Chapter Ten:

Emblym was - unwillingly - escorted back to the open glass room. Her eyes fixed on the ground, and arms crossed over her chest. Now, however, Fury saw it fit to add a third soldier to her roster of minions following her.

Emblym sighed dragging her feet, "This is highly unappealing," she spoke aloud. "Despite having three handsome men waiting on me hand and foot, I would rather not have to stare at brainless muscle all day long." Emblym put her hands on her hips, "This would be a lot more appealing with the Mission Impossible theme music, don't you think, Sticks?" She turned to the man on her right. He didn't say a word.

Emblym sighed again, humming a tune to herself as they finally entered the glass window room. In there, was Bruce and Tony, working on their monitors separately and occasionally glancing up at a small live feed into the cage room where Seaweed Loki stood. This time, however, he was speaking with the redheaded woman from earlier.

When Emblym entered, the sound was on, albeit it had been lowered. "... I've got red in my ledger, I'd like to wipe it out," the Redhead was saying.

"Can you?" Loki asked with an accusatory tone. "Can you wipe out that much red? Drakov's daughter? São Paulo? The hospital fire? Barton told me everything. Your ledger is dripping, it's gushing red, and you think saving a man no more virtuous than yourself will change anything?"

Suddenly, he stood, anger in his eyes, "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 for the horrors. But they are a part of you, and they will never go away!"

Loki slammed his fists on the front of his cage, like an agitated monkey, and the Redhead flinched, shocked by the suddenly movement. Her eyes expressed sorrow and guilt. Whatever this halfbred golden rhino was saying to her, it was sticking.

"I won't touch Barton," Loki promised, eyes narrowing with seething venom. "Not until I make him kill you! Slowly. Intimately. In every way he knows you fear! And when 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!"

The Redhead, so overwhelmed by his words turned away from him, breathing heavily. "You're a monster..." She said softly, voice choked and sounding on the verge of tears.

"No," Loki laughed at her sorrow. "You brought the monster."

Suddenly, the Redhead turned, looking the prisoner straight in his eyes. She was poised, calm, and even smirking a little. "So, Banner... That's your play?"

Loki staggered back, shocked. "What?"

She touched her earpiece, her words overlapping with the audio from the monitor and the overhead comms. "Loki means to unleash the Hulk. Keep Banner in the lab, I'm on my way. Send Thor as well."

She let go and looked back at Loki, who was still absolutely shocked, and was trying to make sense of the situation. "Thank you for your cooperation," the Redhead said, then turned and left.

Tony and Bruce chuckled, Bruce moving to turn off the monitor, and they both went back to the computer screens, leaving the mythical staff untouched. Emblym, realizing she had been standing in the doorway during that entire thing, moved to sit down. Tony glanced at her and smirked, "Oh, look! Our princess is back in captivity!"

Emblym scoffed, crossing her arms and glancing at the door. Her fingers summoned her knife and she began twirling it aimlessly again. "Nothing? You seemed do talkative earlier."

"Who was that?" Emblym asked, instead of sending a quip back at him. She was hardly in such a mood.

"Natasha Romanoff and the horned weirdo is Loki Odinson, the enemy," Tony explained. "She used to work for me. Until, I realized that she happened to be a Russian spy." Emblym rose an eyebrow, there had to be more to that story.

Emblym hummed, glancing out the glass windows where the sun had just began to rise outside the Helicarrier. She hadn't even thought about sleeping. Emblym checked her bloody, cut up, blistered knuckles. How long had she been in that gym?

Emblym glanced at the door, where Fury was quickly approaching looking actually furious.

He marched into the room, his single eye focused on Tony and Bruce. "What are you doing, Mr. Stark?"

"Uhh... I'm kind of wondering the same thing about you," Tony admitted.

"You're supposed to be locating the Tesseract," Fury accused.

"We are," Bruce assured his voice sounding a lot less condensing. "The model's locked and we're sweeping for the signature now. When we get a hit, we'll have the location within half a mile."

"You'll get your cube back, no muss, no fuss," Tony assured, then he turned to the computer monitor and clicked Something. It was a file labeled 'SECRET FILES' and the one he opened was called 'PHASE 2'. "What's PHASE 2?" Tony asked.

The door swung open and Captain America stepped in. In his hands was a grossly oversized gun. "PHASE 2 is SHIELD uses the cube to make weapons," he explained, putting the huge gun on the table. In the center of the weapon was a empty space big enough for what looked like a small cube. "Sorry, the computer was moving a little slow."

Fury stood a bit straighter, recognizing the pressure he was under. "Rogers, we gathered everything related to the Tesseract. This does not mean that we're...-"

"I'm sorry, Nick," Tony said with no remorse in his voice. He turned around and clicked the side file that was in 'SECRET FILES'. In it, was plans for creating hundreds of different weapons in similar design to the one Steve brought out. All of them had the empty cube space in the center, which was to be used to harness the power of the Tesseract. "What were you lying?"

Emblym stared in shock. Fury had all this power at his disposal, and one of the main things he wanted from her was the location of Wonderland. Judging by the magic Hatter and Cheshire used, what kind of power lied there? If Fury were to gain access to it, what would he do to Wonderland?

"I was wrong, director," Captain America glared at Fury. "The world hasn't changed a bit."

The door opened again, and the big, blond man and the Redhead, Natasha, entered. Natasha kept her dark eyes focused on Doctor Banner, who looked very upset. "Did you know about this?"

"You wanna think about removing yourself from this environment, doctor?" Natasha suggested, but it sounded like an order.

Banner fired back, "I was in Calcutta, I was pretty well removed."

"Loki's manipulating you," Natasha said calmly.

"And you've been doing what exactly?!" Bruce snapped.

"You didn't come here because I bat my eyelashes at you," Natasha told him.

"Yes, and I'm not leaving because suddenly you get a little twitchy," he squared his shoulders and turned to Fury, who was having an angry staring contest with Tony. "I'd like to know why SHIELD is using the Tesseract to build weapons of mass destruction."

"Because of them," Fury said, pointing a finger at both the blond man and herself.

"Me?" He rose an eyebrow, shocked. Emblym agreed, with his chainmail clothing, he seemed very peaceful. However, she couldn't say the same about herself.

"What do I have to do with your obsession with firearms capable of planetary destruction?" Emblym asked calmly. She could feel the voices getting riled up with the tension getting higher and higher in the room they'd want blood to be shed and quickly. Emblym twirled the knife she held a little faster.

"Last year earth had a visitor from another planet who had a grudge match that leveled a small town," Fury explained. "We learned that not only are we not alone, but we are hopelessly, hilariously, outgunned."

"My people want nothing but peace with your planet!" The blond man exclaimed.

"But you're not the only people out there, are you?" Fury question. "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 how you 'controlled' the cube?" Captain America snapped.

"You're work with the Tesseract is what drew Loki to it, and his allies," Blondie explained. "It is the signal to all the realms that the earth is ready for a higher form of war."

"'A higher form'!?" Steve sounded shocked.

"You forced our hand," Fury spat. "We had to come up with something."

"Nuclear deterrent," Tony scoffed. "'Cause that always calms everything right down.

"Remind me again how you made your fortune, Stark?" Emblym blinked, Tony Stark, she remembered hearing that name from somewhere.

"I'm sure if he still made weapons, Stark would be neck." Captain America said, and Tony turned to him, eyes full of anger.

"Wait! Wait! Hold on! How is this about me?!" Tony snapped.

"I'm sorry," Stevs turned to him, glaring. "Isn't everything?"

"I thought humans were more evolved than this," Thor laughed and Emblym narrowed her eyes.

"Are you saying that wherever the hell you're from, you don't argue? You don't question orders?" Thor turned to Emblym, slightly shocked. "I'd hate to go to your world where everyone takes orders like dogs."

"A dog and a loyal soldier are two completely different things, child."

"Yet you seem to lean more on the latter side, don't you?" Emblym stood, arms crossed. "What I want to know is, if Fury's right, and your people came out of the sky, stealing havoc in a small city of innocents, then... Why haven't we declared war yet? Why are you bringing your problems to our world? Why don't you stay were you belong?"

"Remind me again who you think you are to question the power of an Asgardian?"

"Remind me again why you think you're so high and mighty and that the entire universe is merely a sandbox for whatever you desire?" Emblym glared, the voices now screaming for blood.

"I never said that!" He snapped.

"What I want to know," Bruce spoke up, turning to her, "Is why are you here? Who are you, anyway?"

"Emblym White," she gave a sarcastic bow, "Trust me, Doc, I'm just as confused as to why I am here too. Ask Fury, since he seems to be the root of all of our lovely dillemas."

"You know why you're here," Fury said to her.

"Oh, yes, community service," she nodded absently. "Because every murderer gets off the hook by picking up some trash, right?" He glared at her and the room went a bit quieter. "What I want to know, Mr. Fury, is what your obsession with Wonderland is? Do you plan on 'controlling' Wonderland like how you're 'controlling' the Tesseract?"

"Wonderland?" Thor spoke up, "Wonderland is the thing of myths and legends. Wonderland doesn't exist."

"A friend of mine claimed otherwise, since he formerly lived there," Emblym shrugged. "Let's think. If earth harnesses the power of Tesseract, and potentially whatever Wonderland has to offer, what then? We're ready for - how did you put it, Blondie? - 'a higher power of war'? Who are you, Fury, to decide that the entirety of earth is ready for 'A higher power of war'? Are you ready for that kind of destruction!?"

"Ms. White, do you need to be escorted out?" Fury said through clenched teeth.

"No, she is correct," Blondie said. "You speak of control, yet you court chaos."

"It's his M.O., isn't it?" Bruce spoke up. "I mean, what are we, a team? No, no, no. We're a chemical mixture that makes chaos. We're... We're a time-bomb."

"You need to step away," Fury said calmly.

"Why shouldn't the guy let off a little steam?" Tony suggested, tossing an arm around Steve's shoulder casually. Emblym had to agree. Whatever he was capable of, it couldn't be that bad.

"You know damn well why!" Captain America snapped, throwing his arm off him. "Back off!"

"Oh, I'm starting to want you to make me," Tony said, his voice cool with snarky anger.

"Big man in a suit of armor. Take that off, what are you?"

"Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist."

"I know guys with none of that worth ten of you," Tony rose an eyebrow and Captian America continued. "Yeah, I've seen the footage. The only thing you really fight for is yourself. You're not the guy to make the sacrifice play, to lay down on a wire and let the other guy crawl over you."

"I think I would just cut the wire," Tony said.

Captain America smiled bitterly at him, but there was still anger in his eyes, "Always a way out... You know, you may not be a threat, but you better stop pretending to be a hero."

Tony scoffed, "A hero? Like you? You're a lab rat, Rogers. Everything special about you came out of a bottle!"

"Put on the suit, let's go a few rounds!" Steve challenged, Blondie laughed, arms crossed over his chest.

"Your people are so petty... And tiny," he commented.

"Yeah... It's a tee," Bruce said, rubbing his head.

"Agent Romanoff, would you escort Dr. Banner back to his..." Fury began, but Bruce laughed bitterly.

"Where? You rented my room."

"The cell was just in case-"

"In case you needed to kill me," Bruce went off, throwing his hands in the air. "But you can't! I know! I tried!" The room went silent and Bruce continued talking, his voice low and serious. "I got low. I didn't see an end, so I put a bullet in my mouth and the other guy spit it out! So I moved on. I focused on helping other people. I was good, until you dragged me back into this freak show and put everyone here at risk!" He moved back against the table, and Emblym stood, her hand summoning her knife instinctually.

"You wanna know my secret, Agent Romanoff?" Bruce demanded. "You wanna know how I stay calm?"

"Doctor Banner..." Captian America's voice was steady, his hand out cautiously. "Put down the scepter."

Doctor Banner looked down, shocked by what was in his hand. The golden scepter was grasped firmly in his hands. Emblym noticed his veins popping, almost going a tint greenish.

The computer beeped and Tony was on it immediately. "Got it," he announced, his fingera flying over the keyboard.

Slowly, Bruce put the scepter back in place and walked over to Tony. "Sorry, kids. You don't get to see my little party trick after all," he said as he watched over Tony's shoulder.

Fury turned to Emblym, glancing down at her hand silently. Emblym noticed and looked down as well. Her knife was two times bigger than it's usually size, it's sharpness glinting off the edge. Emblym unsummoned it and moved to sit back down. After such a heated argument, the voices were pounding in her skull, screaming for bloodshed and Emblym knew she didn't have the chance to go to a gym at the moment.

The others had been talking, and Emblym missed half of what they said. "You're not going alone!" Captain America was shouting at Tony again. This really wasn't helping her head any.

"You gonna stop me?" Tony challenged.

"Put on the suit," Captain America growled. "Let's find out."

"I'm not afraid to hit an old man."

"Put on the suit."

Bruce gasped from the computer and everyone turned. "Oh, my god!" The Doctor said.

Emblym felt the hairs on the back of her head rise and she jumped from where she sat. Her knife appearing instantly and the voices screaming at the tops of their lungs. The Helicarrier shook and everyone was thrown about. Emblym slipped and fell into a large hole that caved in where she, Natasha and Bruce stood.

Emblym had only seconds to react. She drove her knife into a wall, where it cut into the metal, screeching painfully and slowing her otherwise doomed descent. When she finally landed on her feet, she saw Natasha and Bruce on the ground. Natasha's foot was held down by a large pillar, and she was slowly easing herself out of it.

Bruce, on the other hand, looked terrible. He was clutching his head and breathing rapidly. Emblym stared in shock as she came to Natasha. The woman tried to wave her away, but Emblym kept coming. She was quiet as she came to the woman's side, struggling to lift the heavy pillar as the spy spoke calmly.

"I'm okay, we're okay, right?" Natasha asked hesitantly. Emblym struggled to lift it and instead turns to her knife, managing to slide it near Natasha foot. "Doctor... Bruce, you gotta fight it. This is just what Loki wants. We're gonna be okay. Listen to me."

Emblym closed her eyes and focused. "... Hammer. I need a hammer," she whispered quietly.

'Do not bother us with your petty requests!' One screamed, while the others shouted, 'Kill her! Kill her! Blood! Blood! Blood!'

"Get me this, and I'll bring you twenty people," She hissed, and Natasha turned to her, confused. The voices considered this for a few moments.

"We're gonna be okay," Natasha continued a as she kept yanking her foot. "Right? I swear on my life I will get you out of this, you will walk away, and never..."

"Your life?" Banner's words sounded deeper and more primal.

"Now!" Emblym hissed, "I need it now!"

"Bruce..." Natasha said pleadingly. Emblym's knife turned to a large hammer, lifting the pillar, and Natasha wiggled free.

Emblym grabbed her hand and summoned her knife to her other hand and bolted. Natasha tried to look back, but instead was met with a primal, ear-splitting roar. This urged them faster. Emblym held out her hand, summoning Hatter's hat. It appeared and she caught it as they ran.

"I need a way out!" Emblym cried as a dangerous looking, big, green, ugly monster bounded after them, screaming battle cries and smashing into pillars.

Natasha moved from Emblym, slipping under catwalks and going to crawl in the pipes. The monster carried on after her, roaring in rage as he ran.

Emblym pulled a small vial out of Hatter's hat. She quickly read 'Think' labeled on it before she uncorked it and drank. Immediately, her environment changed. Her body, however, was still running, and she ran straight into a person standing in front of a large control panel.

Emblym slammed into them, and they fell forward. In a mess of limbs, both of them fell back. Emblym fell on her behind, and the man stumbled back a few times wnd angrily looked down at her. Emblym blinked, "Seaweed? What the hell?"

"'Seaweed'?" The man replied, absolutely shocked. "Who are you?"

"You're Seaweed, your hair. It's green," Emblym explained, moving to stand, but the man pointed his scepter at her throat.

"Stay where you are," he demanded, but Emblym scoffed, moving his sharp scepter out of her way and pushed herself up.

"Where the hell am I?" She demanded, looking down at the vial she still clutched in her hand. Hatter's hat was still in her other one, and she held unto it tightly.

'Think', it read, however when Emblym turned it over, it read, 'Might displace time'.

"Goddamn it," she hissed, glancing back up at the man glaring at her. Then, it clicked. "You're supposed to be in that cage."

"Dear, are all humans like you slow?" He scowled. "Go back to wherever you came from, we were in the middle of something."

"In the middle of what?" Emblym scoffed. She took out her knife and quickly swung it at Loki. He moved out of the way and glared. He parried her next strike with his scepter. And then thrusted, aiming for her neck. Emblym ducked, throwing her knife so it went through his boot and into his foot. He hissed in pain, then disappeared. Emblym felt something move behind her and quickly jumped, sidestepping as the same man came behind her, nearly stabbing her in the chest.

There was a large thud, and Emblym turned, inside the cage was the blond man, and he looked angry. "What-?!"

Nobody explained anything to Emblym. Loki managed to slice her arm open with her staff. Blood pooled and her voices erupted with cries. Emblym stumbled, clutching her head at the sudden rise of noises. They've never been this loud. Ever.

Loki poised the staff over her, but Emblym rolled out of the way as it came down on empty air. They were back at the control panel and another large thud sounded from the box and the glass began to crack. One more good hit and Blondie would be free.

Both of them simultaneously realized that. Loki ran and Emblym tried to throw her knife, hoping to destroy it before he did anything bad.

She didn't make it. The bottom dropped and the cage fell out of the sky. "No!" Emblym screamed and immediately ran, jumping out of the open hole and free fell into the biting air.

When Emblym realized that she lacked all the tools needed to survive a dive like this, she swore loudly.