Thor's grip on Mjolnir tightened, faint sparks running across the handle. "Then we must act swiftly," he said. "Loki's tricks grow stronger with each passing hour. If he has allies among the realms, Midgard will fall before it even realizes the battle has begun."
Fury's single eye narrowed. "We're already working on that. But your brother's not exactly talkative."
Through the observation glass, Loki sat on the floor of his containment cell, calm and unreadable. His gaze flicked briefly toward them, a faint smirk forming on his lips, as if he knew something they didn't.
"See?" Tony's voice broke the tension as he approached, his armor retracting piece by piece. "That's the look of a guy who's got ten backup plans and a god complex."
Bruce followed behind, arms folded, still wearing the faint stress of transformation barely held at bay. "Let's just hope none of those plans involve triggering a invasion."
Fury turned toward them, voice low but commanding. "We're putting every available hand on this. Banner, Stark—you two will work on tracking the Tesseract's energy signature. Rogers, Barton—you're on tactical response and field coordination. Thor—"
"I will speak to my brother," Thor interrupted. His tone wasn't a suggestion—it was final.
Fury considered for a moment, then nodded. "Fine. But keep your anger in check while you're at it."
Thor nodded.
Clint leaned toward Steve and whispered, "Translation: we're all still flammable."
Steve shook his head slightly, then stepped up beside Thor. "If he's going to talk, we'll come with you. Loki's not exactly the kind of guy who plays fair."
Tony joined them, tossing a small holo-drone into the air. "And I want to see how the god of mischief reacts when someone smarter's watching."
They made their way to the containment chamber. Loki's cell gleamed with cold, sterile light—transparent walls of reinforced glass, laced with energy emitters strong enough to hold even a god. He looked up as Thor approached, eyes narrowing faintly.
"Brother," Thor began, voice calm but edged. "You endanger the realm of Midgard for reasons I cannot understand. Return the Tesseract. End this madness."
Loki smiled, faint and cold. "Madness? No, dear brother… purpose. You wouldn't understand."
Tony crossed his arms. "Oh, great. The villain's doing the cryptic speech thing."
Loki's eyes flicked to him, then back to Thor. "You surround yourself with mortals, and they talk as though they matter. Tell me, Thor—how long will you pretend you belong among them?"
Steve stepped forward, his tone firm. "He belongs where he chooses to stand. And right now, that's with us."
Loki's smile widened slightly. "How noble… how predictable."
Thor's voice deepened, the air around him crackling faintly. "Enough games, Loki. Tell us who commands you."
Loki leaned back against the wall, his reflection splitting across the glass. "Even if I told you… would you believe me?"
Bruce glanced at the readings on the nearby console. "He's stalling," he muttered. "Heart rate's steady, no stress indicators. He's waiting for something."
"Look at you—so composed and clever," Loki said with a mocking grin. "But tell me, do you know what this cage was made for?"
He pointed at the reinforced glass enclosure. "A cage that, at a moment's notice, can drop thousands of feet straight down. One can only imagine what would become of the prisoner."
Bruce paused, frowning. "What are you implying?"
Loki tilted his head, the smirk never leaving his face. "And here I thought you were some kind of genius. But I suppose a mortal is just that—a moral creature after all."
Steve's eyes narrowed. He glanced at Bruce, realization dawning. Loki wasn't just talking about any prisoner—the cage was built for the Hulk, in case things ever went wrong.
"Besides, do you think it's my fault?" Loki said with a sneer. "It's your leader who tried to rise beyond what a mortal should be—who dared to step onto the path of gods. He's merely reaping what he's sown."
Steve exhaled sharply, shaking his head. "We're not getting anything out of him. Let's go."
The others nodded, leaving the room one by one. The reinforced doors sealed shut behind them with a hiss. Loki watched them go, his smile lingering, eyes resting on Bruce just before the glass dimmed.
"He wasn't wrong, though," Tony muttered as he walked beside Bruce down the corridor. "Fury really did mess up with the Tesseract."
He paused briefly, pretending to adjust his wrist display, and subtly planted a small device on the main console near the door before moving on.
"Since we can't get anything out of him, try using his scepter. See if you can pull any energy readings or data from it," Fury ordered.
The scepter was placed in a secure containment case as Bruce and Tony nodded, heading toward the lab to begin their analysis. Thor left soon after, and Steve lingered behind with Fury.
"That cage…" Steve said quietly. "It was meant for the Hulk."
Fury didn't deny it. "It's just a contingency, nothing more."
Steve's expression stayed calm as he said, "You should come clean to him, or it might affect how this team works."
With that, he turned and walked away, his footsteps fading down the metallic corridor.
Hill, standing nearby, glanced toward Fury. "He knows it's meant for Banner," she said quietly, then hesitated before adding, "but why didn't he tell him?"
Fury's eyes narrowed as he watched the door close behind Steve. "At the end of the day, Captain America—the so-called perfect hero—is still a soldier," he said evenly. "He knows when to speak… and when to stay silent."
Hill said nothing more. The low hum of the Helicarrier's engines filled the silence that followed, a steady reminder of the uneasy calm before the storm.
"Do you trust them?" she asked after a moment.
Fury didn't look at her. "Trust isn't what I hired them for. I need them to work."
Down below, sparks flickered as Tony connected another power conduit to the containment case. Banner was running diagnostics, his brow furrowed in concentration.
"Energy fluctuations are stabilizing," Bruce murmured. "But there's something strange about this… the readings aren't consistent with any known gamma spectrum."
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