Kept Behind Enemy Lines

C H A P T E R T E N

Thor was the last to emerge into the main area of the S.H.I.E.L.D jet. He'd been around to pick up Agent Hill, who'd done enough to keep herself alive with the gunshot wound.

The Avengers gaped at Thor as he came in carrying quite the load. Agent Hill had her arm barely strung over the left side of the god while Percy was carried over Thor's shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Mjolnir in his right hand and the sceptre Loki had once used in his left. Tony Stark's unconscious body floated alongside them inside the Iron Man suit, JARVIS flying it.

"Holy shit, what happened?" Clint asked staring at the lot. He'd been bandaged up and looked alright. He'd obviously live.

"Do you want the short version now, or the long story?" Thor asked.

"Right now? The short story." Natasha answered as she took Percy away from Thor and lay his unconscious form on a stretcher.

Thor pointed at Stark, Agent Hill and finally at Percy. "Percy, HYDRA and me." He said for each person he pointed at. Instantly Percy was swarmed by people trying to wake him up demanding answers.

"Guys." Nothing. "GUYS!" Agent Hill's voice carried out, gaining everyone's attention. "It's not Percy's fault. He was being controlled."

"What evidence do you have of this?" Natasha asked.

"Patch me up first and then I'll tell you." Agent Hill bargained. The loss of blood was really starting to get to her and her vision was already fading.

Steve took Agent Hill from Thor and carried her to the small medical room the jet had. The Avengers would have to wait until getting back for any major operations. Bruce had J.A.R.V.I.S lead Tony after Steve and Agent Hill.

"I have a question." Thor stated.

"What is it Thor?" Clint asked.

"When a mortal is struck by lightning, does one's chest usually flare with electricity?" Thor questioned, pointing at Percy as an indication of whom he was talking about.

"No..." Natasha drawled. The three remaining Avengers crowded around Percy's unconscious body.

Flicking out a blade, Natasha cut open Percy's shirt. These particular three hadn't seen or heard of the condition Percy's body was in, so when they saw the multitude of scars coating his skin their shock was understandable.

"Holy shit." Clint muttered, staring at the gruesome collection of healed wounds on the teens body.

Thor didn't say anything. Although not as bad, Percy's skin reminded him of his tortured brother, Loki. Loki currently remained a prisoner on Asguard. Thor didn't want to think about what was happening to him there.

Natasha scanned over the scars, searching for one that matters. Looking around the scorched area that was obviously from Percy's encounter with Thor, she found a stitched patch among the scars.

"There." Natasha pointed to it. "When we get back I recommend opening that. He must have been controlled by something metal for him to have a reaction like this to your lightning, Thor."

And so they did. After thorough inspection they discovered the small pad inside Percy's chest.

"Is this what what controlling him?" Clint asked, peering over Percy's unconscious form. In this process, he unknowingly blocked Bruce's view. He'd been previously released from bedrest after his skin was patched up.

It was the last straw. Curious Avengers in a surgical room with a comatose patient and a doctor who could turn into an angry green rage monster if triggered enough was not a good combination.

"Get out!" Bruce yelled. "You can ask him all your questions when he actually wakes up!" That was the last Bruce saw of them for the rest of the surgery.

"Wow." Bruce muttered as he looked at the intricate mess of tangled wires and human insides. HYDRA had wrapped the wires around Percy's insides to keep everything under control and harder to move. Clearly a helping factor was the incentive of obeying brought less pain. It wasn't hard to discover the lot of wires that branched off from the rest and up to Percy's brain. It took hours, meaning little rest for the doctor. But at last it was finished.

But Percy hadn't even showed any sign of waking. But Bruce was too tired to care right now.

While Bruce had been in surgery, Tony had been soaking up every moment he had to analyse the sceptre they'd received. He only had a few days and he wasn't giving it up for anything. But when his dream could be accomplished...

~~~~

Almost the moment Bruce walked out he was ambushed by Tony.

"Tiny, not right now I-"

"Just listen to me. Okay? This is huge." Tony urged, already leading Banner to the sceptre.

Bruce sighed, "What's the rumpus?"

Tony grinned. "Well, the sceptre. You see, we were wondering how Strucker got so inventive, so I've been analysing the gem inside." Tony picked up a seemly clear piece of glass and flicked his wrist, projecting a picture of a yellow planet shaped hologram.

"You may recognise..."

"Jarvis." Bruce greeted, recognising the program instantly.

"Doctor." Jarvis responded.

"When it started out, Jarvis was just a natural language UI. Now he runs the Iron Legion. He runs more of the business than anyone besides Pepper." Tony gestured to the shifting program.

"Oh?" Bruce said, waiting for the millionaire to continue.

"Top of the line."

"Yes." Bruce just wanted Tony to get in with it. He was tired and had run out of coffee far too soon.

"I suspect not for long." Jarvis said.

"Meet the competition." Tony flicked his wrist again and besides Jarvis, appeared a a blue almost brain like hologram. Routes of nerves teeming all over the place.

"It's beautiful." Bruce said, all traces of sleep leaving his system. It was like lying on your back reading on your phone, steadily getting tired until you roll into your stomach and suddenly feel re-energised.

"If you had to guess," Tony began, feeling smug, "What's it look like it's doing?"

"Like It thinking." Bruce said, stepping closer.

Tony went on describing what he'd found down in Strucker's lab, bringing out theories as to what they were trying to do with the alien technology.

It could be the key to creating Ultron and Tony said as much.

Bruce wasn't sure how he felt about the situation. Tony had his points, but there was also a lot to consider.

How badly could this go?

Convinced, Bruce and Tony spent the next few days scheming, trying to figure out how to go about it, what to do. They needed something that could hold and harness the power.

But they couldn't figure it out.

Or so they thought.

~~~~
Sorry, it's late, but it's here. The original was longer (but got deleted) so I decided to leave it here and put it in the next chapter. Happy reading :D

Peace

BTSWD