**
Maria Hill, a level-nine agent, was Nick Fury's choice to be the next director of the public-facing S.H.I.E.L.D., while Phil Coulson would take charge of the secret side Fury had been quietly building. Fury, often regarded as the king of espionage, had no solid foundation for his plans, especially after discovering Hydra's infiltration, which led him to rely on Captain America to stop their schemes. Eventually, S.H.I.E.L.D. would disappear from the public eye.
"This is your room. Inside, you'll find combat gear and equipment. Take a look," Maria Hill told Link as they walked through the helicarrier. "You can smoke here, too."
"Thanks," Link replied, entering the room. The setup was modest—just a bedroom and a bathroom. One of the walls displayed an array of firearms, including Link's signature throwing knives, alongside a sleek black combat suit and military boots.
He threw himself onto the bed. Having arrived first, there was no rush; the others would still be on their way. As he lay there smoking, his mind wandered to the upcoming events. Loki had already taken the Tesseract, meaning Link would need to build a machine to activate it. While this wasn't a technical challenge, Loki's mind-controlling scepter added complexity. Would he plan to attack the helicarrier?
If Hawkeye had been compromised, many secrets would be at risk, including the location of this helicarrier. But even if Loki didn't attack, he could open the portal for the Chitauri army to invade Earth.
The real wildcard, however, was the Hulk. Did Hawkeye know that Bruce Banner had learned to control the Hulk? Timing would be crucial. When should Link seize the Tesseract? Reviewing the movie plot, he realized there were few good opportunities—perhaps during a fall from the helicarrier, when he could use his hoverboard to discreetly escape to New York before the portal was activated. But once the machine was powered on, it would generate a forcefield around the Tesseract, and breaking it would expose him. Not an ideal scenario.
If things played out as they did in the film, with Loki provoking the Hulk and Hawkeye launching his assault, Link could fake a fall and make his escape. If that didn't work, he could always return for his gear and join the fight later.
But what if Loki skipped the assault and went straight for the portal activation? Then the scepter would become the key to everything.
Another potential issue was the World Security Council's potential use of a nuclear missile—a disaster in the making.
Frustrated by the unpredictability, Link decided that he'd improvise. If it came down to it, he'd destroy the machine atop Stark Tower and extract the Infinity Stone from the Tesseract, encasing it in vibranium to block its gamma radiation.
Crushing his cigarette, Link glanced at the combat suit and began undressing. The black, form-fitting suit was snug, and he tucked the pants into his military boots. After strapping on a tactical belt and securing a thigh holster, he tested the draw speed of his Glock 17. The weaponry on the wall was extensive, but he opted to carry just the handgun, as it wasn't time for full combat yet.
Fully geared up, Link lay back on the bed and lit another cigarette. He'd wait until someone came knocking or the room's comms system activated. For now, lounging was more comfortable.
---
Bruce Banner was far away when he boarded the Quinjet. Nick Fury had called him earlier, asking for his help. Despite his desire for peace, Banner owed S.H.I.E.L.D. for the sanctuary they had provided him in the forests of Canada, away from the troubles of the world.
Tony Stark had received the call last night. Coulson had sent him some classified files, and after going through them, Tony understood the gravity of the situation. Captain America, Steve Rogers, had been personally invited by Fury and given a similar briefing.
Link, however, had not been given anything.
Soon enough, they all arrived at the helicarrier, and the flight systems were activated. A knock sounded on Link's door.
It was Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow. "Link, it's been a while."
"Yeah, long time no see," Link nodded. They'd only met once, back in the New York division, where Natasha had tested his combat skills.
"Come on, Fury's waiting," she said, turning on her heel as Link followed her to the control room.
Inside, a round conference table awaited, with everyone already seated. Link raised an eyebrow—some things had changed.
Tony Stark was here on time, a deviation from the usual script. This confirmed for Link that he couldn't rely on the movie plot entirely.
"Hey, Link!" Tony waved casually, and the others—Bruce Banner and Steve Rogers—nodded in greeting. They'd all met before and had benefited from Link's assistance in the past.
Nick Fury glanced at Link before starting. "Since everyone here is acquainted, let me brief you on the situation."
He gave a concise explanation of the Tesseract, Loki's involvement, and the compromised personnel. Then he turned to Bruce Banner. "Doctor, you're the expert on gamma radiation. If anyone can track the Tesseract, it's you."
Banner proposed setting up gamma detectors on the helicarrier's roof and developing an algorithm to pinpoint the Tesseract's location. Fury assigned Natasha and Tony to assist him, leaving Captain America and Link behind.
Fury addressed them, "We're tapping into all global surveillance networks—cameras, phones, computers—to track Loki's whereabouts. Once we have a lead, it's up to you two to handle it."
"No problem," Steve Rogers agreed readily.
Link, however, had a question. "When Loki arrived through the Tesseract, there were heavy defenses, right?"
"Yes," Fury confirmed with a nod.
"And bullets were useless?"
"They were. The guards fired at him with assault rifles, but the bullets had no effect."
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