New Mexico The night breeze carries a burnt earthy smell.
On the edge of the sinkhole, the temporary headquarters was brightly lit. Nick Fury's face was darker than the night, and he pressed one hand on the table, his knuckles turning white.
Maria·Hill walked in quickly.
"Sir, the assessment is out." Her voice was tight. "Ninety percent of the base collapsed, and all the data is gone. The casualties are still being tallied, so it won't look good."
Fury said nothing and stared at a red dot on the screen.
That was the last signal of Cosmic Cube, at Germany Stuttgart.
"We found him." Fury's voice was deep.
"Loki is in the center of Stuttgart, like attending a dinner party." Hill's tone was ridiculous.
"He's not going to eat." Fury said coldly, "He's showing off and provoking. Tell us that we can't stop him when he comes."
Phil·Coulson stood aside, his face pale. He looked at the gray avatar of Hawkeye on the screen.
"Clinton..." he whispered.
"He was just controlled." Fury said in a firm tone, "We will bring him back."
He took a deep breath.
"Start 'Avengers' protocol."
Hill was stunned. "Sir? Now? The assessment report said that they are a group of time bombs."
"Now we are stepping on a bigger bomb, called Loki." Fury turned around and scanned the people present with one eye, "I don't care if they are monsters, gods, or popsicles. Now, I need them."
He began to give orders, speaking very quickly.
"Hill, track Loki, lock the location, and prepare to arrest. I want to know what he is doing every minute."
"Yes, sir."
"Coulson."
"Here."
"Go see Stark." Fury threw a tablet to him, "Show him the information. Tell him that the party has started and he has to come."
Coulson took the tablet. "What if he refuses?"
"He will." Fury said, "So, it's not you who goes. It's Mr. Chen who goes."
Coulson and Hill looked at the corner at the same time.
Chu Hang appeared there at some unknown time, leaning against the wall, playing with a burnt metal part in his hand.
"That bastard Stark only recognizes his fists." Fury said, "Only Mr. Chen's fists are harder than his iron skin. Tell him that this is the advisor's order."
Chu Hang threw the parts on the table and made a "ding" sound.
"It's a small thing," he said, "But I have a condition."
"Say."
"Let's pay it first, there's nothing we want now."
Fury's eye twitched.
"Deal." He said through gritted teeth.
Chu Hang smiled, and his figure faded away and disappeared.
Coulson and Hill have become accustomed to it.
"Also," Fury's voice sounded again, "Natasha has set off to find Banner. As for our captain... he needs a little motivation."
New York, Stark Tower.
On the top floor, outside the floor-to-ceiling windows is the night view of the entire Manhattan.
Tony·Stark held a glass of champagne and gestured to Pepper·Potts.
"See, Pepper? This building uses 100% clean energy. It generates its own electricity and can also power the entire neighborhood. This is the future."
Pepper looked at him with a smile. This man only acted like a child when talking about his invention.
"Yes, Tony, this is amazing." She said, "But do you really want to hang your name so high? It's a bit... ostentatious."
"Swagger? No, this is called a brand." Tony took a sip of wine, "I am the brand."
A voice sounded from behind them.
"The brand will soon be bankrupt if you are still here drinking champagne."
Tony and Pepper turned back sharply.
Chu Hang was standing not far away, wearing casual clothes, as if he had walked out of the air.
"JARVIS?" Tony frowned. His security system is the best in the world.
"Sir, I don't have any intrusion records." JARVIS's voice came from the ceiling, with a hint of confusion, "Mr. Chen... he just appeared here."
Tony's face darkened. He hated losing control. And Chu Hang was synonymous with losing control.
"Anthony, I remember not inviting you to my private party." Tony's tone was thorny.
"This is not a party." Chu Hang walked up to him, took the glass of champagne, drank it all in one gulp, and put the empty glass on the table. "This is a draft notice."
He threw the tablet given to Coulson to Tony.
Tony caught it and looked down.
On the screen were Loki's information, Cosmic Cube's energy fluctuation diagram, and photos of the base's collapse.
"The little prince of Asgard, holding a blue fluorescent stick, snatched S.H.I.E.L.D.'s treasure. Now he is going to open a hole in the earth and call all his alien friends over." Chu Hang said as if he was telling a joke, "Fury can't handle that one-eyed dragon, so it's your turn, Iron Man."
Tony flipped through the information quickly, and the relaxed expression on his face disappeared little by little.
Gamma rays, space distortion... this energy model is unscientific.
The processor in his head was racing.
He threw the tablet back on the table.
"It sounds like S.H.I.E.L.D.'s trouble, not mine." He said, "They have an army and an aircraft carrier. I am a consultant, not a thug."
"Their best thug, Hawkeye, now belongs to the enemy." Chu Hang said.
"That's even worse." Tony spread his hands, "Why should I join an organization that can't even look down on its own people? I don't want to wake up one day with something in my head that I shouldn't have."
He walked to the display cabinet of his armor and stroked Mark 6's helmet.
"I can provide technical support, weapons analysis, energy tracking, and even lend them a few Drone." Tony turned around and looked at Chu Hang, with the shrewdness of a businessman and the arrogance of a genius in his eyes, "But I myself will not appear. I am not a soldier and I will not obey orders."
Pepper looked at them nervously.
"Tony..." she wanted to persuade.
"Did you hear that?" Tony said to Chu Hang, "This is my company, my building, and my life. I follow my rules. You agents, stay away from me."
Chu Hang looked at him and said nothing.
The look in his eyes was very calm, so calm that it made Tony a little hairy.
"Finished?" Chu Hang asked.
"That's it. You can go. The door is over there." Tony pointed to the elevator.
Chu Hang smiled.
"Stark, do you know what I dislike most about you?" He said, "You always think you have a choice."
The words just fell.
All the lights in Stark Tower went out instantly.
The floor-to-ceiling windows turned into Black Noir's mirror, reflecting only the little blue light on Tony's chest.
The sound of JARVIS is gone. The buzzing sound of the air conditioner is gone.
Everything stopped.
"JARVIS? Report!" Tony shouted, his heart sinking.
No response.
Pepper screamed and grabbed Tony's arm.
"Where's the backup power supply? Emergency power supply system!" Tony shouted into the air.
Still no response.
Then, he felt it.
On his chest, the New Element Reactor that sustains his Life Law, the one he is most proud of his invention...
Its light dimmed a bit.
Only for a moment.
Like a candle flame in the wind, it swayed slightly.
Tony felt that his heart was grasped by a cold hand. It was not a metaphor, it was real. The energy flow of the reactor was cut off for a thousandth of a second, and the circulatory system in his body stopped.
The feeling of death is so real.
The blood all over his body ran cold.
He subconsciously covered his chest, and for the first time, real fear showed on his face.
The light came on again.
JARVIS's voice sounded again, "Sir, the power system is back to normal. The power in the entire building suddenly disappeared. I..."
Tony didn't listen to what JARVIS was saying. He just stared at Chu Hang, breathing rapidly.
"You... what did you do?" His voice was trembling.
Chu Hang was still standing there, not moving.
"I just want you to understand one thing." Chu Hang's tone was very calm, but every word was like a hammer, hitting Tony's heart, "The power of an individual is limited, and even I dare not call myself invincible."
He took a step forward.
"I'm not discussing with you, Stark. I'm informing you."
"Now, put on your armor and follow me. We have many people to see."
Tony looked at him, his lips moved, but he couldn't say a word.
He glanced at Pepper, who was pale with fright.
Finally, he took a deep breath, as if he had exhausted all his strength.
"JARVIS." he said.
"Yes, sir."
"Get ready Mark6. We are going on a long trip."