LANA HAD SOMEHOW, fallen asleep on the way to the helicarrier and was woken up by Natasha when they arrived. Loki was escorted to a cell and they watched what was happening from the bridge.

When the footage stopped Bruce spoke up sarcastically, "He really grows on you doesn't he?"

"Loki's gonna drag this out. So Thor, what's his play?" Steve asked.

"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 return I suspect for the Tesseract," Thor replied.

"An army from outer space," Steve repeated.

"So he's building another portal. That's what he needs Erik Selvig for," Bruce realised.

"Selvig?"

"He's an astrophysicist."

"He's a friend."

"Loki has him under some kind of spell, along with one of ours," Natasha told him with a grave look marring her features.

"I want to know why Loki let us take him. He's not leading an army from here," Steve announced.

"I don't think we should be focusing on Loki. That guy's brain is a bag full of cats. You can smell crazy on him," Bruce insisted.

"Have care, how you speak. Loki is beyond reason, but he is of Asgard. And he's my brother," Thor asserted.

"He killed 80 people in two days," Natasha deadpanned.

"He's adopted," Thor switched causing Lana to suppress a laugh.

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

"It's a stabilizing agent," Tony said coming in with Coulson, they talked quickly before Coulson walked off, "It means the portal won't collapse on itself like it did at S.H.E.I.L.D." Tony rounded over to Thor, "No hard feelings Point Break. You've got a mean swing." He patted him on the arm.

"Also, it means the portal can open as wide and stay open as long as Loki wants," He began to talk to the workers in front of them, "Raise the mizzenmast. Jib the topsails," They looked at him weirdly, "That man is playing Galaga. He thought we wouldn't notice, but we did."

"How does Fury even see these?" He asked.

"He turns," Maria answered.

"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," He tapped around on the screens and placed a small bug on one, "Something to kick start the Cube."

"When did you become an expert in thermonuclear astrophysics?" Maria asked.

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

"Does Loki need any particular kind of power source?" Steve questioned.

"He'd have to heat the Cube to 120-million Kelvin just to break through the Coulomb barrier," Bruce replied.

"Unless Selvig has figured out how to stabilize the quantum tunnelling effect," Tony said.

"Well if he could do that he could achieve heavy-ion fusion at any reactor on the planet," Lana said mindlessly. It was the first time she had spoken up. She had learnt a few useful things in her time with the Red Room.

"How do you know that?" Tony asked.

"I did the reading," Lana lied blankly. Natasha glanced at her knowing how she knew.

"Well finally two people who speak English," Tony commented.

"Is that what just happened?" Steve muttered.

"It's good to meet you, Dr Banner. 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."

"Thanks," Bruce murmured.

"Dr Banner is only here to track the Cube. I was hoping you might join him," Fury entered.

"I would start with that stick of his. It may be magical, but it works an awful lot like a HYDRA weapon," Steve offered.

"I don't know about that, but it is powered by the Cube," Fury told him, "And I would like to know how Loki used it to turn two of the sharpest men I know into his personal flying monkeys."

Thor looked confused, "Monkeys? I do not understand."

"I do," Steve pointed out causing Lana to look down to hide her laughter and Tony to roll his eyes, "I understood that reference." To Lana, the blonde was sort of like a Golden Retriever.

"Shall we play doctor?" Tony asked.

"This way sir," The two exited the room and Lana got up.

"Where are you going?" Natasha asked.

"I'm tired I want a nap," Lana expressed.

"I'm coming. I want to talk to you," Natasha got up and the two walked out.