The Other Stark (Avengers Fanfic)

Chapter 4

They got to the lab and began working with the scepter. Banner starts scanning the stick with a gamma-ray detector scanner. Tory looks at the screens, solving algorithms and equations that could help them. Meanwhile, Tony looks at the monitor in front of him, helping JARVIS to hack into S.H.I.E.L.D's database.

"You know... it took me less than 10 minutes to hack into their firewall," Tory states out, looking at her brother, who is with an annoyed face.

"So you could help me," he says looking at her hopefully. She was the only person who he had ever begged for something.

"Come solve this one here for me, I'll see what I can do," she says going near Doctor Banner.

"The gamma readings are definitely consistent with Selvig's reports on the Tesseract," Bruce says looking at his new science partner.

"But it's gonna take weeks to process."

"If we bypass their mainframe and direct a reroute to the Homer cluster, we can clock this around six hundred teraflops," Tory answers, looking closer at the Tesseract.

"All I packed was a toothbrush," Banner points out with a chuckle.

"You know, you should come by STARK TOWERS sometime. Top ten floors, all R&D. You'd love it, it's candy land," Tony says, looking away from the problems he was solving.

"It would be a pleasure working more with ya Doc," Tory speaks up, staring at the screens that showed the percentage of gamma radiation on the scepter.

"I promise a stress-free environment."

"Yeah, no tension, no surprises," Tony says walking behind Banner and poking him on the ribs.

"Wow," Banner exclaims. Tony looks closer into his reaction.

"Nothing?" he questions the scientist who just continues to do his job.

"Tons, are you crazy?" Tory asks with wide eyes. She looks at Bruce apologizing for what had just happened, he nods. Suddenly the door of the lab opens.

"Are you nuts?" Steve shouts to Tony, who just ignores.

"You really have got a lid on it, haven't you? What's your secret? Mellow jazz? Bongo drums? Huge bag of weed?" Tony asks.

"Is everything a joke to you?" Rogers asks angrily.

"Funny things are," Tony tells him.

"Threatening the safety of everyone on this ship isn't funny," Cap replied pointing one finger at Tony.

"No offense, doctor."

"No, it's alright. I wouldn't have come aboard if I couldn't handle pointy things," Bruce announced, getting closer to Tory, who was trying to ignore the two idiots arguing in the middle of the lab.

"If both of you are going to fight, get out," she said seriously, not really in the mood for her brother. She was getting angry because she was not getting the answers to their problems.

"When did you become the boring one?" Tony asks his sister, now ignoring Captain Rogers who was still angry.

"When I'm trying to do my work," she answers him.

"Stark, you need to focus on the problem," Steve says.

"You think I'm not? Why did Fury call us and why now? Why not before? What isn't he telling us? I can't do the equation unless I have all the variables," Tony shouts to everyone. This time, Victoria couldn't deny, but she asked herself the same questions a lot of times.

"You think he's hiding something?" Cap questions with a confused look.

"Think about it Cap, he's a spy, he's the spy. His secrets have secrets," Tory points out, receiving a glare from her brother.

"It's bugging him too, isn't it?" Tons asks the Doc who was just trying to stay out of the conversation.

" Uh...I just wanna finish my work here and..." Bruce stutters.

"Doctor?" Steve asks him.

"'A warm light for all mankind, Loki's jab at Fury about the cube," Banner begins.

"I heard it," Rogers nods.

"Well, I think that was meant for you," Bruce continuous his explanation, pointing to the Starks.

"Even if Barton didn't say anything, it's all over the news."

"The Stark Tower? That big ugly..." Steve announced, receiving a glare from Tony. Victoria clears her throat.

"Building in New York."

"It's powered by Stark Reactors, self-sustaining energy source," the Doc states out.

"That building will run itself for what, a year?"

"That's just the prototype. We're kind of the only name in clean energy right now," Tony jerks out proudly, feeding his ego.

"So, why didn't SHIELD bring them in on the Tesseract project? I mean, what are they doing in the energy business in the first place?" Banner concludes his explanation.

Tory turns her self off the conversation, tired of hearing the men arguing. She sits on one of the lab tables and starts her work on backing down S.H.I.E.L.D's firewall, so she could get the information Tony wanted and shut them all up.

"Can you all just get out off the lab?" she screams, out of patience.

"Just find the cube," Steve screams and walks out of the room with quick heavy steps.

"That's the guy my dad never shut up about? Wondering if they shouldn't have kept him on ice," Tony mummers, getting a little package of dry blueberries.

"Just shut up! Stop being a jerk all the time. Here... take whatever information you want," she says angrily, getting off the table, handing the computer to her brother.

"I'm going to take a break from you."

"But you..." Tony starts, but get cut off by his sister.

"Doctor Banner doesn't really need my help and if you need," she says, looking at Banner, who's just quiet, looking at the two siblings fighting for the second time in a day.

"Just call me."

She heads out of the lab with quick steps and goes somewhere she knows she can clear her mind: the gym.

"How didn't you two have not killed yourselves yet?" Banner asks looking at the now closed door.

"I ask myself the same question every day!" Tony says, throwing a hand full of berries in his mouth.