"Mr. Stark! Are you nuts?"
Steve obviously had a problem with Tony's unheeded, free-spirited behavior.
"Sure, as hell."
In the face of Steve's question, Tony replied carelessly.
"Is everything a joke to you? Threatening the safety of everyone on this ship isn't funny. No offense, Doctor." As he spoke, Steve turned toward Banner and apologized.
"It's alright, I wouldn't have come aboard if I can't handle... pointy things."
"You see." When Tony heard Banner's reply, he waved his hand.
"It's just this time, Mr. Stark." Tony's careless attitude stirred Steve even more, "What you did before, ignoring the safety of others, flying out on your own. Have you ever thought about the outcome? If that... guy... wasn't an immortal from Peng Lai, what sort of danger you would put everyone in the ship in."
"But, from the results, I made the right decision, didn't I? I helped everyone get some important information. We can do the equation unless we have all the variables. We had all fought against Jiu You's Lord Godless before and were well aware that they were no less dangerous than Loki or even more dangerous."
"..."
Tony's answer silenced Steve for a moment.
"And, Captain, did you ever wonder why Fury called us in? Why now? Why not before? What isn't he telling us? Even now, he still hasn't told us what SHIELD was doing before, and what's the point of fighting if we don't know the truth?"
"You think Fury is hiding something?"
Frowning, Steve couldn't help but feel a twinge of doubt inside when he heard these words, even though he was a little disappointed with Tony's laid-back personality.
Just as Tony said, Fury has been hiding something from the Avengers and hasn't told everyone all about the Tesseract.
SHIELD kept hold of the cube and, apparently, wasn't just keeping it sealed away.
...
Helicarrier's control room.
"Gulp~"
The [Drunken Sword Immortal] was drinking wine and watching the scenery outside the spaceship.
"It's amazing, isn't it?"
Fury, who came to his side at some point, looked at the clouds in the night sky in front of him with his hands folded, "even if people can't fly freely in the sky like the immortals of Peng Lai, we can still rely on our own strength to fulfill our dreams of flying."
"Quite remarkable, indeed."
Raising his gourd and taking a sip, the [Drunken Sword Immortal] replied with a seemingly drunken look on his face.
Fury silently watched the [Drunken Sword Immortal]'s behavior. From the time he boarded the airship, the other party's hands had never been away from his wine. He should be drunk by now. However, even if the [Drunken Sword Immortal] had a drunken look on his face, Fury never saw the other party fall into a stupor.
"Isn't there anything an immortal like you can tell us about the Heavenly Demon?"
This demonic being, the "Heavenly Demon," was the first thing Natasha had learned from Master Roshi. It had left a deep impression on Fury.
"This isn't something you should care about."
Shaking his wine gourd, the [Drunken Sword Immortal] said so, with a hint of drunkenness in his speech.
"But, obviously, it's not up to you anymore. In fact, since Jiu You's appearance, whether we like it or not, New York has turned into a battlefield between Peng Lai and Jiu You. We are entitled to know information about the Heavenly Demon if we don't want to be destroyed in 'your' battle."
"..."
He raised his eyebrows and gave Fury a silent look. The [Drunken Sword Immortal] shook his wine gourd and was silent for a long while. He seemed to wake up from his drunken state and replied, "Heavenly Demons is... a group of troublesome guys. They're extremely difficult to kill. Although they are sealed in Peng Lai, they're restless. Every once in a while, we need to strengthen the seal to prevent these Heavenly Demons from escaping from the seal and endangering the world."
"A group?"
[Reputation points from Nick Fury +460]
From the [Drunken Sword Immortal]'s words, Fury keenly recognized the key point. His only eye flashed a look of astonishment, and he couldn't help blurting out, "You mean there's more than one Heavenly Demon? "
"When did I say there was only one of them? "
The [Drunken Sword Immortal] glanced sideways at Fury and continued, "If there is only one Heavenly Demon, it would be much simpler."
"Your Heavenly Demon reminds me of some of Asgard's loathsome opponents who had nothing but war in their eyes, destroying everything in their path, leaving ruins in their wake..." Thor recalled as he approached them.
Fury turned to look at Agent Coulson standing behind him, who gave him an expression of helplessness. Obviously, Thor was beyond his control.
Raising an eyebrow, he glanced at Thor, who had stepped in sideways. The [Drunken Sword Immortal] had taken another sip of his wine, and Fury knew that he had lost the chance to question some more.
With a silent sigh, Fury quickly restrained his emotions and turned to Thor, who came uninvited and asked, "I don't want our earth to turn out like that. You think you can make Loki tell us where the Tesseract is?"
Silently shaking his head, Thor's expression was a bit bewildered, "I do not know. Loki's mind is far afield. It's not just power he craves; it's vengeance upon me. There's no pain that would pry his need from him. When I first came to the earth, Loki's rage followed me here. Your people paid the price. And now, again, even when he's a prisoner."
"Then, why do I feel like he's the only person on this boat that wants to be here?"
It was clear to him that it wasn't that he wasn't telling the truth; he just hadn't made up his mind.
...