Chapter Six~

Everything is hazy for Mya as she tries to wake herself up, her head hurts like hell and she feels as if her body is made out of lead. Slowly and carefully she opens her eyes only to close them tightly again when she's greeted by a bright light overhead. From somewhere nearby she hears footsteps and a female voice ask,

"Are you awake miss?" once again Mya tries to open her eyes this time able to stand the light overhead to find herself lying down slightly raised in a hospital room. She's hooked up to a heart rate monitor and being given and IV of who knows what. Looking down at herself, Mya discovers she's in hospital scrubs; pants and a loose shirt. Turning her head she sees a woman she knows from the hotel who smiles gently down at her asking,

"How do you feel?"

"Horrible, what—what happened?" Mya asks but the woman can't seem to find words to answer her with. Instead the door of the room opens and in walks another woman, this one in a uniform with brown hair in a bun behind her head and dark brown eyes.

"Ms. Wallace good to see you awake." she says calmly as Mya sits up asking,

"Where am I?" the woman sighs before waving the other woman out whom quickly departs so that it's just Mya and the newcomer. When the door closes again the woman says,

"My name is Agent Hill, and currently you're on the Helicarrier. You were brought here after the incident in Stuttgart. Agent Romanoff wasn't too pleased that you were brought here but Rogers and Stark demanded you be treated." blinking at this, Mya's eyes widen as she asks,

"Where's Bruce?" the woman, Agent Hill, frowns at this question knowing it would come sooner or later. Agent Romanoff had informed her about the—situation—between the two in India. Mya waits for an answer none to patiently before Agent Hill says instead,

"You're going to be debriefed by Director Fury in an hour, I suggest you try and rest until then." and then she's heading for the door but Mya snaps,

"I want to know where Bruce is damn it!" turning over her shoulder, Agent Hill looks at Mya who's face is clearly full of anger before saying carefully,

"Perhaps the Director will tell you." then she's gone leaving Mya alone in the hospital room pouting. She knows Bruce had been taken by Agent Romanoff somewhere and now that she and the agent were in the same place so then Bruce had to be too—right? An hour ticks by incredibly slowly for Mya, before again the door opens to reveal a man in all black from military boots to trench coat with one eye covered by an eye patch. He stops before her bed as another man enters in a suit and tie like something out of Men in Black giving her a friendly smile.

"Ms. Wallace do you know why you were brought here?" the man before her bed, who must be Director Fury, asks. Mya nods saying as she shifts uncomfortably under his piercing gaze,

"Because Agent Romanoff was told to by Captain America and Iron Man." the corners of Director Fury's lips turn up ever so slightly before he shakes his head and says,

"Because you interfered in a SHIELD matter involving a hostile being intent on taking over Earth." blinking at this, Mya turns to the other man who says with a shrug of his shoulders,

"It's true." for his part Director Fury is watching Mya with an interested gaze as she looked about the room again before asking,

"Where's Bruce?"

"Ah, I was wondering when you'd ask," he says before adding,

"He's currently working for us to locate a potentially deadly device. The fact you know this at all means you're now in protective custody."

"WHAT?!" Mya shouts bolting upright in bed so that the other man says calmly,

"Calm down Ms. Wallace, we're the good guys in this."

"Then let me see Bruce." Mya demands hotly glaring daggers at Director Fury who turns to the second man saying,

"Agent Coulson, inform Doctor Banner he's getting a visitor." the man, Agent Coulson, nods before leaving the room so that it's just Mya and the Director. They stare at each other for a while before Director Fury says,

"Enjoy your stay Ms. Wallace, Agent Coulson will collect you to visit Doctor Banner in a few moments." then he's gone leaving Mya alone again. Flopping back down on the bed, Mya runs everything that's happened so far through her mind. When the door opens again she jumps upright only to see it's Agent Coulson who's brought with him the doctor to help remove the hospital equipment. As she unplugs her from the heart rate monitor and IV, the doctor gives her some medication in case she feels any pain and tells her she can come visit whenever she feels she needs to. Happy that she's getting to see Bruce again, Mya follows Agent Coulson who smiles at her enthusiasm and waves for her to follow him outside. Once in the hallway Mya finds herself in a labyrinth of hallways and corridors and staircases leading both up and down. Staring around in wonder, she can't help but try and figure out how big this place is let alone what a Helicarrier is.

"Don't worry; we won't let you get lost." Agent Coulson says seeing her worry filled eyes but that doesn't sit well with her—who's this 'we' anyway? After seemingly forever going up and down stairs and through different corridors and hallways, they come to a glass door where inside Mya can see a huge laboratory and Bruce looking exhausted. He's wearing what she had last seen him in, with shoulders sagging from lack of sleep.

"Bruce!" she cries as soon as the door opens and at her voice he turns around only to be hugged which he readily returns. Putting his cheek atop her head he inhales pomegranates and rain, none of them seeing Agent Coulson departing with a small smile on his face, before Bruce pulls back asking Mya,

"What are you doing here?" then he sees her in hospital scrubs and asks looking her over with worry,

"Are you hurt?"

"No Bruce, and I'm here because of what happened in Stuttgart. I was there Bruce when it all happened." Bruce's face turned from worry and concern to annoyance and anger but Mya hugs him tightly again saying,

"Please don't be mad at them, it wasn't their fault."

"They promised me you'd be safe." he says in a tight voice that to Mya sound almost like a growl but when they pull apart again they both hear footsteps and turn to see several heavily armed figures walking down the hall. But it's who they're guarding that makes Bruce put a protective arm around Mya's waist—Loki. He glances over at the two with an icy glare directed right at Bruce. Mya watches the exchange and wonders—for the briefest of moments—did she see jealousy in his eyes? When he's down the hall Bruce turns to Mya saying to her,

"Why don't you stay here for a while?"

"To keep an eye on me?" Mya trying to make a joke of the situation she's found herself in only Bruce says seriously,

"Yes." making Mya blink but she nods and goes to take a seat in one of the rolling chairs. Bruce returns to work and before they both know it an hour has gone by. The door opens once more revealing Agent Coulson again who says with an even voice with his hands before him,

"The Director would like you both to come with me to the Bridge." they exchange glances before Mya stands and follows Bruce closely through the maze that is the Helicarrier. Finally they come to a huge room with a wall of windows where dozens of people are working at computers with a meeting area set up in the very back where Mya sees three people, one of whom she doesn't know. Agent Romanoff upon seeing Mya narrows her eyes, not liking the fact there's a civilian on the ship but she was overruled by the Director on the matter. The second person Mya knows as Captain America aka Steve Rogers, if only from posters. With a military haircut and light blue eyes, he nods at Mya who gives him a tiny smile in return. The last person she doesn't know who has long shaggy blond hair and dark blue eyes wearing silver, crimson and black. The third man upon seeing Mya comes over asking,

"Do I know you?" but before she can say anything a screen appears in the middle of the table and intrigued Mya takes a seat by herself though Bruce stands by her chair. The screen shows Loki in a massive glass circular cage standing confidently as Director Fury stands in front of him talking in a tight voice. Mya looks around the room silently wondering—why the hell is she here?