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Chapter 114: The Chitauri (Part 2)

"You know, this counts as trespassing," Daniel Davis remarked as he lounged beside the expansive private pool at his villa, watching Nick Fury approach with a bit of surprise. Fury, usually meticulous about his appearance, sported a dusty black trench coat that suggested a recent rush.

"Loki's back," Fury stated bluntly, standing in front of Daniel.

"Loki again? It's not like it's his first visit. What's got you so worked up?" After the events in Asgard

"You know, this counts as trespassing," Daniel Davis remarked as he lounged beside the expansive private pool at his villa, watching Nick Fury approach with a bit of surprise. Fury, usually meticulous about his appearance, sported a dusty black trench coat that suggested a recent rush.

"Loki's back," Fury stated bluntly, standing in front of Daniel.

"Loki again? It's not like it's his first visit. What's got you so worked up?" Daniel replied, reclining in his chair. After the Asgard incident, Fury had sought Daniel's insights on alien threats, particularly about Thor's brother, Loki. Given Daniel's own aversion to seeing Loki cause trouble on Earth, he had shared Loki's details with Fury. Using S.H.I.E.L.D.'s vast intelligence network, Fury managed to locate Loki, who was then wandering around Earth in a suit.

Despite urging Daniel to help expel Loki, Daniel had refused, citing his inability to defeat Loki. He had also advised Fury to avoid confronting Loki unless necessary. With fighting out of the question, S.H.I.E.L.D. resorted to monitoring Loki, to ensure he didn't pose any immediate threat.

In theory, they could have prepared a nuclear strike against Loki if absolutely necessary. However, given Loki's status as Odin's son, Fury opted for caution, not wanting to provoke an incident akin to the Sarajevo assassination that sparked a world war.

"This time is different. Loki has stolen the Tesseract."

"What did you say?" Daniel immediately rose from his chair, taken aback by Fury's revelation.

"Loki has stolen the Tesseract," Fury repeated.

"So, it begins…" Daniel murmured to himself. Then, looking at Fury, he asked, "What do you want me to do?"

"Retrieve the Tesseract. I've already contacted Stark and Captain America. With your help, we should be able to get it back," Fury explained.

"Retrieve the Tesseract, huh? Alright, I'm in," Daniel agreed after a brief pause. Satisfied with the response, Fury quickly departed; as the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., he had little time to waste. Had it not been for a recent spat with Daniel, he might not have come in person.

"The Mind Stone is here, but the Tesseract is too conspicuous to act upon right now. And without the Infinity Gauntlet, it's moot anyway," Daniel mused. "It seems I'll need to ramp up my efforts. I must secure enough power before Thanos, the intergalactic population control advocate, arrives. Without it, obtaining the Infinity Gauntlet will be nearly impossible."

While Fury was busy, Phil Coulson was paying a visit to Tony Stark. The Stark Group had been rapidly expanding due to the success of the Arc Reactor. Stark and Pepper Potts were in the process of acquiring land around Stark Tower to construct two new buildings, forming an equilateral triangle with Stark Tower. Daniel had wanted to oppose this plan but couldn't find a suitable reason. Now, with the current crisis, he didn't need to.

Stark had initially ignored Coulson's calls, planning a romantic evening with Pepper. But when Coulson showed up in person, Stark couldn't turn him away, especially given Coulson's past assistance to Pepper.

Meanwhile, in the depths of the Brazilian rainforest, Natasha Romanoff found Bruce Banner, who had been hiding out as a doctor. Unlike the military, which pursued Banner aggressively, Fury's approach was more nuanced. After analyzing Banner's psychological profile with a team of psychologists, S.H.I.E.L.D. opted for a more conciliatory strategy.

S.H.I.E.L.D. had been keeping tabs on Banner's whereabouts, preferring him to stay in remote areas to minimize the Hulk's potential for urban destruction. Had it not been for Loki's theft of the Tesseract, Fury might not have reached out to Banner.

While S.H.I.E.L.D. was mobilizing, Loki, with Hawkeye's assistance, was gathering equipment, labs, and scientists for his plans. Many harbored resentment toward S.H.I.E.L.D.'s vast authority and were easily swayed under Loki's scepter. Among those controlled, Erik Selvig was the luckiest; despite being under Loki's control, he got to work with alien technology. His later calculations of the Nine Realms' convergence points were instrumental.

"What are you up to?" After Fury left, Daniel pulled out his phone and dialed a number. Moments later, a graceful figure appeared on the screen—it was Ada Wong.

"On a mission," Ada replied with a light smile.

"Stay away from New York for a while. Things are going to get messy," Daniel advised.

"Messy? Dangerous?" Ada asked, puzzled.

"Yes. And keep this to yourself," Daniel instructed.

"Understood."

Four days later, a helicopter landed on the beach by Daniel's villa to pick him up.

"Not a Quinjet?" Daniel was slightly bemused. Compared to the quieter Quinjet, helicopters were much noisier.

"Sherry," Daniel greeted, surprised to see the confident figure stepping off the helicopter. It was Sherry Birkin. Though they had communicated via video calls, this was Daniel's first time seeing her in person since she grew up.

"Long time no see," Sherry said with a smile, hugging Daniel briefly.

"Yeah, let's go."

"So Wesker's son won't get a chance to meet her," Daniel thought as they boarded the helicopter.

"Funding issues, huh?" During the flight, Daniel learned from Sherry why they weren't using a Quinjet. Despite S.H.I.E.L.D.'s considerable resources, Quinjet production costs were too high for widespread use—much like how the military couldn't equip every soldier with the latest weaponry.

"Helicarrier, huh?" The helicopter soon arrived over the ocean, descending onto what appeared to be a conventional aircraft carrier. If Daniel didn't know it was a Helicarrier, he would have mistaken it for a standard naval vessel.

The deck was bustling with activity, filled with various aircraft and personnel. Fighter jets, bombers, helicopters—it was a hive of military activity.

"Captain, Agent Carter, good to see you again," Daniel greeted Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter, who had just arrived on another helicopter. Dottie Underwood wasn't with them this time.

"Is the situation that serious, Fury?" Peggy asked Daniel and then turned to Fury, who was walking towards them.

"If mishandled, it could be very serious," Fury replied grimly. Over the past four days, S.H.I.E.L.D. had been tirelessly searching for Loki and Hawkeye. The more they investigated, the more alarming the findings were. With Hawkeye's insider knowledge, it was no surprise Loki was evading them. Additionally, several scientists and advanced pieces of equipment had gone missing, indicating a secret plan that was undoubtedly against their interests.

As they spoke, a Quinjet landed, and out stepped Natasha Romanoff and Bruce Banner.

"Welcome, Doctor," Fury greeted Banner.

"Hello, everyone," Banner nodded politely to the group.

"Follow me. This place will be sealed off soon," Fury led the group to a central room filled with scientific equipment. A large team was intently monitoring screens. Hill was directing operations from a high platform, with Tony Stark beside her, having been the first to arrive.

"Tony," Peggy greeted Stark.

"Aunt Peggy," Stark's face twitched at the sight of Peggy. Despite his evident reluctance, he addressed her respectfully. Peggy was a contemporary of his father, so he had to acknowledge her. Only Peggy could elicit this response from Stark; as for calling Steve "Uncle Steve," Stark would never do that.

Normally, Stark would be quick to antagonize Steve, but Peggy's presence forced him to restrain himself to avoid further conflict.

The group then moved into a nearby conference room where Fury briefed them on the situation. "Loki's plans are still unclear, but I hope with your help, we can locate him and thwart whatever he's up to."

"Can someone explain what's going on?" Banner asked, raising his hand like a schoolboy.

"Apologies, Doctor. This is Steve Rogers, Captain America. This is Agent Peggy Carter, and this is Mr. Daniel Davis, a sorcerer," Fury introduced everyone to Banner.

"Captain, Agent Carter, a sorcerer…" Banner's expression was a mix of amazement and confusion. Seeing two figures who should be ancient yet looked so young was surprising but understandable, given his work with super-serum. However, Daniel's presence as a sorcerer challenged his scientific worldview.

"If Asgardians exist, a sorcerer shouldn't be that surprising," Daniel remarked, noticing Banner's focus on him.

"True. It seems I have a lot to catch up on," Banner admitted, offering a sheepish smile.

"The Tesseract... I didn't expect S.H.I.E.L.D. to possess such a thing, let alone dare to study it. You have some nerve," Daniel said, looking at the enlarged image of the Tesseract on the screen.

"Is there a problem?" Fury asked, everyone's attention now on Daniel.

"A problem? Indeed, a significant one. While the Tesseract is undoubtedly a treasure, it's a very hot potato," Daniel began. 

After a brief pause, Daniel clasped his hands together, and a golden magic circle appeared. "Eons ago, the Big Bang birthed six Infinity Stones, each holding boundless power. One of these is the Space Stone," he explained as the golden magic circle morphed to illustrate the Big Bang, the six Infinity Stones floating in the cosmos, and finally, an object resembling the Tesseract.

"The Space Stone."

"What does the Space Stone do?" Stark asked directly.

"The name itself suggests its function.

 With it, vast cosmic distances become trivial. If used properly, it allows instantaneous travel to any point in the universe. Harnessing it merely as a power source is a very rudimentary application," Daniel elaborated, referring to Fury's previous explanation about tapping the Tesseract's limitless energy for Earth's benefit.

"Instantaneous travel anywhere…"

"Only six in the entire universe…"

The room fell silent as they absorbed Daniel's revelation. None of them had anticipated the Tesseract's profound significance and its terrifying capabilities.

"What about the other five stones? What powers do they hold?" Stark inquired, curiosity piqued.

"The other five are the Mind Stone, Reality Stone, Power Stone, Time Stone, and Soul Stone. Each possesses incredibly formidable abilities. Among them, the Power Stone is the most devastating, capable of annihilating anything it contacts," Daniel continued.

"Annihilate anything it contacts? What about a planet?" Stark asked after a brief silence.

"It's the same. If the Power Stone touches a planet's surface, the entire planet would instantly disintegrate into cosmic dust," Daniel explained.

There was a profound silence as the gravity of Daniel's words sank in. Even Stark's expression grew somber.

"We can't let Loki keep such a dangerous object. We must recover it," Fury said finally, breaking the silence.

"We've found Loki," Hill's voice suddenly interrupted the room, drawing everyone's attention back to the main hall.

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