**
Link placed the machine gun back in his vehicle and grabbed an assault rifle. The hoverboard reconnected to his back, and with the scepter in hand, he took off, heading above Stark Tower.
"How are things looking?" Link asked.
"It can be shut down. The doctor left a backdoor. The scepter you have can do it—it's on the same level as the Tesseract," Black Widow explained.
Link handed over the scepter, realizing the situation was under control. Dr. Selvig had already woken up, which meant the battle would likely end soon.
Dr. Selvig quickly worked on his laptop, activating the backdoor. "Point the scepter here, insert it, and it should disrupt the Tesseract's energy flow."
"That should close the portal," he confirmed.
Black Widow immediately radioed, "I'm closing the portal now."
Suddenly, the scepter flew out of her hands. Link was stunned and turned to see Ebony Maw standing there.
"I knew Loki couldn't be trusted, so I came myself," Maw said dismissively, standing atop a floating table.
Link was caught off guard. It didn't make sense for Thanos to send his most powerful underling to Earth, especially with Odin still alive and the Ancient One guarding Earth. Why now?
While Link was momentarily lost in thought, Ebony Maw lifted both Selvig and Natasha into the air. Link felt a force trying to seize control of his body, but he used the momentum to leap off the building and quickly rushed towards Selvig and Natasha.
Calling Stark, Link shouted, "Tony, we've got a problem. Some guy with telekinetic powers just showed up—probably one of the Chitauri. We might have to blow up the base of the machine."
"Blow it up?" Stark replied.
"That machine has an energy shield. Blowing it up might not close the portal, and we have no idea where the energy will go if we do," Stark warned.
"We don't have a choice. Leaving the portal open will cause even worse consequences. You destroy it, and I'll try to ensure the energy doesn't go anywhere dangerous," Link said, formulating a plan. "Thor, take care of that guy. Forget about the portal for now."
"Understood," Thor replied, charging towards Ebony Maw with Mjolnir in hand.
Link safely lowered Selvig and Natasha to the ground. "Get inside!" he urged them, directing them into Stark Tower. He also commanded Alfred, his AI, to park the car inside the building as well.
Link flew back up while Stark targeted the machine's base, firing a powerful energy blast.
"Boom, boom!" The base of the machine collapsed. The energy shield wasn't wide enough to protect the entire structure, causing the machine to fall.
As the energy column vanished, Maw tried to control it, but Thor unleashed a bolt of lightning. Ebony Maw couldn't withstand it, and his telekinesis only allowed him to manipulate objects, forcing him to dodge.
Link dove towards the machine. Miraculously, it powered down, but an energy surge spread outward. Link's suit absorbed the shock, but his hoverboard's propulsion system malfunctioned. Smiling slightly, he dodged falling debris and managed to grab the Tesseract.
"Alfred, repair the hoverboard using the suit's nanotech," Link commanded as he held onto the Tesseract.
"Right away, sir," Alfred responded, using nanobots from Link's suit to fix the hoverboard's propulsion system.
Link tightened his grip on the Tesseract, hearing a cracking sound as he crushed the cube. The Space Stone, now exposed, was quickly encapsulated in his suit and concealed in a compartment at his waist.
After assessing the situation, Link descended slowly. "The machine's been shut down, but that last energy burst damaged my hoverboard. I couldn't get close in time."
"Don't worry about that. Thor's struggling with that telekinetic guy. He's controlling everything!" Stark said. "I'll go help him!"
Landing back inside Stark Tower, Link deactivated his suit and stored the hoverboard in the car's trunk.
"How did it go?" Selvig asked.
"It shut down. Once it lost balance, the machine turned off. But the energy surge knocked out my hoverboard, so I had to land," Link replied. "Now we just have to deal with that last problem."
"I can't fly up there now," Natasha said, glancing outside. "I'll have to watch from here."
She headed outside to get a clearer view, followed by Dr. Selvig. Link, feeling a surge of excitement, touched the hidden Space Stone at his waist. He'd encased it in vibranium to prevent any gamma radiation from leaking out.
Crushing the Tesseract had been a bold move, scattering fragments everywhere. He suspected S.H.I.E.L.D. would find them and assume the cube was destroyed—just as well, he thought.
Link decided not to rejoin the fight, as it was no longer his concern. Only Thor and Stark could handle it at this point. If Ebony Maw lowered his altitude, Hulk would surely be able to jump up and take him out, not to mention Hawkeye was still out there.
Link retrieved a cigarette and a bottle of bourbon from his car, sitting in the trunk to relax. The battle had escalated dramatically due to his intervention. Loki's plans had been derailed earlier than expected, but Ebony Maw's unexpected arrival had raised the stakes even further.
But why would Thanos send Maw now? Link pondered. Something was different this time...
Suddenly, Link ran outside and looked up, just in time to see a beam of light descend from the sky, enveloping Ebony Maw and lifting him away.
"What just happened?" Link asked, confused.
"No idea," Hawkeye replied. "We almost had him, but then that beam showed up out of nowhere."
"It's some kind of gravitational technology," Stark guessed. "That means they've got at least one spaceship in orbit."
"Is it over now?" Stark's tone was serious.
Thor, still seething, said, "They dared to attack a place protected by Asgard. This is a direct challenge to Asgard itself. Once the Bifrost is repaired, I'll lead an army to make them pay."
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(End of Chapter)