Chosen

Postscript

One week after the Battle of Berlin in Berlin, almost two years ago.

A man digs his shovel down into the rubble as he has done a hundred of thousands of times throughout the past week. More dirt and debris come up in his shovel; he is sure the brown and grey rubbish will forever haunt his dreams. However, in the next haul, the sight of a little yellow gem suddenly lifts his spirits.

"Boss!" He shouts, "I found it!"

"Careful, do not touch it," A hoarse voice shouts back as all of his workers cease their digging and rummaging. A stocky man maneuvers his way down to where the glowing gem lies in the wreckage. The loose terrain makes his movement difficult as he walks with a cane. "Finally," He mumbles in awe as his eyes land on the prize, "Beautiful!" He removes a small metal box from his pocket.

He carefully scoops up the gem into the box and closes the lid. He locks it tightly to make sure it will not open by accident. "Here!" He hands the sacred box to his right-hand man, "Put this in the van. Get it to base and there will not be any complications, do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," The younger man nods as he takes the box. He begins the trek across the rubble the destroyed building. He only distances himself a few yards before he stops and turns around. He hesitates for a moment, feeling the intensity of the power of both the man and the stone. Finally, he calls out to his boss, "Sir, what are we planning to do with this?"

"To flip the world upside down," He answers, "To destroy the Avengers."