Snake in the Grass | Avengers

1 | a world made free

"All personnel, the evacuation order has been confirmed. Proceed to your designated vehicles."

It was difficult to hear the instructions over the sounds of movement surrounding the base outside. Helicopters, transport vehicles, even most of our armed forces were being forced to vacate.

I tried to tune out the background noises as Agent Coulson and I approached the landing pad. The bird was barely making touch with the ground when Fury stepped out, accompanied by Agent Hill.

"How bad is it?" Fury asked, surveying the scene around us.

"That's the problem, sir. We don't know." Coulson stated.

"You don't know?" Fury asked with a fair amount of irritation. He stomped past us, and I hurriedly followed close behind.

"Sir, Dr. Selvig read an energy surge from the tesseract four hours ago." I explained as we rushed inside to the freight elevators.

"NASA didn't authorize Slevig to go to test phase." Fury replied.

"He wasn't testing it. He wasn't even in the room." I told him.

"Spontaneous event." Coulson added.

"It just turned itself on?" Agent Hill questioned.

"Where are the energy levels now?" Fury asked.

"High, and still climbing. When Selvig couldn't shut it down, we ordered evac." I continued to explain.

"How long to get everyone out?"

"Campus should be clear in the next half-hour." Coulson detailed.

"Do better." Fury tells him. Coulson gives a small nod before heading the other direction. "Pierce, you're with me."

We ascended a smaller set of stairs, and Agent Hill stayed on us. "Sir, evacuation may be futile." She advised.

"We should tell them to go back to sleep?" He asked rhetorically.

"If we can't control the tesseract's energy, there may not be a minimum safe distance." She continued.

"I need you to make sure the Phase two prototypes are shipped out." He instructs her.

"Sir, is that really a priority right now?" Hill questioned. Maybe, maybe not. I'd say they were over all these people. They should at least be carrying more cargo on their way out.

He stopped in his tracks for a moment to fully address her. I paused as well, but it seemed like a waste of time. She'd already been given orders, she should fall in without being asked twice.

"Until such time as the world ends, we will act as though it intends to spin on." He tells her before turning his back again. "Clear out the tech below. Every piece of Phase two on a truck and gone."

"Yes, sir." She replies before heading off.

Fury and I continued to the lower level bunkers, and into the tech lab. Almost everyone should be evacuated by now, except for us and everyone in this room.

"Talk to me Doctor," Fury announces our entrance.

Dr. Selvig shuffles around the large containment device to see us face to face.

"Director." He greets him.

"Is there anything we know for certain?" Fury asks.

"The Tesseract is misbehaving." Dr. Selvig says.

"Is that supposed to be funny?" He asks unamused.

"No, it's not funny at all." Selvig said with an expression slightly more grim. "The Tesseract is not only active, she's... behaving.