"Loki, where is the Tesseract?" Thor gripped Loki by the shoulders, demanding the location of the cube.

Loki’s rampage on Earth, resulting in hundreds of thousands of deaths, was already an unforgivable crime. With a brother like Thor, the people of Earth might not dare to retaliate personally, but once they returned to Asgard, there was no telling what punishment the All-Father, Odin, would decree.

Thor hoped that if Loki confessed, surrendered the Tesseract, and tried to compensate for his errors, he might at least be spared from a death sentence back home.

Loki spread his hands, a mocking smile dancing on his lips. "It’s not with me. I lost it."

"You..." Thor was so livid he was momentarily speechless.

"Sigh..." Tony let out a soft breath, realizing today’s mission wasn’t going to be a simple smash-and-grab.

Thor felt a stinging sense of humiliation. He had just made a grand boast in front of the Iron Man, only to have Loki’s words slap him right across the face. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"Loki, hand over the Tesseract and abandon your unrealistic ambitions!" Thor raised his hammer, looking as if he truly wanted to give his brother a thrashing.

"Don’t forget, you need the Tesseract to get me back. Kill me, and you’re stuck here forever," Loki said calmly, completely unruffled.

He might fear an irrational madman like Jason, but the person in front of him was his foolish brother, whose every thought was as transparent as glass. Sure enough, after a display of bluster, Thor was out of options. He couldn’t kill him, and he couldn’t force an answer. He was stuck.

Tony broke the silence. "Let’s take Loki to the ship. Even if he doesn’t talk, we have other ways of tracking the Tesseract."

Thor considered this for a moment and nodded reluctantly.

*

Led by Tony, Thor took flight, dragging Loki along until they reached the ship. Calling it a ship was an understatement; it was S.H.I.E.L.D.’s secret project—the Helicarrier.

This vessel was larger than any existing aircraft carrier, powered by four massive turbine engines that could lift this ten-thousand-ton beast to an altitude of ten thousand meters. Furthermore, it featured cutting-edge reflective panels that allowed it to vanish completely from sight.

To welcome Loki’s royal presence, S.H.I.E.L.D. had prepared a special room. Encased in high-strength transparent glass, the cell allowed for 24/7 monitoring. Should Loki attempt anything suspicious, a single button would drop the entire cell ten thousand meters to the earth. S.H.I.E.L.D. had gone all out to prepare for an enemy of his caliber.

*

In the carrier’s lab, Natasha and Banner were using gamma detection equipment to track the Tesseract’s signature. Tony stepped out of his armor and walked in with Thor.

After glancing around, Tony asked, "Cap isn’t here yet?"

Natasha shook her head, her expression downcast. "Two women he loved died because of him. The blow was too much. If it were me, I’d probably find a deserted island and live out my days in solitude."

"Don’t worry, that’ll never happen to you," Tony quipped, leaning over and resting a hand on Banner’s shoulder.

Banner, completely unaccustomed to such casual contact, turned beet red. He stole a glance at Natasha, and seeing she didn’t look bothered, he changed the subject. "By the way... did Loki talk?"

Dumb question. If Loki had talked, they wouldn’t be sitting here killing time.

Tony: "Nope. The guy’s a vault. Even the brother he grew up with couldn’t crack him."

The group turned to look at Thor, who was standing in the corner looking utterly dejected. Loki was clearly the bane of his existence.

Click.

The lab door opened, and Fury walked in. "Thor, do you know Loki’s true goal in taking the Tesseract?"

Thor nodded. "His goal is to rule Earth. He has an army at his command called the Chitauri. While their individual combat prowess is mediocre, your Earth’s current military and technological level is no match for them."

Tony curled his lip, annoyed by Thor’s dismissal of Earth’s defenses. The Prince of the Gods fights by swinging a hammer, and he’s worried about OUR tech?

Banner asked, "An extraterrestrial army? Then Loki must intend to use the Tesseract to open a portal."

Natasha nodded. "Has to be. Why else would he kidnap Dr. Selvig?"

Thor: "Dr. Selvig?"

Banner: "An astrophysicist."

Thor: "I know him. He is my friend."

Tony added, "I have to admit, Loki’s plan was solid. His only mistake was running into the one person you absolutely do not cross the moment he landed on Earth. Otherwise, his odds of success would have been high."

Thor: "Jason Walter!"

Tony looked surprised. "You know him? Don’t tell me he’s your friend too."

Thor shook his head, reminiscing. "The first time I came to Earth, he bought me a meal. The second time, we fought. He is... formidable."

Tony said. "Hah. Sounds like you two are practically kindred spirits."

Thor’s expression darkened. "Later, Jane told me of his deeds. This man is a villain in your world, is he not?"

The room went quiet. Everyone there had crossed paths with Jason, and every one of them carried memories they would never forget.

Villain? Jason’s actions had long since transcended that label. Devil was probably more accurate.

Tony asked, "Who wants to go first?"

Natasha glanced at him. "You go."

"Fine," Tony didn’t hesitate. "He stole my money, killed my friends, humiliated my wife, hijacked my armor, leveled my factories, and blew up my house... honestly, there’s more I’m too embarrassed to even mention. Banner!"

Banner continued: "He kidnapped me, experimented on me like a lab rat, and he killed my girlfriend."

Natasha: "He killed my best friend. And he made it slow."

Fury concluded: "Let me summarize. Jason and his Joker organization have wreaked havoc across the globe. To date, the death toll linked to him has exceeded one million, with economic damages in the trillions."

After hearing them out, Thor finally understood. He smiled slightly. "I see. Jane did not lie to me."

Everyone: "..."

Natasha interjected, "Wait, we’re getting off track. We were talking about Loki and the Tesseract. How did we end up discussing Jason and the Joker organization?"

Fury pulled the conversation back. "Thor, is there any way to make Loki talk?"

Thor shook his head. "No. Loki’s mind is a labyrinth; in Asgard, he is the King of Lies. To be honest, seeing him suffer such a defeat at Jason’s hands was... unexpected."

As the words left Thor’s mouth, a sudden silence fell over the room. Their eyes lit up simultaneously, as if they had just discovered a hidden continent.

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You can read advance Chapters and view R-18 images of the characters on pat reon page.

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