Abel was genuinely surprised by Tony's invitation.
But after a moment's thought, it made sense. Tony was now acting as an advisor to S.H.I.E.L.D., so it wasn't surprising that he was the one reaching out instead of them.
Before Abel could respond, Tony continued, "Abel, I know you're not exactly a fan of S.H.I.E.L.D., and honestly, I wouldn't want to join them either if I didn't have to. But this time, things are different.
"You told me before that you fought Loki. His power is immense, and his tricks are a pain to deal with. On top of that, every single one of the guys he recruited is formidable. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s ordinary agents don't stand a chance against them.
"And when it comes to dealing with a mage, you're the best person for the job. That's why, from a personal standpoint, I'm asking you to help. Anyway, the Avengers project may have been Nick Fury's idea, but we—the members—are the ones who really call the shots. You don't have to worry about getting tangled up with S.H.I.E.L.D.
"Besides, Fury said that if you're willing to step in, S.H.I.E.L.D. will grant you anything you ask for—so long as it's within their power."
"Anything?" Abel, who had initially been planning to refuse, changed his mind and said, "Alright, tell them this: I'll help recover the Tesseract, but once we get it back, it belongs to me. If they agree, I'll step in—even join the Avengers if they want."
Tony blinked, then smirked. "You drive a hard bargain, huh? I think Fury and the others are going to have a tough time swallowing that. Even if they do agree, it'll probably give them heartburn."
Tony didn't actually have a problem with Abel wanting the Tesseract. As far as he was concerned, something that powerful shouldn't be left in the hands of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s scientists, who would probably just fumble around with it and accomplish nothing. At least if Abel had it, there was a chance he'd actually figure out how to use it properly.
"Still," Tony continued, "I don't think they'll agree to those terms so easily."
Abel smiled knowingly. "Then tell them this: if Loki tries to use the Tesseract for something dangerous, I won't just sit back and watch. I'll stop him—but I'll be acting on my own. And if that's the case, any spoils of war will belong to me."
Tony immediately caught the implication. "Ohh, I see what you're doing. That way, you don't even need to join the Avengers. If things go south, I'll be there to back you up, and I'm sure the big guy from Asgard will help too."
"Exactly. Just pass that message along. I think they'll get the point."
"Alright, I'll let them know."
Just as Tony finished speaking, a deep voice came from the doorway.
"No need. I already heard everything."
Nick Fury entered, with Coulson following closely behind.
Abel raised an eyebrow. "I could call the cops on you right now, you know. Breaking into someone's home is a felony."
Tony looked a little embarrassed. "I figured you were strong enough to handle things yourself, so I didn't go overboard upgrading your security system. Now, though... I think it's time for an upgrade."
Fury, unfazed, stepped forward. "Stark, this isn't the time for jokes. Things are worse than we thought. We just got word that Loki stole a large quantity of iridium in Germany. He's preparing something. We don't have much time—we need to find him immediately."
"And that concerns me because...?" Abel asked lazily.
Fury's expression remained serious. "Abel Shaw, this affects you more than you realize. If Loki's plan succeeds, the whole world will suffer. Your life, your mother's life, your friends' and classmates' lives—everyone you care about will be in danger. Don't you want to protect them?"
"Of course I do," Abel replied without hesitation. "But I'll do it my own way. Just as I don't know much about S.H.I.E.L.D., you know very little about me."
"Working with us will give you the best chance to protect the people you care about."
Abel smirked. "Like I said before, I'm willing to join—on one condition. The Tesseract belongs to me once this is over. If you agree to that, I'll help you locate Loki. I don't know what your current plan is for tracking him down, but compared to whatever you have, my magic can pinpoint his location in no time."
Fury's one eye narrowed. "You're saying you can find Loki that easily?"
"Yes. As long as you agree to my terms—equivalent exchange. You give me the Tesseract, and I'll help you find and deal with Loki."
Fury fell silent, considering his options. The truth was, no matter how this played out, S.H.I.E.L.D. wasn't going to hold onto the Tesseract for long. If Loki could break into their facility once, he could do it again—especially now that he had a team of enhanced individuals backing him up. Even if they recovered the Tesseract, there was no guarantee they could keep it safe.
In that case, wouldn't it be better to let someone trustworthy hold onto it?
If the Tesseract ended up in Abel's hands, it would be a hundred times safer than in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s vault.
Fury weighed his options carefully before finally nodding.
"Alright. I'll agree to your terms."
Then, with a slight smirk, he extended his hand.
"Welcome to the Avengers, Abel."