Marvel: I am Iron Man

"Disappeared?"

Tony frowned. That's a bit too broad a statement.

"It was stolen?" Tony asked.

Fury: "I don't think so. The Tesseract is placed in an absolutely indestructible environment with the most advanced security system."

Tony disagreed.

In the original Marvel comics, S.H.I.E.L.D. is described as "the safest place in the world," but in reality, it feels more like a public restroom. Superheroes and villains alike can come and go as the plot demands.

“Nothing is absolutely indestructible,” Tony said. “Are you sure it wasn’t stolen by some superhuman with the ability to walk through walls, teleport, or become invisible?”

No, I don't think so.

"Frey said coldly."

"Afterwards, our expert team investigated the site and found no signs of external intrusion or any residual abnormal energy. On the contrary, only one type of energy remained at the site, leading my team to believe that a strong energy reaction had occurred there, directly causing the disappearance of the Cosmic Cube."

Tony asked, "What kind of energy reaction?"

Fury paused for a few seconds, then said grimly, "From the Cosmic Cube itself."

Tony: "What?"

Fury said, "In fact, we have the surveillance footage from that night...top secret, of course. But given the current situation, we can be a little flexible."

While he was speaking, Natasha had already retrieved the video recording using the SHIELD terminal and transmitted the image information to the holographic screen that Tony had projected.

So Tony also saw the surveillance footage.

The image clearly shows a cube emitting a sacred blue light, suspended in a closed room, where all is quiet and deserted.

Then, just like that, the Cosmic Cube started moving on its own.

The blue light, emanating from within, suddenly became exceptionally dazzling. It burst forth from the inside, transforming into a massive black cloud, churning with lightning, like a gaping maw that swallowed the small cube whole.

It looked as if the Cosmic Cube had activated its own power, releasing a giant portal that swallowed itself whole.

Tony frowned slightly.

This is a bit off-script.

According to the original MCU storyline, the Tesseract should have been kept by S.H.I.E.L.D. for all those years until Loki brought the Chitauri to steal it.

But now it seems the Cosmic Cube has somehow run away on its own...

Natasha asked, "The Cosmic Cube is no longer here. Why would aliens come for it?"

"Perhaps it's because Earth was the last place the Rubik's Cube was observed, or perhaps it simply disappeared from S.H.I.E.L.D.'s hands but didn't leave Earth."

Tony explained.

"Aliens may have somehow become certain that the Cosmic Cube is still on Earth."

Fury said, "My team has been searching for the Tesseract ever since it disappeared. If the Tesseract were still on Earth, they should have found it."

Tony knew Fury was probably telling the truth. He himself had built a gamma scanning system and hadn't detected any gamma radiation emitted by the Tesseract.

Tony thought for a moment and said, "I need to study the data."

Fury: "What?"

"Show me the data on the Cosmic Cube, especially the energy signatures it left behind before it disappeared," Tony said. "That might help us pinpoint its location."

This was, of course, classified data. But the Tesseract has been missing for a year, and now aliens are knocking on our door, with Tony Stark just happens to be one of the smartest people on the planet most likely to offer help.

So Fury wisely refrained from continuing with his classified arguments at this point, and instead made a phone call requesting the relevant departments to provide research data.

The data was quickly sent to Tony's personal server.

He swiped open the screen and began operating the holographic display as if no one else was around. Fury and Natasha watched quietly from behind, waiting for Tony to draw a conclusion.

"Just as I suspected..." Tony muttered to himself as he reviewed the last energy data left behind by the Tesseract.

Fury: "What?"

"Look at its energy curve... The gamma energy of the Cosmic Cube began to decline a week before it disappeared." Tony pointed to the suspended projection screen. "It is entering a dormant state, the energy becomes extremely inactive, and the intensity of the emitted gamma radiation is also decreasing."

This is similar to the low-power mode of electronic devices; the Rubik's Cube's gamma output drops to the μSv/h level, making it easily drowned out by background noise.

Although the reason for this low-power sleep state is unknown, it does make things a bit complicated.

Previously, Tony assumed the Tesseract was in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s hands, so he only focused on scanning all S.H.I.E.L.D. bases and suspected S.H.I.E.L.D. facilities. But now that it's lost, a comprehensive search of the entire Earth is necessary, instantly making the project much more massive.

Furthermore, the Cosmic Cube may have entered a dormant state, and the low radiation intensity has significantly increased the difficulty of tracking and locating it. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s gamma experts are powerless, and Tony himself is unsure if he can successfully locate it.

They need an expert, someone who is even more specialized in the field of gamma than Tony.

"Bruce Banner," Tony said, turning to them. "We need Banner. Where is he?"

Fury and Natasha exchanged a glance.

"Bruce Banner is a fugitive," Natasha said. "He could be anywhere in the world."

S.H.I.E.L.D. had asked Banner for help before, but after the matter was resolved, they released him as agreed. So now Banner has likely returned to his life on the run.

Tony bluntly stated, "Alright, let's be frank. S.H.I.E.L.D. wouldn't let a gamma nuclear bomb roam around without knowing its exact location. You definitely know where Banner is."

And let me make this clear: we must find the Tesseract, and Banner is the most likely person to do it. So if you don't want us still scrambling to find it when aliens arrive, please do us a favor..."

Tony paused, looked at Natasha, and then at Fury.

"Tell me where Bruce Banner is."

Fury paused for two seconds, then nodded: "I will send you Dr. Banner's exact coordinates."

"Thank you. I'll have my men go find him." Tony nodded in thanks.

Fury knew that when Stark said "my man," he was referring to his super bodyguard in his Iron Man armor. But Fury still believed that the person in the armor was Stark himself.

As far as he knew, Tony Stark wasn't the kind of person who would allow someone else to operate his most powerful weapon.

"Oh, one last thing."

Tony stood up, thought for a moment, and then turned to Natasha.

"I need your help with a small matter. Do you remember when we first met? That place called the Red House, a group of assassins wanted my life?"

Natasha's expression changed slightly.

The Red Room incident is her only sore spot, and she hasn't fully recovered from it yet. But she knows that she owes Iron Man a huge favor because of this incident as well.

"I remember," she said. "How so?"

"The day the Red House was destroyed, the old man said a guy called 'Viper' wanted me dead. I suspect those guys might be Hydra, and now I might have some leads."

Tony said.

"But I need someone's help, a spy, to get deeper into confirming the intelligence, to find out who this 'Viper' is and where he is."

A strange look flashed across Natasha's face.

"Are you asking me... to go undercover for you?"

She glanced instinctively at Chief Fury beside her.

She wanted to say, "No, it seems like you've forgotten something?"

I was originally a spy sent to infiltrate your company.

You're giving me a mission right in front of my real boss: to be a spy sent to someone else's house...

...Something seems off, doesn't it?