Wow, thanks for the reviews guys. I wasn't expecting any so soon. I'm glad you're enjoying it already. Here's chapter 2

As I said in the last chapter, all chapters from here on in are in third person. If POV changes, I'll let you know.

Disclaimer: If I owned them, I'd be as rich as Tony Stark.

. . . . . . Change in place.

"Normal talk"

:JARVIS talk:

One hour earlier…

The atmosphere in the Avengers meeting room was thick with anticipation of the upcoming mission. In the centre of the circular table, the holographic image of an industrial complex added light to the room.

"Are you sure that's where they've set up their new base?" Tony looked up, his mask pulled up to reveal his face.

"According to Fury's Intel, not to mention the satellite images, yes. And from the looks of things, I'd say it was more of a research facility than a base."

"How can you tell from the image?" Tony glanced at the new speaker.

"Call it a hunch, Cap. The complex isn't really big enough to house a big operation, well, not one the size they seem to run. It does make good space for research, though what they're researching, I really don't know."

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go and shut them down before they can cause too much trouble!" Jan said, excitement clearly visible in her eyes.

"I'm with Jan. If Hydra are up to something, then I don't really wanna find out what it is." That signalled the end of the conversation. Within moments, those who were going on the mission had taken their places on the Quinjet. Or, in Tony's case, stood beside it. Minutes later, they were airborne.

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The landscape was a blur as they flew above it. Twenty minutes after setting off, the complex came into sight.

"Wow, why would they wanna set up a base in this dump?"

"Good question, Hawkeye. It's probably to avoid detection. I mean, who'd think to look for them in a run down complex like this." Hank replied, looking out of the Quinjet's wind shield.

"Sneaky. What do you think, Tony?"

"I'm with Hank. This is the last place SHIELD would think to look for them, or anyone else for that matter." They flew over the buildings, setting down nearby. The sounds of an alarm reached their ears.

"I think we've been detected."

"I don't think we have, Steve. My systems picked up on the alarm before we even flew over. The alarm is for something else."

"In that case, shouldn't we be doing something, you know, while they're distracted?"

"You're right Jan. Let's go!" They spread out, Tony and Jan taking off into the air. Clint and Steve ran through the gate and took cover as Hydra guards began firing on them.

"Took you guys long enough!" Clint smirked, letting loose a couple of trick arrows that exploded in a cloud of smoke. Steve took his cue and ran forward, blocking shots with his shield and knocking out guards who got close enough. The sound of Iron Man's repulsors split through the air, followed by explosions as flammables caught fire. Jan was having a whale of a time zapping guards with her stingers.

"They don't seem to be up to par today. They normally put up more of a fight than this. Not that I'm complaining."

"Yeah well, it's like Tony said, Clint. It seems to be more of a research facility than a base of operations," Hank responded. He grew in size, swiping away the guards that were attacking him with a hand.

Tony flew overhead, blasting the buildings with his repulsors, the aging metal and stone easily crumbling under them. There weren't nearly as many guards as he was expecting. It made him entirely too suspicious. Something didn't add up here. This was something that SHIELD could have handled themselves, so why did Fury ask for their help? Before he could dwell on the subject, his AI broke his train of thought.

:Sir, I'm picking up a large heat signature approximately twenty metres due west of your current position.:

"Put it on heat detection, JARVIS."

:Certainly sir.: The screen changed to multicoloured. The areas on fire glowed white, and the yellow shapes revealed his teammates and the Hydra guards. He turned west, scanning the complex. Sure enough, there was the heat source.

"What the…?" As he glided closer, he picked up on something at the centre of the blaze. The fire had nothing at all to do with him or the others, it was now clear to see why. At the heart of the fire stood a figure. It was impossible to tell from his current view whether it was male or female. As he watched, the fire began to die down, the orange and yellow glow of the heated metal all that remained of the blaze. Tony turned back to his team. They needed to know about this. They'd made short work of the buildings, many on fire and crumbling.

"Guys, I think I've found what they were researching." Without elaborating, he turned and took off towards the area of the unrelated fire. The others looked at each other and followed.

As Tony got there, the area was unrecognisable. The ceiling had caved in and the walls had crumbled. But that wasn't what he was focusing on. A figure was running from the scene, though they didn't make it very far. They'd probably ran only a few feet before stopping and slumping to the ground. He tilted his hands down, legs following suit, and came into land next to the prone girl. Bleary hazel eyes glanced up at him before slowly closing, her short brown hair sticking to her face thanks to the sweat. He heard the other Avengers shouting for him as he knelt beside her. His scanners easily picked up on her vitals. She was unconscious, but she was ok. Although her temperature had him worried. It was entirely too high. She looked to be around 18 years old. They'd have to get her to safety. Scooping her up, he turned as his teammates came over to him, his face plate retracting.

"Tony! What's…oh." Hank stepped past Jan and walked over to Tony. The girl lay still in his arms, oblivious to everything and everyone around her. He touched her forehead, frowning at her high temperature. He glanced at Tony, noting the concern in the billionaire's eyes.

"What happened to her?"

"No idea, though I think she has something to do with this destruction." He nodded to the now destroyed area they were standing beside.

"So, what are we going to do, take her to SHIELD?" Tony shook his head, a slight frown gracing his brow.

"No, I don't think so. I don't trust SHIELD to look after her properly. Especially if what I'm guessing happened is true."

"You think they're going to lock her up." It was a statement, not a question.

"Among other things. No, I think, until we know who she is and where she's from, she'll be safer with us."

"And if she turns out to be a Hydra goon?"

"If that happens, Steve, she won't get too far. Not with all of us around. And besides, something tells me she's not with them." Face plate once again covering his features, Tony took off with the girl in his arms, the others not far behind. He glanced down at the teenager, a little disconcerted that she hadn't so much as stirred yet.

"JARVIS, keep an eye on her vitals will you? Let me know if anything changes."

:Very good sir.: Landing in front of the jet, Tony waited for the others to catch up. Handing the girl over to Steve, he waited for the others to get ready to leave with prisoners in tow before taking off again. Below them, the old complex was now in rack and ruins, everything burning and crumbling, nothing left salvageable. Mission accomplished.

There's chapter 2. Thanks again for reading guys. I'll try and get updated as often as I can, but I won't make promises. Constructive criticism is appreciated.