Deep within the underground S.H.I.E.L.D. base, Nick Fury leaned against the railing, looking down from above at the bustling personnel below...
Bruce Banner followed behind him, glancing around curiously, seemingly intrigued by this heavily fortified research center.
The man responsible for New York's massive economic losses and casualties had ultimately chosen to remain with S.H.I.E.L.D... As Fury had put it, unless Banner found a way to control the Hulk within him, there was truly nowhere in the world he could go.
As the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., the black-clad leader indeed knew how to win people's trust. Though, like General Ross, he coveted the Hulk's immense power, he hadn't revealed his intentions outright.
Instead, he gradually lowered Banner's guard, implementing a series of measures... such as assigning professional psychiatrists for counseling and using meditation and yoga to regulate emotions.
Though these methods only addressed the symptoms rather than the root cause, Banner slowly gained control, no longer allowing the green beast to emerge at will.
For now, he had locked the Hulk away in a cage within his mind.
"Dr. Banner, how long has it been since your last transformation?" Fury asked.
"Fifteen days and six hours," Banner replied, now clean-shaven and looking every bit the refined scholar.
He practiced emotional control daily, keeping his heart rate below 200. Gradually, the Hulk had grown quieter, to the point where Banner could barely sense its presence.
"Relax. We're not here to dissect you or strap you to an operating table. That would only provoke a certain green monster with a penchant for destruction." Fury waved a hand, soothing Banner's nerves, "I hear you're quite the expert on gamma radiation?"
The mention of that term seemed to strike a nerve. Banner's face twitched, and he hesitated before answering.
Gamma radiation had turned his life upside down... It costed him his beloved girlfriend, his bright future, and reduced him from a top-tier scientist to a military fugitive. It all felt like a nightmare he couldn't wake up from...
"No one understands gamma radiation better than you," Fury said, a faint smile crossing his stern face, "Truthfully, compared to the Hulk, I value the man standing before me far more... Dr. Bruce Banner."
"...Your mind is the real treasure here. And right now, I need your help, as Bruce Banner."
Banner hesitated before nodding silently. Deep down, he had no desire to work for government agencies, whether S.H.I.E.L.D. or the military.
Most of these people harbored ulterior motives, and cooperating with them rarely ended well.
"This cube is called the Tesseract, a remarkable artifact. Legend says it was once Odin's most prized gem in Norse mythology, possessing infinite energy. S.H.I.E.L.D. has been attempting to harness it to create a stable perpetual energy source..."
Leading Banner into the elevator, the director arrived at the base's core laboratory. Dr. Selvig tinkered with the equipment, trying to elicit an energy response from the Tesseract for analysis and replication.
"This is Dr. Erik Selvig. I suspect you'll be seeing a lot of each other... And this is Agent Barton, he is responsible for the Tesseract's and your safety." Fury made the introductions one by one.
The reason he had brought Banner to this secret base, one unrecorded even in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s internal files, was to exploit the scientist's genius intellect to unravel the Tesseract's mysteries.
The small blue cube had first appeared during World War II, falling into the hands of HYDRA's leader, the Red Skull.
Knowing its origins, Johann Schmidt used it to create devastating energy weapons. Had Captain America and the Howling Commandos not thwarted the madman's plans, history might have taken a very different turn.
Later, Howard Stark fished the Tesseract out of the ocean. Limited by the technology of the time, he couldn't immediately tap into its infinite energy, opting instead to seal it away... That was until Nick Fury ascended to the directorship of S.H.I.E.L.D...
"It's emitting faint gamma radiation, along with some unknown radioactive particles," Banner observed after a glance at the monitoring equipment's data streams.
Shifting his gaze to the Tesseract's eerie blue glow, Banner felt a sudden unease. The Hulk's primal instincts warned him that this little object was far from harmless.
"What do you plan to do with it?" Banner asked, turning to Fury.
Having been deceived by General Ross once, he wasn't about to take things at face value.
"Develop unlimited energy. It could solve many problems... energy crises, resource wars, and the like," Fury replied without batting an eye.
The director certainly wouldn't admit that S.H.I.E.L.D. intended to weaponize the Tesseract. With idealists like Banner, one had to proceed cautiously, lowering their guard before winning their trust with lofty justifications.
After settling Banner in, Fury strode down the long corridor to meet with Coulson who had just returned from Stark Industries.
"Did Tony Stark agree?" Fury cut straight to the point.
Coulson nodded. When he had arrived at Stark Industries, the flamboyant Iron Man had been hosting a superhero party at his home, with the entire Fantastic Four in attendance.
Too busy reveling, Stark had ignored S.H.I.E.L.D.'s calls, until Ms. Potts finally picked up.
"Mr. Stark said that as S.H.I.E.L.D.'s scientific consultant, assisting us is only natural. He'll handle the anti-gravity metal and the Helicarrier's construction in due time," the middle-aged agent recounted, his expression odd.
Even Fury was surprised. Since when had the sarcastic, sharp-tongued Tony Stark become so accommodating? In the past, getting him to lift a finger required endless persuasion and bargaining.
"Mr. Stark seemed... preoccupied. He agreed almost casually," Coulson added hesitantly.
He was currently the only S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who could directly contact Tony Stark. The high-profile, self-assured Iron Man had little patience for government agencies, especially those filled with spies.
It was only because Coulson had saved Pepper Potts during the Obadiah Stane incident that he'd earned a measure of Stark's goodwill. Otherwise, the notoriously independent billionaire might not have given S.H.I.E.L.D. the time of day...
"Keep an eye on Tony. Don't let him stir up trouble... he's a headache waiting to happen," Fury instructed.
The director firmly believed that Tony Stark's capacity for chaos matched his intellect, which was why he kept close tabs on the man.
Setting aside the mystery of Stark's uncharacteristic cooperation, Fury stepped into the elevator.
With the Tesseract project in full swing and the Helicarrier's construction underway, S.H.I.E.L.D. was steadily advancing its goals. Equipping elite soldiers with powerful energy weapons and deploying the all-seeing "Eye of Horus" in the sky would allow them to monitor the planet in its entirety.
And if the upcoming Project Insight succeeded, S.H.I.E.L.D. would finally become the unshakable shield protecting Earth.
Whether mutants or other superhumans, none would pose a threat under the watchful eyes of the Avengers...
'S.H.I.E.L.D. is the world's greatest safeguard,' Fury thought to himself...