The atmosphere in the Helicarrier's conference room was somber.
Nearly everyone sent out had returned battered and bedraggled.
The teams dispatched by S.H.I.E.L.D., the military, and the police had all suffered heavy losses.
Even the teams that had lost no one had members injured.
And they had only explored a handful of suspicious sites.
Never mind finding any clues-they could not even finish searching the sites.
"What... what do we do now?"
Tony frowned. "I examined all the instrument fragments we brought back. Almost every one came from a completely different kind of device. Give me half a month, and I might figure something out. Otherwise, we'll have to throw lives at each base, or assemble an elite force and take down the suspicious sites one by one."
Nick Fury shook his head. "That would take too long. Ebony Maw created all these suspicious sites to keep us occupied while he waits for a chance to open a Portal. As long as we're tied down, his plan has succeeded. Whether we crack the sites doesn't matter at all."
Loki picked up a broken fragment, looking distinctly surprised.
"Do you recognize this device, Mr. Loki?"
A smile curled at Loki's lips. "Of course. It's hardly anything precious. Saying you can find it everywhere in the universe would be an exaggeration, but it certainly sees widespread use."
"Widespread use?" Nick Fury found Loki's claim rather absurd.
Natasha and the other ordinary agents felt the same way.
Just a dozen or so suspicious sites.
They had left dozens of elite soldiers dead or wounded.
Even if this weapon was not particularly rare, surely it was at least a strategic weapon?
Naturally, Loki could tell that these people of Blue Star were unconvinced.
He had no intention of arguing with people whose knowledge was