Cap stood up from his seat and said,
"I'm heading to the lab. See if they've found anything. It's tough just sitting here doing nothing."
In the information-gathering and research phase, there was nothing Cap could do, so he must have been bored just sitting around.
With that, Cap left for the lab. I didn't have anything to do either.
"Thor, how's Queen Frigga doing?"
"Well... Mother is always doing well. Ah! Right, you learned magic from Mother, didn't you, Jin?"
"Yeah, it's already been a year. And I wanted to ask you something. Why doesn't Asgard have spaceships?"
"We do, but only small ships that can travel short distances. We have magic and the Bifrost, so we never really needed them. Not that we have the Bifrost anymore, since it was destroyed."
"Still, it would be good to have at least one for emergencies."
"I felt that during the last incident and this one. That without the Bifrost, we have no way to travel."
Asgard was protected by Odin's immense power, so an attack on Asgard itself was unimaginable. That's probably why they never prepared for the unprecedented destruction of the Bifrost.
Just then, Cap came in and whispered to me.
"Can you get me the helicarrier blueprints? There's something I need to find. Don't tell anyone else."
Cap had heard from Tony in the lab that SHIELD was hiding something, and he wanted to check it out himself.
"Let's take a walk."
"Sure."
I secretly pulled a smartphone from my inventory and, instead of blueprints, installed a navigation app that showed every passage, warehouse, quarters, engine room, and more on the helicarrier. With Minerva's help, it took no time at all.
"This is your current location, and you can adjust the size like this."
I explained how to use the app to Cap.
"And I think what you're looking for is here."
I zoomed out and pointed to a warehouse on the map. Cap was surprised.
"Jin, you already knew?"
"Yeah. Go check it with your own eyes first."
"Got it."
Cap took the smartphone and headed to the warehouse I'd pointed out. The moment I returned to the conference room, Natasha contacted me.
—Jin! You were right. Loki is targeting Banner. Come to the lab with Thor just in case. The Director's heading there too.
"Understood."
Just like in the original, Natasha had confronted Loki directly and used psychological tactics to figure out he was after Banner. I gave Thor a quick rundown, and we moved to the lab together. When we arrived, Tony, Banner, and Nick Fury were talking.
"What's Phase 2?"
Tony asked Nick Fury. Just then, Cap arrived and placed a firearm made using the Cube's power on the lab table, saying,
"Phase 2 is SHIELD using the Cube to make weapons."
Nick Fury hurriedly explained.
"We've been collecting everything related to the Cube. This isn't something we made…"
"Sorry, Nick, but then what's this?"
Tony cut Fury off and showed us a monitor in the lab. On it were blueprints for a missile powered by the Cube. Dr. Banner also pressed Fury.
"Why is SHIELD making missiles using the Cube?"
Fury pointed at Thor and said,
"Because of him."
"Me?"
"Last year, an alien robot showed up and had a brutal fight with Jin. Luckily Jin won and there wasn't much damage, but we were shocked by the alien technology. We had no choice but to prepare."
Hearing Fury, Thor argued back.
"Making weapons with the Tesseract sends a signal to the entire universe that Earth is preparing for war. You talk about peace while preparing for war!"
Dr. Banner agreed with Thor.
"That's your way, isn't it? Us as a team? No! We're monsters that cause chaos. Did you gather us to keep us in check?"
Nick Fury turned to Banner and said,
"Stay out of this!"
"Mother Pucker, he's making a fair point. Why are you shutting him down?"
Tony spoke to Fury, who was silencing Banner, and now seemed to think of Cap as an ally. He casually draped an arm over Cap's shoulder and leaned on him. Annoyed, Cap knocked Tony's hand away. Unlike Tony's assumption, Cap had clearly been building up frustration with Tony's flippant behavior.
"You know why. Back off!"
The reason Cap mentioned seemed to refer to the intel Natasha got from Loki.
Tony didn't back down and shot back.
"Make me."
Hearing Tony's provocation, Cap stepped up to him and said,
"Yeah, that suit of armor. What are you without it?"
"Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist."
After saying that, Tony looked at me.
"Me? I'm the world's richest man, number one on the Most Marriageable list, inventor."
I looked at Banner next.
"Me? I have... seven PhDs, an M.D., and speak five languages."
Then Banner looked at Thor.
"I am the first prince of Asgard! I know Gurtu and the languages of many civilizations."
Tony turned back to Cap and said,
"Right, Mister High-and-Mighty, what are you without the super soldier thing? Don't tell me it's 'strong willpower' or something?"
"..."
Cap had nothing to say. I barely held back my laughter. This was different from the original, but funnier.
Just then, the lab computer beeped with a signal. Banner went to the computer to check it. Seeing that, Thor asked,
"Did you find the Tesseract?"
Tony heard that and tried to head out to handle it alone, but Cap grabbed him.
"You're not going alone."
Tony, still mad from earlier, shook off Cap's hand and said,
"Stop me!"
"Then put on the suit!"
"I won't go easy on you just because you're old."
While Tony and Cap were in a standoff, I figured it was about time things blew up, so I moved closer to Natasha.
Then, with a huge explosion, powerful pressure and flames surged through the lab vents, turning the place into chaos in an instant. I quickly pulled Natasha into my arms and used magic to block the blast pressure and debris. Banner was near the large window, so the intense pressure shattered the glass and he fell to the warehouse below. Cap and Tony were lucky to be near the door, so they didn't get blown out. Nick Fury was also seen collapsed in a corner of the lab.
"Put on the suit."
"Got it!"
This time, Tony actually listened to Cap. The two of them rushed out of the lab.
"Natasha, look after Mother Pucker. I'll go to Dr. Banner."
"Got it."
I jumped through the broken window and landed in the warehouse where Banner had fallen.
"Urgh!"
Banner's skin was turning green and his body was growing. He seemed to be transforming into the Hulk from the impact of the fall.
"Dr. Banner, are you alright?"
It was too late to stop the transformation. Honestly, I'd wanted this — to test my strength. Once the transformation finished, Hulk looked at me and charged, smashing everything around him. I matched his speed and led him to the larger hangar.
When we reached the hangar, Thor came to help, but I stopped him with my hand.
"Leave this to me and go to Loki!"
"Got it. Be careful!"
Thor ran back toward Loki.
I decided to fight Hulk with pure physical strength alone and engaged him in hand-to-hand combat. I blocked the arm he swung and landed a punch to his gut.
Thud!
"Kuok!"
Blocking him once, I felt our strength was about equal. Hulk took the hit to his abdomen, staggered briefly, then charged again and brought both hands down. I didn't dodge. I caught both his arms and we locked into a contest of strength.
"Uwook!"
Ugh! It's certain. Our strength is similar. Unless he gets angrier.
Now that I'd confirmed it, I deflected his arms outward, closed in, and drove a punch into Hulk's jaw.
Crack!
As the impact lifted Hulk, I spun in place and kicked him in the stomach.
Wham!
Crash!
Hulk took my kick and flew back, smashing through crates stacked in the hangar before stopping. The skill gap between Hulk and me was huge. He just relied on brute strength, swinging wildly.
Hulk shoved aside the debris, got up, and charged at me again with a punch. I dodged and swept his leg. Hulk lost balance and rolled across the floor several times.
Thud-thud-thud!
As he tried to get up again, I closed in fast and delivered a powerful knee to his face.
Crack!
I put all my strength into that knee, and Hulk's face seemed to cave in slightly. The impact was severe — Hulk grabbed his face and fell backward.
Hulk must have been knocked out, because he started reverting to Banner. Just then, a fighter jet appeared in the sky connected to the hangar, but I waved it off and sent it away.
"Ugh... What happened..."
Banner seemed to be coming to slowly.
"Dr. Banner, are you awake?"
"Did I transform?"
Dr. Banner grimaced and held his head, looking like he had a headache.
"Yes. I stopped you for now."
"Is that true? I can't believe someone can actually do that..."
Banner's clothes were all torn — he'd be naked if he stood up now.
"Wait here a moment. I'll get you clothes."
"Ah, yes. Please."
I moved to a spot near the hangar with no CCTV, pulled a tracksuit from my inventory, and brought it back to Banner.
"Dr. Banner, there are hostile forces attacking the helicarrier right now, so please stay here for a bit."
"I see. Understood. And you were right. I'm sorry I didn't believe you."
Banner apologized for not believing my earlier prediction.
"It's fine, Dr. Banner. I was half-doubting it myself when I said it."
I just said something nice to keep a good relationship with Banner.
Leaving the hangar, I moved quickly through the helicarrier, taking out the infiltrators one by one. Then I heard Nick Fury's voice through my earpiece.
—Agent Coulson is dead.
—Medical team dispatched.
—We're here. Confirmed KIA.
Phil Coulson is alive and receiving treatment. Fury's statement was a lie to unite the team. I could heal him faster with my abilities, but I left it alone for the story. My powers might get exposed too.
After finishing off the remaining stragglers, we gathered in the conference room. Present were Cap, Tony, Banner, and me. Natasha was with Clint Barton — Hawkeye — whose brainwashing had worn off. Thor had been tricked by Loki and, just like in the original, got trapped in the detention cell and dropped. Banner being here didn't change the original plot, so it didn't matter.
Nick Fury stood at the front of the conference table and spoke.
"This was in Coulson's pocket. He'll never get that signature now."
Fury tossed an old, bloodstained Captain America card onto the table. In the end, Phil didn't get an autograph in my world either. Poor Phil.
Cap picked up one of the cards and looked at the front. It showed Captain America posing in his suit. Phil's blood was smeared all over it. It seemed to reflect Cap's current state of mind.
"Our situation is dire. The helicarrier is barely staying afloat, we have communication issues, Thor... We've lost all our strength, and we took a hit where it hurts most. Superhumans with different abilities, gathered into one team to create greater power, to defeat enemies we can't beat alone. Phil Coulson believed that was possible until the moment he died. He believed in heroes."
Banner said,
"The Cube was last confirmed near Manhattan, New York, on the monitors."
Tony thought for a moment and then swore.
"That son of a bitch! It's Stark Tower! I'll go ahead and buy time, so get there fast and back me up."
"Got it."
Everyone stood to move out. I contacted Natasha.
"Is Barton okay?"
—Yeah. The brainwashing seems completely gone.
"We found the Cube's location. I'm heading to the deck. Get ready and come up."
—Understood.