"LOKI! Bastard!" roared Cull Obsidian before turning to Hive. "Hive, they have the scepter! We can't let them escape!"
Hive, immersed in combat, stepped back and nodded gravely.
Then, as if a signal had been given, waves of HYDRA soldiers began emerging from the shadows and rubble. They moved like a dark tide, closing in around the group, determined to keep them from fleeing with the scepter.
But Cull made an unforgivable mistake: he ignored Hulk.
The green giant charged with overwhelming fury, slamming into Cull full-force. The colossus staggered, stunned, and barely had time to react before receiving a brutal series of blows that forced him to retreat uncontrollably.
Hulk didn't stop until he hurled him into the energy shield. Hulk collided with the barrier with a frustrated roar. Though still raging, he couldn't break through. He pounded the field in fury, but it was useless. He was trapped on the other side.
Across from him, breathing heavily, muscles tense and pride wounded, Cull fixed a hateful gaze on Hulk—but in the end, he held back.
"Forget it... the portal is about to open. We don't need more distractions."
---
The nearby Avengers regrouped quickly around Thor and Hulk.
"How did you get it?" asked Natasha, pointing to the scepter in Thor's hand.
"Loki gave it to me... but then they regained control over him" the Asgardian replied somberly, shaking his head.
"Well... I didn't expect them to manipulate . Point for you, Thor" Tony commented. "So how useful is this thing?"
Tony was supposed to support Thor in the fight, but it turned out he didn't need to. Thor had tried to redeem his brother on his own. Still, Stark had stayed close in case he was needed.
"I don't have time to explain fully, but... it's on par with the Cosmic Cube," said Thor seriously.
"The Cosmic Cube? You mean the Tesseract? So we can use it to break the shield?" Natasha asked, a glimmer of hope in her voice.
Thor shook his head.
"I'm not sure. Something of this level can't be used lightly. Even if we can't control minds like Loki did, maybe we can use it to release energy... like he did. It's possible."
Before they could discuss further, a barrage of gunfire hit. HYDRA soldiers were coming for them.
"We can't talk about this here. Tactical retreat!" Tony ordered.
Everyone nodded. Hulk led the charge like a living battering ram, crushing everything in his path. Thor's lightning wiped out the rest, and the team finished off the stragglers with precision. It was a momentary victory—just a small fragment of the enemy army.
They knew they couldn't beat them all. Not with time against them.
But it was enough. They escaped through a gap and regrouped on a nearby rooftop.
"So... why can't we just use the scepter to break the shield and end this?" Tony asked bluntly.
Everyone looked to Thor, waiting for answers.
"It's not that simple" he replied gravely. "Listen, I'll be brief."
He paused, then continued:
"Before the universe, there were six singularities. After the Big Bang, they condensed into six gems of immense power. They're called the Infinity Stones, and they're so powerful that only exceptional beings can wield them."
The team listened in absolute silence.
"Both the scepter and the Cosmic Cube contain one of those stones. Their artifacts allow the power to be channeled. The scepter holds the Mind Stone. Loki could use it because he masters mental magic. We, at best, could channel energy… nothing more."
Silence lingered until Gwen spoke:
"But then... they only used it to control Loki? And a few others to build the machine...? Isn't that way too much power just for that?"
Natasha answered, arms crossed, thoughtful.
"Hive."
"Hive?" Gwen repeated, confused.
"You saw her. She acts like a goddess. There's no way she's cooperating willingly. She's definitely being manipulated... and probably doesn't even know it."
"But... then why doesn't she act like Loki, who seems like a soulless robot?"
"Because it was probably my brother who influenced her. Like I said, it takes the right talent to wield a stone. Someone without the proper skill is controlling Loki... and Loki, in turn, influences Hive. That's the difference."
The group looked at him, surprised, making Thor uncomfortable.
"What?"
"Sorry, it's just... we didn't expect you to think this much" Tony teased.
"So... our best bet is to recharge the scepter, fire it, and hope it works?" Clint asked.
"It's the most sensible option. The shield wasn't made with the Cube itself, but with its energy, distorted into a barrier. If the stones are as powerful as we believe, it's the only thing that might break it" said Banner.
"Doctor... when did you wake up?" asked Natasha.
Last they knew, Bruce had passed out after turning human.
"A little while ago. But you all seemed to be in the middle of something serious, so I stayed quiet" Banner answered, a bit sheepishly.
"We're out of time. The portal's about to open"
Said Tony, standing. Everyone nodded.
"So we came all this way just to go back? What a waste of time" Gwen complained, discouraged.
"Information is key in battle"
Steve replied with the voice of someone who knew the consequences.
Gwen, slightly embarrassed, quickened her pace to catch up.
---
A rooftop, one block from Stark Tower.
"So how do we recharge this thing?" Tony asked, pointing at the scepter Thor held tightly.
"Leave it to me" said the Asgardian.
He had never used the scepter before, but channeling and releasing energy was second nature to Thor. However, as he tried to charge it, he immediately realized it wouldn't be so easy.
"I need to concentrate. Cover me."
The team nodded silently. That's when Gwen tensed. She sensed something.
She shot a web to one side of the building, snagging a metal arm. She pulled hard. A soldier's body fell in front of them.
"Hanging off the side? That's dedication" Tony quipped.
Gwen yanked the communicator and GPS from the soldier's ear and tossed it to the ground. The soldier, still conscious, tried to resist, but the team quickly subdued him.
Steve stepped closer, determined to confirm a suspicion, and pulled off the mask. What he saw froze him.
"...Bucky."
His old friend. His brother-in-arms. Lost in the war... and now here, as an enemy.
"How...? How did this happen?" he asked quietly, more to himself than to the others.
Natasha answered:
"HYDRA uses brainwashed soldiers. If that's Bucky, he didn't join them willingly. We can help him."
Hope lit up in Steve's eyes.
"Yeah. Once we finish this, Loki will free him. He owes us" Tony said confidently.
Despite destroying the GPS tracker, they remained alert.
Five minutes passed before Thor called out:
"It's ready."
They all looked… and were left breathless. A sphere of energy over three meters wide floated at the tip of the scepter.
"Well, that's... something" Clint muttered, impressed.
Gwen raised her arms, smiling.
"What are you doing?" Steve asked, puzzled.
"I'm giving it my life force"
She replied jokingly. No one seemed to get the reference, and she sighed.
"So... what are you waiting for?" Tony asked.
"Nothing."
Thor released the energy. The sphere shot through the air like a meteor, crashing into the shield with a thunderous impact that shook the city. The shockwave hit them even from a distance.
But when they looked… the shield was still intact.
"It didn't break" murmured Natasha.
"Actually, it probably did... and regenerated instantly. Perks of infinite energy"
Bruce explained. But as the team gave him deadly looks, he went quiet.
"This is bad... Now I get why they didn't come as soon as they felt all that power. They knew it wouldn't work" said Tony in frustration, letting out a sigh.
"There was no way to know. No one could have guessed it" Natasha tried to reassure him.
Then a voice spoke behind them.
One that shouldn't be there.
"Actually... he did guess it."
______________________________________
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(just delete the hyphen)
80 power stones = 1 extra chapter (cumulative)