Regarding Iron Man's analysis, both Nick Fury and Black Widow had yet to find any flaws. It was reasonable, well-founded, and logically sound.
So far, they were both in agreement.
"So the Chitauri snatched the Tesseract from Loki?"Nick Fury picked up the thread from Iron Man, moving to the next step in the analysis.
"That possibility is unlikely as well."
"If Loki and the Chitauri had fought over the Tesseract on Earth, we wouldn't just sit back and watch!"
"Loki, combined with Earth's military forces and the Avengers—considering the Chitauri's combat strength—there's no way they could've stolen the Tesseract!"
A race of aliens that could be mowed down by one suit of armor—how would they manage to seize the Tesseract under attack from both Loki and Earth's combined firepower?
"As for Loki finishing his business on Earth and returning to Asgard with the Tesseract, and then the Chitauri invading Asgard to reclaim it..."
Nick Fury didn't even finish the sentence. It was simply too absurd—something that could never happen.
Though they didn't fully understand Asgard, it was, after all, a mythical realm of gods. How could the Chitauri possibly invade it?If the Chitauri were really that formidable, how did they get wiped out by a single nuke?
Unless… Earth's nuclear bombs were actually the most powerful force in the universe?If that were the case, wouldn't Earth have already conquered the cosmos?
"So Director, the possibility that Loki and the Chitauri's invasion had nothing to do with each other is quite low,"Black Widow summarized from the side.
"As it stands, it does seem Loki helped the Chitauri open a portal,"Nick Fury nodded solemnly.
This was the conclusion the three arrived at after a thorough analysis and elimination of various possibilities.
Not only was it logically sound, but it also aligned with the clues and intelligence they currently had—It held a certain degree of credibility.
"Then Loki taking Dr. Selvig and Barton was to use the Tesseract to open a space portal?"Black Widow raised an eyebrow and spoke seriously to Nick Fury and Iron Man.
"Very likely. In the footage, the unstable portal created by the Tesseract caused the base to explode. That suggests opening such a portal is no easy task."
Nick Fury's eyes gleamed."So the key issue is still the Tesseract."
"Exactly. No matter what, Loki must not get his hands on it in the future!"Iron Man declared with force, with a hint of warning."Also, stop researching the Tesseract. It's dangerous."
"First of all, I'm not researching the Tesseract right now. Like I said—it's alien tech. No one can figure it out.""And currently, I don't even know there's a Dr. Selvig on Earth."Nick Fury explained solemnly to Iron Man.
Admittedly, Nick Fury did want to research the Tesseract, but he hadn't found a suitable scientist yet.
So technically, the Tesseract research had been stalled. There was a plan, but no formal progress.
"Second, Loki opened the portal from the other side—it had nothing to do with me."
"No, that only means you didn't open the door. It doesn't mean you're unrelated."Iron Man corrected him seriously."My father retrieved the Tesseract. It's been 70 years. Why didn't Loki come to Earth earlier? Why now, right when you start researching it?"
"And even before my father found it, who knows how long the Tesseract sat on Earth peacefully? Why is it suddenly a problem during your research?"
"That question, only God knows the answer to."Nick Fury replied unfazed, though inwardly he began to give it more weight.
The timing correlation did raise a good point.
There might not be enough evidence, but it was worth considering that Loki's arrival could be related to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s actions.
"You planned to extract energy from the universe! It's highly likely that, in doing so, the Tesseract sent out some sort of cosmic signal—one that attracted Loki!"Iron Man yelled at Nick Fury.
"Stark, easy!"Nick Fury raised both hands and motioned downward to calm him.
"When I was younger, there were two alien races—the Kree and the Skrulls."
"Those two races went to war over the Tesseract, and Earth got caught in the crossfire."
"I was even captured by the Kree. If it weren't for the fact I had a cat and knew a pilot, I'd have turned into stardust in the void by now."
"But guess what? The Tesseract wasn't even on Earth at the time!"
"Are you saying it's not your responsibility?"Iron Man raised an eyebrow, clearly missing Nick Fury's point.
"What I'm saying is—threats, challenges, and dangers are everywhere! This world has always been full of danger!"
"And I, as Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., my duty is to be prepared to deal with those dangers and challenges!"
"I can't just stop moving forward because of a little risk! As a scientist, you should understand that better than anyone!"
"Whether you admit it or not, Earth is part of the universe—and threats from the universe are inevitable."
"The Tesseract is the only thing that allows us to understand and respond to cosmic civilizations! So tell me, Stark, what should I do?"
"At the very least, this time, we know what the risk is! Don't you agree, Stark?"Nick Fury pressed Iron Man with unwavering conviction.
Iron Man opened his mouth but found himself speechless for once.From Nick Fury's standpoint, his actions truly were justifiable.
[Please answer the question: Why did Thor descend to Earth for the first time?]
[A. Self-imposed exile after losing the throne][B. To retrieve the Tesseract left on Earth][C. To stop Loki's plan to invade Earth][D. To find his father Odin, who had gone missing on Earth]
[Friendly Reminder: A correct answer will grant you one set of nano Black Panther armor.A wrong answer will result in a random deduction of one of your personal attributes—including but not limited to knowledge, experience, skills, or possessions...]
At that moment, as the conversation among the three reached a critical point, the system voice rang out once more.
A new question had arrived.
(End of Chapter)