The solitary peak stood tall in the night, jagged rocks scattered across its surface.
The two princes of Asgard faced each other, and at Thor's mention of their mother, Loki's icy gaze softened slightly.
"Mother..." he muttered softly.
He harbored deep resentment toward Odin's deceit, but toward Queen Frigga who had raised him with boundless love, he held no grudge.
Her warmth and tenderness had been enough to melt even the frost giant blood that flowed in his veins.
"We grew up together in Asgard, we played together, fought side by side. Have you forgotten all of that?" Thor demanded, his voice booming.
He couldn't understand why his troublesome brother clung so stubbornly to his bitterness.
Even if they weren't bound by blood, the bond they had forged since childhood was undeniably real.
"I've always lived in your shadow. Odin gave me hope, only to snuff it out himself. Do you have any idea how cruel that is?" Loki snarled, veins bulging on his forehead.
His arrogance stemmed from deep-seated insecurity; his heritage as a frost giant, a truth he could never escape no matter how much he denied it.
For someone raised in Asgard, taught to despise the frost giants of Jotunheim as barbaric enemies, the revelation that he was one of them had been a devastating blow.
In his desperation to prove himself, he had even sought to destroy Jotunheim, hoping to earn Odin's approval, only to be met with disappointment.
"Enough of this madness," Thor said, unwilling to continue the argument. When it came to words, he had never been a match for his silver-tongued brother, "Come home with me. Mother is waiting for you."
The Bifrost had yet to be fully repaired. Thor's journey to Earth had required Odin to expend tremendous dark energy to forge a temporary passage. If they wanted to return to Asgard, they needed the Tesseract.
"It's not in my possession." Loki's handsome face twisted into a cold smile.
For a fleeting moment, he had hesitated. He considered following Thor back to Asgard. But then he remembered his suffering, the Mad Titan's demands, the Chitauri army lurking beyond the stars...
There was no turning back now.
"Listen to me, brother–"
Thor's brow furrowed as he raised Mjolnir, but before he could finish, a streak of blazing light slammed into him, sending the Asgardian prince crashing into the forest below.
The Iron Man armor carved a deep trench into the soft leaf-covered earth. Thor staggered to his feet, glaring at the Midgardian in the strange metal suit, fury boiling in his chest.
"Do you have any idea who you're dealing with?"
Though his previous journey to Earth had humbled him somewhat, Thor's innate Asgardian pride remained unshaken.
"A Shakespearean actor?" Tony sneered, launching into a barrage of scathing mockery, "Did you steal your mom's curtains for that cape? Buddy, Halloween's not for months, and playing dress-up isn't a good look on you."
When the arrogant god of Thunder clashed with the sarcastic Iron Man, what kind of sparks would fly?
Unsurprisingly, the answer was a full-blown, explosive battle...
....
Leaving the Avengers' first meeting aside for now, the scene shifted back to the now-peaceful Umbrella...
Clint Barton's eyes snapped open, his mind a haze of confusion. He had infiltrated the main spire to support HYDRA's operation, only for a massive singing ape that wore some kind of exosuit to blast him unconscious with a pulse cannon.
Now, he found himself strapped to a metal chair in near-total darkness, his movements restricted.
As a top S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, Barton was no stranger to interrogation. When the door creaked open and a tall figure stepped inside, he remained outwardly calm.
"Clint Barton, S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. Why work for HYDRA?" The voice was low, laced with amusement.
Barton's pupils contracted in shock. Even in the dim light, his sharp eyesight allowed him to recognize the man before him.
"Sean Cyphers?" Even under the influence of Loki's scepter, Barton remembered this man.
Natasha had been assigned to monitor him, and Nick Fury had taken a personal interest.
"You shouldn't have said my name, Agent Barton. In the movies, people who recognize the villain usually don't get happy endings." Sean chuckled, unfazed, "I'm curious... what exactly did you see? Are you aware of what you're doing, or are you just lost in the illusion?"
"I know exactly what I'm doing. The scepter showed me my next target," Barton replied coldly.
His eyes were devoid of emotion and sharp as arrows. The Mind Stone's illusions clouded his vision, its power ensnaring him in a dreamlike state.
The high-ranking S.H.I.E.L.D. agent saw fragments of his past. He saw his loving wife, his life... all vivid yet distorted. And woven into those memories was Loki, whispering commands.
Barton's will had been subtly overridden. He hadn't lost his ability to think, but he was compelled to obey, or risk losing everything he held dear.
"I suppose you won't willingly tell me where the Tesseract is hidden, or reveal any of Loki's plans." Sean concluded.
As a seasoned agent, Barton was no stranger to torture. With his mind bound by the scepter's control, he would never betray his master.
"No matter. I'll just take what I need." Sean smiled gently as reached out to press a finger against Barton's forehead.
His consciousness pierced into the agent's mind like a sharp needle.
Agony erupted, as if scalding water had been poured into his skull, followed by a metal rod stirring his thoughts into chaos.
Tangled and fragmented memories surged like tidal waves. Barton convulsed, veins bulging, and sweat drenched his clothes. Even his hardened will couldn't suppress the raw scream that tore from his throat.
Sean remained unmoved, his mind clashing against the Mind Stone's influence. Two immense forces collided, sending ripples of unseen energy through the air.
"Fascinating. It shapes consciousness, warps minds, and even creates entirely new personalities." Sean withdrew his hand slowly, marveling at the Infinity Stone's power.
These were manifestations of the universe's fundamental laws, ones capable of bending reality itself.
"Let's start with the Tesseract." Glancing at the unconscious Hawkeye, Sean smirked.
Why follow the world's predetermined path when he could rewrite the script himself?
Golden flames flickered across his chest as the light enveloped him.
The Sentinel had returned...