Hydra's Conspiracy

Thor's Dark Gold Thunder Armor was battered and broken, with scorch marks from colliding Cosmic Energy still visible in its seams.

His blond hair was disheveled, Mjolnir was in his hand, and Divine Realm Thunder Power still crackled around him. He carried the commanding presence of a God King.

Fresh from the impact of the moon's fall, he had raced through the atmosphere to reach the Helicarrier. His gaze swept the room and settled on Fury.

Thor spoke with impatience, his manner as unruly as ever:

"Fury, tell me. Have you seen my brother Loki on Earth recently?"

"He loves putting on a show and stirring up trouble. He appears and disappears at will, dressed like some kind of reindeer. I followed his trail to Earth, but a sudden blast of Cosmic Energy threw me off course. I need to find him quickly."

Finding Loki was all Thor could think about. He paid no attention to the terrifying cosmic battle on the screen.

To him, collapsing star systems and celestial clashes mattered less than his prank-loving, scheming brother.

Fury recognized the opening at once. A calculated look flashed in his eye.

The Fantastic Four were outsiders. S.H.I.E.L.D. could not command them, and too much could go wrong during the mission.

Thor was different. He was the son of Asgard's rightful God King, with an ancient divine body tempered by a thousand years of war. His physique was formidable, and divine light shielded him.

Ordinary Cosmic Energy turbulence and the crushing forces of spacetime could not touch him.

Of everyone near Earth, only Thor could withstand the terrifying energy of two celestial bodies locked in combat and deliver the Tesseract intact to the heart of the battlefield.

No one was better suited to the mission.

Fury stepped forward, his expression grave.