Finally, all of the Avengers, plus Nick Fury, had gathered in one room together for the first time. With one exception.

Steve could not figure out who the young girl sitting across from him was. She was obviously a SHIELD agent, as she wore the standard jumpsuit, but she looked far too young to be working for them. Her dark hair fell in waves around her youthful face, and her skin was the colour of caramel. Altogether she looked exceptionally plain, except for her eyes; they were a cold, unnatural blue that didn't match the rest of her appearance in the slightest.

"Mr. Rogers," Fury barked. "Are you paying attention to what I'm saying?"

Steve whipped his head around and coughed. "Ah, yes, sir. But I do have a question."

Fury sighed. "Yes?"

Steve pointed at the dark-haired girl. "Who's she?"

The girl swiveled her head around to face him. Steve shivered under her gaze. A prickling sensation started along his spine, no doubt due to her emotionless, rather creepy gaze.

"This is Myra," Fury said bluntly. "Any other questions?"

"Yes," said Stark. "How old are you?"

"Mr. Stark," Steve reprimanded. Stark shrugged.

"What? She's young. It's odd." He paused. "And don't tell me you weren't thinking the same thing."

Steve had to admit, Stark was right.

Myra glanced at Fury. How strange, Steve thought. It was almost as if she was waiting for his permission to speak. Because he was focused so intently on Myra, Steve missed the small nod Fury gave her.

"I was fifteen –"

"Ha! Told you she was young!" Stark exclaimed triumphantly.

" – about two hundred years ago," she finished. Her accent was British. Steve felt a pang in his lower abdomen. Peggy.

"No way." Stark gaped. Myra just nodded, a small smile appearing on her lips. "But that's, like, not possible. I mean, Spangles over here stayed alive for seventy years, but he was a Capsicle and he's a supersoldier. You're obviously not a supersoldier."

"Myra's a superhero," Nick interjected.

"Really?" Stark turned to Nick. "She doesn't look all that special. Then again, as far as I'm concerned, the only person here with real powers is me."

"You don't actually have powers, Mr. Stark," Myra pointed out. "You just have a fancy suit."

Stark waved a hand. "Details. So, what are your powers?"

Again, Myra glanced at Fury. This time, Steve caught the incline of his head. Why is she asking Fury for his permission?

"I am bound to the Tesseract by some of the oldest magic known to the Nine Realms," Myra explained. "Magic that even Loki and his newfound company cannot break. You could say that I am the human form of the Tesseract, as I am linked to it in every way imaginable. When it's energy spikes, mine does as well. When it falters, so does mine. And I can harness its energy and use it for whatever purpose I wish."

"What do you mean, you can harness its energy?" Banner said, sounding genuinely curious. Myra turned around to face him.

"I mean exactly what I say, Doctor. The energy of the Tesseract is mine to control."

"Yes, but how?"

"Show them," Fury instructed. "It'll be easier than explaining."

"Of course." Myra flipped her left hand over so that it was laying palm up on the table. A curling mark was inscribed on her wrist, marring the otherwise smooth skin of her forearm. As they all watched with interest, it began to glow a bright blue that matched the colour of her eyes, and a shimmering blue knife materialized in her hand. Stark scoffed.

"How do we know that's not just a hologram?"

Myra looked at him. Picking up the knife in her right hand, she drew it across her left palm. Steve sucked in a breath as blood welled up along the shallow cut.

"Point taken," he said, shooting a meaningful glare at Stark. Glancing back at Myra's hand, he was shocked to see the cut had already healed. "How did you do that?"

"Do what?" Myra asked innocently.

"Heal that fast. You don't even have a scar."

"The Tesseract. Apparently it has some sense of self-preservation." Steve couldn't be sure, but he thought he could detect a hint of bitterness behind her cool indifference. Fury sighed.

"That's not important. What is important is –"

"Loki's been spotted," Agent Hill interrupted. Fury sighed again.

"Where?"

"Stuttgart, Germany." There was a pause as she showed them the computer monitor. "He's not exactly hiding."

Fury didn't respond; instead, he turned to the rest of the team. "Captain, suit up. This one's yours."