Disclaimer: I don't own anything Marvel. Just Anna and her fellow Oc's.

Chapter 18

Among Family

After receiving word from Phil that Loki's sceptre, which had been taken by Hydra when SHIELD had fallen, was being held and used for experimentation to create enhanced humans, that became the Avengers number one mission. Not only because the damn thing could control minds, which obviously was a terrible thing for Hydra to have, but because of the danger it had on the patients undergoing the experiments (and whomever they may put in danger).

Most of all, though, was that the power source for the sceptre was an Infinity Stone. She'd already seen a little of what this one could do. If it was used by someone that could really use it to its full potential, then Earth was in serious trouble. It was insane to think that what Loki did with that stone was rather tame compared to what someone that really knew what to do with it could do. Either way, the sooner that things was back in their hands (and sent back to Asgard with Thor) the better.

Though Maria Hill and Anna both had different offices in the building, Anna generally worked out of her bedroom, which had once again started to become her main home. Even though her official office had a glass wall, the other interior walls were all solid. The glass wall that looked into the hallway, right into Hill's office which mirrored her's, was a bit too professional for her tastes. It sent her back to her training days under Phil at the SHIELD HQ in the city. No, her room with a view overlooking the city was far better to work at. After all, she could sit in her comfy chair by the window with everything just as easily as her desk.

That was where Hill had found her to inform her that the Avengers were on their way back there. Anna was sitting at the comfortable chair behind her desk, the small alien critter she was almost always accompanied by asleep to one side, her hand absentmindedly petting him as she looked over the work on her computer. That was also where Hill informed her that the sceptre had been used for experimentation. There were two successful individuals: Wanda and Pietro Maximoff.

Wanda and Pietro Maximoff were twins from Sakovia. There was only a bit known about these "children." Anna used the term loosely, seeing as she'd been younger than them while working at SHIELD and she'd hated being called as such. They were, however, young and more innocent. The war in their country had not been kind to them, taking their parents from them, but somehow sparing them.

"Agent Barnes, Ms. Hill has requested you to meet Dr. Cho upon her arrival," Jarvis said, coming in over the speakers. The speakers Anna had yet to locate built somewhere into the walls or ceiling. Subconsciously, Anna looked up and around. "Her estimated time of arrival is five minutes. She is instructed to set up in Dr. Banner's lab for Mr. Barton."

"Thank you, Jarvis," Anna said.

It didn't seem more than two minutes to Anna before their guest arrived. Anna met her on the landing platform, and greeted her with a smile. "Dr. Cho, thank you for coming on such short notice," Anna greeted. "I hope we aren't inconveniencing you."

"I'm always happy to help the Avengers," she replied. The beautiful Asian woman walked with Anna, familiar with the environment. She knew the routine, and the fastest route to Dr. Banner's lab. "What is Mr. Barton's condition?"

"Stable, I believe," Anna answered, "but they did say to prepare everything. They'll need the full service. They shouldn't be too much longer. Just enough time for you to get set up. Do you need any help?"

"No, I have it covered, but thank you," she said, working quickly. Anna honestly couldn't say what she was doing. All the machinery and tech was so far out of her league of understanding that she didn't even bother to try. She'd leave that up to the team members with high IQ points.

"How is your son?" Anna asked, trying to make friendly conversation as she waited to get word of the Avengers return. "Amadeus, right?"

"He's doing great," she said, smiling softly at the mention of her son. "I'm surprised you remembered."

"I make it my business to remember," Anna said. Her tablet vibrated, indicating a message from Hill. "They're about two minutes out. Shall we meet them at the landing platform?"

Cho's staff rushed Barton off the jet, leaving her and Hill there as Thor, Nat, and the rest of the team exited the aircraft. Anna and Hill made their way in through the back and up the ramp. "Lab's all set up, Boss," Hill told Tony.

"Oh, actually, he's the boss," Tony answered, pointing to Steve. "I just pay for everything and design everything and make everyone look cooler."

"Well, he's not wrong," Anna muttered. Though Anna prefered Steve's previous stealth uniform of black and gray, this one at least had elements of his original uniform from back in the '40's.

"What's the word on Strucker?" Steve asked.

"NATO's got him," Hill informed.

Steve made his way over to the two. Anna brought up the video compilation they had on the twins and handed it to Hill, who handed it to Steve to look at. "The two enhanced?"

"Wanda and Pietro Maximoff Twins. Orphaned at ten when a shell collapsed their apartment building." The group of three exited the jet and made their way off the ramp as Hill continued, "Sokovia has had a rough history. It's nowhere special, but it's on the way to everywhere special."

"Their abilities?"

"He's got increased metabolism and improved thermal homeostasis. Her thing is neural electric interfacing, telekinesis, mental manipulation," Hill listed, to which Steve just stared at her as if she'd spoken in gibberish as they arrived at the elevator. Honestly, nobody would've understood those unless they were a comic or syfy nerd, like Anna. "He's fast and she's weird," Hill rephrased.

"It's not really weird. She can just movie things with her mind, among other things," Anna said in defense of the villain.

"Well, they're going to show up again," Steve said.

"Agreed. File says they volunteered for Strucker's experiments. It's nuts."

"Right," Steve said. "What kind of monster would let a German scientist experiment on them to protect their country?"

Anna didn't hold back her chuckle as she patted Steve on the shoulder.

"We're not at war, Captain," Hill said.

"They are."

As much as Anna had tried to avoid going into Tony's lab, she eventually found herself standing there one evening when Tony and Bruce were taking a very short break to eat something (which she'd forced them to do). Whatever they were working on together was all consuming. More so than anything she'd ever seen them work on. It was a little unnerving.

Rey sat on her shoulder in his tiniest of forms observing the alien object just as she was. Rey, though having not been present on Earth when Loki had attacked with that very object, he knew exactly what it was and why it left Anna so unnerved. He moved closer to her neck, his fur rubbing softly against her cheek. It was a small way of him showing her that he was there. He knew how much of a comfort and relaxer feeling that soft coat of his had on her, though he didn't necessarily understand it. She made no indication that he was doing so though. After all, it had taken a long time for her to get over what had happened while under the control of that staff.

The last thing Anna wanted to see or be around was another Infinity Stone. Especially this particular one. In the wrong hands, that sceptre had taken control of every part of her being and stripped her clean of everything she'd ever thought, and replaced it with a clear, dark purpose. One that had only brought death and pain. She'd killed her Uncle Phil, and countless others under Loki's command during the Battle of New York. The only reason she stopped was thanks to Natasha literally knocking some sense into her brain.

Now, after being in Hydra's hands, the sceptre had gone and changed even more lives. Who knew how many subjects Strucker had had before the twins were successful? And their lives would never be the same after what they went through. That was still up for debate whether or not it was a good thing or bad too.

"Hey, Anna? We're going to go grab some pizza and wings. You want to join?"

The Tesseract, the Scepter, the Either, and the Orb. Four Infinity Stone that Anna had been in contact with, and witnessed the horrors that they could cause. Nothing good could ever come out of those stones. Absolutely nothing. Why were they all now just coming up to the surface? Why couldn't they stay somewhere across the universe away from Earth?

"Anna?"

"Anna, you should answer Samuel."

Four stones out of six. Anna could picture the image that she'd seen back on Nowhere when the Collector showed them the hologram. The bright colored stones were beautiful. But too powerful. In the wrong hands they'd destroy everything. They couldn't be in anyone's hands. They needed to be destroyed or hidden away where nobody could ever find them and use them.

"Anna!"

As the hand made contact with her arm, Anna jumped and spun around, causing Rey to lose balance on her shoulder and jump off swiftly to the ground with soft patters of his feet. Clearly she hadn't heard a single thing Sam or Rey had been saying to her while she stared at the alien item. Steve stood just behind him, his arms crossed over his chest, brow furrowed in concern. Relaxing a bit as she knew she wasn't in any danger, Anna smiled softly, but it didn't reach her eyes.

"Are you alright?" Steve asked, stepping closer. "You seemed pretty out of it. I know that thing caused us all to act out on the Helicarrier. Is it messing with you?"

Anna shook her head. "Not in the same way as then," she said. She hadn't been present in the room when the Avengers and Fury started to argue amongst themselves back on the Helicarrier right before Barton attacked the place to break Loki out, but she'd been informed what had happened. She'd have been glad had she not detested the place she'd been with Loki.

"I just want this thing gone," she told them, crossing her arms and closing in on herself as she glanced back over to the staff. "Nothing good can come from that, and I want it gone. Nothing good comes from the stones."

"Why don't you come out with us," Sam said. "Get some fresh polluted New York City air?"

"Get some distance between you and that," Steve added. "We're going for pizza and wings."

"And beer," Sam added with a grin.

"You need to gain distance from here," Rey thought. "It will be good for you. Join them."

Anna hesitantly glanced back to the sceptre one last time before stepping back away from it. "Yeah," she muttered, turning away from it fully. The orb was on Nova Prime, the Tesseract on Asgard, the Either on Nowhere, and soon this would be gone too. It just wouldn't ever be soon enough for Anna. "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. Thanks."

And so the Avengers: Age of Ultron begins! I'm so excited to go through this movie. Because with this movie arriving in this story, it means we're that much closer to when I have planned for Anna and Bucky to get reunited (and it feels so gooood~). I hope you guys aren't too disappointed in the chapter seeing as Anna wasn't in Sokovia.

Thanks to the following for their reviews on the previous chapter(s) -

Jedi Jesla777: Yeah, i thought that the coup was the perfect excuse to get Anna out of there and with the Avengers to be in Ultron.