Green Beret | MCU (On Hold)

💣CHAPTER 4💣

"Loki's manipulating you."

"And you've been doing what exactly?"

"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 SHIELD is using the Tesseract to build weapons of mass destruction."

Due to his presence, the commotion in the corridor reached Troy's ears before he caught Fury blaming Thor. As Troy entered the lab, he realized that nobody had noticed his arrival, so he lingered in the doorway, observing the chaotic scene before him.

"Hey, guys." Troy attempted to interject, but his words fell on deaf ears as they continued their heated argument.

"Me?" Thor exclaimed, his expression a mix of shock and bewilderment, as he gestured towards himself, completely oblivious to Troy's presence unlike the others.

"Last year, Earth had a visitor from another planet who had a grudge match that levelled a small town. We learned that not only are we not alone, but we are hopelessly, hilariously outgunned."

Troy desperately attempted to recapture the attention of his teammates, his voice escalating in volume, but his efforts proved futile. The bickering persisted, leaving Troy feeling frustrated and letting out an exasperated sigh.

They were meant to function as a united team, yet they were behaving like squabbling children fighting over a piece of candy.

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

"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, that can't be controlled." Came the retort from Fury.

Troy had finally reached his breaking point. "GUYS!" His shout successfully grabbed their attention, causing them all to halt and turn towards Troy, who stood in the doorway, casting a disappointed gaze upon each team member. "What in the world is going on here?" Troy questioned, but everyone remained silent. Taking this as his cue, he stepped forward, approaching Dr. Banner, who held the sceptre in his hand, radiating increased anger and gamma radiation. Troy gently took the sceptre from his grasp. "This sceptre is trouble. Loki is trouble. You've seen what it did to Agent Barton and countless others. This sceptre possesses immense power, and that power is controlling us. It's even controlling Loki," Troy explained, placing the sceptre back in its original position before Dr. Banner had removed it. Taking a moment to compose himself, Troy continued, "We need to refocus our attention on the present situation and what lies ahead." His voice now much calmer than before.

"Kemp is  right," Steve agrees, shifting his focus from his arguments with Stark to the task at hand, "If we don't come together, Loki will have the advantage."

Curiously, Stark asks with his usual snarky and smug smirk, "So, what's Loki's plan?"

Troy responds, "I'm not entirely sure about that. I do know that he wants to unleash what Dr. Banner refers to as the 'Other Guy'. Our priority should be ensuring Banner's safety because Loki intends to cause widespread destruction, building upon what he has already done." Troy then glances towards Dr. Banner and adds, "No offense, Doctor."

"None taken," Dr. Banner muttered, his back against the counter, anxiously twiddling his fingers. It was a familiar habit he had developed over the years. Troy couldn't help but feel sympathy for him, although he knew that pity would only make Banner more uncomfortable. 

Troy nodded and turned to Natasha Romanoff, the stunning redhead whom he thought to be very attractive. "Agent Romanoff, do you know a secure place for Banner?" Troy inquired. The redhead smiled slightly, leaving Fury, who stood in the corner of the room, puzzled. He knew that Natasha never smiled at someone she wasn't comfortable with or didn't trust. It meant that she was at ease with Troy, or perhaps she trusted him, maybe even both.