At this moment, Barton suddenly had a realization and muttered, "Natasha, how many agents have I…"
Before he could finish, Natasha interrupted him, sensing where the conversation was headed. She tried to comfort him with a few words.
"Don't dwell on it. Don't add to your guilt. It was Loki's doing. They're monsters. We haven't had training for this kind of situation."
Whether or not Barton took her words to heart, he suddenly asked, "Has Loki escaped?"
"Yes," Natasha confirmed, looking at Barton with concern. "Do you know where he might be headed?"
Barton shook his head. "No, he never told me. I never asked."
He paused, then added, "He must be preparing to put his plan into action soon—probably today!"
"We need to stop him!" Natasha said, frowning.
"Who else do we have?" Barton asked.
"Not sure, probably the rest of us," Natasha replied.
"Alright," Barton said, his thoughts drifting to those who had died because of him. He murmured, "If I could shoot an arrow into Loki's eye, I think I'd be able to sleep."
Hearing his words and observing his condition, Natasha sighed in relief. "You're finally back to normal."
But before she could finish, Barton added, "But you're not normal."
"You're a spy, not a warrior. You weren't like this before. Now you want to be on the front lines?"
"Why?"
"What did Loki do to you?"
Barton recalled the scene of Natasha fighting him while he was under control, which was a stark departure from her usual behavior.
Natasha fell silent for a moment before finally speaking, "He didn't do anything to me. It's just…"
"Natasha?"
Natasha gazed into the void, "I'm a bit shaken."
"Because of the debts I owe…"
"I want to make amends…"
Natasha fell silent.
She was known as the Black Widow because of her deadly skills, like a fatal spider who could easily evade detection until it was too late. Before joining S.H.I.E.L.D. or the Avengers, she had been trained in a special agency, committing many heinous acts.
Natasha remembered her special graduation test in the Red Room, a training facility for elite female operatives. In that test, the trainees were left in a wasteland with only one ration of food. Only she returned.
In her mind, she felt like a monster, both in the Red Room and after she left.
Natasha believed she needed to atone for her past sins, for the blood she had shed. This is why, despite being a spy, she began to join frontline battles—to make amends for her past wrongs.
As it turned out, her quest for redemption aligned with the hidden condition for lifting Thor's hammer. If she had tried to lift it when Thor called for it, she might have succeeded. Natasha, compared to Jane Foster, who was also deemed worthy due to her connection with Thor, had truly earned the right.
At that moment, as Natasha spoke, Barton began to understand, falling into silence.
Clearly, he was aware of some of Natasha's background.
While they were talking, Captain America approached Tony Stark, inquiring about Coulson.
"He was married?" Captain America asked.
Tony Stark replied, "No, but he had a girlfriend who played the cello."
"I'm saddened. He seemed like a good person…" Captain America said quietly.
Tony Stark shook his head. "He was too foolish. He went after Loki alone. He was doing his duty, but it was beyond his capability. He should have waited for reinforcements!"
Captain America noticed something and suddenly asked, "Is this your first time seeing a warrior fall?"
Tony Stark sternly replied, "But we're not warriors!"
After a moment of silence, Tony Stark said, "I'm not planning to be manipulated by Fury."
Captain America thought for a moment and said, "Neither am I. Both he and Loki are responsible for Coulson's death. But now, we must focus on the greater issue."
"Loki needs a power source. If we can fabricate one…"
Captain America was about to suggest a plan to deceive Loki when Tony Stark suddenly had an idea.
He said, "Loki is very flamboyant."
"That doesn't matter…" Captain America didn't understand his point.
Before Captain America could finish his thought, Tony Stark continued, "It matters. His personality is key. He knows our backgrounds."
"Why do you think so?"
"To incite discord among us?" Captain America asked, puzzled.
Tony Stark nodded. "Exactly. He wants to defeat us individually. It's perfect. He knows that to win, he must defeat us all."
"He wants to be witnessed in his victory!" Tony speculated about Loki's intentions.
"He wants an audience…"
"Just like last time, in front of the public…"
The more Tony Stark spoke, the more convinced he became of his theory.
Captain America also recalled Loki's earlier attempt to subjugate the public from a high vantage point.
Tony Stark continued, "Clearly, that was just a prelude. Today is the main event!"
"Loki is a typical narcissist. He craves applause and recognition…"
"He wants a landmark to enshrine his name…"
As Tony Stark trailed off, he and Captain America exchanged knowing glances, both realizing the likely target.
Clearly, the Stark Tower fit the description perfectly.
Both of them quickly deduced Loki's next move.
"This bastard!" Tony Stark cursed.
Meanwhile, on the rooftop of Stark Tower, numerous devices had been set up, and Dr. Selvig was busily working.
These devices were clearly for activating the Tesseract, and a portal was about to open above Stark Tower!
Nearby, on the rooftop of another building, a group of robed sorcerers watched Dr. Selvig's actions from the shadows.
"Is the master's prophecy about to come true?"
"What is it?"
The sorcerers, led by Kaecilius and others, looked on with a mix of anticipation and confusion.
End of Chapter