[S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier. The Laboratory.]
The air in the lab was heavy. It wasn't the humidity; it was the psychic weight of the glowing blue Scepter sitting in the containment cradle.
Tony Stark was poking Dr. Banner with an electrical prod.
"Ow!" Banner flinched.
"Nothing?" Tony checked his readings. "You really have a handle on that guy. That's the secret, isn't it? mellow jazz? Bongos?"
"Is everything a joke to you?" Steve Rogers walked in, looking like a disappointed parent.
"Funny things are," Tony replied, turning back to his screens. "And threatening things are just... puzzles."
In the corner, Sebastian was preparing a tea service on a sterile lab table. He placed a porcelain cup next to Bruce Banner.
"Chamomile, Doctor," Sebastian said softly. "It helps with the... Other Guy."
Bruce looked at the butler. He felt a strange chill every time Sebastian was near, but also a weird sense of calm. "Thank you. You know, you're the only person on this ship who doesn't treat me like a time bomb."
"I am accustomed to volatile employers," Sebastian glanced at Tony. "Compared to Mr. Stark's moods, a giant green rage monster is quite straightforward."
[30 Minutes Later. The Argument.]
The room was full. Fury, Thor, Natasha, Steve, Tony, and Bruce.
And the Scepter.
It was humming. A low, thrumming sound that drilled into the base of their skulls.
"Phase Two is using the Cube to make weapons," Steve slammed a heavy Hydra weapon on the table. "I was wrong, Director. The world hasn't changed a bit."
"I didn't tell you about that because we needed time," Fury argued, his voice rising.
"To do what?" Bruce interjected, his eyes twitching. "To build a nuclear deterrent? Because that worked so well last time."
"You speak of control," Thor boomed, his hand tightening on Mjolnir. "Yet you court chaos."
"I think you're confusing 'chaos' with 'preparedness'," Tony snapped.
"I thought we were a team!" Steve shouted at Tony. "But you're just looking for an exit strategy!"
The shouting escalated. Everyone was talking over everyone else. The camera angle tilted, the world feeling unstable. The blue light of the Scepter pulsed faster, feeding on their aggression, amplifying their worst fears.
Bruce's hand hovered near the Scepter. He didn't even realize he was reaching for it.
"Dr. Banner," Fury said, his hand moving to his holster. "Put down the spear."
"I'm not touching it!" Bruce yelled. "You're the ones pushing me!"
"Everyone, stop!" Steve commanded.
In the background, unnoticed by the screaming heroes, Sebastian Michaelis sighed.
He felt the Scepter's influence washing over the room like a wave of static. To the humans, it was a headache. To the demon, it was... loud. It was like a fork scraping against a plate.
"So noisy," Sebastian whispered.
He walked forward. He didn't run. He didn't make a scene. He simply walked into the center of the circle of angry superheroes.
And he grabbed the Scepter.
Silence.
Instant, absolute silence.
The psychic screaming in their heads cut off the moment Sebastian's gloved hand closed around the metal shaft.
Bruce blinked, stepping back, realizing he had been inches from grabbing it.
Thor's eyes went wide. "Do not touch that! The mind of the stone is—"
Sebastian lifted the Scepter out of the cradle. He looked at the glowing blue gem. He tapped it with his fingernail. Clink.
"It is a very rude artifact," Sebastian noted, examining it like a piece of silverware that hadn't been polished properly. "It sings a very discordant tune. 'Hate. Fear. Envy.' Very basic seasoning."
He walked over to a heavy lead-lined storage case on the far wall—the one meant for radioactive isotopes.
"Put it down!" Fury drew his gun. "Michaelis, that thing can control gods!"
"I am aware," Sebastian said calmly.
He placed the Scepter into the case. He closed the heavy lid and spun the locking wheel.
Clang.
The tension in the room evaporated instantly. Shoulders dropped. Breaths were released.
Sebastian turned to face the room. Every Avenger was staring at him with a mix of horror and confusion.
"How..." Bruce took off his glasses, his hands shaking. "How did you do that? It was... inside my head. Why isn't it inside yours?"
Sebastian adjusted his cuffs. He smiled, and for a second, the fluorescent lights of the Helicarrier seemed to dim.
"The Scepter seeks a soul to corrupt, Doctor Banner," Sebastian said pleasantly. "I am afraid I do not meet the requirements."
"What does that mean?" Cap asked, stepping forward.
"It means," Tony broke the silence, grabbing a bag of blueberries. "That he's dead inside. Like a corporate lawyer. Or a politician."
Tony tried to laugh it off, but his eyes were serious. He looked at his butler with a new level of wariness.
"Sir," Sebastian looked at the ceiling. His ears twitched. "I believe the argument is moot."
"Why?"
"Because," Sebastian pointed up. "There is a bomb on the hull."
BOOM.
The floor erupted.
The explosion tore through the lab, throwing Steve and Tony into the wall. Natasha and Bruce fell into the piping pit below.
Debris rained down. Sirens wailed.
"S.H.I.E.L.D. Emergency Protocol 193. We are venting atmosphere."
Sebastian stood amidst the flames, unmoving. He looked down into the pit where Bruce Banner had fallen. He heard the groan. He heard the tearing of fabric. He heard the roar.
"Oh dear," Sebastian dusted off his shoulder. "It seems the Green Gentleman is coming out to play."
[End of Chapter 18]
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