Tony and Dr. Bruce Banner soon went to the laboratory to test the gamma spectrometer.
Because the Tesseract continuously emits gamma radiation, the device could track its energy signature.
Wherever the gamma frequency matched the data previously recorded by S.H.I.E.L.D., that would reveal the Tesseract's location.
Before leaving the control center, however, Tony quietly plugged a small device into the Helicarrier's computer system.
He had absolutely no intention of blindly believing Nick Fury's claim about "unlimited energy."
Bzzzt—
"Hey, wow!"
Tony casually poked Banner with a stylus.
"I thought you'd turn green and smash the place immediately."
"I was kind of hoping to see the big guy."
Tony smirked.
Dr. Banner simply smiled faintly, clearly used to this kind of provocation.
"Tony."
"I think you should take this more seriously."
Steve Rogers walked into the laboratory holding his shield.
He had just witnessed Tony provoking Banner.
"If the Hulk comes out, someone is going to get hurt."
The warning sounded general, but it was clearly directed at Tony.
"Relax."
Tony waved his hand dismissively.
"See? Everything's perfectly fine."
He continued working on the computer.
"I think we'll have results soon."
"What do you think, Doctor?"
"Know what?"
Steve frowned and looked between Tony and Banner.
He was suspicious.
Although he had doubts about Nick Fury's explanation, he hadn't taken any direct action.
Unlike Tony, who was already hacking into the Helicarrier's firewall.
Tony leaned back slightly.
"Let's find out what Nick Fury is hiding."
"I don't believe a word about this 'unlimited energy' nonsense."
Tony crossed his arms.
"If someone was developing a revolutionary energy source, you'd think they would consult me, right?"
"I'm an expert in energy systems."
"And they didn't even consult Dr. Banner, who's the world's leading expert on gamma radiation."
"That alone makes this suspicious."
He shrugged.
"Besides, Fury is the king of spies."
"You really think he's telling us everything?"
"So I'm going to find the answer myself."
Steve looked shocked.
"You hacked into S.H.I.E.L.D.'s database?"
"Tony, how could you do that?"
Tony simply shrugged again and didn't answer.
Steve frowned deeply.
Then he turned and walked out of the lab.
Not long afterward, alarms appeared in the Helicarrier's control center.
Someone had breached the internal network.
Even the firewall had been bypassed.
Nick Fury immediately knew who was responsible.
He headed straight for the laboratory where Tony and Banner were working.
"Tony Stark!"
"You can't do this."
"Stop what you're doing."
Fury walked in and saw Tony's computer screen.
The evidence was obvious.
Tony stopped typing.
"Alright."
"Then explain something to me."
"What exactly is Phase Two?"
"Don't tell me it's about unlimited energy."
"Because that story is ridiculous."
Tony leaned back and looked directly at Fury.
Banner also looked up from the computer.
Both of them waited for Fury to answer.
At that moment, the door opened again.
Steve Rogers walked in.
In his hands was a large black energy weapon.
He placed it on the table.
"This is Phase Two."
"Sorry."
"I guess the computer was faster than Fury expected."
Tony and Banner stared at the weapon.
Then they both looked at Fury.
At that moment Natasha Romanoff and Thor also walked into the room.
Fury sighed.
"Alright."
"You want to know why?"
"Because of him."
Fury pointed directly at Thor.
"Not long ago, an alien landed on Earth."
"He fought a superhuman."
"And an entire town was nearly destroyed in the process."
"That event proved something."
"Earth is not alone in the universe."
"So we need stronger weapons."
"Weapons powerful enough to defend the planet."
Thor's expression darkened.
"You blame me?"
He stepped forward.
"You were already experimenting with the Tesseract."
"The energy it emits is like sending a signal across the universe."
"You were practically announcing that Earth is ready for an advanced interstellar war."
Thor pointed back at Fury.
"You invited this danger yourselves."
The tension in the room instantly rose.
Everyone began arguing.
Voices overlapped.
Accusations flew back and forth.
On the table nearby, Loki's scepter faintly glowed.
The Mind Stone embedded within it pulsed with subtle energy.
The rising hostility between everyone was not entirely natural.
The stone was quietly amplifying their negative emotions.
Meanwhile—
Karl's bracelet suddenly received a signal.
It was connected to Tony's armor.
The system had detected unusual fluctuations in Tony's physical condition.
Karl frowned slightly.
Then he remembered something.
The Mind Stone.
He immediately understood.
Tony must have started arguing with the others.
Karl simply ignored the alert.
Back on the Helicarrier—
Steve looked coldly at Tony.
"What are you without your armor?"
"You're not the kind of man who would lay down on a wire and let the other guy crawl over you."
Steve's words were sharp.
In his eyes, Tony relied entirely on his suit.
Tony smirked.
"What am I without the suit?"
He counted on his fingers.
"Genius."
"Billionaire."
"Playboy."
"Philanthropist."
Then his tone hardened.
"Should I be like you?"
"A product of a government lab."
"A man created in a jar."
"At least my teammates are stronger than you."
Everyone in the room turned toward Tony.
Natasha simply shrugged.
She knew Tony wasn't referring to the Avengers.
He meant Karl's group.
Especially Karl himself.
Even though they had never personally fought Karl, the footage of his battle with the Destroyer was more than enough proof of his terrifying strength.
Banner suddenly slammed his hands onto the table.
"So what exactly do you want from me?!"
His voice trembled with emotion.
"Do you think I wanted to come here?"
"I live like a monster every day!"
"I'm constantly in pain!"
"You know what I tried to do?"
"I tried to kill myself!"
Banner's voice cracked.
"I put a gun in my mouth."
"And the other guy spit the bullet back out!"
In his agitation, Banner accidentally picked up Loki's scepter.
"Hey!"
Tony immediately raised his hands.
"Dr. Banner."
"Put that down."
Everyone stared at Banner cautiously.
Banner slowly looked at the scepter in his hand.
Then he carefully placed it back on the table.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
At that exact moment—
A Quinjet suddenly appeared outside the Helicarrier.
Hawkeye had arrived.
Patton fired an explosive arrow straight at one of the Helicarrier's engines.
The arrow struck its target.
BOOM—!
The engine exploded violently.
The massive aircraft carrier tilted sharply.
Inside the laboratory, everyone nearly lost their balance.
Another arrow flew toward the laboratory window.
It pierced the glass and landed inside the room.
For a brief moment—
Everything went silent.
Then—
BOOM—!
Visit patreon.com/ShiroTL for more chapters.