As the moon rises and the stars shine a helicopter lands on top of one of S.H.I.E.L.D's many facilities and disembarking it is S.H.I.E.L.D's Director Nick Fury, Deputy Director of S.H.I.E.L.D Maria Hill and Lorna one of S.H.I.E.L.D's highest ranking agents.
"How bad is it?" Fury asks as they approach Phil Coulson who stands waiting for them.
"That's the problem, sir. We don't know." Coulson replies.
They enter the facility, passing fleeing technicians, taking only the essentials
"Dr Selvig read an energy surge from the Tesseract four hours ago," Coulson explains.
"NASA didn't authorise Selvig to test phase." Fury replies.
"He wasn't testing it, he wasn't even in the room. Spontaneous advancement." Coulson adds
"It just turned itself on?" Maria questions.
"What are the energy levels," Fury asks.
"Climbing. When Selvig couldn't shut it down, we ordered evac." Coulson answers.
"How long to get everyone out?" Fury asks.
"Campus should be clear in the next half hour." Coulson answers.
"Do better." Fury order.
Fury, Maria and Lorna continue walking down deeper and deeper into the facility while Coulson turns back heading to give out Fury's orders.
"Sir, evacuation may be futile," Maria says.
"We should tell them to go back to sleep?" Fury replies sarcastically.
"If we can't control the Tesseract's energy, there may not be a minimum safe distance," Maria says.
"I need you to make sure Phase 2 prototypes are shipped out." Fury orders.
"Sir, is that really a priority right now?" Maria asks.
"Until such a time as the world ends, we will act as though it intends to spin on. Clear out the tech below. Every piece of Phase 2 on a truck and gone." Fury instructs.
"Yes sir," Maria replies before walking away taking two agents with her.
Fury and Lorna enter the radiation facility housing the Tesseract, the area cluttered with machines and people leaving.
"Talk to me, doctor." Fury calls out to the scientist in charge.
Dr Erik Selvig appears from behind a CMS machine, concerned. The Tesseract is glowing unusually brighter and a flare of blue shoots out from it, hitting things at random.
"Director," Selvig replies.
"Is there anything we know for certain?" Fury asks.
"The Tesseract is misbehaving." Selvig answers.
"Is that supposed to be funny?" Fury asks unamused.
"No, it's not funny at all." Selvig answers. "The Tesseract is not only active, she's... misbehaving."
"How soon until you pull the plug?" Fury asks.
"She's an energy source. If we turn off the power, she turns it back on." Selvig explains "If she reaches peak level..."
"We've prepared for this doctor. Harnessing energy from space." Fury replies.
"We don't have the harness. Our calculations are far from complete. Now she's throwing off interference, radiation. Nothing harmful, low levels of gamma radiation." Selvig explains.
"That can be harmful. Where's Barton?" Fury asks.
"The Hawk?" Selvig inquires. "Up in his nest, as usual."
Agent Clint Barton, also known as Hawkeye, is named so because of his flawless eyesight allowing him to perfectly aim his targets. Barton dressed in black tactical gear, sits upon the railings watching them below.
"Agent Barton, report." Fury orders
Barton grapples down from the catwalk and walks up to Fury and the two walk around the bottom of the facility discreetly.
"I gave you this detail so you could keep a close eye on things," Fury says.
"Well, I see better from a distance," Clint replies.
"Are you seeing anything that might set this thing off?" Fury asks.
"No one's come or gone. Its oven is clean. No contacts, no I.M.'s. If there was any tampering, sir, it wasn't at this end." Clint answers.
"At this end?" Fury questions.
"Yeah, the cube is a doorway to the other end of space, right? The doors open from both sides." Clint explains
Selvig types on his keyboard and the monitor flashes, suddenly, the Tesseract thunders and shakes the entire facility. Both Agent Coulson and Maria Hill feel the tremors from either end of the building. The cube glows brighter and emits a ring of light, and builds like a beam, similar to the Bifrost bridge. The power hits the edge of the platform and begins to form a vortex, which becomes a portal. Space appears through the portal, and a gust of blue energy knocks people back. The cloud shoots to the ceiling, and the portal on the platform opens up as a tall man with slick black hair steps through. The portal vanishes, and the man grins at everyone, holding his sceptre. He frowns as he sees them looking at him.
"Sir please put down the spear." Fury orders
The man looks at his sceptre pretending to contemplate dropping it but responds by firing a blast of blue energy from it, getting Lorna to narrowly tackle Fury out of the way. Everyone begins shooting at the man, but the bullets deflect off of him. The man immediately takes down everyone shooting at him easily, with knives and energy blasts from his sceptre. He pauses, grins and looks to who will attack him next. Barton attempts to attack him, but Loki grabs his wrist, disarming him.
"You have heart." The man speaks.
The man places the tip of the spear against Barton's chest. Barton's eye turns black, before glowing a misty blue and he stops resisting. The man begins controlling other agents around the room while Fury takes the opportunity to sneak up, grab the Tesseract, and places it in a briefcase, trying to sneak out.
"Please don't. I still need that." The man says turning to face Fury.
"This doesn't have to get any messier." Fury replies.
"Of course it does. I've come too far for anything else. I am Loki of Asgard, and I am burdened with glorious purpose." The man replies.
"Loki? Brother of Thor?" Selvig questions causing Loki's grin to falter as he turns and glares at the scientist.
"We have no quarrel with your people." Fury speaks trying to defuse the situation.
"An ant has no quarrel with a boot," Loki replies coldly.
"You planning to step on us?" Fury asks sarcastically.
"I come with glad tidings, of a world made free," Loki replies
Fury discreetly sends Lorna a look telling her to go warn the others while he keeps Loki distracted. Lorn quietly flees the room looking behind her to make sure she hasn't been seen only to see Loki shoot Fury with no hesitation. Lorna quickly makes her way upstairs running into Coulson first.
"Barton's been compromised, he, Loki and Selvig have escaped with the Tesseract," Lorna explains quickly before going to find Maria.
"Wait! Who's Loki!" Coulson asks.
"Thor's brother," Lorna answers before continuing to run and look for Maria
Lorna makes it to Maria just in time to see Clint about to shoot her. Lorna quickly draws her katana and uses it to deflect the bullets as he and Loki escape.
"He's got the Tesseract!" Lorna explains as she helps Maria to her feet.
The energy discharge from the Tesseract is building up on the ceiling, rumbling and growing recklessly, destroying structures and cracking the walls.
Maria and Lorna jump into a Jeep and take chase on Loki and his crew. Several other trucks begin to attack Loki's truck as well, and Loki releases a blast of energy, obliterating S.H.E.I.L.D trucks and causing a blockage in the tunnel. Lorna is forced to keep her distance in her pursuit as she drives while Maria shoots at them
Still racing down the tunnel, Maria and Clint are locked in combat. A blast wave from the Tesseract causes the tunnel to collapse partially. One of Loki's trucks makes it out, but Maria and Lorna get stopped by debris suddenly falling in front of them
The Tesseract's energy cloud now shrinks into a small ball of white light, hovering in the air. In a flash of blue light, the facility is consumed along with its surroundings.
The entire facility implodes with terrifying magnitude, and the implosion rocks the ground.
Maria and Lorna cover themselves as the full force of the blast tears down on the tunnel, light from the night spilling in close by.
"Director? Director Fury, do you copy?" Coulson asks over his walkie-talkie.
"The tesseract is with the hostile force. I have men down." Fury replies. "Hill? Lorna?"
"A lot of men still under, don't know how many survivors," Lorna replies as she and Maria climb out of the car wreck.
"Sound the general call. I want every living soul not working rescue looking for that briefcase." Fury orders.
"Roger that," Maria replies.
"Coulson, Lorna, get back to base. This is a Level Seven. As of right now, we are at war." Fury orders.
"What do we do?" Lorna asks.
Fury looks up to the sky as he realised today is the day he dreaded would come the day where he'd have to call upon Earth's mightiest heroes and heroines.
The Avengers Initiative