INT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE - DAY
Steve and Tony listened in as well.
"They called it," Fury said.
INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE - LATER
Fury gathered Tony and Steve back into the briefing room; everyone there had a look as if in a daze. A look of numb shock was on their devastated faces.
"These were in Phil Coulson's jacket," Fury said. "Guess he never did get you to sign them." Fury threw Coulson's Captain America trading cards on the table towards Steve. Steve picked up the bloodstained cards.
Fury continued. "We're dead in the air up here. Our communications, location of the cube, Banner, Thor. I got nothing for you. Lost my one good eye. Maybe I had that coming." He paused a beat."Yes, we were going to build an arsenal with the Tesseract. I never put all my chips on that number though, because I was playing something even riskier. There was an idea, Stark knows this, called The Avengers Initiative. The idea was to bring together a group of remarkable people, see if they could become something more. See if they could work together when we needed them to, to fight the battles that we never could. Phil Coulson died still believing in that idea, in heroes." Tony got up and walked off, not wanting to hear any more. "Well, it's an old-fashioned notion."
EXT. MEADOW
Thor walked out far into the meadow. He looked down to see Mjölnir.
INT. ABANDONED BUILDING
Bruce woke up, in human form. He looked around and saw he was in a pile of rubble and looked up at the open ceiling he crashed in. He was completely naked. A security guard stood there, amazed.
"You fell out of the sky," the security guard said.
Bruce, coming to, asked, "Did I hurt anybody?"
"There's nobody around here to get hurt. You did scare the hell out of some pigeons though."
"Lucky."
"Or just good aim. You were awake when you fell."
"You saw?"
"The whole thing, right through the ceiling. Big and green and buck ass nude. Here..." He threw Bruce a pair of big pants. Bruce pulled on his pants. "I didn't think those would fit you until you shrunk down to a regular size fella."
"Thank you."
"Are you an alien?"
"What?"
"From outer space, an alien?"
"No."
"Well then, son, you've got a condition."
INT. HELICARRIER MEDICAL ROOM
Clint and Elliot were strapped down. Natasha watched over them as Clint and Elliot tried to shake off Loki's mind control.
"Clint, Elliot, you're both gonna be all right," Natasha told them.
"You know that?" Clint asked. "Is that what you know? Elliot and I got... Elliot and I gotta go in though. We gotta flush him out."
"We don't have that long, it's gonna take time."
Elliot frowned. "I don't understand. Don't think Clint does either. Have you ever had someone take your brain and play? Pull you out and send something else in? Do you know what it's like to be unmade?"
"You know that I do."
"Why are we back? How did you get him out?"
"Cognitive recalibration. I hit you two really hard in the head."
"Thanks," Clint said as Natasha unfastened the restraints. "Tasha, how many agents?"
"Don't. Don't do that to yourself, Clint, Elliot. This is Loki. This is monsters and magic and nothing we were ever trained for."
"Loki, he got away?" Clint and Elliot asked.
"Yeah. I don't suppose either of you know where?"
"Elliot and I didn't need to know," Clint replied. "He and I didn't ask. He's gonna make his play soon though. Today."
"We gotta stop him."
"Yeah? Who's we?" Clint and Elliot questioned.
"I don't know. Whoever's left."
"Well, if I put an arrow in Loki's eye socket, I'd sleep better I suppose and I'm sure my brother would too," Clint said.
"Now you sound like you." She sat next to her partners and friends.
"But you don't," Elliot stated. "You're a spy, not a soldier. Now you want to wade into a war. Why? What did Loki do to you?"
"He didn't, I just..." She paused.
"Natasha," the brothers called.
"I've been compromised. I got red in my ledger. I'd like to wipe it out."
INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION
Tony looked at the empty cell container. He stood not saying a word.
Steve walked in and asked, "Was he married?"
"No," Tony replied. "There was a uh... cellist, I think."
"I'm sorry. He seemed like a good man."
"He was an idiot."
"Why? For believing?"
"For taking on Loki without more backup."
"He was doing his job."
"He was out of his league. He should have waited. He should have..."
"Sometimes there isn't a way out, Tony."
Tony walked away. "Right. How did that work for him?"
"Is this the first time you've lost a soldier?"
Tony turned around sharply. "We are not soldiers! I am not marching to Fury's fife!"
"Neither am I!He's got the same blood on his hands as Loki does. Right now we've got to put that aside and get this done. Now Loki needs a power source, if we can put together a list..."
Tony looked at the bloodstained wall. "He made it personal."
"That's not the point."
"That is the point. That's Loki's point. He hit us all right where we live. Why?"
"To tear us apart."
"He had to conquer his greed, but he knows he has to take us out to win, right? That's what he wants. He wants to beat us and he wants to be seen doing it. He wants an audience."
"Right, I caught his act at Stuttengard."
"Yeah," Tony agreed. "That's just a preview, this is opening night. Loki's a full-tilt diva. He wants flowers, he wants parades, he wants a monument built in the skies with his name plastered..." He paused. "Son of a bitch!"
EXT. STARK TOWER
Selvig worked around the CMS device that had already been set. On the rooftop of Tony's tower.
INT. HELICARRIER MEDICAL ROOM
Steve walked in, in full uniform. Natasha looked at him, unprepared.
"Time to go," Steve said.
"Go where?" Natasha asked.
"I'll tell you on the way. Can you fly one of those jets?"
Clint walked out of the restroom while Elliot walked in and looked at Steve before saying, "Elliot and I can."
Steve looked at Natasha and she nodded to confirm Clint and Elliot were on their side before Steve asked, "You two got a suit?"
"Yeah," Clint and Elliot replied.
"Then suit up."
---
A blinding bolt of lightning struck down from above, colliding on Mjölnir. The explosion was massive.
---
Captain America pulled on his helmet and shield.
Tony welded his Iron Man helmet. Light slipped down over Iron Man's eye holes.
Black Widow attached a glove gauntlet with her rounds on her wrist. A blue light charged.
Hawkeye and Archer slipped on their quiver of arrows.
EXT/INT. QUINJET
Captain America, Black Widow, Archer and Hawkeye walked towards and into the Quinjet. A young S.H.I.E.L.D. pilot looked and stood in their way.
"You are not authorized to be here..." the young S.H.I.E.L.D. agent began.
Captain America cut him off. "Son... just don't."
INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE
Fury looked out the window of the ship, contemplating.
Hill walked up to him, knowing and said, "Sir."
"Agent Hill?" Fury questioned.
"Those cards, they were in Coulson's locker, not in his jacket."
"They needed the push." He held Coulson's cards.
A loud noise screeched. Fury looked out to see Iron Man flying off as well as the Quinjet.
"They found it," Fury said. "Get our communications back up, whatever you have to do. I want eyes on everything."
"Yes, sir," Hill replied.
EXT. NEW YORK CITY SKYLINE - STARK TOWER
Iron Man arrived at Stark Tower where Selvig activated the CMS device holding the Tesseract.
JARVIS informed, "Sir, I took off the arc reactor. The device is already self-sustained."
"Shut it down, Dr. Selvig," Tony ordered.
"It's too late!" Selvig replied. "It can't stop now. He wants to show us something! A new universe."
"Okay." Iron Man aimed his hands towards the CMS and fired. The energy from his boosters shattered with a deafening crack. Selvig fell backwards. Down below, citizens of New York looked up at Stark Tower. Iron Man stared in disbelief at the CMS unharmed.
JARVIS said, "The barrier is pure energy. It's unbreachable. The Mark VII is not ready to be deployed."
"Skip the spinning rims," Tony told him. "We're on the clock."
Tony landed his suit and went through the gauntlet which unsuited him. Loki looked up at him, smiling. They proceeded to walk into the penthouse.
INT. STARK PENTHOUSE
Loki walked in, holding the scepter. Tony casually walked down the steps, towards the bar.
"Please tell me you're going to appeal to my humanity," Loki said.
"Uh... actually, I'm planning to threaten you," Tony corrected.
"You should have left your armor on for that."
"Yeah, it's seen a bit of mileage. You've got the blue stick of destiny. Would you like a drink?"
"Stalling me won't change anything."
"No, no, no! Threatening. No drink? You sure? I'm having one."
"The Chitauri are coming, nothing will change that. What have I to fear?"
"The Avengers." Loki looked at him, confused. "It's what we call ourselves, sort of like a team. 'Earth's Mightiest Heroes' type of thing."
"Yes, I've met them."
Tony smiled. "Yeah, takes us a while to get any traction, I'll give you that one. But, let's do a head count here. Your brother, the demigod; a Super Soldier, a living legend who kind of lives up to the legend; a man with breath-taking anger management issues; a few master assassins and you, big fella, you've managed to piss off every single one of them."
"That was the plan."
"Not a great plan. When they come, and they will, they'll come for you."
From underneath the bar table, Tony pulled on colantotte bracelets, a honing device.
"I have an army," Loki said.
"We have a Hulk," Tony shot back.
"I thought the beast had wandered off."
"You're missing the point. There's no throne, there is no version of this, where you come out on top. Maybe your army comes and maybe it's too much for us, but it's all on you. Because if we can't protect the Earth, you can be damn well sure we'll avenge it."
Loki slowly walked up to him, raising the scepter. "How will your friends have time for me, when they're so busy fighting you?"
Loki tapped Tony on the chest with his scepter. Nothing. Confused, Loki tried again. Again, nothing.
"This usually works," Loki said.
"Well, performance issues," Tony reasoned. "You know? Not uncommon. One out of five..."
In anger, Loki grabbed Tony by the throat and flung him across the room.
"JARVIS," Tony called. "Anytime now."
Loki grabbed Tony by the throat again. "You will all fall before me."
Loki threw Tony out the window. Tony free-fell down the tower. From behind Loki, an elevator opened and a red pod shot out. The pod laser signaled the colantotte bracelets on Tony. The pod began to transform into the Mark VII suit. It latched onto Tony. The suit flew up before he hit the ground or the gazing people. Loki looked up, angry.
"And there's one other person you pissed off!" Iron Man said. "His name was Phil."
Loki raised the scepter. Iron Man fired at Loki, sending him on his butt.
EXT. STARK TOWER
Selvig looked up at the sky. The Tesseract's energy beamed into the sky. The beam formed a vortex, which opened up another portal.
EXT. VASTNESS OF SPACE
A hole in space ripped open, and from it, the Chitauri army spilled out in flying chariots, carrying energy rifles with a bayonet on the end.
"Right. Army," Tony said as he flew up towards the portal. From his shoulders, a miniature multiple rocket launcher popped out and fired. Like the Jericho missile, several targets were taken down, but it was useless. Thousands of Chitauri flew out. Iron Man flew towards the city.
EXT. MANHATTAN - DAY
The Chitauri unleashed. New Yorkers filled the streets, staring at the fire fight in the distance. The Chitauri unleashed blasts as it went, blowing up cars, setting storefronts aflame. An explosion ripped out the windows of the top corner of buildings. Flame and stone rained down. A domino-effect of explosions rippled across the bridge.
EXT. STARK TOWER
Loki walked onto the balcony as the sounds of the Chitauri rang out. He admired his soon to be kingdom. Thor landed on the tower.
Loki turned to his enemy and Thor said, "Loki! Turn off the Tesseract or I'll destroy it!"
"You can't," Loki told him. "There is no stopping it. There is only the war!"
"So be it."
Loki and Thor rushed each other. They and their weapons collided. The two battled -- Loki unleashed another pent-up rage and jealousy, Thor had no choice but to defend himself.
EXT. MANHATTAN
Soldiers and cops had taken positions covering the streets. They saw from the sky, Iron Man leading a trail of Chitauri towards his tower.