"Are you okay, Nat?"
The SHIELD mess hall was large and accommodating. Several tables and chairs sat by each other, and hungry personnel silently ate lunch. Off on the back wall stood an extensive buffet with several food choices that were recently made. In the background, we're a team of cooks working hard on tonight's dinner options.
Wanda, Pietro, Sharan, and Natasha sat on a small round table. They each had a small tray of food before them, but Pietro himself had three. Wanda's question caused him to stop eating his turkey and sandwich and look at Natasha. The tray of food in front of her was untouched.
"Oh, yeah. Everything's fine." Natasha looked up from her tray and smiled. But to Wanda, the smile seemed forced. "Why do you ask?"
Sharon took a sip of her orange juice and looked over to Natasha. "We'll find agent Barton soon enough. That guy is tough. I wouldn't worry too much about him."
"Arrow guy?" Pietro asked as he closed his eyes and made a thoughtful expression. "The guy Harvey let trap him all that time ago?"
Natasha chuckled and nodded slightly. "That's the one. I owe him, so I gotta get him back from Lokis control."
"Once we find him, I should be able to remove that mind control Lokis placed on him." Wanda said confidently and reached over to rub Natasha's arm. "If it comes down to it, we can have Harvey find him immediately. His senses have gotten much stronger since last time."
"No, Harvey is needed here to find the Cube. Our systems will pick up Cli-Agent Barton soon enough." Natasha said and ate some of her salad. Wanda couldn't help but smile at Natasha's attitude. She didn't want to admit she was worried for her friend openly. "I have to go. I need to try and get Loki to slip and give anything that could point us to his plans."
["Natasha."] Harvey's voice spoke from Natasha's earpiece. His voice was severe.
"What is it?" Natasha responded. All traces of worry were gone from her face.
["Loki wants to use the Hulk in some way. I think that's his play. We need to secure Doctor Banner immediately. I'm heading there now."] Harvey said.
"Copy that. We're on our way." Natasha took her hand off the earpiece and looked at the others. "Lunchtime is over."
Everyone nodded and stood up. In the blink of an eye, all their trays disappeared, the table glittered, and the aroma of cleaning products could be picked up. Pietro smiled, and everyone began moving quickly.
•••
The small group of four walked into Wishbone Lab and saw Nick, Steve, Tony, and Bruce arguing. They didn't have to travel long because the cafeteria wasn't that far from the lab. Wanda looked around and saw no sign of Harvey, but she did see Thor arrive at the same time as them. Bruce turned his head and stared at Natasha.
"Did you know about this?" Bruce accused Natasha.
Natasha gained a slightly nervous expression. "You wanna think about removing yourself from this environment, doctor?" Bruce laughed and shook his head.
"I was in Calcutta. I was pretty well removed." Bruce said with a sarcastic smile.
Natasha sauntered towards Bruce. "Loki's manipulating you."
"And you've been doing what exactly?" Bruce said and looked at Natasha with an incredulous expression.
"You didn't come here because I bat my eyelashes at you." Natasha said drily.
"Yes, and I'm not leaving because suddenly you get a little twitchy." Bruce walked over to a hanging monitor and pointed at a model of some advanced weapon. "I'd like to know why SHIELD is using the Tesseract to build weapons of mass destruction."
Wanda frowned and looked at her brother. Pietro frowned and felt sweat grow on his brow. The situation was slowly becoming more volatile each second. She turned her head and looked at the lab door for any sign of Harvey. He still hadn't arrived. Wanda sighed and looked at Bruce. If it came down to it, she would try and put him to sleep before he could turn green.
Wanda turned back to the argument and saw Nick pointing at Thor with narrowed eyes. Thor looked skeptical and confused. "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, out-gunned."
"My people want nothing but peace with your planet." Thor said quickly.
"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." Nick said and walked towards Thor before looking at everyone in the room.
"Like you controlled the cube!" Steve said sharply, causing Nick to frown.
Thor walked towards the center of the lab and looked at Nick. "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."
"A higher form?!" Steve asked, confused at the prospect of Thor's words.
"This is growing out of control." Wanda whispered and watched as everyone in the room devolved into a scattered mess of talking and arguing. Wanda looked at Pietro and saw him wince slightly. "Pietro?"
"My head feels… fuzzy. Like when you used to experiment with your illusions on me." Pietro said slowly, and Wanda frowned.
The argument was growing out of control, and Wanda couldn't understand what anyone was trying to say. On the table, she noticed the scepter glowing ominously with power. Wanda's eyes grew in realization that it was the scepter, causing everyone to become more aggravated and hostile.
"Put on the suit. Let's go a few rounds." Steve walked closer to Tony threateningly.
Thor shook his head and laughed. "You people are so petty, and tiny."
"Yeah, this is a team." Bruce said with a sarcastic smile and looked down at the ground. Tony closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead.
Nick said and looked over to Natasha. "Agent Romanoff, would you escort Dr. Banner back to his-"
"WHERE? YOU RENTED MY ROOM!" Bruce looked at Nick with irritation.
"The cell was just-"
"IN CASE YOU NEEDED TO KILL ME. BUT YOU CAN'T, I KNOW, I TRIED!" Bruce yelled and paused when everyone stared 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-"
"Easy there, Doc." Pietro blurred beside Bruce and held his wrist. Bruce looked down in confusion. He was reaching out to the scepter without realizing it. "It's okay."
Bruce stayed silent and shook his head; Pietro nodded and let the older man go. Pietro looked over at Wanda and saw the energy around her hands disappearing. Suddenly, the monitor on the work table beeped, and Bruce wordlessly walked towards it.
"Located the Tesseract?" Thor said and looked at Bruce eagerly.
Pietro walked over to Wanda, and the group argued about who would get to the Cube first. Wanda sighed and rubbed the side of her head. "That was close."
"Yeah, it makes you wonder who the actual adults in the room are." Pietro joked and rubbed Wanda's back. Suddenly, everything around Pietro moved at a snail's pace, and he looked in confusion at the center of the room.
KABOOM
At the last second, Pietro grabbed Wanda, and they were launched back into the outside hallway as a ball of fire pushed everyone in the room off in different directions. Pietro grunted as his body impacted the metal wall, and he and Wanda slid to the ground. He quickly dismissed his pain and checked Wanda.
"Are you okay?!" Pietro asked as they began to stand up. Wanda shook her head and nodded.
"I'm fine." Wanda said and watched Tony and Steve run out of the room and down the hall. The twins ran into the room and saw Nick leaning against the table. The older man was wincing in pain.
"Coulson, initiate a defensive lockdown in the contingent center. Then get to the armory." Nick said and looked over to the twins.
"What's going on?!" Pietro asked and looked around the ruined lab.
"One of our engines just blew up to kingdom come. We're under attack." Nick motioned for the twins to follow him. "You two. Follow me. We have to protect the bridge. We cannot let it fall under enemy control."
Wanda nodded but froze when she didn't see Natasha leave the room. "Wait! Where's Nat?!"
"I'll go look for her!" Pietro said but was stopped when Nick grabbed his shoulder.
"No, Agent Romanov can handle herself. We have to secure the bridge." Nick said seriously, and Wanda glared at the older man. Wanda felt a hand be placed on her shoulder softly. Before she could spin and knock off whoever was touching her, a familiar voice sounded behind her.
"I'll get Natasha. You two follow Fury and protect the bridge." Harvey said and looked down at Wanda. "Natasha's just down below. I'll get her."
Wanda wanted to argue but nodded. Harvey was currently all business, and there wasn't time for more debates. "…okay."
Harvey watched the three of them run off to the bridge and turned his head back to the lab.
•••
"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-"
"Your LIFE?!" Bruce yelled, his voice deep and monstrous.
Natasha tried to move her body, but she was pinned under the large, heavy pipes. The explosion pushed Bruce and her down to the lower equipment room and trapped her under several pieces of debris. Natasha watched with cold fear as Bruce jerked forward with a deep growl. His body was convulsing, and loud sucking pops exploded out from his body. His skin was turning into a deep green.
"…Bruce." Natasha whispered and felt her skin covered in sweat. Never before had she felt such fear in her life.
Bruce spun back and looked at her with an expression of deep regret. Throwing his back with a roar, Bruce's muscles shifted and bulged out of his shirt, and he jumped up to his feet and stumbled forward. The Hulk had been unleashed.
Natasha's breathing became quick and furious, and she tried to get her leg out from under the pipes with everything she had. She had to get away! Away from this monster before- before it tore her to pieces!
CLANG
Snapping her head up, Natasha saw Harvey land in front of her. He turned towards her and removed the heavy steel pipes with ease. He picked her up in a bridal carry, and Natasha instinctively hugged him. Almost as if she were a scared child grabbing her father for comfort.
Suddenly, she felt her body grow warm, and Natasha saw golden energy surround her; the pain in her leg vanished. If she weren't in a state of panic and fear, she would have noticed that same warmth flooding her lower stomach.
"I can sense Barton's soul in the Helicarrier." Harvey said and put her down on her feet. Natasha let him go with some difficulty; she didn't want that warmth to disappear but ultimately released him. "Go get your friend. I'll handle Doctor Banner."
"RAAAAGHH!" Natasha spun her head and saw the Hulk turn to them and growl.
"Okay… be careful." Natasha said and shot a grappling hook up into the lab. With one final look, she saw Harvey smile and nod at her. Natasha swallowed and reopened herself up.
Harvey walked toward the Hulk and looked at him unimpressed. Hulk walked up to him and growled. Suddenly, Harvey raised his hands to show he was not a threat and looked into Hulk's green eyes.
"Hulk." Harvey spoke, and the green man huffed. "I'm not here to fight you! I'm a friend! You do know why you're here, right? They took someone precious to you, remember! Elizabeth Ross!"
Harvey watched Hulk's eyes grow in realization. Hulk looked around the equipment room, almost as if he was looking for something. He then focused down at Harvey.
"Betty." Hulk said slowly.
"That's right. I know you care about her! You and Banner do." Harvey said and slowly dropped his hands. "We're all here to help you find her, okay? We want to make sure she's safe and sound, but we need your help. We need your strength. Can you help us get Betty back?"
The giant green man breathed profoundly and looked thoughtfully. After a while, he nodded, and Harvey smiled. His gamble paid off. Harvey suspected Hulk could be reasoned with from all the reports he read about him and Doctor Banner. During his fight against the Abomination in Harlem, the Hulk stopped just before he could kill Blonsky at Doctor Ross's request. The Hulk also protected Ross during the battle at the university by using his body to shield her from the falling attack helicopter.
In Harlem, the Hulk wiped off a tear from Doctor Ross's face gently and looked at her softly. That was all he needed to know to not treat him like a monster like the rest of the world. Harvey never believed that the Hulk was a monster, no. Just looking at his soul, he could tell that he was misunderstood. He was no monster. Harvey had seen and dealt with real monsters before.
"Thank you, Hulk. I'm Harvey." Harvey raised a hand for a shake and smiled. "A friend."
•••
"Stark, we're losing altitude."
Wanda waved her hands across the air, and one of Loki's mind-controlled agents slid to a step beside her. Quickly, she held her hand over his head and took off his mind control.
"He's good!" Wanda yelled, and two crew members nodded and pulled the confused man back into cover. About five agents were recovering from being mind-controlled behind her.
"Good work, Maximoff!" Maria said and shot her gun at the remaining enemies. Nick nodded and ducked back under cover.
Suddenly, Pietro dashed to a stop in front of them and waved behind him at several tied-up agents. They were struggling and jerking, a poor attempt to escape.
"Ta-da!" Pietro said, and everyone sighed in relief. The situation could have ended much worse if it were prolonged. "Do your thing, sis."
Wanda nodded, walked over to the tied-up agents, and removed the mind control from their heads. Nick sighed and placed his pistol back into its holster.
"Sound off any injuries!" Nick ordered.
Everyone on the bridge said they were okay; they only had minor injuries. Immediately, the Helicarrier jerked, and it began to right itself.
"Looks like Stark got the Engine back on." Nick said and turned to Pietro. "Can you run through the ship and find any remaining enemies? I doubt they focused all their forces on taking over the bridge."
Pietro nodded and looked over to Wanda. "Go, I'll handle things here." Wanda said with a smile.
Pietro smiled and blurred away. Wanda looked over at Nick and Maria. "Any word on Harvey? I thought your crew members reported seeing the Hulk in the Equipment room."
"I don't know what Miller said to the Hulk, but he's not destroying my Helicarrier. He's following after Harvey as they take down any enemy forces." Nick said with a shake of his head. An unbelieving expression on his face. "That kid is full of tricks."
Wanda smiled proudly and nodded. Suddenly, her earpiece beeped. ["Wanda. I need your help. I found Barton. Engine Room."] Natasha said.
Wanda raised her hand to her earpiece. "Okay. I'm on my way." She then turned to Nick.
"Go, we can handle things from here." Nick said and waved her off.
Nodding, Wanda took off to the engine room.
•••
"You're going to lose."
Humming in amusement, Loki turned his body to the dying man on the ground. A satisfied smile on his face. After all, he just sent his foolish brother down to his death. But Loki knew his brother would probably find some way to escape that prison. Regardless of that fact, he took great pleasure in pushing that button and watching the cell fall to the earth below.
Loki walked over to Phil and looked at him in amusement. A large stab wound in the man's bleeding chest. "Am I?"
Phil smiled tiredly in amusement and nodded. "It's in your nature."
"Your heroes are scattered. Your floating fortress falls from the sky. Where is my disadvantage?" Loki waved the air around him and looked at Phil as if he were stupid.
"You lack conviction." Phil said weakly.
Loki raised his scepter and smiled. "I don't think I-"
BAM
The large weapon in Phil's lap went off, and a bright blast of energy shot into Loki, sending him crashing through a steel wall in a painful heap.
"So that's what it does." Phil said weakly, and the blaster fell to his thighs.
"Damn, mongrel." Loki growled and stood to his feet. He raised the scepter high and fired a blue bolt of energy towards Phil.
Before the energy blast could hit Phil, a black and white blur dashed in front of him, and the energy blast was parried to the side, causing a loud explosion. Loki glared at Harvey as he raised a Blade in Loki's direction.
"That's him."
Loki looked at Harvey in confusion but suddenly heard heavy footsteps from the main steel door. Loki watched in slight trepidation as large green fingers grabbed around the steel frame and squeezed. The hard steel crumpled like paper, and a tall mountain of green muscle bent into the room and looked at Loki.
"Give back, Betty." Hulk growled, and his pectoral muscles danced as he flexed. His green eyes narrowed in anger, and he dashed towards Loki with a roar.
Shaking his shock off, Loki disappeared in a wave of energy. Hulk quickly crashed through the reinforced wall and looked back and forth for Loki. Growing angry, Hulk started punching everything around him, hoping to hit Loki.
Harvey's eyes moved along the walls and followed Loki's soul as he ran away. Loki didn't disappear but turned himself invisible. Harvey would have gone after him, but the dying man behind took precedence.
"Hulk." Harvey called out. Hulk screamed in anger and spun to glare at him; however, at the sight of Harvey, he calmed down slightly. His chest rose and fell quickly as he breathed heavily. "Loki ran away. Don't worry, we'll get him later. First, we need to help Coulson here. He's a friend of Betty, and if we don't hurry, he could die."
Hulk huffed but nodded. He walked out of the hole he created and stepped over to Harvey and Phil. Harvey smiled and nodded.
"It's alright, Coulson." Harvey said and bent down next to Phil. He placed a hand over Phil's chest, and golden energy enveloped the injured man's chest. After a few seconds, Phil sighed in relief as the healing process began to knit together flesh and bone.
"How did you manage that?" Phil asked silently and looked over at Hulk. The large man looked at Phil in wonder as he watched the wound in his chest slowly heal. Harvey smiled and looked up at Hulk.
"I didn't do anything. I just talked to him; now the big guy is my friend. Ain't that right, Hulk?" Harvey said as he finished healing Phil's internal organs.
"Harvey is Hulk's friend." Hulk said with a nod. Suddenly, he turned his body and growled as Nick jumped back in surprise at seeing him. Nick was about to grab his gun when Phil waved him down.
"It's okay, sir. Hulk is… a friend." Phil said weakly.
Nick eyed Hulk, but the large green man growled lowly at him. Slowly, Nick nodded, took his hand off his weapon, and jogged over to Phil. Nick looked down as the flesh in Phil's chest healed to a scar, and the golden energy that surrounded his chest disappeared. Phil looked down in awe and began to stand, but his legs buckled beneath him, and he slid back down.
"Easy there, Coulson. You're healed, but that took all your body's energy." Harvey said and patted Phil's shoulder. "You're gonna want to take it easy for a while."
"You have healing capabilities now?" Nick looked at Harvey in amazement and inspected Phil's chest. Harvey wanted to tell the man he could always heal people, but it was limited to those who hadn't committed egregious sins. So he nodded. "How are you, Coulson?"
"I'm fine, sir." Phil said tiredly and began to blink slowly. "Just… tired."
Nick smiled slightly and nodded. "Rest up, soldier." Phil nodded and slipped into an exhaustive sleep. Nick turned to Harvey and looked at him gratefully. "Thank you."
"Don't worry about it." Harvey said with a smile and then looked at Hulk. "Can you take Coulson to that area where all the men we put to sleep were?"
Hulk nodded, picked up Phil as gently as possible, and walked out of the prison room. Harvey stood up and looked at Fury. "A lot of the agents and people in the engine room know that Hulk isn't going to hurt them, but you should tell everyone on board not to shoot him. Otherwise… you know."
Nick nodded, pulled out his radio, and relayed the message not to show any hostility to the Hulk. When he was done, Nick looked at Harvey and sighed. "You're just full of surprises, aren't you?"
"I try." Harvey said but then became serious. "What's the situation with the Helicarrier?"
The two men then left the prison room and made their way to the bridge. As they walked, Nick informed Harvey that Tony and Steve were able to get the damaged engine back in working order alongside Natasha and Wanda, capturing and snapping Clint out of his mind control. When they neared the bridge, Nick received a message from one of the deck crew saying Loki had escaped off the Helicarrier in a stolen quinjet.
"Before we were attacked, Doctor Banner was able to locate the location of the Tesseract." Nick said as they walked onto the bridge. They walked over to the cracked conference table, and Nick nodded to Maria.
Maria typed into the monitor, and a map came to life. Harvey saw a map of Midtown Manhattan, New York—specifically, the new Stark Tower. Harvey frowned and looked at Nick and Maria.
"Shit. That's not good."