Fury gazed silently back at the people in the lab through the glass, the hem of his trench coat fluttering in the high-altitude airflow, his expression calm and unperturbed. His voice, coming from the loudspeaker, was steady and deep.
" The Tesseract 'S.H.I.E.L.D. has been sealed away by S. H. I. E. L. D. for many years, with its hidden, unknown energy right before our eyes. To leave it unattended or ignore it would be a dereliction of duty. The potential threat is right under our noses. If we don't analyze it and explore its energy patterns, and if it were to suddenly go berserk one day, or be stolen by some other clandestine force, we wouldn't have any means to deal with it. I'm studying the Tesseract's Cube because I want to have leverage to deal with potential threats."
His single eye was fixed firmly on Tony, showing no sign of backing down.
"I couldn't have predicted that Loki would follow the Tesseract to Earth. When your father initiated the research project, there was no contingency plan for an alien invasion. But I knew that the unknown Tesseract always harbored unpredictable variables, and conducting research and accumulating data in advance was the best option S.H.I.E.L.D.. could make. The current situation spiraling out of control is an accident, but if we had simply sealed it off and ignored it, we would have been helpless when something truly happened. You can criticize my research methods as reckless, but from the perspective of protecting Earth, I don't think I did anything wrong. Now that Loki is approaching with his army, dwelling on past rights and wrongs won't solve the problem."
Tony leaned against the lab bench, arms crossed, a cold smile playing on his lips.
"It's not wrong to dwell on right and wrong, but it can teach some people what they should and shouldn't do." His voice wasn't loud, but every word was laced with sarcasm. "If the extinction of humanity is caused by an alien invasion, that's human incompetence, a natural disaster. If the extinction is caused by some people's ignorant and reckless research, attracting aliens and leading to Earth's destruction, that's a man-made disaster."
He lowered his hands from his chest, took two steps forward, and stood in front of the observation window, facing Fury on the other side of the glass.
"Although I have a grudge against you, the fact that I'm standing here proves I'll help you resolve this. I'm not bringing this up to dredge up the past; I want to tell you not to expect us to be able to solve every disaster caused by ignorance. This time it was Loki, and we and Thor could handle it. But what if someone stronger comes next time? What are you going to do then?"
Fury didn't answer. Tony didn't seem inclined to wait for his reply.
"I don't want to argue with you about right and wrong; I know it's pointless. But I hope you remember that the unknown means uncontrollable. We don't always have the power to solve the disasters brought by the unknown." After saying that, he turned and left, pushing open the laboratory door. His leather shoes made a crisp and rapid sound on the metal corridor of the Helicarrier, and he disappeared around the corner in the blink of an eye.
The lounge was empty. Tony leaned against the wall, put his coffee cup on the table, and took out his phone to dial Lynn's number. The call connected quickly, and Lynn's lazy voice came from the other end. There was a slight static noise from the television in the background, so she was probably still lounging on the sofa in the living room.
How far has it progressed?
"I was on the bridge just now, yelling at Fury. But he always has an excuse. Fury said he was studying the Tesseract to prepare for potential problems, that he didn't know Loki would come, and that he didn't think he did anything wrong."
Tony's voice was clearly irritated. "I asked him what he would prepare for the next unknown disaster, and he couldn't answer anything."
"As expected." Lynn yawned on the other end of the phone, then his voice suddenly became more alert. "You've gotten this far? Fine, have JARVIS unlock any armor and send me there. Your coordinates keep changing; I'm afraid the portal will open into empty space and I'll experience freefall."
Tony sighed helplessly. "Fine, I'll have MK2 pick you up."
MK2 ejected from the armored hangar of Stark Tower, its thrusters igniting, transforming into a silver streak that pierced the New York night sky. The deck of the Helicarrier rapidly enlarged in view as MK2 landed smoothly, the thrusters' blasts whipping the uniforms of the surrounding ground crew against their skin. The armor deployed from the center, and Lynn jumped out, stretching his slightly stiff neck. Tony was already waiting at the edge of the deck, his dark gray casual jacket fluttering in the wind, handing him a freshly brewed cup of coffee. Lynn took it and gulped it down.
"What about Fury..."
"You've said enough on the phone. I didn't come here for this." Lynn interrupted him, turning to look towards the bridge entrance.
"Take me to see them."
The lab door slid open, and Lynn followed Tony inside. Banner straightened up from the Spectrum screen and nodded slightly to him. Ivan looked up from the arc generator and gestured with his chin in greeting. Fury turned around from the observation window, his one eye landing on Lynn, his lips moving—probably wanting to ask something. Lynn raised his hands in a gesture of surrender first.
"Uh, I just came to take a look. I'm not capable of fighting, hehe."
Fury was already in a bad mood. He stared at Lynn for a moment, then left with the words "You guys continue," before turning and striding out of the lab.
Lynn waited until Fury's footsteps completely disappeared at the end of the corridor, then turned and glanced around at everyone in the lab. Thor was standing in front of the holographic screen, frowning as he stared at Selvig's information; Natasha was beside him, discussing Hawkeye's movements in hushed tones with Coulson; and Captain Rogers was leaning against the wall, flipping through a paper file. He reached out and tugged at Tony's sleeve, gesturing for Banner and Ivan to come closer. The four of them huddled around a workbench in the far corner of the lab, out of everyone else's hearing range.
"I have a preliminary idea and I'd like to ask for your opinions. After all, I'm sure there's absolutely no one in this universe smarter than the three of you."
Tony leaned back in his chair and gestured for him to speak. Banner took off his goggles and placed them on the workbench, then folded his hands in his knees, looking like he was all ears. Ivan crossed his arms, but he didn't leave, which meant he was listening too.
Lynn organized his thoughts. "Essentially, matter records information, right?"
The three nodded in agreement. This was a basic consensus in physics and required no further discussion.
" Tony, those two don't know my abilities, you should know that." Lynn pointed to his chest, comparing it to the location of the fatal thing on Tony's body. "Based on my meager knowledge, I understand that the more basic the information, the simpler it is, right?"
Tony leaned back in his chair and nodded slightly. "Right. Information at the microscopic particle level is the purest, containing only spin, charge, mass, and spatial coordinates. The molecular level is already several orders of magnitude more complex."
"If... I mean if! I used my abilities to disassemble, record, and replicate an exact Tesseract, do you think it would be feasible? I want to replicate a stripped-down version that fits my body, reducing some of the side effects. Tony, you know, those side effects are truly indescribable."
Tony tapped the workbench surface with his fingertip, his gaze falling on the energy waveform of the Tesseract on the holographic screen, and pondered for a moment.
"The theoretical framework is feasible, but I don't understand that stuff. You can try it when you have time; it won't hurt if it doesn't work."