Inside the mothership's laboratory.
The metal objects brought back from the XX base were placed on the shelves and were being inspected inside and out by various instruments.
"The results of the test and analysis are somewhat similar to your new technology. It can be used to control people's minds." Tony Stark looked at the various experimental data displayed on the screen, raised his eyebrows slightly, and looked at Luke next to him.
"Similar, but not the same thing. Just two ways of utilizing the same energy." Luke shook his head. Emotional energy was indeed somewhat similar to the psychic power of Loki's scepter, but this kind of collision was all too common in the universe.
Before Tony could say anything, Nick pushed the door open and walked in.
"How long will it take, Dr. Banner?" Nick asked urgently as he looked at the busy Bruce Banner.
"I have perfected the algorithm, but I am still searching. I can't guarantee you the time, but I will have information in no more than one day. If they are indeed activating the power of the Rubik's Cube as you said." Dr. Banner raised his head from the screen and answered.
"I have a bad feeling." Nick said seriously, "I always feel that Loki will do something that will give us a headache."
"What about those mages? Why don't you seek their help?" Thor's voice came from outside the door. Everyone turned around and saw Thor rushing in with his hammer in hand, followed by the captain, Frank and others. He looked at Nick and suggested.
Tony's interest piqued. He was also fascinated by the mysterious wizards, or rather, the knowledge they possessed. Perhaps he could spare some time to learn some magic and create a magical suit?
"They are not participating in this battle. In their own words, this is not an invasion by dimensional demons, and the Supreme Sorcerer is not at home now, so they cannot make the decision. They have not intervened in any wars and changes in human society in the past, including extraterrestrial invasions." Nick's face was not looking good when he repeated it.
"That sounds like a perfunctory rejection," Tony scoffed.
"What about Asgard? Didn't the god-king Odin give you any other orders or help? This is your Asgardian prince invading our world!" Nick ignored Tony's sharp tongue and turned his attention to Thor. The wizard seemed to have decided to wait and see. Of the powerful reinforcements available, it seemed only Thor could squeeze some.
"I contacted Asgard after learning of Loki's whereabouts, but Heimdall told me that my father wasn't in Asgard. He'd gone somewhere with the Sorcerer Supreme. But if I need help, I can call some down. They're all brave warriors. But first, I have to make sure this invitation comes with your permission," Thor explained. He at least had the brains to figure out how to take over the position.
"Some?" Nick's one eye immediately stared at Thor cautiously.
"If you think it's not enough, it can also be an Asgard army." Thor misunderstood Nick's eyes, thinking that he felt that the helpers from Asgard were too few, and added after thinking about it.
"Thanks, but I won't need it until the final step." Nick immediately rejected Thor's offer. Unless there was no other way out, Nick would never consider this path. He was deeply suspicious of any extraterrestrial civilization, especially since he had interacted with some of them. It's easier to invite a deity than to send one away. Perhaps Thor and Asgard didn't mean that, but Nick couldn't help but think about it.
"Commander, Loki has appeared." Natasha's voice sounded in Nick's communicator. Just one sentence shocked Nick, Thor and others present.
A group of people rushed out, leaving only the three original people in the laboratory, Luke, Tony, and Banner.
"I'm in a hurry. Do you want to hear the news over there?" Tony took out his mobile phone and started screen projection using the equipment in the laboratory.
"You hacked into the system here?" Banner looked at the image Tony had projected, his tone filled with surprise. It seemed that he had not expected Tony to be so bold.
"I just helped find the system loopholes. Okay, I did do some tricks, but don't make a fuss. Don't you want to know what secrets that mysterious bald guy is hiding?" Tony's curiosity was obviously aroused by the various information revealed by Nick before.
The screen projected the image of the mothership's control room, and Tony thoughtfully turned on the loudspeaker. Seeing Banner's even more astonished expression, he curled his lips and said, "It's just a monitoring device. I just put it there."
…
"Where is Loki?" Nick asked urgently after rushing back to the control room.
"In Washington," Natasha said softly.
"Watt?" Nick's eyes widened.
"It's the Washington, D.C. you were thinking of, sir." Natasha confirmed Nick's idea.
"Fuck!" Nick couldn't help but curse. "Latest intelligence, footage transferred."
"Contact has been cut off. Everything over there is unknown at the moment. We have no idea what happened. Perhaps they have all been controlled." Natasha said the worst, and also the worst possible outcome.
"So, now all orders and instructions from over there can't be trusted?" Nick laughed bitterly. Fortunately, while S.H.I.E.L.D.'s main base was in this country, there were more than one entity with the final say. Honestly, Nick didn't care what happened to those people; their safety should be the responsibility of other departments, not S.H.I.E.L.D. The problem was, if they were controlled, it could cause internal unrest. S.H.I.E.L.D. didn't want to get into a fight with its own people before even engaging the enemy.
"Let me pass." Thor looked at the last image of his brother, standing on the steps with his head slightly raised, gazing at the sky, a sardonic smile on his lips. He seemed to know they were looking at him, and he could see him. He made his attitude clear: "I will definitely teach him a lesson and make him feel the pain."
"The situation has become complicated, Thor. Regardless, whether we like it or not, we need to send someone to assist. We also need to maintain communication with other departments, especially the military," Nick replied with a gloomy look. He didn't think this would be a normal visit. The other party had clearly exposed themselves and was trying to lure them in. Even more difficult, they now had no choice but to follow the script they had written.
"Captain." Nick's eyes fell on Steve Rogers. Steve and Nick locked eyes, and Nick said, "We don't know what Loki's plot is, but he's definitely got a handle on our weakness. You and Thor go over there and take care of him. Is that a problem?"
"No problem," Thor replied immediately. The captain nodded, turned around, and walked towards the deck without hesitation. As he walked, he said, "To save time, Thor, use your hammer to carry me over."
"Can you bear it? The speed of the hammer may make you uncomfortable. I am not looking down on your weak physical condition in the Midgard, I am just telling the truth." Thor hurried to catch up.
"The fastest speed, no problem." The captain touched the ring on his hand, turned and said to Thor who was catching up and walking side by side with him.
"I'm afraid it's too late, sir." The intelligence officer responsible for collecting intelligence suddenly stood up in horror and projected the image onto a large virtual screen in the air.
On the screen, a magnificent, dark blue beam shot up into the sky, piercing the somewhat gloomy and dim sky. The image shifted downward, revealing a triangular, pyramid-like instrument emitting the beam. At the tip of the instrument, a black cube shimmered with light, seemingly lifted by some mysterious force and suspended in mid-air, rotating.
Above the cube Rubik's Cube is a circular instrument with a diameter of more than ten meters, also suspended in mid-air. It is continuously drawing energy from the Rubik's Cube below, and then transforming it into a solid and magnificent beam of light, gushing into the sky.
Violent energy roiled the gloomy sky. Under the gaze of everyone, including Thor and the others who had yet to leave the control room, the sky seemed to have been blasted open by the energy beam, a portal to another world. As the energy from the beam from below continued to flow in and grow, the azure circle of light in the sky continued to expand in diameter. It started as a small opening, then in a very short time, expanded to a diameter of hundreds of meters, and even continued to expand.
From the blasted portal, tiny, black figures streamed out, like a swarm of bees, filling the sky. And like rain, they continued to pour in.
The screen split and focused, revealing tiny figures, each a silvery-white, mechanically constructed, humanoid soldier. They held weapons resembling guns and opened fire in mid-air. Their dense numbers created a dense rain of energy, which landed on the buildings below, exploding with a bang.
The portal in the sky was still expanding at its edges as energy poured in. When a huge, suffocating mechanical creature poked out its huge head and monstrous body from the portal like a fish and swam out, everyone in the control room held their breath and fell into deep silence.
"Did he steal the Tesseract just to open this wormhole and bring in this army?" Nick stood up, gazing at everyone below. "The other party has revealed their trump card, so we have to follow suit."
"Before I mobilize forces to rush over to support you, you need to do your best to maintain the situation and prevent it from worsening and spreading. I know this is difficult, but we have no other choice. I will notify the military to join this war and help you control the situation."
Thor was visibly embarrassed. He wanted to say something, but he felt he shouldn't speak now. After all, the one who had caused all this was his troublemaking brother. The captain turned around, called to Thor, and hurried off to the deck. Thor was grateful for the captain's call, so eager to escape this awkward situation, he chased after him.
"Old buddy." Nick looked at Frank.
"You know I hate all that official hassle." Frank shrugged.
"You're not saving those politicians, you're saving the world." Nick corrected him. "How about a quarter of the debt?"
"You are generous and you are right." Frank also stood up. The ring on his hand turned bright red, and a layer of red energy surged into his body, but this time he did not lose control.
"Get ready, too. Each of you should bring a team." Nick watched Frank, who vanished in a flash of red light, before finally settling on his own agents, Clint Hawkeye and Natasha. He was grateful that he had assembled S.H.I.E.L.D.'s most capable agents for this crisis. These were the elite agents who possessed both Beast Rings and the Mind Ring.
Finally, Nick pondered for a moment in the deserted control room before returning to the mothership laboratory where Luke and the other two were. He hadn't forgotten that there were still three powerful fighters inside.
"See, I knew he would come to us." Looking at Nick who appeared outside the door, Tony gave Dr. Banner a playful look.
"I need your help." Nick made his request straight to the point.
"We agreed that I'm just here to contribute my knowledge." Dr. Banner raised his hand.
"Does this mean that the experimental personnel should also go to the battlefield?" Luke sat on the chair.
"I'll stand with them for now." Tony pointed at Luke and the other two and took a step back.
"You all already know the situation." Nick looked at the live broadcast of the images from the control room in the laboratory, and instantly realized that Tony and the others must have done something. He was afraid that these three already knew everything they should and shouldn't know.
"This is not a small fight, but an invasion from outside the earth. I don't believe that when your comrades are fighting the enemy on the battlefield, you can just stand here and watch. It's not that I need your strength, but the world needs your strength. Bring out whatever good things you have. I know that you, Luke, and Stark must have your own trump cards in your hands, especially you, Luke. As for Doctor, you can still make your own choice, just like we agreed. You only contribute your knowledge. I will not force or ask you to go to the battlefield, even though the Hulk in your body may be a powerful force to reverse the situation on the battlefield." Nick said to the three of them with a serious face.
"Talking nonsense won't work on me." Luke spoke first.
"The Cosmic Cube," Nick said. "I promised you, if you help me control the situation, I can add another month."
"I also want Loki's scepter." Luke made a request.
"No problem." Nick was relieved by Luke's request. He was actually afraid that Luke would ask him something embarrassing at this moment. "But you need to report the use and experiments of the scepter."
"I'm just using it to study whether I can take the new energy to the next level." Luke stood up.