"How bad is it?"
"That's the problem, sir. We don't know."
Agent Coulson's voice was steady as he led Hill and Fury deeper into the radiation wing. The lights above flickered under the strain of the energy readings.
"Dr. Selvig read a surge from the Tesseract four hours ago," Coulson explained.
Hill frowned. "NASA didn't authorize Selvig to test phase."
"He wasn't testing it," Coulson said. "He wasn't even in the room. Spontaneous advancement."
Hill narrowed her eyes. "It just...turned itself on?"
"What are the levels now?" Fury asked.
"Climbing. When Selvig couldn't shut it down, we ordered the evac."
Fury's pace quickened, jaw set. "How long to get everyone out?"
"Campus should be clear in the next half hour."
"Do better," Fury snapped, pushing through to the heart of the lab.
Inside, the Tesseract glowed with unnatural light, pulses of energy flaring like heartbeat spasms. Selvig emerged from behind the CMS machine, worry etched across his face.
"Director."
"Talk to me, Doctor."
"The Tesseract is misbehaving."
"Is that supposed to be funny?"
"No. Not funny at all. She's not only active-she's... resisting." Selvig's gaze lingered on the cube as another ring of light shot out.
"How soon until you pull the plug?"
"She's an energy source. If we shut her down, she turns herself back on. If she reaches peak level..." He trailed off grimly.
"Where's Barton?"
"The Hawk? Up in his nest, as usual."
Above, Barton stood in shadow, bow at the ready, eyes scanning. Fury's voice crackled over his earpiece: "I gave you this detail to keep a close eye on things."
"I see better from a distance."
"Anything unusual?"
"No one's come or gone. Oven's clean. If there was tampering, it wasn't from this end."
"At this end?" Fury pressed.
"Doors open from both sides."
As if to prove his point, the Tesseract suddenly convulsed, its power rippling outward. Light built in unbearable intensity until, with a crack like thunder, a vortex opened, tearing space wide.
The swirling maelstrom blinded the room. When the light faded, a figure knelt on the platform-dark hair, armored leather, and a smile that promised ruin. Loki rose slowly, scepter in hand.
"Sir, please put down the spear," Fury ordered.
Loki tilted his head, bemused, before unleashing a blast that sent men flying. Bullets ricocheted harmlessly from him as he cut through S.H.I.E.L.D. agents with a dancer's precision-knives flashing, scepter sparking.
Barton raised his gun, but Loki was faster. He seized Barton's wrist, lowering the weapon with deceptive gentleness.
"You have heart," Loki murmured, pressing the scepter to Barton's chest. The archer's eyes clouded black.
One by one, others fell to Loki's control. Fury seized the Tesseract case, slipping toward the exit.
"Please don't," Loki called lightly. "I still need that."
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Beyla - Loki
FanfictionBeyla: Connected with earth, and known as the goddess of bees. Also the single individual that Loki seems to have a soft spot for. All stories are written by me and then edited in Grammarly for phrasing, spelling, structure, and polishing. This fic...
