12 – Mischief Managed
2011
He stood on a windswept sheet of ice, cold air whipping his coat about his ankles. Snow crunched underneath the heel of his boots. Without the warming charms he'd placed on himself before leaving the helicarrier, he mused, he'd probably be shivering as badly as the agents trudging back and forth between the plane and Rodgers' last resting place, a few hundred feet off, and a few metres beneath his feet. He let out a low breath, watching the silvery mist flow past his teeth like a gust of steam through a geyser.
He glanced at the powdered earth below, fresh snow flakes gently resting against the ground around him. The sound of crunching snow approached from the west. He tilted his head up as the scientist approached. "Agent Thomas," the older man spoke, coughing slightly to clear his throat, clearly uncomfortable, "the device. It's not there." he nodded warily. He'd been afraid of this. And he had a good idea where to find it.
"Let me guess; the body is missing too." He replied drily. The old man blinked stupidly, staring at him blankly. He sighed, rolling his eyes. "Captain Rodgers? The super soldier? His body isn't there, is it?" 'Fury's not going to like this' he thought grimly.
"Ah- n-no, sir", the scientist replied, stammering nervously, "It's likely it was dislodged during the initial impact, or the captain may have drowned or froze to death trying to escape the wreck." He nodded.
"It's possible" he murmured thoughtfully, gazing at the horizon beyond the other man's shoulder. 'but somehow, I doubt that'. He shrugged as he turned away from the professor, walking back towards the plane. "finish up here, will you? I'll send someone to pick you up."
"Sir?" he called after him, "where are you going?"
"To speak with Tony Stark."
-HPIM-
"Thoughts?" he asked the others, as they stared at the pulsating device lying in the secure glass tube on the work desk before them. Luna leaned forwards slightly, a bemused, puzzled expression dawning on her features.
"it's magical, but – not" she replied, frowning slightly. Harry nodded. The small team he'd sent north to conduct recon and surveillance on the plane had returned with the cube, which Edwin had confirmed as the tesseract, which captured Nazi scientists after the war had identified as the source of Hydra's advanced weaponry. Scattered notes JARVIS had fished out of Howard's old files indicated his predecessor had been hunting for the very artefact before him in the years prior to his death. Edwin tapped his chin thoughtfully.
"According to the results of the tests I had JARVIS run, it possesses the potential for unlimited energy." Harry stared at him.
"Are you sure? Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed or transferred. You taught me that." Edwin nodded.
"Currently, I am working on several theories; my favourite is that it draws in potential energy from across the universe, and transforms that potential energy into other forms." Harry nodded, staring at the once insignificant cube before them. The possibilities were potentially endless, especially if his and Luna's suspicions were correct, and the Tesseract was a magical artefact. Limitless energy, the power of the cosmos lying dormant before them. Tesla's dream of free electricity for all was within reach. Fossil fuels obsolete, the potential for a rechargeable, energy efficient iron man armour with a limitless battery. With this, and the secrets it held, stark enterprises could single-handily save the planet, and lead humanity into a golden age.
He grinned; the tesseract was about to make the Vibranium they'd forged the capsicle's frisbee from look like a lump of clay. "Let's take this thing apart. Get at the bells and whistles."
-HPIM-
He strode purposefully towards the front door of the Stark manor, gravel crunching underfoot. Stepping up onto the porch, he seized the knocker, rapping soundly three times. He banged his closed fist on the wooden frame, fuming as he waited. 'how could he be so stupid, playing around with forces like the tesseract?! This wasn't like putting roller blades on the suit.'
"Coming," came Hermione's voice from within the house. She opened the door, smiling warmly as she greeted him.
"Dean," she grinned, hugging him tightly, "what are you doing here?"
"Not now, Pep" he replied nodding in the direction of Romanoff, sitting on the sofa, "this isn't a social call. Where's Tony?" she smiled fondly, rolling her eyes.
"Down in the lab, tinkering on some new toys with Edwin." He nodded, brushing abruptly past her towards the staircase. He followed the stairs down, the sound of 'Back in Black' wafting upwards to meet his ears. He stopped before the door, entering his passcode. The door clicked, and he stepped through into the lab. Edwin was silently working in one corner, buffing a piece of metal as harry himself leaned over a strange device, pulsating with blue energy. Dean cleared his throat. Harry glanced up, grinning as he removed his safety goggles. "Jay," he ordered, "mute the music so I can have a chat with my buddy, will you?" the song ceased, Edwin stepping out of the room and closing the door behind him.
"How are you, pal? Been a little while since we've heard from you." There was a dangerous lilt to Harry's voice as he spoke, though the expression on his face was jovial enough. Dean winced, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Yeah. Sorry about that. Fury's kept me pretty busy." Harry nodded, dropping the wrench he'd been holding on the bench.
"It's fine pal. Just do me a favour next time, and let us know every now and then that you're alright." Dean nodded.
"Will do. Listen mate, I didn't come here just to catch up." Harry chuckled.
"What do you need? Auto-reloading gun, extra body armour, better planes – "
Dean gestured to the Tesseract, pulsing with energy in its protective housing. "That, actually." Harry laughed, shaking his head.
"unbelievable," he muttered, glaring at Dean, "you leave us to go work for Fury, completely ignore your friends, and now, you want to help Fury use the Tesseract to make weapons of mass destruction. What did he do, offer you his job after he's done with it? Or is Dean Thomas even cheaper than that?"
"No. He has no idea I'm here."
"but you are here on behalf of shield?"
"yeah."
Harry snorted, taking a step back to lean against the bench. Cautiously, dean stepped forward. "Do you really think you can protect it?" he asked, imploring his friend to see reason. Harry tilted his head to one side, watching him like a hawk. It was days like this when Dean understood why his friend was almost a Slytherin.
"who am I protecting it from?" Dean winced. If he told Harry what was going on, he'd hand it over in a heartbeat. The oaths fury had made him take on his magic would not allow him to share the truth however. He'd have to convince him on his own.
"Hydra, the ten rings. Other terrorist organisations." Harry snorted.
"And you really think Iron Man can't deal with low-level threats like that huh? You really have that little faith?"
'did – did he really just refer to his alter ego in the third person?'
"Come on Harry. You're starting to scare me; you don't need to solve all the world's problems by yourself. There are people who can help you. You don't have to carry it all on your own." 'Or maybe, you just enjoy the publicity'.
"well maybe if there was anyone else who I could trust, I wouldn't feel the need to go it alone so much", his friend sniped back.
"Meaning what?"
"Meaning maybe you should go ask your boss exactly how many secrets his keeping from you." Suddenly, harry stopped, staring at him, "unless – "
"You were the one who told him, weren't you?"
Dean stared at him. 'What on earth is he going on about?'
Harry continued, turning away from him.
"Go tell your buddy Nick he can have it when I'm finished. Now kindly get your arse off of my property, and don't darken my doorstep again." Shocked, confused, and hurt, Dean took one step towards his friend before thinking better of it and turning on his heel. Technically, he'd done his job; shield would have to wait a while longer, but they would get the tesseract. He stopped at the door to the workshop, turning back towards Harry.
"although," he replied, "technically, it's not actually your doorstep, is it Tony? it belongs to Howard Stark." With that, he left the room, leaving the door opened behind him.
"JARVIS," Harry stated from behind his back, "update the security protocols on all Stark premises. Agent Thomas is no longer welcome."
-HPIM-
She walked slowly through the streets of Calcutta, stopping at one of the market stalls to inspect the fruits and vegetables. She sniffed the orange, smiling at the aroma. She handed the old woman a few coins, gesturing to the oranges, and holding up three fingers. The older woman nodded, placing the fruits into a brown paper bag. Peggy smiled. As places to settle down went, Calcutta was far from perfect, but it had its good points. For one, it was out of the way. Hopefully far enough out of the way that people like shield and her father wouldn't look for them. People who only wanted to use the hulk for a weapon. So far, the only people who knew where they had gone were Tony and his people. The other was the locals. She'd never felt more welcome anywhere in the world. And Bruce assured her it wouldn't be permanent. Just long enough for him to find a cure, or get in control of 'the other guy'. She turned off the road near the entrance to the marketplace, making her way back towards their small 'house'. The dilapidated shack wasn't much, but it was all Bruce would allow in terms of luxury. He said they needed to be ready to run at a moment's notice. It offered shelter though, and out here shelter meant safe. Or, at least, as safe as you could get out here. And it was secluded, so privacy wasn't an issue. And they didn't need to worry about any noisy neighbours triggering the other guy.
She trudged down the dirt path, stopping to flick the dirt out of her shoe. She stopped in her tracks as she stood back up, staring. There on the front porch, face poking through the window as she tapped on the wood, was a girl. She was about ten, and a local by the look of her. She frowned, calling out to the girl.
"Can I help you, sweetie?" she asked, trying to shake the cold dread clawing at her heart. The girl turned, smiling at her. Piercing blue eyes met her own as the girl jumped off the porch.
"I'm looking for the doctor," she called, "have you seen him?" Betty took a sharp breath, closing her eyes and placing a hand gently over her heart. She nodded as she made her way up to the girl. "I'll just grab him. You wait here sweetheart." The girl nodded, taking a seat on the bottom step as Betty climbed the steps herself, letting herself in and shutting the door behind her. Bruce was probably still asleep. He'd had a difficult night, with multiple house calls for the locals. Some sort of virus was running through the village, and Bruce had insisted on helping as many as possible, reasoning that he couldn't get sick anyway.
The girl didn't appear to be sick herself; she had obviously come on behalf of someone else. Betty took several calming breaths, reaching for the satellite phone on the nearby bench. She'd wake Bruce and let him know, but she sill couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. Having Tony on standby couldn't hurt, regardless.
Bruce had curled up on the couch, a thin blanket draped over him. She rubbed his foot gently, calling his name. he shot awake instantly, eyes darting around the room. A nightmare, she thought grimly. "Whaizzit?" he grumbled softly, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. She smiled sweetly.
"Patient," she murmured softly. "There's a girl waiting outside." In a flash, he was awake and alert, instantly jumping into Doctor mode. She smiled slightly, watching as he grabbed his bag and pulled his jacket on, kissing her on the cheek and making his way towards the front door. She listened as he spoke to the girl in her own language, and the sound of their retreating footsteps faded before dialling the number. He answered on the second ring.
-HPIM-
He grinned as Penny and Gwen chewed noisily on the pizza. They had been working hard, and the girls were starting to wrap their heads around some pretty advanced concepts. Penny in particular was showing real promise. He'd known when he approached Ben and May about mentoring the younger scientist he'd made the right decision. They were currently taking a break, sitting around the lounge room with Hermione, Neville, Luna, Edwin, the parkers, and Gwen's parents. Mr. Stacy and Ben were currently embroiled in a discussion of the finer points of the differences in approach between military and civilian police. Hermione was sitting with the girls, going over their math homework, and frowning at the amount of junk food they were consuming. Neville and Luna were sitting with the heavily pregnant Mrs. Stacy. The girls themselves were dividing their time between Hermione, striving to behave like dutiful students, and Edwin, who was currently playing solitaire. Harry himself was sprawled out on the couch, sketching blue prints for the as yet unfinished Stark tower. His work with the tesseract had been proceeding well, and with luck, he'd be able to have the entire building – followed shortly thereafter by all SI properties – fully self-sustainable. Penny who had closed her book and pushed her plate aside, approached him on the couch. He grinned, moving his feet. She smiled, popping herself up on the couch next to him. Playfully, he stuck his feet up on her lap, careful not to place too much weight. She groaned, laughing good-naturedly.
"Mr. Stark!" he laughed, moving his feet.
"Yes, Miss Parker?" he asked, pretending to ignore her.
She poked her tongue at him, reaching for the Television remote near his head. He gently pushed it towards her, causing her to grin happily and un-mute the TV.
"Ben, May!" he called, grinning mischievously at the young Parker, "your mini person is being disrespectful again".
"Children, behave" May called in response. Penny gulped, nodding, "yes, aunt May". May smiled sweetly at her niece. Harry grinned.
"But muuuuuum!" he groused playfully. May and Hermione glanced at one another, before each rolling their eyes. Harry smiled to himself, thanking his lucky stars for how lucky he'd been to get a family like this one. His phone began vibrating in his pocket. Penny pouted, muting the TV. He smiled at the girl. "Just a second," he murmured softly. She nodded, "If you like, when I'm done, we can Kick Gwen and Edwin's asses at Mario Kart again after I'm done." Penny beamed, grinning at her friend over her shoulder, who notably gulped. Edwin glared harshly at Harry before moving behind Gwen so she wouldn't see him, and discreetly providing Harry with a one-fingured salute. Fortunately, Penny, who was busy hooking up the Nintendo, did not see this interaction. Harry laughed, hitting the button to take the call.
"Go for Tony Stark, genius, Billionaire, pla-" he glanced at Penny and Gwen, cutting himself short, "philanthropist. Or, at least, the life-model decoy of one Tony Stark."
"Tony?" came the distressed voice through the speaker, "It's betty". He sat up straight.
"Betty? What is it? Did something happen with Bruce?" the conversation around the room died. Edwin glanced at him, gesturing towards the elevator. Harry nodded, returning his attention to the clearly concerned Betty on the other end of the line.
"I'm not sure, Tony. It might be nothing, or it might be my father or Shield. Something's got me on edge." Harry nodded, standing up as he paced back and forth.
"Don't worry Betty. I'm on my way, and we'll get you both out of there. JARVIS. Run a scan on all news stations. Keyword; Hulk." The AI scanned for several moments, before reporting no currently active matches. Harry instructed him to hack into US military servers and run the same search.
"I'll see you soon betty." He slipped his phone back into the pocket of his Jeans. He turned to Neville. "get the parkers and Stacys into the bunker" he instructed. Captain Stacy shook his head.
"If something's going on, I need to be out there. My men will need me." Harry glanced at the man for a moment, before nodding.
"We'll look after your family."
"Thank you". Harry turned his attention to Hermione.
"Contact Steve. Find out how soon he can be back in New York. Then call Hank, Janet, and Natasha. Tell them it looks like it might be time to work for a living." She nodded.
"Tony?" Penny called after him as he made his way towards the elevator, Luna following after him, "be careful". He grinned at her.
"No worries. See ya soon, kid." She nodded.
"you alright?" Luna asked as they descended.
"Yeah," he replied, taking a breath to steady himself. "Truth is I've been waiting for it to hit the fan for a while now." He laughed, running a hand through his hair. "At least you could never say I make things boring."
She smiled. "Never. You're frightfully interesting." He laughed, wrapping an arm around his friend's shoulders.
"I need you to run something down to the local wizarding village and get a parcel express shipped for me."
She nodded, not questioning him for a second. They stepped off the elevator and made their way towards the armoury. He opened the door for her. She smiled, walking past and making her way over to where Edwin war prepping the suit for flight. Harry quickly pulled on the specially designed flight suit that had replaced the wetsuit they'd been using. He grabbed the tesseract, shoving it into a box and quickly scribbling out a hurried note before sealing the box and stapling the letter to the box. He handed it to Luna.
"Get this to agent Thomas." He told her. She frowned slightly at the use of their friend's last name, but nodded, waving over her shoulder as she made her way out into the hall. She kissed Neville goodbye on her way past as he led the Parkers and Gwen's family towards the bunker. Harry waved at his friend as the bots strapped him into the suit. Edwin approached him as the helmet slid into place, handing him the face plate.
"Are you sure about this?" the older man asked him warily.
"That it's a good idea? No. About doing it? Never been surer of anything in my life. Besides this may all still be nothing."
Edwin snorted. "I'm not that lucky," his voice replied over the intercom as Harry took off.
-HPIM-
The girl led him out of town, gesturing wildly at a small dilapidated hut on the opposite end of the village. They approached slowly, the girl gesturing for him to head inside before her. Cautiously, he ducked his head and stepped into the hut. The door slammed shut behind him, and a steel chain was wound around the wood, locking of its own accord. 'next time, get paid in advance, Banner' he thought tiredly, feeling his heart rate spike. He groaned, pushing the hulk back down. 'sorry bud, not today'
"Apologies for the subterfuge, doctor Banner. But I needed you here. You have a vital role to play in the events to come." He spun around. Sitting with his legs crossed in a lounge chair across the room, wearing a finely pressed suit with an emerald jacket was a beaming man with black hair and piercing blue eyes.
"Who the devil are you?"
"Who the devil," the other man stood, walking calmly towards him. He held up a hand calmingly as Bruce took a single step back, "eloquently put; who the devil?". He grinned, extending a hand to shake, and it was only then Bruce noticed the strange metallic device in his other hand, blue gemstone glowing the same ethereal colour as the stranger's eyes.
"My name is Loki, and you, Bruce Banner, are going to help me re-shape the entire world."
He pushed the tip of the staff – for that, Bruce realised, was what it was – against his chest, and Bruce Banner knew no more, as his veins shifted from a pale blue to sickly green.
-HPIM-
A flash of light illuminated the room. Dean Thomas rubbed the sleep from his eyes, and sprung into action. In one hand, he held his wand, in the other, his side arm. Nothing had changed since he'd gone to bed, except for the single brown box, about the size of his head, lying on the computer desk. He approached it cautiously, casting several diagnostic charms. The parcel had come via portkey, though he could detect no magic other than that. He reached out slowly, tearing the folded piece of paper from the top of the parcel and unfolding it. He read carefully.
Thomas,
I'm finished with it. My regards to Nicky.
Potter.
Tossing the note aside, he opened the box, staring at the pulsating Tesseract within.