They call her Human Torch! Chapter 27
2 hours later- Helicarrier.
Steve walked next to Bella down the hall way that led to the main deck. Every single Agent they passed would stare at her in shock while others smiled wide and told her how happy they were to have her back. Bella took it all in stride but her focus was mainly in front of her. Thor walked ahead of her with Agent Romanoff and a few Agents all securing that Loki didn't make some type of run for it. Fury met them half way there and gave orders as to where Loki would be locked up but soon after he came up to Bella and wrapped his arms around her. She seemed stiff but he noticed her whisper something to him that had him pulling back and looking at her in concern. Steve couldn't question any of it though because as soon as Dr. Banner walked into the room he launched himself at Bella and she met him halfway. She jumped on him and he had to stumble back when she wrapped her legs around his waist. They smiled at each other but their eyes shined with tears. Steve noticed Stark smile their way before going to talk with Phil. Steve could clearly see the love between Dr. Banner and Bella and although a part of him felt that wrapping her legs around him was a little inappropriate, he could see that she looked at him the same way she looked at Stark.
"I was worried when you never showed up in September. Then I see an Agent from S.H.I.E.L.D and I just think the worse.."
"I'm sorry. I missed you so much, all of you. I'm sorry they dragged you into all this. I know you weren't ready."
"It's okay. I'm just glad to see you."
"How's the big guy?"
"Hasn't made an appearance since last time you came to visit so that's good."
"We'll see what we can do about that after all this."
Fury gave her a horrified look but before she could see it, he cleared his facial features.
"Shall we?"
They both nodded and Bella turned to Steve.
"Ready?"
"For what?"
"A meeting. We are all here now so it's best to get together now and see where we are before separating again to get to work. Did you see where Tony went? He was right here just a second ago."
"I saw him go talk to Phil."
"Oh! I didn't see Phil!"
"They will join us in a moment."
We all walked towards the main deck where I had been in earlier and sat around the table. Thor chose to remain standing near Bella as we listen and wait for Fury to come back. The screens in the table and speakers come to life and Fury is seen escorting Loki into a glass cell and showing him how far down it will fall if he tries something. Loki smiles.
"It's an impressive cage. Not built, I think, for me."
"Built for something much stronger than you."
"Oh I've heard."
Loki looked up and directly at the camera.
"The mindless beast, makes play he's still a man. Ho-"
I stopped paying attention when I saw Bella's hands fist up next to me. Looking into her eyes I saw the fury there. Dr. Banner stepped up next to her and put a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him and they softened but her eyes still looked pained.
"I didn't know Bruce.."
"I know."
"When we are done with this you know I will do whatever it takes to make sure they don't-"
Dr. Banner crouched next to her and spoke with a soft tone.
"Bella, I know. Don't worry about that right now. I trust you, we both do."
She gripped his hand for a moment but visibly calmed down. Steve wasn't entirely sure how to feel. Everyone around him seemed to be on edge around Banner, waiting for him to lose control and 'hulk out' but Bella trusted him completely, it's like she knew what drove him over the edge and knew that if he did, she could handle it somehow. Steve didn't know anything about how in control they were but he knew that he should at least be wary around him. He hadn't been listening but the screens shut off and everyone is silent. Banner sighs.
"He really grows on you doesn't he?"
Steve looked to Thor while he spoke. If anyone would know his plan it would be his brother wouldn't it?
"Loki's gonna drag this out. So, Thor, what's his play?"
Thor seemed to come back from his thoughts and look to Bella directly. She got up and they started talking to each other as if they were reviewing what they knew.
"He has an army called the Chitauri. They're not of Asgard or any world known-"
"Sanctuary. The book I read on said they are in Sanctuary."
"Yes, that is the planet they reside in, under the control of Thanos, but that is not where they originated from. He means to lead them against your people. They will win him the earth. In return, I suspect, for the Tesseract."
Bella sighed and shook her head.
"That is where I am stuck. Why would he want to rule Midgard? It doesn't make sense! If he wanted to rule over a planet why not come here, take the stone, and go rule somewhere useful?!"
Everyone looked to her like she was crazy, Fury walked in then and looked at her almost insulted. Only Thor looked at her like what she said made sense.
"Useful? Are you saying our planet is useless Agent?"
"Yes, actually I am. Compared to the places I have seen, their technology, their advancements? We are the laughing stock of the galaxy, so far from everyone else, that is why no one comes here, I had 3, that is THREE different races in 3 different planets, tell me that Midgard is a backwater abandoned planet. Tell me sir, if you could invade any country, would you go for the poorest one?"
Bella almost smirked when everyone remained silent. Yeah bitches. She turned back to Thor since he was the only one who could understand her theory.
"Why earth?"
"Perhaps for revenge? He knows the appreciation I grew when I was sent here."
"More than revenge, more than anything, he say's he was born to be king. He is smart enough to choose a better planet. Thanos gave him a scepter Thor. Why? Think about it? What is stopping Loki from taking the stone and the Scepter and ruling against Thanos? Why is he so sure Loki will go through with whatever deal they have?"
"What are you saying? You think Loki is being controlled?"
"Not entirely no, Loki wants this. He wants the destruction, he wants the mayhem, that is where I do think it is to get you back but the rest? No. I think when the Tesseract woke up here on earth, Thanos got Loki to come here and made that deal. Look at him. Look at your brother closely. His eyes seem darker, his face is much paler than it was the last time we saw him. He looks tortured. I think that was the guarantee, I think Thanos has threatened him and he is afraid."
Thor leaned back thinking about it but still looked unconvinced. I looked into his eyes and he looked more like he didn't want to believe it. He didn't want to feel bad for his brother, he wanted the strength to fight him. Steve and well, everyone else in the room looked like they didn't really know what was going on but still had millions of questions.
"Whatever he has been through, I wanna know why he let us take him. He's not leading an army from here."
Bruce chipped in from behind Steve. Shaking his head.
"I don't think we should be focusing on Loki. That guy's brain is a bag full of cats, you could smell crazy on him."
Thor tightened his eyes for a moment before speaking.
"Have care how you speak. Loki is beyond reason but he is of Asgard and he's my brother."
Natasha looked slightly annoyed as she deadpanned.
"He killed 80 people in 2 days."
"..He's adopted."
Bruce tried moving on from the subject then.
"I think it's about the mechanics. Iridium, what did they need the iridium for?"
The door opened and Tony and Phil were walking in. Tony and I answered at the same time and smiled at each other after we did.
"It's a stabilizing agent."
He turned very quickly and finished speaking to Phil.
"So I'm just saying, take a weekend off, I'll fly you to Portland. Keep the love alive."
Phil looked slightly embarrassed as he waved him off and came to hug me.
"I'm so happy to see you. Have you spoken to Kitt-"
"I'm happy to see you too. I haven't. I want to finish this before bringing her into this."
"That's smart. I missed you. I'll let you get back to this."
I nodded and smiled at him.
"Missed you too Phil."
Tony walked up next to me and spoke lowly in my ear.
"I talked with Logan. He will keep all the students and Kitty locked up in the School. He will tell her it was at your request too."
For a moment I felt my heart constrict and my eyes tear up.
"Thank you. I wish I could call her and tell her myself. I know if I do I will lose focus here though."
"She will understand. I made sure Logan will tell her all of that. I can tell you he sounded really happy that you are back too."
I smiled but it turned to a frown when I noticed everyone staring at us waiting to finish up. I mumbled out 'sorry' but Tony of course kept racking it up. I swear sometimes he did this shit on purpose just to see how far he could push people. I loved him for it and found it funny but others just got annoyed.
"Anyway, Iridium means the portal won't collapse on itself, like it did at SHIELD."
He walked closer to the table and passed Thor. He patted his arm and made a smart comment but then kept talking about the Iridium.
"No hard feelings, Point Break. You've got a mean swing. Also, it means the portal can open as wide, and stay open as long, as Loki wants."
He walked over to the main control panel and started swiping at the screens, checking stuff. Then he spoke to the dozens of Agents sitting on the deck working on computers.
"Uh, raise the mid-mast, ship the top sails."
I covered a smile when they turned to him, some confused, some amused, and others almost glaring for interrupting their work. He pointed to an Agent in the corner.
"That man is playing GALAGA! Thought we wouldn't notice but we did."
Steve looked around alarmed for a moment and a squeak of a giggle escaped my sealed lips. It was wrong to laugh knowing he was actually concerned about whatever he thought GALAGA was. I made it a resolution to be his Sif. As in, show him the basic stuff and help anyway I could to catch him up on what he needs to know. Steve noticed me laughing lightly and smiled at me in confusion. I shook my head and went back to listening. Tony was covering one eye and looking around.
"How does Fury even see these?"
"He turns."
Agent Hill spoke for the first time. She made eye contact with me when I first walked in the room and nodded at me. I smiled back but I was just glad she didn't try to hug me. We were never close enough for that.
"Sounds exhausting. The rest of the raw materials Agent Barton can get his hands on pretty easily."
I nodded and went to stand by him again.
"The only major component he really needs now is a power source of high energy density."
Tony nodded and did a little thing with his hands.
"Something to kick start the cube."
I noticed him put something under the screen that looked like a screw. Oh Tony what the hell are you doing now. He noticed me looking at the 'screw' and looked worried for a moment, like I would rat him out, but I didn't. I knew he was suspicious and I was as well. I hadn't told anyone yet that SHIELD is responsible for waking the cube but I would damn well get to the bottom of it and say something soon.
Agent Hill looked annoyed that we were finishing each others sentences.
"Since when are you 2 experts on thermonuclear astrophysics?"
Tony caught on to what was going on with her and turned to me smirking. On purpose we once again answered together.
"Last night."
I laughed lightly and he kept talking to the general room.
"The packet, Selvig's notes, the extraction Theory papers. Are we the only one's who did the reading?"
Steve looked around for a moment.
"Does Loki need any particular kind of power source?"
I was about to answer but Bruce beat me to it.
"He's got to heat the cube to a hundred and twenty million kelvin just to break through the coulomb barrier."
Tony nodded but interrupted.
"Unless, Selvig has figured out how to stabilize the quantum tunneling effect."
Bruce contemplated that for a moment.
"Well, if he could do that he could achieve Heavy Ion Fusion at any reactor on the planet."
Tony nodded and smiled enthusiastically.
"Finally! Someone who speaks English!"
I smiled in excitement but everyone around us looked kinda miserable.
"Is that what just happened?"
I giggled lightly and patted Steve on the back as I passed him and took Tony over to introduce him formally to Bruce. They shook hands but I could see the admiration and respect they had for each other in their eyes.
"It's good to meet you Dr. Banner. You're work on anti-electron collisions is unparalleled. And I'm a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous green rage monster."
Bruce looked down for a moment.
"Uh, thanks."
I laughed freely now and almost clapped my hands.
"I have been wanting you 2 to meet for years now! I knew the moment you met, this would happen! There's no one else for me to talk science with and I mean come on, both of the smartest people on earth come together? What you 2 can create together is amazing!"
I think I actually did squeal a little on the last word but both guys looked at me with affection so at least they didn't think I was too crazy. They knew it was true too because they agreed to work together. Fury nodded at the 3 of us.
"I was hoping that between all of you there might be more result."
Steve agreed.
"Let's start with that stick of his. It may be magical, but it works an awful lot like a HYDRA weapon."
"I don't know about that, but it is powered by the cube. And-"
"No it's not."
Everyone turned to look at me, even Tony and Bruce looked confused.
"What makes you say that Bella?"
"The Scepter is different from the Tesseract. It's not powered by it. The stone inside is not the mind stone, that is made clear by the portals being made. The stone we are dealing with is the space stone. That is inside the Tesseract. What is inside the scepter has to be the mind stone, that is why he was able to control Barton and Selvig, I suspect he himself is under the influence to a certain extent, to secure the return of both stones to Thanos. Which is a bad thing btw."
Thor's eyes widened and he sat down.
"That makes sense. I did not think that far but your theory from before, how did I not see this?"
I nodded and spoke to him, knowing the others wouldn't understand anyway.
"It makes sense doesn't it? I mean why would Thanos trust an Infinity stone in the hands of Loki. In his eyes Loki is just a boy with the dream to be king. He loaned him the scepter so he could get an additional stone in return. He did not give Loki the scepter, he let him borrow it."
Thor almost looked faint.
"Thanos is collecting the stones."
"He has to be."
"We have to stop them. If Thanos got his hands on all stones… Earth would only be the first of many more planets he would destroy."
I nodded but stayed silent. Everyone around us looked horrified with the conclusions we gave but still they were confused. Fury spoke before them.
"You keep repeating the word stone over and over again. What are these infinity stones you speak of?"
I took a moment to recollect everything I had read in the books on Infinity stones.
"Infinity stones were created by the Cosmic entities, they are 6 immensely powerful objects tied to different aspects of the universe. Each of the stones possess unique capabilities that have been enhanced and altered by various alien civilizations through the millennia. Only beings of immense power and strength can hold and wield the stones without being destroyed or incinerated. The stones are said to be completely indestructible, they are the greatest power in the universe, and are unparalleled in their destructive capabilities."
"I have held the Tesseract in my bare hand before. It didn't destroy me."
"Yes because you were holding the cube. The cube is simply a containment module. The stone, the real power, is inside."
I looked around and noticed some Agents looking our way and trying to listen in.
"We need to go to the lab, wherever the scepter is."
They all looked around and nodded. We got up and made out way there with Agent Hill staying behind to oversee the deck. Once inside I turned to Fury and stood next to Thor.
"Like I was saying, the cube is a containment unit. That is why you have not figured out how to weaponize it, because the real power is inside."
There were collective intakes of breathes and shocked looks as they processed what I said. Fury however looked me in the eyes and tried to act ignorant.
"What are you talking about?"
"Don't go there Fury. Heimdall see's all, I didn't want to believe it, I refused to believe it but he told me SHIELD was studying the cube to try to make it a weapon. I had not said anything because I wanted to sort this out with Loki as a team. I want us all in this room to work together but I also want you to know, if we lose, if this planet is destroyed, I want you to know that every life that is lost in the upcoming battle, is on S.H.I.E.L.D's shoulders. The Tesseract was awoken because YOU chose to experiment on it. Earth became a beacon because YOU chose to prod at a power that is way beyond you. SHIELD was made to protect people and you have killed that with what you have done."
Thor glared Fury's way when he started giving a form of excuse.
"Your work with the Tesseract is what drew Loki to it, and his allies. It is the signal to all of the realms that the earth is finally ready for a higher form of war."
Tony looked to Bella in shock but it all made sense now.
"That's what you were hiding. And here we thought it strange that SHIELD would be in the clean energy business, guess you were just trying to cover up your stuff."
Steve balled up his fists and looked absolutely pissed off. Actually he looked hot with his narrowed eyes, standing up to Fury but Bella looked away and sorted her thoughts out. Now is not the time Bella!
"I was wrong, director. The world hasn't changed a bit."
He turned to me and his gaze softened but he still looked angry.
"Why didn't you say anything when you first got here?"
"I wanted to avoid this confrontation. We need to work together and we need to put aside all this crap until after we have the cube back. We are already on edge because of the mind stone, we don't need to add to it."
Everyone seemed to stop their thoughts and turn to me.
"What do you mean 'because of the mind stone'?"
"I mean that the mind stone does not have to be used by anyone in particular, it is very much alive and can mess with our minds to go against each other and rile us up to argue like we are now. I feel like maybe that is why Loki let us take him. Maybe he is planning something from in here, he wants us to fall apart and not be able to work together."
Thor nodded and looked to the scepter.
"Yes, it can very well do that. I noticed his interest and look of glee when he saw Dr. Banner receive the scepter before he was put in the cell. Good job sister Bella, you are thinking ahead of our enemy like a proper warrior. My father and your fellow warriors will be proud."
I beamed in pride for a moment as he gripped my shoulder then saw Tony just looked annoyed again.
"Fellow warriors?"
"Uh, yeah… I kind of joined the Asgard 'army' while I was there..."
Steve found it interesting that everyone in the room collectively sighed.. Like this was something that happened often with her.
"Really Bella? I mean I know you were stranded but couldn't you take it like a vacation? Couldn't you just sit back and enjoy the view while you came back?"
"Uh no! Tony, our minds could not create anything near to what I saw, I went to planets where I stood out… ME! People with pink and green skin were walking around like that was the norm! Of course I read everything I could and learned as much as I could. I wanted to take it all in… And well.. I got bored so joining the guards was fun. I learned some new types of fighting."
Steve noticed how proud Thor looked and he felt a burst of affection too. He really admired that she was not just waiting to be rescued, she went out and learned new things. Tony rolled his eyes at her but he smirked and turned back to the scepter.
"So this is making us a little extra agitated huh?"
"I think so. I think Loki wants Bruce or I to lose control and create chaos in here so we will be unable to fight against the Chitauri."
Fury nodded and gave Agent Romanoff a look.
"Well if you 2 are the target then maybe we should remove you 2 and keep you as far away from the scepter as possible."
Bella looked pissed off as she turned to Fury.
"Excuse me? Fury I think you underestimate my control. Bruce and I know our limits and I can guarantee that this is not near it."
Fury sighed and tried to relax while he explained himself.
"8 months ago earth had a visitor from another planet who had a grudge match that leveled a small town. We learned that not only are we not alone, but we are hopelessly, hilariously, outgunned."
"My people want nothing but peace with your planet."
"AND I just said that our planet is untouched because no one has a use for it, or they didn't until YOU woke the cube."
Fury ignored Bella and spoke right back at 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."
"Like you controlled the cube?"
"They forced our hand. We had to come up with something."
Tony snorted and rolled his eyes.
"Nuclear deterrent. 'Cause that always calms everything right down."
"Remind me again how you made your fortune, Stark?"
Bella vibrated in anger as she took a step in front of Stark almost as if to protect him. Her veins glowed red and orange again as she pointed her finger at Fury.
"He stopped making weapons when he felt it was no longer the right thing to do. He did that to better himself without anyone asking him to! That was a low blow even for you!"
He put his hands up and Agent Romanoff moved closer to him.
"Calm down Bella. You need to remove yourself from this environment."
"I am calm! Trust me you have not seen me angry!"
Steve sighed but he did have to think on both sides. He saw the scepter and turned to Bella, knowing her theory of it messing with them must be true.
"Bella. Look at the scepter."
Everyone stopped talking and looked at it as it glowed stronger than it had before. Bella sighed and closed her eyes. Instantly the glowing on her veins went away. Fury began trying to smooth things over but Bella interrupted him.
"Look we all need to j-"
"Shut up."
"What?"
"Shut up!"
Bella froze after Fury finally listened to her. She tilted her head and looked out the window.
"There's a jet beside the Helicarrier, the ramp just clicked which means its open. Why would a Shield Jet need to open the ramp before landing?"
"It wouldn't."
"Exactly."
Everyone kept still for a moment before they broke out in different directions with different orders. Tony threw an earpiece to everyone quickly and went to find his suit.
"Fury! I need my fireproof suit. I know there has to be one somewhere in here."
"Room C3."
She nodded but the computer signal stared beeping and everyone circled around it.
"Where is it?"
Next thing everyone knew there was an explosion that sent them flying. Bella tried to contain it but enough damage had been done already. She was the only one left standing and she looked around as Steve and Fury got up quickly. She couldn't see Thor and the floor where Bruce and Nat were standing had caved in.
"This has to be what Loki was planning all along."
Steve nodded her way but he looked both directions not sure where to go first. Bella looked down at her ruined outfit and knew she had to find a suit fast.
"Steve! Come with me please. I'm gonna need your help to move faster."
He nodded and followed her as she ran out the hallway and down some steps until she found the room labeled C3. She let her fire ignite her veins and used the strength to knock the door right over. She noticed Steve stop short for a second but cleared his mind quickly and stepped through.
"Help me find my suit. I need to change into it before anything else."
He nodded and quickly started using his strength to break through locks and rummage through cases. Their earpieces came to life.
"Somebody's gonna have to get outside and patch that engine!"
"Stark, Bella, one of you copy?"
Tony and I responded at once but I told Tony to meet me out there. Finally Steve found a case with 5 of my suits and I got the first one in there. In seconds I have my hair up and ripped the remains of my shirt. I went to take off my bra but then remembered I wasn't alone. I turned to Steve and saw him frozen with his eyes to my chest.
"Steve I need you to turn around."
"Y-yes. Oh I didn't mean to stare, I mean I'm sorry, I will meet you out there where Stark is at, outside, because you are changing..."
He rambled for a moment more but turned to run out.
"Wait! Just stay there! I need you to finish up the zipper for me. That's why I asked you to come. Just stay turned, give me 10 seconds."
He nodded but stayed frozen in place. If it weren't so urgent I had half a mind to try flirting with him..
"Okay I'm good. Just pull up the zipper and we can go."
He nervously turned but I felt him freeze again when he saw my bare back.
"Steve I know you are from another time when it would have been so inappropriate of me to change in front of you but we really gotta go. Please just pull up the damn zipper!"
"I'm sorry. Yes, I'm ready."
I watched him push aside everything in his mind and go into 'soldier mode' it made me admire him for that… even if it came a little late.
"Let's go help Tony."
We ran towards the outer ridge where the explosion had taken out part of engine 3. I stopped short when I heard a booming growl.
"What was that?"
"..Bruce."
I put my head in my hand for a moment but had to prioritize what needed work on first.
"Did he?"
"Yes. I can calm him enough to bring him back but we need to work on this engine first, if not we all go down. This takes priority."
He nodded but looked worried. We pried two doors open and felt the air hitting us instantly. 2 Agents were helping an injured one back into the main halls that were still secured. We looked around for a moment but couldn't see Tony.
"Stark! Stark we're here!"
Our earpieces came back to life as his voice came in.
"Good. Let's see what we got here."
He came into view and was hovering over some bent metal that was blocking up the engine.
"I gotta this super conducting cooling system back online before I can access the rotors and work on dislodging the debris."
I hovered off the deck and joined Tony. While he looked through his screen I worked on dislodging and melting pieces that were delaying the rotor. Tony spoke to Steve while he tried pulling at larger pieces.
"I need you to get to that engine control panel and tell me which relays are in overload position."
I heard him jump over something and his feet landing somewhere closer but I couldn't see either of them. I heard the panel lock disassemble and the unit slide out.
"What's it look like in there?"
There was a pause before Steve's voice came on. I had to smirk at his tone of voice, it sounded so done.
"It seems to run on some sort of electricity..."
I stifled a laugh and Tony simply sighed.
"Well, you're not wrong."
"Just get in here Tony. I will fix the panel."
We traded spaces and I helped him take out pieces that were blocking the blades.
"How are you that strong?"
"Well the way my DNA was altered made me stronger but after a while I figured out that is I fuel fire in my veins then I can make myself stronger on that part of my body."
Steve nodded but seemed to contemplate it for a while. I was on edge since I could hear crashes coming from inside and knew it had to be Bruce.
"What's wrong?"
"I can hear them inside. Hulk is destroying things and there's hostiles on board now, I'm sure their main objective is to get Loki out."
"Go."
"What?"
"Go. I can help Stark here. You can hear who needs help right now. We are wasting effort just standing here waiting for more instruction."
I looked to him for a moment before nodding and talking into the earpiece.
"Tony, the relays are intact. I need to go."
"Got it."
I nodded to Steve and squeezed his arm as I passed him. I knew the first thing I needed to do was find Loki and take down as many of his guys as possible. I ran towards the lower deck where Loki was being held. All of his men were dressed as SHIELD Agents so I had to wait to be attacked to know who to fight. There were constant crashes heard all around the Helicarrier and at one point I head another jet shooting at us from outside, I am sure it must have been shooting at the Hulk because I heard his roar but it was followed by silence. I had been ignoring what had been said in my ear piece but it suddenly had all my attention.
"Sir, we've lost power on engine 1."
"It's Barton. He took out our systems. He's headed for the detention level. Does anybody copy?"
"This is Agent Romanoff. I copy."
Suddenly the ground started tilting and I had to grab a railing to keep from sliding. I should have stayed with Tony and Steve. They need more help on engines. I sighed but all the breath left my body when I entered the deck and saw Thor in the glass cell.
"Thor!"
He turned to me but so did the other two people in the room. It took me a second to capt what I was seeing.
"Phil?"
His glowing blue eyes looked to me blankly and I knew he had to be under the same manipulation as Clint. His eyes went back to the monitor and before I could move, he ejected the cage.
"NO!"
It fell through the hole and I felt the rage set up. I launched myself at Loki, but stopped short at a pinching sensation on my back. Heat enveloped me as the pain shot to the forefront of my mind. All thoughts disappeared as my consciousness slipped away slowly. I tried to fight it, knowing I would heal in a moment but every limb became too heavy and every breath took too much effort.
With Tony and Steve.
"Stark! We're losing altitude!"
"Yeah, noticed."
Tony positioned himself at a blade and used all the power the suit had to push. He needed to give it a head start before systems would be back up again.
Steve jumped back towards the control panel and stood by the red lever Stark had pointed him to. He looked down to see some Agents walk in, they were dressed like SHIELD Agents but when he saw one take out a grenade and launch it towards the engine he jumped mid air and hit it towards the air beneath him. As soon as he landed he had the Agents shooting at him but he rolled down and managed to dodge the bullets. He got close enough to punch one and knock him out but when he went to kick the other one an Agent tried to sneak up behind him. He twisted and pushed him off the Helicarrier while dropping down to pick up the gun of the one he had knocked out. He jumped up to the second level to buy time but he quickly figured out how to aim the modern gun and started shooting. With only one left he stepped back trying to aim but the Agent took cover behind the entrance door. He dodged some more bullets while trying to gain traction but slipped back as the Helicarrier tilted. He managed to grab on to a thick wire hanging off to the side of the deck but couldn't fight off the air pressure enough to climb back up fast enough. He could hear the blades running smoothly now and heard Stark's grunts as he pushed them harder.
"Cap, hit the lever."
"I need a minute here!"
He fought off the pressure and was almost there but couldn't grip the edge enough to ground himself.
"Lever! Now!"
He managed to climb back up but as soon as his body hit the grid he was being fired at again. The board in the middle deck was enough to protect him from the bullets while reaching up to pull the lever.
Tony lost sight of which way was up and which was down, his body was being thrown around against the blades but suddenly a vent finally opened up in engine 3 and he is able to fall out. His suit is damaged and barely able to use reactors to keep him flying. He shakes it off as best as he can and fly's down towards Cap.
Steve was looking around trying to find a way to get to the shooter without exposing himself to the bullets but before he could come up with something, Stark flew down, the shooter aimed the gun towards him now and started shooting but Stark never stopped, he tackled the shooter and knocked him out cold instantly. He let out a breath of relief and jumped down to go towards him.
Tony rolled around and debated if now was a good time to just lay there and take a nap. Cap's hand came into his line of sight and he sighed as he accepted it and got up.
"You look.. dented."
"Yeah well, next time Bella is staying with me. I need someone bulletproof."
Steve let out a shaky laugh but didn't have it in him to argue. Their smirks fell off however as their earpieces came to life simultaneously and Fury's voice carried over.
"Stark, we need you here."
They both started walking but paused when his next words hit.
"Bella's down."
Tony sighed for a moment but Steve looked at him incredulously when he shook it off casually.
"Is she healing already?"
Fury's voice came over the earpiece softer this time.
"No Tony. She's not. Loki stuck his scepter through her heart."
The implication was understood to both of them and while he felt his heart sink to his stomach, he instinctively reached out to support Stark as his knees gave out. He started hyperventilating but shot up suddenly and started running. Steve followed close behind but couldn't shake the dread. Bella had been the first genuine person he had met since waking up. She seemed like someone who would help him just because he needed it and not because of what he could give her in return. She can't be dead right? Then guilt started to catch up with him, he had told her to go, she wouldn't be hurt if he hadn't sent her. He shook his head and did his best to push that aside for now.
They entered the room where the glass cell use to be but now it was just an open space. His eyes found her instantly on the floor with 2 medics and Fury standing above her. Stark swooped in and hovered over her, his fingers reaching to her neck to try finding a pulse but failing to do so.
"We just… we need to give her time."
Steve went to crouch by Stark once he saw him tying to carefully roll her over. He helped where he could and eventually they had him holding her weight against against his chest to keep her upright. He looked down and saw Tony lowering the zipper he had just helped her with not even 1 hour ago. It was damp with her blood and he grimaced at the sight of a slash in her body. He had seen the blood on the front of the suit and knew Loki's scepter went deep enough to come out the other end. The fear was plain to see in Stark's eyes when he went to check oh her pulse and found nothing still. He sighed and let his head drop.
"We have to give her time."
His hands shook as he said it and Steve almost thought he didn't believe his own words.
"The wound is slowly healing. I can see it closing already. We just need to give her time for her heartbeat to come back."
Steve nodded in a way he hoped was reassuring but he hoped that would be what happened.
"I didn't know the cosmic exposure had given her the ability to heal. I've never met anyone that could but I never thought if it was possible, that it could be done this fast."
Steve was in awe as he looked down and saw the wound had at least closed on the surface but there was a lot that needed to heal internally.
"It's not because of the cosmic cloud exposure."
Steve looked to him, waiting for him to elaborate.
"It's a whole different thing. I'm sure she will tell you if you gain her trust."
Stark looked back at Fury as he looked down and sighed, concern clear on his face. Stark turned to him and demanded to know what had happened, Fury simply walked to the edge of the room and flipped on a screen before rewinding the cameras that had been watching Loki.
"Loki's guys got the scepter and brought it to him. He got out and used it on Agent Coulson. You can see there when he tricked his brother into the cage and had Coulson eject it. Bella came in and launched herself at Loki but the real Loki was behind her and plunged the Scepter in her back. They got away in a Quinjet but Agent Romanoff managed to bring back Agent Barton at least."
Tony looked at the footage one more time with anger in his eyes but he looked down and took Bella from the Captain's arms.
"Where are you taking her?"
"To whatever is left of the lab. I want to hook her up to a monitor and have her with me while I work on repairing my suit the best I can."
He lifted her with one arm and with the other he tried looking in the bag one of the medics had left behind. He managed to find alcohol and rags and got to working on cleaning the floor with one hand but Cap stopped him.
"I'll do it."
Tony looked at him for a moment, wondering if he could trust him but eventually he saw the worry for her. He nodded gratefully and lifted her.
"Don't let anyone get their hands on a sample of her blood."
"I won't."
He nodded and looked between both men.
"This is personal now. Meet me in the lab and bring whoever else is left."
Steve nodded his way but went back to the blood. He could only hope that her heart started up like everyone else thought it would but for now he would focus on the one thing he could do.
