"Lissandra, how are the preparations coming?"
"The nanobots are already at the base and ready for combat. The 'Beast' has been released," Lissandra's cool, captivating voice echoed in Noah's ear.
Noah inquired about the status of his nanobot army because there had been progress aboard the Helicarrier. They had begun searching for the Cube's gamma signature in Paris and could locate Corvus Glaive at any moment.
"And Gwen? Is she ready?" he asked.
Earlier, he had considered letting her join the fight. Gwen was far from being a damsel in distress; she was a true heroine. He hoped the Chitauri attack would help her better understand how battles were fought in this world.
When he asked Gwen about her readiness, she, upon learning about the impending invasion, immediately expressed her eagerness, as if ready to rush into battle with scissors in hand. But Noah calmed her down. This new world was full of wonder for her, and she didn't want anything to destroy her happiness. Besides, Noah and Lissandra were like family to her, and she wouldn't allow anyone to threaten their safety.
"She's practically bouncing off the walls," Lissandra said with a smile, watching Gwen warm up by swinging her large blue scissors. The purple hat hovered nearby, as if infected by her enthusiasm.
"I see." Noah saw the scene through Lissandra's visual feed and sighed in relief. He then glanced at Bruce and Erik Selvig, who were discussing something.
"When the enemies appear, I'll open a portal and bring you there," Noah said to Lissandra.
"Understood, Noah."
"See you later." He ended the conversation with Lissandra and turned to the group of scientists.
"What's happening?" Noah asked.
Bruce and Erik were animatedly discussing something by the screen. Tony also joined them.
"We found them!" Selvig exclaimed joyfully.
Noah looked at the screen. Their equipment had indeed detected gamma radiation emanating from the Cube. The location's coordinates were marked on the map.
"They're hiding in a place like that? We need to inform Director Fury immediately," Selvig suggested, contacting Nick Fury right away.
"Well, now all that's left is to get to their lair and take them down," Tony said with a smirk.
"Don't celebrate too soon, Tony. I advise you to wear more reliable armor," Noah said, approaching him. Tony was wearing his standard Mark VI armor, but Corvus and Proxima's weapons could easily penetrate it.
"Is that really necessary?" Tony asked, surprised.
"Trust me, it is," Noah nodded.
"Alright, then I'll be gone for a bit. I'll be back soon," Tony, realizing the seriousness of the situation, hurried to retrieve his new armor.
"What armor is that? Did Tony invent something new again?" Bruce asked.
"You could say that. Let's go see what Fury's planning," Noah replied.
Erik had already relayed the coordinates of Corvus's location to Fury. Now the offensive should begin.
When they arrived on the bridge, a plan of action was already being discussed. Thor and Loki had also received the message and joined them. Thor, hammer in hand, was ready for battle and clearly eager for a fight, after which he planned to visit Jane. Loki, unlike his brother, remained indifferent, avoiding Fury's and the others' gazes. He was only here because of Thor and Odin's insistence and had no intention of helping these mortals.
"Is everyone here?" Fury surveyed those present and noticed one person missing.
"Where's Tony?"
"Director, Stark put on his armor and flew off, saying he would return after changing," Coulson replied.
"Changing? At a time like this?" Rogers frowned. He already knew that his old friend's son wasn't the most disciplined and thought that Tony had actually returned home just for a change of clothes.
"Don't mind him. He probably has some urgent business to attend to," Fury replied. He understood that despite his outward flippancy, Tony could be relied upon in critical moments. Perhaps he needed to deal with something immediately.
When everyone was assembled, Fury began outlining the operation. He had already instructed the French S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to block the entrances to the subway station.
"Captain, Natasha, and Clint, you'll lead a team of agents to infiltrate the subway and retrieve the Tesseract."
After issuing all the instructions, Fury gave his final orders, sending Rogers' team on their mission.
"What about the hostages? They captured the laboratory personnel," Rogers asked after hearing the plan.
"Hostages? The priority now is retrieving the Tesseract. If we don't get it back in time, many more people will suffer," Fury replied. Everyone understood that he was willing to leave the captured scientists behind, as preventing the Cube from falling into alien hands was his utmost priority.
"We can't just leave them!" Rogers objected to this approach. For him, all lives were equally valuable.
"Don't worry. Leave these mortals to me; I'll bring them back safe and sound," Thor interjected. In his eyes, the inhabitants of Earth were essentially subjects of Asgard, and protecting their safety was his duty.
"If you can do that, we'll be grateful," Fury said, nodding to Thor. He then turned to Thor and Noah.
"And what are your plans?" he asked, addressing those he couldn't directly command.