The Infamous Hacker (Natasha Romanoff x OC)

Chapter 7- The Argument

I entered the lab, blood roaring beginning to roar in my ears, to find that Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, and Director Fury were all in there. I stepped in just as Stark was saying to Fury, "What is phase two?"

Captain America entered the lab behind me and slammed some kind of weapon down on a table.

"Phase two is SHIELD uses the cube to make weapons," he said. "Sorry, computers are a little slow for me,"

"Rogers, we gathered everything related to the Tesseract, this does not mean-" Fury began, but Stark cut him off.

"I'm sorry, Nick," he interjected, flipping around his screen. "What were you lying?"

On the screen was a plan for a large missile.

"I was wrong, Director," Captain America said flatly. "The world hasn't changed a bit,"

"Did you know about this?" Bruce asked someone behind me, pointing at the screen with his folded up glasses. I turned around to see Natasha and Thor entering the room.

"You want to think about removing yourself from this environment, Doctor?" Natasha suggested.

"I was in Calcutta. I was pretty well removed," Bruce Banner replied.

"Loki is manipulating you," she said firmly, taking a few slow steps forward.

"And you've been doing what, exactly?" Bruce asked.

"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. 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 interjected, pointing at Thor.

"Me?" Thor asked quietly.

"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 explained.

"My people want nothing but peace with your planet," Thor argued.

"But you're not the only people out there, are you?" Fury asked rhetorically. "And you're not the only threat. The world's filling up with people who can't be matched, that can't be controlled,"

"Like you controlled the Cube?" asked Captain America.

I couldn't explain why, but my head has throbbing and my ears were pounding. Every couple of seconds, the pounding would get so loud that I couldn't hear what the others were saying. When I finally could hear them again, everyone was very angry, and the pulsing in my ears was starting to turn into an alien-like screeching. I turned to the scepter. Something tugged at my chest. Was it... talking to me?

"I thought humans were more evolved than this," 

"Excuse me, did we come to your planet and blow stuff up?"

"You treat your champions with such mistrust,"

"Are you boys really that naive?"

"Captain America's on threat watch?"

"We all are,"

"Wait, you're on that list? Are you above or below angry bees?"

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

"Threat! Verbal threat. I feel threatened,"

"Show some respect,"

"Respect what?"

I couldn't even tell who was talking anymore. The screeching was getting louder and louder, and it was drawing me to it. I found myself in front of the scepter, gazing into the blue orb at the head.

"You speak of control, yet you court chaos,"

"That's his M.O., isn't it? I mean, what are we, a team? No, we're a chemical mixture that makes chaos. We're a time bomb,"

"You need to step away,"

"Why shouldn't the guy let off a little steam?"

"You know damn well why. Back off!"

"Oh, I'm starting to want you to make me,"

I reached out for the scepter. They wouldn't notice. Why would they? Nobody ever noticed me. Not when I was Disloyal, not now as a SHIELD agent. I was invisible. The scepter was promising me something- it was promising that I'd be anything but invisible. I could be anything I wanted, just for a small, small price...

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

"Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist,"

"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,"

"I think I would just cut the wire,"

"Always a way out. You know, you may not be a threat, but you better stop pretending to be a hero,"

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

"Put on the suit. Let's go a few rounds,"

"You people are so petty... and tiny,"

"Yeah, this is a team,"

"Agent Romanoff, would you escort Dr. Banner back to his-"

"Where? You rented my room,"

"The cell was just in case-"

"Guys, hold on- Bryce, what're you-"

I swung around, pointing the scepter at Thor. Thor would have to go first. It was necessary. The others would be easier to eradicate. 

"Ms. Russell!" someone shouted. "Put down the scepter!"

The screeching in my ears stopped. I felt like someone had slapped me across the face as I surveyed the room. Everyone had some sort of weapon in their hand, and all of them were aimed at me. I glanced down to see the scepter in my hand. I'd grabbed it, right? When? What was I thinking?

I slowly set the scepter down, back where it was in its little holder thing. I lifted my hands in surrender and stepped away. 

"Good," 

All of the weapons in the room lowered just as something beeped from across the room.

"We've located the Tesseract," Bruce Banner said, approaching the computer. 

"I can get there fastest," Stark said, just as Thor also said,

"The Tesseract belongs on Asgard, no human is a match for it,"

"You aren't going alone," Captain America argued, grabbing Stark's arm. 

"You gonna stop me?" Stark asked snarkily.

"Put on the suit, let's find out," Captain America replied in the same tone.

"I'm not afraid to hit an old man," Stark growled

"Put on the suit," Captain America hissed.

I glanced at Bruce, who looked a mixture of shocked and horrified. I joined him at the computer and felt a pit drop in my stomach.

"Oh my god," he whispered. 

Before I could say any words of warning, the ship shook violently.

We were under attack.