Search for the Soul Gem

Chapter Forty-One

"Why not?" I asked.

"Because I won't allow you to do it," he said simply. Even though I heard his words and they registered in my mind, I didn't understand them.

"What?" I said. The heroes were all watching Fury and me cautiously. The last time we'd gotten into an argument, it hadn't ended well for me.

"I can't let you neutralize one of our greatest weapons," Fury said.

"He's a man, not a weapon," I shot back.

"Believe it or not, the deadliest weapons are humans," he said.

"But if you have to destroy the man to make him a weapon, is it worth it," I asked.

"Yes," Fury said without pause. I hesitated for a moment, trying to push down the anger that I was feeling and stared right at him.

"Then what kind of man does that make you?" I asked quietly. No one said anything for a long time. My question hung in the air for a long time; the longer the silence continued, the heavier it got. I watched Fury carefully, expecting him to get furious like the last time. But instead, this time his face stayed completely stony with no hint of emotion.

"You've never been in a war before doctor. You'd be surprised how many men are like me. You will not follow this any further doctor," Fury said harshly before turning on his heels and left the lab. After he left, the lab was heavy with uncomfortable silence. Banner was quiet behind me and wouldn't look up from the lab table. I hadn't realized that Tony had appeared next to me but suddenly his hand was resting on the small of my back; the warmth that was usually reassuring, was now so accusing. I looked up at Tony before looking over at Banner. He looked so defeated and broken standing there.

"Banner-"

"It's okay Lucy, it was never going to work anyway," Banner said, his voice cracking under the weight of his disappointment. He looked over at me, his eyes rimmed with more emotion than I'd ever seen in them.

"Why don't you let us talk to him. Maybe we can talk him into it," Maria offered, speaking for the first time.

"You and I both know that won't work," Banner said, throwing a glance over at Maria. There was another long pause where the only sound was Banner's carefully controlled breathing.

"You know what, no. I'm doing it anyway," I said finally. This finally got a response out of everyone. It thrust everyone into movement and a sudden surge of words filled the space. It was impossible to discern more than a single words from one person at a time. I tried to focus on one person but every time I would start to focus, someone else would tear my attention away. Finally, Tony grabbed my shoulders and turned me to face him, getting closer to my face to make sure that I heard him.

"Lucy, this is a really bad idea. I want to help Banner just as much as you sweetheart, but going against Fury is not a good idea," he said. Everyone's conversation lulled to silence as Tony talked.

"Who gave him the right over someone else's body. Did you sign a contract? Are you soldiers?" I asked, leveling my eyes up at him defiantly.

"Lucy, you don't understand-"

"You didn't answer me," I cut him off.

"No we didn't, but listen to me, you can't do this Lucy. You can't keep pushing against what he tells you to do. It's dangerous," Tony said. I pushed his hands off my shoulders and stepped back away from him.

"Look Tony, I don't work for him and he's not my boss. If you're afraid of him that's fine, but I won't let him scare me away from doing what's right. If you don't want to help me then that's fine but don't stand in my way either," I said. Tony's jaw flexed as he looked down at me.

"You're so fucking frustrating! Why are you so damn stubborn! You just do whatever the hell you want, to hell with the consequences!" Tony raged, his voice raising louder than I'd ever heard him talk to me. I took a step back from him, slightly intimidated by him but more hurt by his words than anything. His eyes hardened and he looked down at me, "You just think I'll follow right behind you to save you and clean everything up," his voice was low and thick with venom. Before I could stop myself, my hand rose and smacked his face. The sound echoed through the lab for a solid minute and everything froze. No one moved or spoke or even dared to breathe. Tony's face contorted as he realized what he'd said. I swallowed the tears in my throat and closed my hand into a fist to keep my fingers from trembling.

"You know what, fuck you Stark," I jabbed my finger into his chest violently. "I never asked you to save me. I didn't ask you to blow up my site in Niger. I didn't ask you to keep the Chitauri from killing me. I didn't ask you to break into the Raft for me. You did all of that on your own. So don't you dare blame that on me."

"Lucy, I didn't-"

"Oh piss off with your 'I didn't mean to'. You obviously have something to say, so why not get it all out of your system right now," I crossed my arm over my chest and hardened my gaze at him. Tony's jaw flexed again but he said nothing. I laughed once and rolled my eyes, "Suddenly shy now are you Stark. Don't stop there Tony, what else about me drives you fucking nuts? Anything else you want to blame me for while we're on the topic?" I hissed. Tony swallowed hard but stayed silent. The entire lab was silent for a long time. None of the heroes knew what to say after that. They all just stared at Tony and me, waiting for one of us to say something. Finally, I stepped closer to Tony and glared up at him. "You do whatever you want Tony because apparently, that's what you're used to. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. And I don't need you to fly around saving me. I'll be perfectly fine without your help," I hissed. I turned from him and forced myself not to turn around, even though inside my heart was breaking.

"Lucy, sweetheart, ple-"

"Don't call me sweetheart," I growled over my shoulder at him. It was silent for a long time. Banner looked up at me over the counter at me, his face contorted in a mix of emotion. There was a long pause before the door to the lab open and close.

"Lucy, they're all gone," Banner whispered to me finally. My shoulders dropped and the tears fell from my eyes. I took a shaky breath and tried to pull myself back together. "Lucy, I don't want you to do this if it means tearing you and Tony apart. He adores you. I don't want this to come between you," Banner said, crossing the counter to put his hand on my shoulders gently.

"You heard him. He thinks I'm fucking annoying. So why not help at least someone be happy," I said quietly without looking up, my voice shaking slightly.

"He didn't mean that," Banner muttered.

"Then why'd he say it," I said, looking up at him with tears running down my face.

"Cause you're a lot like him. Reckless and stubborn," I glared up at him. He just smiled at me and cupped my face in his hands. "But you're also selfless and incredibly kind, and you put everyone else before yourself," he said. I closed my eyes and smiled softly.

"Thank you, Bruce," I said quietly. I took a deep breath and brushed the stray tears from my cheeks, "Anyway, let's get to work doctor."