"Redemption?" Nick Fury, who had been standing to the side, finally approached. Behind him was Captain America, Steve Rogers, leaning against the railing and observing the scene. He didn't know these people yet, so he decided to simply watch.
"Hello, Thor. I'm the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., Nick Fury." Fury extended his hand to Thor.
"Hello." Thor glanced at the outstretched hand and shook it. From his first glance at this man with a black eye patch and shaved head, Thor understood that he wasn't simple. He reminded him of Loki—cunning and deceitful.
"Thor, you said your father, Odin, sent you to protect Earth. How did you learn about the threat, and who is the enemy?" Fury asked.
"Yesterday, Heimdall informed Father about the events on Midgard. He said he detected a Chitauri fleet preparing to attack Earth, so Father sent us here to help you. Although, in my opinion, Noah is enough for you. The Chitauri are no problem for him; he can handle them easily."
These words made everyone turn their attention to Noah. No one expected Thor himself to hold him in such high regard. Noah, slightly embarrassed, simply waved his hand, encouraging Thor to continue, although everything he said was true.
Fury listened attentively, mentally noting the important information: Heimdall, the Chitauri fleet, and Noah's true power.
Heimdall's name was familiar to him; he had seen mentions of him when studying Norse myths. Heimdall was the guardian of the Bifrost, possessing eyes capable of seeing across the Nine Realms.
As for the Chitauri, this word was new to him. It seemed they were their main enemy. But despite S.H.I.E.L.D.'s attempts to monitor the space around Earth, they hadn't detected any alien ships.
So where was this fleet? Perhaps their enemies intended to use the Tesseract to open a portal and allow the Chitauri fleet to arrive on Earth?
"Thor, where is the Chitauri fleet now?" Fury asked a crucial question. This information could help them prepare for a defense.
"I don't know the exact location. Heimdall only caught the energy fluctuations of the Tesseract and focused his attention there. That's where he saw the Chitauri fleet. But it's a very distant region, and even Heimdall can't pinpoint their exact location."
Although Heimdall's eyes could see across the cosmos, the universe itself was too vast to observe in every detail. His primary task was to monitor the safety of the Nine Realms, and he rarely looked beyond them. The location of the Chitauri fleet was a distant region he hadn't observed before.
"Oh, by the way, perhaps you don't know what the Tesseract is? It's an artifact my father left on Midgard after banishing the Frost Giants from here. Father hid it somewhere on Earth. I don't know why he did that, though," Thor added, unaware that the Tesseract had recently been in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s possession.
"The Tesseract was left on Earth by Asgard?!" Fury exclaimed in surprise. S.H.I.E.L.D. obtained the artifact from Hydra, who found it in Norway. Had Asgard left it there?
After Thor's words, everyone in the room fell into thought, and Fury became lost in contemplation.
"What's going on? Are you having a party here?" a familiar voice echoed. It was Tony Stark, who finally arrived, having removed his Iron Man suit, and joined the others, clearly not wanting to miss out on the action.
Bruce Banner and Erik Selvig emerged from the laboratory. Earlier, after Noah left the lab, Bruce was about to follow him, but unexpectedly ran into an old friend—Dr. Selvig.
Erik Selvig was surprised to see Banner. Only after a few minutes of conversation did he believe that the man before him was indeed his old friend, who had disappeared several years ago.
Bruce was equally surprised to see him here. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Erik explained that he had tried to inquire about Banner's whereabouts, but all leads pointed to S.H.I.E.L.D., after which he was quickly warned against further inquiries. When he started working at the S.H.I.E.L.D. laboratory, he was also denied access to this information, deemed classified.
When Erik asked Bruce where he had been all these years, Bruce just chuckled, but didn't divulge any details. He simply replied, "When the time is right, you'll learn why I disappeared."
They lingered in the corridor for a while, discussing what had happened, and then headed together to the command bridge.
"Thor?" Selvig asked, surprised, noticing the familiar figure.
"Hey, Selvig, my old friend!" Thor, seeing him, beamed and gave him a friendly clap on the shoulder.
"I visited Jane recently, but you weren't there. Turns out you're here."
"Yes, I'm working for S.H.I.E.L.D. now. And how did you end up here?"
"Came to help you," Thor replied calmly.
Meanwhile, Tony Stark also noticed Bruce Banner arriving with Selvig.
"Well, well, Dr. Banner, it's a pleasure to see you," he approached him.
"Um... Hi, Stark," Bruce replied, recognizing the world-famous Iron Man.
"Your achievements in the field of positrons are simply incredible, but I must admit, I'm most impressed when you turn into a big green rage monster," Tony first expressed his admiration, then started imitating the Hulk, which slightly embarrassed Banner.
Noah, observing the scene, noticed that everyone had finally gathered and addressed Thor, "Thor, you still haven't explained why you brought Loki with you."
Loki, standing nearby with a look of utter disdain for the proceedings, was clearly not in the mood to interact with "mere mortals."
Nick Fury also asked, "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?"