I couldn't believe it. S.H.I.E.L.D. has been using the cube to make weapons this entire time. They're just as bad as Hydra when Schmidt attempted to do it. Don't they know that this isn't smart? That this is dangerous? I mean, it turned Schmidt into a power-crazed man, thinking it was the Gods speaking to him. Look where that got him.
Steve and I were walking down the hallway, heading straight for the lab. Steve was carrying a Phase 2 gun in his hand and he seemed more determined to have to talk with Fury. As we entered the lab, I saw Tony and Bruce gathered near Loki's scepter and Fury was standing in front of the table.
"What is Phase 2?" Tony asked Fury. Steve walked to a nearby table and dropped the gun onto it, causing everyone to direct their attention on us.
"Phase 2 is S.H.I.E.L.D. uses the cube to make weapons." Steve said. I glanced over at Tony.
"Sorry, computer was movie a little slow for us." I added.
"Rogers, Thomson, we gathered everything related to the Tesseract." Fury walked to the table and glanced at the gun. "This does not mean that we're making-" He was cut off by Tony.
"I'm sorry, Nick." Tony turned the computer screen towards us and it revealed S.H.I.E.L.D.'s plans to in fact, create weapons powered by the cube. "What were you lying?" He asked sarcastically.
"We were wrong, Director. The world hasn't changed a bit." Steve said. I heard the door open and I glanced over at Thor and Romanoff as they walked in.
"Did you know about this?" Bruce asked Romanoff.
"You want to think about removing yourself from this environment, Doctor?" She asked him.
"I was in Calcutta. I was pretty well removed." He said as he chuckled humorlessly.
"Loki is manipulating you." She said as she took a step towards him.
"And you've been doing what, exactly?" He asked sarcastically.
"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." He said as he walked to the computer screen and pointed at it. "I'd like to know why S.H.I.E.L.D. is using the Tesseract to build weapons of mass destruction".
"Because of him." Fury said as he pointed to Thor.
Thor pointed to himself, "me?" He asked.
"Last year, Earth had a visitor from another planet who had a grudge match that leveled a small town. We learned that not only are we not alone, but we are hopelessly, hilariously, outgunned". Fury said.
"My people want nothing but peace with your planet." Thor defended.
"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, that can't be controlled." Fury pleaded his case.
"Like you controlled the cube?" Steve asked.
"Schmidt did the same thing, and look where that got him. He's dead, along with his beloved Hydra." I added.
"Your work with the Tesseract is what drew Loki to it, and his allies. It is a signal to all the realms that the Earth is ready for a high form of war." Thor said.
"A higher form?" Steve questioned.
"You forced our hand. We had to come up with something." Fury defended.
"A nuclear deterrent. Because that always calms everything right down." Tony said sarcastically.
"Reminded me again how you made your fortune, Stark." Fury said.
"I'm sure if he still made weapons, Stark would be neck-deep-" Steve was cut off by Tony.
"Hold on." Tony began as he walked towards Steve and I. "How is this now about me?" He asked.
"I'm sorry, isn't everything?" I jumped in.
"I thought humans were more evolved than this." Thor commented.
Excuse me, did we come to your planet and blow stuff up?" Fury argued with Thor. There was constant bickering around the room. There was a mention about how S.H.I.E.L.D. monitors threats, and Steve and I happened to be on that list, and that's when things went downhill between Tony and Steve.
"Stark, so help me God, if you make one more wisecrack." Steve warned Tony.
"Threat! Verbal threat! I feel threatened." He said.
"Show some respect." I told Tony.
"Respect what?" He asked.
"Your superiors! Since day one, you've been nothing but a disrespectful, pain in the-"
"Danielle!" He called, just before I could finish saying what I wanted to tell Tony for a while. He then pulled me away from Tony.
"You should really keep a tight grip on your icicle girlfriend, Captain." Tony said. Steve looked as if he took that offensively.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!" Steve yelled as he became more and more annoyed by Tony's insults.
"You know exactly what." Tony challenged him. Steve looked like he was ready to hurt Tony, and now it was my turn to hold him back.
"You speak of control, yet you court chaos." Thor pointed out.
"That's his M.O., isn't it? I mean, what are we, a team? No, no, we're a chemical mixture that makes chaos. We're a time bomb." Bruce said. Fury started towards Bruce.
"You need to step away." Fury told him.
"Why shouldn't the guy let off a little steam?" Tony asked as he placed his hand on Steve's shoulder. Steve quickly swiped it away.
"You know damn well why. Back off!" Steve yelled at Tony.
"I'm starting to want you to make me." He challenged Steve.
"Yeah. Big man in a suit of armor," Steve began as he circled Tony. He then got into Tony's face. "Take that off, what are you?"
"Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist." He easily listed.
"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." He said, the anger in his voice slightly rising.
"I think I would just cut the wire." He said nonchalantly.
"Always a way out. You might not be a threat, but you better stop pretending to be a hero." Steve continued.
"A hero? Like you? You're a laboratory experiment, Rogers." Tony then glanced at me. "The same to you, Thomson." He added as he glanced back at Steve. "Everything special about you came out of a bottle." He said as he got into Steve's face. Steve slightly smirked.
"Put on the suit. Let's go a few rounds." Steve challenged him. Thor then began laughing.
"You people are so petty...and tiny." Thor commented.
"Yeah, this is a team." Bruce said sarcastically.
"Agent Romanoff, would you escort Dr. banner back to his-" Fury was cut off by Bruce.
"Where? You rented my room." He said, referring to the cell that was now holding Loki.
"The cell was just in case-" Fury was cut off again.
"In case you needed to kill me. But you can't, I know, I tried." He said. Everyone went silent and looked at Bruce. I couldn't understand why he'd try to kill himself when he has so much to be proud of. "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." Bruce then grabbed the scepter and held it in his hand as he continued to speak.
"You want to know my secret, Agent Romanoff? You want to know how I stay calm?" He asked. I tensed up as I looked at the scepter in his hand and the anger on his face.
"Dr. Banner, put down the scepter." Steve told him. He then looked at his hand and he was confused on how he started holding the scepter. Then, there was beeping from a computer and Bruce placed the scepter down and went to check the computer.
"You located the Tessereact?" Thor asked.
"I could get there faster." Tony said.
"The Tesseract belongs on Asgard. No human is a match for it." Thor boomed. Tony tried leaving the lab, and Steve grabbed his arm to stop him.
"You're not going alone." He said. Tony slapped his hand away.
"You're not gonna stop me." Tony challenged.
"Put on the suit, let's find out." Steve challenged him as they got into each other's faces.
"I'm not afraid to hit an old man." Tony insulted.
"Put on the suit." Steve said through gritted teeth. I tried to push them apart from each other, when there was a sudden blast, which sent me crashing into Steve and then hitting the floor.