Shape Of Things To Come
Steve found he felt at home in the back of the Quinjet, but couldn’t shake a feeling of nervousness. Flying had never been fortunate for him, after all. He adjusted his hands to get a better look at the screen of the tablet he was holding. Why didn’t these things have handles, he wondered.
Coulson glanced over at him frequently, making sure he was alright and not running into any issues with the modern tech. He wanted to talk to him, ask him questions about his work, break the illusion that he was just another suit sent by Fury to pick the Captain up.
“We’re about forty minutes out from base, sir.” the pilot said, breaking the silence.
Coulson decided to walk over. As he did, Steve looked at the screen quizzically and then carefully pressed his finger into the center, pausing the video in the middle of the Hulk’s dismemberment of an Army jeep. He looked pleased with himself and the tablet for a second, then turned to Coulson. “So, this Doctor Banner was trying to replicate the serum they used on me?” he asked.
Coulson nodded. “A lot of people were. You were the world’s first superhero. Banner thought gamma radiation might be the key to unlocking Erskine’s original formula.”
“Didn’t really go his way, did it?” Steve said with a hint of irony.
“Not so much,” Coulson said, “but when he’s not that thing, guy’s like a Stephen Hawking.”
Steve looked confused. “Like an Albert Einstein.” Coulson said. Steve thought for a moment and then nodded. “So he’s the brains of your operation. Did he design this?” he said, pointing at the tablet.
Coulson smiled. “No, we just recruited him recently. Sorry, I wasn’t very clear about that. Earlier. As for those,” he gestured at the device, “those are widespread now. Technology’s come a long way. You might find some of it surprising.”
“At this point, I don’t think anything could surprise me.” Steve said.
A knowing look crossed Coulson’s face, but he didn’t say anything.
Steve looked at the edges of the tablet for a second before turning it off and putting it away. “I’ve got one more question”, he said, “about the… man who can move things with his mind?”
“Matt Garetty. We’re calling him a ‘telekinetic’, and his powers ‘telekinesis’.” Coulson said. Steve looked thankful.
“Did he volunteer?” he asked.
Coulson looked taken aback for a second. He thought for a moment, then said “Yes. Fury talked to him and gave him the choice, and I’m told he signed up willingly. We don’t press-gang people.” He paused. “Most people we’ve talked to about recruiting Garetty are more concerned about his age.”
“Some of the bravest men I fought with signed up in their teens.” Steve said. “But they were all fighting for freedom. They didn’t fight for a world where a man could be forced to be a hero, they fought for a world where men choose to be heroes.”
“I’m glad to be living in that world, Captain.” Coulson said deferentially. “It’s an honour to be working with you. Really, it’s just… an honour to have you aboard.”
“I hope I’m the man for the job.” Steve said.
“Oh, you are. Absolutely. These people need a leader. Oh, and, uh… we’ve made some modifications to the uniform. I had a little design input.” Coulson said.
“The uniform? Aren’t the old stars and stripes a little… old-fashioned?” Steve said.
“With everything that’s happening, the things that are about to come to light… People might need a little old-fashioned.” Coulson said.
Steve nodded gravely.
Meanwhile, in a secret place beneath the earth, filled with footsteps and the buzz of machinery, Loki sat and waited. Barton looked over the plans for the coming raid in Stuttgart. Rhodes reconfigured his HUD, pacing around in the suit to get a feel for it. Selvig was hard at work on the Tesseract. Loki’s labour was bearing fruit, but his mind was elsewhere. He focused in on the Scepter, and his mind winged across vast gulfs of space, faster than light or thought…
Suddenly, but not unexpectedly, he found himself in his full, gilt regalia on a distant asteroid. There was the Other, twelve fingers twitching in what Loki recognized as barely-restrained rage. Almost immediately he launched into a hailstorm of savage words, his weapon of choice.
“The Chitauri grow restless! Thanos assembled his armies in expectation that his servants would do their jobs, Asgardian. He should have sent the assassin. Then, such flagrant incompetence as you display would not be in charge of an artifact of such vast power as the one you hold. And my forces would already be upon that accursed soil.” the Other said, spitting each syllable.
“I will lead your army into glorious battle. It takes time, alien, and effort to do what I am doing, and no small amount of cunning, as well. I can see you are unfamiliar with these things. Let me work and I will surpass all expectations.” Loki said calmly.
“My expectations were always low, but our master’s are inexplicably high. To meet them, battle with the meager forces of Earth should not enter your vocabulary.” the alien said, mockingly.
“I said glorious, not lengthy. If your force is formidable as you claim.” Loki said.
“To question my forces is to question our master, he who gave you new purpose, ancient knowledge, when you were cast out, defeated.”
This got to Loki, and he angrily retorted “I was a king! The rightful king of Asgard! Betrayed! And if I had the crown I rightfully deserved, I would need no Thanos to make me ruler of the Nine Realms.”
The Other laughed hollowly. “Your paltry ambitions are born from a child’s jealousy, not the fire in the heart of a conqueror. That is why you serve, and he rules. He looks further afield, to distant worlds the Tesseract will unveil, out of the clutches of the-” Loki cut him off.
“You don’t have the Tesseract yet.” he said.
The Chitauri warlord rushed forward threateningly but Loki interposed the scepter between them.
“I already saved your master’s prize by preventing the Tesseract from activating, and I will secure it for him fully! I do not threaten. You will have your cube, so I might have the throne I was promised, but until your army steps through that gate you are but words. Make more of yourself.” Loki said coldly.
“You will have your war, Asgardian. The stakes are too high for failure. If you lose, if the Tesseract is kept from us, there will be no realm, no barren moon, no crevice where Thanos cannot find you. You think you know pain? He will make you long for something as sweet as pain.” Loki was startled by the chilling certainty of the Other’s words and simply watched in shock as the alien approached and, with a touch, sent him hurtling back through the cosmos and into his body again.
He took a deep breath, then scowled. Fear crept into his mind and, as it always did, animated his limbs- but this threat he could not run from. He began pacing, and after turning a few times, shouted.
“Barton! We start now.”