Alexis strode into the room with Loki, Tony and Director Fury. "Good morning, doctor Banner."

"Please, for the thousandth time…just Bruce, Alexis." Bruce smiled.

"Alright then Bruce," Alexis grinned eyeing the advanced machinery before her, taking up most of the room. "What've we got here then?"

"Well…I'm not sure." He replied, shrugging. "I was hoping one of you might be able to identify it…"

Alexis ran her hand over the cool, what she imagined to be, metal surface of the…whatever it was. "Well… I've never seen anything like it on Asgard…" she turned to look at Loki. "Love?"

"No…not on Asgard…" Loki trailed off, a gentle hand pulling Alexis back from the 'machine'.

"You've seen this?" Alexis challenged, her tone expectant. "Elsewhere? In one of the other Realms?"

"I've never seen one…that wasn't just a drawing, Love." Loki replied blankly. "There are drawings and legends about a magic…you'd say… 'Technology', which was once used to hop across different dimensions…alternate universes, if you will." Loki explained with a sideways glance at Banner. "But, too mant… monsters were coming back through the…"

"Entrace? Portal? Wormhole?" Banner suggested.

"Take your pick." Tony half smiled.

"Continuum." Loki finished finally.

"So, this should never ever, ever be used under any circumstances…" Alexis continued as she looked up at part of the machine. Curious as always, she went and stood under a round, hanging section of the machine.

"Exactly." Loki replied bluntly, not noticing where she was.

"Right, that's sorted then." Director Fury declared loudly. "We destroy it. There are enough monsters in the universe with allowing others to joyride through it too."

"Mhmm…" Alexis mumbled, reaching up and touching the part she was looking at. "What's this?"

Banner turned to walk over to Alexis, but was startled by the fact the Tony had been right behind him, peering at what appeared to be the controls, and stumbled back…landing on the controls. There was a whirring sound and a flash of light. The compartment about Alexis shook and rattled.

Tony and Loki rushed towards her at the same time. "ALEXIS!"

She looked at them, terrified, then, in the blink of an eye…she was gone!

"NO!" Loki roared, turing his hurt on the doctor and her brother. "What have you done?!"

"We'll get her back." Tony replied calmly.

"The only way she gets back is if there's a working one of these," he pointed to the machine to his right. "On the side she just came out at!" he paused. "And that's presuming she can get to it and that wherever she is…she's safe."

Everyone looked at each other, horrified. They would never see her again! Suddenly, the machine came alive again, a loud bang making them all jump a mile high. There was a popping sound, then the whirring and flash of light from before…but the light was brighter now. When they could finally look again, Alexis was sitting on the floor, patches of black dust on her clothes, her arms held up over her head defensively.

They all rushed to her side, shaking Alexis to awaken her from whatever shock she was in.

She looked up at them hesitantly. "I'm home…right? This is the right one this time?"

Tony sighed with relief and hugged her. "Yes, this is the right one." Gently, Tony pulled back and let her go to Loki's arms. "Although, 'Ranger Games' here nearly took us out for our accident."

She smirked, "I'll bet."

"What happened? Where were you?" Tony asked worriedly, he could smell gunpowder on her clothes now.

"Doesn't matter right now…" Alexis replied shakily. "What does matter is… Director Fury, S.H.I.E.L.D. needs to be ready to face another attack, Sir. There's something coming…something that is going to be bloody hard to defeat."

Director Fury took a long, deep breath. "What?"

"Thanos…and he's bringing back the Chitauri…"