Somewhere over the ocean, a military helicopter flew steadily towards its destination—a hidden target, perhaps an island or an elusive vessel.
Inside the helicopter, along with the two pilots, were two other passengers. They were making small talk while watching the ocean pass by beneath them at high speed. To an outside observer, their conversation might have seemed more like an awkward exchange between a fan and his idol.
"Captain, it's a pleasure to finally meet you in person," Phil Coulson said, a hint of excitement in his voice.
"Even if, technically, this isn't the first time we've 'met.' I mean… I watched you while you slept."
Captain America—Steve Rogers—glanced at Coulson with a raised eyebrow, his expression unreadable.
Coulson immediately tried to backpedal. "I mean, when you were frozen… on the table. Not, you know… actually watching you sleep."
If anything, Coulson's clarification only made things worse. Thankfully, the helicopter reached its destination just in time to save him from further embarrassing himself.
Cough.
"Ah, look at that! We're here," Coulson said, clearing his throat. "Maybe we can talk more later. I'd love to show you my Captain America trading card collection—and, if it's not too much trouble, maybe you could sign it?"
Captain America's expression didn't change much, but he nodded politely. "Sure… I'd be happy to."
"Right, well… before I forget, there's someone on board who's looking forward to meeting you," Coulson added. "He's a bit like Stephen Hawking—a genius in his own field. He's also a huge fan."
"Stephen Hawking?" Steve looked puzzled. "Who's that?"
"Ah, yes. Right. He came along after your time," Coulson said with a sheepish smile. "Just think of him as someone as brilliant as Howard Stark."
"Oh, I see. Then he must be pretty smart," Steve replied, nodding with understanding.
As they spoke, the helicopter descended onto a massive aircraft carrier that was floating in the middle of the ocean.
Waiting on the deck were two more people—one slim man with unruly hair that looked like a bird's nest and a poised woman with red hair tied back in a braid. They were Natasha Romanoff, also known as Black Widow, and Dr. Bruce Banner.
They had arrived on the carrier a few minutes earlier, and Banner had chosen to stay on deck, eager to meet the legendary Captain America. Seeing Steve step off the helicopter, excitement shone in his eyes as he walked over and extended his hand.
"Captain, it's a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for everything you did during the war. I'm a big fan," Banner said with a sincere smile, shaking Steve's hand.
Steve smiled back, his grip firm. "I just did what needed to be done. I'm sure anyone would have done the same in my place."
The two men began to chat, trading stories and experiences. But before they could delve too deep, Natasha interrupted.
"Good talk, boys, but we should head inside, or breathing's going to get a bit difficult."
They both looked around, noticing the sudden buzz of activity on the deck. Agents were strapping harnesses onto the jets, securing everything tightly.
Banner frowned in confusion. "Difficult to breathe? What's going on? This thing isn't a submarine, is it?"
He looked uncertainly over the edge of the deck, and what he saw left him wide-eyed.
"Oh no… this is worse than I thought…"
Two massive propellers, emerging from the water, were rotating at incredible speeds. Banner could feel the vibrations under his feet as the aircraft carrier began to lift from the ocean.
"Yeah… you're right. We should probably go inside now," he said to Natasha, who responded with a small, amused smile.
Steve, Coulson, Natasha, and Banner made their way into the carrier. As they walked through its interior, both Banner and Steve were awestruck by the advanced technology lining the hallways.
After a brief journey, they reached the command center—a hub of activity where agents monitored controls, verifying the carrier's status. At the center of it all was Nick Fury, directing the entire operation with focused intensity. After all, if this 200,000-ton carrier malfunctioned, it could be disastrous.
"Sir, all systems are stable. No anomalies detected," reported one of the agents responsible for monitoring the equipment.
"Good. Initiate phase two," Fury ordered, his voice steady. "Activate the camouflage."
It was expected that a vehicle of this size would have a stealth system. Without it, their presence could easily cause a panic in any city they passed over.
Once the ship was cloaked, Fury turned to his new arrivals.
"Welcome to our command center. This is where we do our best to keep the world a safe place for everyone."
"I think most of you know why I called you here, but I'll go over it again to make sure we're all on the same page."
Fury proceeded to explain the recent events—how Loki had invaded a S.H.I.E.L.D. base, killed several agents, and stolen the Tesseract while brainwashing others.
He turned to Banner specifically. "Dr. Banner, we need your expertise. The Tesseract emits gamma radiation. If we're going to locate it, we'll need you to track it down."
Banner nodded thoughtfully, then replied, "I'll need a lab and access to global gamma detection systems. If we can tap into all devices capable of detecting gamma rays, I should be able to isolate the Tesseract's location."
"Done," Fury responded without hesitation. He'd give Banner whatever resources he needed. Hell, if Banner wanted to access every phone on the planet to track the Tesseract, S.H.I.E.L.D. would make it happen.
As they continued discussing their strategy, an alert flashed on one of the agent's screens.
"Sir! We've got a match for Loki's appearance—65% and rising as we refine the facial characteristics… now 89%!"
Fury's expression hardened, a glint of satisfaction in his eye. They'd finally tracked down that bastard.
He then turned himself to Natasha and Captain and gived then some orders.
"Romanov, you and Captain you two are going to Germany, bring that maniac bastard to me!"