Tony listened in silence for a few seconds.
"So…" He spread his hands. "Your plan is to storm a heavily fortified Hydra stronghold, steal back an alien staff, and then use it to brainwash your former boss?"
"That actually sounds like a pretty solid popcorn blockbuster plot."
Then his tone suddenly shifted.
"But, Nick, I've got a question."
"You really don't plan on calling Homelander? This would be a whole lot easier with him."
Bang!
Fury slammed his palm onto the table, like a powder keg igniting.
"Motherf—!"
He finally lost control.
"Homelander! Homelander! Always Homelander!"
He paced back and forth across the lab, growling.
"The whole world's screaming Homelander! Now you're screaming Homelander too!"
"You think I haven't thought about it?!"
"That blond bastard and Pierce are cut from the same cloth—no, he's worse than Pierce. Far worse."
"Who do you think stirred up this whole public mess? Who painted me as a corrupt rat bleeding S.H.I.E.L.D. dry?"
"Vought! His precious Vought! That Ashley and her PR vultures!"
"If I go to him now, even if I kneel down and polish his damn boots, he'll smile and hand this 'S.H.I.E.L.D. rat' over on a silver platter—then call in every camera on Earth to broadcast how he heroically captured the Hydra Director!"
Fury was breathing hard, chest heaving violently.
Tony blinked, momentarily stunned. It was rare to see the King of Spies lose his composure like this.
"Okay, okay—easy." Tony waved his hands. "I get it. You two don't exactly send each other Christmas cards. Then… what about the old popsicle?"
He was thinking of Captain America.
"Steve may be Vought's chief instructor now, but he's still Captain America. If it's him, he'd definitely help you."
"Steve…"
Fury's anger cooled a little.
"He's not in the country."
"Where'd he go?"
"No idea." Fury shook his head. "Ever since the day he left with Barnes, nobody knows where they went. Maybe he took his best buddy Bucky on a honeymoon. Who knows."
Fury looked at Tony, a flicker of hope passing through his eye.
"Right now, it's just us, Tony. You're one of the original Avengers."
Tony fell silent.
This was a nightmare.
Going to Sokovia meant an international black-ops operation—completely unauthorized. One wrong step and it would spark a diplomatic firestorm.
"Tony."
Bruce Banner, who had been quiet the entire time, suddenly spoke.
He stared at the image of the Mind Stone staff on the screen, eyes gleaming faintly.
"I think… we should go."
"Hm?" Tony turned. "Explain."
"If… if that staff really can control minds…"
"Then it might become the core patch for the Veronica system."
Banner stepped closer, pointing at the gem embedded in the staff's head.
"If we can decode its energy frequency and integrate it into the armor's defense matrix…"
"When Hulk loses control, we won't need brute force anymore."
"We could use the staff's power to… calm him. Maybe even erase his rage."
Tony saw the hunger and fear in Banner's eyes.
Banner had lived his entire life in Hulk's shadow. If this staff could give him even a sliver of safety…
Their gazes met.
In an instant, a silent understanding passed between two scientists.
Tony turned back to Fury, arrogance returning to his face.
"Alright. I'm in."
"Out of gratitude for saving my life—and for world peace."
Fury let out a long breath. For the first time in a while, relief softened his features.
"Then prepare yourselves."
"Avengers… assemble."
"Don't steal Cap's lines," Tony interrupted. "I've got conditions. Once we recover the staff, I'm borrowing it for two months. You know—research."
"As long as Pierce goes down, you can keep it for a year."
…
On the other side of the Earth.
United States. Nevada. Las Vegas.
The city of sin. An oasis of desire in the desert.
Inside a cheap roadside motel called Desert Fox.
A woman with a scorching figure and porcelain skin lay lazily across pristine white sheets.
A waterfall of auburn hair spilled down her back, and in her eyes shimmered a dangerous, soul-stealing allure.
Lorelei.
The Enchantress of Asgard.
Six hundred years ago, she had used that seductive voice capable of enslaving any man to manipulate armies, murder kings, and ignite rebellion across the Nine Realms.
Until Odin himself intervened and cast her into a dungeon.
Fortunately, during the chaos of the Dark Elves' invasion, she escaped.
Following one of Loki's hidden passages, she arrived in this place called Midgard.
And it was paradise.
Everywhere—fragile, foolish men, easy to dominate, eager to kneel.
"Master…"
A hulking man knelt beside the bed, holding a glass of red wine with trembling hands. His eyes were glazed with devotion, as though gazing upon his only god.
His name was John—once a senior Hydra field operative stationed in Las Vegas.
Half an hour ago, in a bar, he met Lorelei.
Just one sentence.
That voice slid into his ears and melted his will.
Now, he would die for her without hesitation.
"I brought the information you wanted," John whispered, offering a tablet with shaking hands.
Lorelei extended slender fingers and accepted it.
The instant she sensed the familiar aura radiating from the staff in the image—
"Ah…"
A satisfied sigh escaped her lips.
"Even through a screen, I can smell that exquisite power."
"Tell me, my slave."
Her voice brushed across John's ears like silk, sending violent shivers through his disciplined body.
"Where is it now?"
"In… Sokovia," John blurted eagerly. "In Baron Strucker's fortress. I handled one of the transport missions before—I know the route."
"Sokovia…"
She repeated the name.
Six hundred years imprisoned in Asgard.
Now she walked Midgard.
A world overflowing with desire, weakness, and endless opportunity.
"If I can obtain that staff…"
Her finger glided slowly across the tablet's surface.
"And combine it with my voice…"
"I could control every man on this planet."
Her gaze drifted to the television, where a promotional broadcast played.
A man draped in the stars and stripes.
Powerful. Handsome. Radiating conquest.
Her perfect prey.
"Prepare the car, my slave."
Lorelei rose to her feet. The silk robe slipped from her shoulders, revealing a body crafted to incite madness.
"Take me to Sokovia."
"I'm reclaiming what belongs to me."
"And then…"
She walked to the window, gazing at the blazing neon nightscape, a wicked smile curling across her lips.
"…I will build my harem in this world."
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