chitauri. They will level everything for you and only listen to your orders."
Loki's breathing became heavier.
"What's the price?" He's not that stupid.
"It's very simple." An ugly smile appeared on the alien's face, "On Earth, there is something called Cosmic Cube. Your father hid it there. Take it back, and in return, the Earth will be yours."
"You will be the god of a kingdom."
Loki looked at the scepter. He thought of Thor, and Odin's words "No, Loki".
Hatred and ambition burned.
He stretched out his hand and held the scepter. A cold energy rushed into his body, repaired his injuries, and penetrated into his brain.
"I accept." He whispered.
The shadow on the throne seemed to move.
S.H.I.E.L.D. Medical Facilities.
Steve·Rogers was sitting beside the bed. He was wearing a gray sports suit, which was issued by S.H.I.E.L.D.. There was a pile of documents on the table in front of him, but he didn't look at it.
He just looked out the window.
In seventy years, the world has changed.
There was a huge luminous screen on the building showing advertisements that he couldn't understand.
Everything feels like an unreal dream.
Chu Hang opened the door and came in, Nick Fury followed behind him.
"Captain." Fury walked up to him and stretched out his hand.
Steve glanced at him, then at Chu Hang, and finally grasped it. The grip was very short and very strong.
"Nick·Fury, Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.." Fury said, "The predecessor of S.H.I.E.L.D. is Strategic Scientific Reserve. Peggy·Carter is one of the founders."
Hearing Peggy's name, Steve's shoulders stiffened.
"Is she... okay?"
"She is still alive." Fury said, "But she is old, Steve. We are all old."
Steve said nothing.
"I'm not just looking for you to reminisce about old times." Fury pushed a folder in front of Steve. On the cover was a capital letter A. "The world has changed, Captain. The threats we face are no longer Nazis with a rifle. Some threats come from places we don't understand."
He glanced at Chu Hang.
"We need soldiers." Fury said very directly, "A leader. I launched a project called 'Avengers Initiative' to find a group of special people to fight the battles we cannot win. The world needs you, Captain."
Steve Open the folder.
It contains information about Cosmic Cube, as well as the trouble caused by Thor in New Mexico, and a report about a green monster named "Hulk".
It gave him a headache. These things were even more outrageous than Hydra's energy weapons.
He is a soldier, but his war is over. He belongs to the past, to that era of black and white. There is no place for him in this colorful and complex new world.
He closed the folder and looked at Chu Hang. His eyes were asking for help.
Chu Hang came over and patted Fury on the shoulder. "Okay, Director, I'll tell him the rest."
Fury nodded and backed out.
There were only two of them left in the room.
"Don't listen to him." Chu Hang pulled up a chair and sat down, and said casually, "To put it simply, there are aliens coming to steal things, and S.H.I.E.L.D. can't stand it, and wants you to be a human shield."
Steve was a little confused by his statement.
"A lot has happened in the past seventy years." Chu Hang looked at him, "We defeated World War II, and then we had a confrontation with the Soviets for decades without fighting. Later, there were computers and the Internet. Now everyone has a gadget called a mobile phone, which can talk to the whole world."
He paused and lowered his voice.
"Howard died in a car accident. Dugan and the others also died of old age. Peggy... She got married and had her own family. Most of the people we knew are gone."
Steve's hand placed under the table was clenched into a fist.
"So, we are the only ones left now?" he asked.
"And Logan. That guy is alive and well, but his brain is not working very well." Chu Hang said, "Yes, we are the only old antiques left."
He looked into Steve's eyes very seriously.
"I know you feel abandoned by the entire world. Yes, that's it. But so what? You are a soldier, Steve. A soldier's job is to obey orders and protect the country. Now, it's to protect the planet."
"Your war is not over yet."
Steve looked at Chu Hang, looking at this comrade who, like him, had been forgotten by time. The confusion and loneliness in his heart seemed to have found an outlet.
He picked up the folder again and his eyes changed.
"I need a uniform," he said.
At the same time.
New Mexico, deep underground.
A dark energy research facility jointly established by S.H.I.E.L.D. and NASA.
This is one of the most heavily guarded places on earth.
Cosmic Cube is placed in the center of the laboratory and emits a faint blue light.
Erik·Doctor Selvig and several scientists are recording data. Hawkeye Clinton·Barton is leaning on the railing on the second floor, like a shadow, monitoring everything.
Suddenly, all the instruments started alarming.
"The energy readings are off the charts!" a scientist yelled.
The light of Cosmic Cube is getting brighter and brighter, like a blue sun. A burst of energy rushes out, and the entire base is shaking.
"Doctor, what's going on?" Hawkeye asked through the communicator.
"I don't know! It seems... responding to something!" Doctor Erik looked at Tesseract in horror, "It opened a door by itself!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a blue vortex appeared in front of Cosmic Cube, Spatial Distortion.
A figure came out of the whirlpool.
He was wearing the green armor of Asgard, holding a scepter with a glowing top in his hand. There was an evil smile on his face.
It's Loki.
"Found it." He looked around as if he was inspecting his own territory.
Hawkeye reacted the fastest and immediately drew his gun. "Put down your weapon and surrender immediately!"
Loki laughed contemptuously. He raised his scepter and shot out a blue beam of light. Hawkeye rolled to avoid it, and the beam hit the wall behind him, blasting a big hole.
The agents rushed up and opened fire on Loki.
Loki just stood there. The bullet stopped half a meter away from him, as if it hit an invisible wall, and then fell to the ground with a clanking sound.
He walked over slowly, and every time he waved his scepter, an agent flew out.
He walked up to Hawkeye. Just as Hawkeye was about to fight back, he grabbed his neck and lifted him up.
"You have a brave heart." Loki looked into his eyes and pointed the tip of the scepter at his chest.
The blue light turns on.
Hawkeye's eyes suddenly became empty.
He let go of the gun in his hand and stood behind Loki, like a loyal guard.
Loki used the same method to control Doctor Erik.
"Doctor, you will help me, right?"
"Yes." Doctor Erik replied expressionlessly.
"Very good." Loki walked over to Cosmic Cube, took it off the device and put it into a suitcase.
"Sir, the base is collapsing!" a controlled agent reported.
"Then let's go."
Loki took his newly acquired servant to the exit.
A few minutes later, Nick Fury's helicopter arrived. What he saw was a huge sinkhole that was collapsing from the inside, with blue energy swallowing everything.
Coulson and Maria·Hill rushed out of the ruins and supported him.
"Where is Hawkeye?" Fury asked.
Hill shook his head, his expression ugly. "He was taken away, sir. And Doctor Selvig. They... seem to have rebelled."
Fury's one eye was on fire.
He lost the first game.
He lost Cosmic Cube, and also his best agent.
The war has begun.