"Thank you!" Bruce Banner called out loudly as he watched Natasha walk away.
"You should thank her—considering you nearly beat her to death just now."
"..."
"Before we get to business," Nick Fury interjected, "I want to say something. Not to make excuses—but there are things you should understand. Things you don't know."
"Yes, it's true. At one point, we did consider using the Tesseract to develop advanced weapons in response to the alien threat. After all, HYDRA's tech proved this was possible."
"But I also know: a weapon is only as dangerous as its wielder. Captain America can seize enemy weapons. But if our soldiers can't, then eventually, those weapons will be turned against us. So no, I never planned to bet everything on the Cube."
"I have a bolder plan. One I shared with Clark and Tony—though neither agreed at the time."
"I want to gather extraordinary individuals. People with powers. People who could protect this world when it can't protect itself. I call it... The Avengers Initiative."
"I just want to know—if this team of remarkable people, working together, can do what none of them can do alone."
"Because people believe in heroes. And more importantly, people need heroes."
As he finished speaking, Fury scanned the room.
"…What's that got to do with me?" Banner whispered to Clark. In his eyes, he wasn't even close to a hero. He was more of a walking disaster.
"Banner… Hulk thinks," Clark said, choosing his words carefully. "If you accept him, maybe you two can coexist."
"Alright…" Banner mumbled. "Let's go back to Loki and the Cube."
Seeing that no one had actually responded to his heartfelt speech, Fury gave up with a sigh.
"I think Loki needs a consistent, high-output power source," Banner offered, perhaps trying to contribute in light of earlier events. "If we can figure out where he's going before he gets there, maybe we can catch him off guard."
"He wants an audience," Tony Stark suddenly blurted out.
"…Audience?" Steve looked puzzled.
"I think I get what Tony means," Clark said. "Loki doesn't want to rule Earth just to rule it—he wants to prove something to Odin. After that fight with Thor in Asgard… yeah, I get it now."
"He's not Odin's real son," Tony added. "He was adopted."
That single sentence made everything click for Clark.
"Thor mentioned that before," Diana nodded. "He said Loki was adopted."
"Loki thinks Odin didn't name him king because he's not his real son. So now, he wants to prove himself. Show everyone he could be king."
"That's right," Tony continued. "He doesn't just want to win—he wants to be seen winning. That's why he let us capture him. He wants an audience. Back in Stuttgart? That was just rehearsal."
"This next act? It's the grand performance."
"And for that, he needs a stage—one that comes with its own power source," Clark added.
He handed Tony a tablet. On the screen was an article about Stark Tower and its new clean energy arc reactor.
"Aw, crap…" Tony realized instantly. "He's headed to my tower."
At the same time, Fury turned on his earpiece. "Hill, reestablish comms. Then lock a satellite on Stark Tower. I want to know everything happening there."
"No need—Loki's already there," Tony replied, checking his internal systems. "JARVIS reported a sharp power draw from the tower. I've ordered a shutdown on the arc reactor—but I need to get there now."
He stood and walked out, tablet in hand.
But just then, Clark froze.
He sensed a surge of Tesseract energy—and through the window, he saw it:
A massive blue beam shot up from the skyline—the space portal was open.
"Diana! Banner! Cap! Come with me!" Clark shouted. "I'll fly ahead!"
He had hoped to use this battle to unite the Avengers—but this escalation came sooner than expected. The Chitauri would soon descend, and they weren't ready.
Still, he had no choice. He needed to act—now.
"I'm coming too," Banner said, surprised Clark had called his name. "Didn't think I'd be much help."
"Banner… right now, we need the Hulk."
Clark turned and launched out of the command center.
Banner paused, grappling with the choice to unleash the Hulk again.
"Clark! Take me too!" Diana caught up with him outside.
"I can't fly like the others—take me with you."
Clark looked toward the swirling wormhole in the sky. The Chitauri were already spilling out. He didn't hesitate. He wrapped an arm around Diana's waist, kicked off—and soared into the sky.
Moments later, Iron Man—now suited up—rocketed out of the Helicarrier behind them.
"Clark! Put me down!" Diana shouted as they neared the wormhole. Alien ships swarmed the city skies.
Clark nodded, then casually tossed her toward a nearby Chitauri soldier in flight.
Seconds later, Clark landed atop Stark Tower, where the Tesseract glowed violently.
He hesitated for a second—then stepped forward, wondering if he could shut it down. After all, he carried the Cube's energy in him too.
In the original timeline, the portal was closed using the Mind Stone's energy to pierce the Cube's protective field.
If Clark could shut it down now, it would spare Earth from invasion.
If not… he'd have to find Loki. Fast.
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