Between New York City and the ocean, dark clouds loomed in the vast expanse of the sky. The sun's rays fell upon the Helicarrier, its dark steel hull reflecting a cold light. The four-engine turbines churned, disrupting the surrounding clouds for miles.
This ultra-modern military fortress was currently under siege. Visible shockwaves rippled from the Helicarrier's bottom, spreading like tidal waves throughout the entire structure, causing the Helicarrier to shake violently, creating chaos within.
Loki's escape was merely the beginning of the war. In fact, Loki had intentionally allowed himself to be captured to infiltrate SHIELD and the Avengers' temporary base.
From there, he manipulated Hawkeye to sabotage the third engine turbine and incited Venom and Banner to create the uncontrollable entity known as the Giant Venom. All of this was to prevent the humans from interfering with his grand plan.
On the Helicarrier's open deck, Loki stood at the edge, his golden armor and cape billowing in the fierce wind. His black hair was disheveled, and as he felt the aftermath of the battle below, he smiled wickedly. "Isn't this right? Killing each other has always been your human nature."
"Is that so?" A calm voice suddenly spoke from behind him.
Loki's face stiffened as he turned to see Agent Coulson, one of Fury's trusted operatives, standing there. Coulson was holding a high-powered energy weapon, its muzzle glowing ominously as it pointed at Loki.
"Arrogance and vanity— these are the flaws of false gods like you. Hands up!" Coulson demanded coldly.
"What kind of weapon is that?" Loki eyed the strange device warily, sensing the danger coming from it. Instinctively, he raised his hands, all the while secretly preparing a spell.
"This weapon was developed from the Tesseract's energy. Care to test its power?" Coulson replied coolly.
"No, that won't be necessary," Loki smirked before vanishing into thin air. Coulson's face changed as he felt a chill behind him and a sharp weapon pierced his back.
Clattering to the deck, Coulson's energy weapon bounced and slid off the edge, disappearing into the clouds below. Coulson groaned in agony, his body convulsing as blood poured from the wound where Loki's blade had struck.
Loki, still smiling malevolently, pushed Coulson to the edge of the Helicarrier. "Pity, but we have the right to be arrogant."
He whispered, then withdrew his golden dagger, letting Coulson fall into the stormy clouds below.
Suddenly, a figure dashed past Loki and leaped off the deck after Coulson. Mid-air, the figure's mechanical wings unfolded, transforming him into a Falcon-like figure, who dived after the falling agent with a roar of his jet engines.
"Falcon?" Loki sneered. "Instead of ambushing me, you rush to save a dying man. Another stubborn human flaw!"
A black Quinjet approached the Helicarrier, its rear hatch opening. A scientist, also under Loki's control, spoke to Loki respectfully, "Loki, I am here to retrieve you."
Loki nodded coolly and jumped into the Quinjet. As he watched the chaos on the Helicarrier below, he asked the scientist, "Is everything ready?"
The scientist nodded quickly, "Yes, everything is prepared. We only need the energy site to activate the Tesseract and open the Portal as you wish."
"Excellent. Head to Stark Tower immediately," Loki ordered with a smile.
"Understood." The scientist retreated to carry out the command.
The rear hatch closed, and the black Quinjet sped away from the Helicarrier towards New York City.
A few seconds later, Falcon's wings sliced through the storm clouds, emerging with the unconscious and severely injured Agent Coulson. They landed on the shaking deck of the Helicarrier.
Falcon glanced at the disappearing aircraft and quickly opened his communicator. "Captain, it's Sam. Loki has left the Helicarrier. I have an injured man here and cannot pursue."
"Understood. I also have an injured person and a very tricky opponent here," Steve replied over the communicator.
In the corridor leading to the main control room, Steve ended the call. He carried the still-unconscious Thor, his expression serious. Eddie and Natasha, who followed closely, stopped in their tracks.
Ten meters ahead, a black-clad agent with dark hair stood facing them. He glared at Steve and the others, his left hand gripping a specialized longbow, while his other hand reached for an arrow.
"Barton?" Natasha started to step forward but was quickly stopped by Steve. "Wait, he's clearly still under control!"
"I understand." Natasha took a deep breath, calming herself. Her eyes met Hawkeye Barton's, and she spoke softly, "Do you remember me? Barton, we're the real team."
Barton remained silent, his dark eyes flickering with a hint of recognition. Slowly, he lowered his right hand.
"You do remember..." Natasha sighed in relief, but Barton's eyes suddenly turned cold. He swiftly drew several arrows and shot them into the walls, then turned and ran without a word.
"Watch out!" Steve shouted, diving to push Natasha and Eddie to the ground as the arrows beeped ominously. The arrows exploded like high-powered bombs, filling the corridor with fire and shockwaves.
Poor Thor bore the brunt of the explosion, adding to his injuries.
As Steve, Natasha, and Eddie got back to their feet, Barton had vanished from sight.
"After him!" Steve ordered, picking up Thor again. "He's heading to the main control room!"
"I'll go!" Natasha gritted her teeth, ignoring her own injuries as she sprinted towards the main control room.
Inside the main control room, chaos reigned. Papers and chairs were scattered, though fortunately, the computer controls were undamaged. Fury stood on the central platform, directing staff to maintain the Helicarrier's flight and deploying agents to eliminate the intruders.
Agent Hill stood by Fury, vigilantly scanning the area. She noticed a familiar figure at the entrance, drawing a bow aimed at them. She quickly shielded Fury. "Enemy!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Hawkeye, who entered the hall, had already shot his first arrow.
The arrow narrowly missed Agent Hill's head, as if it had been shot by mistake.
But how is this possible? That was Hawkeye's arrow!
Agent Hill looked behind her and saw that the staff in the lobby were in a mess. The arrow was inserted into the central console. The modified arrow was inserted into the jack without any deviation. The corresponding computer screen showed up half a second later.
"Emergency protocols activated. Shutting down the first and second engine turbines..."
(End of Chapter)
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