Viper

Chapter 3: Start of it All

Six Months Later I am making my way to the New Mexico base yet again. It's been a little while since I've checked in with my men here. As the helicopter flies over base, I hear the announcement:

All personnel the evacuation order has been confirmed. Proceed to your designated vehicles.

The agent keeps going, but I just tune it out. We land, and Coulson meets us.

"How bad is it?" I question him.

"That's the problem, ma'am. We don't know."

We make our way to the basement.

"Dr. Selvig got readings of an energy surge from the Tesseract four hours ago."

"NASA didn't authorize Selvig to go to test phase."

"He wasn't testing it. He wasn't even in the room. Spontaneous event."

"It just turned itself on?" Hill asks from behind me.

"Where are the energy levels now?" Fury inquires as he brings up the rear.

"Climbing. When Selvig couldn't shut it down, we ordered evac."

"How long to get everyone out?" I ask.

"Campus should be clear in the next half-hour."

"Do better," I command, and Fury, Hill, and Coulson leave to help evac.

Maria speaks over the earpiece.

"Ma'am, evacuation may be futile."

"We should tell them to go back to sleep?"

"If we can't control the Tesseract's energy," Fury explains, "there may not be a minimum safe distance."

"I need you two to make sure the Phase 2 prototypes are shipped out."

"Ma'am, is that really a priority right now?" they both ask.

"Just do what I ask of you."

"Yes, ma'am," they respond.

I finally make it to the Tesseract area.

"Talk to me, Doctor."

"Director."

"Is there anything we know for certain?"

"The Tesseract is misbehaving."

"Is that supposed to be funny?"

"No, it's not funny at all. The Tesseract is not only active, she's—behaving."

"I assume you pulled the plug."

"She's an energy source. We turn off the power, she turns it back on. If she reaches peak level—"

"We prepared for this, Doctor. Harnessing energy from space."

"But we don't have the harness. My calculations are far from complete. And she's throwing off interference, radiation. Nothing harmful, low levels of gamma radiation."

"That can be harmful. Where's Agent Barton?"

"The Hawk? Up in his nest, as usual."

"Agent Barton, report. I gave you this detail so you could keep a close eye on things. Now, I know what you're gonna say. 'I see better from a distance.' Go ahead."

"No one's come or gone. And Selvig is clean. No contacts, no IM's. If there was any tampering, ma'am, it wasn't at this end."

"Oh no," I mutter. A portal suddenly opens and out comes a single man with raven black hair. I recognize him as Loki "god of mischief" (I've dealt with him before, but that's a story for some other time.)

"Sir, please put down the spear," I yell not letting on that I know him. An attack ensues with most of my men ending up dead. Barton gets back up until Loki uses his scepter to control him.

"You have heart."

I grab the Tesseract and put it in its case as Loki controls the rest of the remaining men.

"Please don't, Ms. Rogers. I still need that."

"It's Director—Jones, actually, and this doesn't have to get any messier."

"Of course, it does. I've come too far for anything else. You know me, and you know I'm burdened with glorious purpose."

"Loki, brother of Thor," Selvig realizes.

"We have no quarrel with your people."

"An ant has no quarrel with a boot."

"You planning to step on us?"

"I come with glad tidings of a world made free—"

I just start walking away. I'm not dealing with his soliloquy, and this place is about to blow. Barton shoots at me, and they take the case. I lie completely still until I can grab a radio.

"Hill! Fury! Do you copy? Barton has turned. They have the Tesseract! Shut them down!" I portal myself out of the base.

"We're clear upstairs, ma'am. You need to go," Coulson tells me.

"I'm right here," I say appearing next to him. The helicopter takes off, and the base explodes, caving in on itself. Maria and Fury get stuck in part of it, and I am shooting at Loki's getaway vehicle until he hits my Heli with his scepter, and we crash.

"Director? Director Jones, do you copy?"

"The Tesseract is with a hostile force. I have men down. Hill? Fury?"

"A lot of men still under."

"We don't know how many survivors."

"Sound a general call. I want every living soul not working rescue looking for that briefcase."

"Roger that."

"Coulson, get back to base. This is a Level Seven. As of right now, we are at war."

"What do we do?"

Instead of answering, I get in a jet.