UNKNOWN GUEST

#18 The Avengers

A few hours had passed, and my worry was steadily mounting. The jet carrying Captain Rogers, Agent Romanoff, and Loki had been missing for a concerning amount of time. The jet had lost its coordinates, leaving me in a state of restless anxiety. Sitting in a chair, my foot kept tapping against the floor, a nervous habit that Agent Hill noticed. She shot me a warning look, making me stop the incessant tapping and attempt to calm my nerves. They had to be okay. They had to be.

Then, through the corner of my eye, I saw the jet finally landing on the deck of the Helicarrier. A wave of relief washed over me, and I rushed outside to see them. My heart leaped when I first saw Mom stepping out of the jet, followed closely by Dad. But then, my eyes widened in surprise as a tall figure with long blonde hair emerged. It was Thor, the God of Thunder!

I walked up to Mom and Dad, my heart pounding with relief mixed with lingering worry. "Ma'am, Cap. You guys are okay?" I asked, my voice carrying a mix of concern and hope.

 Before either of them could respond, Thor's booming voice cut through the air with a wide grin plastered across his face. "They're fine!" he announced, his tone full of cheer.

Thor's gaze shifted from Captain Rogers to Agent Romanoff, and then he turned to me. "Your son seemed to be worried," he said, his voice booming with a casual confidence that felt out of place in the tense moment.

Oh no. I'm dead!

The comment caught me off guard, and I felt like the air had been knocked out of my lungs. What on earth? "What?!!" Mom, Dad, and I all exclaimed in unison, our voices overlapping in a burst of surprise and confusion. Mom and Dad's expressions were a mix of disbelief and shock, while Thor looked between the three of us with an innocent frown, clearly not understanding the commotion.

Mom's frustration was palpable as she sighed and took a deep breath. "He is just a trainee in SHIELD. Keep your assumptions to yourself, Ass-gardian." Her tone was firm, and she turned away, her back rigid with irritation.

Thor's face tightened with mild annoyance. "Excuse me, that's Asgard!" he called after Mom, his voice echoing slightly. Then he looked back at me and Dad with a slightly apologetic expression. "My apologies, I said something I should not have."

I nodded, a heavy sigh escaping my lips. "Yeah. I'm not... not their son." The words felt like a weight pressing down on my chest, the truth I had to keep hidden from everyone around me. Thor merely shrugged it off, his attention shifting as we all walked inside together.

Thor, Captain Rogers, and I entered the lab room, joining Dr. Banner, who was meticulously examining Loki's spear, while Agent Romanoff sat to the left of the room, her posture indicating her alertness. The atmosphere in the lab was tense as Fury's voice boomed through the comms, arguing with Loki who was locked away in a cell. Fury's firm declaration cut through the silence: as long as a single human being remains, humanity will persist, defying any evil force.

After what felt like an eternity of silence, Captain Rogers took a seat across from Agent Romanoff and cast a glance at Thor. "So Thor, what's his plan?" he asked, his tone edged with concern.

Thor, his face lined with worry, sighed deeply. "He has an army called the Chitauri. They are neither of Asgard nor any known world. Loki intends to use them to conquer your world. He plans to exchange the Earth for the Tesseract, I suspect."

Captain Rogers processed this information with a serious nod, seeming more absorbed in the situation than expected. He exhaled slowly. "An army from outer space," he repeated, emphasizing the gravity of the threat. He then briefly glanced at Agent Romanoff before turning his attention back to Thor.

Dr. Banner, who had been quietly listening, interjected. "So, he needs the Tesseract to create another portal. That's why he's after Selvig," he said, recognizing the significance of Selvig's role.

Thor, who had clearly been keeping track of the situation, nodded in acknowledgment. Agent Romanoff added, "He has Selvig under some kind of spell, along with one of us." Her tone was blunt, her frustration evident.

I chimed in, pointing at the spear displayed in front of Dr. Banner. "He placed that spear on their chests and made them follow him like puppets."

Dr. Banner shook his head, dismissing the idea. "We should focus on the Tesseract first, not Loki. The way he talks, it's filled with chaos. He sounds unhinged."

Thor's demeanor shifted slightly, his voice growing sharper. "Be careful how you speak. Loki may be beyond reason, but he is of Asgard, and he is my brother."

Agent Romanoff, with a hint of bitterness in her voice, added, "He killed 80 people in two days."

I tried to keep pace with the conversation, adding, "And he blew up some SHIELD property too."

Thor's response was a murmur, almost as if it was an afterthought. "He is adopted." His voice carried a mix of regret and defensiveness.

The room fell into an awkward silence, and I couldn't help but stifle a chuckle at the incongruity of Thor's statement. However, Agent Romanoff's sharp glare quickly reminded me to keep my composure.

Dr. Banner continued, his brow furrowing in concentration. "I think it's about the mechanics. Iridium. What do they need Iridium for?" he asked, looking around for answers.

Just then, Tony Stark walked in, his presence instantly commanding attention. "It's a stabilizing agent!" Tony announced, his tone breezy as he approached the group. He had that unmistakable air of confidence, the same charisma I remembered from my future encounters with him. Tony exchanged a few quiet words with Coulson before moving further into the room.

Dr. Banner looked intrigued but puzzled. "It means the portal won't collapse on itself like it did at the SHIELD building," Tony explained, his eyes catching Thor's as he walked past him. With a playful grin, he patted Thor's bicep. "No hard feelings, Point Break. You've got a mean swing."

"Point Break?" I thought, catching onto Tony's penchant for quirky nicknames. It seemed Mr. Stark was the mastermind behind all these monikers.

Tony continued, his focus shifting back to the crew. "So that Loki can use the portal as he wants." He then turned to the SHIELD team, his voice booming with a mix of authority and humor. "Raise the mizzenmast. Jib the topsails. That man is playing Galaga!" His instructions were a classic display of Stark's unique way of managing crises, balancing casual remarks with technical commands.

I couldn't help but shake my head, amused by his antics. Tony's casual approach was a stark contrast to the intense atmosphere. "He thought we wouldn't notice, but we did," Tony continued, delving into his rambling exposition. "The rest of the raw materials, Agent Barton can get easily. But finding a high-density energy source will be tough."

Tony then approached Fury's system and made a quick adjustment, subtly pointing out a golden highlight on the screen. It took me a moment to realize—it was a bug! What was he up to?

As Tony and Dr. Banner engaged in a technical discussion about energy sources and reactor specifics, their conversation quickly became a blur of jargon that my dad and I couldn't decipher. Tony, ever the tease, even made light-hearted comments about Dr. Banner's 'other form,' referencing his green alter-ego in a way that seemed both affectionate and irreverent.

Before the conversation could devolve further into technical details and playful banter, Fury walked in. His entrance brought a sudden shift in the room's energy. With a stern look, he interrupted the ongoing discussion. "Let's stay focused, people. We have a main task at hand. Dr Banner is here only for searching the Tesseract."