When we arrived back at the helicarrier, Loki was taken away by S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to be detained in a cell. Apparently the cell in question was supposed to be pretty extreme; Loki had little chance of getting out of there without help.

Agent Romanoff, Rogers, Thor, Banner and I all gathered at the round table in the helicarrier's main bridge. There we got to witness, on screen, Fury and Loki's conversation as the Asgardian was locked away. Loki was power tripping and seemed pretty overconfident, given his situation. Fury, being the badass that he was, remained unimpressed. He left Loki to his own devices and the team looked around at each other.

"He really grows on you, doesn't he?" Banner quipped.

The team discussed the matter, and for the first time we felt like a cohesive group all working toward the same goal. Thor had the most information and he informed us about the Chitauri, an unknown race that made up the army Loki meant to use to conquer Earth. Banner deduced that Loki must be building another portal in order to bring the Chitauri to him, and that was why he had kidnapped/brainwashed the scientist, Selvig.

Rogers expressed the same concern that I had been carrying, about how Loki had allowed us to bring him in so easily. It was highly suspicious and it would eat away at the back of my mind so long as his motives remained unrevealed.

Banner brushed off these concerns, however, insisting that Loki was too crazy to waste our thoughts on. This comment angered Thor, who, despite everything, still cared for his brother, and from there the discussion devolved into an argument for the next few minutes. So much for teamwork. I listened quietly while I pondered the situation.

Eventually, Stark deigned to join us, accompanied by Coulson. He and Banner began talking science to such an advanced level that it went well over my head, not to mention that of everybody else present. The two geniuses soon decided to go back to Banner's lab together, after Fury's urging that Stark should help track the Tesseract. They seemed as excited as a married couple on their honeymoon at the prospect of doing science together. After they left, the team began to disperse.

As it was already very late, I decided I might as well go and rest in my quarters. Banner had a new lab assistant, after all, and until they had a breakthrough, the rest of the team was next to useless.

I arrived back at my room a short time later and as I did, I noticed Agent Turner walking in the opposite direction. He looked preoccupied and seemed to be on his way somewhere, but he was one of the few aboard the helicarrier that I knew, so I waved him over. His expression turned sour.

"Hey, it's my main man, Turner," I said cheerfully, amused when I noticed how annoyed he was to see me.

"Yes, what is it?" he demanded, scowling.

Playfully, I raised my eyebrows at him. "Whoa, you look tense. Did somebody pee in your cheerios this morning?"

I couldn't see his eyes behind the sunglasses, but I noticed his jaw clenching. This guy was apparently perpetually irritated. How fun. I couldn't resist the urge to tease him.

"What exactly do you need?" he asked bluntly.

I put on a sad look. "Aw, I'm hurt. Can't a girl just say hello to her agent friend? Well, as it happens, I was hoping to get some food. Maybe Fury didn't tell you, but you're on food duty, so you up for fetching me some pizza or something? Extra cheese."

Turner stared at me amidst a tense silence. I wondered if I had pushed him too far and expected that he might just leave. Then he scoffed. "You Starks are all the same."

I smirked. "You're mixing up your superheroes, buddy. I'm Gallagher. Gal-la-gher. Should we start wearing name tags for you? Stark's the one with the moustache…and don't you even think of insinuating that I've got one, because-"

"Fury didn't tell you?" Turner cut me off, smiling. It was a terrible sight, completely joyless yet smug.

"Didn't tell me what?"

It was clear that he was enjoying this. His whole demeanor changed. He folded his arms, taking on a superior air. "We found out while going through your medical records and the files on the others. You're Tony Stark's bastard daughter."

'Did he just say…?' I wondered, uncomprehending.

After a few long seconds, I finally managed to form some words. "…Are you kidding me?"

"No." For once, Turner couldn't stop smiling. Oh, how he must be relishing this. "We double-checked our findings. You're a Stark, with all of the arrogance and none of the riches. Fury must not have thought it worth mentioning…"

I stared at him, dumbfounded, trying desperately to get my brain working again after having such a massive bomb dropped on me. Then I was overcome with the urge to knock that stupid smug smile off of Turner's face.

The agent was suddenly slammed against the corridor wall behind him and held in place by my thoughts alone, feet dangling a foot off the ground. I stepped closer.

"Are you lying to me?" I asked forcefully, putting more pressure on him. "It isn't funny."

"It's true," he said, sounding strained. I relaxed the pressure on his throat so that he would be able to speak more clearly.

My eyes narrowed when a terrible thought occurred to me. "Is that why I'm here? S.H.I.E.L.D. wants to use me to influence Stark in some way?"

"No!" He said sharply. "No, finding out was an accident, after you were put on the list-"

I released my hold, letting him drop to the floor. Feelings of shame flooded through me when I realized what I'd done, but they were not enough to fully dull my anger.

"Does he know?" I demanded. "Stark. Does he know?"

Turner shook his head, getting back to his feet slowly, warily. He adjusted his sunglasses, which had gone slightly askew. "If Fury hasn't told you, he hasn't told him, either. You were the one he was going to inform."

"Yeah, and when was he going to get around to that, I wonder?" I asked bitterly. I didn't wait for an answer, instead turning and stalking off down the corridor, my mind a chaotic mess of racing thoughts.

What I needed most right now was some space, and time to breathe. Unfortunately, I was high up in the sky in a series of claustrophobic hallways with hundreds of other people nearby. Returning to my quarters was no longer an option; I was far too riled up to rest.

I briefly considered tracking down Fury and insisting on answers right then and there. Instead, I decided that I would go and visit Dr. Banner's lab, where I knew I would find Tony Stark. Somehow, I knew that it would help to go and observe the man with a new perspective.

As I moved through the corridor, I turned a corner and walked smack into the broad, muscular chest of Thor. I rebounded and he reached out to catch my arm, preventing my fall. I regained my balance and looked up at him blankly while trying to clear my head enough for speech. "Oh, hi," I said lamely.

"Daughter of Anya," Thor said warmly, releasing my arm. "How are you faring?"

"I'm…surviving," I replied uncertainly. The encounter with the god was unexpected and badly timed. I couldn't think of a way out of it without being exceptionally rude, so I decided to go with it. Hell, it might even get my mind back on task. I composed myself and tried to focus on the conversation at hand. "How about yourself? All of this can't be easy for you. I mean, this is your brother we've captured."

"It is trying," Thor admitted. "But I believe that he may yet have a change of heart. I regret that this team does not know him as I do."

"We could use your insight, Thor."

He nodded solemnly. "Walk with me. I am on my way to meet with your Director Fury."

I fell into step beside him as we began to move through the corridors. There was something calming about his presence. It was like he gave off an aura of calm. While I was by no means back to normal, I no longer felt like I might have a total meltdown. He continued: "I am glad to offer any information that might prove useful. Loki was not always the fiend he appears to be today. He was my friend as well as my brother."

"Really? I mean, he was known on Earth as the trickster god, right?"

Thor glanced at me as he considered the question. In his eyes, I saw not an all-powerful deity, but a man concerned for a loved one. His voice reflected the same tender quality. "Yes, but he was never malicious. He has changed in recent times, but he will see sense."

I nodded, but deep down inside, I had doubts. As much as it pained me to admit it, I had to wonder if Thor might be too close to Loki to see the truth of the situation; that his brother had lost his mind. I'd been in his shoes once before, though on a much smaller scale, and I knew that he'd have to come to terms with what had happened on his own time.

Our path had taken us close to Banner's lab. I reached out and touched Thor's arm gently. "If you think of anything that might help, be sure to let somebody know, okay?"

"I shall," Thor promised, and we parted ways.

Hey guys. I would like to apologize for the extreme delay in chapter updates. My excuse is that my computer died on me and I had the whole story typed and stored on it. Getting the motivation to write everything all over again took a while. I'm still very sorry for taking so long and I appreciate everybody who has maintained their interest. A big thank you to you all, and thanks for the reviews!