The laboratory felt entirely too small for the egos crammed inside it.
Resting in the center of the glass table, the scepter pulsed lightly with blue light. It was doing more than just glowing; it was actively pushing. A deliberate, static frequency scratched at the inside of my head, designed to scrape away patience and leave only raw aggression.
Standing near the table, I let my own psychic power as a natural grounding wire, soaking up the worst of the stone's psychic bleed before it could fully infect the others. I could blunt the weapon, but I couldn't stop them from being human.
The automatic doors slid open. Steve Rogers marched in and dropped a heavy, blocky assault rifle directly onto the glass. It was a modern replica of the HYDRA weapons he had dismantled in the 1940s.
"Phase Two is SHIELD uses the cube to make weapons," Steve said, locking a hard stare on Fury. "Sorry, the computer was moving a little slow for me."
Beside him, Tony swiped a finger across his tablet. A large schematic flashed onto the main monitor, detailing a missile payload powered entirely by Tesseract energy. "Director Fury. Care to explain what you were lying about?"
Fury held his ground, unblinking. "I wasn't lying. Gathering everything related to the Tesseract does not mean that we're..."
"I'd like to know why SHIELD is using a weapon of mass destruction to build more weapons of mass destruction," Banner interrupted, pulling off his glasses to rub his eyes.
Fury turned, pointing toward Thor. "Because of him."
Thor frowned. "Me?"
"Last year, Earth had a visitor from space who leveled a town over a personal feud," Fury said. "We learned we're not alone.....and we're not prepared."
"My people seek peace," Thor replied.
"But you're not the only people out there, are you?" Fury shot back. "And you're not the only threat. The world's filling up with people who can't be matched, and they can't be controlled."
Steve crossed his arms. "Like you controlled the cube?"
Thor stepped forward. "Your work with the Tesseract drew Loki and his allies. It signals to the realms that Earth is ready for a higher form of war."
"A higher form?" Steve scoffed, gesturing sharply at the rifle. "You forced our hand. We had to come up with something."
"A nuclear deterrent," Tony supplied sarcastically. "Because that always calms everything right down."
"Remind me how you made your fortune, Stark?" Fury asked.
"I'm sure if he still made weapons, Stark would be neck-deep in this," Steve muttered.
Tony turned on the soldier, his eyes narrowing. "Wait, hold on, how is this now about me?"
The room rapidly devolved into a shouting match. Tony tore into Steve's outdated worldview, Steve challenged Tony's massive ego, and Thor defended Asgard while Fury yelled over all of them to maintain authority. Beside me, the scepter flared. The blue light grew harsh and jagged, gorging itself on the hostility. Gripping the edge of the table with white knuckles, Banner stared fixedly at the weapon, the veins in his neck standing out.
"Enough."
I didn't raise my voice.
The effect was immediate.
Silence spread through the room as they turned toward me.
"Look at yourselves," I said, gesturing casually toward the scepter. "You are doing exactly what he wants."
Meeting the Director's single eye, I didn't soften the blow. "Nick. You saw a universe you didn't understand, so you tried to build a bigger gun in the dark. It is a common mistake."
Fury's jaw tightened, but he didn't interrupt.
I turned my gaze to Steve and Tony. "And you two are so busy fighting over who gets to be the righteous man that you cannot see the trap right under your feet. Loki did not get caught by accident. He's buying time."
Banner looked at the glowing gem, then down at his own shaking hands. Taking a slow, deep breath, he backed away from the table. "He's right. Loki is stalling. He wants us in here, tearing each other apart."
Tony frowned. "Stalling for what?"
The answer never came.
An explosion tore through the side of the Helicarrier before the question could be answered.
The floor violently dropped out from under us. Sparks rained from the ceiling as emergency sirens wailed, washing the ruined lab in flashing red light.
Hawkeye had arrived.