Alina came to groggily. The room was spinning and all she could process through a pounding head were bright lights above her. Her mind began processing where she could be. Who dragged her out of the rubble? It could have been that strange man and this could be HYDRA or perhaps she was back on Asgard at the hands of Loki and Thor. The latter seemed like a more pleasant option at this point. She feigned unconsciousness as a door opened and someone walked in, adjusting a machine above her. The light footsteps indicated either a small woman or a well trained agent. As she felt the person turn, Alina opened her eyes to take a look. Immediately she recognised the woman standing with her back to her. It was Dr. Cho. A quick look around her allowed her to see she was definitely in SHIELD's hands and not HYDRA's or any other opposing agency. Declaring it safe, she groaned.

"Hello Dr Cho"

The woman whipped around and looked at her and then immediately back at her notes, reading over them quickly.

"Hello Dr. Everton. How do you feel?"

"Sore" she answered bluntly, shifting her position

"So you should be. I need to call in the avengers but I'll talk to you soon. Don't move" she warned before hurrying out of the room

Alina stared up at the fluorescent lights on the ceiling and felt herself drifting again. When she came to again, she didn't know how long it had been but she could hear the avengers voices around her, as well as Dr. Cho's.

"Are you sure she was awake?" Thor asked

"Certain. She spoke to me" Dr. Cho answered

Alina moaned a little and opened her eyes.

"I was awake" she said

Loki's face appeared above her, peering down. He looked incredibly concerned, more than she had ever seen him before. His eyebrows were furrowed in worry and his lips pursed as he touched her forehead gently.

"We thought the contraption maybe would not work" he said, stepping back a little

She looked up properly. The cradle, she mused.

"You used the cradle on me?"

"You had a wound to your side which was a result of some new weaponry Hydra had acquired, it needed immediate healing when they brought you in" Dr Cho answered

"Good to see you're awake kid" Tony said

"Casualties?" she asked immediately

"Just you and an entire HYDRA base" Steve chuckled

"Good" she mumbled

"Not good you almost got yourself killed" Clint said

"It's my job, Katniss" Alina replied

Clint looked mildly amused and Bucky smirked. Both Steve and Bucky had just finished the Hunger Games movies a month back.

"What's the prognosis Doc?" Tony asked

"The wound in her side has healed completely, as well as other scratches and bruises on her. The only thing now would be the concussion but considering her time unconscious and uh.. abilities it seems her body is recovering from it quite quickly"

"How long have I been out?"

"Almost 2 days" Bucky answered

"Shit"

"Yeah well next time don't take down an entire base" Sam joked

Thor frowned a little and Loki tensed up. Steve looked to them and back to Alina.

"Uh about the Scepter.." He began

"I already know. It's a recurring thing it seems" Alina answered

"What?" Thor said sharply

"I assume another Infinity Gem was in it. When the building came down, I was knocked out instantly but I came to for a little while and the Scepter was smashed. There was a golden liquid coming from it.. and well.."

"You..?" Natasha began, not entirely sure where she was going with her statement

"Perhaps the gems are drawn to each other. Either way, this is the 2nd time now" Alina said

Bruce was looking over his notes when he glanced up over his glasses and approached her, leaning against the cradle.

"Uh how do you feel?" he asked, referring to the gems

"If you are referencing the gem then I don't know and I would prefer not to try and use any magic when I am in this state of lack of control" she answered evenly, her tone a little darker than before.

"Of course Of course.." Bruce said

Alina sat up and squeezed her eyes a little, still getting used to the light around her. She had been out 2 days but it only felt like minutes since the building had come down on her. She remembered nothing in between.

"How did I get here?"

"I pulled you out" Bucky said. She looked at him with her head tilted and a tired look on her face.

"Thank you" she said quietly

"Well we couldn't leave you in there" Tony joked

"Don't move too fast, you were hit pretty bad" Natasha said

Alina's thoughts were distracted, however, as memories came back from the mission. The strange man who had looked straight into her soul as he let them have that scepter. He knew. Or he knew more than most. He was crazy yet so intriguing and he had enough information to know about the stones. The fact that he had knowledge of the stones was enough already but the manner in which he spoke, how he moved, everything seemed planned. She had no doubt in her mind that she at least, would see that man again and she desired to know as much as she could about him before she did. There was something very dangerous about his confidence in the things he said on that catwalk.

"What about that suited man from the base?" she asked

Steve looked up from his seat and sighed. The rest of the team looked equally as exasperated.

"We don't know" Rhodey answered

"What do you mean?"

"I had Jarvis search him on our facial recognition systems, nothing. Fury looked through the databases, nothing. We even went through all our old paper files right back to the 40's and still nothing. We can't find a trace of him anywhere" Tony answered

"He's not enhanced is he?" Alina asked

"No. I had JARVIS run scans while he was speaking and he is definitely human and exhibits no signs of enhanced."

"We also checked all HYDRA files we had acquired and there is no record of him anywhere, not even in the experiments" Steve said

"And we don't even have a name to check with underground groups" Natasha added

"I don't remember ever seeing him either" Bucky inputted

"We will see him again. The man is dangerous and planning something" Alina said

"What makes you so sure?" Steve asked

Alina looked up at him, meeting his eyes with a even look.

"When he spoke telling us we could take the Scepter, he said he didn't need it 'yet'. As in he would need it later. If however, he did need it later why would he allow us to take it. Why not just keep it in his possession until it was needed?"

"He knows" Loki said

"You think the strange mortal knows of the stones?" Thor asked

"He looked to Alina very briefly when he spoke of not needing it" Loki mused

"You think he knew what would happen?" Clint asked

"It's a possibility. Although it may have simply been coincidence that he looked at her while speaking. Either way, the mortal man's actions were strange" Loki replied

"There's not much we can do. I have tracked down old ties and none of them recognise him. All we have to go on is a description" Natasha said

"What do we do?" Sam asked

"We get back to work" Alina said, dismounting from the cradle and standing up straight, stretching before going to walk out. Steve grabbed her by the arm.

"You are not going back to work"

Alina rolled her eyes at him.

"I am fine"

"You need to rest" Bucky added

"I've had worse" she smiled

"Either way, I need to borrow you" Loki said. Alina raised an eyebrow at him and he pursed his lips into a small smile. It was a little forced as he was still tense from worrying about her. He had never felt such intense anxiousness over anyone ever. As they'd brought her in the mortal doctor immediately began yelling commands, machines had been hooked up to her. She had looked terrible covered in dirt and blood. He knew she would be fine, it was nothing more than a mediocre wound and a few cuts and bruises but it still ignited a fire fueled by worry and by a need for revenge on the man who had put her in that position. The strange suited man who had changed his mood so quickly and had eyes as dark as night.

"And what for?" Clint asked protectively. He had come to see the young woman as more of a sister to him than anything else. He had spent limited time with her but her selflessness on the field and her clear, level headedness was undeniable. He would be damned if he let anyone hurt her, just like he'd be damned if anyone laid a finger on Nat.

"I need to assess her abilities. It is possible they may have changed drastically" Loki eyed him

"You hid them from us before. We need to know what she can do" Steve said firmly

"This time, it is more of a safety measure. I am unsure of how much control she may have gained or lost or what effects the Mind Stone may have on her."

"My brother is right. The stones can be unpredictable when coupled with one another" Thor added

"And for once you're finally listening to me" Loki rolled his eyes

"But after you have established her control, you must allow her to be trained in the open" Thor continued

Loki huffed, annoyed.

"As you wish" he said, gesturing to Alina to follow him. She smiled at the group with an apologetic look and trailed out of the room after the raven haired god.

"Yes Loki?" she said as they entered what she assumed was his room. He had walked the entire time in silence.

"This is getting more and more dangerous." he said simply

"Only for you" she laughed, leaning against the wall still sore from the cradle.

"Sit" he said, gesturing to the well made bed.

She couldn't fault Tony for the rooms they had been given. The main bedroom sported wide views out over new york and had their own units with a living area and fully stocked kitchens. They were more like their own mini apartments than anything else.

"You'll probably want to lay down whilst activating the stone" Loki continued

She did as he said. The bed smelt like him.

"Ok let's do this" she muttered to Loki who sat in a chair diagonal the bed. Taking a deep breath she activated the Soul gem, then after a moment the Space gem. She lay there for a few moments, collecting herself before searching for the Mind Gem. The power was something she was getting used to but even then, this felt like a shock wave. Her eyes glowed bright golden and her hands shimmered. Loki approached cautiously.

"You should be able to interfere with Objects. Telekinesis, lift them, move them, break them. All with your mind" he said

She looked to the small one draw drawer sitting across the room and with a tense jaw, she managed to lift it off the ground. Lifting her hand, she sent a golden energy wave which blew it backwards against the wall. Loki nodded. She continued to look straight ahead with wide eyes.

"OK. I know where you are in terms of power now. You may stop" he said

She didn't move, her eyes were still wide as she sat up on the edge of the bed. Loki kept his eyes on her.

"You can stop, Alina" he said

Still she didn't move. She appeared frozen in her place, her eyes were vacant and distant as if she was seeing somewhere else. In her own head, Alina watched memories flash by of her childhood, her parents and their deaths, her work, her partners, New york, everything she had experienced. The tragic events to the nights out in University with her friends, they all came flashing back over her. With a gasp she was released and she fell forward towards the floor. Loki caught her and pulled her into his chest. He noted she was shaking as he lifted her back up onto the bed.

As he got a good look at her face he saw her eyes were wide and fearful and a few tears were tracing on her cheeks. Her eye colour was deep green again but she looked scared.

"Alina" he shook her gently, he had never seen her react to anything other than humorously or calmly. She continued to shake a little. Unsure of what to do, he pulled her into his chest and held her there, leaning back on the bed so they were laying down.

"Shush.. I am sorry. It was too soon to activate the gem in your weakened state" he murmured against her hair. He was almost certain she had seen memories of her past, or at least visions of some sort. The mind stone was known for it's telepathic like powers. She had been too weak to control it.

She didn't say a word. Her breathing was slightly ragged and she seemed to be in shock. He calmed down as he realised she was not injured or frightened by her memories but rather she had slipped into shock at the experience. After nearly 30 minutes she seemed to loosen up a little bit but he did not let go of her. A part of him didn't want to. He held her tight against him and relished the feeling of her hands against his chest and her legs against his.

"W-what t..the hell w-was that?" she stuttered

"The Mind Stone. It's categorized by its abilities on the mind and presence. It strengthens memories but primarily allows telekinesis. What you felt.. what you saw.. it was due to the activation of the gem" Loki said quietly

"Will it happen every time I use it?" she murmured

"No. No it shouldn't do"

She didn't reply. He looked down at her and saw she was staring blankly into his chest. He sighed and continued to hold her. To his surprise, she nuzzled her forehead against his chest and took a deep breath. He kept quiet. 10 minutes later, he looked down to find her asleep, exhausted. With a shimmer he changed his clothing from leather and armour to a green cotton shirt and black pants, leaving Alina in her white shirt and loose shorts. Wrapping his arms around her, he promptly fell asleep.