Loki was taken aboard the airborne Helicarrier and escorted to his prison cell.
John clicked his tongue, marveling at the sky fortress.
"Give me the key to the handcuffs." Natasha found a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and asked him to unlock them.
Hearing this, John said, "No need for such trouble."
He snapped his fingers.
"Alohomora."
Click.
The handcuffs clattered to the ground.
Natasha stared at the fallen restraints, then fixed her gaze on John. "You did that on purpose?"
"I just suddenly remembered I can use magic with my other hand too." John shook his right hand, a smile playing on his lips. "As you get older, you always forget some things."
This statement, coming from someone with a face as young as a high school student, held no persuasive power whatsoever.
Natasha clenched her fists.
John strolled further inside. "Make me a cup of coffee, Natalie."
Okay, her fists clenched tighter.
"Natalie?" Tony, overhearing this, smiled knowingly.
Natasha had used that name to infiltrate Stark Industries. He hadn't expected her to use it again to so seamlessly integrate into Taran Industries. A strange feeling stirred within him. When people find themselves in unfamiliar environments, they tend to gravitate towards those they feel closest to.
Tony sidled up next to John. "I'm surprised you came."
"Same as you—a man experiencing some hair loss showed up, and then a woman did." John shrugged. "Blah, blah, blah, something about the end of the world."
"I remember my words quite differently." Natasha rubbed her right hand, which had been cuffed for a while, hearing John's slanderous summary.
"Pretty much the same," John retorted.
Natasha shot him a look and walked away.
"Let me give you some advice—don't date her." Tony patted John on the shoulder and went to remove his armor.
Steve, who had been quiet until now, finally spoke. He had been observing John, and the more he looked, the more familiar John seemed. "Have we met before?"
He felt a bit silly asking—a man in his nineties asking a young man if they had met.
John sighed. "Fury is really something—he didn't even tell you who your savior was."
Extending his hand, John introduced himself. "John Wick. How does it feel to wake up from a dream?"
John's face flashed in Steve's mind, like a broken wire suddenly reconnecting. "It's you?" Steve's eyes widened in recognition.
"I took the initiative to remind you, so the wine is off the table." John had just used a touch of mind magic to help Steve recall. Dreams are mysterious things, almost like another dimension. John had guided Steve out of that dream, and to Steve, it felt like a past life in another world.
His memory restored, Steve smiled. "This time, it's my treat."
Thor leaned in. "Drinking? I like beer!"
"My mother has a wine I think you'd enjoy," John said, able to chat with anyone. Thor's face lit up at the mention of drinking, his demeanor completely different from the stern God of Thunder who had arrived earlier.
S.H.I.E.L.D.'s surveillance cameras were active. On the other side of the monitor, Fury stared at John with his one eye. "Everyone seems to be drawn to you. You're truly dangerous, John Wick." He muttered to himself, John's perceived threat level rising in his mind. This was a fractured team, its members strangers, even hostile towards one another—a billionaire, a World War II soldier, and an alien god. Yet, with John's appearance, they had quickly gathered around him. Even Natasha didn't realize how much she trusted John. They centered on John; such charisma was the bane of any agent.
Currently, only Banner had not yet met John. Fury had a feeling that Banner, too, would not escape this mysterious wizard's influence.
Loki was led into S.H.I.E.L.D.'s special prison—a clear cage hanging high in the air.
"Let me explain," Fury said calmly, walking to the controls. "If you try to escape—if you even scratch that glass…" He pressed a button.
The floor under Loki's cage opened up. Wind from thirty-thousand feet below rushed in.
"Thirty-thousand feet, straight down in a steel trap," Fury said, looking straight at Loki. "You get it?" He pointed to Loki, then to the red button. "Ant"—he gestured to Loki—"Boot"—he tapped the button.
The floor closed again.
Loki didn't look worried. He smiled faintly. He glanced around the cage. "It's an impressive cage," he said smoothly. "But I don't think it was built for me."
Fury agreed right away. "It was built for something much stronger than you."
They both knew he meant the Hulk—the big, green, dangerous problem.
"Oh, I've heard," Loki said. He looked up at a camera with fake pity. "The mindless beast… pretends he's still a man." His eyes met Fury's again. "How desperate are you? Calling on lost creatures like that to protect you?"
"How desperate am I?" Fury's eye stared hard at Loki. He stepped closer to the cage. "You threaten my world with war. You stole something you can't control. You talk about peace, but you kill for fun." He paused. "You've made me very desperate. You might not like what happens next."
Loki's smile grew wider. He looked like he could see right into Fury's thoughts. "Ooh. It burns you, doesn't it? You were so close. To have the Tesseract. To have unlimited power." He leaned in, his voice mocking. "And for what? A warm light for everyone to share?" Loki scoffed. Then he looked straight at Fury. "And then to be reminded what real power is."
Natasha, watching the interrogation with the other Avengers, looked up at John. A coincidence? John had said something remarkably similar to Loki earlier.
John met her gaze, raised an eyebrow, and remarked, "Smart people often share the same views."
Natasha raised an eyebrow in return. "Are you suggesting you're as smart as him?"
"Well," John rubbed the ring on his finger and smiled, "you'll find out later."
Their quiet exchange was overheard, leaving others confused. Meanwhile, Fury's interrogation concluded. John lowered his eyes, his gaze meeting Loki's on the monitor, his expression deep and unreadable.
Banner commented, "This guy really is long-winded." As someone Loki had indirectly criticized, his composure was commendable.
Steve saw through Loki's act instantly. "I think he's doing this deliberately." He turned to Thor. "What do you think his plan is?"
Thor, thus addressed, explained, "He commands an army called the Chitauri. They belong neither to Asgard nor any other known planet. Loki intends to lead them in an attack on Earth."
While Thor was speaking, John shook hands with Banner. "Hello, Dr. Banner. I'm John Wick," he said with a smile. "I know someone who's been looking for you everywhere."
Banner guessed immediately. "General Ross?"
"That's him," John nodded. "As you know, he has a peculiar temperament, but he and I also have business dealings."
"I wouldn't mind that." Having been chased by General Ross for years, Banner was fairly open-minded—especially since he had also dated Ross's daughter. He asked curiously, "I've seen your silhouette in magazines. Taran Industries."
"We're currently developing our medical division," John shrugged. "Given the current situation, it seems like a wise choice." With aliens appearing, superhero-related technology would undoubtedly become mainstream. John leaned in and whispered, "We've produced some super-elastic pants."
Banner's eyes lit up. He was immediately interested. After all, as someone who could transform into a giant at any moment, he preferred not to run around naked afterward.
"An army—from outer space." Steve interjected, the conversation with Thor concluding. "Dr. Banner, what are your thoughts?" They turned to Banner, the group's resident intellect.
Banner, who had been engrossed in the discussion about super-elastic pants, took a moment to reorient. John reminded him, "The army is coming here through the Tesseract."
"Ah, right," Banner reacted. "So he wants to open a portal? That's why he took Dr. Selvig."
"Selvig?" Thor looked at John.
John stated simply, "He's being controlled."
Steve was still puzzled. If Loki needed to command an army, why would he surrender so easily?
Banner added, "This guy's thoughts are unpredictable. If you ask me, he's a lunatic."
Hearing this, Thor immediately warned, "You'd better watch your words. Loki is indeed unreasonable, but he is an Asgardian—and my brother."
"Perhaps it's a feigned surrender," John said casually. "A coordinated effort from inside and out. This place isn't exactly a secret to S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, is it, Miss Romanoff? Besides, Thor—your brother killed at least eighty people."
At this, everyone fell silent. Natasha looked at John with a strange expression. Even Banner, who had been about to suggest finding the Tesseract first, closed his mouth. Natasha almost forgot that she herself had labeled John a lunatic in her assessment. What was this? The shared cognition of madmen?
Thor paused. "He is actually adopted."
After a brief silence, the discussion resumed. Banner theorized that since their adversary was looking for iridium, it might be related to some kind of machinery.
"It can be used as a stabilizer." Tony, having removed his armor, walked over and greeted John. "Where's your mysterious engineer? Why isn't he here?"
"He has other matters to attend to. You'll be pleasantly surprised when you finally meet him," John pouted slightly.
Tony put one hand in his pocket. "That's a real shame. He won't get to see me intellectually crush him." He then explained, "This way, the portal won't collapse like S.H.I.E.L.D.'s attempt." Tony was indeed a super-genius. Knowing they sought iridium, he understood it was needed as a stabilizer.
"Find another power source—high-density energy—as the activation key," John mused, rubbing his chin.
Tony glanced at John, surprised. "Wizards learn this stuff too?"
"You're not the only one who's read Selvig's research notes," John stretched.
Banner was thoughtful. "He'd need to heat the Tesseract's energy to at least one hundred million degrees to meet the theoretical requirements. Unless Selvig found a way to stabilize quantum tunneling. If you could do that, he could achieve ion fusion in any reactor on Earth."
Tony looked at Banner as if discovering a new species. "So, there are other experts around." He went over and shook Banner's hand—a moment of mutual appreciation between physicists in a world of barbarians.
Meanwhile, Steve, the ninety-year-old out of time, looked completely lost. "What just happened?"
John looked at Fury, who had just entered, and said listlessly, "Finished your discussion? Can I take a look around?"
Fury, about to assign tasks, paused and stared at John for a moment. "I'm flattered by your inquiry."
"Alright then, I won't inquire." John stood up abruptly and walked out. "Do as you please. I'll just wander around."
Agent Hill, standing nearby, complained, "He really doesn't treat himself as a guest."
Natasha felt the same. "He's always like this."
After John left, Fury joined the discussion. He needed Tony to assist Banner in tracking the Tesseract.
Steve said, "I'm going to start with Loki's scepter. It might genuinely possess magic."
"There was a wizard here just now. Why didn't you ask him?" Tony rolled his eyes. "He's the one who actually has magic."
While the original Avengers were deep in heated discussion, John had already arrived at the airborne prison where Loki was being held. This was their first formal meeting.
Loki wore a smile, his gaze intently following John's movements.
John approached the console, tapped it a few times, and muttered, "I remember he pressed it like this just now."
"What are you doing?" Loki was startled.
John stated, as if it were obvious, "A group of people over there are discussing how to get the Tesseract from you. But I'm different."
After pressing the panel a few more times, the floor of the airborne prison slid open. A powerful updraft surged from below.
John grinned. "I think just killing you directly would solve everything." He opened the protective cover of the launch button and waved at Loki. "I wonder if your physical condition can handle it."
"Wait a minute!" Loki, who had never encountered someone who so blatantly disregarded convention, felt his smile falter. "If you drop me, what about the Tesseract?"
"Ah," John sighed. "When you were stealing the Tesseract, who had it?"
"S.H.I.E.L.D.," Loki answered honestly.
John nodded. "Actually, I'm not particularly familiar with S.H.I.E.L.D." The implication was clear: John had no obligation to retrieve S.H.I.E.L.D.'s property.
As soon as John finished speaking, he moved to press the button. He figured that even if Loki wasn't a pure Asgardian, a fall from that height wouldn't necessarily kill him.
"Wait!" Loki interjected again, stopping him. "Don't you want to know more?"
"More?" John pondered for a moment. "Such as?"
Seeing this man—who was ready to send someone plummeting at the slightest disagreement—actually pause, Loki felt a wave of relief, as if he had narrowly survived a disaster. He composed himself, regaining his air of strategic control. "Why do you think they called you here now?"
"Riddler, get out of Gotham."
"What?"
"Nothing," John smiled faintly. "Please, continue."
Loki took a deep breath. "They are making weapons. If I hadn't arrived, who do you think would be their first target once those weapons are successfully researched?"
"Maybe," John ticked off on his fingers, "Britain, France, Italy… oh, and Japan. You might not know, but people used to sell barbecue there. Perhaps they harbored ambitions of ruling the world."
"It's you." Loki stared at John, interrupting him. "Their weapons are designed to deal with wizards."
John lowered his hand, his eyes narrowing as he looked at Loki.
Loki smiled faintly. "My mother was raised by a witch, and I inherited her magic. I know—one of the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents I control told me. Wizards pose a threat to this world, making those in power desperate to eliminate such dangerous lunatics. You don't actually believe the Tesseract's energy will be used to share warmth with the people of this planet for free, do you?"
Loki walked slowly towards the glass, hands behind his back, staring into John's eyes. "We are not enemies. They are. We possess the same power, wizard." His voice carried a seductive, conspiratorial tone. "Why should a group of lowly ants rule this planet? They don't trust you. They don't believe in you." Loki spread his hands. "Why not join me? Together, we can make this world our own."
"Enslave them together?" John laughed. He walked to the glass and stopped. "You should remember—this isn't our first meeting."
"The last time was in New Mexico." John rubbed the ring on his finger. "You came to see your brother."
Loki's smile vanished.
John continued calmly, "You met your brother and told a lie. You walked to that impact crater and tried to lift your brother's hammer." John stared into Loki's eyes. "You craved recognition—from your father, even if it was just his magic. You wanted that hammer to acknowledge you as a monarch, just like your brother."
Loki's face darkened. Then, suddenly, he smiled, a low chuckle escaping him. "You are indeed special. You are different from them." His gaze dropped to the bloodstain on his palm, a blue light flashing in his eyes. "So, what do you intend to do? You are a wizard, not my reckless brother. You clearly know all of this—my magic, my thoughts. What do you want? This world? Or greater magic?"
Only a layer of glass separated them. John looked deeply at Loki, then glanced up at the surveillance camera. "The God of Mischief?" he said indifferently. Turning towards the control panel, John's voice resonated. "I don't care about these things. If you want to rule this world, you can do so anytime—as long as you possess enough power."
John reached the control panel, opened the cover, and placed his hand on the button. Loki's expression shifted. John tilted his head and smiled. "Power is paramount." He slowly pressed down. Loki tensed.
"Mr. Wick!" Fury appeared, shouting to stop him.
John glanced over. "It seems your meeting is over," he said with a hint of regret.
Fury's face was livid. "Is this what you call 'talking it out'?"
John removed his hand from the button, sighed, and said, "Just discussing domestic affairs and ideals." Fury's expression remained stern. John was restricted by him and not allowed to approach further. The Tesseract hadn't been found yet, and Fury was genuinely afraid John would simply eject Loki to his death.
"Power is paramount?" Loki asked.
"Civilization is built upon requisite power," John chuckled softly. "Asgard was once barbaric. Even now, as a civilized realm, it still intimidates the universe with its might. Without sufficient power, in the vast forest of this universe, civilization is merely a fleeting, dazzling embellishment before its inevitable extinction." John left the cell. Loki's gaze followed him until he disappeared completely.
On the deck, John looked up at the starry sky. "Kicking people out—how impolite."
Fury stood behind him, his expression dark—though perhaps that was just his natural complexion. "You almost severed all our leads," Fury said sternly. "This is a major event, endangering the world—not your game, Mr. Wick."
"A major event?" John tilted his head. He stared at Fury, making the director visibly uncomfortable. "Are wizards making you afraid?"
Fury paused for a moment. "I've always had a question. Who exactly are you?" he said. "There's no record of your entry application at the Ministry of Magic. You disappeared for many years."
"Schooling takes a bit longer for some," John said lightly. "Wizards also have Hogwarts, you know."
"Really?" Fury pressed. John offered no more explanation.
Fury looked at him. "In this country, many things are happening one after another. Supervillains, terrorists, aliens descending for brawls, and… wizards." He continued, his voice heavy. "One day, in Washington, in broad daylight, a colossal entity appeared. No one knew how it got there. Wherever it passed, all life dissipated like dandelions in the wind." Fury's trench coat flapped in the wind as he spoke of a past event in America that few knew.
"Nearly a hundred thousand people, several military bases—including all soldiers on an aircraft carrier—vanished. Only one enemy," he gritted his teeth. "Only—damn it—one enemy! An existence that left the entire United States helpless. It oppressed the country and forced the president at the time to compromise. The fate of the nation had to be decided within three minutes."
Fury calmed himself. "You tell me, what should I do? Humanity faces unkillable monsters. We need to be prepared. One day, that monster will destroy the world." Fury stared at John. "In Old Bridge Town, a fight between foreign gods destroyed an entire town. In the face of these crises, we cannot afford to be fish on someone else's chopping block."
From a human perspective, Fury was both wrong and right. Those weapons could be used against wizards, but they could also become tools for humans to destroy each other.
John stood in the wind, his expression calm. "Can you make a god bleed?" This god was not Thor, Loki, or their kind—but another, different god.
Fury remained silent. In truth, they had never made even Thor or Loki bleed. Loki alone had swaggered into a heavily guarded S.H.I.E.L.D. base and stolen the Tesseract. Bullets were mere toys to these beings.
"Romanoff will get information from Loki," Fury stated, then departed.
John squinted comfortably in the wind. "Gods do not bleed." He took out his pocket watch, glanced at it, then drew his old wand with his left hand and waved it. He vanished from the deck.
A few hours later, Coulson urgently found Fury. "Sir, someone has invaded our system." Fury's expression changed. He immediately knew who it was. There was another restless individual aboard.
Tony Stark.
Cooperation is built upon frank trust between both parties, not on secrecy and using missions to conceal ulterior motives. Tony was not one to remain passive. He had long suspected S.H.I.E.L.D.'s intentions for possessing the Tesseract. After sharing his suspicions with Dr. Banner and Steve, Steve chose to investigate in his own way.
By the time Fury arrived, Steve had placed weapons found in the Helicarrier's warehouse on the table. At that moment, this makeshift team became dangerously unstable.
Natasha, by feigning weakness to Loki, had also obtained information about his plan to use the Hulk. She immediately took Thor to the center of the escalating argument to keep Dr. Banner there.
A quarrel erupted. Tony exposed the plan to use the Tesseract to create weapons of mass destruction. Fury deflected blame onto Thor. Thor felt that developing such weapons was a clear signal that they were preparing for war.
During their argument, their tones unknowingly grew harsher, laced with sarcasm. No one noticed that the Mind Scepter, placed in the laboratory, was subtly affecting everyone.
A transport plane approached the Helicarrier.
In his high-altitude prison, the corners of Loki's lips curled upwards. His plan was working—to disrupt the enemy from within.
On the transport plane, Clint Barton took out his bow and arrow. Standing at the open hatch, he drew his bow, nocked an arrow, measured the wind direction, and released his fingers.
The arrow, as if guided by an unseen force, struck the Helicarrier's engine with pinpoint accuracy. An explosion sounded. Flames erupted from the engine, and the Helicarrier vibrated violently, tilting precariously.
The tense standoff among the heroes was shattered.
Natasha and Dr. Banner fell to a lower level.
Under the influence of the Mind Scepter and the shock of the explosion, Dr. Banner began to lose control. His body swelled, his skin turning green.
The Hulk appeared.
His first glance locked onto Natasha, whose foot was pinned by a heavy object. He let out an enraged roar and charged towards her. Natasha, having just managed to free herself, turned her head to see the Hulk, consumed by fury, rushing at her.
A huge fist rapidly expanded before her eyes.
***********
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