Chapter 22: Avenger's Intitiative
"Director, you are dealing with forces you can't control," a World Council member said as Director Fury stood before them during the meeting.
"We're in a war, Councilman. There's no time for pep talks," Fury replied firmly.
"You say Asgard is declaring war on us. Why?" another Council member asked.
"For them, we're ants, and they're the boots. That was the response I got when I asked the same question—why?" Fury answered.
Hearing this, the room fell silent as the members exchanged uneasy glances.
"Still, it's not Asgard as a whole, but Loki, who is declaring war on us," Fury clarified.
"And what about the other one, his brother Thor?" another Council member asked. "Our intelligence suggests Thor isn't hostile, but Loki is. Yet Thor is worlds apart—we can't rely on him," Fury said flatly.
"It's up to us to tackle this problem," Fury added.
"Which is why you should be focusing on Phase 2—it was designed for situations like this," a Council member interjected.
"Phase 2 isn't ready," Fury countered. "But our enemy is. We need a response team."
"Your Avengers Initiative?" another Council member scoffed. "Are you suggesting we entrust humanity's safety to some freaks?"
"No, I'm not suggesting we leave everything in anyone's hands. I'm saying we need time—time to prepare for Phase 2. And for that, we need a response team," Fury explained.
"So, you propose using those freaks as expendables until we're ready?" one Council member asked pointedly.
"Yes," Fury replied without hesitation.
"Very well. We approve."
"We approve."
"We approve."
As the council members gave their assent, Fury nodded. "Thank you," he said, cutting the call.
"Is that what they are? Just tools to buy us time?" Maria Hill asked as she entered the room.
"No," Fury replied, shaking his head. "But the people sitting in high seats don't understand any other language."
Marie chuckled softly.
"Send our men and get me the team," Fury ordered.
"Already sent," Maria informed him.
"Good," Fury nodded as he turned and headed back to his office.
***
In another location, a blonde white man could be seen relentlessly punching a heavy bag, his expression filled with anger and frustration as he continued his assault.
"Garhhh!"
Thud!
His punch hit with such force that the heavy bag broke off its chain and flew across the room, landing with a resounding thud.
Steve Rogers, better known as Captain America, stared at the broken bag for a moment before grabbing a new one. He quickly attached it to the chain, positioning it firmly, and prepared to continue punching.
"You should rest," a voice interrupted. Fury had entered the room, arms crossed, watching the scene unfold.
"Rest? I slept for 70 years, Fury. I think I've had enough rest," Steve replied curtly as he resumed punching the bag.
"No, you need to rest before your next mission," Fury countered, tossing a file toward him.
Steve caught it effortlessly, his reflexes still sharp as ever. He opened the file and glanced at its contents. "Tesseract? Hydra's secret weapon?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes, Howard fished it out looking for you, and from that moment, we had it," Fury said, adding, "Until very recently."
"it is stolen and we need your help with this one," Fury said.
"And my team?" Steve asked.
Fury nodded. "A little super team I've put together to handle out-of-the-ordinary planetary problems," he explained.
Steve paused, staring at the file for a moment before sighing. "Who took it from you?" he asked.
"Loki. He's not from around here," Fury said, sighing. "There are a lot of things we need to bring you up to speed on."
"The world has gotten a lot stranger than it was," Fury said.
Steve shook his head. "I doubt it."
Fury just shook his head as Steve returned the file, grabbed his bag, and began to leave.
"Is there anything we need to know about the Tesseract that you haven't told me?" Fury asked as Steve headed for the door.
"You should've left it in the ocean," Steve replied as Fury nodded.
"Well, all the mission details are at your apartment," Fury said.
***
At another location, Natasha could be seen walking through a bustling area, searching for her target, Bruce Banner. He was trying to learn yoga to calm himself while acting as a doctor in a rural village, and she had tracked him down to one of those villages.
Her little messenger, a child, led her to him. After locating his she asked the same child to bring him back at the outskirts of this town.
"Hello, Doctor," she said as Bruce entered the dilapidated building.
"Bribing kids, huh?" he muttered, looking at the child who had brought him here.
"Relax. I'm just here to talk," Black Widow said, raising her hands in a calming gesture, knowing that agitating him could lead to disastrous consequences.
"I'm not agitated," Bruce replied, looking at her. "Who are you, and what do you want?"
My name is Natasha Romanoff and I am from SHIELD" She replied, as Bruce nodded "So Nick's agent?" he asked as Black Widow nodded.
"What does he want from me? I thought we had a deal I remain cool and he won't be on me?" Bruce asked.
"We need your help," Black Widow said.
"You mean my other self-help?" Bruce responded, but Black Widow shook her head.
"We're hoping we don't reach that point," Black Widow replied, and Bruce looked at her skeptically.
Black Widow showed him a picture of the Tesseract. "This little thing has enough energy to put the sun to shame, and it's now in the hands of someone who wants to dominate us," she said. Bruce, wearing his glasses, studied the picture and then asked again, "That still doesn't explain why you need my help."
"To use it, they need a doctor, to operate the machine used to harness this thing power," she replied, showing a picture of Dr. Selvig. "We were hoping with your expertise in radiation, gamma rays, and such phenomena, you might be able to help us track it as it releases gamma signature that's too weak for us to track it down but not for someone who is experienced in it," she explained.
Bruce looked at her thoughtfully. "That won't be an easy task, and I'll need a lot of advanced tech," he said.
"We have it at SHIELD," Black Widow replied.
"Well then, let's go," he said as she nodded.
*******
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