Hey guys! Finally finished this chapter. It was a long one, but I think it'll get things moving. Plus Loki arrives! :D I've really enjoyed writing this so far and can't wait to get to all the action. Thank you for all your favorites, follows and reviews! I hope to get plenty more.

Disclaimer: I do not own any Marvel characters or movie diologue. My OC is mine only.


To Stand or Fall?

The ride back to Stark Tower was a long one and Lyra couldn't fight back the droopiness of her eyes. Thankfully when she woke up her hands weren't bound together and she opened her eyes to see Steve's smiling face instead, telling her they were there. She drug her feet off the plane and into the waiting limo with Stark's personal driver, Happy, manning the vehicle. Unknowingly, she drifted off again on their way into the city. Halfway there, Steve felt a sudden heavy weight pressing against his shoulder and craned his head to see that the pretty woman was using his arm as a pillow, not that Steve was complaining. Tony began to comment about how the two should get a room, much to Steve's annoyance. The others tuned out their banter, ignoring the usual arguments the two started.

When the car lurched to a halt Lyra shot up wide-awake. The group sauntered up through the front doors and into the elevator to the top floor where the living quarters were located. Everyone picked his or her rooms and Stark retrieved some borrowed sleepwear from Pepper for Lyra. She mumbled a groggy "Thanks." and went to her new room. The tired teacher unceremoniously put on the comfy gray sweat pants and blue t-shirt. She didn't even bother to pull back the covers as she fell into sweet unconsciousness as soon as her head hit the pillow.


The sky was beginning to light up again, hues of pink and purple colored the clouds with the first rays of the sun breaking through them. Lyra had always been a morning person and enjoyed the sunrise. She climbed out of bed, running a hand through her hair. The little naps she had the night before renewed her energy and made waking up easier.

She crept quietly out of her room so she wouldn't disturb any of the sleeping heroes. The blue-eyed tutor took in her surroundings with curiosity, not having a chance to look around the night before. Of course the tower had a beautiful view of downtown New York, a large section of wall with an all glass window was enough to prove it. There were a few of the same soft couches like on Stark's plane and a large flat screen TV attached to the wall on her left. The kitchen sat in-between the TV area and the hallway to everyone's rooms. In the center of the room the hard tiled floor melded into a circular pit of soft carpet with a couple of chairs and a small table, a fireplace in front of it. In the right hand corner of the room was Tony's extensive bar, filled with all kinds of imported liquors and spirits. It was an impressive home that Lyra would never be able to afford on a teacher's salary, but she was honored to at least be a guest in it.

She was about to step outside on the walkway when her stomach growled fiercely, reminding her that she hadn't eaten since breakfast yesterday.

"Shall I prepare you some breakfast miss?" A voice asked out of nowhere.

Lyra jumped at the sudden noise and searched around for the source of the voice.

"What the hell?" She asked the empty room, tensing for an attack.

"Allow to me to introduce myself madam, I'm Jarvis. I am an Artificial Intelligence program created by Mr. Stark to run the tower and take care of any need of his guests." The robotic British voice stated.

Wow, Stark really outdid himself. She relaxed from her fighting stance and put her hands on her hips.

"That's a relief, I thought you were a burglar or something. Now, you were saying something about breakfast?" She said hopefully, looking up at the ceiling.

"Yes miss, what can I can get for you?" The invisible butler asked.

"French Toast, bacon, and a side of strawberries?" She asked warily, unsure if she was going too far.

"Coming right up miss." The AI replied smoothly.

Lyra smiled at the thought of not having to cook for herself for once. She ventured into the kitchen, deciding to pour herself a glass of milk. Opening the double door fridge, she grabbed the gallon of white liquid and set it on the island in the middle of the kitchen. Then she grabbed a mug hanging on a metal hook underneath the cabinets and poured until the cup was full. When she put the milk away, a whirring noise came from the center of the island and a hole appeared. A tray with her order rose out of it, silverware and syrup already along with it.

"Thanks Jarvis." She said brightly, grabbing the tray and heading towards the outside door again.

"You're welcome miss. Can I do anything else for you?" He said as she opened the door.

"If anyone asks where I am, tell them I'm outside." She directed, closing the door behind her.

"Will do miss." He acknowledged.

Lyra walked along the pathway to a sort of landing pad at the end of it. She wasn't sure what it was for, but it was the closest thing to the edge of the tower. Sitting the tray down beside her, she let her legs dangle over the edge while she sipped her milk. The clouds had already parted and the sun sparkled brightly, reflecting off the Empire State building nearby. The morning air blew her hair around and for the first time in years she actually felt relaxed. Sadly, this moment wouldn't last because she had a big day ahead of her. Today being judgement day and supposedly also the day she gets to meet the god of thunder whom she still didn't believe in the slightest.

She munched on her French toast thoughtfully and watched the city come to life below her. The risk of being this high off the ground with no safety railing didn't really affect her. In fact it was a real surge of adrenaline to think that she could easily fall to her end. Lyra always wondering what it would be like to take the plunge without thinking twice. She wasn't suicidal but just wanted to experience that feeling of free falling, now that would be living.

"You know, if you wanted to be dropped to your death all you had to do was ask." A familiar voice sounded behind her.

She turned around to see Stark smirking at her tauntingly from the doorway. She brought her legs off the edge of the platform and stood up with her empty tray.

"Remind me to put that on my bucket list." She teased back, walking towards him.

"You have a bucket list? How cliché." He mocked, holding the door open for her.

" What are you doing up so early Mr. Hangover?" She shot back, putting her dishes in the sink.

"The thunder god is coming today around noon and Fury wanted a test room set up before we're debriefed." He informed her, taking a seat on one of the barstools at the island.

She rolled her eyes at the mention of the god, but perked up her ears when he mentioned a "test room".

"What's the test room for?" She demanded, pointing a finger at him.

"Fury wants you to show us what you can do." He answered innocently, hands up in defense.

She sighed. "Tony I haven't used my full powers in so long, the last time I did was a complete disaster."

He looked at her with pity. "You'll make it through this Lyra, I know it. You're stronger you give yourself credit for."

She ogled him for a second, not believing he actually said her name, then smiled sincerely at the philanthropist.

"Well what do you know, Tony Stark is capable of having a heart to heart." She baited, turning on her heel to her room to get ready for the day.

"Just don't tell anybody, I've got a rep to protect." He called out to her before she closed her bedroom door laughing.


After taking a long hot shower, Lyra wrapped her body and hair in a towel. She planned on putting on her same white blouse and black slacks she had on yesterday, but found only her black ballet flats. She couldn't wear a towel around her torso all day, especially when the tower was expecting company. A knock at her door resounded before she could ask Jarvis for some assistance. Lyra opened the door a crack and saw that it was Tony's faithful assistant and girlfriend, Pepper Pots.

"Hey Pepper." She greeted, opening the door a little more.

"Hi Lyra, I brought some more clothes for you to wear and some toiletries. Your other clothes were taken to the dry cleaners." She informed her, handing her a folded bundle.

"Thanks Pepper, you didn't have to do that." She obliged, taking the stack from her.

"No problem. Thor will be here in less than an hour and Fury should arrive shortly after him." The redhead notified.

"Okay, but tell me something Pepper." The anxious scholar spoke cautiously.

"What is it?" She asked with concern.

"How exactly do you greet royalty? Tony told me that Thor is apparently a king and I have no hope of pulling off a successful curtsy, if that's even the correct way to greet someone of nobility."

Pepper laughed at Lyra's odd sort of priorities and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry about it, on Earth Thor doesn't care for formalities."

Lyra was relieved knowing she wouldn't have to brush up on her etiquette and nodded her head in understanding, feeling a little stupid.

"Good to know, I'll get ready now."

Pepper nodded and smiled, leaving her in peace.

Lyra closed the door with frustration; this deity business was wearing thin on her nerves. She observed the bunch of clothes in her arms and decided to pick something from the pile. The most sensible choice that wouldn't clash with her flats, was the blue and black sundress. Lyra grabbed a pair of underwear from the assortment and put on the dress, studying her self in the full-length mirror by her dresser. Thankfully it wasn't too small and didn't squeeze the life out of her cleavage with its built in bra. The halter strap fit snuggly at the base of her neck and her only pair of shoes didn't conflict with the ensemble.

The only thing left to do was dry her hair and brush her teeth. Lyra easily found a blow dryer underneath the sink, but there wasn't a flat iron to be found. Without a flat iron, her hair was impossibly wavy and liked to bunch up, sticking at odd angles. She didn't want to risk walking out of her room to their expected guest with wet hair, so she bit the bullet and would try to tame it as best she could.

Flipping the on switch to the drier, the droning sound dulled out any chance of outside noise being heard. After forty-five minutes of mindless air induced hair flailing, Lyra was finished. Brushing the wavy mass, she was surprised to see it wasn't unruly at all. The static in the air was usually her biggest problem, but the electricity ceased to exist. A loud boom from the sky sounded from outside Stark Tower and the lights in her bathroom suddenly flickered. Lyra's eyebrows furrowed in confusion at the sound of the thunderstorm, remembering the weather being calm this morning. She shrugged her shoulders and retrieved the dental supplies in the bag of toiletries.

The scraping noise of the brush going back and forth on her teeth echoed off the walls. She turned on the faucet and scooped some water in her mouth to rinse. She spit in the sink and was wiping her mouth clean when without warning the light bulbs above the mirror exploded into shards and electricity crackled all around her. She didn't have time to scream and instead kicked into survival mode, fleeing the bathroom. Shouting emitted from outside her bedroom and she quickly ran out of her room to see what was causing the commotion.

Nothing could have prepared her for the scene she saw before her. Everyone was on full attack mode and the tension in the air was thicker than cold molasses, no one noticing her entrance to the room. Tony was decked out in his Iron Man suit, lasers and missiles out. Natasha had two pistols cocked and raised; Clint was poised deadly with his bow and arrow. Steve had his shield in front of him and was in a crouching position. Bruce was standing by the bar with glasses askew, faintly shaking with anger. All were ready to take action against the threat that was standing back against the large glass window and Lyra wondered who could get such a hostile reaction out of the group.

She stepped forward to get a better look at the invader. It was a man, no scratch that, an enormous man. He was a mountain of muscle shrouded in heavy looking metal armor with a red cape and had long blonde hair with sky blue eyes. Those eyes were raging with anger at the moment and in his right hand a hammer as big as Lyra's head was raised in a combat position with threads of electricity surrounding it. It wasn't hard to figure out that he was Thor, the god of thunder. He was very intimidating to say the least, a true warrior no doubt. She believed every word Tony had told her now, her mouth hanging open with shock and confusion. What Lyra wanted to know was why everyone was so upset, she thought that Thor was a friend not an enemy. She was about to announce her presence when the shouting started again.

"What's he doing here Thor?" Tony's distorted voice demanded.

"He is here as an ally man of iron, not an enemy." The man replied with the same animosity in a strange accent.

"You expect us to believe that after all he did?" Natasha spat with malice.

Lyra's mind was burning with questions about the situation before her but she couldn't find a way to cut into the argument.

"Let's take him out while we still have a chance." Clint declared, fingers itching to release his projectile.

"You will have to go through me to do so archer." The thunder god warned darkly, pointing his hammer at him.

The room became filled with incomprehensible chatter as the situation was escalating towards all out war. Lyra was irritated with all the noise and saw that Bruce wouldn't be able to take much more of this. She went with the first solution that came to her head.

"Shut the hell up!" Lyra yelled.

The room vibrated, more violently than any other time she yelled before. Everyone stopped fighting and felt a strange pulse radiate off of their chests. All attention turned onto Lyra, whose deep blue eyes were blazing with annoyance.

"What is going on out here?" She commanded, looking at all the shocked faces staring back at her.

"Thor brought an unwanted visitor." Tony answered bitterly, pointing at the vexed blonde.

She turned her head towards the god who looked at her apprehensively.

"So you're the one Tony keeps on talking about." She said warmly, changing her expression and passing through the semi-circle of heroes to him.

"I have to say, I didn't believe you existed at first but now I couldn't have been more wrong." She continued, looking up at him curiously.

The demigod was confused at the yelling woman's odd switch of mood. He lowered his sparking hammer, seeing she was no threat and looked down at her with the same curiosity.

"Who are you fair lady?"

"I'm Lyra Lane, possible new addition to the Avengers Initiative. Welcome to Earth." She said smiling.

She held out her hand for him to shake. He took her hand, but instead of shaking it he placed a kiss upon her knuckles. Lyra's cheeks burned bright red at his strange custom, lost for words on how to respond. The other Avengers stared at the pair, amazed how Lyra easily diffused the situation.

"Sorry to interrupt you're new bonding time princess, but we were kind of in the middle of something." Tony complained.

"You are of nobility?" Thor questioned her.

Lyra didn't need x-ray vision to see that inside the suit Tony was rolling his eyes at the god's oblivious knowledge of nicknames.

"No, no it's just a term of endearment that he uses," She explained quickly to the god, then turned her attention to the billionaire, "and yes Tony I heard you the first time. Now who's the unwanted guest?"

"Him!" Tony shouted, waving his pointed finger impatiently behind Thor.

Lyra stepped around Thor and saw another man she hadn't noticed at all during the argument. He was hard to miss, being at least six feet tall. Either it was Thor's glowing hammer or the sheer size of the thunder god that distracted her from noticing the other man. He was also dressed in strange metal armor and leather like Thor, but had an emerald green color scheme instead and no cape. His hair was long and black, flaring out at the ends and his face was undeniably handsome. He looked inviting, but Lyra wasn't stupid to just give in to looks. There was a reason why everyone had weapons trained on him and those green eyes of his didn't exactly scream friendly. She decided to tread carefully with a blank expression and reminded herself that she wasn't completely helpless.

"Who might you be?" She asked cautiously, tilting her head slightly.

The man smirked mischievously and approached her slowly, like a cat stalking it's prey.

"What makes you so worthy to know mortal?"

Lyra frowned at his show of superiority and crossed her arms defiantly. She looked up at the man with a calculating gaze. He was taller than she was, but not by a long shot, her nose reaching his chin if she was close enough to him. His accent was the same as Thor's, but had a British twist to it.

"Brother behave yourself." Thor threatened, breaking the man's staring contest wit Lyra.

Lyra turned her head to Thor with raised her eyebrows. "Brother?"

"I am not your brother." The man spat venomously, sending the thunder god a chilling glare.

"You're Loki, god of mischief." Lyra said aloud to herself.

It all made sense now. Everyone was hyped up because the man who almost destroyed New York was back unchained and daunting as ever. It was admirable that Thor protected his brother despite the horrible things he did. She didn't understand why he reacted so negatively to his relation to Thor, but figured it was some kind of family matter.

"Yes, you stupid quim. Would you like some praise for your clever conclusion?" He bit sarcastically, his green eyes narrowed at her.

Lyra usually ignored any kind of hurtful remarks people made towards her, but she was a graduate of Julliard and had a broad knowledge of old Shakespearean language. What the god of mischief just said to her, soiled her virtue as a woman and set her off big time. Without thinking, she punched the haughty god right in the nose, watching him stumble back a bit from the force of her blow.

Normally if any being tried to strike Loki he would catch their hand before they could reach him, but Lyra was inhumanly fast with her attack and caught him off guard.

"I don't know how they treat women in Asgard, but here on Earth they are regarded with a little more respect." She said curtly, glaring at him with the force of a hurricane.

The trickster stared at her in shock, holding a hand over his nose. No woman had ever dared to swing at him, let alone succeed at it. His expression dissolved to fury at the foolish mortal woman's action. He marched back up to Lyra and glared down on her with the force of a thousand daggers.

"You shall pay dearly for your mistake woman. I am a god and you shall kneel before me."

Steve saw where this was going and swiftly came to Lyra's rescue.

"Keep your hands to yourself Loki." Steve cautioned, shielding Lyra.

"Ah, the soldier. Come to defend the helpless maiden have you? How meritable." The god of mischief sneered with a smile.

"I don't think she needs any defending," Steve replied while moving aside of the music teacher, "because she sure took care of you."

The man of time smiled smugly at the god's humiliation. Lyra couldn't help the little snort that escaped her mouth at the truth of Steve's words. Loki didn't miss her mockery, eyes boiling with pure rage.

"Lady Lane, man of America, please stop. Loki is here to help our cause, not destroy it." Thor pleaded, standing between them again.

"Why would he turn over a new leaf now?" Clint asked, bow still raised. He wanted nothing more than a second chance to shoot an arrow straight between Loki's eyes.

"Father has made a deal with him. If he supplies information about your world's new enemy, his punishment may be lightened." Thor explained.

"What stops him from double crossing us?" Natasha inquired, still unconvinced.

"The Allfather has taken his magic, rendering him powerless." The thunder god said with certainty.

Slowly, everyone lowered their weapons realizing the danger was not as imminent as before. Bruce had readjusted his glasses and was breathing at a normal rate again. The tension had thinned out, but there was still disagreement about Loki being present.

"I hope that's true, otherwise we have another problem to deal with."

Fury had arrived, stepping from the elevator with Pepper and Coulson at his side.

"Now that the Avengers have assembled, plus one god of mischief," Fury looked at Loki pointedly, "we can begin debriefing."

Lyra and the others piled into the elevator, despite her fear of tight spaces. The night before didn't affect her because she could barely keep her eyes open, now she was terrified. The meeting room was underground, taking an eternity to get to. Lyra was starting to become short of breath and her fingers began to shake. Her pride prevented her from admitting her distress as she screamed on the inside. She looked above her to see any route of escape from the metal deathtrap, but it was sealed well. While searching, she locked eyes with Thor who smiled at his new friend and dismissed her shaking as apart of nerves about joining the team. She strained a smile at him in return and let her eyes wander only to meet Loki's who stood behind his brother. One look and a dark smile told her he knew her greatest fear, no doubt plotting to use it against her later. She snapped her head back to the front, expression blank. Her fear lay forgotten as a new panic overtook her thoughts. If there was one thing worse than having a fear, it was letting an enemy know about it.

The doors finally opened, much to Lyra's relief. She walked into the high tech area, observing the large flat screen attached to the far wall bearing the S.H.I.E.L.D. insignia and the large table accompanied with chairs in the center of the room. The walls and floor were made of thick reinforced concrete, blocking out any electronic signal that could penetrate their gathering. Everyone took their seats except Lyra, who was still collecting herself from the stressful ride down.

"Ms. Lane, please take a seat." Fury's voice ordered from across the room.

She nodded in affirmation and made to sit down when she saw the only available seat was next to the god of mischief. She cursed her luck and saw the devious smile form on his visage. Refusing to give him the satisfaction, she sat down with her head held high and looked at Fury to begin.

"The world is at risk once again, a threat has made itself known to us. You are all called here today to investigate this threat and defend all that you know should this threat bring war to our planet. We do not know what this threat is or where it comes from but we do know it's aware of a great power."

Fury took out a remote from his coat and pressed a button. The TV screen flashed to a picture of a giant meteorite.

"This entered our atmosphere three days ago. Inside was a holographic transmitter of alien origin."

Images and diagnostics of a strange metal disk appeared on the screen.

"It turned itself on after separation from the meteorite. There was no living being present during the recording but a single audio message was recorded."

The director pressed another button on the remote, static crackled for a moment and then a voice spoke.

"Earth has gone undefeated long enough and will fall to my supremacy. Prepare yourselves. For now, I summon...the end."

It was a disturbing dark voice, void of any emotion except hate. It gave no expanse of time, what to expect, or even a name. The room fell into silence as the weight of those words settled on everyone's minds. When Loki attacked Earth he planned to rule it as a monarch, but from the sound of the creature's intentions they were heading into a whole different kind of ballgame, annihilation.

"I have been told that Loki knows of this being's origin. Care to share what you know?" The director asked with a fixed gaze on the trickster.

"His name is Thanos, originating from a race of beings known as the Eternals from the moon Titan. It is his plan to not only conquer Earth, but the entire universe with an army."

He spoke with such tranquility it sickened Lyra.

"No offense reindeer games, but what makes him any different than you?" Tony questioned.

"I intended to fix your pathetic realm while he plans to destroy it." Loki snapped.

"Then we're going to need all the help we can get." Steve noted, looking at Lyra expectantly.

"Ms. Lane, the time is now. You know our situation and you know our team. So my question is, what are you prepared to do?"

Fury stared her down, waiting for an answer. She felt like the world's weight was on her shoulders now and realized her decision could easily make or break the fate of everything she knew. It was all too much; she was a music teacher for Christ's sake! She had no business being a superhero and should be planning her spring concert. All she wanted was for things to go back to normal, but normal didn't exist anymore now; she was in too deep with no clue how to get out.

Taking her time to look at all the faces in the room, she couldn't help but feel the pressure they were putting on her. Lyra let her eyes fall to the two gods next to her. It was strange that they were brothers when they looked and acted so differently. Funny, they reminded her so much of Ty and Andrew. The promise she made to Andrew came to her mind. If there was one thing that Lyra did right in her life, it was keeping her word. Andrew needed a friend and someone to look up to, but could she be that someone? Being equipped with unstable powers didn't sound like something to idolize. She was conflicted with doubt and guilt while everyone was anticipating her response.

"Can you promise to help me control it?" She spoke at last, staring at the Director pensively.

"I will do my best." Fury replied honestly.

She took a deep breath and sighed, rising from her chair.

"You want me to join a league of people with unnatural abilities, fight a threat that we have little hope to defeat, and pray that I won't harm anybody in the process. To that I say you're all insane," Lyra saw their faces fall in failure at her harsh words yet she continued, "but you're not alone either. I have been taught that if you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything and I'm not ready to fall so easily. I accept your offer." She said confidently, nodding to Fury.

Lyra actually saw the smallest of a smirk play at Fury's mouth.

"Ms. Lane, you're up."


So ends the longest chapter thus far. I know Lyra's being mean to Loki right now, but it won't last forever I promise. Anyone figured out Lyra's powers yet? If you think you have make sure to mention it in your review!

A million thanks,

ASTS