Pacific Ocean.
S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Helicarrier.
The Helicarrier had yet to take off, but its size and distinct design were still astonishing. Bruce Banner and Steve Rogers listened to Natasha's introduction, somewhat shocked that this behemoth also had a flight mode.
Bang!
A figure in an Iron Man suit flew towards the carrier, drawing a trail of flames through the air and landing directly on the deck, attracting everyone's attention.
"You're late, Mr. Stark."
Natasha played with her wavy hair and walked towards Tony Stark: "But it's not too late yet; we haven't taken off..."
"First, tell me, where is the Tesseract?"
Tony Stark opened the visor on his mask, looking seriously at Natasha: "You conducted private research on the Tesseract without consulting the experts... You're in big trouble!"
Tony Stark trusted Akatsuki's judgement.
Now that the Tesseract had awakened on Earth, it would undoubtedly attract many aliens keen on obtaining it. S.H.I.E.L.D. needed to be warned!
Unfortunately...
Tony Stark's warning came too late.
After seeing all the members of the Avengers Squad gathered, Nick Fury explained the history of the Tesseract and the strange events that occurred last night, including details about Asgard and Loki's identity and character.
Nick Fury held nothing back.
Because in the face of war, no information could be omitted.
Nick Fury handed out files concerning the Tesseract and the slight gamma radiation it emitted to everyone present, except Uehara Naraku and Natasha.
Tony Stark rubbed his forehead, feeling a bit unsettled: "So what you're saying is, before I even had the chance to warn you, some off-worlder named Loki had already stolen the Tesseract?"
"That's right."
Nick Fury slowly nodded.
"Alright, maybe I should remind you again."
Tony Stark looked up at Nick Fury, then at everyone present: "Besides that alien from Asgard, a group of Chitauri are also focused on the Tesseract, and they might soon be coming to our doorstep..."
"How do you know all of this?"
Steve Rogers frowned.
Tony Stark raised an eyebrow, speaking somewhat casually: "My father had some friends... I learned about it from them."
Anyway...
It was something to be proud of.
While everyone's attention was directed at the Hydra on Earth, Tony Stark had already set his sights on space, focusing his attention on Akatsuki.
"How come I don't know about this?"
Steve Rogers' brows remained furrowed, tightening even more: "Do I know any of Howard Stark's friends?"
If he remembered correctly...
Howard Stark shouldn't have had any friends...
"You don't need to know."
Tony Stark shrugged nonchalantly.
"Alright, Tony."
Nick Fury interrupted to prevent a potential argument between them, asking gravely, "Tony, can you tell me where this intelligence is coming from? You seem to know things we don't..."
"No need to explain..."
Tony Stark rubbed his temples and continued, "I can't divulge their information until I get permission..."
"Tony."
Nick Fury looked at Tony Stark with his one eye and said solemnly, "If possible, I'd like to meet them too. I've never heard of Howard Stark having friends out in the cosmos; he wouldn't have hidden that in his records..."
"He knew S.H.I.E.L.D. would become like this, so he didn't write it down in the records..."
"Is it those two?"
Uehara Naraku, who had been silently drinking juice nearby, suddenly interjected, staring intently at Tony Stark: "Those two in black attire with red clouds, arriving on strange birds..."
"..."
Tony Stark was silent for a moment before slowly nodding.
Bruce Banner rubbed his palms uneasily and cautiously asked, "Um... Mr. Stark, if they sound like aliens too, how can you be sure they don't want the Tesseract?"
"I trust them."
Tony Stark quickly shook his head and continued to explain: "If they wanted it, they would have taken the Tesseract thirty years ago... Compared to S.H.I.E.L.D. secretly studying the Tesseract, they're more trustworthy."
This reasoning was somewhat unclear...
S.H.I.E.L.D. hadn't told Tony Stark about the Tesseract because they assumed Tony Stark knew nothing about it.
As it turned out, Tony Stark had other channels of understanding the Tesseract and even knew the dangers of studying it, which significantly lowered their mutual trust...
Steve Rogers immediately retorted: "You choose to believe in those aliens over trusting your comrades?"
As a veteran from World War II, Steve Rogers valued his comrades greatly and was somewhat repelled by Tony Stark's attitude...
But in a verbal spar, how could Tony Stark admit defeat?
Tony Stark shook his head indifferently and chuckled lightly: "If they trusted me as a comrade, today's crisis wouldn't have happened."
Indeed...
If S.H.I.E.L.D. trusted the Avengers Squad, they should have disclosed the Tesseract's existence and consulted them for their opinions.
Besides Uehara Naraku and Natasha, who were not highly educated agents, Steve Rogers had encountered the Tesseract before, Bruce Banner thoroughly understood the gamma radiation emitted by the Tesseract, and Tony Stark was a scientific genius beyond question...
However...
S.H.I.E.L.D. chose to deceive them and studied the Tesseract without permission, directly leading to its being seized and now missing...
Now the Avengers Squad had just formally gathered, but due to differing attitudes, they were on the verge of splitting. At this moment, a calming agent was naturally required.
"Everyone..."
Natasha shook her head, her eyes showing a hint of worry: "What we need to do now is figure out the Tesseract's location and Loki's whereabouts, isn't it?"
"..."
Everyone immediately fell silent.
Nick Fury glanced at the crowd and then, satisfied, looked at Natasha, speaking softly: "Natasha, Agent Uehara Naraku, take them to the lab. Perhaps there are things you can use..."
"Yes, Sir."
Uehara Naraku calmly nodded and began to lead the crowd to the Helicarrier's lab, their expressions still displeased.
Once they arrived at the lab,
Bruce Banner prepared to search for the gamma radiation energy source. Tony Stark took out his phone, stepping aside to dial the landline at the Stark Industries Tower headquarters.
Because that mysterious masked man from outer space was still waiting for his message, he needed to seek outside assistance from someone he trusted.
After all, with an alien at home...
Might as well ask if this alien knows anything about Loki.
"Hello."
Tony Stark straightforwardly posed his question: "Does Dawn of the Dawn have any information on Loki and Asgard?"
"Hmm? The third princess of Asgard?"