Chapter 112 – Avengers Assemble
"All personnel are to track the location of the case! This event is level seven! War has officially begun!" Nick Fury's command was final.
This was no longer a simple breach; it was a battle. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s research facilities had never suffered such a catastrophic loss. "Understood," Agent Hill replied. "We need to track the Tesseract and determine what Loki plans to do with it."
"Tesseract... Gamma rays!" Fury seized the opening. "Contact Dr. Banner. This is the perfect opportunity to test the Devil Fruit users as well."
Coulson, currently at a S.H.I.E.L.D. branch, received the call. Within the hour, Natasha, Coulson, Betty, and Dr. Banner departed their confined facility. Meanwhile, in New York, Tony Stark and Pepper Potts were interrupted in the middle of a flirtatious moment by Agent Hill, who whisked them away. In a secret base, Captain Steve Rogers, still struggling to adjust to the modern world after his awakening, received his very first mission.
On the Helicarrier, the group finally assembled.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Fury began, standing on the deck. "We have summoned you because an entity from the Asgardian realm has invaded a S.H.I.E.L.D. base. He stole our Tesseract and compromised our personnel. Dr. Erik Selvig and Agent Clint Barton are currently under his control. We need to rescue them and remind the Asgardians that Earth is not a playground."
"How is Barton?" Natasha asked, her concern evident.
"Controlled by a strange scepter," Fury replied, sounding weary. Barton's clinical, instantaneous shot at him during the breach still haunted him.
"Wait, Asgardians?" Tony Stark chimed in, eyeing the Helicarrier with a mix of curiosity and technical intrigue. "The same place as that Thor fellow who appeared in New Mexico? If they're causing trouble, why aren't they coming down to handle their own mess?"
"We aren't sure if Asgard even knows Loki is here," Fury said. "More importantly, we don't know if Loki is merely an advance scout. If he is, we are facing an invasion force. We must prepare for the worst."
The room went silent. Tony, however, remained unimpressed, his mind already calculating how to install surveillance tech into the Helicarrier's systems. "So, what's the plan? Do we escalate this to a global security level?"
"Not yet," Fury said. "We try to contain it ourselves first."
"If he took the Tesseract," Dr. Banner noted, "he's either going to use it to power something or open a portal, the same way he arrived."
"That is exactly what we need you to locate," Fury said, pointing to the terminals. "Use your expertise to triangulate his position."
"I can certainly try. Where is my lab?" As Banner spoke, the floor next to him "grew" a second Dr. Banner. The Flower-Flower Fruit at work. The room froze. Even Tony Stark stared in disbelief. "Dr. Banner, aside from turning into a giant green monster, you can also manifest clones?"
Banner didn't quite know how to answer. Tony, sensing the awkwardness, quickly pivoted. "Of course. Your paper on positron collisions was brilliant. I stayed up all night reading it in preparation for today. Smart people truly do have multiple lives."
"Wait," Captain Rogers interjected, looking bewildered. "I've been asleep for decades, and the world moves fast. Is this what you call cloning?"
Fury felt a headache brewing. Nearly everyone here was a fruit user, save for Captain Rogers, who was being kept entirely in the dark. "Captain, we'll explain later. Think of it like the mutants of this world."
"Mutants? I knew one of those during the war. Went by the name Wolverine. Strong soldier."
"You know Wolverine?" Fury's eyes widened. "That explains why the records felt so fragmented. He's from your era. Everything makes sense now."
"He's still alive?" Rogers mused, surprised. "I suppose that makes sense—a man who can't die is hard to kill."
"Can we get back on topic?" Tony interjected, brimming with arrogance. "We have a god to deal with. Let me find him. I'll take a swing at him first—if I lose, you guys jump in. Catching a god sounds like fun."
Fury ignored the bravado. "Dr. Banner, that's your lab. Find his signal. This is your first joint operation; make it count. We show the universe that Earth is not to be trifled with."
And let's see how the Devil Envoy reacts, Fury thought. Does he intervene in fights against the gods? Are they rivals?
While the Avengers formed, Loki was already busy. With Barton's tactical brilliance and knowledge of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s enemies, Loki had assembled a formidable mercenary force without lifting a finger.
"Agent Barton, excellent," Loki said, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction. "You have made this conquest orderly and efficient."
"It is my duty," Barton replied coldly.
"Since you are a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, you must be familiar with the legends of the 'Devil Envoy' on this planet."
"The Devil Envoy? Yes," Barton said. "S.H.I.E.L.D. has a department dedicated solely to the 'Devil Fruit' users. Our battle will likely involve them. You should know their traits before we encounter them."
Barton detailed the capabilities of the fruit users he knew. Loki's expression grew increasingly dangerous as he listened. He had expected a light romp through a backwater world; instead, he found a planet teeming with variables that dwarfed his own schemes.
If I hadn't learned this from Barton, I would have been blindsided, Loki realized. The Ghost-Ghost Fruit, for example—if he were affected by its lethargy, his invasion would be doomed.
"Agent Barton," Loki said, his voice lowering with intent. "Can you track this 'Devil Envoy'? Perhaps it is time we made him an offer."