Out in the desert of New Mexico, a lone women made her across the barren and deserted landscape, a large crater lay directly in front of her. She stops at the edge and observed the destruction with a small frown.
Pulling down her dark blue hood, silver blonde waves flowed down her back. She knelt down and placed her hand on the earth in front of her and her grey eyes shined as images appeared before her.
Several large building appeared where the crater was yet there was a feeling of panic surrounding the remote research facility. The sounds of horns blaring reveal that an evacuation was in process. A swooping helicopter flies in as men in suits run around in the typical `we have to leave' fashion. Soldiers on foot jump onto Humvees, accelerating away from the facility as a remote voice from hidden loudspeakers continues to alert the people of the evacuation.
Standing a few yards from the landing pad, shield agent Phil Coulson in a suit and black shades, peers at the helicopter as it lands. A women with dark brown hair firmly tied back in a tight bun and a navy blue leather jumpsuit climbs out of the dying helicopter.
Following her was a dark skinned man, a black eyepatch secured around his left eye and a beard. His black trench clock sweeps behind him as he climbs out looking around the facility, Both Agent Maria Hill and Shield director Nick fury walk towards Coulson. 'How bad is it?' Fury asks Coulson who removes his shades to look at him.
'That's the problem, sir. We don't know.' He says and Fury looks at him for an explanation as they move into the facility and enter an elevator.
Agent Coulson leads Hill and Fury through the radiation section of the facility. Hundreds of technicians and other staff run around, taking only the essentials as Coulson explains the situation 'dr Selvig read an energy surge from the Tesseract four hours ago.'
'NASA didn't authorize Selvig to test phase.' Fury points out.
'He wasn't testing it, he wasn't even in the room. Spontaneous advancement.' Coulson explains and fury frowns in confusion.
'It just turned itself on?' Hill asked from behind them.
'What are the energy levels now?' Fury asked quickly.
'Climbing. When Selvig couldn't shut it down, we ordered the evac.' Coulson explained the reason behind the evacuation.
'How long to get everyone out?'
'Campus should be clear in the next half hour.' Coulson says and fury looks at him.
'Do better.' Phil nods and turns to handle the evacuation process as hill and fury head down a flight of stairs towards the radiation floor
'Sir, evacuation may be futile.' Hill says as they move down the steps.
'We should tell them to go back to sleep?' Fury asks in disbelief.
'If we can't control the Tesseract's energy, there may not be a minimum safe distance.' Hill points out her reasoning behind her comment.
'I need you to make sure that PHASE 2 prototypes are shipped out.' Fury orders her and she frowns after him.
'Sir, is that really a priority right now?' She asks looking up at him from the floor.
'Until such time as the world ends, we will act as though it intends to spin on. Clear out the tech below. Every piece of PHASE 2 on a truck and gone.' He says moving to stand in front radiation facility, vacuum chamber door.
'Yes, sir.' Hill nods walking pass him and says to standing agents beside the door 'With me'
Fury enters the lab facility where the Tesseract is being held by a compact muon solenoid coil chamber 'Talk to me, doctor.' He calls out to Doctor Erick Selvig an older gentleman with thinning grey that was currently staring at CMC machine, concerned.
'Director' he says and moves forward to join fury.
'Is there anything we know for certain?' Fury questions, looking around.
'The Tesseract is misbehaving.' Selvig says as a scientist behind him pokes at the glowing cube which sends out a blue spark at the contact.
'Is that supposed to be funny?' Fury questioned as he was joined by Selvig
'No, it's not funny at all. The Tesseract is not only active she's ... misbehaving' he said for the lack of a better word.
'How soon until you pull the plug?' Fury asked as they passed the tesseract.
'She's an energy source. If we turn off the power, she turns it back on. If she reaches peak level...' 'We've prepared for this, doctor. Harnessing energy from space.' Fury interrupts as Selvig stands behind a computer monitor.
'We don't have the harness. Our calculations are far from complete. Now she's throwing off interference, radiation. Nothing harmful, low levels of gamma radiation.' He shrugs like it wasn't a big deal but Fury frowned at the information.
'That can be harmful.' He corrected before looking around 'Where's Barton?'
Selvig scoffs quietly 'The Hawk?' He points behind him up at the roof 'Up in his nest, as usual.' Clint Barton, a man in his twenties with honey brown hair bright blue eyes rested against the rails was watching what was happening below.
Fury calls Barton on his earpiece 'agent Barton, report' Barton rappels down from the catwalk and walks up to Fury. They both walk around the facility in a discreet manner in discussion 'I gave you this detail so you could keep a close eye on things.' Fury says and Clint shrugs.
'Well, I see better from a distance.'
'Are you seeing anything that might set this thing off?' Fury questions pointing at the tesseract as a NASA scientist turns to Selvig behind a screen with "WARNING" flashing in red 'Doctor, it's spiking again.'
'No one's come or gone. It's oven is clean. No contacts, no I.M.'s. If there was any tampering, sir, it wasn't at this end.' Barton finished crossing his arm as they stood in front of the cube.
Fury looks at him in confusion 'At this end?'
Barton nods 'Yeah, the cube is a doorway to the other end of space, right? The doors open from both sides.' He says as Dr. Selvig clacks away at the keyboard and sees on the monitor his worst nightmare.
Suddenly the Tesseract thunders and shakes the entire facility. It was a big enough wave that both Agents Hill and Coulson can feel it and they're at different ends of the facility. The flaring rings and glow of the cube spouts out brighter and louder, like a boiling pot of water.
The Tesseract's energy builds up into a beam much like the Bifrost Bridge, which hits at the end of a platform that is wired to the CMS device. The great maelstrom beam fires the tesseract energy. The beam then forms a vortex, which then opens up a portal and a black hole is created in the room.
From the portal, the blackness of space, beautiful and mysterious, strewn with a billion stars appears and a gust of blue energy clouds fill the room, blinding everyone. The Tesseract's energy forms into a cloud that reaches to the top the facility's vacuum chamber ceiling. It's abnormally quiet as the cloud reveals a man kneeling on the platform.
Shield guards slowly approach, weapons in hands. Smoke radiates of the man that stand. Smiling in his mischievous manner, he raises his head. The smile dies down as he looks deep into the eyes of a shocked Fury, Barton and Selvig. He stands up, holing the scepter.
'Sir, please put down the spear!' Fury calls and he looks up before he looks at his spear then suddenly points it at where Fury and Barton are standing and shoots out a blue exploding light towards them. Barton tackles Fury and they both barely miss the fired shot as all hell breaks lose.
Machine gun fire is shot at the man, but the bullets bounce off him leaving no damage. He jumps high from the platform and attacks those firing at him. In the blink of an eye, he has taken down several guards with his knives and energy blasts from the scepter.
He stops and waits to see who will attack him next, breathing heavily as he looks over the destroyed lab. Barton tries to stand up and he quickly walks towards him. Barton raises his gun but the attacker grabs Barton's hand stopping the attack. He looks over Barton as if examining before he comments 'You have heart'.
Fury gets up and watches as the man points the head of his spear at Barton's chest. Barton's eyes suddenly go completely black as blue veins shot up his neck and into his head. His eyes turn into a mindless and icy blue as he moves backwards, putting away his gun and standing straight.
As the man is busy using his abilities to control the minds of several S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel, Fury takes the Tesseract, placing it back into its case and tries to leave the lab.
'Please don't. I still need that.' The man speaks facing fury who turns around slowly.
'This doesn't have to get any messier.' He warns only to be met with a sly grin.
'Of course it does. I've come too far for anything else. I am Loki of Asgard, and I am burdened with glorious purpose.'
'Loki? Brother of Thor?' Selvig states in shock, scrambling up while Loki looks towards him irritated.
'We have no quarrel with your people.' Fury says.
'An ant has no quarrel with a boot.' Loki points out and fury frowns at him.
'You planning to step on us?' He asks in disbelief.
'I come with glad tidings, of a world made free.'
'Free from what?' Fury questions.
'Freedom.' Loki states 'Freedom is life's great lie. Once you accept that, in your heart...' Like a gunslinger, Loki turns to face Selvig who's standing behind him and places his spear against Selvig's heart. Selvig's eyes go black just like Barton before going the same glossy blue 'You will know peace.'
'Yeah, you say peace, I kind of think you mean the other thing.' Fury says and Loki turns to him. From the vacuum chamber ceiling, the Tesseract's energy cloud rapidly builds into what may be an implosion.
'Sir, Director Fury is stalling. This place is about to blow. Drop a hundred feet of rock on us. He means to bury us.' Barton states walking forward to stand in front of Loki.
'Like The Pharaohs of Odin.' Fury comments as Selvig ducks behind a computer monitor.
'He's right. The portal is collapsing in on itself. You got maybe two minutes before this goes critical.' Selvig explains.
'Well, then...' Loki begins looking at Barton, who doesn't even hesitate as he shoots at fury. Fury crashes to the ground from the hit and Barton grabs the case containing the Tesseract and leaves the lab with Loki, Selvig and the other S.H.I.E.L.D personnel Loki is controlling.
Loki, Barton, Selvig and the other S.H.I.E.L.D personnel are in the parking lot of the facility, quickly gathering certain weapons. Agent Hill watches in confusion. 'Need these vehicles.' Clint states as Loki's team climbs into the cars. Hill looks around as her radio crackles.
'Who's that?' Hill questions in confusion, looking directly at Loki.
'He didn't tell me.' Clint comments and Agent Hill looks suspiciously at them as they get into the truck and turns to leave, as she's walking she hears fury voice from the walking talkie.
'Hill, do you copy?!' Loki and Barton sharply look at Agent Hill at the sound,
Back at the lab fury is sitting up, pulling out the bullet, breathing heavily. 'Barton is compromised' he gets out.
At the news, Hill turns to shoot at Barton, but Barton is already pointing his gun at her and starts shooting. Hill rolls out of the way landing behind a wall for protection. Clint moves to the driver's seat of the truck and drives off as Hill keeps shooting.
Fury is holding his side, running through the compromised lab 'He's got the Tesseract! Track it down!' He yells as the energy at the top of the vacuum chamber continues to spark and grow brighter.
Hill slip into a jeep and follows after Barton's truck. Loki's trucks screech across the tunnel as several shield trucks pull up to them. The sounds of guns halt echoing through the tunnel.
Loki, who stands on top of the bed of the truck, uses his scepter and emits an energy blasts. It hits the windshield of one of pursuing cars and it spins out of control driving up the opposite wall before flipping out onto the road.
Fury races out of the hallway, avoiding falling pipes as the entire facility is now in a full earthquake. Agent Coulson and several shield agents fall down the steps, dropping the silver briefcases. They attempt to grab them but Coulson speaks up 'No! Leave it!' He orders and they run out of the crumbling facility.
Hill's jeep roars out of a side of Barton's truck and pulls up alongside them on the left. She goes way ahead and pulls her brake, swerving into a 360, facing Barton's truck and driving in reverse. The two car fronts crash against each other. Barton's arm reaches out the open window and opens fire. Hill shoots through her windshield opening fire on Barton in return.
Agent Coulson jumps into a shield van holding up his walking talkie his walkie 'You're clear, sir! You need to go!' He says just as Fury bolts out of the facility and jumps into a helicopter. The surface of the pad gives way, plunging the helicopter through the surface but Fury's chopper just barely makes it out.
Still in a chase, Barton's pushes the pedal harder, which causes Agent Hill's jeep to wobble out and puts her back behind the truck with a spin. She presses her foot down on the accelerator hard her face one of determination as she spends after the truck.
The Tesseract's energy cloud now shrinks into a small ball of white light until a cloud of blue light consumes the entire facility and parts of the desert.
Several miles away, Agent Coulson's van feels the jolt of the Tesseract's blast wave. The entire facility swallows into itself as the ground collapses taking the buildings with informing a massive and deep crater behind. Fury watches in horror from his helicopter at the destruction.
The blast wave of the Tesseract causes the tunnel to cave in and like an ocean wave, blinding crumbles of falling rock fall onto Agent Hill's jeep, leaving her nearly trapped under this blanket of rock. Her jeep comes to a full stop and she bangs her head on the steering wheel.
On the Barton's truck, they escape the tunnel only just and drive into the desert landscape. Fury's helicopter roars over Barton's truck and Loki looks up. The chopper's door slides open and Fury stands there, holding a gun, shooting at Barton, cracking the windscreen. Loki looks at Fury and in a fit of rage, points his scepter at the helicopter. A blinding blue bolt shoots out of the tip and hits the chopper.
The helicopter catches on fire and goes down a fiery ball. With Fury jumping out just in time. He touches down onto the desert floor as the chopper barrels along the ground behind him.
Fury, coming back to his senses fired at Loki, but they're are now too far away completely out of range. Fury stands there his mind reeling at the events as Coulson voice comes over the walkie talkie. 'Director? Director Fury, do you copy?'
Fury grabs the radio 'The Tesseract is with the hostile force. I have men down. Hill?' He questions and inside the tunnel agent hill climbs out of sandwiched jeep grabbing her walkie talkie.
'A lot of men still under, don't know how many survivors.' She says looking back at the rubble.
'Sound the general call. I want every living soul not working rescue looking for that brief case.'
'Roger that.' Hill nods her nose bleeding.
'Coulson, get back to base. This is a level seven. As of right now, we are at war.' Fury says grimly.
'What do we do?' Coulson questions as Fury stands there thinking.
The vision disappears and the women stands from where she knelt at the destroyed remains of shield facility. Glancing behind her she looks in the direction Loki's truck disappeared.
'Finally' Liana sighs before she disappears.