The Portal vanished, leaving only Hermione, Tony, and Coulson in the room.
"Where's Natasha?" Hermione suddenly asked Coulson.
"She went to get Dr. Banner," Coulson replied. "She was out on a mission, but came back as soon as she heard Barton had been controlled."
"Barton's been controlled?" Hermione froze. "Who did it? Loki?"
"Yes." Coulson nodded.
"That shouldn't be possible..." Hermione frowned, murmuring to herself.
"Loki doesn't have the ability to control people's minds."
"He used a scepter," Coulson added. "That's what he controlled them with."
"A scepter?!" Hermione abruptly raised her head, as though something had occurred to her. Her expression shifted slightly.
"What did the scepter look like?"
Seeing Hermione's unusual reaction, Coulson realized the situation might be even more serious than he had imagined.
We're in serious trouble.
He steadied himself and began describing Loki's Scepter:
"The scepter is gold, with a blue gem at the top and some intricate patterns around it..."
Coulson recalled its appearance, describing it in as much detail as he could.
After listening, Hermione took a deep breath.
"I've changed my mind. I can help you find the Tesseract."
Coulson brightened and was about to thank her, only for Hermione's next words to stop him short.
"But this time, S.H.I.E.L.D. has to give me three times the materials."
Hermione held up three fingers, her tone leaving no room for argument.
"And I want that scepter."
Coulson wasted no time and immediately called Fury.
After hearing the terms, Fury agreed without hesitation.
He was rattled, too. The young wizard usually acted as though she wouldn't care if the sky fell, yet this time her reaction was so strong.
This had to be serious!
That scepter was definitely no ordinary object!
"Miss Wizard, could you explain exactly what's going on?"
"I'll explain once everyone's