The concert was scheduled for June 4th, a great day. The promotion had been running for over a month, covering the entire United States and running non-stop. This was destined to be a big day.
But behind the scenes, in a corner that no one knew about, huge changes were happening.
At the NASA Research Center in New York, the center was collaborating with S.H.I.E.L.D. to research a massive energy source from outer space—the Tesseract. Since it was recovered, the U.S. had been repeating Hydra's work, attempting to create a weapon from the Tesseract. Unfortunately, the process hadn't gone smoothly. The energy from the Tesseract was extremely dangerous and beyond humanity's control.
Hawkeye had been stuck here for a long time, unable to go anywhere. His eyes were wide open, monitoring everyone's every move, preventing any potential betrayal. He was very displeased with the constant surveillance, as it felt like a challenge to his loyalty.
Today, Director Nick Fury arrived with agents Coulson and Maria to inspect the operation and, at the same time, to reassure Hawkeye. Fury knew that Hawkeye wasn't happy with the mission. The boring surveillance was wearing him down.
"Doctor, how's the progress?" Fury asked.
"We're still dealing with the high radiation levels of the extracted energy. I don't think we can solve it in the short term," the doctor replied. The research results were far from promising; without solving the radiation problem, the weapon would be too dangerous.
"Where's our agent? I haven't seen him," Fury asked.
"You mean the Hawk? He's obviously in the Hawk's Nest," the doctor said, pointing to the high ceiling.
Fury looked up and finally spotted his agent. "Agent Barton, I need a report on the situation."
Barton slid down the rope. "Agent Barton reporting."
"I told you to monitor the operation. Why are you hiding up there?" Fury asked.
"Since I'm monitoring, I should be in the best position to see everything," Hawkeye explained. "There's nothing unusual. No one here, including the doctor, has had any contact with outsiders, and there have been no suspicious movements. Everything is normal."
Fury knew Hawkeye wasn't slacking off, but the research progress was terrible. Of course, it wasn't just Fury who was anxious; he feared his superiors were. They saw the Tesseract as their trump card. Director Fury felt immense pressure, but he didn't want to pass that pressure onto his subordinates.
It had to be said, Director Fury truly cared about his agents. It was rare for someone in a frontline command position to show such care.
The Tesseract, glowing with blue light, was awe-inspiring. Who could have imagined that such a small cube could hold so much energy? Tony Stark's father firmly believed the Tesseract would be the key to unlimited energy for humanity. Unfortunately, in the eyes of politicians, the Tesseract was just another weapon.
A flash of blue light suddenly jumped out, making Director Fury freeze. "Doctor, what did you do?"
"I didn't do anything. I told you, the radiation problem isn't solved, so we can't use the Tesseract," the doctor shouted. He didn't have a kind word for the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.
"But why do I feel like the Tesseract is moving?" Fury asked.
"If we didn't operate it, then someone outside must have activated it," the doctor said, suddenly freezing. That could only mean one thing: someone was using the Tesseract to open a portal. "Everyone, get back!"
A huge surge of energy from the Tesseract caused everyone to shut their eyes. When the light finally faded, a scorched corridor appeared directly in front of the Tesseract. At the end of the corridor stood a young man, exuding an aura of evil. He held a long, curved spear in his hand.
"Put down your weapons!" the Director shouted, not caring whether the other side could understand.
Of course, they understood. How could they not speak English if they were planning to conquer Earth? Loki had specifically learned the language. But despite the Director's politeness, Loki wasn't about to listen. Instead, he raised his golden spear and fired a blue laser.
Dodge. Hawkeye immediately tackled the Director to the ground.
The laser exploded a hole in the wall, a normal hit, almost like a rocket launcher. The guards' bullets sparked off Loki's body. Human weapons were completely useless.
Hawkeye drew a foldable bow from his back, expanded it, and took out a retractable arrow. He was about to string the bow and shoot when Loki stopped him.
Though weak in the Asgardian palace, Loki was still a god in front of humans. He grabbed Hawkeye's wrist and teasingly said, "You have a heart."
The tip of the golden spear pierced Hawkeye's chest, quickly neutralizing him.
When the Director saw that Hawkeye had been disarmed, he realized things were bad. He quickly ran to the Tesseract and stored it in a box, preparing to leave.
But Loki was a god. How could he allow a mere mortal to try and outwit him under his nose? "Mortal, leave the artifact."
The Director was too busy running to argue with the trickster god. He kept running.
Loki scoffed, first sending Hawkeye to chase after the Director, but his priority was to control everyone here and turn them into slaves. To open the portal, he needed more than just himself.
Hawkeye, younger and more agile than the Director, quickly leaped and used the railing for a quick follow-up. Mid-air, he shifted into a flying kick. His feet landed mercilessly on the Director's back.
The Director staggered, throwing the box out of his hands. Hawkeye quickly took two steps forward and caught it, then walked off alone. Loki was going to destroy this place anyway. There was no need to stay.
The Director's spine was almost dislocated from the blow, leaving him barely able to stand. His legs had no strength left to run. "Maria, stop Hawkeye! He's been controlled!" he shouted, then contacted Phil. "Evacuate the base, quickly!"
The Director's command was timely and correct, but he had underestimated Hawkeye's strength. Maria, though agile, couldn't match the aggressiveness of Hawkeye.
A chase began. Two armed jeeps raced down the road, gunshots ringing out. The vehicles danced across the road, chasing each other, colliding and spinning in a chaotic contest.
Hawkeye's cold expression told everyone he wasn't the same Hawkeye anymore. He wouldn't show mercy, not even to his colleagues. The bullets from his pistol poured out as he fought Maria for speed.
Maria kept trying to hit Hawkeye from the side to slow him down, but it was no use. She had no choice but to floor the accelerator, pass him, and then suddenly swerved the car's nose into his vehicle, letting him push her car backward.
Face to face, they could see each other clearly, then they shot.
Neither of them dodged. They let the bullets whistle past their ears.
Maria suddenly noticed a sinister smile from Hawkeye. A bad feeling ran through her, and when she looked back, she saw a roadblock behind her.
Without slowing down, Hawkeye pushed Maria's car straight into it.
Boom—
Maria's car crashed into the roadblock, crumpling into a U-shape. It was completely destroyed, and she couldn't chase anymore. As she saw Hawkeye's wicked expression as he slipped away, she angrily hit the steering wheel. "Director, I lost him."
It was fine. The Director was already in a helicopter, continuing the pursuit. But he would face the incoming evil god, Loki, who was far stronger than Hawkeye. Loki delivered a fatal blow to the helicopter, damaging the rotor, and now S.H.I.E.L.D. could no longer track where Loki and Hawkeye, with their hostages, had gone. The situation was dire.
After all this, it was Nick Fury's turn to visit Captain America, asking him to fight. The loss of the Tesseract made Fury feel that something terrible was about to happen.