Coulson scratched at the thin patch on the top of his head, utterly baffled.
You were Tony Stark.
Iron Man.
The man in charge of Stark Industries. Even the government had to tread carefully around you, and yet someone could actually rob you?
What kind of joke was that?
But then Coulson glanced at the disaster zone around him, the fully armored Stark, and the shattered floor to ceiling windows.
…Yeah. Honestly, it really did look like a robbery scene.
Coulson shook his head hard, tossing out the nonsense thoughts.
He hadn't come here to offer condolences.
He explained his purpose to Stark in full, including Clint Barton being controlled and the Tesseract being stolen.
As Stark listened, his brows knitted tighter and tighter.
Then he nodded. "I'm in."
"That's great!"
Coulson hadn't expected such an easy agreement. Delighted, he shook Stark's hand.
At the same time, Natasha followed the coordinates Coulson gave her and found a shabby little wooden shack.
"Stay concealed. The big fish will show up soon. Don't get spotted."
She waved, ordering the agents to wait outside, then went in alone.
Not long after, Bruce Banner was led into the slums by a little girl he'd run into on the street.
The girl dashed ahead, and Banner had no choice but to follow quickly behind.
Before he could think too hard about it, Banner lifted the ragged curtain at the doorway, only to see the girl slip into a hidden passage in the wall.
"Hey, Banner. Should've demanded payment up front."
With that casual line, Banner already knew he'd been played.
"Dr. Banner."
Natasha stepped out of the shadows, composed, watching him steadily.
"For someone who needs to avoid stress to keep himself under control… I didn't think it through."
"This kind of meeting place… isn't it bad for you? No, for me."
Banner smiled, shrugged off his satchel, and took in the surroundings with easy calm.
"Avoid stress? I don't need luxury. But dragging me out of the city and into a place like this… you really went to a lot of trouble."
He glanced out the window. "Let me guess. This place is surrounded, right?"
Natasha casually tossed her coat onto a wooden stool. "Just you and me."
"And your little actress?" Banner pointed at the hidden passage in the wall, voice dripping with sarcasm. "She a spy too? You people training agents from the cradle now?"
"So was I." Natasha clasped her hands behind her back, her expression tightening slightly.
"What's your name?"
"Natasha Romanoff."
Banner rubbed his hands together, thought for a moment, then said, "Are you here to kill me? All this setup because I'm harder to kill than a normal person?"
"Of course not." Natasha denied it immediately. "I'm here on behalf of S.H.I.E.L.D."
"S.H.I.E.L.D…" Banner repeated, thinking, then looked up at her. "How did you find me?"
"You might get angry," Natasha admitted, "but we've been keeping an eye on you. We also helped chase off a few punks who were trying to start trouble."
"Why?"
"Nick Fury seems to trust you." Natasha spread her hands, acting casual. "And right now, we need you."
"You need a green lunatic under surveillance?" Banner let out a self mocking chuckle, then his face turned serious. "And if I refuse?"
"Then my job is to convince you."
She didn't waste time. Natasha pulled out her phone and set the prepared file in front of him.
Banner's expression sharpened. He put on his glasses and read closely.
"So what, Fury wants me to swallow it?"
"The gamma signature he put out is too faint. We can't track his location. You have more experience with this than we do. We're hoping you can help us find him."
"No orders to capture the monster?" Banner's tone stayed self deprecating, but his guard never lowered.
"Fury didn't say," Natasha replied lightly, leaning back in her chair. "Talk to Fury. He needs you."
She shifted forward slightly. Banner's attitude was clear. He wasn't ready to cooperate.
That made things difficult.
"And after that, you lock me up again?"
Natasha shook her head. "We're not here to arrest you."
"Don't lie!" Banner slammed both hands down on the table and roared.
Natasha reacted like a startled bird. In an instant, she drew the pistol she'd prepared under the table and aimed it at Banner's head.
"I'm sorry."
With a gun pointed at him, Banner didn't panic. Instead, guilt flashed across his face for how he'd acted.
"That was ugly. How about you put the gun down first, and we talk like adults?"
Natasha's eyes widened. Every muscle in her body locked tight.
On the plane, she'd watched the video Coulson sent. Banner turning into a raging green beast, smashing a town to pieces with his bare hands.
If Banner snapped right now, Natasha wouldn't stand a chance.
The entire slum could be flattened. Everyone inside would die with it.
"Put the gun down. We talk calmly. Don't worry… that guy won't get angry for now, Natasha."
Banner's voice was low, soothing, his hands slowly pressing downward.
Hearing Banner say her name, Natasha finally steadied herself.
She took a deep breath and lowered the gun.
If she kept aiming at him, it might be the very thing that set him off.
"Stand down. Everything inside is normal."
Natasha spoke into her Bluetooth earpiece, then took the earpiece off and crushed it under her heel.
"Alright."
Meanwhile, Loki paced through the hidden base he'd chosen.
"Erik. How is it?"
He asked softly, looking at the famous astrophysicist.
"Very good. The equipment here can meet all my needs," Erik said, then pointed at the others working nearby. "But… where did these people come from?"
Among them were physicists, and scientists from Erik's own field.
"People who share our interests are rare," Loki said as he walked past and sat down in a chair, "but people who hate Fury? Those are everywhere."
His scepter flickered once, and his mind drifted away.
After a long while, Loki exhaled and wiped cold sweat from his forehead.
"Damn it!"
He slammed the scepter into the ground, his eyes dark and vicious.
"I've worn the imperial robe myself. Who do you think you are?"
Tony Stark stood nearby, lowering a weapon he hadn't even had the chance to fire.
"This was you?" he asked.
Captain America shook his head. "I showed up and he was already on his knees."
He pointed toward Vincent. "Probably him."
Seeing Iron Man arrive, Vincent smiled brightly and walked over as if they were old friends.
"Long time no see, Mr. Stark."
"Yeah." Tony's face was sour as he stared at the thief. "We literally just saw each other."
Then Tony pointed at Loki, who was kneeling with both hands raised in surrender.
"Was this you?"
Vincent nodded. "Yeah."