Bella ran a scanner over Loki's staff again.
"Definitely powered by the Tesseract," she said. "It's amazing, isn't it? Beyond anything I could design."
"If you couldn't design it, that says a lot," said Tony. He was going through what he'd hacked from S.H.I.E.L.D.'s computer systems. "Well, this is all interesting. They've put a lot of work into tracking your various places of employment, Izzy. I'll need to have a talk with Fury about this, they were supposed to leave you alone. Apparently they wanted you to help them on something called Phase Two. Did Barton ever mention it?"
Bella shook her head. "What is it?"
"What are you doing, Mr. Stark?" demanded the director, striding in.
"Kinda been wondering the same about thing about you, Nick."
"You're supposed to be locating the Tesseract."
"And we are," said Bella. "The computer's just searching for it now, Director. When it's done, we'll have the location with half a mile."
"What is Phase Two?" asked Tony.
There was a loud thud. Bella spun around to see Captain Rogers standing next to a HYDRA weapon he'd just slammed onto the table.
"Phase Two is S.H.I.E.L.D. uses the Cube to make weapons. Sorry, computer was moving a little slow for me."
"Rogers, we gathered everything related to the Tesseract," said the director. "This does not mean we're –"
"I'm sorry, Nick," said Mr. Stark, turning a computer screen towards Fury. "What were you lying?"
On the screen were plans for a missile, powered by the Tesseract.
"I was wrong. The world hasn't changed a bit," said Cap.
"Did you know about this?" Dr. Banner asked, addressing the Black Widow, who had just entered the room, along with Thor.
"You want to think about removing yourself from this environment, Doctor?"
"I was in Calcutta, I think I was pretty well removed."
"Loki's manipulating you."
"And you've been doing what, exactly?"
"You didn't come here because I bat my eyelashes at you."
"Yes, and I'm not leaving because suddenly you get a little twitchy," said Dr. Banner. "I'd like to know why SHIELD is using the Tesseract to build weapons of mass destruction."
"Because of him," said Director Fury, pointing at Thor.
Me?" repeated the Asgardian.
"Last year earth had a visitor from another planet who had a grudge match that leveled a small town," said Director Fury. "We learned that not only are we not alone, but we are hopelessly, hilariously, out-gunned."
"My people want nothing but peace with your planet," said Thor.
"But you're not the only people out there, are you? And, you're not the only threat. The world's filling up with people who can't be matched, they can't be controlled."
"Nuclear deterrent. Because that always calms things right down," said Tony.
"Remind me again how you made your fortune, Stark?" said Fury.
Bella glared at Fury. "Director, he may have made money that way, but he has turned his back on that and is trying to mend his mistakes."
"You speak of control, and yet you court chaos," said Thor.
"It's his MO, isn't it? I mean, what are we, a team?" said Dr. Banner. "No, no, no. We're a chemical mixture that makes chaos. We're not a team, we're a time bomb."
"You need to step away," said Director Fury.
"Why shouldn't the guy let off a little steam?" asked Mr. Stark.
"You know why! Back off!" said Cap.
"I'm starting to want you to make me."
"Yeah, big man in a suit of armor. Take that off, what are you? I've seen the footage," said Cap. "The only thing you really fight for is yourself. You're not the guy to make the sacrifice play, to lay down on a wire and let the other guy crawl over you."
"I think I would just cut the wire."
"Always a way out. You know, you may all be a threat, but you'd better stop pretending to be a hero."
"A hero. Like you? You're a laboratory experiment. Everything special about you came out of a bottle."
"Put on the suit, let's go a few rounds."
Thor laughed. "You people are so petty. And tiny."
"Yes, this is a team," muttered Bella. The Avengers Initiative, a group meant to be the heroes that could fight the battles normal people never could… arguing like children.
"Are you boys really all that naïve? S.H.I.E.L.D. monitors potential threats," said the Black Widow.
"And Captain America is on that list?" asked Bella.
"We all are. You too, Miss Stark."
"I would be rather surprised if I wasn't."
"Agent Romanoff, would you escort Dr. Banner back to his –" began Director Fury.
Dr. Banner cut him off. "Where? You rented my room."
The director seemed to realize whatever he was trying to do was a lost cause. "Miss Stark? I need to talk to you. Outside."
Tony was too busy arguing to notice the two leaving. The door shut behind them. Coulson was waiting there as well.
"Director Fury, Agent Coulson," she said, assuming they wanted a report on how work was going. Old habits kicked in from before she'd met Tony. "Our search for the Tesseract is going as fast as possible, as I stated before, we simply need to –"
"That's not why I wanted to talk to you," said Fury. "I want you to interrogate Loki."
Bella couldn't believe her ears for a moment.
"Excuse me, Sir?"
"Someone needs to interrogate Loki," said Coulson. "He'll be expecting an agent, someone to try to trick his secrets out of him. He probably wouldn't believe that we'd send you. He'll probably know about your connection to Agent Barton and believe that you're trying to deal with him in order to get your friend back. He might not be as careful."
"You want to help, don't you?" said the director.
Bella was still in shock. "Director, Agent Coulson… I – I came to track the Tesseract. I didn't come to interrogate prisoners. I'm not... there must dozens of people here who would be better qualified for anything of that sort than I am."
"I considered Agent Romanoff, but he'll be very careful around any S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. You, on the other hand, he'll think you're just desperate. You could help us find Agent Barton again."
Bella knew she was being manipulated. She was used to the feeling. But if it really would help them find Barton… "Alright, Director. I'll do it. What do you want me to do?"