The Avengers

Chapter 1

"And there came a day, a day unlike any other when earth's mightiest heroes and heroines found themselves united against a common threat. On that day, the Avengers were born -- to fight the foes no single superhero could withstand! Through the years, their roster has prospered, changing many times, but their glory has never been denied! Heed the call, then -- for now, the Avengers Assemble!".

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Burning blue flames. A smoky cube shape emerges, (the tesseract). In the throne room in space, kneeling behind a throne, a clothed, armored figure known as "The Other", bows. THE OTHER "The Tesseract has awakened. It is on a little world. They would wield its power". The Other faces a horned-shaped shadow. Loki is handed the Chitauri scepter, a long handle, fitted with a blue gem encircled with silver blades. THE OTHER "Be our ally knows its workings as they never will. He is ready to lead. And our force, our Chitauri, will follow". Tens of thousands of Chitauri stand ready in a seething mass of neat rows and columns... the ground simply quakes. THE OTHER "The world will be his. The universe yours. And the humans, what can they do but burn?".     

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The S.H.I.E.L.D. project, out in New Mexico desert, a remote research facility is in a state of panic. It's an evacuation. A swooping helicopter flies in. Chaos. Men in suits run around like in the typical 'we have to leave' fashion. Soldiers on foot jump onto Humvees, accelerating the hell out of there. A voice bellowed from hidden loudspeakers. Standing a few yards from the helicopter landing pad, a federal in a suit with badass shades, peers at the helicopter as it lands. This is Shield Agent Coulson.

Walking out of the helicopter is Shield Agent Hill, sexy, fierce, and determined. Following her, Shield Director Nick Fury climbs out. Hill and Fury approach Agent Coulson. FURY "How bad is it?". AGENT COULSON "That's the problem, sir. We don't know". Agent Coulson leads Hill and Fury through the radiation section of the facility. Hundreds of technicians and other staff run around, taking only the essentials. AGENT COULSON "Dr. Selvig read an energy surge from the Tesseract four hours ago". FURY "NASA didn't authorize Selvig to test phase". AGENT COULSON " He wasn't testing it, he wasn't even in the room. Spontaneous advancement". AGENT HILL "It just turned itself on?". FURY "What are the energy levels now?". AGENT COULSON "Climbing. When Selvig couldn't shut it down, we ordered the evac". FURY "How long to get everyone out?". AGENT COULSON "Campus should be in the next half hour". FURY "Do better". They continued to heading down to the radiation facility floor. AGENT HILL "Sir, evacuation may be futile". FURY "We should tell them to go back to sleep?". AGENT HILL "If we can't control the Tesseract's energy, there may not be a minimum safe distance". FURY "I need you to make sure that PHASE 2 prototypes are shipped out". AGENT HILL "Sir, is that really a priority right now?". FURY "Until such time as the world ends, we will act though it intends to spin on. Clear out the tech below. Every piece of PHASE 2 on a truck and gone. AGENT HILL "Yes, sir. With me", she said to the standing agents.

In NASA Space Radiation Facility Vacuum Chamber, Furry enters the lab facility where the Tesseract is being held by a compact muon solenoid coil chamber. FURY "Talk to me, doctor". Dr. Erik Selvig emerges from behind the CMS machine, concerned. The Tesseract is glowing unusually brighter and flare rings shot out at random. SELVIG "Director". FURY "Is there anything we know for certain?". SELVIG "Tesseract is misbehaving". FURY "Is it supposed to be funny?". SELVIG "No, it's not funny at all. The Tesseract is not only active, but she's also... misbehaving". FURY "How soon until you pull the plug?". SELVIG "She's an energy source. If we turn off the power, she turns it back on. If she reaches peak level...". FURY "We've prepared for this, doctor. Harnessing energy from space". SELVIG "We don't have the harness. Our calculations are for from complete. Now she's throwing off interference, radiation. Nothing harmful, low levels of gamma radiation". FURY "That can be harmful. Where's Reid?". SELVIG "The Arrow? Up there, as usual". We see Alex Reid, dressed in black tactical gear, is upon the railings watching them below, Fury calls Alex on his earpiece. FURY "Agent Reid, report". Alex rappels down from the catwalk. She walks up to Fury. They both discreetly walk around the facility. FURY "I gave you this deal so you could keep a close eye on things". ALEX REID "Well, I see better from a distance". FURY "Are you seeing anything that might set this thing off?". NASA SCIENTIST to Selvig "Doctor, it's spiking again". ALEX REID "No one's come or gone. Its oven is clean. No contacts, no I.M's. If there was any tampering sir, it wasn't at the end". FURY "At this end". ALEX REID "Yeah, the cube is a doorway to the other end of space, right? The doors open from both sides". Dr.Selvig clacks away at the keyboard and sees on the monitoring his worst nightmares. Suddenly - the Tesseract thunders and shakes the entire facility. Big enough where both Agents Hill and Coulson can feel and they're at different ends of the facility. The flaring rings and glow of the cube spout out brighter and louder, like a boiling pot of water. The Tesseract's energy builds up into a beam much like the Bifrost Bridge, which hits at the end of a platform that is wired to the CMS device. The great maelstrom beam fires the Tesseract's energy. The beam then forms a vortex, which then opens up a portal. A black hole was created. From the portal, the blackness of space, beautiful and mysterious, strewn with a billion stars appear and a gust of blue energy clouds fill the room, blinding everyone. The Tesseract's energy forms into a cloud that reaches the top of the facility's vacuum chamber ceiling. It's abnormally quiet. Then... heavy breathing is heard from the platform. SHIELD Guards slowly approach weapons in their hands. A figure is kneeling on the platform, smoke coming off it. It's Loki. Smiling in his mischievous manner, he raises his head. The smile dies down. He looks deep into the eyes of Fury, Alex, and Selvig. He stands up, holding the scepter.

FURY "Sir, please put down the spear!". Loki looks at the scepter the suddenly points it at where Fury and Alex are standing and shoots out a blue exploding light towards them. Alex tackles Fury and they both barely miss Loki's fired shot. All hell breaks. Machine-guns fire at Loki, but the bullets bounce off him like a boss. Loki jumps high from the platform and attacks those firing at him. In the blink of an eye, Loki takes down several guards with his knives and energy blasts from the scepter. He stops and waits to see who will attack him next. Honestly, the whole lab has almost gone to shit. Alex tries to stand up. Loki quickly walks towards her. Alex raises her gun, but Loki grabs Alex's hand. LOKI "You have a heart". Loki points the head of his spear at Alex's head. Alex's eyes suddenly glow black. The ability to control Alex's mind is now in Loki's hand. Alex puts her earpiece away and stands straight. As Loki is busy using his abilities to control the minds of several S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel, Fury takes the Tesseract, placing it back into its case, and tries to leave the lab. Then... LOKI "Please don't. I still need that". FURY "This doesn't have to get any messier". LOKI "Of course it does. I've come too far for anything else. I am Loki of Asgard, and I am burdened with glorious purpose".

SELVIG "Loki? Brother of Thor?". FURY "We do not quarrel with a boot". LOKI "An ant does not quarrel with a boot". FURRY "You planning to step on us?". LOKI "I come with glad tidings, of a world made free". FURY "Free from what?". LOKI "Freedom. Freedom is life's great lie. Once you accept that, in your heart... Like a gunslinger", Loki turns to face Selvig who's standing behind him, and places his spear against Selvig's heart. Selvig's eyes glow black. LOKI "You will know peace". FURY "yeah, you say peace, I kind of think you mean the other thing". From the vacuum chamber ceiling, Tesseract's energy cloud rapidly builds into what may be an implosion. Alex Reid "Sir, Director Fury is stalling. This place is about to blow. Drop a hundred feet of rock on us. He means to bury us". FURY " Like The Pharaohs of Odin" SELVIG "He's right. The portal is collapsing in on itself. You got maybe two minutes before this goes critical. LOKI "Well, then...". Loki, looking at Alex, who doesn't even hesitate, shoots Fury who falls to the ground. Alex grabs the case containing the Tesseract and leaves the lab with Loki, Selvig, and the other S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel Loki is controlling.