[A-rank Mission: Infinity Stones!]
[At the beginning of the universe, along with the Big Bang, six stones bearing infinite energy were born. Each possesses boundless possibilities. When all six stones are gathered, their wielder attains ultimate power in the universe! Two of these stones have already appeared before the Summoner. The Summoner must make a choice!]
[Mission Objective: Acquire two Infinity Stones, or at least one (if only one is obtained, the reward will be downgraded to B-rank).]
"Acquiring two stones is an A-rank mission, while one is only B-rank? Have the Infinity Stones really become so devalued?" Noah mused, looking at the task before him.
Earlier, at the secret S.H.I.E.L.D. base, his mission related to the Tesseract was also classified as B-rank. Although the task seemed easy enough, the mere presence of Infinity Stones should warrant a higher rating, he thought. Now the situation was repeating itself.
However, the system couldn't be making such a mistake without reason, so he decided to accept the mission and figure things out, at least after obtaining one of the Stones.
[Accepted A-rank Mission: Infinity Stones!]
"Now all that's left is to complete it," Noah thought, watching another wave of Chitauri soldiers pour through the portal like a swarm of insects.
Before heading inside the tower to find Corvus, he intended to eliminate some of the soldiers first. But at that moment, Nick Fury contacted him.
"What's going on over there? Is that a wormhole?" Fury's voice came through the speakers while he was on the Quinjet, en route to New York.
"Something like that. They opened a portal using the Tesseract, and their army is already here. Contact the New York authorities, have them begin evacuations and organize shelters," Noah replied, launching another volley of Hextech micro-missiles at the alien soldiers.
However, as the Chitauri army was connected to their mothership through a unified network, they had already adapted to his previous missile attacks. This time, they dispersed, avoiding massive losses, and Noah realized his missile supply was running low.
Deciding it was time to head inside the tower, he said, "I've already started. You and Tony hold the line. Thor is on his way to help you."
"Yes, I see him," Noah said, hearing the rumble of thunder. Thor, dragging Loki along, appeared on the horizon.
"Noah! How are things?" the god of thunder asked, hovering before him, twirling his hammer.
"You're just in time. I'll deal with the Tesseract; you cover me here," Noah said.
"Understood. Leave them to me. Since they dare insult the majesty of Asgard, I'll show them the fury of thunder!" Thor replied, then swung Mjolnir towards the enemies. He flew forward, his hammer unleashing a barrage of lightning bolts that struck the Chitauri soldiers.
Noah glanced at the departing god of thunder and at Loki, who was watching the commotion on the ground with interest. Seeing Fury's Quinjet approaching, he headed towards the tower where the reactor was located.
The glass walls of Stark Tower had been shattered by the powerful energy of the light beam, so Noah easily entered the building without having to break through any walls or windows. A few moments later, his integrated scanners located the large arc reactor and the device with the Tesseract, which was functioning as a portal generator. But what surprised him was the absence of Corvus and his companions nearby.
Approaching the device, he saw the Tesseract, hovering in the air and radiating powerful spatial energy. It was encased in a protective barrier formed by the pure energy of the Infinity Stone.
Noah carefully scanned the first floor of Stark Tower. He expected the enemy to have set an ambush, waiting for the opportune moment to attack. But he reached the Tesseract without encountering any resistance, which completely baffled him.
As it turned out, Corvus and his companions had prepared a plan in advance. He understood that he wouldn't be able to defeat Noah, so he didn't wait for his arrival. After his subordinates infiltrated the tower, they used Kree technology to disable the security systems, activated the portal, and left the scene.
The protective barrier created by the Tesseract was formed by the energy of the Infinity Stone. Without an energy source of comparable level, meaning another Stone, it was impossible to penetrate. Corvus didn't believe humans possessed the technology to breach such a shield.
Since the only key to deactivating the barrier was the scepter with the Mind Stone, he took it with him to prevent its loss. If they lost the scepter, their mission would fail, and he would not only fail to acquire the Tesseract, but also lose the Mind Stone. This would be a catastrophic outcome, as he wouldn't know how to explain himself to Thanos, assuming he even survived.
By the time Noah reached the device, Corvus and his team were long gone.
After a thorough scan and using his magical perception, Noah confirmed that the enemies had indeed vanished without a trace. He then focused his attention on the Tesseract. Concentrating on the powerful energy emanating from the artifact, he extended his hand and touched the protective barrier.