The Chronicles of Captain Carter - The First Avenger

12.

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Chapter Twelve - Finally, people who speak English.

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A heavy silence hung in the air following the conclusion of Fury's confrontation with Loki.

"He really grows on you, doesn't he?" Bruce joked.

"Loki's going to drag this out. Thor, what can you tell us?" Peggy asked, turning to the God of Thunder. 

"He has an army called the Chitauri. They're not of Asgard, nor any world known. He means to lead them against your people. They will win him the Earth in exchange, I suspect, for the Tesseract." Thor informed them, appropriately worried at the situation.

"So he's building another portal. That's what he needs Erik Selvig for." Bruce said. Thor looked up, troubled at the name. "Selvig?"

"He's an astrophysicist." Bruce explained. 

"He's a friend."

"Loki has him under some kind of spell, along with one of ours." Romanoff jumped in. 

"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." Banner stated. Thor seemed to take offense at this. "Have care how you speak. Loki is beyond reason, but he is of Asgard. And he is my brother."  Romanoff glanced at Thor. "He killed 80 people in two days." 

Thor paused. "He's adopted."

"I think it's about the mechanics. Iridium... What do they need the iridium for?" Banner said.

"It's a stabilizing agent." Stark's voice called from the doorway. He spoke a few words to Coulson and continued, strolling towards them. "It means the portal won't collapse on itself like it did at SHIELD. And with you, Cap." Peggy nodded in acknowledgement. "No hard feelings, Point Break. You've got a mean swing." Tony patted Thor on the shoulder, before continuing forward. "Also, it means the portal can open as long as Loki wants." 

Stark, at this point, was at the the control panel and got slightly distracted. "Uh, raise the mizzenmast. Jib the topsails." Several agents looked up in confusion. "That man is playing Galaga. He thought we wouldn't notice, but we did." He pointed out a man in the far corner, who quickly switched the screen and went back to work. Stark continued with his antics as he covered his left eye with his left hand. "How does Fury even see these?" He asked no-one in particular. 

"He turns." Agent Hill replied monotonously. 

"Sounds exhausting. The rest of the raw materials Agent Barton can get his hands on pretty easily. The only major component he still needs is a power source of high-energy density."

Peggy, being trained to watch for suspicious activity saw Stark plan something at the control panel. She raised an eyebrow but didn't comment. She would have an opportunity to speak to Stark about it later, now was not the time.

"Something to kick-start the cube."

"When did you become an expert in thermonuclear astrophysics?" Hill questioned, stunned. 

"Last night." Stark cockily answered. "The packet, Selvig's notes, the extraction theory papers. Am I the only one who did the reading?"

"Does Loki need a specific power source?" Romanoff questioned.

"He would have to heat up the cube to 120 million Kelvin just to break through the Coulomb barrier." Banner interjected. "Unless Selvig has figure out how to stabilize the quantum tunnelling effect." Tony shot back. "Well, if he could do that, he could achieve heavy ion fusion at any reactor in the planet." Peggy stated, just loud enough for everyone to hear her. They stared at her in shock. "Just because I come from a different time does not mean I can't understand simple science. I worked for a covert scientific agency for Goodness Sake. And, as Stark so eloquently put it, I did the reading."

"Finally, people who speak English. Gotta say Cap, I'm pleasantly surprised. " Tony complimented, before moving onto Bruce. "It's good to meet you Dr. Banner." They shook hands. "Your work on antielectron 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 at the ground, slightly uncomfortable at the mention of his alter-ego. "Thanks." He said quietly.

"Doctor Banner is only here to track the Cube. I was hoping you might join him. Captain, you're welcome to go with them as well." Fury announced. "Thank you Director, I'll have to take you up on that offer." Peggy accepted. She would have the perfect opportunity to talk to Tony soon.

"Shall we play Doctor? Cap?" Stark said, walking out the room.

Peggy shook her head, amused and followed.