James leaned back, completely unsurprised.
Public praise and public fear.
An equation as old as power itself.
"There are always trolls just stirring up trouble," James said finally, voice flat but unconcerned. "You can't control their mouths."
And that, he thought, was fine.
As long as they didn't overstep and try to control him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nick Fury continued flipping through feeds on the large screen, each new clip showing a different area of New York's chaos—citizens cheering, politicians pointing fingers, analysts arguing, military spokesmen stumbling over excuses.
But James didn't care about any of that.
When Fury switched to another feed, James cut him off with a bored exhale.
"These things don't matter," James said, leaning back in his chair. "Some will be grateful. Some will complain. That's how people work. What I want to know though—" his eyes sharpened, "—is how the military will go about explaining their late arrival."
Fury folded his hands.
"The military claims they were caught off guard," Fury said. "That they weren't prepared for an alien invasion. They insist they didn't expect a direct attack on American soil."
James snorted quietly. "How convenient."
"They're saying arriving within an hour was a 'reasonable response time' for an unprecedented threat."
James turned his head slightly. "Didn't I tell you to record our announcement to them? The message we sent?"
"We did." Fury nodded. "And releasing that would destroy what little professional courtesy we still have with the U.S. military."
James raised a brow. "Courtesy? What courtesy?"
"Look," Fury said, tapping the table with his finger, "S.H.I.E.L.D. may be based in the United States, but we've evolved into a half-independent organization. If we escalate this into a public feud with the U.S. military, we won't survive the political fallout. They'll pin every problem on us."
Steve Rogers frowned. "Is this really the army now?"
Fury met his gaze. "It was the same back then, Captain. You just weren't high enough in rank to see it."
James nodded. "Steve, you've only seen soldiers. Never the people above them. Don't confuse the two."
Steve took a slow breath, accepting the unpleasant truth.
Fury reached into a folder and handed James a sheet of paper. "Here's the World Security Council list you wanted."
James glanced at it once, then handed it back.
"If I get a chance to meet them face-to-face," he said, "we'll confirm exactly how many Hydra moles are hiding up there."
"That won't be easy," Fury replied. "But an opportunity will come eventually. Until then—what will you all do?"
Thor answered first.
"I must return Loki to Asgard," the Asgardian declared. "His crimes must be judged."
Tony clapped Bruce on the shoulder.
"Bruce, James, and I will have our hands full. Time to begin the comprehensive laboratory we planned on building. It's going to be a busy few months."
Bruce nodded. "Agreed."
Fury's gaze shifted.
"Rogers, Barton, and Romanoff," Fury said. "After some rest, I'd like you back in S.H.I.E.L.D., we need you. You three will take points on high-risk operations."
Steve nodded after a moment. "A'ight. Thank you. I'll take the job."
Fury allowed himself the faintest smile. "Good. That's settled. For now—James, come with me. We have something to discuss before you go."
Thor called out as they stood.
"James, meet me when you're finished. I will require your help to return home."
James blinked. Thor rarely asked for assistance so directly.
"Oh?" James asked. "What about the Bifrost?"
Thor nodded solemnly. "Destroyed. Being rebuilt. Until then, only your Space Stone can help me return to Asgard."
James nodded slowly. "Alright. I'll figure it out."
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PHIL COULSON'S FATE
Fury led James down the corridor to his private office aboard the Helicarrier—now cruising calmly over the open ocean.
When the door shut behind them, Fury's expression hardened.
"I want to talk to you about Coulson."
James raised an eyebrow.
"He's dead, or he should be." he said with solemn.
"We have a way to bring him back," Fury replied.
James froze, just long enough to sell the performance.
"A resurrection?" he scoffed. "Director, that isn't funny."
"It's not a joke." Fury leaned forward. "The program was originally built for the Avengers Initiative. You're all assets too valuable to lose. A few critically injured agents even volunteered for medical experimentation to refine the process."
He paused.
"But the resurrection still comes with… complications. Psychological ones. We need to erase certain memories to stabilize the patient."
A small chill ran down James' spine—not from fear, but recognition.
'Ah. So this is their version of Project T.A.H.I.T.I.'
"I want Coulson to lead an independent team," Fury continued. "A small unit, specialized and capable. When they're ready, you won't need to stay. Coulson gets promoted to Level Eight. You'll be Level Seven."
"No problem," James said immediately. "He's my friend. I'll help him. And you're planning to keep his death a secret?"
"Exactly. We'll give him a medical leave cover story."
James nodded. "I understand."
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THOR'S REQUEST
When their meeting ended, James found Thor waiting.
"What do you need me to do?" James asked.
Thor crossed his arms.
"I was meant to bring the Tesseract back to Asgard," he said. "But it has… chosen you."
James kept his expression neutral. "So that's a problem for you."
Thor nodded.
"Without the Bifrost, Heimdall cannot retrieve me. I need the Stone's power. I need you to open a portal to send me home."
James sighed, pretending reluctance. "I'll need a few days. I don't know how to use it yet."
"That is acceptable," Thor said. "I will wait for you to be ready, while I keep my brother in check so he doesn't cause any more havoc among your people."
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HIDDEN MOVEMENTS
James returned to his quarters and had Athena compile post-battle intel. What he wanted wasn't public opinion—it was signs of covert activity.
He found none.
Anyone moving pieces behind the scenes had hidden their tracks well.
Most of the visible noise came from politicians accusing the Avengers of being "unregulated power."
James shut it all off, unimpressed.
"Bunch of political trolls," he muttered.
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SECRET RESEARCH — THE SPACE STONE
In a room alone.
"Cortana," he murmured mentally, "Any discoveries on the Space Stone?"
Cortana popped out the space stone in front of James to hold it in his hands. [It's… fascinating.] Cortana's voice carried genuine wonder.
[The Stone's energy is pure and nearly limitless. But there is also—] A pause. [—something like magic.]
James blinked as he looked at the stone in his hand.
"Magic? Ain't it all just energy?"
[You've forgotten Doctor Strange already?]
"Oh. Right." He winced. "To be fair, I barely paid attention to him."
[The Stone can open spatial gateways. That alone qualifies as magic by human standards. But improper use risks launching you into unknown regions of the universe. We must study it carefully.]
James nodded.
"So… Can you open a portal to Asgard?"
[Yes. But we'll need a proper conduit. Your Umbra Sentinel will require a full redesign.]
James perked up immediately.
"A redesign? With the Space Stone's power? Can we… bring more League abilities to reality?"
[Some of them. With proper control and usage. The Stone can serve as a primary core.]
James grinned.
"Then let's do it."
He sat up.
"I guess I can use my internal space openly now. The Stone gives me a good excuse, doesn't it?"
[Yes. That aligns with known properties of the Space Stone. There would be no reason to suspect any unknown powers from you that could alert them of your bigger threat.]
James nodded. "Perfect."
A soft pulse filled the room.
The Space Stone appeared before him—floating gently, glowing with cosmic blue radiance. James cupped it in his hand.
He felt something—like a thread tying him to the gem.
"Cortana… do you feel that? That connection?"
[I sense it through you. But not directly. The Stone recognizes you—not me.]
"Why?"
[Unknown. Perhaps its selection is mystical. Perhaps it reads your sub-space resonance. I cannot form hypotheses yet.]
James stared at the gem.
"How do we use it?"
[You must experiment yourself. Start with small output tests. And—]
Her tone sharpened.
[—do NOT try opening a space channel without proper safety. That could scatter your atoms across the cosmos.]
"Right. A suit remake first," James agreed.
He leapt off the bed.
"Let's go find Tony."
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STARK TOWER — THE NEXT PROJECT BEGINS
He found Tony and Bruce deep into drinks and schematics in the Helicarrier lab.
James didn't bother if they were busy and just went on to get their attention.
"Hey Tony! Bruce! Let's go to Stark's tower."
Tony blinked. "Hmm? What's up? Why the rush?"
"I need a new suit — for this." James held up the Space Stone.
Bruce choked on his drink.
"Oh," Tony said. "Well things are about to get interesting, let's go!."
They summoned Selvig, who passed safety checks and joined them.
Stark Tower wasn't badly damaged — its self-contained power grid had protected it. The surrounding blocks looked worse.
James stood by the window.
"Your tower got lucky," he said. "The buildings around it… not so much."
"Thank Loki for picking my building," Tony muttered. "J.A.R.V.I.S., bring the labs online."
(Laboratory systems restored, sir.)
The lab below Tony's penthouse hummed to life — robotic arms moving, materials shifting, holograms flickering alive.
"You really invested a lot," James murmured. "This looks like the start of a military factory."
Tony smirked. "My Iron Legion has to start somewhere. Now—James? You want a new armor?"
J.A.R.V.I.S. displayed the Umbra Sentinel's blueprint.
James crossed his arms.
"The Nexus Arms need enhancing. More power output. The sniper system has too much drag on my back — let's replace it with an orbital deployment when needed. enhance the aerodynamics. And we make it around using the Space Gem as a power source."
Tony nodded. "A doable design."
Selvig spoke next. "The Stone's energy is universal. It can output normal electricity, gamma radiation, or space-generating energy. But uncontrolled output risks opening a tear in space."
"So let's focus on regulating it first," James said. "Start by testing its output."
And so the four geniuses began.
They fabricated a compact energy capacitor and converter — cables feeding into analysis modules. Screens came alive.
Thor, who came with them while holding the leash that bounds Loki, drank upstairs, enjoying his ancient war films.
Finally, Tony stepped back.
"Alright. Insert the Stone. Let's see what it does. Small output only."
James held the Stone between his fingers. It pulsed in response.
He didn't know exactly how to "use" it.
But he felt the connection.
He focused and Willed it.
The gem floated slowly.
James guided it into the emitter housing—
—and thought about the energy output it should release.