Sam and Bruce arrived back at Stark Tower.
The whole team was waiting for them in the massive living room.
Tony, Steve, Peggy were gathered around the large computer screens, ready to work.
Suddenly, the sky outside the window flashed with bright lightning.
*CRACK!*
A loud, heavy boom of thunder shook the glass.
A tall man wearing silver armor and a bright red cape landed smoothly on the outdoor balcony. He was holding a large, heavy metal hammer.
It was Thor, the God of Thunder.
The glass doors slid open, and Thor walked inside. He looked around the busy room.
When his blue eyes finally found Sam, a big, warm smile appeared on his face.
"Sam! My friend!"
Thor boomed, walking over to give Sam a strong, friendly pat on the shoulder.
"Welcome back to Earth, Thor,"
Sam smiled, happy to see the thunder god again.
"But I have a feeling you are not just here to say hello. You are here for your brother."
Thor's smile faded away. His face turned very sad and serious.
"Yes,"
Thor sighed heavily, his voice full of pain.
"Loki has completely lost his way. His mind is poisoned by anger. He plans to bring a terrible war to your world."
Thor looked deeply into Sam's eyes.
He respected the Cultivator more than anyone else in the universe.
"You helped me find my worth again, Sam,"
Thor said humbly.
"You are my benefactor. I trust your power and your wisdom. I cannot fight this battle alone. I came here to ask for your help to stop my brother before it is too late."
Sam nodded calmly. He understood the heavy burden Thor was carrying.
"You don't have to ask for my help, Thor. We are already going after him,"
Sam explained, gesturing to the people in the room.
"We formed a special team to protect this world. We call it the Avengers. We could use a god of thunder on our side. I want you to join us."
Thor looked at Steve, Peggy,Tony, and Bruce.
He saw strong, brave warriors ready to defend their home.
"I would be honored,"
Thor said firmly, holding his hammer tight.
"I accept."
"Good,"
Tony said from the other side of the room.
"Because it is time to go to work."
Bruce Banner was standing right next to Tony.
He wasn't shaking, and he wasn't nervous anymore. His mind was perfectly clear, and he was completely focused.
His hands moved quickly over the high-tech keyboard.
He was staring intensely at a global map glowing on the large holographic screen.
"The Tesseract is not just a magic cube,"
Bruce explained to the room, his scientific mind working perfectly.
"It gives off a very specific, low-level gamma radiation signature. It is like a bright flashlight shining in a dark room, but you just need the right lens to see it."
Bruce typed a few more commands.
The large computers hummed loudly.
Suddenly, the screens beeped. A bright red dot started blinking on the map.
It was pointed straight at Stuttgart, Germany.
Bruce pushed his glasses up his nose and let out a relieved breath.
"I got a lock on the energy spike,"
Bruce said confidently, turning to look at Sam.
"I tracked the radiation. I know exactly where Loki might be."
Miles away from Stark Tower, in a cold, empty warehouse, Natasha let out a slow breath.
She stood over several unconscious bodies.
Clint Barton was tied securely to a heavy metal chair.
He was awake, but his eyes were glowing with a sick, unnatural blue light.
He was fighting the ropes, pulling hard and glaring at her.
Natasha had tracked him down quickly.
Using her new speed and her deadly flying daggers, she had easily subdued Clint and the other brainwashed agents without killing them.
But Loki was nowhere to be found.
The alien god had left his mind-controlled soldiers behind to do his dirty work.
Suddenly, her secure earpiece beeped.
"Nat, do you read me?"
Sam's calm, steady voice came through the radio.
"I hear you, Sam,"
Natasha answered, keeping her eyes locked on Clint.
"Bruce found the Tesseract's energy signature,"
Sam told her.
"Loki is in Stuttgart, Germany. We are leaving to get him right now."
"Understood,"
Natasha said smoothly.
"I tracked down Clint and his team. I successfully subdued all of them. But Loki is not here. Go get the punny god, Sam. I will follow you as soon as I deal with the job here."
"Be careful,"
Sam said softly before closing the channel.
Natasha took off her earpiece and walked closer to Clint.
He looked at her with pure anger, an emotion that did not belong to him at all.
"You cannot stop him, Natasha,"
Clint hissed coldly.
"You will all fall."
Natasha felt a cold chill in her heart.
For a master spy, mind control was the absolute worst nightmare.
Losing your own free will and being forced to hurt your friends was worse than dying.
She remembered the quiet nights at the mansion.
During their deep, intimate dual cultivation, Sam had warned her about mental attacks.
He knew how dangerous mind magic could be for a spy.
So, he had taught her a special technique.
He taught her how to build a strong wall in her own mind, and how to use her cool, soothing Yin Qi to wash away mental poison from others.
She didn't think she would have to use this technique so soon, but she was incredibly grateful she knew it.
"I am not going to let him keep you, Clint,"
Natasha whispered softly, looking at her oldest friend.
"I am bringing you back."
She reached out and placed her hands gently on both sides of Clint's head.
Natasha closed her eyes and focused her breathing.
She pushed her pure, calming Yin energy directly into his mind. It was like pouring cool, clear water over a dirty, burning fire.
Clint gasped loudly. His body shook violently against the ropes.
"Get out of my head!"
Clint yelled, fighting the alien control.
"Focus on my voice, Clint,"
Natasha said firmly, pushing her energy deeper to break the magic chains.
"You are a master archer. Your mind is yours. Wash it clean."
The struggle only lasted a few more seconds.
The pure magic of the cultivation path was much cleaner than the twisted power of Loki's scepter.
Slowly, the sick blue light in Clint's eyes flickered.
Then, it completely faded away, returning to his normal eye color.
Clint's head dropped forward. He slumped in the chair, panting heavily.
The heavy burden on his mind was gone.
He was finally himself again.
He looked up at Natasha, his eyes full of guilt and confusion.
"Nat..."
Clint whispered, his voice cracking.
"What did I do?"
"You didn't do anything, Clint,"
Natasha smiled gently, reaching down to untie his ropes.
"Someone else did. But it is over now. Let's get you up. We have an alien god to catch."
In Stuttgart, Germany, Loki stood in a quiet, dark room high above a fancy human party.
He held the glowing blue scepter in his hand.
He closed his eyes and let his mind connect to the vast, cold darkness of space.
A dark, raspy voice immediately echoed in his head. It was The Other, the servant of the Mad Titan, Thanos.
"The Chitauri army is hungry, Asgardian,"
The Other hissed.
"Is the mortal world ready for us?"
"Everything is going smoothly,"
Loki answered calmly in his mind.
"Humans are weak. They are distracted and completely unprepared."
"Good,"
The Other said.
"Hand over the Tesseract, and this miserable little planet is yours to rule."
Loki paused. A sudden, cold shiver ran down his spine. He remembered a face.
Sam.
"There is... one variable,"
Loki admitted quietly, unable to hide a small trace of fear in his voice.
"There is a man here. A magic user. A Cultivator named Sam. His power is ancient and unnatural."
The Other laughed, a harsh, cruel sound that hurt Loki's mind.
"You call yourself a god, and yet you fear a mortal?"
The Other mocked him.
"Thanos gave you the scepter. You have absolute power. If you fail the Great Titan, he will show you what true fear really is. There will be nowhere to hide."
The telepathic connection snapped shut.
Loki opened his eyes. He was alone again. His hands were shaking slightly.
He was scared of Sam, yes. But he was completely terrified of Thanos.
No one on Earth—not even Sam or the Avengers—truly understood how unbelievably strong Thanos was.
The Mad Titan was a monster who could wipe out entire planets without breaking a sweat.
Loki walked over to the large glass window and looked up at the stars.
"Odin is old,"
Loki whispered into the empty room, his voice dropping to a sad murmur.
"The All-Father does not have much time left. His magic is fading faster than anyone wants to admit."
Loki gripped the scepter tightly. His heart felt incredibly heavy with a dark, painful secret.
"When Odin dies, the shield around the Nine Realms will fall,"
Loki said to himself.
"Thanos will come. He will wipe out Asgard. He will kill everyone."
Loki had to do something. He had to make a deal with the devil.
Handing over Earth to an alien army was a terrible, bloody price to pay.
But in Loki's mind, it was for the greater good. It was the only way to satisfy the Titan's hunger.
He thought of the gentle hands and warm smile of his mother, Frigga.
He thought of the loud, booming laugh of Thor.
"I must protect my mother,"
Loki whispered softly, a single tear falling down his cheek.
"And... I must even protect that idiot brother of mine."
Loki quickly wiped the tear away. He took a deep breath and stood perfectly straight.
He couldn't tell anyone his true plan.
If Thanos knew Loki was playing him, the punishment would be worse than death.
Loki had to play the part perfectly.
He had to be the absolute villain. He was ready to let the entire universe hate him, as long as his family survived.
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