Chapter 4:
[Karai POV]
[SHIELD Helicarrier]
Once we get back, Cap hands Loki to the STRIKE commandos. We move toward the bridge. Through the computer monitor, we all watch as Loki is put inside a specialized prison cell made for the Hulk. Fury walks to a control terminal, "In case it's unclear. If you try to escape, if you so much as scratch that glass, it's 30,000 feet straight down in a steel trap. You get how that works?" He points to Loki, "Ant," indicates the control terminal, "Boot." "It's an impressive cage. But it is not built for me," Loki gloats. Fury peers at the man, "It's built for something a lot stronger than you." Loki smiles, then looks directly into the camera, "Oh, yes. The mindless beast that pretends he is still a man. How desperate are you that you call upon lost creatures to defend you?" Fury glares, "How desperate am I? You threaten my world with war. You steal a force you can't hope to control. You talk about peace, and yet you kill for fun. You made me very desperate. You might regret that you did." Loki smiles mockingly, "It burns you to come so close to have the Tesseract, to have power, unlimited power. And for what? A warm light for all humanity to share. And then to be reminded what real power is." Fury smirks, "Well, let me know if 'real power' wants a magazine." He walks off, leaving Loki alone in his cell.
"He grows on you, doesn't he?" Banner comments. "Yeah, like an unwanted parasite," I say, crossing my arms. "Loki going to drag this out," Cap says, tapping the computer screen, "So, Thor, what's his play?" Thor looks to the team, "Loki has an army called the Chitauri, they're not of Asgard, nor any known worlds. He means to lead them against your people. They will win him the Earth. In return, I suspect, for the Tesseract." "They'll die trying," Spartan growls, cracking his knuckles. "An Army from outer space," Cap says, disbelief. "So, he's building another portal?" Banner questions, "That's why he needed Selvig." "Selvig? I know him. He's a friend," Thor says. "Loki has him under some kind of mind-control, along with one of ours," Nat says, referring to Clint. "I want to know why Loki let us take him," Cap chimes in, "He's not going to lead an army from here." "I don't think we should be focusing on Loki. That guy's brain is a bag of cats. You could smell the crazy on him," Banner comments. "Careful how you speak. Loki is beyond reason, but he is of Asgard. And he is my brother," Thor says, tone sharp. "Well, with all due respect, your highness, your brother is all level of fucked-up. The sicko killed 80 people in 2 days. So no, I'm not going to have care with my worlds," Spartan snaps, crosses-arms. There was an instant awkwardness in the air. "He's adopted," Thor murmurs under his breath guiltily.
Banner quickly changes the subject, "I think it's about the mechanics. Iridium. What do they need iridium for?" At that moment, Tony Stark walks in with Coulson. "Is a stabilizing agent," he tells us, "It means the portal won't collapse on itself as it did before. Also, it means the portal can open as wide and stay open as long." Stark and Banner start to speak in a way that completely goes over my head. "Finally, someone who can speak English," Stark says. "That was English?" Cap says. Both Spartan and I shrug our shoulders. Fury enters, "Dr. Banner is only here to track the cube. I was hoping you can lend him a hand, Stark." "I would start with that staff of his. It may be supernatural, but it works an awful lot like a HYDRA weapon," Cap says. "I don't know about that, but the cube powers it. And I would like to know how he uses it to turn two of the sharpest men I know to his flying monkeys," Fury says. "I understand that reference," Cap says excitedly. Spartan and I hold back a laugh but smirk.
[Spartan POV]
[R&D.] I aim down the sight and fire. The shot hits its mark. Other targets appear, now moving. Loading a new mag, I shoot the targets. Each shot tags the targets with perfect accuracy. Karai walks in. I set the pistol I'm using on safe, place it down in the holster. "You look irritated," I say. She coughs a bitter laugh, "Yeah. Let's say if I'd stayed in the same room with Tony Stark any longer, I would've shot him. What are you up to?" "Just killing time," I tell her. "Spartan, we've been best friends since we were kids. I know you better than anyone. I also know when something is nagging at you. What's up?" Karai asks. I sigh, punching a fist into an open palm, "Loki. Loki is bugging me. I can't shake the feeling he's not the mastermind behind this whole mess. The guy screams lackey. Someone else is the puppeteer." "The Chitauri?" Karai inquires. "Maybe," I say, "Or it could be someone else. If what Fury has been telling us is anything to go by. There are threats across the universe. Loki is not the only big-bad out there." I rub my hands across my face, "Or maybe I'm just seeing shadows." "I think you're worried about Clint. Hell, we all are," Karai says, placing a hand on my shoulder. There's a beep. "It's done," I say, walking over to the 3D printer. Karai looks to the 3D printer, then back to me, perplexed, "What's done?"
"When Iron Man was fighting Loki, the HUD ran a full scan of his armor. Specifically, his repulsors." I pull out two pistols and hand one to Karai, "Repulsor pistols. Courtesy of Tony Stark." "But why take his spec?" Karai inquires, taking the pistol. "Because Loki shrugged off what we were throwing at him. But Tony's repulsors drop him on his ass. Plus, Tony Stark wouldn't give up the spec of his toy. His ego wouldn't allow it. He has to be the only one with the best stuff," I say, inspecting the weapon. I move to the shooting range, fire four shots at the target. I smirk, "Not bad."
[Steve Rogers POV]
[Banner's lab.] I walk into the lab to see Stark poking an electrical rod at Banner, trying to provoke the Hulk to come out. "The hell is wrong with you?! Are you out of your mind?!" I shout, striding over to them. "Jury's out," Tony says. He turns to Banner, "Wow. You do have a lid on it. What's your secret?" Banner ignores him and goes back to his work. I'm starting to get very irritated by this man with every passing minute. He acts like a child than an adult. This is Howard's legacy? I honestly don't know if he would be proud or ashamed. Granted, Howard Stark was no saint, but he was never like this. "Is everything a joke to you?" I ask Tony." "Funny things are," he says. I roll my eyes. 'Starting to understand why Spartan and Karai don't like you.' "Threatening the safety of everyone on the ship isn't humorous," I snap. I circle to Banner, "No offense, Doc." "It's alright. I wouldn't have come aboard if I handle couldn't pointy things." Tony steps away, "You're tip-toeing, big man. You need to strut." "And you need to focus on the problem, Stark," I order. "You think I'm not?" Tony asks. "No. I don't," I deadpan, "I honestly don't think you understand the severity of the situation or are incapable of understanding it. Because if you did, you wouldn't be wasting so much time trying to piss him off and possibly getting everyone on this ship killed. Again, no offense, Dr. Banner."
That makes Tony go silent for a moment. He shakes it off. "Why did Fury call us in? Why now? Why not before? What isn't he telling us? I can't do the equation if I don't have all the variables," Tony says. Well, if Tony's file is anything to go by. The man's brash, arrogant, antagonistic, self-absorbed, insensitive, and a wild card. Plus, Natasha Romanoff wrote the man off as unfit for The Avenger program. As far as I know, Fury was just desperate enough to call him in. "You think Fury is hiding something?" I question. "He's a spy. Captain, he's 'the' spy. His secret has secrets. It's bugging him, too. Isn't it?" Tony says, then points to Banner. Banner shakes his head, waving his hand, "Um. Nope. I'm not involved in this conversation. Leave me out of this. I only want to do my work." "Doctor?" I call Banner's attention. Banner fidgets uncomfortably, then sighs, "A warm light for all mankind. Loki's jab at Fury about the cube," he says. Banner gestures to Tony, "I think he was talking about you. Stark Tower, or rather the Arc Reactor. It was all over the news." "The Stark Tower? That big ugly building in New York," I say. Tony glares. "Hey, what I said is a lot nicer than what Karai said," I tell him. Banner cuts in, "The building's powered by an arc reactor, a self-sustaining energy source. That building will be running itself for a year. Maybe more." "It's a prototype. I'm kind of the only one in clean energy right now," Tony says.
"So, why didn't SHIELD bring him into the Tesseract project?" Banner says, "What are they doing in the energy business in the first place?" "I should probably look into that once my decryption program finishes breaking through SHIELD's secure files," Tony says, walking around the table. "I'm sorry. What?!" I start. Tony cuts me off, "Jarvis has been running it since I hit the bridge. I'm a little surprised it took this long. In a few hours, I'll know every dirty secret SHIELD tried to hide." I swallowed my anger back down, "Yet, you're confused why SHIELD didn't want to bring you around."
"An intelligent organization that fears intelligence? Historically, not awesome," he says. "Not every secret is meant to be shared. But that's beside the point. I think Loki is trying to wind us up. This is a man who wants to start a war, and if we don't stay focused, he'll succeed." "Following is not my style," Tony says. "I'm fully aware of that. You're all about style, aren't you?" I state, trying desperately not to punch the man in the face. "Of the people in the room, which one is, A, wearing a spangly outfit, and, B, not of use?" Tony says. He was starting to lose his temper, biting at any insult he can use. I sigh, "Do your job, Stark. Then you can happily leave the ship." I leave the room. Once I'm out of the room, curiosity got the best of me. I decide to take a detour to the R&D storage unit.
[Spartan POV]
Walking to the bridge, we cross paths with Nat in the hallway. "Spartan. Karai. With me," she says, not stopping her walk. We follow her to Loki's cell. The Asgardian prisoner didn't even notice. He stops pacing, "Impressive. Not many can sneak up on me." Loki turns to face us. "Good to know you got a blind spot," I say. "You knew we come," Karai says. "After. After whatever torture Fury can concoct with my aid," the God of mischief says. I tilt my head slightly, "Funny. I can't take the threat of torture seriously from a lackey. Can you?" Karai crosses her arms over her chest, "No, he's the bitch in the relationship. Tell us, your highness, who's pulling the strings of a king. I'll give credit where credit is due. You're smart, your strong, but you don't you give that aura that says 'I'm the man in charge.'" "In other words, a king who is a slave to another," I say. "YOU DARE! I AM A KING! A GOD! YOU ARE NOTHING COMPARE TO ME!" he yells, furious. "Both of you shut up," Nat snaps at us. We looked at her in surprise but did as she said. Nat looks back to Loki, "I want to know what you did to Agent Barton?" Loki composes himself, smiles, "I expanded his mind. Showed him the truth." Nat steps closer to the cell, "And once you won, once you're King of the mountain, what happens to his mind?" "Is this love, Agent Romanoff?" Loki asks. "Love is for children. I owe him a debt," Nat tells him. He looks over her shoulder to us. "We don't leave soldiers behind. With their shield or on it, we always bring them back," I say. Karai nods, "Not that you would understand that."
Loki grins, walks back to the bench. "Tell me more," he says to Nat. Nat shifts nervously, "Before I worked for SHIELD… I made a name for myself. I have a particular skill set. I didn't care who I used it for. Got on SHIELD's radar in a bad way. Barton was sent to kill me. He made a different call." "And the two of you?" Loki asks, "I see no regret in your actions." Neither Karai nor I answer him. He turns his eyes back to Nat, "And what would you do if I vow to spare him?"
"Not letting you out," she says. Loki's smile widens, "No, of course not, but I like this. Your world is in the balance, and yet you three bargain for one soul." "Regimes falls every day," Nat says, "I tend not to weep over that. I'm Russian. It's not that complicated. I got red on my ledger; I'd like to wipe it out." "Can you? Can you wipe out that much red? Drakov's daughter, São Paulo, the hospital fire? Barton told me everything. Your ledger is dripping, gushing red," Loki says, getting up from his seat. Nat actually looks distraught. He moves to her, "You think saving one man no more virtuous than yourself will change anything? This is the basest sentimentality. This is a child at prayer. Pathetic! You lie and kill in the service of liars and killers. You pretend to be separate, to have your own code, something that makes up the horrors. But they are part of you. And they will never go away."
Loki slams a hand over the cell's glass, causing Nat to flinch. "I won't touch Barton until I make him kill you. Slowly, intimately, in every way, he knows you fear. And he'll wake just long enough to see his good work, and when he screams, I'll split his skull. This is my bargain, you mewling quim," Loki says to Nat. Nat turns away from him. Karai and I place a hand over our pistol, waiting for the word, begging for it. "You're a monster," Nat says in a low voice. "Oh, no. You brought the monster." I smirk, 'That the play.' Nat drops the act and turns Loki, who looks at Nat, confused. "So, Banner. That's your plan," she says. Nat quickly taps her comlink, warning the others. Karai looks at Loki, "Wow. The God of mischief got played like a fiddle." "Thank you for your cooperation, asshole," I say, clapping my hands together mockingly. Both Karai and I dash out the prison block.
[Banner's lab.] As we enter the room, the whole team is verbally at each other's throats, yelling at each other. Tony turns the computer screen to Fury, "Why is SHIELD building weapons with the cube?" Fury glowers, points to Thor, "Because of beings like him." "Me?" Thor says, confused. Fury elaborates, "In the last 20 years, Earth was attacked by three hostile alien forces. The Kree, the Skrulls, and our latest visitor, the Asgardians. SHIELD kept it under wraps. Not only did we learn we're not alone in the universe, but we are hopelessly and hilariously outmatched. We needed an equalizer." Thor jumps in, feeling a little insulted, "My people want nothing but peace with your planet." Karai rolls her eyes, "Weren't you listening. You're not the only one who came to Earth, and you're not the only possible threat out there. And your brother is proof not all Asgardians wants peace." "The world's filling up with people who can't be matched, that can't be controlled," Fury interjects, "We needed something to give us an edge." "Nuclear deterrent. Because that always comes everything down," Tony says sarcastically. "Oh, that's rich coming from you, Stark. Remind us again how you got your fortune," I say, stepping over to him. Cap jumps in between us, "I'm sure if he were still making weapons, Stark would be neck-deep." "Hold on. How is this about me?" Tony says, getting angry. "Isn't everything," Cap, Karai, and I voice in unison.
Suddenly the bickering turns into a full-on shouting match. There's pressure in my head. My anger is getting more and more intense. 'Why the hell do I feel this anger?' Something is wrong. "You speak of control, but you cause chaos," Thor says to Fury. "That's his MO, isn't it?" Banner says, "I mean, what are we, a team? No, we're a chemical mixture that makes chaos. We're a time bomb." "First of all: that more you than us. Second: you need to step away," Karai says, stepping closer to him. "Why shouldn't the guy let off some steam?" Tony says, trying to place a hand on Cap's shoulder. Cap pushes it away, "You know damn well why. Back off!" "Oh, I'm starting to want you to make me," Tony says, taunting Cap to fight. Cap smirks angrily, "Yeah. A big man in a suit of armor. Take that off; what are you?" "Genius, billionaire, playboy philanthropist," Tony tells him. "You forgot brash, arrogant, antagonistic, self-absorbed, callous, egotistical, and a drunk," Nat inserts, "reason why I cross you off for the Avengers program." "I know guys with none of that worth ten of you. I've seen the footage. The only thing you fight for or care about is yourself. You're not the guy that makes the sacrifice, to lay on the wire," Cap tells him off, "You may fly around and pretend to be a hero, but you are not." "A hero? Like you? Your laboratory experiment, Rogers. Everything special about you comes from a bottle," Tony jabs. Karai starts to laugh, "Dude, you just piss because your daddy liked him more than you." Tony glares at her, "You want to go!" Cap quickly jumps in, "Don't you ever threaten my team." The situation is getting more and more out of control.
"Okay, everyone needs to take a step back!" I yell. The team is busy fighting among themselves; they didn't hear me. 'Shit.' The conversation between Banner and Fury catches everyone's attention. "Where? You rented my room to Loki!" Banner shouts. "The cell was just in case..." Fury starts. Banner cuts him off, "In case you needed to kill me, but you can't, I tried." That catches everyone off guard. "I got low. I couldn't see an end. So, I put a bullet in my mouth, and the other guy spat it out. I moved on. I focus on helping people. Then the Canadian Department-H sent one of their best to kill me. Codenamed Wolverine, I think, nearly did kill me. But I got away. Then you guys dragged me into this freak show and put everyone here at risk. You want to know my secret? You want to how I manage to keep it in control," Banner says, voice hard. Karai, Fury, Nat, and I all reach for our pistol. "Banner, put down the staff," I order, gun drawn but keep it pointing down. Banner looks at staff, perplexed. Like he didn't even realize he was holding it. He places it on the table and steps away from it. There's an alert coming from one of the computers. Banner makes his way to the main computer screen, "We got a hit." "Let me know where it is. I can get to it faster," Tony says. "The Tesseract belongs to Asgard. No human can withstand its raw power long," Thor warns. An explosion rocks the Helicarrier violently. Everything goes black.