M93- Tricking the Trickster

Nero stood up, looking at his gang. “Alright. We split up. Sofia and Anthony, stay on SHIELD’s network. If anything changes, we need to know immediately. Diego, Maria, you’re with me. Donald, you’re handling Loki.”

When Loki's illusion vanished, so did the rest of the gang, except Donald who sighed in annoyance.

Far away from the base, on top of a rooftop overlooking the street below, Nero and the others watched SHIELD agents move in a controlled rush. They were securing a reinforced box, carefully loading it into an armored truck.

Maria, eyes closed, took in the scene. When she opened them, she smiled. “Just like you said.”

Diego whistled. “Loki really thought he had us.”

Nero shrugged. “Let him think that a little longer.”

Below them, SHIELD’s convoy adjusted its formation. A few agents double-checked their equipment, some standing watch while others coordinated on their radios. Nothing seemed out of place—at least, not to them.

Donald stepped onto the rooftop, his expression already set to exhausted. “Okay, you can explain to me now.”

Nero didn’t miss a beat, throwing an arm around his shoulder. “Haha, sorry to keep you in the dark, Donald. But Loki knows you too well.”

Donald sighed. “Which means?”

“You give too much away,” Sofia said, tapping something on her tablet. “Even when you don’t mean to.”

Anthony leaned against the low wall, arms crossed. “You two have been brothers for how long? Even if you tried to lie, he’d read you like a book.”

Maria smirked. “So we didn’t let you read the book.”

Donald exhaled sharply through his nose. “Cute. Now tell me what I walked into.”

Nero gestured toward the SHIELD convoy below. “Loki thought he was playing a game with us, so we let him think he was winning. He assumed his plan was working—turning SHIELD’s paranoia into an opportunity to steal the Tesseract while it was being moved.”

Sofia flicked her screen toward Donald. “Except, surprise, that wasn’t SHIELD’s convoy.”

Donald blinked. “What?”

Maria grinned. “That’s us.”

Down below, the supposed SHIELD agents moved in perfect sync, securing the reinforced case into the armored truck. Everything looked official. SHIELD-grade vehicles, uniforms, procedure—it was flawless. Except they were HYDRA operatives Erwin wanted to rid.

Because it wasn’t SHIELD at all.

Diego whistled, leaning forward slightly. “Damn. That’s some good illusion work.”

Nige nodded. “Loki’s mistake was assuming he was the only one pulling strings.”

Donald narrowed his eyes at Nero. “How long have you had this planned?”

“Since before Loki even considered stealing the Tesseract,” Nero said, watching as the HYDRA operatives locked down the site. “I figured he’d eventually make a move on it, so I put together some contingencies. When he started leaving breadcrumbs, I just had to pick the right one to follow.”

Donald pinched the bridge of his nose. “You planned for every version of his plan?”

Nero laughed. “No, that would be exhausting. I planned for every version of my plan. Loki just happened to walk into it.”

Maria looked at the truck leaving with a smile. “We let him think he was leading the game, but he was following our setup the entire time. Every piece of intel he got was planted. The moment he tried to outmaneuver SHIELD, he was actually outmaneuvering himself.”

Diego grinned. “So what we’re saying is—”

“We finessed him,” Sofia said, tapping her tablet with finality.

Donald looked at them, then down at the operation below. The truck was already pulling away, moving smoothly through the streets, unnoticed. “Where’s the real convoy?”

Nero smiled. “Where Loki thinks it is.”

There was a pause.

Donald exhaled. “You sent his own misdirection after his misdirection.”

Nero nodded. "A few more layers than that, but in a nutshell, the Tesseract is moving into our pocket as we speak. That truck will be raided by Loki, and he’ll think he stole it. Unfortunate for him, it’s just a well-crafted decoy. The real one? That’s already handled. And while doing so, I push the blame on Loki, so... sorry about that."

Donald gave him a flat look. "You are not sorry."

"Correct," Nero said.

Donald wasn’t slow. He was already piecing it together before Nero could even explain. Loki thought he was leading them around, making them react to his moves, but the reality was simpler—Nero had never been reacting at all. He was ahead from the start. The moment Loki decided to act, he was already walking into a plan Nero had laid down before Donald even mentioned his suspicion.

Loki had assumed someone in the group could see the future, that they’d predicted his every move. But he didn’t consider that Nero had something better—knowledge of every Loki across countless versions of reality, from the memories of the Prince. Loki’s tells, his habits, his tricks—they weren’t just familiar to Nero. They were obvious.

So while Loki had been pulling off his little street show, thinking he was stalling them, he’d only been making it easier to keep track of him. The real him had been making moves toward the Tesseract, expecting no interference. The problem was, Nero had already mapped out every version of that move before it even happened.

Which is why they were in the air now.

Floating above the city, concealed by Maria’s illusions, the seven of them watched as the armored truck made its way through the streets below. SHIELD’s high-security convoy moved normally, barely drawing attention.

Loki’s plan had been simple at first—steal the Tesseract from SHIELD’s headquarters before they even realized he was coming. But paranoia worked both ways. The moment he suspected Nero’s group might predict his movements, he adjusted. Instead of taking it from a vault, he’d intercept it in transit, where security was weaker, where he could dictate the terms of engagement.

Smart. But not smarter. Below, the heist began.

The truck took a sharp turn, heading toward an isolated stretch of road outside the city. Traffic had been conveniently cleared ahead of them, which meant Loki’s move was imminent.

“He’s coming,” Sofia noted, keeping an eye on her tablet.

A pulse of energy flickered below as a portal tore open in the middle of the street. Chitauri soldiers spilled out, surrounding the convoy in seconds. Panic rippled through the HYDRA agents as they scrambled for weapons, but it was already too late. The air cracked with electricity—a silhouette draped in green and gold. Loki was there—dagger in one hand, scepter in the other, eyes burning with amusement.

Nero gave a small nod. “Showtime.”

The gang descended swiftly, breaking through the air like shadows cutting across the moon.

Below, Loki flicked his wrist, sending a wave of energy toward the HYDRA agents. A few were tossed back, their bodies hitting the pavement. He barely spared them a glance as he stepped toward the truck, his free hand already reaching for the lock.

Donald roared, “Loki. Cease this stupid show now!”

Loki didn’t flinch. He tilted his head slightly, amused. “Ah, brother, always so dramatic. You ruin the atmosphere.” He tapped the top of the sealed case, his fingers trailing over the locks as if savoring the moment. "This is quite the security for something you apparently wished to keep hidden."

HYDRA's agents, weapons raised, barked orders to stand down.

Donald stormed forward, shoving past the agents. “You have no idea what you’re dealing with.”

Loki’s smirk widened. “Oh, spare me. You say that every time, and yet, somehow, I always seem to know exactly what I’m dealing with.” His fingers danced along the surface of the lock, and with a flick of his wrist, the mechanism clicked open. The case hissed slightly as the seals disengaged, revealing the glowing blue cube within.

The Tesseract.

Donald’s glare deepened, and that was all Loki needed to see. The frustration, the desperation—it all confirmed what he already suspected. This was real. The fools had brought it out into the open.

Loki grabbed the cube, feeling the cool energy pulsing beneath his fingers. His grin stretched wider. “And that, dear brother, is what makes me better than you.”

A blast of energy shot past him. Loki turned, raising an eyebrow as Nero and the rest of the gang closed in, weapons drawn, stances ready.

“You must be joking,” Loki sighed. “A last-minute act of resistance? Have some dignity.”

Donald clenched his fists. “I won’t let you walk away with that.”

“Try and stop me,” Loki mused, stepping back as he raised the cube. "Not that you ever could."

A green shimmer rippled through the air, and with a flicker of light, Loki moved to step through a portal—only to find the space around him locked in place.

Nigel raised his hand slightly. “You’re not going anywhere.”

Loki’s smirk didn’t falter. “Oh? A trap? How positively quaint.”

Donald was already moving closer, his expression exactly what Loki expected—frustrated, irritated, determined to stop him. Predictable.

Donald’s hand clenched. “Drop the Tesseract.”

Loki tilted his head. “Now, dear brother, why would I—”

Donald moved faster than Loki anticipated, reaching for the cube. Loki sidestepped just enough, his grip tightening. “Oh, fine. If you insist.” He let out an exaggerated sigh and held the cube forward, his eyes flicking to Donald’s face as he did.

Donald didn’t hesitate, snatching it away. His reaction was immediate—relief, urgency. He turned back toward the others as if ensuring it was secure.

Loki’s smirk widened.

So easy. Too easy.

He had accounted for resistance, last-minute interference, an attempt to take the Tesseract back, but this? They barely fought him for it. No desperate lunge, no real attempt to pry it from his fingers. Just a quick demand, a grab, and then it was over.

Loki’s gaze flickered over the group.

Nero wasn’t moving toward Donald to check the cube. No gloating, no smug acknowledgment that they had it back.

Sofia was watching Loki, not the Tesseract.

Maria’s arms were crossed, unimpressed, like she was waiting for something.

And Donald—Donald, who should’ve been triumphant, who should’ve been making sure the cube was truly secure—wasn’t looking at it at all.

Loki’s fingers twitched. He wasn’t a fool—something wasn’t right. The reaction was too smooth, too convenient.

Nero exhaled, tilting his head slightly. “Give the real one, Loki.”

Loki glanced at him, mild amusement in his expression. “How rude. You doubt my sleight of hand?”

Nero didn’t move. “I know that one’s fake.”

“Oh,” he breathed. “You absolute bastards.”

He studied Nero for a beat, weighing the possibility. Did they see through his ploy? Is that why they weren’t reacting?

The possibility was irritating. He had taken great care in setting this up. If they had anticipated him this far ahead, it meant this wasn’t just a simple counterplay. It meant they had maneuvered him into a losing position before the game had even begun.

Loki bowed with exaggerated flair. “Well, a magician never reveals his secrets.”

Then, he vanished.

Donald let out a long breath and tossed the decoy Tesseract to Nero. “Think he bought it?”

Nero crushed the fake cube in his hand, the illusion shattering like glass before dissipating into nothing. “No. You guys are terrible actors.” He glanced at the remaining HYDRA agents still engaged in a pointless struggle, swinging at enemies that weren’t there. “Kill them, and let’s move.”

Anthony stepped forward without hesitation, blade flashing as he cut down the closest operative. Maria shot two more before they could react, their bodies dropping before they even realized they’d been deceived. Diego handled the last, a quick snap of the neck ending the fight.

Donald gave him a look but didn’t argue. Instead, he turned toward Sofia. “Where’s the real convoy?”

Sofia tapped at her screen, scrolling through live feeds. “Still on route. They haven’t changed course.”

“Loki’s not done,” Donald said. “Even if he knows that was fake, he won’t just let it go.”

“Of course not,” Nero said, already walking. “That’s why ‘there is a real convoy.’”

Donald stopped mid-step, giving him a flat look. “You tricked me again, didn’t you? The real convoy isn’t real.”

Maria chuckled. “Cutie Patootie, you really are a terrible actor. Loki knew in an instant that what he stole was fake.”

Donald groaned, but he didn’t argue. He just followed as they all made their way back to the base.

As expected, Loki raided the “real convoy” not long after, his usual theatrics in full display. SHIELD scrambled to respond, but he vanished the second he had his hands on what he believed was the real Tesseract. Fury was already losing patience, barking orders through every communication line available. No one had answers that made sense. HYDRA was throwing out their own theories, SHIELD was running in circles, and Loki was off the grid.

Back at the base, Nero and the gang entered a secured room, a space created by the combined Dying Will Flames of the Familia. It was designed to block almost anything from probing—magic, tech, telepathy, even higher-dimensional perception. At the center of the room sat Ezio, the real Tesseract resting in his hands.

“This feels a lot like the Apple of Eden,” Ezio mused, turning it slightly, observing the way the light inside pulsed and swirled. “Except worse.”

Nero took the device Ezio handed him and crushed it with his palm, metal and casing breaking apart effortlessly. From within, the blue stone tumbled into his hand, pulsing with power. “The Tesseract is strong because of this.”

Donald’s eyes locked onto the stone, and for a split second, he felt it—the raw, overwhelming force inside. The memory of his father’s voice surfaced, a warning from long ago. His jaw tightened. “Is that…?”

Sofia leaned forward slightly. “Someone gonna tell the rest of us what the hell that is?”

Donald didn’t look away from the stone. “An Infinity Stone.”

Sofia stepped closer, eyeing the stone. “What the hell is an Infinity Stone?”

Donald didn’t answer immediately, still looking at the thing in Nero’s hand like it might burn a hole through reality.

Nero turned the stone slightly between his fingers, watching the light shift inside it. “Old thing. One of six.”

“That’s a shitty explanation,” Diego said, leaning on the table. “Try again.”

Nero glanced at him. “It’s a fundamental force of the universe, condensed into something you can hold in your hand. Some call it a relic, some call it a weapon. Either way, it’s dangerous.”

Maria crossed her arms. “Define dangerous.”

Nero tilted his head slightly. “Depends on who’s holding it. In the wrong hands, it could rewrite physics, bend reality, or flatten a city. Maybe worse.”

Anthony exhaled through his nose. “So, it’s not just a fancy rock.”

Donald finally spoke, his voice edged with something unreadable. “My father mentioned them before. Said they were older than anything we know.”

Sofia frowned. “Older than what, exactly?”

“Everything.”

That earned a pause.

Nigel approached to stone to take a closer look. “That sounds like something we shouldn’t have sitting on a table.”

Diego snorted. “Right? This thing can ‘rewrite physics,’ and we’re just letting Nero roll it around like a stress ball?”

Nero held it up between two fingers. “Would you rather Loki have it?”

Silence.

“Didn’t think so,” Nero said, holding up the stone between his fingers. “This is the Space Stone. Controls space, movement, placement. If you know how to use it, distance stops being a problem.”

Sofia eyed it. “Define ‘distance.’”

Nero flicked his wrist, and the stone pulsed. In an instant, he wasn’t standing where he was a second ago. He reappeared on the opposite side of the room, leaning casually against the wall.

“Like that,” he said.

Diego let out a low whistle. “That’s actually pretty cool.”

Anthony crossed his arms. “And by ‘controls space,’ you mean...?”

“Portals. Teleportation. Spatial rearrangement. If I wanted, I could take this whole room and fold it inside out.” Nero tossed the stone lightly in the air before catching it again. “It’s not just moving things. It’s rewriting how space works.”

Maria frowned. “And SHIELD was just... keeping this in a box?”

“Yep,” Nero said. “Alongside a bunch of other things they don’t understand.”

Donald rubbed his temple. “You said there are six of these?”

Nero nodded. “Space, Time, Mind, Reality, Power, and Soul.”

Donald’s fingers twitched slightly. “I’ve heard of three of those before.”

Sofia raised an eyebrow. “And you didn’t think to mention that?”

Donald shook his head, letting out a low chuckle. “You don’t get it. There are six of these. In the entire universe.” He held up a finger, emphasizing the absurdity. “The endless, ever-expanding universe has exactly six of these ridiculously overpowered things. And most people don’t even believe they exist.” He exhaled sharply. “I doubt even Loki knew what the Tesseract actually held. My father only mentioned them in passing. That’s how rare they are. And one was just sitting here on Earth.”

Nero turned the stone over in his palm, watching it catch the light. “More than one.”

Maria frowned. “What?”

“Not important for now.” Nero tossed the stone lightly before catching it again. “I took this one because, in the very near future, a monster will come looking for all of them.”

Maria crossed her arms. “Even just this one is that powerful. If someone collects all six…”

Nero nodded. “That maniac will snap half the universe into dust.”

A short silence. The kind that meant they were all processing how ridiculous that statement was while knowing Nero didn’t joke about things like this.

Anthony let out a slow breath. “Half the universe?”

“Randomly,” Nero added.

Diego whistled, shaking his head. “Damn. That’s efficient.”

Donald gave him a look. “Not the takeaway here.”

“I mean, it’s still a point.” Diego shrugged. “A horrible, ‘wow, that’s mass genocide’ kind of point, but a point.”

Sofia leaned against the table. “Alright, let’s break this down. The guy who wants these—what’s his deal?”

“A warlord,” Nero said simply. “A conqueror. Patient. Has a certain… philosophy.”

“Philosophy?” Nigel raised an eyebrow.

“He thinks the universe is overpopulated. That suffering comes from imbalance. And he believes the only way to ‘fix’ that is to wipe out half of all life.”

Maria scoffed. “Of course. Because logic.”

Donald rubbed his forehead. “And the stones let him do that?”

“All of them together, yes.” Nero tossed the Space Stone onto the table, where it rolled once before coming to a stop. “Individually, they’re dangerous. Together, they’re reality-breaking.”

Sofia narrowed her eyes at the glowing blue stone. “And you’re saying SHIELD had this sitting in storage?”

“Yes.”

“Not locked in some deep, cosmic vault?”

“Nope.”

“Just… in a box somewhere?”

“Pretty much.”

She pinched the bridge of her nose. “I hate this planet.”

Maria tapped the table. “And you’re sure this guy is coming soon?”

Nero exhaled through his nose. “Soon enough that I don’t want to waste time explaining things we’ll be dealing with regardless.”

Donald nodded to the stone. “So what’s the plan? Hide it? Destroy it?”

“Can’t destroy it,” Nero said. “At least, not in any way that won’t cause problems we don’t have time to deal with.”

Maria crossed her arms. “And hiding it?”

Nero pondered, "Hiding is not really an issue. The problem is that maniac will come to Earth regardless. And will kill indiscriminately. If we can't stop him, then we already lost, so there is no point in hiding. I am not a benevolent person. I won't say things like ‘at least the universe will be safe after we die.’ I want us to be safe, and the universe can die for all I care."

Maria leaned against the table. "So the plan isn't to keep it away from him, it's to make sure he doesn't get the chance to use it."

Nero nodded. "I’d rather we have it than let him get his hands on it."

Anthony exhaled, crossing his arms. "Then what do we do? We can’t just sit on it and hope he never finds us."

Sofia scrolled through her screen. "He’s not just looking for this one, right? You said there are six."

"Yeah," Nero said. "And I know where most of them are."

Diego blinked. "Most?"

Nero sighed helplessly. “As I told you before, in Prince’s memories, this universe had a lot of versions. So far, what we are experiencing is a mixture of many versions. I believe it’s a unique one, different from each, with some overlapping events. I may track some of the Stones, most certainly two of them, but the others? I can’t be sure.”

Donald folded his arms. “And by ‘track,’ you mean what? You’ve seen where they were in other versions, so you think they might be in the same place here?”

“More or less,” Nero said.

Sofia tapped her fingers against the table. “So, best-case scenario, you already know where half of them are. Worst-case?”

“They’re scattered across the galaxy or already in someone else’s hands.”

“Great,” Diego muttered. “So, what do we do? Go planet-hopping until we run into a glowing rock?”

Nero spun the Space Stone between his fingers once before closing his hand around it. “They’ll come for it eventually. Without all six together, that maniac can’t wipe out half the universe.” He pocketed the stone. “Let’s go. Loki’s probably figured out his Tesseract is fake and is about to drop aliens on us.”

Sofia pushed away from the table. “I give him fifteen minutes before he starts throwing a tantrum.”

Maria stretched. “That’s generous. He already started the moment he grabbed that thing.”

Diego stood, cracking his neck. “Should’ve stayed with him. Would’ve been funny watching him posture with a glowing paperweight.”

Donald wasn’t amused. “He’s going to take it personally.”

“Obviously,” Maria said.

Anthony rolled his shoulders. “He always takes it personally.”

Nero was already walking toward the exit. “Doesn’t matter. Either way, he’ll want to make a statement. We should at least look like we didn’t plan this entire thing just to mess with him.”

Sofia snorted. “But we did.”

Donald exhaled. “It’s still not stopping him from trying to kill something.”

Diego smirked. “Not us, though.”

Maria grabbed her coat. “That’s debatable.”

Nero turned to Ezio before heading out. “I’m hiring the Assassins to kill any alien that invades Earth. You’ll be paid per head.”

Ezio nodded. “Got it, boss. Gives me an excuse to make two guilds charge at once.”

With that handled, all seven donned their masks and left the base.