++++++ I do apologize for the gap in updating. There was a myriad of family incidents in the past week and a bit and a birthday as well as me finding out that I'm having a baby boy and he's as healthy as can be! Now,underline means the Soul Gem is speaking and italics means the Mind Gem is speaking. Now, standard disclaimer...I own nothing...blah blah blah...wish I did though...++++++

The Avengers Part 4

I stretched myself out, feeling the familiar memory of freedom of movement settle into my muscles. No longer was I swearing my armour but standard issue SHIELD off-duty clothes with the leather pants from my combat suit. The suit was lines with copper wires that could store and conduct electricity so instead of wearing myself out by storing the power in my body, there were numerous ports in my suit that could hold the power.

It reminded me of the suit that Howard had made for me which is most likely why I picked it.

I brushed a strand of hair out of my face, still damp from my shower, and started to make my way to the lab that Tony and Bruce were working out of. As I got there, I bumped into Steve in the corridor. "Hey Steve…you okay?" I frowned, noticing the pissed off look on his face.

Steve shot me a glare. "Stark."

I sighed. "Right."

"I can't believe that is Howard's son!" Steve grumbled. "He's rude and arrogant."

I shrugged. "He's lost a lot, Steve. But I can understand why you don't like him. However, we do need you to get along for now otherwise Loki's gonna rip us apart."

"He's lock up!" Steve objected, marching off down the corridor giving me no choice but to follow him. "I'm less concerned about Loki than I am with Stark trying to aggravate Doctor Banner."

I raised an eyebrow. "He what?" Steve told me what Tony had done to Bruce in the lab followed by how he was currently using Stark tech to hack into SHIELD to learn everything we were hiding. It gave me cause to think. I was level ten but there were certainly things about SHIELD that I didn't know. "Try some of the lower secure storage areas," I suggested. Seeing the look on his face, I added, "I helped build this. Apart from the last year I was MIA, I know this place better than the back of my hand. I'm going to see what the hell Tony is doing."

"Thanks Astrid," Steve nodded.

I made my way towards the lab where Bruce and Tony were setup but stopped. "Steve?" I called out, turning back to him.

"Yes?" he frowned.

"Tony's my godson, and besides Jimmy, he's the only family I really have on earth," I told him. "You're like a brother to me, Steve, I'd really like it if you got along. For me?"

Steve sighed. "We'll talk about this later," he replied.

I scratched my head and continued on my way.

When I came into the lab, Tony looked at me like I'd caught him with his hand in the cookie jar. I turned around and punched in the code to secure the door than walked over to take a look at what program JARVIS was obviously running.

"As I can explain," Tony spoke after several minutes of uncomfortable silence.

"Don't bother," I shot back. "I'm just as curious as you are. Phil told me how Loki got the Tesseract in the first place, they were experimenting on it when it was supposed to be locked away the Fridge but no."

"The what?" Bruce asked me with a slight frown on his face.

"That's classified," I grinned as a fiddled with the control panel. "Now whilst I help JARVIS crack this bitch, you can both explain to me where we're up to on locating the Tesseract."

"So a year away playing King Lear hasn't diminished your skills at all?" Tony joked.

I laughed. "What skills? I was sleeping with the tech that created the security system so he created me a back door into the system called ASGARD. I'm a spy, Tony, I trust no one."

"Good policy to have," Bruce noted.

"So where you been hiding since you destroyed Harlem?" I asked him.

Bruce stared at me looking like he was choking on something.

I chuckled. "Relax, big guy. You should go to a comedy club or something, have a laugh."

Tony smiled. "See, I'm rubbing off on you, As."

I grinned. "Ah-my back door is still there! This should make things a little easier for JARVIS. The program should be done in like five minutes."

"Before or after Fury finds out?" Bruce pointed out.

I shrugged. "At this point we can't afford any withheld information. The Chitauri are going to rip through our defences unless we can find out where the Tesseract is. Loki doesn't know where it is, Clint and Erik have it. Any information SHIELD have on the Tesseract is good news I suppose."

I rubbed the back of my head and leant back against the counter. I must be getting old, my thoughts and actions are those of a seasoned agent who is unwilling to adjust to the changes of the time.

You no longer trust the organisation which you work for?

This is a peculiar though you're having, Astrid.

They're human's Astrid, you should have known they would have been working on the Tesseract. The energy is limitless.

It is one of us, after all. Could you imagine what would happen if they got their hands on one of us?

I don't need to imagine, I told them both.

"Talking to your friends again?" Tony laughed.

Bruce frowned.

I laughed just as the lab door opened to reveal a very angry looking Director Fury.

"What the hell are you doing, Mr. Stark?" Fury demanded to know.

Tony stepped forward. "Uh-been kind of wondering the same thing about you."

Fury glared at me. "You should have been stopping him! And you," he growled, turning back to Tony and Bruce. "You're supposed to be locating the Tesseract!"

"We are," Bruce answered honestly. "The model's locked and we're sweeping for the signature now. When we get a hit, we'll have the location within half a mile."

"And you'll get your cube back, no muss, no fuss," Tony grinned when the monitor flicked to life. "What is PHASE TWO?" he frowned.

There was a large bang from behind us and when we turned, my eyes locked onto the HYDRA assault rifle that was on the table and Steve standing behind it. "PHASE TWO is SHIELD used the cube to make weapons." He looked at Tony who was mildly impressed. "Sorry, the computer was moving a little slow."

"Rogers, we gathered everything related to the Tesseract," Fury objected, trying to explain. "This does not mean that we're-"

"I'm sorry, Nick," Tony cut in, showing Fury the monitor. "Were you lying?"

Steve scowled. "I was wrong, director. The world hasn't changed a bit."

I balled my fists. "You son of a bitch!" I hissed. "You were building HYDRA weapons! DO YOU KNOW WHAT I LOST TO HYDRA?" I screamed. "WHAT STEVE LOST? WHAT TONY LOST? YOU ASSHOLE!"

"Astrid, calm down," Steve suggested.

I took a deep breath and let it out in a stubborn hiss. "I am calm!" I shot back through a clenched jaw as the door opened again letting Natasha and Thor in.

"You wanna think about removing yourself from this environment, doctor?" Natasha asked, directing her attentions to Bruce.

He scoffed. "I was in Clacutta, I was pretty well removed."

"Loki's manipulating you," she spilled out.

"And you've been doing what exactly?" Bruce grumbled.

"You didn't come here because I bat my eyelashes at you," Natasha warned him.

"Yes," he answered. "And I'm not leaving because suddenly you get a little twitchy. I'd like to know why SHIELD is using the Tesseract to build weapons of mass destruction."

"Because of them," Fury said, pointing to both Thor and me.

"Us?" we both asked.

"Last year, earth had a visitor from another planet," Fury started explaining, "who had a grudge match that levelled a small town. We know that we're not alone but we are hopelessly, hilariously, out gunned. And some of these visitors like Astrid have powers that we've never experience before. She whipped out the entire power grid for New Mexico. Imagine what could happen if an army of people like these came to earth?"

I shot Fury a glare. "So this is why you brought me back to SHIELD?" I hissed. "So you could keep an eye on me? This is my life's work damn it!"

"My people want nothing but peace with your planet," Thor objected.

"But you're not the only people out there, are you?" Fury shot back. "And you're not the only threat. The world's filling up with people who can't be matched, they can't be controlled."

"Like you control the cube?" Steve growled.

"You're work with the Tesseract is what drew Loki to it, and his allies," Thor spoke up. "It is the signal to all the realms that the earth is ready for a higher form of war."

"A higher form?" Steve quoted.

"You forced out hand!" Fury argued. "We had to come up with something!"

"Nuclear deterrent," Tony spoke up, rolling his eyes. "Cause that always calms everything right down."

I stormed off towards the door and walked out. Once I was free and clear of the room, I leant up against the wall and breathed out a sigh of anger. Maybe it was time to move on from SHIELD? I'd done what I could during the time I'd worked here.

Moving on is good for your soul.

And the mind.

I sighed and closed my eyes.

Something's wrong.

I feel it too.

My eyes shot open as an explosion rocked the helicarrier.

"Oh my god!" I gasped. "Loki!"

Suddenly it dawned on me that Loki was too easy to capture in the first place.

He wanted to take us out and we had practically given him the ability to do so.