The S.H.I.E.L.D. base lay in ruins.
Walls were scorched, debris littered the floors, and the air reeked of ozone and burning metal.
Loki had vanished—taking several elite agents with him.
Those unfortunate enough to have fallen under the influence of his Mind Scepter were now his unwilling followers, lost to S.H.I.E.L.D. for the time being.
Director Nick Fury arrived on-site moments later, flanked by a team of field operatives.
His one good eye swept over the wreckage, his jaw tight with controlled anger.
"Someone explain what the hell happened here," Fury demanded, his tone low but sharp.
He hated walking into chaos without intel—especially when some of his best agents were missing.
Among the missing were several top-tier operatives—and one in particular that hit hardest: Clint Barton, codename Hawkeye.
"Sir," Phil Coulson approached with a data tablet in hand.
"We managed to recover fragments of the surveillance feed. It captured part of the incident before the systems went down."
Fury took the tablet and played the footage.
His expression darkened with every passing second.
On-screen, a figure appeared out of thin air—tall, pale, wielding a glowing scepter.
Within moments, trained S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were dropping like dominoes, eyes clouded over in eerie blue light.
Fury watched as Barton, his most trusted marksman, was struck by the scepter's tip and turned without resistance.
When the video ended, Fury exhaled slowly.
"That… wasn't human."
"No, sir," Coulson replied grimly.
"In fact, the individual referred to Earth as if he wasn't from it."
Fury's expression grew even harder.
"So we're dealing with an extraterrestrial threat. Perfect."
"What are your orders?" Coulson asked.
Fury was silent for a moment, thinking.
Then his gaze sharpened.
"We've talked about this before. Looks like it's finally time to put the plan into motion."
"The team plan?" Coulson asked, immediately understanding.
Fury gave a single nod.
"Get them all," he said.
"If the world's changing faster than we can control it, then we'll need the kind of people who can keep up."
Coulson nodded firmly and moved to carry out the order.
Hours later, a number of figures assembled inside S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters—each one extraordinary in their own right.
Among them were Tony Stark, Captain Steve Rogers, and Dr. Bruce Banner—individuals who had crossed paths with Kurogai Blackwood before.
If Kurogai were here, he would have recognized the faces of the heroes who, in time, would become known as the Avengers.
This time, however, things were different.
Unlike before, Fury's preparations had begun well in advance.
The groundwork for this alliance had already been laid, so there was little hesitation.
The world's greatest defenders gathered swiftly, united by one shared understanding: something dangerous had arrived on Earth.
"Alright," Fury began, standing before the assembled group.
"You've all been briefed. An unknown hostile has appeared—someone not of this world."
"He attacked one of our bases, caused heavy casualties, and took several of our agents with him. Including Barton."
He paused, letting the weight of that statement sink in.
"We don't know his motives yet. But what we do know is this—if we don't act fast, this could spiral into something we can't contain."
Stark leaned back in his chair, arms crossed.
"So, an alien's on Earth picking fights with secret government agencies. Great. Guess it was only a matter of time before someone from out there noticed us."
"Aliens invading Earth… and we have no clue what they want."
Banner rubbed his forehead, exhaling.
"That's not exactly comforting."
Captain Rogers, ever direct, folded his hands.
"Then our first priority should be to find this intruder and stop him before he causes more damage."
The room murmured in agreement.
Fury said nothing, simply observing their reactions.
This was the moment he'd envisioned when he first proposed the initiative.
He wanted to see if they could function as a team—if their instincts aligned when faced with the unknown.
Yet, one problem lingered in everyone's mind.
They still had no idea who the enemy truly was, or what he wanted.
"If we don't even understand what this guy's after," Stark said, "then we're just swinging blind."
"We need intel. Someone who actually knows about this kind of thing."
He tapped his finger on the table thoughtfully, then looked up.
"What about Kurogai?"
The room fell silent for a moment at the name.
Stark continued.
"The guy's dealt with off-world tech, energy signatures, and entities none of us can even explain."
"If anyone can help us understand what we're dealing with, it's him."
Fury gave a small nod, his expression unreadable.
He'd been considering the same option.
"Yes," he said finally.
"Get me Kurogai Alexander Blackwood."
"If we're going to face whatever's coming, we'll need his help."
____
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