A Brazilian Favela
Dr. Banner looked at the graceful, alluring Black Widow standing before him. He swept his gaze over the surroundings and smiled faintly.
"So you were the one who had that little girl lure me to the outskirts. Looks like this was planned in advance. Which means this place should already be surrounded by fully armed personnel."
Natasha did her best to maintain a natural smile.
"We just wanted to meet you somewhere more suitable and have a talk."
"A talk? Not here to arrest me?" Banner smiled with a hint of mockery. "Before we start anything, I should remind you—none of the people who came for me before managed to succeed."
Natasha shook her head, her expression sincere.
"We weren't sent by the military to hunt you down. Let me introduce myself—S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, Natasha Romanoff."
"S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Banner's expression shifted slightly. "How did you find me?"
"S.H.I.E.L.D. has been observing you for a long time. We even helped you deal with some of the forces that wanted to cause you trouble. In fact, we took on part of the pressure from the military—that's why they eventually gave up their pursuit of you," Natasha explained.
"Alright. Then what do you want with me now?" Banner nodded calmly and asked.
Natasha took out her phone and handed it to Banner.
"Director Nick Fury wants to use your expertise to locate the Tesseract."
"What exactly is the Tesseract?" Banner asked as he curiously flipped through the information on the phone.
"As you can see, the Tesseract contains limitless energy. In theory, it's powerful enough to destroy the entire Earth."
"So you're not here because of the Hulk?" Banner stared at Natasha with a scrutinizing gaze.
Natasha nodded.
"At least, that's what Director Fury told me."
Banner smiled and shook his head, his tone carrying an inscrutable meaning.
"Fine. I don't mind going with you. But could you ask your people to put their weapons away? Otherwise, I might get angry."
Natasha was startled. Instinctively, she stood up and reached for her weapon, but immediately realized herself, forced down her tension, and smiled as if it were nothing.
"These are just necessary security precautions. We don't mean you any harm."
"Do you really think those weapons will let you walk away unharmed if I lose my temper?" Banner said with a half-smile.
Natasha took a deep breath.
"We're not your enemies. The entire Earth may be facing a massive disaster right now. We need your help.
Please, stay calm."
"No need to be so nervous. After obtaining this thing, I've gradually been able to try controlling the power inside my body. I won't lose control so easily anymore," Banner said with a smile, taking out the Rage Memory and showing it to Natasha.
"A Gaia Memory?!" Natasha exclaimed in shock.
Banner's eyes flickered. So S.H.I.E.L.D. really did know about Gaia Memories.
...
Stark Tower
"Agent Coulson, I didn't invite you up here. Barging into my office like this—doesn't that count as illegal?" Tony said irritably, clearly unhappy that the uninvited Coulson had interrupted his rare private time with Pepper.
Coulson's expression was grave.
"Tony, we don't have much time. I have something you need to see."
"It certainly looks serious, if you're in such a rush to seek help from me, your so-called consultant," Tony frowned slightly, but didn't reach out to take the documents Coulson offered.
Pepper, who knew Tony's habits all too well, naturally took the materials from Coulson and handed them to Tony.
Tony uploaded the data into his terminal and projected it onto a holographic screen. After only a brief glance, his expression turned grave.
Pepper noticed the change and felt a chill in her heart.
"It really does look serious."
...
Over the Atlantic Ocean — S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier
The members of the Avengers Initiative planned by Nick Fury arrived one after another.
Clark Kent, Captain America Steve Rogers, Dr. Banner, and Iron Man Tony Stark.
"So Dr. Banner also obtained a Gaia Memory from someone called 'Eternity,'" Nick Fury said, raising an eyebrow as he looked at Natasha's report.
"Yes. According to Dr. Banner, after he defeated Abomination and left New York, Eternity found him and gave him the Rage Memory, claiming it could help him control the Hulk's power," Natasha reported everything she had learned from Banner.
"Then how does Banner feel about the results?" Nick Fury asked after a moment of thought.
"With the help of the Memory, Dr. Banner has indeed managed—at least to a considerable degree—to maintain his rationality while controlling the Hulk's power."
Nick Fury's expression shifted several times as countless possibilities flashed through his mind. In the end, he spoke calmly.
"For now, this is a good thing for us. A Dr. Banner who can control his own power is an enormous asset to our side."
"What about Stark?" Nick then turned his gaze to Coulson.
Coulson gave a wry smile and shook his head.
"Tony agreed to contact several Riders who have fought against the Bugster monsters, but he didn't let me get involved. I don't know the specifics and can't obtain any effective information."
Nick Fury frowned slightly, clearly displeased.
"However," Coulson added after a moment's thought, "Tony said that if necessary, those Riders would step in to help."
At the same time, in the underground base of Holy City Hospital, Tony's message was also being discussed.
"Do you think what Tony Stark said is true? That there really will be an alien invasion?" Elena asked, propping her chin up.
"Stark didn't say anything was certain either. Just that a prince of an alien civilization came to Earth and snatched a treasure called the Tesseract from S.H.I.E.L.D.
As for how things will develop after that, it's still impossible to say," Li Hua analyzed calmly.
Elena nodded, then asked curiously,
"Loki? From Asgard? Do you think this guy really is the trickster god recorded in Norse mythology?"
"Whether he's an alien or a legendary supernatural being, if he truly intends to threaten all of humanity, we'll definitely have to stop him," Gwen said seriously, her cheeks slightly puffed.
"Of course," Victor, usually taciturn, nodded in agreement.
...
Meanwhile, Loki had already used the Mind Scepter to control a large number of subordinates. In a hidden temporary base, he forced Dr. Erik to devote himself fully to creating a device capable of activating the Tesseract's spatial power.
He planned to open a portal as soon as possible to the region of space where the Chitauri fleet was located, allowing them to conquer Earth for him—thus proving to his father and brother that he was absolutely worthy of becoming king.
(End of Chapter)