The story of Captain America is played year-round in a museum in New York.
But this time, he himself recounted those stories from World War II.
Everyone listened intently as he spoke of Hydra, the Howling Commandos, and the weapon powered by the Tesseract.
He also talked about the final battle with Red Skull, after which he chose to crash the plane and missed that one date.
Pepper, being sensitive as a woman, wiped away a tear from the corner of her eye.
She said to Captain America, "You should go see Agent Carter. I heard she's still alive, though her health isn't great. I think she'd really want to see you again in her lifetime!"
"I know, I know!" Captain America nodded repeatedly.
"I just didn't know how to face her. But tonight, I've decided—I'll go see her tomorrow so I won't regret it later!"
"That's the right decision!"
Pepper raised her glass and clinked it gently with Captain America's.
"Sorry, Captain, but it seems your plan for a date has to be postponed. Something major happened at S.H.I.E.L.D., regarding... the Tesseract!"
After hanging up, Natasha said this to everyone with a serious expression.
Shortly after, Coulson arrived personally to deliver some confidential information about the Tesseract.
He dared not send it over the network due to its top-secret nature.
More importantly, he needed to meet with Blake and the others to confirm the Avengers' stance.
Blake and the others' attitude was firm, especially Blake. After all, these were two Infinity Stones.
Besides, the Mind Stone on Loki's scepter would later be crucial for the Avengers' two powerhouse members—Scarlet Witch and Vision.
If things were managed correctly, Quicksilver could also be kept on the team.
...
In a remote galaxy somewhere in the universe, on an abandoned system of planets without sunlight.
Broken planets and satellites floated everywhere, some with huge chunks missing, others shattered into landmasses drifting in space.
Loki, far away on Earth, saw the gem on his scepter flash with a burst of light, projecting his consciousness to this desolate place.
A Chitauri elder, seeing Loki's projection, spoke anxiously.
"Our Chitauri army is fully prepared!"
"Don't rush," Loki said, unwilling to appear weak before what he saw as an inferior race.
He conjured an Asgardian armor around himself before continuing.
"I will lead the Chitauri army to win this glorious war!"
"Glorious war? Against the ants on Earth?"
The Chitauri elder sneered.
Ants on Earth?
Loki used to think so too, but now…
The image of the Ancient One appeared in Loki's mind. Had Thanos not assured him that the Supreme Sorcerer would not interfere, he might have reconsidered this plan.
"If your army is truly as invincible as you claim, then yes, the beings on Earth are indeed just ants."
Loki replied coolly.
"Are you questioning us? Questioning the strength of our Chitauri army? Or questioning Lord Thanos, who gave you that scepter?"
The Chitauri elder roared in anger.
"He gave you a new mission; he bestowed the scepter upon you, giving you a chance to reclaim everything you lost, instead of remaining a pitiful exile!"
"Silence! I am the King of Asgard, merely betrayed! Listen, this is purely a transaction—I help you obtain the Tesseract, and you lend me an army to conquer Earth!"
Loki's projected spirit subconsciously tapped the scepter as he spoke.
"Conquer Earth?"
The Chitauri elder laughed mockingly again.
"Your ambition is so naive—just Earth? You should learn to set your sights further. The Tesseract can lead us to conquer the entire universe, understand? Asgardian!"
"If I'm not mistaken, you don't have the Tesseract in your hands yet, do you?"
Loki replied with a cool smile.
"Are you threatening me?"
The Chitauri elder extended his grotesque claw toward Loki.
"I'm merely reminding you to ready your army and ensure they follow my commands. I will bring you the Tesseract!"
Loki said with resentment.
After ending the conversation, Loki cursed inwardly.
Though he was a Frost Giant by birth, he had always considered himself an Asgardian and took great pride in that identity.
Now, he was reduced to tolerating a Chitauri speaking to him with such disdain!
This only made Loki, already sensitive, even more determined. He was resolved to conquer Earth, reclaim the throne of Asgard, and eventually eliminate the repulsive Chitauri race.
While he was stewing in anger, Dr. Selvig had calculated the conditions and various elements needed to fully activate the Tesseract and create a stable wormhole.
"Now the only thing we're missing is iridium. It's found in typical meteorites, and several countries have collections of meteorites that fell from the sky. You'll need to figure out a way to acquire it."
Dr. Selvig said to Hawkeye.
"Do you need me to do anything?"
After the conversation with the Chitauri, Loki's desire for victory in this war had only intensified.
Hearing about the missing key element, he stood up immediately and asked Hawkeye.
"Whatever Dr. Selvig can do, S.H.I.E.L.D. can think of as well. To acquire it smoothly, I'll need you to distract those S.H.I.E.L.D. people...and I'll need an eyeball!"
Hawkeye shook out his bow from the equipment case as he replied.
...
At Stark Tower, the team had spent the entire night studying the data.
Mostly, it was Tony and Banner who worked overnight, and they began using Dr. Banner's knowledge of gamma radiation to track the Tesseract, which emitted gamma radiation as its main energy signature.
However, with Dr. Selvig and Hawkeye—one a top scientist and the other a top agent—under Loki's control, they were well-equipped from the start.
The gamma radiation emitted by the Tesseract was completely shielded, and the search program Banner created was unable to detect it.
S.H.I.E.L.D., on the other hand, had conducted facial recognition scans across a large portion of global security cameras and managed to locate Loki.
Germany, Stuttgart, Königstrasse 28.
A gala was being held here, and among tonight's guests was the owner of a private lab that Hawkeye needed—one containing the iridium required by Dr. Selvig.
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