Nick Fury arrived at the cell and immediately spotted Coulson on the floor, his back against the wall and his body covered in blood.
Blood had almost completely soaked through his clothes. Judging from experience, Nick Fury knew a man who had lost that much blood had very little chance of surviving.
"Coulson!"
Nick Fury shouted, then walked over and crouched down to check on him.
Coulson's eyes were nearly closed, and he didn't respond. Nick Fury's heart sank.
He knelt, reaching out with a trembling hand to check whether the man was breathing.
Coulson didn't react.
"Coulson?" Nick Fury called again, but there was still no response.
Unable to get an answer, he raised his voice and shouted right into the man's ear, "Coulson!"
"Ah!"
Nick Fury's shout startled Coulson, who had been resting with his eyes closed. His eyes flew open.
Coulson froze when he saw Fury, his eyes filled with confusion and bewilderment.
"Sir?"
"You're alive?"
Fury blurted out in surprise. He had already found it strange that Coulson's breathing, though slow, was strong and steady-not at all like that of a mortally wounded man.
Coulson blinked slowly. Looking at Nick Fury beside him, he wore a guilty expression. "Sorry, boss. Loki escaped!"
Nick Fury had expected Loki to escape. Thor was a prime example: he had read the report detailing how Thor had fought his way through scores of men to retrieve his hammer.
The agents at the base had been well equipped and in excellent physical condition, yet even they had been no match for Thor after he had become mortal.
As Thor's brother, even an adopted one, Loki shouldn't have been as weak as he appeared.
The Captain and Iron Man had beaten him far too easily. That wasn't normal.
Now that Loki had