I take no credit for the lyrics in this chapter. They belong to Jason Mraz and his song, I Won't Give Up.
Chapter Nine: Tension Isn't Good For Anybody
Steve rushed into the room, carrying some sort of gun. It was larger than any kind of gun I had ever seen. And it looked somewhat similar to a HYDRA weapon.
Tony looked at the computer screen before opening his mouth to speak. "What is Phase 2?" He already looked like he knew the answer.
"Phase 2 is using the Tesseract to make weapons." Steve answered, putting the weapon on the table. "Sorry, your computer was working a little to slow for me."
What was exactly going on?
"Listen," Fury began.
"I'm sorry, Nick, what were you saying?" Tony asked, turning the screen to us. He had accessed some files, and he was showing them to us.
The room was tense, I swear you could cut the tension with a knife and it was wrapping around me, tightening.
"Doctor, I think it would be best if you were removed from this environment." Natasha said, stepping forward.
Bruce grasped me tighter, holding onto me as if his life depended on it. I wanted to leave his grasp, to find a safe place and hide myself, but the weak will of my mind and body held me frozen in place.
"I was in Calcutta, I was pretty well removed." Bruce said, voice angry, spiking back up the fear.
"Loki's manipulating you." Natasha said.
"And you're doing what exactly?"
This environment wasn't great for me either. One thing could make me snap, and that wasn't good for anyone. I wanted to cry, no one, nowhere was safe with me around.
I was a monster.
"You didn't come here because I batted my eyelashes." Natasha's brow furrowed.
I bit my tongue, biting hard, swearing that I was drawing blood.
Clint remained silent, in the corner. I wish I could go to him, or just leave, but, since I was frozen I let myself think that I actually wanted to stay here with Bruce.
To comfort him.
"Yeah, well, I'm not leaving because suddenly you get a little twitchy. I want to know why S.H.I.E.L.D. is using the Tesseract to make weapons." Bruce didn't move, his voice remaining hard.
"Because of him." Fury pointed at Thor, who now looked confused.
"Me?" Thor's voice was just as confused as his face.
"Last year," Fury started. "Earth had a visitor from another planet. We learned that, not only are we not alone, but we are hopelessly, hilariously, outgunned."
"My people want nothing more then peace with your planet." Thor said, a little angry that Fury was suggesting different.
"But, you're not the only threat, are you? The world is filling with people that can't be matched. They can't be controlled." Fury stated.
"Like you control the Tesseract." I growled, no longer able to hold my angry bitten tongue.
The heat in my chest grew hotter.
Natasha shot a worried glance at me, knowing both my patience and anger level were running thin. I ignored it, blinded by the starting frustration.
"Your work with the Tesseract is what drove Loki to it, and his allies." Thor boomed, angrily. "It's a signal to all the realms that Earth is ready for a higher form of war."
"A higher form?" Steve asked, slight worry in his tone.
"You forced our hand, we had to come up with something." Fury shouted.
"A nuclear deterrent, because that always calms things down." Tony interrupted, sarcastically.
"Remind me Stark how you made your fortune?" Fury asked.
"I'm sure, that if Tony still made weapons, he'd be neck deep." Steve sounded a little pissed.
"Hang on!" Tony yelled. "When did this become all about me?"
"I'm sorry, isn't everything?" Steve asked.
He had a point, but this was no place to bring it up.
"I thought humans were more evolved then this." Thor joked, still in an angry tone.
My eyebrows frowned. He needed to look around, we were all more evolved then everyone else, just look at their skill set and the fact that they were superheroes.
I honestly had had it, at this point. The more the argument was being dragged out, the more heated it became and the more my blood continued to boil.
"You speak of control, yet you court chaos." Thor continued, his booming voice echoing off the walls.
"What are we? A team? No, we're a chemical mixture that makes chaos. Were a time bomb." Bruce said, growing more agitated.
"You two need to step away." Fury said, shooting us both worried glances.
"Why shouldn't a guy let off a little steam?" Tony asked, stepping forward.
"You know damn well why! Now back off!" Steve's voice was louder, he had gained a grip of Tony's shoulder.
"I'm starting to want you to make me." Tony looked Steve square in the eyes.
"Yeah, big man in a suit of armor, take that off, what are you?"
"Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist." Tony snapped.
I nodded my head in agreement. It was a good argument.
"I know men with none of that, worth ten of you." Steve shot back. "I've seen the footage, Stark. The only person you fight for is yourself. You're not that guy that would make a sacrifice play. To lay down on a wire and let the other guy crawl over you."
"I think I would just cut the wire." Tony narrowed his eyes at Steve.
Steve smirked. "Always a way out, huh, Stark? You know, you may not to be a threat, but you can stop pretending to be a hero."
I bit my lip, this was defiantly going to get a lot worse. And to make the situation better (note sarcasm) my stomach was growing tight and in the back if my mind a low buzzing had begun.
"A hero? Like you? You're a laboratory experiment, Rogers." Tony scoffed. "Everything special about you came out of a bottle."
Predator barked, angry with Tony's remark. I trembled slightly, my stomach rolling into knots, the buzzing getting louder. Almost to a deafening roar.
"You people are so petty, and tiny." Thor smiled, crossing his arms.
My eyes narrowed, holding back a remark.
I wanted to let Predator go a round or two with him, just to let him see how petty and tiny I could be. And that thought scared me more than anything else.
"Agent Romanoff, would you please escort Banner to his-"
"My where? You rented my room." Bruce growled, tightening his grip, again.
His arms remained securely around my waist.
"The cell was just in case-" Fury tried.
"In case you needed to kill me, but you can't, I tried." Bruce cut Fury off.
But I turned to be face to face with Bruce. I still was in his grip, I had just turned.
"Bruce," I began, lightly, fear spiking in my blood again. He needed to be comforted or this whole place would go down.
"I got low. I didn't see an end, so I put a bullet in my mouth and the Other Guy spat it back out."
I gasped. How could he- What-?
"So I moved on, I focused on helping people, until you had to drag me back in, and put everyone here at risk. Do you want to know my secret, Agent Romanoff? Do you want to know how I stay calm?" One of Bruce's arms had released me from his iron grip.
I looked Bruce in the eyes.
When I look into your eyes
It's like watching the night sky
Or a beautiful sunrise
There's so much they hold
And just like them old stars
I see that you've come so far
To be right where you are
"I promise to love you, to comfort you, forever." My voice so low that no one else could hear, my mind not really thinking of what it was saying, my lips were just moving and words were just passing through them.
"Bruce, put the sceptre down."
I looked down at his hand, to see Loki's sceptre in it. But, he placed it back on the table, gently. He couldn't of been a monster, surely, to have the control to put the sceptre down.
I won't give up on us
Even if the skies get rough
I'm giving you all my love
I'm still looking up
"Sorry kids, I guess you won't be seeing my party trick after all."
Something beeped. Bruce walked over to one of the monitors, pulling me along, my feet practically dragging behind me.
"We have it." Bruce said, looking over the screen.
"You located the Tesseract?" Thor asked.
"I can get there faster." Tony assured us, walking to the door.
"The Tesseract belongs in Asgard, no human is a match for it." Thor replied.
"You're not going alone." Steve grabbed Tony's arm.
This could easily turn into a full on brawl. I wouldn't be able to handle the tension, the fight, and we all know how that went.
It was fuel to the flame.
"You going to stop me?" Tony mused.
"Put on the suit, and let's find out." Steve said through gritted teeth.
"I'm not afraid to hit an old man." Tony looked amused.
Something beeped again. Only this time, it was louder.
I felt a slight rumble, then something exploded. I ran to the door, out of Bruce's grip. Just as I did so, Bruce and Natasha fell through the floor. I turned and looked down at them, they both looked okay.
Thor was gone, and Clint had vanished too.
"Get the suit on." Steve said.
"Right," Tony nodded.
Both of them ran through the door, Fury on their tail.
What about us!? What the hell? So much for teamwork.
I looked down at Bruce and Natasha again, and Bruce seemed uneasy. His skin was tinted green.
Oh. This can't possibly be good.
And when you're needing your space
To do some navigating
I'll be here patiently waiting
To see what you find
A few more minutes had past, Bruce barely holding on. His body was shaking, and expanding. Bruce screamed. I couldn't do anything about it. I stood here, helpless, mind reeling a million miles a minute.
Bruce finally lost it, and he, well, The Hulk roared in anger. Natasha still lay, stuck under a piece of debris. I couldn't let her get hurt, or let her die. I knew Bruce wouldn't mean to do it, it just kind of happened.
'Cause even the stars they burn
Some even fall to the earth
We've got a lot to learn
God knows we're worth it
No: I won't give up
But, I was defenseless to The Hulk, fireballs would get me nowhere. And, in that moment, I made a decision.
Natasha had to be saved; she had to be spared from this mess. I would do that at all costs.
Luckily, if Bruce was anything like me, he would be okay if something attacked him. Almost immortal, or something like that. Bruce would want me to save Natasha, I knew that.
A few seconds later, a pain shot through me. After that, everything was a blur.
And in the end, you're still my friend at least we did intend
For us to work we didn't break, we didn't burn
We had to learn how to bend without the world caving in
I had to learn what I've got, and what I'm not, and who I am
I won't give up on us
Even if the skies get rough
I'm giving you all my love
I'm still looking up