Helicarrier

Fury was interrogating Loki, who was being held in a large glass cell.

Fury: (walking towards a control panel) In case it's unclear, if you try to escape, if you so much as scratch that glass...

He presses a series of buttons before pressing a red button, opening the hatch below the cell as strong winds came from it.

Fury: 30,000 feet straight down in a steel trap. You get how that works?

He closes the hatch.

Fury: (gestures to Loki's cell) Ant, (gestures to the control panel) boot.

Loki: (laughs) It's an impressive cage. Not built, I think, for me.

Fury: Built for something a lot stronger than you.

Loki: Oh, I've heard.

He looks at a nearby camera, knowing that his captors are watching him.

Meanwhile, Aaron, Bobbi, Steve, Natasha, Thor, and Bruce were watching the interrogation from a table on the bridge.

Everyone but Thor and Bruce were seated as the interrogation unfolded.

Loki: (on camera) A mindless beast. Make play he's still a man. (turns to Fury) How desperate are you, that you call on such lost creatures to defend you?

Fury: (on camera) How desperate am I? (walks closer to Loki) You threaten my world with war. You steal a force you can't hope to control. You talk about peace, and you kill because it's fun. You have made me very desperate. You might be glad that you did.

Loki: (on camera) Ooh. It burns you to have come so close. To have the Tesseract, to have power, unlimited power. And for what? (smiles then turns to the camera) A warm light for all mankind to share. (turns to Fury) And then to be reminded what real power is.

Fury: (on camera) (walks away) Well, let me know if "real power" wants a magazine or something.

Loki walks to the camera and stares at it before the feed cuts off.

Bruce: He really grows on you, doesn't he?

Steve: Loki's gonna drag this out. So, (looks to Thor) Thor, what's his play?

Thor: He has an army called the Chitauri. (turns to Steve) They're no 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.

Steve: An army...from outer space.

Bobbi: (sighs) I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't this.

Bruce: So, he's building another portal.

Aaron: Would explain why he took Erik Selvig.

Thor: (turns to Aaron) Selvig?

Aaron: He's a renowned astrophysicist.

Thor: He's a friend.

Natasha: Loki has him under some kind of spell, along with one of ours.

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

Bobbi: Which means he's planning something.

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

Thor: Have care how you speak. Loki is beyond reason, but he is of Asgard. And he is my brother.

Natasha: He killed 80 people in 2 days.

Thor: He's adopted.

Aaron: Adopted or not, he's got a superiority complex and a big ego. That's a dangerous combination, if you ask me.

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

???: It's a stabilizing agent.

They turn to see Tony, without his armor, walking towards them with Coulson following. He mutters something to Coulson before they part.

Tony: It means the portal won't collapse on itself like it did at S.H.I.E.L.D. (looks at Thor) No hard feelings, Point Break, you got a mean swing. (pats Thor's arm) Also, it means the portal can open as wide and stay open as long as Loki wants.

He walks to the center platform and start messing around.

Tony: Raise the mizzenmast. Jib the topsails. (points to a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent) That man is playing Galaga! Thought we wouldn't notice, but we did. (covers his left eye with his hand then turns to Hill) How does Fury even see these?

Hill: He turns.

Tony: Sounds exhausting. The rest of the raw materials, Agent Barton can his hands on pretty easily. The only major component he still needs is a power source of high-energy density. Something to kick-start the Cube.

Hill: When did you become an expert in thermonuclear astrophysics?

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

Steve: Does Loki need any particular kind of power source?

Aaron: He'd have to heat up the Tesseract to 120 million Kelvin just to break through the Coulomb barrier.

Tony: Unless Selvig has figured out how to stabilize the quantum tunneling effect.

Bruce: Well, if he could do that, he could achieve heavy ion fusion at any reactor on the planet.

Tony: Finally, (gestures to Aaron and Bruce) people who speak English.

Steve: (confused) Is that what just happened.

Aaron got up from his chair and shook Tony's hand.

Tony: Good to meet the man behind the mask, Aaron. I'm sorry about...what happened in '08.

Aaron: Water under the bridge, Mr. Stark. Beside, a lot of good came out of it, didn't it?

Tony nods as he walked to Bruce and shook his hand.

Tony: It's good to meet you, Dr. Banner. Your work on antielectron collision is unparalleled. And I'm a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous green rage monster.

Bruce: ...Thanks.

Fury: (walks in) Dr. Banner is only here to track the Cube. I was hoping you might join him like O'Connor did.

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

Aaron: "Any sufficiently analyzed magic is indistinguishable from science." Arthur C. Clarke.

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

Thor: (confused) Monkeys? I do not understand.

Steve: I do!

Tony rolled his eyes

Steve: I understood that reference.

Aaron: (chuckles) Damn, you're old.

Tony: (turns to Bruce) Shall we play, Doctor?

Bruce: (gestures ahead) This way, sir.

Tony: (turns to Aaron) You coming, Speedy Gonzales?

Aaron walks to towards them, but someone grabbed his hand. He turned around to see Bobbi holding his hand.

Aaron: (turns to Tony and Bruce) You guys go ahead. I'll be there in a minute.

They nod before leaving the bridge.

Aaron: (turns to Bobbi) What's up?

Bobbi: Just...Be careful with that scepter, okay?

Aaron: I will...How you feeling?

Bobbi: Like shit's about to hit the fan.

Aaron: Yeah, I kinda feel that too. Especially with him on board.

Bobbi: (nods) Just be careful, okay?

Aaron: (puts his hand on Bobbi's shoulder) Will do.

He leaves the bridge and joins Tony and Bruce in the lab. He sees Bruce scanning the scepter.

Bruce: The gamma readings are definitely consistent with Selvig's report of the Tesseract.

Aaron: So, it's like, same product, different flavor?

Bruce: Pretty much. But it's going to take weeks to process.

Tony: If we bypass their mainframe, and direct route to the Homer cluster, we can clock this at around 600 teraflops.

Aaron: (chuckles) All I got is a cheap laptop and my old suit.

Bruce: You were more prepared than I am, kid. All I packed was a toothbrush.

Tony: You know, you two should come by Stark Tower sometime. Top ten floors, all R&D. You'd love it. It's Candy Land.

Aaron: I'll take your word for it.

Bruce: Thanks, but the last time I was in New York, I kind of broke Harlem.

Tony: Well, I promise a stress-free environment. No tension, no surprises.

He pokes Bruce with a needle-like device, which sent an electric shock.

Bruce: OW!

Aaron: (jumps) DUDE!

Just then, Steve walked into the lab.

Steve: HEY!

Tony: (to Bruce) Nothing?

Steve: Are you nuts?

Tony: (turns to Steve) Jury's out. (turns to Bruce) You really have a lid on it, haven't you? What's your secret? Mellow jazz, bongo drums, huge bag of weed?

Aaron: I don't care, as long as the other guy doesn't come out to play!

Steve: Is everything a joke to you?

Tony: Funny things are.

Steve: Threatening the safety of everyone on this ship isn't funny. (turns to Bruce) No offence, Doc.

Bruce: It's all right, I wouldn't have to come aboard if I couldn't handle pointy things.

Tony: (points to Bruce) You're tip-toeing, big man. You need to strut.

Steve: And you need to focus on the problem, Mr. Stark.

Tony: Do you think I'm not? Why did Fury call us in? Why now? Why not before? What isn't he telling us? I can't do the equation unless I have all the variables.

Steve: You think Fury's hiding something?

Tony: He's a spy. Captain, he the spy. His secrets have secrets. (eats some blueberries then points to Bruce and Aaron) It's bugging them, too. (turns to Bruce) Isn't it?

Bruce: I.....I just want to finish my work here, and...

Steve: Doctor? O'Connor?

Bruce: (sighs) "A warm light for all mankind." Loki's jab at Fury about the Cube.

Steve: I heard it.

Bruce: (points at Tony) I think that was meant for you. (take some blueberries from Tony) Even if Barton didn't tell Loki about the Tower, it was still all over the news.

Steve: Stark Tower? That big ugly...

Tony: (looks at Steve with an offended look)

Steve: ...Building in New York?

Aaron: It's powered by an arc reactor, a self-sustaining energy source, like the one that gave me my powers four years ago. That building will run itself for like, what, a year?

Tony: It's just the prototype. (turns to Steve) I'm kind of the only name in clean energy right now. That's what he's getting at.

Bruce: So, why didn't S.H.I.E.L.D. bring him in on the Tesseract project? What were they doing in the energy business in the first place?

Aaron: And why bring me in, anyway? I may have powers, and I may be able to keep up with Banner and Stark intellectually, but I'm still 16.

Tony: I should probably look into that once my decryption program finishes breaking into all of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s secure files.

Steve: I'm sorry. Did you say-

Tony: JARVIS has been running it since I hit the bridge. In a few hours, I'll know every dirty secret S.H.I.E.L.D. has ever tried to hide. (extends packet of blueberries to Steve) Blueberry?

Steve: Yet you're confused about why they didn't want you around.

Tony: An intelligence organization that fears intelligence? Historically, not awesome.

Steve: I think Loki's trying to wind us up. This is a man who means to start a war, and if we lose focus, he'll succeed. We have orders. We should follow them.

Tony: Following's not really my style. (eats a blueberry)

Steve: And you're all about style, aren't you?

Tony: Of the people in this room, which one is A) wearing a spangly outfit, and B) not of use?

Aaron: Cap. Tell me none of this smells a little fishy to you.

Steve: ...Just find the Cube

He leaves the lab, already having suspicions.

Tony: That's the guy my dad never shut up about? I'm wondering if they shouldn't have kept him on ice.

Aaron: Well, hate him all you want, Mr. Stark, but he's not wrong about Loki.

Bruce: He does have the jump on us.

Tony: What he's got is an ACME dynamite kit. It's gonna blow up in his face. And I'm gonna be there when it does.

Bruce: Yeah. I'll read all about it.

Tony: Mhm. Or you'll be suiting up with the rest of us.

Bruce: (chuckles) You see, I don't get a suit of armor or super-speed. I'm exposed. Like a nerve. It's a nightmare.

Tony: I've got a cluster of shrapnel trying every second to crawl its way into my heart. (taps his mini arc reactor) This stop it. (walks towards Bruce) This little circle of light, it's a part of me now, just like the kid's speed. Not just armor. It's a terrible privilege.

Bruce: But you both can control it.

Aaron: Because we learned how.

Bruce: It's different.

Tony: Hey, I've read all about your accident. That much gamma exposure should've killed you.

Bruce: So you're saying that the Hulk...The other guy saved my life? That's nice. It's a nice sentiment. Saved it for what?

Tony: I guess we'll find out. (turns to Aaron) Same thing goes for you, Aaron. People can survive a regular lightning strike, but the one that hit you was anything but regular. You got lucky enough to end up in a coma, but to have superpowers as well? Wow.

Aaron: So, you're saying that the lightning chose me?

Tony: (nods)

Aaron: Well, if that was the case, I think I already know the answer as to why it did.

Tony: Yeah? and why's that?

Aaron: To be a symbol of hope. To help the little guys when others wouldn't or couldn't.

Tony: (chuckles) It's a good answer.

He walks back to his workstation.

Tony: Oh, I forgot to ask, what's up with you and that agent? Bobbi, was it?

Aaron: Nothing's up with me and her.

Tony: (smirks) Sure.

Timeskip

Natasha was rushing to the lab. She had just interrogated Loki and found out that he plans to unleash the Hulk onto the Helicarrier.

On the way there, she picked up Bobbi and Thor.

Meanwhile, Tony, Bruce, and Aaron were chilling in the lab when Fury walked in.

Fury: What are you doing, Mr. Stark?

Tony: Uh, kind of been wondering the same thing about you.

Fury: You're supposed to be locating the Tesseract.

Aaron: We are. The model's locked and we're sweeping for the signature now. All we got to do now is wait until we get a hit.

Bruce: And when we do, (points to the computer) we'll have the signature within half a mile.

Tony: Yeah, then you get your Cube back. No muss, no fuss. (screen pings as he looks at it) What is "Phase 2?"

Steve walks into the lab and bangs a weapon similar to HYDRA's on the table.

Steve: Phase 2 is S.H.I.E.L.D. uses the Cube to make weapons. (turns to Tony) Sorry, computer was running a little slow for me.

Fury: Rogers, we gathered everything related to the Tesseract. This does not mean that we're making-

Tony: I'm sorry, Nick. What were you lying?

He turns the screen to reveal schematics of a Tesserract-powered warhead.

Steve: I was wrong, Director. The world hasn't changed a bit.

Just then, Natasha, Bobbi, and Thor walked into the lab.

Aaron: (points to the screen) Did you know about this?

Bobbi: (turns to the screen, then back to Aaron) Of course, not.

Natasha: (to Bruce) You want to think about removing yourself from this environment, Doctor?

Bruce: (chuckles) I was in Calcutta. I was pretty far removed.

Natasha: Loki is manipulating you.

Bruce: And you've been doing what, exactly?

Natasha: You didn't come here because I bat my eyelashes at you.

Bruce: Yes, and I'm not leaving because suddenly you get a little twitchy. (point to the screen) I'd like to know why S.H.I.E.L.D. is using the Tesseract to build weapons of mass destruction.

Fury: (points to Thor and Aaron) Because of them.

Thor: (confused) Me?

Aaron: (confused) I'm sorry, what?

Fury: Last year, Earth had a visitor from another planet who had a grudge match that levelled a small down. We learned that not only are we not alone, but we are hopelessly and hilariously outgunned. And that's only what's up there, but let's not forget about what's down here. (points to Aaron) A teenager who has the power to tear down the world in seconds is something I'd much rather keep a very close eye on.

Aaron: I've been using my powers to help innocent people for the last three years.

Thor: My people want nothing but peace with your planet.

Fury: (turns to Thor) But you're not the only people out there, are you? (turns to Aaron) And you may not be the only enhanced individual on Earth. And you're not the only threat. The world's filling up with people who can't be matched. That can't be controlled.

Steve: Like you controlled the Cube?

Thor: 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 higher form of war.

Aaron: Higher form?

Fury: You forced our hand. We had to come up with something.

Tony: (sarcastically) A nuclear deterrent. Because that always calms everything right down.

Fury: (turns to Tony) Remind me again how you made your fortune, Stark.

Steve: I'm sure if he still made weapons, Stark would be neck-deep-

Tony: Wait, wait, hold on. How is this now about me?

Steve: I'm sorry, isn't everything?

Thor: I thought humans were more evolved than this.

Fury: (turns to Thor) Excuse me, did we come to your planet and blow stuff up?

Thor: You treat your champions with such mistrust.

Natasha: Are you boys really that naïve? S.H.I.E.L.D. monitors potential threats.

Aaron: What, so Captain America's on threat watch?

Bobbi: We all are.

Tony: (to Steve) Wait, you're on that list? Are you above or below angry bees?

Steve: Stark, so help me God, if you make one more wisecrack...

Tony: Threat! Verbal threat. I feel threatened.

Steve: Show some respect.

Tony: Respect what?

They continued arguing amongst each other, unaware that the scepter is humming.

Thor: (to Fury) You speak of control , yet you court chaos. (gestures to Aaron) You would even go so far as to send a child to fight your battles!

Aaron: I'm not a child, Goldilocks. Not everyone here is over 2,000 years old.

Bruce: That's his M.O., 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.

Fury: You need to step away.

Tony: (puts his hand on Steve's shoulder) Why shouldn't the guy let off a little steam?

Steve: (knocks Tony's hand away) You know damn well why. Back off!

Tony: Oh, I'm starting to want you to make me.

Steve: Yeah. Big man in a suit of armor. Take that off, what are you?

Tony: Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist.

Natasha made a face that said "not bad."

Steve: 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.

Tony: I think I would just cut the wire.

Steve: (smirks) Always a way out. You know, you may not a threat, but you better stop pretending to be a hero.

Tony: A hero? Like you? You're a laboratory experiment, Rogers. Everything special came out of a bottle.

Aaron: Guys, let's not-

Tony: (turns to Aaron) You're in way over your head, kid. You're just an accident, nothing more, nothing less.

Aaron: One that you created, you ass!

Bobbi: (puts her hand on Aaron's shoulder) Don't.

Steve: ...Put on the suit. Let's go a few rounds.

Thor: (laughs) You people are so petty and tiny

Bruce: (sarcastically) Yeah, this is a team.

Fury: Agent Romanoff, Agent Morse, would you escort Dr. Banner back to his-

Bruce: Where? You rented my room.

Fury: The cell was just in case-

Bruce: In case you needed to kill me. But you can't. I know, I tried.

The room fell silent.

Bruce: 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 people. I was good. Until you dragged me back into this freak show and put everyone here at risk. (turns to Natasha) You want to know my secret, Agent Romanoff? You want to know how I stay calm?

(A/N: NOBODY TALKS ABOUT THIS!!!)

Everyone in the room noticed that Banner was holding the scepter. Both Fury and Natasha put their hands on their guns, Bobbi put her hands near her batons on her back, and Aaron started to spark electricity in his hands.

Aaron: Dr. Banner. Put down the scepter.

Bruce looked down to see that we was holding the scepter, but he looked like he didn't even notice that he was holding it.

Suddenly, the computer pinged.

Tony: Got it.

Bruce: (puts the scepter on the table) Sorry, kids, you don't get to see my party trick after all.

Thor: You located the Tesseract?

Tony: I can get there fastest.

Aaron: (chuckles) Get me on solid ground, and I'll grab it and go in 4 seconds.

Thor: The Tesseract belongs on Asgard. No human is a match for it.

Bobbi: Agreed.

Steve: (grabs Tony's arm) You're got going alone.

Tony: (swats Steve's hand away) You're gonna stop me?

Steve: Put on the suit, let's find out.

Tony: I'm not afraid to hit an old man.

Steve: Put on the suit.

Bruce: (looking at the computer) Oh my God.

Aaron: What?

Before Bruce can respond, one of the turbines exploded outside, causing a chain reaction that lead to the lab exploding.

Natasha and Bruce were forced out of the window onto the lower floor, with a large metallic pipes pinning Natasha's legs.

Fury and Bobbi were forced to the back of the lab.

Steve and Tony were forced near one of the doors, while Aaron and Thor ended up near the other.

Steve: (to Tony) Put on the suit.

Tony: Yep.

They both get up and run of the door.

Aaron: (gets up) Bobbi, you okay?

Bobbi: Yeah, I'm good.

Aaron walked to the broken window and looked down to see Natasha and Bruce below.

Aaron: Natasha! Bruce! You guys okay?

Natasha: We're okay!

Aaron looked to Bruce, who seems to be struggling.

Aaron: (widens his eyes) Shit! (turns to Thor) We need to get down there now!

Thor: Why?

Aaron: Because the Hulk's coming out to play, and I can't take him alone. You coming with?

Thor nods as he and Aaron run out of the door.