On the Helicarrier.
Coulson was reporting to Nick Fury.
"Sir, Agent Barton and Dr. Selvig have both returned to normal. Based on their own statements, it's confirmed that a severe enough physical shock to the head could break Loki's control."
"But currently, Loki's scepter — like the Tesseract — is in Smith Doyle's hands."
"According to the information they provided, Smith will be visiting Asgard."
Nick Fury nodded. "I know about this. How is the recovery of the Chitauri equipment going?"
Coulson said, "Smith has designated all of it as Avengers spoils and has asked the Avengers base staff to catalogue and sort it by category. In addition, Universal Capsule Company, Vanko Industries, and Stark Industries have established a joint disaster processing center specifically to handle the remaining Chitauri equipment."
He continued: "Smith has also stated that the Paragons and the enhanced individuals who contributed during the battle will receive corresponding compensation afterward."
Fury frowned slightly. "Those alien technological devices should be handed over to S.H.I.E.L.D. for handling and arrangement."
Coulson explained, "The Inspector General's position is that the Avengers are part of S.H.I.E.L.D., and therefore whatever is recovered by the Avengers falls under S.H.I.E.L.D.'s purview — administered through the Avengers."
Fury absorbed this with the patience of a man who had run out of other options. "Let the Avengers base complete the catalogue first. Then we'll conduct research and pursue replication."
Coulson said, without visible surprise, "The Inspector General has indicated that once the cataloguing is complete, these devices can be sold to S.H.I.E.L.D. and government agencies for research and development purposes."
Fury nodded. "What else did you obtain?"
Coulson reached into his folder and produced the intelligence report he had been preparing to deliver on the day of the Tesseract incident, along with two additional documents.
"Director, this was the intelligence I originally needed to brief you on the day of the Cube laboratory incident. I suspected it was connected to the Sky Curtain phenomenon."
Fury picked it up and examined it. The report documented Universal Capsule Company's acquisition of an uninhabited Atlantic island and its subsequent development. Several satellite images were attached. Cross-referenced against the Sky Curtain events, the Fraternity's aircraft had transported Bruce Banner, Tony Stark, Xu Shang-Chi, Xu Xialing, the Wakanda king and his family, and others to the island — twice, both times occurring immediately before a Sky Curtain activation.
Fury murmured, "No wonder they all knew Smith already. I was puzzled about how Banner and Smith had a prior relationship. This explains it." He looked up. "What was Smith's purpose in assembling these people on the island?"
Coulson placed the second document on the desk.
"This is what Barton told me privately after he regained consciousness. It was outside the scope of the formal interrogation." He paused. "To be honest, sir, if I hadn't confirmed it with him multiple times, I would have concluded he was still under Loki's influence."
Fury became visibly interested. He picked up the document. "What kind of intelligence could produce that reaction from a seasoned agent like you?"
He began reading.
The next second, Nick Fury stood up from his chair. He held the document tightly in both hands and said, "Who knows about this?"
Coulson said, "More people than we'd like. Barton learned it from Dr. Selvig, though he's only told me. But the number of people with real knowledge of the Dragon Balls is considerably larger than our original assessment suggested — especially given that the Dragon Ball battles have spectator access."
Fury frowned deeply. An object that could grant any wish. The world simply couldn't afford to have something like that sitting loose in it.
"I remember S.H.I.E.L.D. investigated the Dragon Ball before. Our conclusions were entirely different from this."
Coulson nodded slowly. "Because none of our people had actual access to the real Dragon Balls, we never obtained the real information. That led to our assessment error — we concluded it was a tool Smith was using for gang elimination."
Fury looked at the document again with something close to disbelief. "If the Dragon Ball can genuinely grant any wish — why would Smith give up the opportunity to make one? Why release them through a tournament? What does he gain from that?"
Coulson shook his head. "I haven't been able to determine the Inspector General's full reasoning, sir. But I suspect that the Inspector General's — exceptional — level of physical capability may be connected to the Dragon Balls. It's possible he once wished for it."
Fury nodded slowly. "That's not impossible."
He thought for a moment, then said, "Coulson. Visit Tony Stark, Ivan Vanko, and Bruce Banner from the Avengers team. Talk to them about the Dragon Balls indirectly. I want to understand why Smith releases them publicly rather than keeping them, and I want confirmed intelligence on what the wishes were in the two previous battles."
"Yes, sir."
"And the real Dragon Ball intelligence is to be classified at Level Ten Top Secret, effective immediately. No access without my personal authorization."
"Understood."
As Coulson left, Nick Fury stood at the window and looked out at the sky beyond the Helicarrier.
He turned what he knew over carefully.
The Dragon Balls were more dangerous than the Tesseract by a significant margin. The Tesseract required infrastructure, expertise, and considerable time to weaponize — not everyone could activate it, and the process was visible enough to track and intervene against. But a Dragon Ball wish was different. Collect seven stones, summon a dragon, speak a desire. Any desire. What if someone wished to become the ruler of the Earth? What if the wish was extreme enough in scope that the damage was instantaneous and irreversible?
And Smith Doyle released them openly. Held public tournaments. Let any qualified competitor chase them.
Who bore responsibility if something went wrong? Who answered for humanity if someone's wish unmade something that couldn't be unmade?
At the same time, Fury was very clear about what he couldn't do. Smith Doyle's performance in the Battle of New York had permanently revised every threat assessment S.H.I.E.L.D. had ever built around the man. The yield of that ki bomb alone put him beyond any conventional category of deterrence. Fury had already placed him in the mental file marked do not antagonize directly — but this was the kind of issue that couldn't simply be filed away.
He'd need to find an opportunity for a proper conversation with Smith Doyle about the Dragon Balls. Not a confrontation — a conversation. That was the only viable approach.
Hill appeared at his shoulder. "Director. The Security Council meeting is starting."
Fury straightened his coat. "On my way."
The Security Council convened on the LCD screens in the conference room.
A congressman led off: "The Avengers performed exceptionally in this engagement. What are the plans for the team going forward?"
Fury said, "No specific plans at present. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s immediate focus will be post-battle cleanup and ensuring that alien weapons and technology don't leak into uncontrolled channels."
A female council member said, "Smith Doyle effectively resolved this alien invasion on his own. We should consider some form of recognition. A Nobel Peace Prize has been discussed."
Fury crossed his arms. "The Inspector General doesn't typically refuse awards. But the credit for this engagement belongs to the full team, not a single individual. Smith deserves the most recognition — that's clear — but the other members contributed significantly."
A congressman said, "Group and individual recognition can both be arranged. That's straightforward." He leaned forward. "But what about the Avengers going forward? What if we were to—"
Fury cut him off cleanly. "They've earned a rest. All of them. The Inspector General has been invited to visit Asgard. The other members need time to recover and debrief. These people just fought a war."
He knew exactly what the congressman had been reaching toward. After watching Smith Doyle's output in today's engagement, every government representative in this call was running some version of the same calculation. Fury had no intention of giving any of them an opening to pursue it.
The female council member asked, "Where is the Cube now?"
Fury was briefly quiet. "The Cube is no longer in S.H.I.E.L.D. custody. It's been placed in appropriate safekeeping."
A male congressman said, "Nick Fury, you don't have the authority to make that decision unilaterally."
"It wasn't my decision," Fury said. "It was out of my hands."
"You simply let someone take the Tesseract?" The congressman's voice had sharpened. "And Loki — a war criminal who should answer for his crimes?"
Fury said, "Loki will receive the punishment he deserves. This situation can be considered analogous to an extradition treaty. If the Council would prefer to formally contact Asgard and request that they return the Second Prince—"
When they heard Fury deliberately invoke Loki's title, the council members went quiet.
"What about the Cube specifically?" the female councilor pressed. "Going to retrieve it—"
"Also Asgard," Fury said.
Silence.
She pressed forward: "You don't seem to understand the consequences of what you've allowed. You've permitted an Asgardian delegation to leave Earth with both a war criminal and a cosmic artifact. What exactly distinguishes that from simply handing them the Cube?"
The male councillor nodded. "That was never our intended outcome."
Fury said, "Prince Thor of Asgard produced documentation establishing that the Tesseract was placed on Earth by his father, Odin, for safekeeping. Earth, as one of the Nine Realms, falls within Asgard's nominal jurisdiction. The ownership claim is legitimate."
The congresswoman moved on. "We won this engagement. What do we actually gain from it?"
For the council members, that was the question that mattered. The Avengers might nominally answer to S.H.I.E.L.D., but the practical reality of today's engagement had made clear that the team's most significant assets operated on their own terms. War was a continuation of interests by other means. Since they'd won, what were the interests?
Fury said, "We've recovered a substantial quantity of alien technology. Individual energy weapons, atmospheric vehicles, propulsion systems, exotic construction materials — technology that is decades ahead of anything currently available on Earth. Once we absorb and digest what we've acquired, the development implications are significant. All of it is being catalogued by the Avengers base, which operates under S.H.I.E.L.D.'s structure."
He continued: "Beyond the material gains, this incident has confirmed something that changes the strategic picture permanently — we are not alone in the universe. We have both potential enemies and potential allies out there. The resources of the universe are available to civilizations capable of reaching them."
The congressman who had spoken first nodded. "Alien technology we can transform into something applicable — that's a reasonable return." He looked at Fury directly. "I have a mission for you. Coordinate with NASA to develop viable spacecraft. Minimum deliverable: meaningful achievement in the solar system. People on the moon is a reasonable near-term target."
An idea clicked into place in Fury's mind. The Life Foundation's launch infrastructure had been destroyed, but what it represented — the capability, the ambition, the research pathway — was still applicable. "I'll need funding support."
"A dedicated fund will be approved. For additional needs, apply through Pierce on the board."
"Yes, Congressman."
The meeting ended. The screens went dark. Fury walked back out to the operations floor.
On the other side.
It was afternoon. On the Fraternity's lawn, Smith stood with Thor and Loki in the open space at the grounds' center. Thor had one hand on a section of the Tesseract device and his other hand on Loki, who wore Asgardian restraints around his wrists and a silencing piece over his mouth. He was bound and contained and watching everything with the particular quality of attention of someone who was still thinking, even now.
Around the edge of the lawn: Jane Foster, close enough to Thor that the distance was deliberate. Bulma. Fox. Tony. Ivan Vanko. The other Avengers at a respectful distance.
Thor looked at Jane. He raised his free hand and pointed at her — not a wave, a promise. "Wait for me."
Jane's jaw was set. Her eyes were steady. "I'll wait for you."
Smith looked at the group assembled on the grass, then at the two Asgardians in front of him. "Let's go."
He twisted the device's control housing. The Tesseract came alive — blue-white energy wrapping around all three of them in a column that hummed at a frequency that pressed against the ears of everyone nearby. Jane took a half-step forward without meaning to.
Then they were gone.
The lawn was quiet. The column of light vanished. The grass bent flat and then slowly straightened.
Tony looked at the empty space where three people had been and said nothing for a moment. Then he turned toward the parking structure, Ivan falling into step beside him.
The Avengers said their goodbyes to each other with the brief, tired courtesy of people who had spent a day fighting a war together and were now going to go rest, and dispersed from the Fraternity's base in their various directions.
Jane Foster stood on the lawn a moment longer before Bulma gently guided her inside.
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