Thank you legends for your support and contribution.
Thanks to[alejandro] for subscribing to my $9 tier!
If you're feeling generous, here's the link: patreon.com/Eden_Translation. I'm back to 60, thanks for keeping me afloat, folks! đ€§
*****
{Chapter: 278 Go To Work Quickly}
Finally, after their intense skirmish in the skies and forest, Thor, Iron Man, and Captain America had enough of their little "warm-up session" and returned to the aircraft, bringing Loki back in custody. The stolen god was now subdued and silent, a smug grin playing across his face even in defeat.
They reboarded the helicarrier, its engines still humming high above the clouds, and flew back to base with their prisoner secured.
Now that Loki was in their hands, it was only natural that he be confined to the most secure and impenetrable holding cell S.H.I.E.L.D. had to offer. This wasn't just any prisonâit was a specially designed, reinforced chamber originally intended to hold the Hulk in case he ever lost control. Fittingly, it now served to contain a god.
Director Nick Fury, the unflinching head of S.H.I.E.L.D., made his way to Loki's cell and attempted to extract information through conversation, using both threats and psychology. Yet, as expected, Loki didn't reveal a single useful detail. His answers were cryptic, layered in riddles, and laced with arrogance. Fury left with more questions than answers.
In the helicarrier's command center, Captain Steve Rogers stood tall and faced Thor. "Thor, we need answers. What exactly is Loki planning? What's his real objective?"
Thor looked serious as he responded. "Loki is aligning himself with an alien army known as the Chitauri. These beings are not from this world, and their origin remains a mystery to even me. His goal is to use them as an invasion force. He intends to conquer your worldâMidgardâand in exchange, he promised them the Tesseract."
"A whole army from spaceâŠ" Steve muttered, shaking his head. "That's hard to wrap my head around."
"Which means," Bruce Banner added calmly, stepping into the conversation, "he'll need to open a portal large and stable enough to transport them here. That's why he took Dr. Erik Selvig. Loki needs his expertise to complete that task."
"Selvig?" Thor's expression faltered for a moment.
"Yes," Banner nodded. "He's an astrophysicist and one of the top minds in his field."
"I know who he is," Thor said, his voice dropping. "He's my friend."
"We believe Loki's used some kind of mind control on him," Natasha interjected. "He's also turned one of our top agents."
Steve folded his arms tightly. "Then we need to know what Loki is really planning. There's no way he can coordinate a full-scale alien invasion from inside a prison cell. He must have something else up his sleeve."
"I wouldn't be surprised," Banner added with a shrug. "Loki's a lunaticâjust like that other guy. What's his name again? William."
"William?!" Thor clenched his fists as rage flashed through his eyes.
"I know you two clashed in New Mexico," Natasha said cautiously, watching Thor's reaction. "But beyond that⊠there's no serious bad blood between you, right?"
"No serious bad blood?" Thor growled. "Countless Asgardian warriors and innocent civilians lost their lives because of him. That is not something I take lightly. That is a blood feud, Agent Romanoff."
"He went to Asgard?" Steve asked quickly, surprised.
Thor's gaze darkened with fury. "I don't know how he breached the Bifrost or evaded our sentries, but he did. And what he unleashed⊠it was catastrophic. The capital city of Asgardâour shining realmâwas nearly wiped out. Entire districts reduced to rubble. Countless Asgardians dead. He didn't just bring chaosâhe brought annihilation. I must end him. I owe it to my people."
The room fell silent. Steve, Natasha, and Banner exchanged glances. For all his bravado and raw strength, Thor's pain was genuine. They had seen him as a near-invincible god, but now they understood: even gods could suffer loss.
"If what you're saying is trueâŠ" Natasha spoke slowly, her voice unsure, "then William must be even more dangerous than we thought. Asgard is⊠legendary. It's supposed to be home to powerful warriors and divine beings."
"You think I would lie about the destruction of my homeland?" Thor said, eyes narrowing. "Believe me or don'tâbut know this: William is not someone you can defeat with brute force or technology."
Banner crossed his arms. "I don't mean to question you, but I've fought the guy myself, Thor. He pushed me to the edge, sureâbut I'm pretty sure I could take him if I turned into the Hulk again."
Thor shook his head slowly. "You didn't see his full power. He has different formsâdifferent states of strength. The first, his base form, looks harmless, even fragile. In that form, I can match him. But once he transforms..."
Natasha raised an eyebrow. "What happens when he changes?"
Thor's expression turned grave. "You truly don't want to find out what he's capable of. His second transformation came after he consumed one of our sacred treasures from Asgardâa powerful transformation pill. Outwardly, he still resembled a human, but his strength was vastly enhanced. And then, there's his third form⊠he abandons all trace of humanity. He becomes something mechanicalâa cold, efficient war machine. A robot unlike anything Midgard has seen. Except for my father, Odin, there's no one in the Nine Realms who could stop him⊠certainly not any of you."
His words were heavy with disdain, his eyes narrowing slightly as he scanned the room.
Steve Rogers raised an eyebrow. "Is he really as powerful as you say? I fought during World War II. I've faced monsters and tyrants. I was only slightly behind William in those days."
Thor let out a short, dry laugh. "You've only glimpsed the surface. When you face himâtruly face himâyou'll understand. In my opinion, your greatest threat isn't Loki, nor the alien Chitauri army he leads. It's William. That man is the real danger, to your world and mine."
Banner nodded slowly, folding his arms. "I have to agree. William's not just a threat to a country or a cityâhe's a threat to all of humanity."
Unbeknownst to them, William himself sat at a nearby computer terminal, quietly listening to the conversation swirling around him. A small, amused smile tugged at his lips as he overheard Thor's grim recounting. The "second transformation" they discussed wasn't magic or divine willâit was a merger of T cells and Transformium cells, evolving his human form into something far stronger. The third stage⊠that was the Shining Quadruple Transformationâa state no longer bound by flesh and blood.
Nearby, Commander Maria Hill stood silently, arms crossed, her icy composure unshaken as always.
William casually walked over and stood beside her. "Commander," he said with a friendly smile, "sounds like they think very highly of this 'William.' He's quite the terrifying legend, isn't he?"
Hill glanced sideways at him, her expression unreadable. "I don't know him personally. But here's my adviceâif you ever do encounter him, don't try to be a hero. Run. Run as far and as fast as you can. Otherwise, you'll just die for nothing."
William chuckled lightly. Run from myself? How ironic.
"What's so funny?" Hill asked, narrowing her eyes slightly.
"It's just that⊠what you said was so on point, I couldn't help but laugh," William replied with a shrug.
"Don't flatter me," she replied coolly. "I'm just being realistic. Staying alive gives you choices. It keeps hope alive. When you're dead, it's over. Simple as that."
"Wise words. Honestly, I wasn't trying to flatter youâI genuinely agree," William said with a nod. Then, tilting his head curiously, he added, "But let me ask you something, Commander Hillâwhat would you do if you came face to face with William?"
There was a pause. Hill looked away for a moment before answering flatly, "I'd try to kill him."
William raised an eyebrow. "And what if you couldn't?"
"Then he'd kill me," she said matter-of-factly, as calmly as if she were commenting on the weather.
William nodded thoughtfully. "I don't think he'd kill you."
Hill's gaze flicked toward him. "And why's that?"
"Because he wouldn't have the heart to. I mean, look at youâhow could anyone bring themselves to hurt someone like Commander Hill? If it were me," he said, his tone softening, "I wouldn't harm you. In fact, I'd want you to stay safe. Always."
For a brief moment, her expression faltered. "You're being⊠strange," she said, her tone unsure. "Why are you saying this?"
"Because it's the truth," William replied, his voice steady and sincere. "And sometimes, that doesn't need a reason."
Hill held his gaze for a long second, then finally turned her eyes away. "Get back to your station," she said quietly. "Don't let your imagination get the better of you. There's work to be done."
*****
You can support me by joining my Patreon and get upto 60 chapters in advance.
patreon.com/Eden_Translation