"Thor, as far as I know, your brother Loki was the main culprit behind the recent destruction in the city. Why did you bring such a dangerous individual to Earth?" Nick Fury looked intently at Loki, who responded with a malevolent smirk.
"Don't worry, this time Loki doesn't intend to cause any harm. Although he does enjoy mischief and pranks, he won't have the opportunity for that now," Thor said with a smile, and electric sparks crackled across the surface of his hammer. Loki, who had been smirking just a moment ago, suddenly sensed trouble.
"Thor! I'm warning you! You... Bzzzzt~!" Before he could finish, Loki felt the bracelet on his wrist release a jolt of electricity, and he began to convulse in front of everyone.
"Oh, that's a nice gadget!" Tony and Bruce also noticed what was happening.
"Well, now you can rest assured. Loki came to help," Thor said. Ever since Odin entrusted him with the electric bracelet, he had been using it like a new toy, administering electroshock therapy to his brother whenever the opportunity arose.
"Um, you're brothers, is this really normal?" Bruce asked, noticing that Thor's smile seemed genuinely sincere.
"Of course it's fine! Loki has done worse to me. When I was little, he knew I loved snakes, so he transformed himself into one. When I reached out to pick it up, he turned back into himself and said, 'Haha! It's me!' and stabbed me in the stomach with a dagger."
Thor, recounting his childhood, gestured animatedly, as if reliving those moments. Although it was an unpleasant episode from his past, now, watching Loki being electrocuted, he felt a sweet sense of revenge. Loki had always teased him before, but now he could enjoy his payback.
Everyone around looked at the brothers with slight surprise. It seemed their image of the mighty Norse gods was crumbling before their eyes, transforming into that of ordinary squabbling siblings.
"Well, I understand. Thank you, Thor, for your help," Nick Fury rubbed his temples and turned to the others.
"Alright, everyone get back to your tasks. We need to find the enemy before they use the Tesseract to open a portal for an invasion. Tony, Bruce, Lee, and Dr. Selvig, I hope you'll bring us good news."
"Of course! Super genius, super genius, super genius, and... well, regular genius. We'll deal with the Tesseract quickly," Tony pointed first at himself, then at Bruce and Noah, and finally added Selvig with a slight hesitation.
"Hey!" Selvig protested.
"Oh, don't mind him, Selvig. After all this, I'll throw you an amazing party!" Tony gave Banner and Selvig a friendly clap on the shoulder.
"A party?! Count me in! I've never been to one of your Earth parties!" Thor, forgetting his recent amusement, perked up upon hearing about the party.
"No problem! You're on the list!"
Nick Fury watched this frivolous group with clear irritation, his eyebrow twitching involuntarily.
Tony nudged Bruce and Selvig towards the laboratory. Meanwhile, Noah discreetly took a few pictures, deciding that the first meeting of the Avengers team was worth documenting. Finished with the photos, he joined the scientists. Four specialists, working together, would surely find traces of the Black Order general quickly.
After the scientists left the bridge, Fury instructed Agent Coulson to escort Thor and Loki to the reception area on the Helicarrier.
"Fury, how's it going with notifying the laboratories?" Captain America, who had been observing the scene, approached the director as soon as the others left.
Seeing Steve Rogers beside him, Fury's mood improved slightly. Finally, there was someone reliable; Captain America always inspired confidence.
"We've already sent notifications to all research centers around the world; we should receive responses soon. Agent Hill, how are things progressing?" Fury replied, then returned to his position and addressed Agent Hill.
"All notifications have been sent. Most research centers have already responded; only a few haven't replied yet," Hill said, looking at the screen in front of her and reporting to Fury, but then her expression changed, showing concern.
"Several laboratories in Paris still haven't responded. They haven't even opened our messages. Director, something's not right," Agent Hill looked at Fury, awaiting his decision.
"Contact the heads of these laboratories," Fury ordered.
Hill got to work, but soon addressed him again:
"I can't reach them."
Fury's face darkened. The laboratories in Paris had suddenly lost contact. This clearly couldn't be a mere coincidence. Had they all collectively gone on vacation?
"Maybe something happened?" Rogers asked.
"Have the agents from our French branch go there and find out what's going on," Fury said decisively.
"Alright, Director," Hill nodded.
"Make sure they maintain constant communication with us."
…
France. Paris.
Agents from the French branch of S.H.I.E.L.D. received orders from headquarters and arrived at one of the laboratories that had lost contact. This research center was located in a remote area—typically chosen for classified research.
"We've secured the perimeter of the target, preparing to infiltrate," several agents in full combat gear stood at the laboratory entrance.
One of them placed a small device on the door lock to bypass the security system and gain access.
"Preparing to enter," the agents exchanged glances and opened the laboratory door.
Each of them had miniature cameras attached to their shoulders, transmitting the events in real-time to the Helicarrier. Nick Fury and the others watched the operation unfold on their screens.
But when the agents entered, they were met with a shocking sight.