Chapter 183: Chapter 183: The First Meeting of the Big Three Avengers
When Gwen saw Anna safely leave with Tony, she finally felt relieved, especially after hearing Jarvis confirm that Anna was unharmed.
"Thank goodness, Cousin Anna is fine," Gwen exhaled deeply, her worries easing completely.
Now, aboard the S.H.I.E.L.D. jet with Captain America and Iron Man, Gwen felt an unprecedented sense of security.
"Red Queen, keep a close watch on Loki once they arrive at S.H.I.E.L.D.," Gwen instructed.
"Continue tracking the Tesseract's whereabouts..."
Before the Red Queen could respond, a knock sounded at Gwen's door.
"Gwen, are you in there?" George's voice called from outside, startling Gwen into hurriedly closing her laptop.
"I... I'm here!"
"Come in, Dad."
With Gwen's permission, George opened the door and entered, smiling warmly.
"The situation at the precinct is finally under control," he said.
"So I came home early tonight to have dinner with you all."
George had been tied up with various issues for quite some time, rarely returning home.
Today, after resolving the Green Goblin incident and submitting his report, he rushed back home.
Gwen's face lit up with joy. "Welcome home, Mr. George!"
"Thank you, Miss Gwen."
Seeing his daughter's happiness, George felt as if the stress of the past few days had melted away.
"By the way, since I'm home today…"
"Why don't you invite that kid Alan over? We can have dinner together."
"I've been missing his cooking."
While missing Alan's cooking was one reason, George also wanted to observe the relationship between Alan and Gwen, curious about how far things had progressed.
At the mention of Alan, a hint of disappointment flickered in Gwen's eyes.
"Alan left for the East recently."
"He won't be back for a while."
Hearing that Alan wasn't in New York, George looked slightly disappointed. He had been looking forward to Alan's cooking.
Noticing Gwen's subtle sadness, George quickly changed the subject.
"Come on, let's go downstairs for dinner."
"Your mom made all your favorite dishes tonight."
At that moment, George's eyes landed on a Pikachu plush in the corner, and he frowned.
"Gwen, haven't I told you before…"
Gwen blinked, unsure of what he was referring to.
George sighed and shook his head—his daughter was as troublesome as ever.
"I told you not to keep stuffed toys near snacks."
"They can attract bugs."
As George moved to tidy up, Gwen quickly grabbed his arm.
"Dad, Mom just called for you."
"Did you hear her?"
"Better hurry down so she doesn't get impatient. I'll handle things here."
George glanced downstairs. "Alright, but make sure you clean up and come down for dinner."
Once George headed downstairs, Gwen swiftly closed the door behind him.
"That was close. He almost saw Pikachu again."
In the corner, Pikachu wiped imaginary sweat from its forehead, breathing a sigh of relief.
"Pikachu, head back to the bed later, okay?"
"I'm going downstairs now."
"Pika… Pika…" Pikachu nodded enthusiastically.
It definitely didn't want George's attention again.
After Gwen left, the Red Queen's voice emerged from the closed laptop.
"Miss Gwen, Thor and Tony are fighting."
But there was no response from Gwen.
The Red Queen remained silent after that.
***
In a forest somewhere on Earth, the night was eerily quiet, until a sudden thunderclap accompanied by a flash of lightning illuminated the area.
A powerful shockwave swept through, uprooting small trees and grass in its path. Dust and debris filled the air, covering the entire vicinity.
When the dust finally settled, the center of the area was left in ruins.
On a nearby cliff, Loki—who should have been inside the jet—stood watching the scene below. He shook his head with a smirk.
"They probably didn't die that easily."
"Otherwise, it wouldn't be any fun."
Below, three figures slowly rose from the ground:
Iron Man-Tony Stark, Captain America-Steve Rogers, and Thor, the God of Thunder, who had just descended to Earth from Asgard.
The moment Thor boarded the jet, he had forcibly taken Loki.
Naturally, Tony wasn't about to let that slide and pursued him, leading to a confrontation between the two.
The fight escalated until Rogers intervened, using his vibranium shield to block a powerful strike from Thor.
This clash caused the massive shockwave that had swept the area—a dramatic first encounter between the Avengers' Big Three.
Thor looked at the two mortals before him in astonishment. He hadn't expected to fight them to a standstill.
He realized that his initial underestimation of them had cost him.
Even so, he wasn't entirely confident he could win if they fought again.
"Are we done here?"
"If we are, let's head back to S.H.I.E.L.D. and have a proper discussion."
Conversations are only meaningful when built on equal footing.
Thor, now less impulsive, nodded.
"Alright."
At that moment, Black Widow brought the jet down for landing.
Inside the aircraft, Loki sat silently on a small bench once again.
The other three, still tense from their earlier conflict, remained quiet, none willing to speak first.
Anna, now somewhat more alert, also sat silently, her expression distant and unfocused.
Sensing the awkward atmosphere, Black Widow broke the silence.
"Thor, if you could get Loki to talk now…"
"It might make things a lot easier if he revealed the Tesseract's location."
Thor turned to the silent Loki.
"Tell me—where is the Tesseract?"
Loki shrugged.
"I honestly don't know. My subordinates took it, and I have no idea where they went."
"Clint Barton isn't your subordinate," Black Widow retorted immediately.
"He is loyal to me. If I asked him to die right now, he wouldn't even flinch."
Black Widow gripped the controls tightly, struggling to suppress her anger.
If Loki weren't such a critical piece of the puzzle, she'd have shot him already.
"Loki, your chances are running out."
"Why won't you just come clean?"
Loki didn't even bother acknowledging Rogers' question.
Tony, watching Rogers' frustration, quipped sarcastically,
"Maybe it's a generation gap."
"After all, you are a bit old."
Rogers shot Tony a glance, only to hear Thor chime in,
"My brother and I are both over a few hundred years old."
"What about you two?"
At that, both Tony and Rogers fell silent.
Soon, the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier appeared in Black Widow's line of sight.
"Director, we have the prisoner secured."
"Prepare the airborne prison for transfer."
"Good work. Bring him directly to the command center. I'll be waiting."
"Alright, team—get ready to land!"
Under Black Widow's skilled control, the jet gently touched down on the Helicarrier's deck.
(To be continued)...