Chapter 87: The Power of the Psychologist

**

Soon, Link found Tony Stark. He descended from the sky and released Captain America, who dropped down, while Link hovered above.

Stark, surprised, remarked, "So, this is your battle suit? Quite impressive!"

Link replied, "I'm not stupid enough to just fly around on a hoverboard all the time. This is your scene, not mine."

With that, he ascended higher, observing the three below. Naturally, Thor wasn't going to back down, and with Stark's attitude, the two soon clashed. Their brawl destroyed many of the surrounding trees before they realized they were evenly matched and finally stopped.

In the end, they all escorted Loki back to the Quinjet and returned to the helicarrier.

Once back on the carrier, Link had already changed out of his gear, while Stark, beside him, wouldn't stop asking about his equipment. Link could only respond, "I'm no tech expert."

Loki, heavily guarded, was escorted to a special holding cell. This prison was designed such that any attempt to break out would trigger the mechanism to drop the entire cell from the sky.

Gathered in the command center, everyone began to analyze the current situation.

"I feel something's off... Loki seems far too eager to stay here," Nick Fury observed. "Link, you're the psychology expert. What do you think?"

Link began, "To analyze Loki's mindset, we first need to consider the intelligence we have. Hawkeye was captured and willingly works for Loki, meaning that some of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s secrets are known to him."

"So, what does Hawkeye know?"

"Well, this helicarrier isn't a secret, so does he know about Dr. Banner's situation?"

Nick Fury, realizing this, responded, "Yes, Hawkeye is well aware of Dr. Banner's details. What's next?"

Link continued, "If that's the case, much of what we're doing is no longer a secret. Loki allowed himself to be captured deliberately, and he has a plan to strike at us—perhaps even to destroy this ship."

He turned to Thor. "Thor, what do you know?"

Thor answered, "Loki has an army, the Chitauri. From what I know, they are prepared to invade."

Link nodded and added, "So Loki plans to use the Tesseract to open a portal and bring this army to Earth?"

"But why don't they just fly here directly?" someone asked.

Thor explained, "Earth is under Asgard's protection. Two years ago, after returning to Asgard, I destroyed the Bifrost Bridge to stop Loki from destroying a planet. At that time, he fell into the void, and we believed him to be dead. He may not know whether the Bifrost has been repaired."

"If the Bifrost is repaired, Asgard would intercept any fleet heading toward Earth. However, using the Tesseract to open a portal would allow the Chitauri to enter quickly and wage war here, conquering Earth before Asgard could intervene."

Link smiled. "So, it's clear now. We're Loki's biggest obstacle. He must eliminate us first—S.H.I.E.L.D. and powerful individuals like Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, and especially the Hulk."

Bruce Banner chuckled, "But I can control myself now."

"That's precisely the issue," Link pointed out. "Remember what the director said earlier? Hawkeye was controlled by Loki's scepter. This scepter is more than it seems. Why does it have the power to control minds?"

"And more importantly, can it still affect people even when not in Loki's hands?"

Everyone fell silent, stunned by this new line of thinking.

Stark broke the silence, "Then what are we waiting for? Banner, we've got work to do. We need to find the Tesseract and examine that scepter."

"Right!" Banner agreed, and the two headed off together.

There wasn't much the others could do at this point, except for Link, who added, "We also need to be prepared for Hawkeye. He knows how to board this ship, so we must raise our defense levels."

Black Widow chimed in, "We could let him come aboard. That way, we can capture him. Hawkeye is just being controlled."

Nick Fury nodded. He didn't want to lose Hawkeye either. "Agent Hill, prepare for any incoming Quinjet. If one approaches, intercept and ground it."

"Understood, sir," Maria Hill replied, her cool demeanor unchanged.

Nick Fury then turned to Link. "Link, I need you to go talk to Loki. See if you can get a sense of his true intentions."

Raising an eyebrow, Link replied, "I can try, but he's an Asgardian. I'm not exactly familiar with their psyche."

With that, Link stood and made his way out. Nick Fury sank into thought, while Thor chatted with Coulson, and Captain America headed off to check on Banner and Stark's progress.

...

Link arrived at Loki's cell, where the god of mischief stood inside, surrounded by transparent walls.

Loki smiled as he saw Link approach. "I knew it would be you."

"Seems Hawkeye wasn't too tight-lipped," Link replied. "He gave you all our information, so you know what I specialize in."

"That's right. You call it psychology. It's useless against a god," Loki said smugly.

Link shook his head. "Seeing how you and your brother interact, it's clear you're nothing more than a foolish younger sibling."

Loki froze for a moment, then anger flashed across his face. "He's not my brother."

"Ha!" Link laughed. "Look at that—you're already getting upset. Gods aren't so different after all."

"You're trying to provoke me, aren't you? Hoping to learn my thoughts while I'm angry?" Loki questioned.

"No, from where I'm standing, you're just a grown-up child," Link remarked casually. "How old are you again?"

"Damn you!" Loki hadn't expected this weak human to enrage him so easily.

Link sighed, shaking his head. "We've learned a bit about you since Thor came to Earth. You're just trying to get your father's attention and approval."

"Just like any naughty child seeks attention from their parents. It's no different than what Earth's kids do."

"You think your father neglected you, especially since you're adopted, making you believe he doesn't love you."

"Still think you're not just a child?"

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(Chapter ends)