Out Of Time

fifty-one

"Rogers, we gathered everything related to the Tesseract," Fury began to try to save his ass. "This does not mean that we're-"

"I'm sorry, Nick," Tony stopped him, moving the computer screen towards Fury. The screen showed plans for weapons. "What, were you lying?"

"I was wrong, Director," Steve stated. "The world hasn't changed a bit."

In that moment, Natasha and Thor joined the growing tension in the lab. Y/N noticed as Nat's eyes never left Bruce's figure. Bruce looked at her in return, clearly pissed.

"Did you know about this?" Bruce angrily questioned Natasha.

"You wanna think about removing yourself from his environment, Doctor?" Natasha calmly responded.

"I was in Calcutta. I was pretty well removed."

"Loki's manipulating you."

"And you've been doing what exactly?"

"You didn't come here because I bat my eyelashes at you."

"Yes, and I'm not leaving because suddenly you get a little twitchy. I'd like to know why SHIELD is using the Tesseract to build weapons of mass destruction."

"Because of him," Fury answered, pointing at Thor.

"Me?" Thor repeated, stunned.

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

"My people want nothing but peace with your planet."

"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?" Y/N shot.

"You're work with the Tesseract is what drew Loki to it, and his allies," Thor tried to defend his people. "It is the signal to all the realms that the Earth is ready for a higher form of war."

"A higher form?" Steve repeated.

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

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

"Remind me again how you made your fortune, Stark?"

"I'm sure if he still made weapons," Steve started. "Stark would be neck deep-"

"Wait! Wait! Hold on!" Tony stopped Steve. "How is this now about me?"

"I'm sorry, isn't everything?"

"I thought humans were more evolved than this," Thor added.

"Excuse me," Fury turned to Thor, "did we come to your planet and blow stuff up?"

"Did you always give your champions such mistrust?"

Buzzing began again in Y/N's ears as the six, besides her, broke off into groups to argue with each other. She looked at the spear, noticing how the gem was glowing more. Something was wrong. Something was going to happen, and all the people in the room had too big of egos to care. She stepped away from Tony and Steve, who were too intensely arguing to realize she stepped away.

"You speak of control, yet you court chaos," Thor stated loudly, pulling Y/N out of her mind.

"It's his MO, isn't it?" Bruce asked. "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."