Probably the longest chapter I have ever written- simply because I couldn't find a good stopping place. Have fun reading- it was certainly fun writing!

DISCLAIMER: I wish I owned the Avengers. Better yet, I wish I lived with the Avengers. Better still, I wish I WAS an Avenger! But unfortunately none of these things will ever come true. Sad face.

And I almost forgot! References for last chapter included Monty Python! ("A mere flesh wound!") Also Imagine Dragons- It's Time!

I also need some help. Can anyone give me ideas for nicknames for Tony to call the girls? There is a rather conspicuous lack of them.

(0)^_^(0)

"The Other."

"No."

"Thanos?"

"Plausible."

"Previous villain?"

"Most likely."

"Hydra?"

"Oh God, don't even start."

"What are you two talking about?" Natasha asked finally in frustration, after watching the tennis match that was the two girls talking.

"The most likely reason for us being here," Jessica said with a shrug. "It's probably a villain, so we're bouncing ideas off of each other."

"You mean you're bouncing them off Riley."

"Yup."

A week had passed. The two girls were getting slightly bored of wandering around Avenger's Tower and had started wandering through New York. On that particular Wednesday, it was rainy, so they had opted to stay in.

"Where's Pepper?" Jessica asked out of the blue.

"Hm?" Tony asked from his place at the bar, chatting with Bruce about some science related to the Tesseract, Thor inputting when he could.

"Pepper. The PA."

"Oh. Visiting family. Why do you ask?"

"I was wondering. She was everywhere in the movies," Jessica said with a shrug.

Over the week the girls had told the Avengers all about the movies that had been made based on their experiences. Steve had been rather shy about his, while Tony had begged for details as to his own, and Thor had simply boomed, "There was a movie made about my time on Midgard?" Bruce hadn't left his lab when they said they would speak of his.

"Hey, by the way, I wanted to take you to see the Tesseract. You know, see if it reacts to your presence," Bruce said, rising from his seat and walking over to where they were sitting.

"Alright, when?" Jessica asked lazily.

"Now, if that's ok with you."

Riley rose and dusted her jeans off. "Lead the way! Got nothing better to do in any case..."

They took the elevator up to the lab in which the Tesseract was being held. Thor had brought it from Asgard to Earth after it began flaring up.

Riley stepped out of the elevator and walked straight to the Tesseract. Jessica wasn't far behind as she shifted some tools and sat comfortably on one of the tables.

Riley looked at it curiously and frowned. "It's smaller than I remember the movie showing. But then, everyone knows that-"

"-the books are better than the movies," the two girls finished in a chorus.

Riley ignored the two scientists talking with Jessica, answering all her questions. She stared at the Tesseract, feeling a slight tickle and a question at the back of her mind. She pretended her mind was a castle and opened a small door to see what it wanted.

"Let me in..." it seemed to whisper. "Let me show you truth..."

"No thanks, not interested," Riley said firmly, and slammed the door in it's... face?

"Hear me out..."

She looked through the peephole and listened as it whispered of powers to save the ones she loved. Of a free and beautiful place it could take her.

"I'll let you in. But only on three conditions..."

She withdrew moments later and blinked, as the awareness settled into the back of her mind.

"You ok, Ri?" Jessica asked.

Riley turned and nodded. "Yeah. Tesseract doesn't seem to be reacting to us though," she lied smoothly.

"Sorry we couldn't help," Jessica apologized.

Bruce shrugged. "Don't worry about it. See you later." He got back to work as they walked to the elevator and left the two scientists to it.

A few days passed as they lazed around. Riley kept her new-found knowledge secret from the rest of the Avengers and acted as if nothing had happened. Tuesday they decided to hang out in the lounge with the others and headed up.

"What's up?" Steve asked as they stepped into the main lounge. He was wearing his leather jacket and looked slightly wet and windblown.

"Oh! You're back! Nothing much. Avenger's Tower is still standing, isn't it?" Riley said cheerfully, heading back over to the coffee table.

"Good ride? You ought to take Riley out on a ride sometime," Jessica said, mischief dancing in her eyes as Riley blushed and smacked at her head.

"Jessica!" she yelped, glancing over at Steve with an exasperated look. "Sorry-"

"No, it's a good idea," Steve said hastily. "If you ever do want to go out-"

Riley blushed even more and said, "I'll be sure to ask."

Jessica squealed. Partially because of the cuteness, partially because the elevator doors opened to reveal Loki.

Clint stood straight up and walked past him to enter the elevator. Natasha sighed and followed him silently, with the barest of nods to the girls, Steve, Thor, and Loki.

"Welcome, brother! I am very pleased that you have taken it upon yourself to join us!" Thor boomed.

"The pleasure is... all mine," Loki said, eyeing the room with a poorly hidden distaste.

Riley rolled her eyes and grabbed the iPad to open Cut the Rope. Steve sat down at the chair closer to her end of the couch to watch her play as Jessica dragged Loki over to Thor to talk about Asgard.

"So you lived in Brooklyn, right?" Riley asked as she frowned at a difficult level.

"Hm? Me? Oh, yeah. Small town boy in Brooklyn. You?"

"Small town just outside of Dallas." A comfortable silence fell, before Riley asked, "What was it like, being in the military?"

Steve paused.

"I mean, both of my grandfathers were in the military, my uncles, cousins, friends... My dad would have been as well, but he had some health issues that wouldn't allow it. Selfishly, I was glad, 'cause I wouldn't have known how to deal with the loss, had he died." Riley sighed. "I kinda wanted to join as well. Maybe not as a soldier, but as a journalist. My mom's friend's daughter was one."

"It was difficult. Before the serum, I was pretty sick. Short, weak. I wanted to join, but no one would let me. A scientist overheard me talking to my friend and said he was interested in having me join something called Project Rebirth. So, they gave me the serum. And..." he trailed off and waved vaguely to himself. "This happened."

Riley nodded, turning the iPad off to pay more attention and tilting her head slightly.

"I was a poster boy for a while. Toured around, asking the public to buy war bonds. I finally got fed up and went to Howard Stark-"

"Wait. Tony's dad?"

"Yeah. He agreed and made me a suit to wear in combat. I gathered a team and we fought together to destroy a madman, who had received an earlier version of the serum which had more... side effects."

Riley nodded in understanding.

"It was... difficult. I didn't even defeat him- he handled the Tesseract and it dissolved him. We were on a plane, and the Tesseract burned through the floor and dropped into the ocean. The plane was going down- I had to crash it... and I wake up and it's 70 years later and everyone I knew was dead."

He sighed and looked slightly lost. Riley stayed silent, before Steve looked at her slightly accusingly.

"Why are you asking? You watched the movie. You should know."

"Ste- Rogers," Riley corrected mid-word. "Jessica and I have a saying. The books are better than the movies. Or, in your case, real life is better than the movies. There's only so much Hollywood can do, and most of it is really pathetic in comparison to real life."

Steve laughed, slightly bitter. "You've got that right."

"I bet it was hard, waking up in another world."

"You have no idea."

"Actually..." Riley trailed off. She sighed. "Practically none of my friends ever existed. My mother and father? Never born. Even my dogs never were real in this universe."

"Sorry to hear th-"

An explosion shook the tower. Riley stood straight up and wobbled as another explosion rocked the tower. Steve stood and steadied her as Jessica ran to the elevator, only for it to open to reveal Clint and Natasha.

"Are you ok?!" Clint yelled, immediately glaring at Loki. He stepped back and held up his hands as the archer fingered his bow.

"Yeah. It's gotta be... oh crap. The lab!" Jessica shouted, sprinting for the stairs as a third explosion shook them. Riley was right on her heels.

Jessica sped up the levels as Riley sprang upward and maneuvered herself onto the landing. They threw open the double doors at the same time, only to see Bruce, struggling to control himself, and Tony out cold against the wall, with the Tesseract gone, all windows broken, and soot all over the walls.

The elevator dinged open and the rest of the Avengers- plus Loki- spilled into the lab. Riley made her way to Tony's side and knelt, checking his neck for a pulse.

"He's alive, but knocked out. Jess, how's Banner?" she asked in worry.

"Not doing well... Not good! Not good at all!"

Riley whirled to see the Hulk roar as he ripped out of Bruce. Fear covered her face and turned her pale white as he roared again and looked around for a target.

Unfortunately, while the rest of the Avengers had weapons and Loki was close to the elevator, Tony was unconscious and Riley and Jessica hadn't had time to grab their weapons. Any of them.

Jessica sprinted to stand next to Riley as she rose to her feet slowly, hoping not to draw too much attention. Sadly, Jessica's rapid movement had caught the Hulk's eye, and he was now focused fully on them.

Riley 'meeped' as he came towards them and pressed her back against the wall.

"Hey!" Clint yelled, as Natasha shot a single shot at him. It caught his attention all right, but the Hulk preferred prey that didn't fight back.

"If we don't make it you're the best friend ever, sis," Riley whispered to Jessica.

"Ditto."

Steve urgently gave orders the girls couldn't hear and began sprinting towards them. The Hulk roared in anger and threw a lab table at him. but he dodged, blocked, and continued the gauntlet.

"Calm down and think, Banner!" Thor boomed, slamming his hammer into the Hulk's side, throwing him across the room. That gave Steve time enough to reach the sisters and the still-unconscious Tony. The Hulk slowly got back up and roared again, advancing fast on them.

He raised his fist and slammed down - into Captain America's shield. Riley winced at the resounding clang and bit her lip, not knowing what to do.

"Run for them!" he shouted, and pointed at the elevator with the trio of Avengers and Loki. "Try to make it- we'll give you cover!"

Jessica went first and easily made it as her super speed had her safely out of reach before he could really pay attention to her. Riley readied herself to run and bit her lip.

"Don't go yet!" Steve yelled to her, as Hawkeye shot his arrow and reached to nock another one, and the Black Widow switched clips. Thor was calling his hammer back to him after another swing at the Hulk.

Unfortunately, Riley heard "Go!" over the Hulk's chaos, and took a chance. She sprinted towards them and had time to see yet another lab table coming at her before she threw herself forwards and the table hit the wall with a smash. It fell and landed mere inches from her left arm.

Riley sat straight up, coughing as plaster rained down on her head. She had been hoping that this was all just a dream, but unfortunately the Hulk was still the Hulk, Tony was still unconscious and Jessica was making a run for her.

Riley shoved herself to her feet and sprinted to the group by the elevator. The doors opened and Loki stepped out, holding the two girl's swords. Riley gave him a shocked glance and grabbed her sword as Jessica wrapped both arms around his middle and squeezed.

"Let go before you pop him and get moving!" Riley hissed, drawing her sword and sprinting back to Tony's side. Jessica followed and together they lifted him up and dragged him to the elevator, with Steve covering their backs.

They made it safely, but only just. The lab was wrecked, everything destroyed. The Tesseract was missing. They had a Hulk that wouldn't calm down.

"Banner! I know you're in there!" Riley yelled, blocking a thrown chair with her sword. "Try to think straight!"

"The Hulk will not listen!" Thor thundered, swinging his hammer to intercept another desk.

"It never hurts to try!" Jessica shouted. "We know you're in there, Bruce!"

"Calm down! Whoever was here is gone now!"

The Hulk roared as he stopped and looked confused. He began shrinking down to regular Banner size as Riley turned around to keep his privacy.

Tony moaned and rubbed his head. "What- what 'appened?" He slurred his words as he tried to sit up.

"That's what we'd like to know as well," Natasha said grimly, kneeling next to him. "We felt some explosions and the Tesseract is gone."

"Sh**." Tony rubbed his head and shoved himself to his feet. "They wore all black and dropped something over the Tesseract. It must have set off a wave of energy because I was flying through the air and then- nothing. I must have gotten knocked out."

"You hit the wall with a good bit of force. There were two more explosions as well. The last one must've set the Hulk off."

"Hydra."

Bruce was sitting up, voice raspy. He was pulling his shirt on as Jessica straightened and shot him a curious look.

"It was Hydra. They had the emblem on their shoulder. The skull, with the swirls- unmistakable."

Riley whispered, "Weapons. They want to make weapons. Using the Tesseract, like SHIELD started to."

"Oh crap," Jessica muttered. "Not good."

Steve wiped his forehead and put his shield down. "And now they have the Tesseract. This isn't good."

"Understatement of the century. But... I may be able to get it back..." Riley whispered softly, hoping no one would hear her.

"What do you mean, 'you may be able to get it back'?" Tony demanded, leaning on the wall.

Riley sighed. "The Tesseract... offered me a deal. I refused at first, but it told me... that it could help me protect those that I loved. I accepted- on some conditions-"

"You traitor."

Tony Stark glared at her in fury.

"I let you come in and live here, and you repay my trust by letting the Tesseract into your mind? What kind of monster are you?!"

Riley flinched and walked to the stairway. "I... I understand. I'll leave."

"Get out!" Stark roared, standing up straight and stalking towards her.

Fear covered her face as her left eye glowed fully blue. Her eyes darted everywhere, meeting betrayed faces at every glance. The two that cut the worst were Jessica and Rogers. She stepped onto the landing and slammed the door in Stark's face.

Riley ran.

Down the stairs into her room. She packed a small bag and thrust her suitcase under her bed and slid her computer into her bag.

She sprinted out to the staircase again and ran down the stairs. Distantly she heard a door slam open. Voices echoed downward and she sobbed as she ran faster.

Jessica was catching up as she came downwards. Riley knew she would never make it to the bottom and made her choice.

She shoved herself over the side and freefell towards the ground.

Riley heard shouts of "She's escaping!" as she landed, leaving another crater. She slid the door open and sprinted into the lobby. The doors opened as she slid through the first one, only for the second to open halfway and start to close.

Riley sprinted and rolled through the partially open door as it slammed shut behind her. She ran out into the street, backpack on her back, and kept running, never once looking back.

She glanced around and saw a security camera riveted on her. She frowned, shielded her face, and sprinted across the street to the entrance to the subway.

(0)^_^(0)

"We lost her," Tony said, frustration on his face. "Somewhere in the subway, she vanished."

He sat back in his chair with the feeds from security cameras all over New York showing around him. Steve sighed and rubbed his forehead.

"If she doesn't want to be found she'll vanish," Jessica said, face stony. "She was always good at hide-and-seek. But she's impatient. If we wait, she'll come to us."

"Are you sure?" Natasha demanded, leaning on the chair.

"Totally sure."

"Then we wait?"

"And search for the Tesseract. I don't believe she knows where it is." Clint's voice was cold.

"What if... she was telling the truth?" Jessica said suddenly. "The Tesseract can invade minds- sorry," she said to Clint, "but Riley is too good to allow it to fully take over. It's in her very blood. We always joked that I would lead the baddies and she would lead the good if we ever got in a battle." Her eyes danced as she said, "It's why she always fell for the good guys. Including Steve."

Steve turned red.

"But really, where was she last? I can scout out the area."

"It was about two blocks to the east of Stark Tower and five blocks north. Check the subway station very closely. Take someone with you-"

"Loki," she said immediately.

Stark frowned. "I was thinking Clint and Nat, but I guess you can take Loki. It's dangerous in that area."

Jessica smiled bitterly. "If Riley were here, she would probably say, 'It's dangerous to go alone- take this!' and hand me something like a pen. But she's not. So I'll head out to find her."

"We shall keep looking for the Tesseract," Thor boomed. "I wish you luck in your pursuit."

Jessica rose and smiled. "Thanks, Thor. I appreciate it."

"We'll start chasing the Tesseract signals when Bruce is better," Natasha said, standing with Jessica. "Good luck."

"I'll need it." And with those ominous words, Jessica walked to the elevator and vanished.