A/N: I might be delaying some of the chapters next week...getting swamped with work. Hope you guys understand.
Anyways, Onwards!
CHAPTER 8
Spies and Secrets
The metallic grey halls of the SHIELD Hellicarrier were filled with chatter as agents bustled about, each tending to their tasks. Of course, the newest presence of multiple...unique individuals aboard was also a major point of conversation, duties regardless.
"Did you see that kid with Agent Romanov?"
"I heard he was on the recent Loki mission..."
"I can't believe I'm on the same ship as Captain freaking America!"
"What's Stark doing here?"
"Did anyone notice the blonde hunk in a cape? I heard he's seeing some doctor..."
The subtle chatter of the agents was shortly cut off as their monitors briefly shorted out, grabbing their attention before promptly rebooting with a silent hum. Puzzled, the agents in question turned back to their tasks before one called up a technician for help.
All were unaware of the ghostly presence manoeuvring through the same halls of the facility, expertly moving through the mass of wiring and circuitry embedded in the helicarrier, seemingly haunting the ship. The being possessed a phantom-like body, greenish-white skin with black lines running through its body and a green shackles hanging over its wrists, arms, neck and torso, all connected to the familiar Omnitrix emblem on its chest. His specter-like appearance would've spooked the ship's inhabitants if it weren't for the fact that the ghost-like creature was currently invisible to all forms of detection.
"Phew! Forgot Ghostfreak tends to mess with technology! Gotta be careful when phasing through stuff!", Ben thought, currently in his Ectonurite form. He'd decided to take a detour, hoping to figure out what else SHIELD was hiding. Grandpa Max's orders to "remain neutral" aside, it seemed that the Agency held as much secrets as their own prisoner, who calmly remained in his cell.
Using Upgrade to hack into SHIELD's systems led to a dead-end; The Agency apparently knew less than he did. The usual reports, operations and personnel data, as well as documents on targets, most wanted and other prospects. Ben wasn't surprised to see a handful of his villains catalog make an appearance on the SHIELD's most wanted list. Not to mention a lot of Black box data sites, sketchy operations...and missile codes. For armed warheads on the Helicarrier.
Great.
All very disturbing, but nothing unexpected.
Then of course, he found a load of references to something referred to as "Phase 2" . Something big, powered by the Tessaract. The files were redacted, but employing a bit of brute force interfacing and he could see what seemed to be schematics. Blueprints. SHIELD was definitely up to something.
Interestingly enough, he'd found a whole load of files on himself, his cousin and Grandpa, as well as their numerous adventures during the summer. The files, however, were heavily redacted. Almost like someone had meticulously gone over them to ensure Ben was as much of a blank slate as possible. It seemed the teen had a guardian angel of sorts within SHIELD.
Fury had basically demanded Ben glean as much information as he could out of Loki, but Ben wasn't the one to do what he was told. He wasn't a lapdog and definitely wasn't an interrogator. Nevertheless, he was curious. The teen had a myriad of questions and he needed answers.
Lost in thought, Ben didn't notice a peculiar blonde in his path. Luckily, he merely phased through her due to his active intangibility. Collecting his thoughts, Ben moved like a phantom mist through the lower decks, passing through the sterile rooms of the SHIELD Hellicarrier labs.
Sharon Carter took a deep breath, her body suddenly feeling like a few degrees below zero. The feeling passed abruptly, almost as soon as it came. Startled, she straightened her jacket, surreptitiously scanning her surroundings. Around her, agents continued their own business, their chatter becoming indistinct in the background.
"You lost, Agent 13?",came a familiar voice.
Sharon turned to see Agent Romanov, the Black Widow, arms crossed, her look expectant. The two had a relatively distant relationship: they didn't work in the same spheres both Sharon had a deep sense of respect for the redhead. Quickly straightening, the Blonde's posture adopted a more professional stance as she addressed the redhead.
"Not at all, Agent Romanov. Just got back from another briefing at Mission Control. We're still working on tracking down the Iridium from the Konigstrasse. We think Agent Barton was involved, indirectly at least. He's on the SHIELD Wanted List now...". Natasha stiffened slightly, hearing Agent Barton being mentioned. Sharon handed over her reports, previously tucked under her arm.
"Any word from your other team?", the redhead continued, not meeting her gaze.
"They've got their eyes peeled, using all possible means of data capture and surveillance. Satellites, spectrometers, the works."
Romanov scanned through the data pad, her features curled in rapt attention. "What about Dr Banner?"
With Natasha off to Bellwood, Sharon had been the one to recruit Banner. She'd found him in a remote rural village, tending to the sick. Unwilling to risk a Hulk incident with direct confrontation, Sharon instead resorted to a go-between to reach out to Banner. All the while her team maintained a surveillance perimeter over the area. Eventually Bruce acquiesced to a meeting, not before he got the assurance that everyone in the village would be safe. She'd managed to bargain with the good Doctor: in return for his help, he'd requested to see one specific person. SHIELD would do everything in their power to make it happen.
"Occupied, ma'am, with Stark right now", Agent 13 answered plainly. Natasha gave a small sigh, Stark somehow had a way of interfering with everything. And now they were no closer to finding Selvig and Barton. Their only lead was, unfortunately, a maniacal Asgardian currently locked up in a cell designed for the Hulk.
"Any word from the cleanup crew at Germany?", asked the redhead. "Well we have a couple of bodies...with arrows in them. Barton was definitely with them, most likely under the radar. And apparently a missing pound of Iridium. Must've stolen a retinal scan to get past security"
"...and made it out of there in the confusion while Loki staged a distraction", putting the pieces together, the redhead furrowed her brow and scanned through the reports rapidly, information absorbed at a rapid pace.
"I..heard you were there too", piqued the blonde,"at Germany, with Captain America". Natasha finally met her gaze, her expression set in stone. "You've read the report, you know everything you need to Agent", the redhead answered, her voice detached.
"Of course, it's just...what's he like? The Captain, I mean. Aunt Pegg...Agent Carter talks a lot about him", Sharon pushed. Nat raised an eyebrow at her curiosity, seemingly going beyond mere professional interest.
"Let's just say he's every bit the boy scout he was before he went under", the superspy surmised before closing the report, turning to face the Agent once again. "I'll get these to Fury. As you were"
Sharon nodded before briskly walking away.
Nat's communicator went off. Speak of the Devil, the Director was on the line. He needed her back on the Bridge for a new assignment. "Urgent", he said. Although, for the life of her, Nat could never understand his love for old-fashioned pagers when delivering orders. Probably had something to do with his earlier career. A surprising quirk from the director of the most technologically advanced organizations on the planet, excluding the Plumbers.
Speaking of, she hadn't seen Tennyson for a while. Nat wasn't sure whether she should be worried, or worried that she was for some reason, worried about the kid. Must be growing on her. "Like a nasty fungus on my old gym socks", she shuddered at the thought.
Fury was statuesque, brows furrowed in concentration when the Black Widow walked in. She'd always moved like her namesake, silent and alert ready to strike. Very few could get the drop on Ole' Nick, and she was the only one of those he could trust. In his line of work, trust was the rarest of currencies.
"What do you think?" Nick asked, motioning to the redhead. "About the mission?", her tone was clipped, yet formal. The redhead had a complicated history with the Director; he'd taken her under his wing after she'd been on the run from the Red Room after it's collapse. He'd given her a new identity, a new home, a new purpose.
Until the Hydra Mission. A mirage of stained flashbacks flitted across her mind before she compacted them once more, filing them under her own personal "Red Ledger"
" About the team", Fury responded, his gaze drifted to the redhead, as he collected the reports before gesturing to the monitor screen displaying live camera footage of the individuals recruited (or being recruited) for Fury's Avengers Project. Easier said than done, the team hadn't even fully formed and there was a measure of dissent amongst the ranks.
Stark was a major bone of content; he'd a checkered history with Fury and his organisation. Banner had been mildly enthusiastic about working for SHIELD, he did strike up a deal with them after all. Thor was a legitimate wildcard. And Tennyson...
"Still in the formation process", Nat analysed, her naturally logical mind at work "obviously there are multiple clashes of personality. Stark and The Captain, for example. Thor's a wild card, and Banner's got a rough history with SHIELD, but he seems willing to work with us. For now"
"What about Tennyson?" asked Nick, "you're his handler, after all"
Nat paused. She'd seen what the kid could do first hand, alone his skills and experience were way above his age. Confidential reports showed he'd been in the field as early as age ten, and he wasn't a stranger to working with others. Others he trusted. The question was, how much did he trust his new teammates?
"Childish antics aside, Tennyson's proved to be more than capable; he's already one-man army. If he wasn't already with the Plumbers, he'd be an invaluable SHIELD asset. That, and he doesn't particularly trust any one of us"
"Gaining the trust of your assets has never been an issue, Romanov"
"Not with Tennyson. I've worked with him before, I can attest to that"
Fury nodded, silently acquiescing. "Hate to admit it, that kid's the key to all of this. We're at a crossroads, Romanov. And we're running out of time, with the Cube still out there. Whatever Loki's gonna rain down on us, it's gonna happen soon. No time to be walking on eggshells here. Can you get Tennyson in on this?"
"I can", she responded, "but I won't." Fury raised his eyebrow. She continued stepping forward. "He's not like us, sir. For us it's just a job, what we do. Saving the world. He's going to want to play the hero. Because it's everything he is. For better or worse"
A brief shadow crossed Nick's face. "Fine. Keep an eye on Tennyson, we'll just have to go with plan B on this. I don't like it, but we're sitting ducks here and we've got a wolf in a cage"
"5 minutes", Natasha's eyes were focused, resolute. "Give me 5 minutes with Loki"
"Sure you're up for this?", inquired the Director, "that guy's a slippery one, Romanov."
"I've dealt with worse", she folded her arms, thoughts momentarily invaded by dark moments in her past. A damp cell. Blood. Escape
"Not like this, Romanov. I need you with the team, keeping them focused".
"You said it yourself sir, we're running out of time", she explained. "5 minutes, I'll get Loki to talk" .
Nick Fury paused. Natasha was his right hand for a reason, he'd no reason to doubt her capabilities. She was a Black Widow after all, they were skilled manipulators and infiltrators.
But none of them had ever dealt with a literal god. Fury might as well have fed her to the wolves. Or one sly, nasty wolf in particular.
He dismissed her with a curt nod, the receding click-clack of her boots announcing her exit. His thoughts returned back to his latest team as his gaze went back to the monitors, the live feed of SHIELD Labs on display.
Static . The feed had already been tampered with. Dammit, Stark...
Ben's ghostly form easily glided through the walls of the labs as he watched Tony and Bruce banter while working on the RADD, as well as Loki's energy scepter. Tony was pacing while talking, almost like he was studying Banner as much as the device.
Zzzzappp!!!
"Oww!",
Of course Tony had a taser, and wasn't afraid to use it on a guy that could turn into a raging green berzerker just by being in a bad mood.
"Hey!", Steve berated as he walked in, "are you nuts?"
"Jury's out", Stark scanned Banner like a hawk, "you really have a lid on it, don'tcha Doc? What's your secret? Meditation, Bongo drums, huge bag of weed?"
The supersoldier glowered. "Is everything a joke to you?"
"Funny things are", Tony opened a bag of pretzels he somehow procured, a sly look on his face. "Want one?"
"Threatening the safety of everyone on this ship isn't funny", Steve reprimanded before turning to the bespectacled man, "no offense, doc".
"It's alright. I wouldn't have volunteered if I couldn't handle pointy things", Bruce commented.
Tony chuckled lightly, "You're tiptoeing, big man. You need to strut". "And you need to stay focused on the problem, Stark", Steve retorted.
"You think I'm not? Why did Fury call us now? Why not before? I can't solve the equation until I have all the variables, Cap".
"You think Fury's hiding something?"
"He's a spy, Captain. He's the spy. His secrets have secrets. It's not just bugging me is it?", Tony gestured at Bruce.
"I..I'm not...look I'm just here to do my work and..", the doctor tried avoiding the question.
"Doc?", Steve pressed. Bruce sighed "The warm light for all mankind. Loki's jab at Fury about the Tessaract. I mean, who knows what SHIELD's even doing with the Tessaract in the first place?"
"I might have an idea...", a cold voice echoed within the room.
"What the...", the Captain spun on the spot, guard raised as he watched what appeared to be a ghost-like entity materialize from thin air. Startled, Banner and Stark backed away, accidentally knocking away lab equipment. They clattered noisily into the ground,along with a bunch of spilled pretzels.
" What's the matter, Stark? You look like you've seen a ghost...freak!" the being cackled, before raising his clawed hands, signalling that he wasn't a threat, "don't worry guys, it's me. You should've seen your faces, totally priceless!!"
Steve was the first to notice the Omnitrix symbol prominently on Ghostfreak's chest "Tennyson? That you?", he said, stance relaxing as he warily dropped his guard upon identifying the bizarre apparition as the most bizarre kid, heck person, he'd ever met.
"The one and only", Ben's Ghostfreak voice rasped, before slapping the Omnitrix promptly transforming back, momentarily blinding the Captain who stood nearby. Bruce was clutching his chest in surprise, while Tony stood still slack jawed.
"That was reckless, Tennyson", Steve frowned, heaving an exasperated sigh. "Seriously, am I the only one who cares about safety on this ship?"
Ben shrunk, rubbing the back of his head. "Sorry about that, Doctor Banner". To his credit, Banner took the ghastly interruption better than the average person. "Yeah, I definitely don't think I handle...whatever that was", he motioned vaguely in Ben's direction, still somewhat dazed.
"I'm gonna be upfront kid, that was...mostly disturbing, but more importantly, how many alien-whats-its do you turn into?", Tony had recovered from his shock, instantly going into obsessed crazy scientist mode.
"Well in theory, it's probably about a million or so, but honestly I lost count after sixty", Ben shrugged, before recoiling at the sight of the glint in Tony's eyes.
"You realize you're like, every researcher's Golden Goose, right? Everyone from the bozos at HAMMER to the annoying pricks at AIM would have a field day with you!", quipped Tony.
As much as he'd hate to admit, he was impressed. And Tony Stark wasn't easily impressed. The Omnitrix's tech dwarfed his in every possible way, not to mention its capabilities were unlike anything he'd every encountered.
"What exactly powers that thing?", Bruce asked as he adjusted his glasses, "some type of sub-particle energy fusion?"
"Ehhh, I'm not sure entirely", the teen shapeshifter placed a hand on his chin "some kind of alien self-renewable energy or something".
"Sounds a lot like the Stark Tower, actually", asked Bruce.
"Stark Tower? You mean that big ugly...", Steve paused at Tony's glare, "building in New York?".
"Heard it's going to run itself for what, like a year?", Bruce added.
"It's still a prototype, I'm kinda like the only name in clean energy right now.. ", the billionaire opened another snack packet.
"Well the Omnitrix run itself for a long time...can possibly even outlive me", said Ben, much to the surprise of everyone.
"You mean like...it's forever? How's that even physically possible?", Bruce was uncharacteristically chatty. "With the Tessaract maybe", Ben said, "they're both alien, that's for sure. Although I gotta admit, I'd never even thought SHIELD was even capable of making something to harness it in the first place"
Stark tossed back a handful of blueberries,"Huh, Makes you wonder why SHIELD didn't even involve me in their little pet project. I am the tech genius and energy expert after all".
"They would know, what with you constantly reminding everyone"
A loud beep grabbed everyone's attention. Stark fished out a device from his pocket, "ah, here we go!". "Is that what I think it is?", Ben asked.
"Probably not, kiddo. That will be my decryption program currently breaking into SHIELD's files"
"What?", Steve glared at the billionaire. "Jarvis has been running it since I hit the bridge. In a few hours I'll know every secret SHIELD has ever tried to hide",Tony held up the snack "blueberry?"
"Yup, it was definitely what I thought it was", remarked the teen shapeshifter.
"And you wonder why they didn't want you on board", Steve remarked sarcastically, the billionaire raising an eyebrow in protest.
"Technically, they don't want a lot of people on board, Cap, and for good reason. They're hiding a lot" , Ben pointed out, earning himself a withering glare from the supersoldier.
"Kid makes a fair point", Tony came to his rescue, offering the teen a snack, "but an intelligence agency that fears intelligence? Historically, not awesome".
"I think Loki's trying to wind us up" The Captain's voice had raised an octave. "This is a man who means to start a war. And if we don't focus, he'll succeed. We have orders, we should follow them".
"Following's not really my style" Tony tossed back a couple of more blueberries. " Gee, I wonder why", muttered Ben as he stuffed himself with gummy bears.
"You would know all about style wouldn't you?", Steve remarked sardonically.
"If it helps, I also hacked into SHIELD systems..",Ben interjected.
"I don't think it helps, Ben", Dr Banner gave the teen an exasperated look. .
"What did I say about the adults talking, kid?" Tony asked. "Hey, which one of us fought an intergalactic warlord and won?", Ben folded his arms in response, staring down the billionaire.
"Can you believe this guy?", Tony turned back to the supersoldier with an incredulous chuckle.
"I don't think he's kidding, Stark"
Steve already suspected Ben had some level of experience, but with Ben's demeanor and cocksure attitude he'd started to wonder exactly just how young Ben was when he got into the hero business. His gaze flitted between the two; the egotistical genius and the smart-mouthed teen with an alien super-device strapped on his arm. Both were vastly different, yet possessed similar traits: cocky, made witty remarks and quipped a lot, to the chagrin of everyone around them.
Bruce, on the other hand, ignored their little stare-down. "Steve, even the kid's got his doubts. Can you honestly tell me none of this smells funky to you? ". Steve held his tongue, his thoughts still churning around. Could SHIELD be trusted? He'd encountered many governments and organizations back in his day, they all had some kind of agenda and ways of handling things, both of which were often unpleasant and morally dubious to say the least, all in support towards a supposed "greater good".
"Just find the cube". With that, the supersoldier left in a huff.
"That's the guy my dad wouldn't shut up about?", Tony snidely remarked once Steve was out of earshot, "I'm starting to think they should've left him in the ice". Ben glared at his remark.
"So not cool, dude"
She moved like a shadow, noiselessly finding her way into the Containment facility. Her target was unaware, still pacing around, his features almost as imperceptible as she was. She folded her arms, watching the Asgardian, her lips pursed and her gaze focused.
Loki Laufeysson, the god of Mischief, stood still: he'd felt another presence nearby. A wolfish grin crept slowly on his face.
"There's not many people who can sneak up on me", he slowly turned to face his redheaded guest, her stoic visage clear through the green tinted glass.
"But you'd figured I'd come", Natasha Romanov stood with her arms by the sides, a piercing stare directed at him.
"After", replied the trickster god , "after whatever fun methods of torture Fury would concoct, you would appear as a balm, a friend. And I would cooperate. Isn't that how it usually goes?" his grin grew sickeningly wide.
Nat was unphased as she lowered her gaze. "I want to know what you've done with Agent Barton".
"What, no torture? Pity. As for Barton, I would say I've expanded his tiny little mind. Results of course, tend to vary" his gaze was intense, making her skin crawl.
Cocking her head slightly, she stalked closer, boots echoing on the deck's metal grating. "And once you've gotten what you want, after you've won, what happens to his little mind?"
"Oh, is that love I hear, Romanov? From you, of all people?", he mocked.
"Love is for children, I owe him a debt", Nat stated, her features set.
"I sense there's quite a story here", Loki stepped back and sat, before gesturing to the chair outside his enclosure "so, tell me".
She let out a breath and sighed shakily, "Before I worked at SHIELD, I uh...made a name for myself" her hands pressed together as she sat, "you see, I have a very specific skill set, I didn't care who I used it for, or on", she shifted, her posture tame. Almost like she was relaxed.
"Eventually I got on SHIELD's radar, in a bad way. Agent Barton was sent to kill me. He made a different call".
Her eyes were glassy as she remembered their first encounter, an adrenaline filled hunt atop the rooftops of Prague.
"Is this the part where you offer me something, so I spare his life?", inquired Loki, "And here I thought you knew better, Agent Romanov. Suppose I did, what would you do?"
"Not let you out".
"No? But I very much like this; Millions of lives in the balance and here you are, about to bargain for the life of one. Quite amusing, you humans " the trickster leaned forward, his eyes wide with enthusiasm.
"Millions fall every day. I tend not to weep over that, I'm Russian", she paused "or was, anyway".
"A long way from home, aren't we? Quite the predicament, if I do say so myself", he gestured to his own situation.
"It's not that complicated, this predicament...", the redhead rose deliberately, "I've got red in my ledger, and I'd like to wipe it out"
"Can you?" Loki spat, his demeanour darkened in a mere instance. "Can you really wipe out that much red? Dreykov's Daughter, Sau Paulo, the hospital fire? How about Hydra? The undercover ops? Austria? The Raft?".
An onslaught of memories were creeping into the surface, seeking to wrench themselves free from the recesses of her mind. She pushed on, nevertheless, after all she was nothing if good at compartmentalizing. Good at her job.
"Oh, my Dear Natasha, your ledger is gushing, drowning in red", Loki spread his arms dramatically. "The bloodied, crimson dancer. And you think saving a man no more virtuous than yourself will change anything? Such base sentimentality, utter naivety. It would be comedic if it wasn't so pathetic"
He stalked closer to the shatterproof glass that seemingly divided them, "You think we're so different, you and I? Even now, you lie and kill, in the service of liars and killers. Only to draw false lines, something to keep back the horrors, too blind to see that they're a part of you. Never to go away. Like rot on wood"
Loki's face inches away from the glass, his tone became even more sinister "And what about those gullible enough to trust you? The Soldier? The Shapeshifter? I would even consider letting you live just to see how you corrupt his pitiful soul in your diabolical honeypot, twist him beyond recognition"
" That is...if I let you live that long. If - I don't make your former partner kill you, slowly, intimately, in every way he knows you fear"
"No.." her face appearing frozen in horror, she backed away before turning around, "no.."
"Then I'll make him realize what he did, and as he weeps for you, I'll split that little mind of his!" he sneered, "how's that for an offer, you mewing quim?"
"You...you're a monster", she said with a shocked gasp.
The trickster scoffed, "Oh no, you brought the monster"
A pause.
A shift. Natasha raised her head and snapped her gaze back to the Asgardian, her little performance completed.
"So, Banner", she said, realization creeping into her piercing eyes "that's your play".
"What?", shock was etched on his face. A trickster, tricked.
Turning her heels and briskly walking away, the superspy activated her comms. "Loki means to unleash the Hulk. Keep Banner in the lab I'm on my way. And find Tennyson, wherever he is".
She turned to the imprisoned Asgardian, before stepping out. "Thank you, for your cooperation"
He watched her leave, his initial shock slowly replaced with that of sanguine amusement. He lowered his gaze, his mischievous mind already connecting the little dots. Slowly, his grin had returned, ever so slightly crooked.
"Well played Romanov", he muttered. It was indeed fun, their little dance of wits. Truly, it had been ages since the trickster had met his match, nay, been beaten at his own game. Humans, it seemed, were quite entertaining at times. First the shapeshifter, and now her.
He was going to enjoy breaking their world.
Ben and Jarvis were comparing notes on the SHIELD files when Fury barged in. "What's going on in here, Stark?"
"I'd like to ask you the same, Nick", Tony answered, staring critically at the eye-patched man.
"You're supposed to be locating the Cube",
"We just did", piqued Banner. "The RADD was able to pinpoint the geographical location of anomalous energy sources, and we're downloading the coordinates now. Oh, and it turns out I've been working with unknown alien tech, thanks for the heads up"
The Director turned to Ben "Something you wanna tell me, Tennyson?"
"Yeah", the teen folded his arms, leaning on the console "Phase 2. Ever heard of it?"
"Mind telling us what that is, Nick?", Tony asked.
A loud clang alerted the lab's occupants to the return of the Captain, who just dropped a prototype noisily unto the examination table.
"That doesn't look good", Ben stared at the device. It resembled a DNAlien energy cell rifles, employed by the genocidal Highbreed.
"That, is a weapon. Phase 2 is SHIELD using the Cube to make weapons", Captain America announced as he glared at the Director.
"We gathered everything related to the Tessaract, that doesn't mean..."
Tony promptly revealed a panel showing the Blueprints Ben had discovered earlier "I'm sorry, you were lying?... "
"I was wrong, Director" Steve's gaze hardened "the world may be alien, but it hasn't changed"
Natasha and Thor walked in. Ben stared at the redhead, conflicting emotions etched on his face. How much was she involved in this?
"Did you know?", Ben finally asked. Nat held his gaze, her eyes darkened as she finally broke contact, turning to Bruce. "You might want to remove yourself from this place, Doc"
"I think I'm fine where I am, Miss", Banner retorted, "and you didn't answer the question".
"Loki's manipulating you", she added.
"And what have you been doing, huh?"
"I didn't bring you in", the redhead retorted. "and you came here to us, of your own free will".
"I guess it really is a matter of trust, then isn't it?", Ben pointed out, earning another glare from the redhead. She looked hell bent on getting Banner out of there, but he wasn't sure why.
"Exactly", Bruce said. "And I'm not leaving because you're getting a little twitchy. What I want to know is why SHIELD is using the Tessaract to build weapons of mass destruction" he pointed at the blueprints on the screen.
Fury paused before pointing at Ben and Thor, "Because of them", he simply stated.
"Me?", Thor asked. "Really?", Ben scoffed.
"Last year, Earth had a visitor from another world, with a grudge match that levelled an entire town", he turned to the teen, "not to mention Tennyson's alien pals that he's tangoed with over the years. A bloody madman, called himself Vilgax the Conqueror. How about the almost Invasion from a bunch of Xenophobic Highbreeds? Malware? Aggreggor? The Incursean fleet. Just to name a few. And that's not even counting the Plumbers, a literal alien force policing OUR planet, with respect for national borders or laws".
Ben rolled his eyes in exasperation. Nick never failed to bring this argument up whenever he went on a rant about the Plumbers.
"Not only were we NEVER alone, we were always hopelessly outgunned, outnumbered and outmatched. Just look at the weapon strapped on his arm", Nick pointed to the Omnitrix.
"Its not a weapon", Ben objected.
Nick shook his head, "Your little summer adventures beg to differ, Mr Tennyson. Or do I need to show all the footage we painstakingly scrubbed out? Who do you think's been cleaning up after you, Tennyson? ". Ben opened his mouth in protest, but no words came.
Turning back to the group, Nick pointed out, "The world's filled with dangerous people, people who can't be contained or controlled "
"Like you controlled the Cube?", Cap countered.
"Aye, your meddling with the Tessaract is what drew Loki and his allies to it in the first place, " bellowed Thor.
"Level 3 tech like that can only mean one thing", Ben added, "Earth's gonna be labeled a level 3 threat"
"Level 3?", asked Cap. "
"It's kinda like a school grade system of human tech", Ben explained, "Earth just got to level 2 since the 21st century. Level 3 basically means we're able to go to war on a galactic scale".
"What exactly were we supposed to do? Sit around like ducks and hope for the best? What happens if Ben 10 isn't there to stop another alien threat? Our hand's been forced!", Nick argued.
"Ah yes, a nuclear deterrent, because that always works out great for everyone", Tony folded his arms.
"Remind me how you made your Fortune, Stark?", Fury was quick to point out that Stark's fortune previously came from weapons manufacturing and trade. Something Stark would come to regret and attempt to rectify, hence his work in clean energy. And of course, the Iron Man.
They all began to bicker, their conversation reaching a fevered pitch.
"I'm sure if Stark still made weapons, he'd be in neck deep.."
"Hold on, since when was this about me?"
"Isn't it always?"
"Guys, does anyone else see the weird glow on that staff?"
"I thought humans were more evolved than this"
"I'm sorry, did we come to your planet and blow stuff up?"
"Are you boys really that naive? SHIELD monitors threats!"
"Since when do kids count as threats?"
"How many kids have access to advanced alien weaponry??"
"For the billionth time, I'm not a kid here!"
"You all speak of control, yet all you court is chaos!"
Banner chuckled mirthlessly, drawing everyone's attention. The scientist had had enough. "That's Loki's M.O, isn't it? I mean, what are we? A team? No, we're a chemical mixture that courts chaos! We're a ticking time bomb, ready to blow"
Ben noticed Fury grip his sidearm, before speaking directly to the scientist."Dr Banner, you need to step away"
"You know what? Why shouldn't the guy let off some steam?" Tony attempted to place his hand on Cap's shoulder, only for the supersoldier to slap down his hand. "You know damn well why, back off!"
"Y'know, I'm starting to make you want me"
"Okay seriously, break it off, guys! We're all adults here, right?", Ben appealed, eyeing Loki's scepter warily.
" Some less than others", Natasha muttered under her breath as she folded her arms, watching the heated confrontation two men
"Yeah, Big man in a suit of armor", Steve and Tony were engaged in a staredown, "Take that away, and what do you have?"
"Billionaire, genius, playboy, philanthropist", Stark wasn't one to back down from confrontation.
"I know guys with none of that worth ten of you", Steve spat, "I've seen the footage, the only thing you fight for is yourself. You're not the one to make the sacrifice play. To lay down on the wire and let the other guy crawl over you to safety"
"I think I would just, cut the wire", Stark was ever the pragmatist.
"Always a way out. You may not be a threat Stark, but you'd better stop pretending to be a hero"
"A hero? Like you? The lab experiment? Everything special about you came from a bottle, Rogers", Stark's gaze was hardened, his jaw set.
"Hey!!", Ben hollered, spreading his arms, "That's enough! All of you! What is this, high school gym?! We're supposed to be the heroes here!!!! Y'know, I'm not the oldest, but I'm definitely not the most immature!"
"Oh wow, look at the little hero", Tony slow clapped sarcastically, "he's putting on big boy pants. Thinking he's got it all figured out. You think Fury brought you here because he thinks you're special? That's adorable...he only wants you here cuz he thinks you're a liability; he's afraid of just how badly he thinks you'll screw things up on your own!! I told you once already E.T, you're out of your depth here",
Incensed, Ben faced the billionaire. "How long have you been Iron Man again? A year? Two? You don't know what it's like to have that level of responsibility on your shoulders when you've barely hit puberty! Every two bit maniac in the galaxy out to get you and everyone you care about, just to get what they want...always looking over your shoulder, getting the ones you care about in trouble over and over again...",
Nat's gaze never left the teen. To have such a huge burden at a young age...she could damn well relate to that. She turned her head, trying to wall up the surge of memories that threatened to spill out, threatening to cloud her eyes.
"You're not one to talk, kiddo", Bruce addressed the teen.
"Huh?", Ben whipped around to face the scientist.
Bruce's tone had a new edge. "You know what it's like, being me? Angry? Hurting? Hunted? You turn into sentient alien life forms. Otherworldly. Transcendent. Above. What I turn into is beastial. Primal. Below. Nothing like you, nothing but pure chaos and destruction. You know what it's like when you wake up in a crater not knowing how many lives you've taken?".
"Agent Romanov, kindly escort Dr Banner back to his room..", Fury tried to interject.
"Where? You already rented my room!" , the scientist snapped,vaguely pointing at Loki's enclosure.
"That cell was only a last resort in case.."
"In case you wanted to kill me", Bruce coldly stated, "I dunno, maybe that's also why you brought in the kid...well too bad, you can't. No one can. I know, I've tried"
The tension within the room grew, thick and palpable.
Looking down, the scientist continued, "I got low, didn't see another way out. So I put a bullet in my mouth, guess what? The other guy spit it out"
Ben was shocked. He'd faced his own fair share of demons, but he'd never encountered someone who'd been so low enough to consider taking their own life.
"I moved on. I left the few people I cared for because I didn't want to hurt them. Laid low, started helping others. I was fine...until you dragged me into this freakshow and put everyone here at risk. You wanna know my secret, Stark? You wanna know how I stay calm?"
"Dr Banner...the staff", Ben motioned to him warily. At some point during his monologue, the scientist had picked up Loki's scepter, it's glow ominously pulsing.
Nat didn't hesitate to pull out her sidearm, taking aim on the scientist. The safety went off with a soft Click. "Please put down the scepter, Dr Banner".
Bruce stared at everyone before turning to see the aforementioned scepter in his left hand. At some point, he'd unknowingly picked it up.
Ben's hand slowly inched to the Omnitrix, recalling Coulson's warning: " If he transforms on the ship.."
The heavy atmosphere was promptly cut by the beeping on the monitor, indicating that the RADD had located the Tessaract. With that, Bruce put down the scepter, causing everyone to relax.
"Sorry kids, guess you don't get to see my party trick today"
Unbeknownst to the team, an unmarked SHIELD Jet had just gotten cleared past the docks, claiming to be carrying weapons and ammunition.
A shrill whistle split the air as an Archer let loose at arrow, the projectile embedding itself on the right flank of the Helicarrier's engines. The remaining crew of the unknown jet, however, were humanoid and bizarre, dressed in equally bizarre clothing, their eyes soulless blue as the Archer's.
Agent Clint Barton, aka Hawkeye, activated the trick arrow he just shot into the chassis of the colossal vessel.
KABOOOOOMMMMM!!!!
FWOOOSHHH
The blast engulfed the labs in a blinding inferno, sending everyone inside flying. Fury got slammed hard against the consoles, managing to remain conscious.
Stark and Rogers got the least of the brunt, the supersoldier having employed his natural instincts and unnatural reflexes to fling the billionaire and himself down to the floors. The wave of the fiery explosion had sailed over them, leaving the duo relatively unscathed.
"Put on the suit", Steve told Stark. They both rushed back to the Bridge, Steve helping the smaller man stagger through the tunnels. Alarms screamed all through the deck, red flashes accompanying their frantic cacophony.
Fury had recovered from the impact, his communicator crackling to life. "Hill?"
" External detonation", came the reply, "we've lost Engine number 3! Reports indicate a turbine's been hit!"
"Can we get it running?", grunted Fury, his sides screaming like hell. "Negative sir, not from here!", Agent Mariah Hill replied, "Reports from the bridge indicate the Turbines took the most damage! We're not sure how much longer we can maintain altitude! Someone has to fix it from the outside!"
"Stark?!"
"I'm on it", the billionaire retorted over the radio.
"Coulson! Initiate defensive lock down in the detention center, then get to the armory! Agent 13! I need you at Mission Control, I want all eyes, all the time!! ", Fury managed to pick himself up, and began issuing counter measures as he made his way back to the Bridge. His ship was going down, and he was the goddamn captain.
"Romanov? Where's Tennyson?!!"
The walls had shattered upon impact, the floors gave way as Natasha and Ben fell through the gaping center into the lower decks. Ever the hero, Ben had grabbed the superspy and attempted to dampen their fall by using the piping as a fall-breaker before crashing on the metal grating.
CRASH!!!
Natasha managed to drag herself out of the piles of debris, before turning on her side to look for the teen. His prone form was lying next to her. Unmoving.
"*zzzt*...Romanov..*zzzt*..Romanov?" her communicator blared, "what's your status? "
Steadily clambering to the teen hero's side, the superspy placed two fingers against his jugular, looking for a pulse. A sigh of relief escaped her lungs when she felt the steady thump of his heartbeat.
"I'm okay!", she panted, her arms and legs felt like pin cushions.
"Got eyes on Tennyson?"
"I'm with Tennyson, but he's out cold!!", she shouted into her communicator.
"Dammit! Get him out of there! Anyone got eyes on Banner?"
"I can't see him down here!"
Nat began to drag the unconscious teen out of the wreckage, before she paused. The steam vents had been dented, causing the room to fill with scalding hot vapor. The hiss of the boiler pipes and the low hum of the alarms accompanied the thunk of her boots as she attempted to pick up the teen.
"Говно!!", the superspy cursed as she laid the teen's limp body facing upwards, frantically attempting to rescuscitate him.
"C'mon kid, get up! I need you up right now!". Unfortunately, Ben was unresponsive. Her efforts proving futile, she attempted radioing for backup. Also unresponsive. All hands were on deck, literally, trying to keep the flying fortress from plummeting below.
Grunts. Metallic scrapes. Someone was nearby.
A dark, heavy growl reverberated through the room, grabbing her attention.
GRRRR...
Natasha paused, her heart in her throat, "Banner?"
Beyond the fog screen, two glowing green eyes pierced through the fog of vapor. A massive hand reached out and tore through the wall panels, accompanied by a guttural rumble that shook her to the core.
You brought the monster.
She fought the wave of panic as she held up Ben's head on her lap, while the Hulk's ragged movements drew closer.
The monster was free.
ROARRRR!!
TO BE CONTINUED...
A/N: 2
Whew!!! That was intense! If you're reading this, it means I haven't given up on writing and cried myself to sleep yet, so...yeah.
My brain when writing : "I got nothing".
My brain when in the shower : "Here's a ton of dialogue and scenes, go write it down before I erase it"
...
Anyways, based on your feedback, I've decided to reconsider bringing in some of the OV aliens I previously designated to the writer's version of Recycle Bin. Some of you made really good points, and I can work some of them neatly into the story.
On that note, which aliens would you like to see in the Battle of New York? Bonus points if you can also add in a unique function each one brings to the fight that the other Avengers don't have.
Quick Note: For those of you asking why Ben is 19, I did it for two reasons: 1)Ben's going to mature faster in the MCU moving forward, and I wanted that to reflect physically. 2)I know I said the MCU isn't big about age, but Nat flirting with a 16 year old raises more than a few eyebrows. So there.
Anyways, Christmas is coming up, so expect delays. On that note: Happy Holidays, y'all!!!
Responding to Reviews
love10Ben: Thanks. I'm not too sure about Ben and Wanda tho...with the way I'm writing.
poketrap08: I'll definitely be on hiatus after the battle of NY, for like a week or two. I'm considering doing a GOTG crossover as well, but that might be a completely different fanfic. There's already a lot going on here.
reader2020italia: Asgardian DNA is way too similar to human DNA as far as the Omnitrix is concerned. The main difference is Asgardians have the Odin force flowing in their bodies, which makes them stronger and live longer than the average human. The Omnitrix doesn't really understand magic.
thewittywhy: I can see an argument between Grey Matter and Tony in the near future.
Omnihallows:
-You're right, Ben is 16 in the OG series, sorry about that.
-Stark will meet the Plumbers before Ultron, I guarantee that. He'll definitely take notes from Galvan tech to improve his own
-Nah, the Chitauri are like Rojo from the OG series, artificially augmented.
Mark: So glad someone understood the Big Chill reference!!! Did you play all the Ben 10 games as a kid?
Guest: Thanks.
Guest 2: Rath vs Hulk would be funny
Sakra95: Thanks, I'll definitely try my best. Great idea with the Ancient One and Diagon.
ArashiNoKitsune: Thanks for the review. I'm just personally not a fan of ballweevil, also I think it's been confirmed that Gourmands are the top of their own food chain. Which is why they migrate so often.
Amit Bharabi: Thanks. Loki's plan was to get himself captured, I don't think it needs to be tactically complex. Make a show, get caught. Simple.
Anime Crossovers: Technically the X-Men may exist in the MCU, Xavier probably used worldwide telepathy to hide their existence after all the craziness in the 90s. However, Tony mentions mutants because people like Kevin, Gatorboy and Hunkupine exist.
Guest: Thanks, but I already said I don't do harems of any kind. Ben will end up with one person.
Guest: You can point out which spelling errors you find, I can go back later to correct them.
Guest 2: I'm definitely sticking to one love interest for Ben.
Anyways, see you all soon.
Excelsior!!!
