INT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE - DAY
Steve, Ben and Tony listened in as well.
"They called it," Fury said.
INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE - LATER
Fury gathered Tony, Ben and Steve back into the briefing room; everyone there had a look as if in a daze. A look of numb shock was on their devastated faces.
"These were in Phil Coulson's jacket," Fury said. "Guess he never did get you to sign them." Fury threw Coulson's Captain America trading cards on the table towards Steve. Steve picked up the bloodstained cards.
Fury continued. "We're dead in the air up here. Our communications, location of the cube, Banner, Thor. I got nothing for you. Lost my one good eye. Maybe I had that coming." He paused a beat."Yes, we were going to build an arsenal with the Tesseract. I never put all my chips on that number though, because I was playing something even riskier. There was an idea, Stark knows this, called The Avengers Initiative. The idea was to bring together a group of remarkable people, see if they could become something more. See if they could work together when we needed them to, to fight the battles that we never could. Phil Coulson died still believing in that idea, in heroes." Tony got up and walked off, not wanting to hear any more. "Well, it's an old-fashioned notion."
After a moment, Ben followed his father.
EXT. MEADOW
Thor walked out far into the meadow. He looked down to see Mjölnir.
INT. ABANDONED BUILDING
Bruce woke up, in human form. He looked around and saw he was in a pile of rubble and looked up at the open ceiling he crashed in. He was completely naked. A security guard stood there, amazed.
"You fell out of the sky," the security guard said.
Bruce, coming to, asked, "Did I hurt anybody?"
"There's nobody around here to get hurt. You did scare the hell out of some pigeons though."
"Lucky."
"Or just good aim. You were awake when you fell."
"You saw?"
"The whole thing, right through the ceiling. Big and green and buck ass nude. Here..." He threw Bruce a pair of big pants. Bruce pulled on his pants. "I didn't think those would fit you until you shrunk down to a regular size fella."
"Thank you."
"Are you an alien?"
"What?"
"From outer space, an alien?"
"No."
"Well then, son, you've got a condition."
INT. HELICARRIER MEDICAL ROOM
Clint was strapped down. Natasha watched over him as Clint tried to shake off Loki's mind control.
"Clint, you're gonna be all right," Natasha told him.
"You know that?" Clint asked. "Is that what you know? I got... I gotta go in though. I gotta flush him out."
"We don't have that long, it's gonna take time."
"I don't understand. Have you ever had someone take your brain and play? Pull you out and send something else in? Do you know what it's like to be unmade?"
"You know that I do."
"Why am I back? How did you get him out?"
"Cognitive recalibration. I hit you really hard in the head."
"Thanks." Natasha unfastened the restraints. "Tasha, how many agents?"
"Don't. Don't do that to yourself, Clint. This is Loki. This is monsters and magic and nothing we were ever trained for."
"Loki, he got away?"
"Yeah. I don't suppose you know where?"
"I didn't need to know. I didn't ask. He's gonna make his play soon though. Today."
"We gotta stop him."
"Yeah? Who's we?"
"I don't know. Whoever's left."
"Well, if I put an arrow in Loki's eye socket, I'd sleep better I suppose."
"Now you sound like you." She sat next to her partner and friend.
"But you don't. You're a spy, not a soldier. Now you want to wade into a war. Why? What did Loki do to you?"
"He didn't, I just..." She paused.
"Natasha."
"I've been compromised. I got red in my ledger. I'd like to wipe it out."
INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION
Tony and Ben looked at the empty cell container. They stood not saying a word.
Steve walked in and asked, "Was he married?"
"No," Tony replied. "There was a uh... cellist, I think."
"I'm sorry. He seemed like a good man."
"He was an idiot."
"Why? For believing?"
"For taking on Loki without more backup," Ben answered bluntly.
"He was doing his job."
"He was out of his league. He should have waited. He should have..." Tony trailed.
"Sometimes there isn't a way out, Tony."
Tony walked away. "Right. How did that work for him?"
"Is this the first time you've lost a soldier?"
Tony turned around sharply. "We are not soldiers! I am not marching to Fury's fife!"
"He's got the same blood on his hands as Loki does. Right now we've got to put that aside and get this done. Now Loki needs a power source, if we can put together a list..."
Tony and Ben looked at the bloodstained wall. "He made it personal."
"That's not the point."
"That is the point," Tony said. "That's Loki's point. He hit us all right where we live. Why?"
"To tear us apart."
"He had to conquer his greed, but he knows he has to take us out to win, right? That's what he wants. He wants to beat us and he wants to be seen doing it. He wants an audience."
"Right, I caught his act at Stuttengard."
"Yeah," Tony agreed. "That's just a preview, this is opening night. Loki's a full-tilt diva. He wants flowers, he wants parades, he wants a monument built in the skies with his name plastered..." He paused. "Son of a bitch!"
Ben frowned, then his eyes widened. "Oh shit!"
EXT. STARK TOWER
Selvig worked around the CMS device that had already been set. On the rooftop of Tony's tower.
INT. HELICARRIER MEDICAL ROOM
Steve walked in, in full uniform. Natasha looked at him, unprepared.
"Time to go," Steve said.
"Go where?" Natasha asked.
"I'll tell you on the way. Can you fly one of those jets?"
Clint walked out of the restroom and looked at Steve before saying, "I can."
Steve looked at Natasha and she nodded to confirm Clint was on their side before Steve asked, "You got a suit?"
"Yeah."
"Then suit up."
---
A blinding bolt of lightning struck down from above, colliding on Mjölnir. The explosion was massive.
---
Captain America pulled on his helmet and shield.
Tony and Ben welded their Iron Man and Steel Iron helmets. Light slipped down over Iron Man's and Steel Iron's eye holes.
Black Widow attached a glove gauntlet with her rounds on her wrist. A blue light charged.
Hawkeye slipped on his quiver of arrows.
EXT/INT. QUINJET
Captain America, Black Widow and Hawkeye walked towards and into the Quinjet. A young S.H.I.E.L.D. pilot looked and stood in their way.
"You are not authorized to be here..." the young S.H.I.E.L.D. agent began.
Captain America cut him off. "Son... just don't."
INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE
Fury looked out the window of the ship, contemplating.
Hill walked up to him, knowing and said, "Sir."
"Agent Hill?" Fury questioned.
"Those cards, they were in Coulson's locker, not in his jacket."
"They needed the push." He held Coulson's cards.
A loud noise screeched. Fury looked out to see Iron Man and Steel Iron flying off as well as the Quinjet.
"They found it," Fury said. "Get our communications back up, whatever you have to do. I want eyes on everything."
"Yes, sir," Hill replied.