Walking in the Wind // Avengers

Crazy Cats And Science Bros Moment

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Lexie was sitting next to Natasha, silently cleaning a wound she'd gotten on her arm from when Loki had thrown her to the ground earlier. They were silently watching the screen, where they saw Fury talking to Loki. 

"In case it's unclear," Fury began, "if you try to escape, if you so much as scratch that glass," he opened the hole in the floor, "it's 30,000 feet straight down in a steel trap. You get how that works? Ant," he gestured to the cage before turning to the control panel, "boot." 

Loki chuckled at this. "It's an impressive cage," he said cockily. "Not built, I think, for me."

"Built for something a lot stronger than you."

"Oh, I've heard," he turned and started talking to the camera, as if he knew the team was on the other side listening to every word. "A mindless beast. Makes play he's still a man," Lexie looked at Bruce, feeling bad for the man who had so far, been very kind to her. "And the child, who is surrounded by death. We both know how dangerous she could be if she lost control for even a second," Loki said smugly. Now everyone turned their eyes to Lexie instead. She just folded her hands on the table and looked down at them, having a feeling he was probably right. "How desperate are you, that you call on such lost creatures to defend you?"

"How desperate am I? 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 not be glad that you did."

Loki breathed out. "It burns you to have come so close. To have the Tesseract, to have the power, unlimited power. And for what?" he smiled. "A warm light for mankind to share. And then to be reminded what real power is."

"Well, let me know if 'real power' wants a magazine or something," Fury said walking out. 

Loki turned and looked at the camera, silently, before the live feed ended.

"He really grows on you doesn't he?" Bruce asked sarcastically.

"Absolutely," Lexie smiled playfully.

"Loki's gonna drag this out," Steve said like the soldier he was. "So, Thor, what's his play?"

"He has an army called the Chitauri," Thor responded.

"Oh, how wonderful," Lexie buried her head in her hands. "An army, just what we need."

"They're not 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."

"An army," Steve deadpanned, "from outer space."

"So, he's building another portal," Bruce said. "That's what he needs Erik Selvig for."

"Selvig?" Thor questioned.

"He's an astrophysicist."

"He's a friend."

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

"I want to know why Loki let us take him," Steve cut in. "He's not leading an army from here."

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

"Have care how you speak," Thor defended his brother immediately. "Loki is beyond reason, but he is of Asgard. And he is my brother."

"He killed 80 people in two days," Natasha commented.

"He's adopted." Lexie let out a short laugh.

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

"It's a stabilizing agent," Tony walked into the room with Coulson. After he said something to Coulson he continued: "It means the portal won't collapse on itself like it did at S.H.I.E.L.D. No hard feelings, Point Break, You've got a mean swing," he patted Thors arm. "Also, it means the portal can open as wide and stay open as long, as Loki wants." He grabbed the bag of sour patch kids that was next to Lexies hands on the table, opened it and poured a bit in his hand, put it back, gave her a small smile when she looked at him with furrowed brows, and continued while eating the candy. He walked over to the screens. "Raise the mizzenmast. Jib the topsails. That man is playing Galaga. He thought we wouldn't notice, but we did. How does Fury even see these?" he looked at the two screens. 

"He turns," Hill replied dully.

"Sounds exhausting. The rest of the raw materials, Agent Barton can get his hands on pretty easily. The only major component he still needs is a power source of high-energy density," Lexie noticed he connected a tiny device to the machine, but said nothing, wanting to see how this played out. "Something to kick-start the Cube."

"When did you become and expert in thermonuclear astrophysics?"

"Last night."

"Overachiever," Lexie coughed and Natasha hit her arm slightly, but had to force away her smile.

"The packet, Selvig's notes, the extraction theory papers. Am I the only on who did the reading?"

"Does Loki need any particular kind of power source?" Steve asked. 

"He would have to heat the Cube to 120-million Kelvin just to break through the Coulomb barrier," Bruce paced.

"Unless Selvig has figured out how to stabilize the quantum tunneling effect," Tony walked towards Bruce.

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

"Finally, someone who speaks english." 

"Is that what just happened?" Steve asked.

"Just smile and nod, Steve," Lexie said to him. "Smile and nod."

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

"Thanks," Bruce said uncomfortably.

"Dr. Banner is only here to track the Cube," Fury walked in. "I was hoping you might join him."

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

"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 two of the sharpest men I know into his personal flying monkeys."

"Monkeys?" Thor asked confused. "I do not understand."

"I do," Steve said proudly. "I understood that reference."

"Shall we play, Doctor?" Tony asked Bruce.

"This way, sir," Bruce said and the two geniuses left the room. 

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I kinda like this chapter for some reason. Also, it's being hinted at how powerful Lex really is and you'll see just how much she can do throughout the book.

As always, vote and comment xx