Chapter 19: SHIELD II
Loki's gaze shifted to Clint Barton. "You know what to do," he said with a commanding tone, his voice dripping with authority.
Clint, now under Loki's control, raised his gun without any hesitation. Fury noticed the movement too late.
"Clint, stand down!" Fury ordered, his voice firm, but there was no hesitation in Clint's eyes.
With a sharp click, the bullet flew through the air, striking Fury in the shoulder and sending him stumbling back. The Tesseract slipped from his grasp, clattering to the floor. Fury grimaced in pain as he clutched his shoulder.
"Director!" one of his bodyguards shouted, stepping in front of him to shield him from further harm.
Loki's smile widened as he approached the fallen Tesseract. "Ah, there it is," he said, kneeling to retrieve the glowing cube. He held it up, studying it as if admiring a rare jewel.
"Secure the package," Loki ordered. Clint and Dr. Selvig moved in unison, Clint grabbing the Tesseract's containment case while Selvig began working quickly on the portal machinery to stabilize its energy.
"You're not getting away with this," Fury growled, struggling to his feet despite his injury.
Loki smirked, his expression brimming with arrogance. "Director Fury, I already have."
He turned to Clint and Selvig. "Time to leave."
The group made their way toward the exit, Selvig quickly collecting key data and shutting down any remaining systems that might hinder their escape. Fury, still clutching his shoulder, barked orders to the remaining agents.
"Don't let them get away! Contain that portal!" Fury shouted.
Loki paused at the doorway, looking back with an amused expression. "Good luck with that," he said before stepping through, followed by Clint, Selvig, and a few other brainwashed SHIELD agents.
As the group departed, the unstable energy of the portal began to surge wildly. The Tesseract's absence had thrown the system into chaos, and the machinery sparked and hissed with dangerous intensity.
Fury glanced at the spiraling chaos, his jaw tightening. "This is going to be bad," he muttered, grabbing his communicator. "All personnel, evacuate immediately. We're about to lose the facility."
The scene shifted to the outside of the research base as Fury staggered out, injured but determined, while alarms blared and the ground beneath rumbled ominously.
The SHIELD facility, once a pinnacle of advanced technology, was now on the verge of catastrophic collapse. The faint sound of Loki's laughter echoed through the air as he and his newly acquired entourage disappeared into the night.
Loki soon reached the transportation hub, he used his magic to kill any soldiers that came to stop them. Agent Maria Hill, unaware of the chaos unfolding inside, was returning from her assignment when she spotted Clint Barton and an Dr. Selvig heading toward the vehicles. Loki now has erased his presence using is magic as he walked with them but in invisible mode.
"Agent Barton!" she called out, her tone sharp and authoritative.
Clint didn't respond, his movements mechanical and focused. Maria immediately sensed something was wrong. She drew her gun and aimed it at him, her instincts taking over.
"Barton, stand down!" she demanded.
Before she could act further, Loki stepped forward, his scepter glowing ominously. With a flick of his wrist, a burst of energy shot from the scepter, hitting Maria squarely and sending her flying backward. She hit the ground hard, groaning in pain.
Loki climbed into the back seat of an SUV while Clint and Dr. Selvig got into vehicle. Without hesitation, they started the engines and sped away, leaving chaos in their wake.
Fury emerged from the building, glancing toward Maria as she struggled to her feet. His jaw tightened, and he immediately made his way to a nearby helicopter. Maria stumbled after him, clutching her side as she shouted, "Director!"
Fury climbed into the pilot's seat, quickly starting up the rotors. Maria managed to get in just as the helicopter lifted off the ground.
"I'm not letting you get away, motherfuckers," Fury muttered under his breath, his eyes locked on the fleeing convoy. He maneuvered the helicopter to pursue them, aiming the mounted machine guns at Loki's escaping vehicles.
From the passenger seat, Maria watched as Fury fired a volley of bullets at the convoy. Clint, driving one of the cars, swerved sharply to avoid the onslaught. The tires screeched, and sparks flew as the bullets struck the road around them.
Clint glanced in the rearview mirror. "They're gaining on us," he said to Loki.
Loki, sitting calmly in the back seat, smirked. "It's futile. They cannot stop me." He raised his scepter and, with another wave, sent a surge of energy toward Fury's helicopter.
The blast narrowly missed, but the shockwave caused the helicopter to wobble. Fury steadied it, his face grim. He fired another round, but Loki's vehicle suddenly disappeared as if it was not there to begin with.
"Sir, we've lost them," Maria reported, scanning the area for any sign of the convoy.
Fury clenched his fists on the controls, frustration evident in his expression. After a moment, he exhaled sharply and muttered, "Launch the Avengers Initiative."
Maria turned to him, nodding in acknowledgment. "Understood, sir."
As the helicopter hovered in the dark, Fury stared into the horizon, knowing that this was only the beginning.
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Michael was immersed in yet another dark magic tome, unaware of the chaos beginning to unfold. The Ancient One, however, sensed the disturbance. She glanced at Michael from across the library, her expression calm yet pensive.
"It's time for you to leave," she murmured to herself before returning to the students she was quietly instructing.
The next day, she summoned Michael to her tea room. He entered and sat across from her, his demeanor composed as he waited. The Ancient One brewed tea in silence, her movements deliberate and graceful. Finally, she handed him a cup, its warmth radiating through the porcelain.
"There is going to be an alien invasion," she began, her voice steady. "And your mother will be at the heart of it."
Michael, in the middle of taking a sip, nearly choked on the tea. He managed to maintain his composure, setting the cup down carefully as he looked at her.
"Thank you for telling me," he said, his tone measured. Although the concept of a mother felt foreign to him, he couldn't deny the care she had shown him since the moment he arrived at the hotel.
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