Dearest Readers,

Thank you so much for the astounding support for the first chapter! Every time I saw I had a new review I literally screamed at my computer. It was amazing. Notes to my wonderful reviewers:

ecrooked24- Thanks, and I just made up her name randomly.

Alley Arlington- Thanks, and for the record, I have read some of your stories and LOVED them. :)

SaskiaWillow1201- I know, I like Loki this way too. He was just misunderstood. :)

Thanks again for the reviews! Here we go…


Avengers POV

"How many minutes to the drop coordinates?" Steve asks, with a hint of anxiety bleeding through his normally unwavering tone.

The entire Avengers team, except for Anna, are pacing around the launch zone of the helicarrier preparing for their missing member's rescue mission.

"Nervous, old man?" Tony smirks.

Steve would have normally responded with some sort of sharp retort rebuking the billionaire for his lack of focus, but this time he sees a small trace of concern on Tony's face as well and holds back. They have all gone on this type of mission many times before, but it has never been for one of their own. The possibility of failure has suddenly become a lot more terrifying.

"2 minutes Captain," Agent Hill reports. "I suggest that those who need parachutes better grab them now."

Clint, Steve, and Natasha slip into the sturdy harnesses while the others watch idly. Thor and Tony plan on flying down, Loki will teleport, and Bruce will drop and let the Other Guy take over mid fall.

Fury approaches the group. "Everybody ready? Know the plan? Remember, this will be pretty basic. Spread out, locate Agent Martin, report back when you've found her and everyone can make their way to the helicopter we'll have waiting on the west side of the complex for extraction."

"Yes, mother," sighs Tony quietly before closing up the faceplate of his suit.

"For the love of God, Stark!" Natasha finally exclaims. "I know it's hard for you, but could you just be serious for once in your life? These people have managed to keep Anna completely hidden from SHIELD for almost a month, and we have no idea what to expect. "

Tony lets out an indignant huff, as the others looked around, shocked. They know Anna and Natasha are good friends, but no one has ever seen the Black Widow lose her composure like that before.

Agent Hill breaks the silence. "30 seconds to drop."

The Avengers make their way over to the ramp that is slowly lowering down from the ship, opening up the launch platform. They peer over the snowy Russian cities in silence for a moment, taking in the mysterious beauty.

Loki lifts his head and says quietly, "What if we are too late?"

The team flinches as the question swimming in the back of their minds is suddenly thrown into the air.

"We'll never know if we don't jump," responds Steve, as he takes a deep breath and leads the group in dropping into the frigid night air.


A few minutes later, the team is safely on the snowy ground and running towards the small, abandoned building that SHIELD had identified as the entrance to the underground headquarters. The Hulk reaches it first and knocks down the entire front side of the rickety structure, armed guards and all. His job is to stay at the surface (as enclosed spaces aren't always favored/accessible by the Other Guy) and to make sure no one who poses a threat can enter or exit the complex. The fighting will be contained to the underground.

The Captain then leads the rest of the team through the rubble to the remnants of a fluorescently lit stairwell entrance at the back of the building. It starts looking rather plain, but as they descend lower and lower into the ground their surroundings begin to look more and more like a decrepit prison. As they reach the bottom of the stairs, they burst through the creaky doors to see an impossibly long, dark, stone hallway illuminated with dim work lights every twenty or so feet.

"We have to work fast," Steve orders. "Check as many rooms as you can and alert the rest of the team over the headset when you've found her. Now MOVE."

The Avengers dart in different directions, taking out numerous patrol guards and trying to ignore the heightening volume of the shouts coming their way as they run through the maze of hallways and tunnels.

"Damn," Clint thinks, as he shoots a guard through the chest, "This organization really must have been something back in the day." There are dozens and dozens of cells for possible prisoners, but they are all completely empty.

The briefing before this mission had been short; a privately run human-trafficking organization based in Russia was slowing down and falling apart, so Anna had been sent to plant a detonator in the main headquarters. SHIELD believed that the bomb's damage potential could weaken the organization (known as the Black Cobras) into its ultimate failure. Another threat to permanently cross off the super villain laundry list.

Clint is snapped out of his train of thought as an enormous guard lands a painful blow on the archers shoulder.

"Damn," Clint mutters to himself, as he works to regain the upper hand against the man who might as well be a half-bear half-human. "Once again, thinking only gets me into trouble."

Loki POV

As I take down another one of the pathetic thugs guarding this place, I glance into another cell.

Nothing.

This will take forever: trying to look into each and every one of these cells. We're going at this all wrong. I manage to duck into a conveniently empty hallway and close my eyes to think for a few seconds. I focus my magic into sensing the people in this labyrinth of corridors. I almost give up using this method, finding nothing of any help after a few moments, but suddenly a tiny spark works its way into my mind. It flickers, straining to be seen, unlike everyone else's naturally strong presence.

It has to be her.

I see Natasha turn into my hallway.

"Anything?" she yells, as she jogs in my direction.

"Yes!" I shout back, as my feet instinctively lead me to a place I have never seen before, but my mind has charted a course to.

Using magic again, and a bit of shoving, I break open the door.

I run in, and my breath stings in my throat at the sight.

There she is.

Review!

-m9ower