----- May 4th, 2012 7:16 AM - North Atlantic Ocean -----
== Y/N's POV ==
The sun shines bright through the window to the lab.
Tony, Bruce, and I were the only ones in there. Tony and Bruce were on the other side of the room, working on finding the Tesseract.
I was on the opposite side, a screen hanging from the ceiling in front of me.
But I wasn't paying attention to it.
I was staring to my right.
At Loki's scepter.
I felt off just looking at it.
It faintly glowed as I stared, so entranced I didn't notice Bruce appear next to me.
"I know it's probably obvious, but I used to read your comics when I was younger," Bruce tells me, startling me.
My head snaps toward Doctor Banner. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.
"So did I," I say.
I used to read them before each battle. It hyped me up. Reminded me why I was there.
"..Is it true you threw a tank into another?," he asks.
I smile, remembering when that happened, "Yeah, uh the tank was aiming at Steve from behind. So I threw the first thing I could find."
I looked back at the screen. It was running Tony's Decryption Program I modified earlier. It'll be done in a few minutes.
"..You know, Out of everyone here, I feel like you're the only one capable of taking down the big guy," Bruce says.
I look over at him, "..Thanks? I'm not sure that'd need to happen though."
The monitor starts beeping. I look back at it to see the program finished.
So that's why they want the Tesseract so bad.
"Tony, check this out," I call over to him.
Tony and Bruce come over and look at the screen. I move out of the way as Tony takes a seat on the table.
The door opens and Fury steps in. He quickly makes his way in front of us.
"What are you doing, Mr. Stark?"
"Uh- kind of been wondering the same thing about you," Tony replies.
"You're supposed to be locating the Tesseract."
"We are, 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," Bruce tells him.
"And you'll get your cube back, no muss, no fuss," Tony says.
"What's Phase Two?," I ask.
Steve enters, and slams a large gun on the table. I've seen that gun before. That's a HYDRA gun.
"Phase Two is SHIELD uses the Cube to make weapons," Steve tells us, before directing to Tony, "Sorry, computer was moving a little slow for me."
"Rogers, we gathered everything related to the Tesseract. This does not mean that we're-"
"Ah, I'm sorry, Nick," Tony turns the screen towards Fury, It shows a plan for a missile, "What were you lying?"
"I was wrong, Director. The world hasn't changed a bit," Steve says to Fury.
Thor and Natasha enter the room from the other door. Thor makes his way over to me.
Bruce looks to Natasha, "Did you know about this?"
"You wanna think about removing yourself from this environment, doctor?"
Bruce laughs dryly, "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," Bruce grabs the side of the screen and points to the missile, "I'd like to know why SHIELD is using the Tesseract to build weapons of mass destruction."
The room is silent for a moment before Fury speaks up.
"Because of them," Fury says pointing at Thor and I.
"Excuse me?," I ask at the audacity to blame me for this.
"Me?," Thor asks, confused.
"Last year earth had a visitor from another planet who had a grudge match that leveled a small town. And a few months later, we apparently find his brother, Who goes on to collapse buildings and create a small crater in the center of Manhattan. We learned that not only are we not alone, but we are hopelessly hilariously, out-gunned," Fury explains.
"Our people want nothing but peace with your planet," Thor tries to tell him.
"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."
"So what you're saying is, you're scared of me cuz you can't control me.. You don't, and you never will," I spit.
"Your work with the Tesseract is what drew Loki to it, and his allies. It is the signal to all the realms that the earth is ready for a higher form of war," Thor tells him.
"A higher form?!" asks Steve.
I back up from the group and move closer to the window. Something feels wrong.
"You forced our hand! We had to come up with some-"
"Nuclear deterrent! 'Cause that always calms everything right down," Tony says, cutting Fury off.
I look at the scepter. It's glowing brighter.
Is that what's wrong?
"Remind me again how you made your fortune, Stark?"
"I'm sure if he still made weapons, Stark would be neck deep-"
"Wait-Wait! Hold on! How is this now about me?"
"I'm sorry, isn't everything?"
"I thought humans were more evolved than this," Thor says.
"Excuse me, did we come to your planet and blow stuff up?"
"Tis your champion."
"YOU'RE NOT MY CHAMPION!"
"Are you boys really that naive? SHIELD monitors potential threats."
"And Superman is on the threat poll?," Bruce asks her.
"We all are!"
"That's not your concern doctor!," Fury yells at him.
As they argue over one another, the scepter glows stronger. I continue looking at it before looking back at the group.
"You're on that list? Are you above or below angry bees?," Tony says to Steve.
Is the scepter doing that?
"I swear to God, Stark, one more crack.."
How would it do that if it's powered by the Tesseract?.. Unless it isn't.
"Is that a threat. VERBAL THREAT! I FEEL THREATENED!"
The Tesseract produces energy and radiation. And they may glow the same blue, but the Tesseract can create portals. Essentially allowing travel through space.
"SHOW SOME RESPECT!"
The scepter doesn't, as why go after the Tesseract if the scepter can do the same things. What if it just does something else?
"RESPECT WHAT!"
Like affect peoples minds.
"You speak of control, yet you court chaos!," Thor announces.
That would explain how Barton and Dr. Selvig were taken by Loki. Only the scepter can do that. Hence why he didn't corrupt them with the Tesseract before he even got to Earth.
"It's his MO, isn't it? 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," says Bruce.
"You need to step away," Fury tells him.
"Why shouldn't they guy let off a little steam?" Tony says as he puts a hand on Steve's shoulder
Steve swats his arm away, "You know damn well why! Back off!"
"Oh, I'm starting to want you to make me."
"Yeah, 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. 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."
"Always a way out. You know, you may not be a threat, but you better stop pretending to be a hero."
"A hero, like you? You're a laboratory experiment, Rogers. Everything special about you came out of a bottle."
Steve smirks, "Put on the suit, let's go a few rounds."
Thor laughs to himself, "You people are so petty.. and tiny."
"Yeah, this is a team," Bruce says sarcastically.
Tony presses his hand against his forehead, like he's trying to mitigate a headache.
"Agent Romanoff, would you escort Dr. Banner back to his-" Fury gets cut off.
"Where? You rented my room!"
"The cell was just-"
"In case you needed to kill me. But you can't, I know, I tried!," He stops, everyone is staring at him, "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. You wanna know my secret, Agent Romanoff? You wanna know how I stay calm?"
Fury and Natasha reach for their guns.
Steve speaks up, "Doctor Banner, put down the scepter."
Bruce looks down, surprised, to see the scepter in his hand.
The monitor makes a noise, signaling the Tesseract has been located. Banner puts the scepter back on the table as he walks over to the screen on the other side of the room.
"Sorry, kids. You don't get to see my party trick after all," Bruce says.
"Located the Tesseract?," Thor asks.
"I can get there faster," Tony says.
"Look, all of us-," Steve starts.
"The Tesseract belongs on Asgard, no human is a match for it," Thor tells them.
Tony turns to leave and Steve holds him back, "You're not going alone!"
Tony smacks his hand, "You gonna stop me?"
"Put on the suit, let's find out!"
"I'm not afraid to hit an old man."
"Put on the suit."
I finally speak up and walk up next to Thor, "Tony, Steve. Just quit it."
Bruce sees something on the monitor and takes off his glasses, "Oh my god."
== Third Person POV ==
A blast destroys the lab.
Everyone in the lab is sent flying in different directions.
Fury falls to the ground behind a table.
Thor is sent flailing down a hole with Y/N dropping somewhat normally above him.
Tony and Steve are blown to the entry way.
Banner and Natasha fly out one of the lab windows and into the lower equipment room.
In the entry way, Steve and Tony scramble to their feet.
"Put on the suit," Steve urges.
"Yep."
Steve helps Tony up and they run out of the lab.
__________
Fury is heard groaning and speaks into his earpiece, "Hill!"
Hill is standing at her command area. She is looking at a screen.
"Number Three engine is down!," Hill runs over to a bridge tech's station, "Did we get a run in? Talk to me."
"The line looks mostly in tact but it's impossible to get out there to make repairs while we're in the air," The tech tells her.
"We lose one more engine we won't be," She says before telling Fury, "Somebody's gotta get outside and patch that engine."
"Stark, you copy that?," Fury asks over his earpiece.
"I'm on it," Tony replies.
"Coulson, initiate defensive lockdown in the contingent center. Then get to the armory," Fury orders, "Romanoff!"
__________
In the equipment room, Natasha's leg is trapped under a very large pipe.
"We're Okay!" She says over her earpiece.
She looks over to Bruce, who is breathing heavy, having landed hard.
He is gripping the grated flooring.
"We're okay, right?," She quietly asks him, "Doctor? Bruce, you gotta fight it. This is just what Loki wants. We're gonna be okay. Listen to me."
Two maintenance guys run into the room.
"You hurt?," one tries to ask.
Natasha waves them away and continues saying to Bruce, "We're gonna be okay. Right? I swear on my life I will get you out of this, you will walk away, and never ever --"
Bruce growls, "Your life?!"
His voice has a change in it. A bitter amusement is morphing to a growled threat.
Bruce's shirt tears and he throws himself away from Natasha, who looks terrified. Then he turns to look at her, increasing in size and turning green -- just as the lights go out.
The transformation completes and Bruce isn't here right now.
Only Hulk.
Natasha wrenches her foot free and stands looking.
The Hulk turns to look at her. She turns and runs up the catwalk stairs as the Hulk chases her.
She swings over a catwalk, and rolls under a turbine, as the Hulk tears down the stairs. Natasha jumps through small places as the Hulk grabs after her, roaring loudly.
She crawls away under pipes.
__________
In his cell, Loki hears the Hulk roaring in the distance and smiles...
Menacingly.
__________
Steve has just arrived at the damaged engine. He pushes past a few men as they head inside.
"Stark! Stark, I'm here," Steve yells into his comms over the wind.
Tony, in full Iron Man armor, flies in close to the engine, "Good. Let's see what we got."
He begins to examine the engine, his suit scanning through the different levels of machinery, "I gotta get this super conducting cooling system back online before I can access the rotors, work on dislodging the debris."
"I need you to get to that engine control panel and tell me which relays are in overload position," He tells Steve.
Steve jumps and swings himself over to the control panel and opens it up while Iron Man works on the engine.
"What's it look like in there?," Tony asks.
"It seems to run on some form of electricity."
"..Well, you're not wrong."
__________
The place is dark.
Natasha sneaks under an engine. She is hiding from the Hulk. She hears the footsteps.
She pulls her gun, holding it ready and she moves out from the pipes and walks.
Suddenly, the Hulk jumps at her, roaring.
Romanoff fires her gun at a pipe over his head and gas shoots out. She runs along a narrow passage, the Hulk crashing through behind her. He comes up on her fast.
He catches up to her as she is about to run off the passage and he back hands her against a wall.
He steps towards her. Natasha is groaning, unable to move, scared.
He raises a fist, about to strike, when he is kicked against the wall.
In a daze, he looks up to see Thor in front of Natasha.
He looks down a little to see a blur running at him.
Hulk is tackled through a wall by Y/N.
The two roll into a docking area with planes and personnel running from the room. Thor runs through the hole in the wall after them.
Hulk and Y/N circle one another, as Thor circles with Y/N.
Then the Hulk strikes, throwing wild punches as Thor ducks and weaves. Hulk brings down a fist and Y/N holds it above him, on his knees.
"We're not your enemies, Banner! Try to think!," Thor attempts to tell Hulk.
Hulk punches Y/N into Thor and across the room through a container.
__________
Iron Man blasts away debris from the engine with his unibeam.
"'Kay, the relays are intact," Steve tells him. He pushes the engine control panel back in, "What's our next move?"
"Even if I clear the rotors, this thing won't re-engage without a jump....I'm gonna have to get in there and push," Tony says.
"Well, if that thing gets up to speed, you'll get shredded!"
"Then stay in the control unit and reverse polarity long enough to disengage maglev and that should-"
"Speak English!"
"..See that red lever?"
Cap looks to his side as Tony tells him, "It'll slow the rotors down long enough for me to get out. Stand by it, wait for my word."
Steve jumps and makes his way over to the lever.
__________
Thor and Y/N fly into some stacked containers.
Thor slides across the floor on one knee and one leg out. He wipes a little blood from his nose.
Y/N slides along his back and simultaneously flips over to his feet in a crouched position, "Aw, does my little brother have a boo-boo?"
The Hulk roars and Thor looks over to Y/N, grinning, and raises his hand.
Mjolnir comes flying through the docking area and Thor catches it just as the Hulk charges through. As soon as he's close, Thor hits him on the jaw, sending him into a plane.
Hulk gets up and rips the wing off the plane, flinging it at them. Thor ducks, causing the wing to hit Y/N, who smacks it midair into a jeep.
Thor throws Mjolnir.
The Hulk catches the hammer but is pulled backwards. He tries to lift the hammer but cannot. Thor knees him in the face as he tries.
Y/N picks up Mjolnir and wraps his arms around the Hulk's neck. Thor jumps on as well.
Hulks tries swinging them off and jumps.
The three of them crash through the floor of the Wishbone lab. Thor and Y/N lay on the ground a few feet apart. Thor looks up, and Hulk grabs him by the throat.
__________
Iron Man saws off pieces of debris with a laser. He jumps on them, knocking them off the rotors.
A pair of Loki's men engage Steve, one throws a grenade. Cap jumps into the air and slaps it away.
He land back on the carrier and fights them off, standing close to the lever. He ends up throwing one of the men off.
Steve jumps onto a catwalk, picks up a machine gun, and begins firing at the last man.
__________
Fury is shooting at enemies in the bridge, "They are not getting through here, so what the-"
From above, Clint Barton fires arrows and they explode a few Agents. He fires another which hits the control panel.
Fury sees him and begins to shoot, while the arrow, having hit a plug, hacks the helicarrier systems, causing a second engine to malfunction.
A voice is heard over the intercom, "Engine One is now in shutdown."
The helicarrier tilts dangerously. Everyone in the bridge begins rolling.
__________
Iron Man is trying to push the rotor when he hears, "Stark, we're losing altitude."
"Yep, noticed."
Iron Man flies in between the rotors and begins to push, slowly picking up speed as sparks fly. Cap is forced over the edge by a gunman and falls, almost dropping off the carrier, hanging on by a wire.
__________
Hulk throws Thor on the ground and repeatedly sends blow after blow.
Y/N quickly stands, a few feet away from them.
Tony speaks over his earpiece, "Y/N, If you could buy me a little time here, that'd be nice!"
"Uh," Y/N looks at Hulk as he continues punching Thor in the destroyed lab then looks behind them, "Ah, Shit. Give me a minute!"
Y/N crouches down a bit into a runners stance. He cracks his neck and twists his back a bit before letting out a breath.
Then he runs.
Hulks punches slow down. And Y/N gets closer.
Just as Hulk is about to hit Thor again, Y/N runs into Hulk sending them both out the now broken window.
Thor stands, looking out the window as they fall.
__________
Barton is walking along a passage catwalk.
Natasha appears behind him and he quickly turns and shoots a bow, which flies by her.
She pushes his hand.
He charges her and she kicks him, then rolls underneath some pipes, popping up on the other side of the catwalk, kicking him in the knee. He shoots another arrow, which she dodges by dropping across to the next passage.
Barton follows her. They fight along that catwalk. The fight is very even.
Barton tries hitting her with the bow and she pulls on the string. They fight some more, headbutting and punching.
They both pull daggers.
__________
Thor runs into the room where Loki's contained. He sees the door slide up and runs over to Loki, only to go straight through him.
Loki reappears behind him and closes the door, locking Thor inside.
"Are you ever not going to fall for that?," Loki taunts.
Thor his the cage with his hammer, the cage cracks but it begins to shake off the bolts and shudders.
Loki continues, "The humans think us immortal. Shall we test that?"
Loki moves to open the chute beneath the cell, dropping Thor to, what for any regular person, would be certain death.
Coulson suddenly appears, wielding a large prototype Phase Two weapon, "Move away please."
Loki steps back from the panel.
Coulson gestures to the gun, "Do you like this? We started working on the prototype after you sent the Destroyer. Even I don't know what it does. Do you wanna find out?"
Coulson prepares to fire the weapon when Loki disappears, reappearing behind him and thrusting the point of his scepter through Coulson's chest.
He yells and drops to the floor.
"NOO!!," Thor yells.
Loki slowly returns to the panel, opening the chute and pressing the button which sends the cell, and Thor, falling from the ship.
Coulson is slumped on the floor and Loki turns to leave.
"You're going to lose," Coulson tells him.
"Am I?"
"It's in your nature," He explains.
"Your heroes are scattered, your floating fortress falls from the sky. Where is my disadvantage?"
"...You lack conviction."
"I don't think I-"
Coulson fires the weapon, which shoots a blast of fire similar to that of the Destroyer, sending Loki flying through a wall.
"So that's what it does."
__________
Hulk and Y/N are barreling through the sky.
The two were exchanging punches back and forth. Both getting angrier.
And the angrier either gets, the stronger they get. Hulk grabs onto his throat and repeatedly punches him in the face.
"Y/N! Anytime would be amazing!," He hears Tony yell over comms.
Y/N tries to speak between hits, "Just.. Give.. Me.. A.. Sec"
When Hulk goes to hit again, Y/N holds his fist back. Hulk headbutts him, sending him reeling a bit. But he just reels his head back and headbutts harder.
This causes the Hulk to release his grip. Y/N spins Hulk around so he's facing downward as they fall.
Hull tries to reach back at him but can't due to his arms being to big.
Y/N crouches down as he holds onto his backside, "Sorry, bout this big guy."
He kicks off the Hulks back, sending them both flying in different directions. Hulk goes faster downward and Y/N goes soaring up.
When he reaches back up to the Helicarrier, he flies to the underside as it's tilting. He looks over at the failing engines and thinks quickly.
"Uh, Tony. I got an idea that might give you time," he yells.
Tony yells back over comms, "Whatever you got, just do it!"
Y/N flies upward, pressing against the Helicarrier. It starts shifting so it's no longer tilted.
It slowly stops falling and starts moving back upward.
A huge man shaped dent is formed as Y/N continues pushing.
__________
Natasha and Barton are still fighting.
Natasha grabs Barton's arm and thrusts it back. He groans as he throws the dagger to his free hand.
Natasha grabs that hand too but he hoists her against a wall.
Barton grabs Natasha's hair and pulls, exposing her neck to his dagger.
Romanoff sinks her teeth into his arm and he lets go, trying to force her down when she spins, throwing Barton into the railing.
He falls to the ground, groaning, then looks up.
"Natasha?," He asks.
She sends him a left hook to the jaw. He slouches down, knocked out cold.
__________
Iron Man is attempting to kick start the engine by manually moving the huge rotors.
He's pushing the blades, flying faster and faster until they start spinning on their own.
"Cap hit the lever!," he yells
Cap still hangs from the side of the ship by a power cord.
"I need a minute here!"
"Lever! Now!"
Cap hauls himself up.
Iron Man is pushed back up against one of the rotors, now spinning too fast for him to escape, "Uh-oh."
Iron Man is sucked into the blades and is spun wildly around.
A soft, "Help!" is heard from Tony before Cap manages to pull the lever and he is able to flyout.
He manages to right himself and flies back to the ship, taking out the gunman shooting at Cap.
By landing on top of him.
__________
Coulson is still slumped on the floor with the gun in his lap.
Fury enters and kneels down by him.
"I'm sorry boss. The guy rabbited," Coulson manages to get out.
"Just stay awake. Eyes on me."
"Oh I'm clockin' out here."
"Not an option."
A few seconds go by before Coulson says, "It's okay, boss. This was never gonna work.. if they didn't have something- to.."
His breathing halts and Fury stands to let the medical team through.
He leans against the railing on says into his earpiece, "Agent Coulson is down."
"A medical team is on its way to your location," Steve tells him.
But Fury tells him, "They're here. They called it."
The Helicarrier is jerked upward quickly for a moment.
____________________