Chapter 1
I smiled openly at the computer screen, finaly i had been able to do the impossible, so it had taken a few hours and carefully laid plans. What matters was that I had done it. I had beaten the computer at chess. Hardmode style. I was a genius. little fireworks buzzed around me in celebration. I felt electrical shocks when one would ocasionaly pass close to a matrixed part of my body. Lana's voice that was till now filling the otherwise eeriely quiet house stoped.
"Miss Aurelius," The red queen's voice resounded throuh me empty household. " My sensers have located an intruder. What shall we do with her?"
A raised an eyebrow at that. An intruder, a human woman at that was rare. "Is she traped RQ?"I asked the AI. "Yes, Miss Aurelius. Natasha Romanovf is curently being held in the downstairs bathroom, I have already run a background check on her, it is in Olcult file under the comon address as solicitated," RQ responded. "That's why I pay you the big bucks RQ," I tell the AI. I heard a faint snort coming from her speakers, but that was impossible seeing as tht reaction wasn't programed into her database yet. "You don't pay me Miss Aurelius" she responded. "Duelly noted RQ, no need for sarcasm," I respond. She stays silent. I skim over Agent Romanovf's file, noting a few interesting points. Such as that she was a S.H.E.I.L.D agent and what not, then head downstairs to confront the intruder.
Coming up to the wall that seperated me from Agent Romanovf and pressed the button to open the shades. The wall slides down revealing the Agent atempting to escape using the air vents, and so far not being gaining progress, Though she got brownie points for her stealth. She drops down suddenly to and turns to face me. " Miss Aurelius, It's a pleasure!" I detect a hint of an accent, stating that she was russian, though her file already stated that little tibit."Hello Agent Romanovf, I would say that the pleasure is mine, but seeing as you are invading my personal property.."I trail off leting her fill the blanks, " So what do I owe you for this Unexpected visit?" I ask ,quite curious. She gestures to the bathroom. " Prehaps we can talk elsewhere." she states. I nod but can't myself from adding " Be aware that RQ will incinerate you where you stand should you try anything she deems offensive, she's a bit cross at you for atempting to bypass her systems. " She opens the door and nods a bit sheepishly. "I'm sorry, I was a bit curious to test your security. It has legendary status, Miss Aurelius" She tells me in explanation. To this I laugh, "I know, and Call me Alice." She smiles."Only if in turn you call me Natasha."
I believe that we have just bonded. I smile social interaction was something that I hadn't expeirenced in a few years, save a few emails. I lead her to the kitchen and motion her to sit. I turn the computer moniter on, and input the comand to ask RQ to make coffee, not wanting to expose RQ to straners just yet. After grabing two mugs I hand her one and motion her to continue.
"Miss Alice, as you probably already know we have been experimenting with the tesseract," I nod thinking back to the time I hacked the S.H.I.E.L.D, or atempted to hack S.H.I.E.L.D. I only got halfway through till they shut me down. I did get some information about the tesseract. Apparently they were conducting expirements with an unknown energy source. " I'm here to ask for your assistance, you see, there has been an incident. The Tesseract has been stolen by a man named Loki. We need to find Loki and the Tesseract before Loki uses it for dangerous purposes. We have Dr. Bruce Banner and Tony Stark looking for the Tesseract and we are looking for Loki also, but we need you to help us. We believe that you may be avle to understand the tesseract better seeing as you have prior expierience with this sort of thing. This is as much as I am able to disclose to you but as soon as we get to the the base Fury will brief you." I consider her proposal. Thinking that S.H.E.I.L.D. must be desperate to call such a catastrophic band of misfits to fight this Loki character, much less call for my help. I was certain I would rather face certain death than be placed anywhere near a beast, much less a cocky bastard who thought he was god gift to women. On the other hand, hacking into SHIELD's database while inside its hive was like taking candy from a baby, and most certainly worthwhile. I look up to Natasha who is expecting a anwser. "When do we leave?"
I was pretty sure of what I got myself into , at least until I was confined into a small metal container in the sky. Yes, that was enough to get my nerves all into small nots, stupid nerves. My grid pulsed tiny flahes of energy almost as if to anounce my uneasieness to everyone around me. Luckily they had no idea what the small flashes of light "skin" produced were, they just stare at me, just a bit freaked out. Thankfully no one had courage to ask me what it was.
Safe to say I was the first person at the door when the small jet landed. As soon as the hatch opened I practicly flew out of there and into a very big person. When I say big, I mean giant. Altough seeing as I was roughly the size of an child, calling people tall was only natural to me, but this guy was huge. He steadied me. " Watch out ma'm, I may not be there to carch you later." he said. I took a step back to get a better lock at him, then took another when all my eyes could see was a huge chest. My eyes met the bluest irises I hve ever seen. " Sorry, I didn't see you." I said then almost hit myself of my stupidity. So much for being a ninja, I mean, it was kinda hard to miss him. I stuck my hand out in greeting. " Alice Aurelius, you are?" He smiled then took my extended hand. "Steve Rogers ma'm" he anwsered. "Don't call me ma'm, I'll feel old." with that note our brief conversation ended when Natasha came in with a very intresting person in tow.
"Dr. Banner,"i say," it's a pleasure finally meeting you! " He looks at me with a small smile. " Dr. Banner, Word is you can find the cube." Stevie cuts into our scientisty type of moment. The smile on Banner's face drops. "Is that the only word on me?" He asks. "Only word I care about." Stevie gets big brownie points for that statement, and the smile returns to Banner's face. He turns his attention to me. "I know you from somewhere..., " he trails off. "I doubt it Banner, but I was impressed by your Gamma Radiation research, despite, you know the grr"I make a grr face to emphasize my point," problem." That gets hin to chuckle a bit. " Yes, I'm afraid i wouldn't be so impressed with it, seeing the outcome." I shook my head. "Hey, your alive, that in itself is remarkable, don't treat your condition as a liabilty treat it as a gift." he smiles for my benifit not really believing me. "So most people are scared of you, and you have anger manegment problems, and every time you come into a room people are afraid you'll break one of the good lamps. At least your hot, for an old guy," I add that last part after looking him up and down. He snorts, mostly amused.
"You may wanna step inside in a minute. It's gonna get a little hard to breath." Miss Romanoff cuts in. The three of us walk up to the border thinking the ship was going to submerge. "Is this is a submarine?" Steve asks. "Really? They wanted me in a submerged pressurized metal container?" Dr. Banner snorts sarcasticly. "Hey at least were not.." I was arubtly cut off when the ship began to lift up onto the air "flying ," I finally add , a bit sour. Great! more flying! As if voicing my concrns Bruce adds," Oh, no. This is much worse." Tell me about it. With that final note we went inside.