Jack stood on the sun-drenched shore of Cape Matapan, the gentle waves of the Aegean Sea lapping at his bare feet. He whistled, a single, sharp note that cut through the sound of the surf. In an instant, the air beside him shimmered, and a familiar, sky-blue cloud materialized from his very being. Jack immediately wrapped his arms around its misty form, burying his face in its cool, soft surface.
"I'm so sorry," he whispered, his voice muffled. "I know, I know. But I was asleep, too."
Zephyr shifted and shook, a silent, comforting vibration that was both a greeting and a forgiveness. Jack pulled back and laughed, a genuine, heartfelt sound. "Kekekeke, thank you, buddy. I think you've looked handsome yourself."
He then leaped into the air. Zephyr swooped from below, catching him with practiced ease. Jack laughed again as they soared into the sky. "Kekekeke, it's like we never left. Let's go. We will see brother first."
…
Jack arrived at the London Sanctum Sanctorum and knocked on the grand, unassuming front door. A moment later, it was opened by a man with a salt-and-pepper beard and the calm, steady eyes of a seasoned sorcerer.
"Ahh, Master Sol Rama," Jack said with a familiar grin. "I'm here to see my brother."
Sol Rama bowed his head slightly. "Come in, Sage."
As they walked through the quiet, hallowed halls, Sol Rama spoke. "The Ancient One has been outside our dimension for months. It's best you wait here."
Jack's grin didn't falter. "Can I get a tea while I wait?"
Master Sol Rama smiled. "Of course."
…
Meanwhile, at the S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ in New York, Nick Fury rubbed his bald head, a gesture of pure, unadulterated frustration. "What is Jack's problem?" he grumbled to the empty command center. "Why is it that every New Year he brings a new headache to me?"
Agent Coulson, standing nearby, saw the storm brewing on his director's face and wisely held back the report he was carrying on Project T.A.H.I.T.I.
Agent Natasha Romanoff, who had been successfully infiltrating Jack Hou's God Tree ranks for months, hired by Natalie Beckman herself to assist on a project, approached Fury's desk.
"Natasha," Fury said, his one good eye fixing on her. "Is there anything you need to tell me?"
"Yes, sir," she replied, her voice calm and professional. "It's the monthly report I got from observing God Tree activities."
Fury sighed, the sound a low, weary thing. "Let's go to my office."
They both walked out of the command hub. As they left, Coulson glanced at the bank of monitors and saw it: breaking news alerts from all over the world, showing grainy footage of Jack Hou's clones waking up and breaking away from their respective countries' labs.
Inside Nick Fury's office, Natasha handed him a thin file. "I think it's my last day, sir," she said, her tone even. "Jack Hou is already awake. He knows who I am. It will be unwise to let him see me spying on his group."
Fury nodded slowly. "Okay. I'll assign you to another mission. Now, run me through this. Why has Frost International been running around Golden Peach and the Xavier Mansion?"
Natasha let out a quiet sigh. "There is not much I can do, sir. I've only been there for two months, and in that time, most of the important information was passed around in scrolls."
"Scrolls?" Fury asked, his brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"
"Just like one of those in ancient Chinese history," Natasha explained. "They were careful, though. They sealed them with wax and strings and always had two God Tree guards keeping an eye on them. I was about to make a move on one today when I heard Natalie get a call, and she rushed to the hospital. I sensed that Jack Hou had already woken up, and sure enough, when I went out of the God Tree, I saw one of his clones perched on the roof of one of the Golden Peach buildings."
Fury let out a long, heavy sigh. "Good job on the mission. You're dismissed. Get yourself a leave for a week."
Natasha nodded. "Thank you, sir."
…
Three days later, a shimmering, golden portal tore open in the courtyard of the London Sanctum. The Ancient One stepped through, his expression as serene as ever. He saw Jack Hou sitting at a stone table, a simple cup of tea untouched before him, looking as if he'd been waiting for him all along.
"Oh," Yao said, a warm chuckle in his voice. "So you've collected another fragment."
Jack looked up and his face split into a wide grin. "Kekeke, hello, brother! Of course I have. Where have you been? I've been beating your students around because I'm bored."
Yao's gaze drifted to the training yard, where several disciples were groaning and stretching, their bodies clearly sore. He chuckled. "Does it feel good?"
He sat down beside Jack. Jack picked up the simple gourd he'd gotten from the Underworld and poured a cup for Yao, the liquid shimmering with a faint, otherworldly light. "It's just filling time, really."
Yao's brow raised slightly as he looked at the offered drink. "I can't drink that."
"Why?" Jack asked, taking a sip from his own cup. "It's a good drink. I swear, it's better than tea."
Yao just chuckled and conjured another cup, pouring himself some of the tea that had been waiting. As he sipped, he exhaled, a sound of ancient contentment. "Waters from the five rivers of the Underworld couldn't be consumed by those who have never passed their trials."
Jack looked down at his gourd, his eyes widening in realization. "I don't know that."
"You know now," Yao said simply.
"I'm here to also ask for your help," Jack said, his tone turning serious. "My clones have been having a weird experience, last time before I went into a coma."
Yao turned his head, his gaze sweeping over Jack, up and down, a slow, analytical scan. "Hmmm…" he mused, his eyes twinkling. "It's Loki."
"Ah, the invasion, huh?" Jack said, leaning back. "Why is he spying on me? Does the Loki invasion still happen? Thor is under my territory prescribing medicine. What would happen?"
Yao's smile was gone. "Fate has always had a funny way of showing it, and of breaking itself. It is not my place to meddle with the universe."
Jack's own smile faded. "Does that mean your death?"
Yao's smile returned, soft and gentle. "Sshhhh… you're going to spoil the tea." He took another slow sip.
Jack just stared at him, a worried look crossing his face.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Yao asked, a playful challenge in his voice. "I can still beat you."
Jack's worried expression broke, and he began to laugh. The sound started low, then grew more manic, more unhinged, until it was a full-blown cackle that echoed through the Sanctum. "KekekekekekeKEKEKEKEKE! Alright, brother! Indulge me as a New Year's gift, will you?"
Yao placed his teacup down. Then, he snapped his fingers.
Reality fractured like a pane of glass.
"Mirror Dimension," Jack said, his grin returning. "A bit cheating, don't you think? What if you're passed out? Then we're stuck together."
Yao chuckled. "Just say if you're afraid."
He stood and stepped through the shimmering, kaleidoscopic tear in the world.
Jack followed, his own voice a low, excited promise. "Don't expect me to hold back."
…
The door to Nick Fury's office slid open with a soft hiss. Agent Phil Coulson stepped inside, his face a mask of grim, weary resolve. He held a data pad in his hand as if it were a bomb.
Fury didn't look up from the holographic display he was studying. "If this is about the budget cuts to the R&D department's artisanal coffee machine, I've already vetoed it. A caffeinated scientist is a productive scientist."
"It's about Project T.A.H.I.T.I., sir," Coulson said, his voice flat.
Fury's one good eye finally lifted, locking onto his agent. He gestured to the chair. "Report."
Coulson placed the data pad on Fury's desk and activated it. A video log flickered to life, showing a test subject strapped to a medical bed. The man was screaming, his body convulsing, his words a nonsensical, terrified babble about alien script carved into his soul.
"The side effects of the GH-325 are… horrific," Coulson stated, his voice tight. "Subjects experience complete psychological collapse. Severe psychosis, memory fragmentation, and a constant, looping state of terror. We've found only one way to mitigate the damage."
He swiped the screen, showing another file. "A complete memory wipe. We erase who they were, implant a new, fabricated life, and hope it holds. Sir… this is a violation of everything S.H.I.E.L.D. is supposed to stand for. We're not just saving lives; we're destroying them to do it. Project T.A.H.I.T.I. must be shut down."
Nick Fury watched the screaming man on the screen, his expression unreadable. He was silent for a long, heavy moment. Then, he looked at Coulson, his gaze as hard and unyielding as granite.
"The project will not be shut down," he said, his voice a low, final command.
…
Meanwhile, in Dubai, the desert sun beat down on a scene of pure, unadulterated opulence. Tony Stark, clad in the sleek, powerful Mark VI armor, hovered beside a man named Omar, the billionaire owner of Global Incorporated.
"So, let me get this straight," Tony's voice crackled through the suit's external speakers. "You want me to race your two glorified jetpacks against a suit that can achieve Mach 3 in a climb? And if I win, you'll donate five million to the Maria Stark Foundation?"
Omar, a man whose tailored suit probably cost more than a small car, gave a smug, confident smile. "That is the bet, Mr. Stark. I have the utmost faith in my company's Glider Harnesses."
Tony's helmet tilted. "Alright, you're on. But when I win, I want the check delivered by a singing telegram dressed as a giant pretzel. Just for the aesthetic."
The race began. Iron Man shot off the starting line, leaving the two Global Incorporated pilots in a cloud of dust and swagger. He didn't just fly; he showboated. He did a barrel roll around the Burj Khalifa, flew backward for a solid minute, and at one point, stopped to order a shawarma via his comms.
The two pilots, strapped to their sputtering Glider Harnesses, tried their best, but they were hopelessly outmatched. As Tony looped back for the final stretch, he saw a massive, building-sized billboard for Global Incorporated. With a wicked, impulsive grin, he angled his flight path and, with a final, glorious fly-by, the sonic boom from his thrusters shattered the billboard into a million glittering pieces.
He landed in front of Omar, his armor gleaming, his posture a perfect superhero landing. The two pilots landed a full minute later, their harnesses smoking.
Omar was not smiling. He was seething. "You not only bested my pilots," he hissed through clenched teeth, "but you also destroyed my billboard!"
"Yeah, sorry about that," Tony said, his faceplate retracting to reveal a completely nonchalant smirk. "Got a little carried away. Now, about that five million…"
"I will not be donating the agreed quantity!" Omar roared. "The cost of that sign will require the five million!"
Tony Stark just stared at him for a moment. Then, he shrugged.
"Fine," he said, his tone one of utter, casual indifference. "Bill me."
…
The New York S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters was a monument to discreet power. As Director Maria Rambeau was escorted through the underground hangar, she glanced at the agency's crown jewel: the Helicarrier, currently undergoing inspection, its massive turbines silent, its decks swarming with technicians.
She arrived at Nick Fury's office. He stood as she entered.
"Director Rambeau," he said, his voice a low, even thing.
"Director Fury," she replied, her tone matching his. They shook hands, a firm, professional greeting between two of the world's most powerful figures.
"Who did you bring here today?" Fury asked, his gaze shifting to the man standing respectfully behind her.
"Let me introduce you," Maria said. "Dr. Erik Selvig."
Nick Fury shook hands with the renowned astrophysicist. "Nice to meet you, Doctor."
"The pleasure is mine," Selvig replied.
Nick then led them to the small seating area in his office. He sat down on the couch. "So," he began, steepling his fingers. "What do our cousins at S.W.O.R.D. need from S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
Maria smiled. "We are here to push a joint experiment."
"Oh?" Fury's one good eye narrowed slightly. "And I'm guessing this involves your jurisdiction and something I have."
"Let me cut to the chase," Maria said, her professional smile unwavering. "We need the Tesseract."
She handed Fury a file. On the front, in bold, black letters, it read: PROJECT P.E.G.A.S.U.S.
Nick Fury took it and opened it.
"We want to continue and reactivate the project," Maria explained. "And we would like to be included in it."
Fury looked up from the file. "Dr. Selvig, can you leave us for a moment?"
Selvig nodded and quietly exited the room. Nick then rubbed the bridge of his nose, a weary gesture. "Is this a personal thing? Because of Danvers?"
Maria's expression hardened. "Don't even start there."
"Listen," Nick said, leaning forward. "We've already researched this on our own, and we already got a result."
"I know," Maria cut in, her voice sharp. "It's that big-ass ship, right?"
Nick paused, a flicker of surprise on his face. "Yes. It's an aircraft. We've already succeeded in harnessing its power to create an energy block to power those carriers. We've already used it in several tests and mock tests."
"Then think about it more, Fury," she pressed. "Imagine what we can have with S.W.O.R.D.'s cooperation."
"I don't know," Nick said, leaning back. "We're vulnerable right now. Jack Hou has woken up, and the whole world keeps demanding S.H.I.E.L.D. contain him."
"Don't try to change the subject, Fury." She sighed, then stood. "Just read the files I gave you. I assure you, it will drive humanity to a better future."
She then turned and left, the door hissing shut behind her, leaving Nick Fury alone with a file that held the power to change the world, and a decision that could save it or doom it.
**A/N**
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**A/N**