"Relax, Little Bird." Tasha placed a hand on my shoulder. I rolled over to face her and smirked.

"You should take your own advice." I traced the worry lines on her face. "You're tenser than I am." She looked away, frowning. "Tasha," I took her face in my hands and forced her to look at me. "We're safe here. You can step down." I could see the urge to give in and relax burning in her eyes before she blinked it away, slamming her mask back into place.

"You know I can't. Not when there's a threat." She had been on guard ever since Loki entered the tower. Both of us had been. It didn't help that we weren't sleeping well Phil was always the one who could get us to sleep. Honestly, I'm not sure how he was able to do it but he was always able to calm us both down. Tasha raised her eyebrows at my sigh.

"I miss him." Her mask fell completely and she held me tight, pulling the blankets over us.

"Me too, Little Bird." We curled up on Phil's side of the now too big bed. "Me too."

The days passed slowly. I had been given limited freedom, meaning I could wander the tower but wasn't permitted to leave without escort. I had taken to spending my time in Stark's laboratory. Though we bickered, I found his wit amusing and enjoyed out game of tempting each other's anger. It seemed that both of us appreciated someone who held their own in matches of verbal sparring. Most days I sat and watched him work, offering snide remarks and insults. Occasionally, he would ask for my assistance or explain to me what he was doing. Contrary to what I had previously believed, the science and technology of Midgard were intriguing. During these days in the lab, we avoided any mention of our midnight conversation, allowing the mood to remain light. Unfortunately, the peace we had built, like all things, had to come to an end.

It had started out as a simple day. Stark was making improvements to the aiming systems in his suit when I decided to ask a question that had been nagging at me for days.

"Where is Doctor Banner?" Stark dropped the tools he was holding, staring at the floor. "I only ask because I haven't seen him here yet. Does he not live in the tower?" Stark turned around, meeting my eyes with his dead ones.

"We don't know where Bruce is. He was supposed to move in but disappeared. We've looked everywhere." My heart stopped. I wasn't sure which was more frightening, the knowledge that Banner was missing or the broken look in Stark's eyes.

"There is no way to find him?" Stark laughed bitterly.

"Everyone involved with SHIELD has an implant that allows them to be tracked. You'd think it'd be easy to find Bruce. But his has been turned off." I frowned.

"Who could turn it off?" Stark raised an eyebrow.

"I have no idea but whoever they are, I want to get Bruce as far away from them as possible."