**
"Bang!" Loki's fist slammed into the transparent wall, followed by a sharp "crack" as the surrounding stabilizing arms shook slightly, startling Loki himself.
"In my opinion, Director Fury should have just thrown you down, though that might have sparked a diplomatic incident," Link said, shaking his head slightly with regret. "You're a huge problem. Even when your scepter is out of your hands, it can still stir people's emotions."
"We had no choice but to isolate it."
Loki suddenly laughed. "You're quite clever. He said you could solve a lot of problems."
He was referring to Hawkeye. "But there's something you haven't thought of."
Link froze for a moment before realizing something. He immediately contacted Nick Fury. "Director, the threat isn't just Hawkeye—there might be an entire army."
Link turned and left without hesitation, leaving Loki momentarily confused. "..."
Had he just given something away? But how?
Link, too, felt a bit frustrated. The situation was clearly different now, and Loki wasn't foolish. Of course, he would deploy more forces.
After all, Loki could control the Tesseract. Opening a large portal might be difficult, but opening a small one was well within his power, especially using the scepter to activate the Tesseract.
That's exactly how he had arrived in the first place!
Now that Banner could control the Hulk, the scepter's significance had diminished. One Hawkeye alone wasn't enough to destroy a battleship.
In light of this, it made sense that Loki would adjust his strategy.
Link hurried to the command room, where Nick Fury was already on edge. "I've ordered us to level-one battle readiness. What's the situation?"
"Loki has control of the Tesseract, but summoning a fleet requires a massive space portal. What if he opens a smaller one?" Link explained. "He could bring in a group of Chitauri soldiers, maybe even aircraft."
"In that case, it wouldn't be hard for them to attack us."
"First, Hawkeye lands to sabotage, then they launch the full assault. Wouldn't that make our defeat inevitable?"
"I see." Fury's expression turned grave. "Everyone, prepare for battle. Launch all aircraft and scan the surrounding airspace."
"Wooooo~" The battle alarm blared, and stealth jet pilots scrambled into their cockpits. The runways were fully opened, and the jets, armed and ready, took off one by one.
The Quinjet didn't need to take off yet, as its primary function was transport rather than combat.
Fury then said, "Hill, you take command. I'm going to check on the team's progress. We need to locate the Tesseract as soon as possible."
As Fury headed toward the lab, Link followed close behind. The scepter was there, but they couldn't take it yet. Once the Tesseract activated, the scepter would be the key to shutting it down.
Thor joined them as they entered the lab, where Black Widow was already present.
But things weren't looking good. An energy weapon lay on the table, and Natasha Romanoff was explaining something.
The situation had changed, but Fury had still left a loophole: the claim that the Tesseract was a new energy source. Tony Stark didn't buy it, mainly because Fury hadn't asked him to study it.
Stark was now an undisputed authority on new energy, having developed it himself.
Meanwhile, Captain America had his doubts. He began searching the ship and discovered that S.H.I.E.L.D. had been developing energy weapons.
"Perfect timing. Care to explain this?" Captain America asked, glaring at Fury.
"Now's not the time, Captain," Fury said sternly. "Loki may have a small army at his disposal."
"And when will it be the right time?" Stark spun a display screen and asked sarcastically, "After you finish developing these weapons?"
"..."
An argument erupted, tempers flaring. Link stepped back and glanced at the scepter. He didn't know magic, and he wasn't sure if one had to know magic to control the Infinity Stones.
Red Skull, the unfortunate soul, had been sent into space by the Tesseract, left in a state neither dead nor alive.
Link moved toward the scepter, then casually picked it up. He felt it out—nothing seemed special about it.
"Link!" Black Widow Natasha Romanoff suddenly called out.
A woman's voice cuts through the air sharply, and everyone turned to look at Link.
Link chuckled. "Seems this thing packs a punch. Your emotions are running high, and the slightest frustration has sparked this argument."
"..." Everyone realized the effect.
"Alright, gear up, everyone. Grab your weapons and head to the deck. Loki's forces should be arriving any minute now."
Link tapped his watch, and his combat suit instantly covered his entire body. "I'll hold onto this," he said, lifting the scepter. "It's affecting all of you, but not me. Plus, we can't let Loki grab it in the chaos."
"Let's move!"
Link wasn't planning to keep the scepter for himself—it still had a purpose. Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch needed it to come into existence.
Link was the first to rush to the deck, where his Yan-style flying skateboard had been assembled. He stepped on it, holding the scepter as his weapon.
All the stealth jets had taken off, forming squadrons that flew in formation around the helicarrier.
Suddenly, Link received a message in his earpiece from the command center. A Quinjet was approaching. Link pondered for a moment—Hawkeye could indeed sneak aboard, but what about the Chitauri?
How were they going to approach the helicarrier?
Link immediately asked, "Agent Hill, does the helicarrier have any blind spots?"
"Blind spots?" Hill was taken aback. "All radar systems are active, and there are reflective—"
At that moment, Link understood, as did Hill, and everyone else.
Link's skateboard shot forward, racing toward the edge of the ship. He dove down, his board seeming to melt into his body and reform behind him.
"Boom!" He boosted the thrusters, diving toward the sea, where he spotted Chitauri forces. They were riding small aircraft, skimming the water as they prepared to attack from below.
Link aimed the scepter at them, attempting to fire an energy blast, but nothing happened. He gritted his teeth and accelerated his descent.
"Swish swish~" The Chitauri noticed him and opened fire.
Link deftly dodged through the hail of bullets, weaving side to side. The agility of the Yan-style board was on full display.
The two sides clashed almost immediately, streaking past each other. Link swung the scepter like a weapon, and its power proved formidable.
Behind him, the fighter jets launched missiles and fired their machine guns. The battle raged in the skies above.
Check out my ko-fi for more advanced chapters at ko-fi.com/rookie99
________________________________________
I hope you're enjoying the story so far! If you're liking it, please consider leaving a review and dropping a Power Stone. Your feedback and support mean a lot to me and help keep the story going
(End of Chapter)