Power beyond

BOOM!

The van drivers struggled to regain their balance as the ground shook from the explosions caused by Harry's fight with their attackers.

"I thought you said we weren't going to retreat?" Anthony asked Laura, as the van steadied itself.

"Who said we were retreating?"

"You shouted it just two minutes ago."

"We're regrouping in the underground base. I only said that to throw them off," Laura clarified.

"Noted."

The vans continued until they reached a large boulder nearly a kilometer away from their original position.

Laura grabbed the radio communicator and directed all the vans to stop in front of the boulder. Roughly ten seconds later, the boulder split open, revealing a tunnel that led underground. The vans sped forward, entering the tunnel at full speed.

After about five minutes, they arrived in a spacious underground hall. The vans came to a halt, allowing everyone to disembark.

The hall was brightly lit, its metal walls reflecting the light. Several people were busy directing vehicles, either guiding them through to other sections of the base or from a different entrance.

"Anthony, come with me," Laura instructed, striding forward as Anthony hastened to catch up.

They halted before one of the guards, engaging in a quiet exchange. The guard turned and led them to a different part of the base.

"Wait up, Laura," Anthony called, trailing behind her.

"What?"

"I just remembered that Harry's fighting style involves trying to trap opponents in deep ditches. Doesn't that put this place's security at risk, considering we're underground?"

"Don't worry about that. The base extends in the other direction, so unless the fight reaches this area, we should be fine," Laura reassured.

"But there's no guarantee that won't happen," Anthony pointed out.

"Even if it does, I doubt Harry could get this deep," Laura reasoned.

They walked for a while until the guard revealed a hidden door, leading them to a separate hangar. Inside sat a large jet, and people were loading items onto it. Laura approached the man overseeing the operation.

"Sergeant Cillian," Laura greeted, extending her hand.

"Agent Laura," Cillian shook her hand, "We've been waiting for you for hours."

"We encountered a few problems, but nothing we couldn't handle," Laura stated matter-of-factly.

"I hope so. We've been monitoring the mutants to ensure they don't breach this point unnoticed."

"Good. Let's not linger more than necessary," Laura emphasized, reminding Cillian of the urgency.

Cillian signaled to one of the men, who approached with a briefcase. He handed it to Laura, who opened it, revealing the unmistakable blue glow...

The Tesseract!

Anthony's eyes widened in astonishment. This was supposed to be one of those items kept in S.H.I.E.L.D's most secure vaults. The fact that it was out in the open was quite unbelievable.

With confirmation, Laura closed the case and returned it to the man, who promptly moved it onto the jet.

"How soon until takeoff?" Laura inquired.

"Thirty minutes," Cillian replied.

"Make it five."

"The Tesseract isn't the only important item here, Agent Laura. Everything needs to be loaded before takeoff—"

A sudden tremor interrupted Cillian, causing confusion throughout the room. Then, a beep emanated from Cillian's phone as he retrieved it.

"You know what? We're taking off immediately."

"What happened?" Laura asked.

"The mutants have arrived."

Another, more intense tremor shook the base, inciting panic due to its greater magnitude.

Before anyone could react, something crashed from above, narrowly missing the jet but exerting enough force to push it away upon landing.

As the dust settled, Harry was visible within a small crater, blood flowing from his left shoulder, which was missing an arm!

Laura and Anthony were dumbstruck.

However, Harry's violent coughing confirmed that he was indeed alive.

Anthony moved to rush to his side but stopped short when he noticed Victor emerging from the dust cloud. Unbelievably, he appeared unscathed, as though he hadn't just been in a fight.

An alarm echoed throughout the entire base.

"I'm growing tired of this," Victor's voice held a hint of irritation. "You get one chance— where's the Tesseract?"

Silence.

Victor aimed his open palm at Anthony, but before he could act, a torrent of flames enveloped him!

Anthony retreated due to the heat, and as the flames subsided, Victor stood unharmed.

Turning to the source of the flames, Harry groaned in agony as he used his right arm to cauterize the wound on his left shoulder, staunching the bleeding.

He breathed heavily, locking eyes with Victor, a gaze fraught with a promise of retribution.

The emergency protocol had long ended. Harry's actions now flowed purely from his anger.

Victor sighed, "You never learn, do you?"

The temperature surged around Harry, flames shrouding his body.

"Let's go!" Laura abruptly dragged Anthony towards the jet.

Victor shifted his attention toward them, but it proved to be a mistake. In the next instant, Harry seized Victor by the face, a burst of flames propelling them through the walls!

"Shouldn't we help him?" Anthony fastened his seatbelt inside the jet.

"I don't believe there's anything we can do to aid him. Moreover, ensuring the safety of the Tesseract is paramount," Laura replied, heading to the cockpit. She halted, however, upon spotting Cillian's decapitated head near her feet!

Raising her gaze, she met Phantom's steady stare.

"You know why I'm here. I'd prefer not to waste time, so you have three seconds."

******

With a gust of wind, Phantom materialized in front of Victor, who perched atop a blood-soaked Harry.

"I see you've finally handled him," Phantom observed.

"He's been an extraordinary nuisance."

"I've obtained the Tesseract," Phantom extended his right arm, which clasped the glowing artifact.

"Our master will be pleased."