Sorcerer in the Marvel Universe

"Exactly!"

Tony Stark’s voice cracked as he snapped back to reality. His grief came out as frustration.

"Coulson was a good man, but he was an idiot." He ran a hand through his hair. "He went after Loki alone. He never should’ve done that. He should’ve waited for backup."

"Sometimes," Steve Rogers replied quietly, "there isn’t time to wait."

He mourned Coulson too. More than that, he respected him. A soldier who fulfilled his duty to the very end deserved nothing less.

Tony looked away.

"I’ve heard speeches like that before."

"We’re all soldiers now," Steve said, his expression firm.

Tony’s temper flared.

"I’m not a soldier."

He had always seen himself as an inventor, a billionaire, a reckless genius in powered armor. He’d willingly flown into danger countless times.

But death had always happened somewhere else.

Now it had reached someone he actually knew.

"If you two are finished," Evenson said flatly, "I’m leaving."

Ordinarily, he would’ve let them argue for hours.

Today, he didn’t have the patience.

Steve turned toward him.

"Where are you going?"

"To put an end to Loki’s ambitions."

Tony looked up.

"You know where he is?"

"The Tesseract requires an enormous power source before it can be activated," Evenson replied. "Loki won’t waste time searching randomly. He’ll choose the nearest suitable location."

He paused.

"And he’ll make sure everyone sees it."

Tony’s eyes widened.

"Right. He’s a textbook narcissist. He wants an audience. He wants applause. He wants the whole world watching while he crowns himself..."

His expression froze.

"...My tower."

He cursed loudly.

"That son of a..."

Without another word, Tony sprinted away to finish repairing his armor.

Steve turned back toward Evenson.

He was gone.

The warlock had vanished without a trace.

Steve sighed and immediately began gathering everyone else. He found Hawkeye and Natasha first before tracking down Peggy Carter.

Before he could look any further, Lady Sif strode toward them.

"I’m coming with you."

There wasn’t the slightest hesitation in her voice.

She also looked unusually anxious.

Over the past two days, something had continued to bother her.

Thor cared far too much about Loki.

The man had attempted a coup.

He had tried to murder Thor.

He had nearly plunged Asgard into civil war.

Yet Thor still refused to abandon him.

Sif’s thoughts had wandered into increasingly horrifying territory.

No...

Absolutely not.

A chill ran down her spine.

Jane Foster, her greatest romantic rival, instantly dropped to second place.

The mortal woman would live, what, another eighty years if she was lucky?

Sif could outlast that with ease.

But Loki...

Frost Giants could live every bit as long as Asgardians.

If Thor somehow...

No.

She refused to finish that sentence.

If, by some impossible twist of fate, Thor actually preferred his brother...

Her entire love life was doomed.

At this point, Sif felt she had more reason than anyone to catch Loki as quickly as possible.

If only she could fly.

She would’ve left everyone else behind already.

Once everyone had finished preparing, Tony blasted into the sky first, streaking away in a trail of golden light. His still-damaged armor wobbled noticeably before stabilizing.

Steve, meanwhile, took a far more practical approach.

He commandeered a S.H.I.E.L.D. transport.

The unfortunate agents who had been ordered off the aircraft watched it disappear into the distance.

One of them stood motionless on the runway, fighting back tears.

I’m finished...

First I get blamed for the Helicarrier hangar disaster... now Captain America steals my plane.

Badge number 89757. This is how my career ends.

As the aircraft crossed the coastline toward New York, Steve looked around the cabin.

"Does anyone know where Evenson went?"

He had searched the Helicarrier for quite some time before finally giving up and departing without him.

"He should already be back in New York," Natasha answered.

Steve blinked.

"What? Already?"

"Sarah told me." Natasha shrugged. "Apparently he used some kind of fixed-point teleportation spell."

She added, "He also recalled all of his followers."

Steve could only shake his head.

Magic remained deeply unfair.

Across New York, inside an upscale private residence, General Thaddeus Ross paced anxiously across his living room.

He had already retired from active service, but years of military discipline hadn’t dulled his instincts.

"What you’re telling me..."

He stopped walking.

"...is real?"

"Aliens are about to invade Earth."

"And they’re coming through New York?"

Seated comfortably on a sofa opposite him, the Eredar Twins looked completely at ease.

"We’ve earned a certain level of credibility, haven’t we?" Salara said with a calm smile.

Aurecess nodded.

"It took considerable effort to obtain this intelligence from inside S.H.I.E.L.D."

Ross stared at them.

It sounded completely absurd.

Like the plot of an old science-fiction movie.

Yet he couldn’t imagine Umbrella fabricating something this outrageous simply to waste his time.

"No."

He reached for the telephone.

"I have to contact the Pentagon immediately. They need to deploy the military."

Salara gently stopped him.

"Who would believe you, General?"

Ross froze.

"After everything that’s happened, your reputation isn’t exactly spotless."

"The Pentagon would assume you’ve finally lost your mind."

Ross let out a long, bitter sigh and slowly lowered the receiver.

Ever since the Abomination incident, his credibility had collapsed.

If he called now claiming aliens were invading Manhattan, he’d probably be dismissed before he finished the sentence.

"So what do we do?" Ross demanded. "Just sit here while extraterrestrials invade my country?"

For all his mistakes, Ross had never lacked patriotism.

"This crisis is already known to both S.H.I.E.L.D. and the World Security Council," Aurecess explained. "They’ve prepared contingency plans. They’ll handle the invasion."

Ross visibly relaxed.

He disliked S.H.I.E.L.D., but he respected its capabilities.

And if the World Security Council had authorized a response, then someone competent was already in charge.

Salara leaned forward.

"But for you..."

Her golden eyes narrowed.

"This is also an opportunity."

Ross frowned.

"Opportunity?"

Aurecess leaned close and whispered her proposal into his ear.

The color drained from Ross’s face.

"...You’re serious?"

"You actually expect me to do that?"

Shock quickly gave way to apprehension.

To restore his reputation this way...

It bordered on madness.

"If you want your name back," Aurecess said, turning away, "there isn’t a better chance."

She paused before delivering the final push.

"Honor, glory, promotion... soldiers earn them on the battlefield."

Ross understood exactly what she meant.

Slowly, he nodded.

"I know."

Then he swallowed.

"But..."

"I’d be risking my life."

"You won’t be alone," Salara assured him. "I’ve hired an elite Brazilian mercenary unit. Hayden will personally command the operation."

"They’ll keep you alive."

"Your only responsibility is to play your part."

Ross remained silent.

Salara’s expression turned cold.

"And don’t concern yourself with secrecy."

"I guarantee that after everything is over..."

"...not one of those mercenaries will say a single word."

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