148: The Avengers Assemble

Early Morning

On the S.H.I.E.L.D mothership, agents were mobilizing to use the organization's global intelligence network to search for the whereabouts of Loki and Hawkeye.

Inside a Black Conference Room

Nick Fury stood alone as six or seven virtual screens were projected around him, showing the top leaders across various fields of the United States. They looked at Fury with displeasure, aware of the gravity of the situation.

Fury felt the real pressure standing before these powerful figures.

"Sirs, I'm just reporting for duty. I'll take full responsibility and definitely retrieve the Tesseract."

The President in the center replied, "Retrieve it? How will you find it when a Norse god controls one of your best agents? You likely don't even know their location."

The other military and political leaders turned to Fury as the President finished.

"Nick, this is a serious failure since you took office in. If you can't handle this perfectly, we'll remove you as S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Director. Many could do better."

The Secretary of Defense added directly.

"Indeed, sir. If I fail, I'll voluntarily resign. No need to remind me."

Seeing Fury's defiance, the Secretary smiled imperceptibly. With the resignation offered, the leaders did not add anything.

The President continued, "What will you do next?"

Fury looked around before replying with a deep breath, "I believe it's time to initiate the Avengers program."

The leaders' expressions changed upon hearing this. Their thoughts remained unclear.

Outside, Agents Hill and Coulson anxiously awaited Fury's emergence. Lacking proper authority, they could not attend the meeting of these powerful figures who could shift global events with a word.

After an hour, Fury emerged grimly. The Avengers discussion apparently went poorly.

Seeing him, the agents approached before Fury rapidly departed with new orders. "Coulson, contact Tony Stark. We'll need his help. Then find Agent Romanov and have her retrieve Dr. Banner. To regain the Tesseract, we need his power."

"Understood, I'll get right on it," Coulson immediately responded before leaving.

Hill asked, "What about me, sir?"

"Come with me. I have a plan for you to connect with Spider-Woman. Persuade her to cooperate by any means. She has great power and AI comparable to Stark's. After the Ivan Vanko incident, I realized her AI intercepts our clues on her identity. We need her."

In Fury's office, Hill listened intently to the plan before nodding. "I'll get it done. After finding her, I'll bring her to the mothership. Who else will you recruit?"

Fury glanced at Hill.

"Steve Rogers. He should be acclimated enough for duty."

As Hill tallied the names - Rogers, Spider-Woman, Banner - her eyes widened, matching a list in her mind.

"Do leaders agree on forming the Avengers?"

"With the crisis at level 7, don't worry about permissions now," Fury asserted.

"Let's move."

Hill understood his intent. "I'll accomplish the mission, sir."

Meanwhile, at the New York Police Department, George led the mission preparation. "Check ammo, armor, comms!" he shouted.

The detectives checked their equipment as the noise settled.

"Move out to Osborn Industries!" George commanded.

A dozen squad cars sped down 5th Avenue toward Osborn Tower.

On a skyscraper along 5th Avenue, Gwen in casual clothes sipped coffee, watching the police speed past below.

Finishing her coffee, Gwen went straight down the tall building with a beautiful red flip, covering the air with Spider suit and swinging spider-web behind the Police cars.

At the moment Andrew stood in front of his floor-to-ceiling windows, and his eyes were also looking in the direction of Osborn Industries.

The floor-to-ceiling windows in front of him show the interior of Osborn Industries.

With the intervention of the Red Queen, the actions of George and others are now unknown within the Osborn industry.

Glancing at the window's view, Andrew smiled. "I'll seal you directly this time."

Golden light flashed as an ethereal voice sounded.

"Armor combine..."

***

Somewhere,

Black Widow stood in an abandoned, dilapidated factory. Behind her, several men in green military uniforms lay immobilized on the ground. She glanced at them with disdain before picking up a discarded phone.

"How is Barton now?" she asked sharply.

Coulson's voice responded, "Don't worry, he won't die yet at least."

The Black Widow frowned. Of all in S.H.I.E.L.D, she had the closest bond with Hawkeye. If anyone could find him swiftly, it was her. But she knew following orders was the optimal path.

Coulson continued, "Now I need you to retrieve an asset. He can help us. I'm sending his location."

"Stark? I can't get close to him anymore," Black Widow replied.

"No, someone else. A helicopter is waiting." Coulson hung up.

Black Widow exited the factory and boarded the chopper. The pilot handed her a file. Flipping through, she muttered in surprise, "It's him!"

Meanwhile, at Stark Industries, movers loaded equipment into trucks at the entrance. Inside, Pepper supervised the process while Tony idly fiddled with items before they were taken away.

He approached Pepper from behind. "Starting tomorrow, your job gets easier. I'm sure you'll love the new office."

Pepper glanced at him, unsatisfied with his detached oversight. But Tony was right – this move would transform Stark Industries into a focused technology firm.

"I hope so. Most of all, I want you to avoid trouble," Pepper replied pointedly.

Tony raised his hands helplessly. "Hey, it's not my fault, it's...it's..."

He grasped for a scapegoat. "It's all my dad's doing, the mess he left!"

Too tired to argue fruitlessly, Pepper moved on. "Did you fix the power issues for the new building?"

"Absolutely, I'll light it up tonight. The line runs under the sea, so I'll sneak in armor and connect it," Tony explained, miming the process. "It'll be perfect."

Pepper still trusted Tony's engineering brilliance. "Good. Stay here, and we'll eat when I'm done."

"Yes ma'am!" Tony quipped.

After Pepper left, Tony paced the office, seeking someone to chat with.

Suddenly his phone buzzed. "Incoming call," Tony remarked.

But it was JARVIS. "Sir, I believe this matter will interest you." Surveillance footage appeared of a police convoy speeding down the road.

"So? Cops chase criminals every day here," Tony shrugged.

"Look closer, sir," JARVIS advised. The camera panned back, revealing Spider-Woman swinging behind the squad.

Tony perked up. "Why's she following them?"

"Based on their route, I know the destination," JARVIS replied.

"Where?"

"Osborn Industries, sir."

Tony stroked his chin. "Good job, JARVIS. Also, her suit changed again."

Though the colors were similar, Tony's engineering eye noticed a metallic sheen. Spider-Woman was incorporating some type of metal now.

"She goes through spider battle suits like outfits," Tony mused.

"Should I crash the party, JARVIS?"

"It appears rather lively, sir."

When asked by J.A.R.V.I.S, Tony felt a little itchy.

Looking at the door again, Peppers who were counting the goods, Tony weighed the options.

"Hmm, no. I promised dinner with Pepper. She'd be upset if I ditched her."

He added, "But monitor the situation. Let me know if Spider-Woman needs an assist."

"Of course, sir," JARVIS complied.

Tony asked, "Any progress on the odd energy reading?"

"Not yet, but I've determined the source - It's S.H.I.E.L.D."

"They cracked my dad's code?" Tony guessed.

"I believe they attempted synthesizing new elements but failed, causing the surge," JARVIS analyzed.

At this time, Pepper at the door finished counting the goods and pushed in.

Looking at Pepper who came back so quickly, Tony was glad he didn't run to join in the fun just now.

After she left again, he whispered, "Stay vigilant, J.A.R.V.I.S. Osborn Industries could get ugly."

"Understood, sir."

At Osborn Industries,

Police detained the staff while technicians collected data.

A detective reported to George,

"Norman locks himself in the lab for days."

"Several security guards who patrolled at night said they could sometimes hear screams in the direction of the Norman laboratory at night."

Peter Parker suddenly appeared.

"I can take you to the lab, Uncle George."

"Thank you, Peter," George replied.

The team followed the boy to an ominous metal door.

Just as George and the others were about to break in, a shrill scream came from behind the door.

"What...!"

To be continued...