Upon receiving the task of finding the Tesseract Cube in the universe, Dr. Hall wasted no time and quickly flew to the Research Base.
On the way, he glanced at the brief introduction about the Cube in his hand, but its brevity left him puzzled. However, he knew that if Jude Herbert wanted it, it must be extraordinary.
Soon, he located the military base. As he observed the figures bustling below, a sneer played on his lips.
At this point, Hall was no longer the physicist he once was; power had unleashed the beast within him. If it weren't for Jude's intervention, he might have aimed to become the ruler of the world.
Since they both aspired to world domination, killing a few people and destroying a few countries seemed inconsequential.
But just as he prepared to act, a missile was launched at him.
It turned out that the US military radar at the base had already detected his presence, but his speed was too great. Before the US military could issue a warning, Dr. Hall had already arrived above the base.
As a highly classified research base, the commander immediately ordered to fire, without hesitation.
Simultaneously, two fighter jets scrambled and approached Dr. Hall.
Facing the missile hurtling towards him, Dr. Hall smirked disdainfully. A white light flashed in his eyes, and the missile froze in mid-air, rendered immobile.
As the two fighter jets closed in, Dr. Hall raised his left hand and clenched it.
Two explosions echoed, and despite being several kilometers apart, the fighters were instantly crushed and exploded, scattering sparks in the air.
With a wave of his hand, the missile reversed its course and struck a building, causing a massive explosion.
Descending from mid-air, Dr. Hall hovered at a low altitude of several tens of meters, hands on his hips, a picture of arrogance.
"I am Dr. Hall. I'll give you one minute to bring out the person in charge of this base," he announced.
After a brief moment, a general with the rank of major general emerged.
But before the general could speak, Dr. Hall cut him off: "Enough with the chatter. If you don't want this place to become your grave, hand over the Tesseract Cube immediately."
The major general hesitated for a moment before denying, "You've got the wrong place. There's no Tesseract Cube here, and I don't know what you're talking about."
A flash of light in Dr. Hall's eyes caused the military vehicle to levitate, nearly throwing its occupants off.
"You have one more chance to surrender the Tesseract's Cube. Spare your lives and save us both some time," Dr. Hall demanded.
This time, the major general's expression changed, but he maintained his denial: "Sir, I advise you to reconsider your actions. There's no Cube here, and your recklessness will lead to your demise."
"Heh heh heh... It seems I'll have to find it myself," Dr. Hall chuckled darkly.
With a flick of his hand, the major general was ensnared by a gravity field, and the military vehicle's driver exploded into a cloud of blood.
Below, the military base opened fire, launching anti-aircraft guns and missiles, while hundreds of rockets were fired from hidden locations.
But facing this onslaught, Dr. Hall remained unfazed. His hands moved gracefully, and all the projectiles were halted by a gravitational force, unable to advance.
With a forceful grip, Dr. Hall created hundreds of fireballs in the air, which exploded, causing chaos among the American soldiers below.
"You're digging your own graves!" Dr. Hall bellowed.
Flying higher, he reached the center of the base and lifted his hand, causing the entire Research Base, spanning tens of thousands of acres, to tremble violently. The targeting systems of anti-aircraft guns and missiles malfunctioned as the base itself became his weapon.
With a swift motion, the base was overturned, crushing countless soldiers and ordnance under its weight.
Surveying the devastation with satisfaction, Dr. Hall demanded, "Now, will you cooperate?"
Faced with the carnage below, the major general trembled and nodded.
Dr. Hall laughed triumphantly and, with another wave of his hand, the base was restored to its original position, albeit in disarray.
Escorted by the major general, they navigated through the chaos until they reached a laboratory.
"The Tesseract Cube is in there," the major general admitted.
But upon entering the lab, they found no trace of the Tesseract Cube.
"It's impossible. It was here yesterday,"
"Don't play games. I won't tolerate delays," Dr. Hall warned.
The major general vehemently denied any knowledge of its whereabouts, but before he could say more, he exploded into a cloud of blood.
Dr. Hall scoured the base but found no sign of the Tesseract Cube.
......…
In a room at the Galantia Hotel, New York.
Listening to Dr. Hall's account, Jude's eyes narrowed with suspicion.
"lying won't do either of us any favors. I suggest you cooperate," Jude warned.
"There are thousands of nanobots coursing through your bloodstream. Each one carries a bomb. If one detonates, you die. So, if you want to negotiate for the Tesseract Cube, I suggest you reconsider, because your life is in my hands."
Dr. Hall's face paled. He had considered extracting the nanobots but knew it was too risky without certainty.
"I've never deceived you. I can guarantee everything I've said is true," Dr. Hall insisted.
Jude scrutinized him closely before producing a memory retrieval device.
"Let's see if you're telling the truth," Jude said, activating the device.
Upon viewing Dr. Hall's memories, Jude confirmed he was indeed truthful.
The Tesseract Cube had vanished, leaving the question: who took it?
Recalling the files from SHIELD, Jude pondered the possibility that Thor, codenamed in the documents, might be involved.
"If Loki arrived first, does that mean Thanos is on his way?" Jude mused.