The Tiger and the Spider: Episode II

All Standard Disclaimers apply, I own nothing but my characters

"You've got to be fucking kidding me." Tiloh was quivering. "It's been, what, a goddamned month, if that much?"

The folder containing information was clutched in Tiloh's hand in a titanic grip. When she was angry, she was as cold and biting as a Siberian breeze. "What are you trying to prove here?"

T'Challa snatched it neatly out of her hand. "His induction into the Avenger's Initiative should not be surprising to you. No soldier other than Captain America has a better service record. In fact, I have no doubt that this was Secretary Ross's plan all along."

Tiloh narrowed her eyes. "When I find that son of a bitch-"

I cut her off. "Ti, I don't want to leave. But it's the way things are. I have my orders."

Tiloh snarled. "You're only a soldier because Dad-"

Sharan, who had been listening in a council chair, lurched out of her chair, eyes blazing. "Ti, shut up! He's going, and it doesn't matter how he became a soldier. He is one, so could you drop your ego for one second? God!"

Tiloh, T'Challa, Ramonda, and everyone else turned to stare at the unusually angry young woman, who rarely had a cross word to say about anyone or anything.

Tiloh paused, and then came to stand in front of me. "I'm not saying goodbye because you're coming back."

And then she stormed over Coulson, who was standing calmly near the door. "If he dies, your ass is mine." Coulson jerked a nod, and she was gone.

I made my goodbyes, and surprisingly T'Challa was the hardest to do.

The king laid a hand on my shoulder. "I have something, well, my sister has something for you," he added, as she cleared her throat, before handing me a scoped M4. "According to her, it will never jam or break, with a self-cleaning moisture. All you will need is the ammunition."

I gave her a grin as I slung it over my shoulder, with the sword on the right. "That's my princess."

He chuckled. "Despite your sister's temper, I echo her farewell to you. I know you shall return," he said, as we clasped forearms in a warrior's embrace.

In the craft that looked like it belonged in Star Trek, I sat in one of the chairs, with Coulson moving to stand over me. "You read the files?"

I nodded. "At least a dozen times. So this Tesseract and that scepter are WMDs?"

Coulson grimaced. "As far as we can tell," he said, as we zoomed away from my new home. "We actually don't know the full extent of its capabilities."

I grunted. "Sounds like you did some testing."

"That's classified."

I smirked. "So was Area 51. That whole aliens thing is a brilliant cover for developing tech."

Coulson shook his head. "We aren't affiliated with any government."

"Holy fucking shit!" My jaw fell open as what appeared to be a flying aircraft carrier appeared in front of us.

"This is your base, Captain, and you're about to meet the team," Coulson said, as the craft landed and the cargo doors opened.

I saw a group of people walking towards me as I exited the crew, and I recognized two of them immediately: Steve Rogers, and Tony Stark. But the former had been dead for decades...

Coulson spoke before I could get my thoughts in order. "Avengers, meet Captain August from Delta Force, now a resident of Wakanda."

I saluted when Rogers moved in, smiling politely. "At ease, soldier. I'm Steve Rogers. Your service record is second to none," he said, shaking my hand.

"Not compared to yours," I breathed, and he chuckled slightly. "I had help, Captain."

Next was a dark-haired man wearing a purple shirt, and looking decidedly nervous and shifty. "Dr. Bruce Banner. Nice to meet you."

I nodded, shaking his offered hand. "Dr. Banner, my mother practically swears by you. It's a pleasure to meet you," I said, meaning every word.

He nodded. "I was in her class. She's just a capable as myself, but she never was interested in expanding things. More of cementing old things."

Next was Tony Stark, a man who I didn't know what to think of. He had the ego of a Greek God, and the mind of a philanthropist. "Nice to meet you. What's with the 'Cats the Musical' get-up?"

I laughed. "A gift from a grateful king."

The last was the hottest woman I had ever seen, and one I had come to know well during a intelligence ops in Siberia. Natasha Romanov, the Black Widow.

We eyed each other, then I smiled. "Nat. Good to see you again."

She smiled back, her eyes flat. "Ced. I'm glad to see my bullet wasn't fatal. How's your ass?"

My smile waned. "Smarts every time it gets cold. You want to have a look at the scar? It's right underneath my tail-bone."

She smiled ferally. "You shouldn't have turned your back when the Ex-Fil came. Seeing that was your first mission under Delta, it was a good learning experience."

Coulson uncomfortably herded us from the deck. "Can we save this for later?"

We both ignored him, for we found ourselves smiling slightly. "Figures that's where you aimed. You burned my ass in other ways on that mission too."

"Hard to miss it. You were green as grass, and you never saw me coming."

"You were a damned good double agent. I'm glad you're on my side now."

"Am I? I only hit one cheek, and the day's still young."

Before we could continue the banter, we came to the main deck, and I met the grim one-eyed Director, Nicholas Fury.

I saluted. "Director, reporting for duty."

He nodded. "Right on time. You got work to do."

I grinned. "That's what I like to hear."

A few days later, in Stuttgart, I hid in the background as the big baddie forced a crowd to kneel.

One old man, a veteran, by the way he stood tall, was the only man who defied him. Gutsy old gent.

Loki, apparently the Norse god himself, wasn't impressed, and aimed his glowing scepter-staff at the old gent.

I made my move, tackling the vet just as a ball of light bounced off Captain America's Vibranium shield.

"Stay put," I said to him after making sure he wasn't hurt.

I rose to shout to the crowd. "Everybody get out of here! We'll take care of this asshole!"

Steve stepped forward, speaking to Loki, who looked at us with narrowed eyes. "You know, the last time I was in Germany, and saw a man standing above everybody else, we ended up disagreeing."

Loki sneered. He wore a green leather number with a helmet of curved frontal horns, had shoulder-length black hair, and an air of superiority that reminded me of Al Baghdadi. For that alone, he needed to die. "The Soldier and the Vagabond. A man out of time, and a man without a home," he said, looking at me.

"Are you looking into a mirror when you're saying that?" I asked, drawing my sword as the civvies scattered.

"You'll pay for the remark, insect!" Loki snarled.

"Your check will bounce!"

"I'm not the one who's out of time," Rogers added, as Natasha brought the craft into focus, aiming it's Mini-Gun at the god. "Loki, drop the weapon and stand down."

I was already moving as he sent another beam at her, Rogers and I engaging the deity simultaneously, going high and low respectively. I was amazed at how well we worked on this asshole, but he met us with inhuman speed and strength, slamming Rogers to the ground with the butt of the staff before seizing me by the throat with one hand while knocking the sword from my grasp with the other.

He pulled me close as I gasped for breath, sadistically pressing his thumb against my windpipe. "You will all kneel before me!"

"Fuck...you!"

He sneered, and then was blown backwards by a blast of light as "Shoot To Thrill" sung in the air as Tony Stark landed not five feet away, dressed in his metal suit that I had seen so many times on tv.

"Make a move, Reindeer Games," he said to Loki, who surrendered meekly.

"Stark."

"Cap'n."

"You okay?" Rogers asked me as I got to my feet.

"I've had worse, Sir," I said, shrugging.

"Call me Steve," he said, patting me on the shoulder as he moved to cuff Loki.

I turned to Stark, and offered him my hand. "Right on time-"

He took my hand, and shook it. "Hey Hobbes, where's Calvin?"

It took my a second or two before I got it, and I laughed as my hood came off. "Off being Spaceman Spiff. Nice to see you, Tin Man."

"Touché. A bit weak," he said, as the craft landed, and we shoved Loki aboard. "You'll have to work on originality."

I let out a sigh as I sat in the seat across from Loki when the plane lifted off, who stared deep into my eyes as Stark and Rogers talked quietly nearby. I couldn't hear what they said, so I focused on him. "God of Mischief, huh?"

He smiled. "Indeed. So you know of the old tales. Well, I know of you, Cedric. I know your every act, your every thought, and every breath."

I yawned as loudly as I could.

"I know where your sisters are, cold Tiloh and sweet Sharan."

That got my attention. "You shut your trap about my girls."

He smiled a sick smile. "When I am finished with them, I'll give you their heads. Of course, I shall make you watch it all."

I was on my feet, ready to kill, but Stark held me back. "Easy there, Shere Kahn."

"I'm going to-"

"Sit down, soldier," Rogers ordered, forcing me back into my seat.

Out of nowhere, lightening lit up the craft, thunder buffeting it as Loki looked suddenly almost afraid, sitting up and looking around.

"What's the matter, motherfucker? Afraid of a little lightening?" I snarled.

He gave me a dry look. "I'm not overly fond of what follows."

What followed was something landing on the top of our craft.

Stark opened the door to see what the skinny was, and was knocked backwards by a huge blond guy wearing clothing that belonged at a medieval faire, carrying a massive hammer. The same son of a bitch grabbed Loki, and I rose to stop him.

"Where do you think you're going, Bleach Blond?" I asked, brandishing my sword.

His blue eyes met mine as his hammer intercepted my blow, and his other hand caught me in my plumb in the face, and everything went black.

When I woke, I found myself strapped in the chair next to Natasha, and a nasty headache. "What the hell?"

The Black Widow switched on auto-pilot, and turned to face me. "That was Thor who knocked you out. He knocked you out, and escaped with Loki. Rogers and Stark went after him."

I groaned, holding my head in my hands. "Fucker hits like a mule kicks. To think I thought those bastards were just fire-side stories."

She nodded. "This is monsters and magic, nothing that we were trained for."

I looked at her. She was as gorgeous, sexy, and terrifying as she had been when I had first seen her. "You cut your hair. It suits you. You know, you were the first welcoming person I found in Russia. I should've seen that shot coming."

She smiled slightly. "You were naïve, but you were hard to hate. You were the first and last person I shot whom I didn't want to blow away. You have that effect on some people, especially kids."

I chuckled. "I'm flattered, I think. It took me a while to sit right. So why are you involved in all this bullshit?"

She sighed, looking down at her clasped hands. "I've got red on my ledger."

"Just give me a name, and-"

I was cut off by her chuckle. "Ever the knight in shining armor. No, this isn't something that I can shoot my way out of. Besides, since you took care of most of FSB's top agents, I found Russia too boring to stay."

"Nat, we're both out of our league. Fuck, barely half a year ago, I was knee deep in Jihadi blood."

She nodded. "But we're both too stubborn to pull the plug. I remember you as a greenhorn that was abused as a kid. Now, you're one step behind the king of Wakanda, and your record is something to be proud of."

I looked away, out of the window into the darkness. "Except that shit with Al Baghdadi. I almost had the fucker, and those two kids-"

She turned my face so that our eyes met again, and I found that she had moved closer.

God, she smelled amazing.

"It wasn't your fault, and neither was Kayla. You've got to stop doing this to yourself. Your psychological profile screams mental masochism, and you don't deserve that."

"I was one block away from her, and just 50 feet away from that son of a-"

"You were right where you needed to be. If you had been any closer, you would've been haunted forever by what you saw, or dead."

"I wished I fucking was dead!" She flinched at my roar of anguish. After a moment of silence, I took a shaky breath. "I was right there, right fucking there. And I froze. My entire career, I watched so much shit happen, so much fucking blood, and I couldn't do anything except watch. There are so many days that I put the barrel in my mouth after days of not sleeping, and it was only my girls that kept me going."

She nodded, thinking back to her Red Room training and her recent past. "You aren't alone in any of that. I had much the same experiences, and with nothing to fall back on. I just learned to shut myself down, and let the red cover the goddamned ledger."

She paused. "Until I met you. I couldn't shut down around you. I don't think anybody can. That's partly why I shot you, to put my walls back up. But now that you're back, I can't do that. You have something about you that people are drawn to, to make them feel safe and wanted."

His eyes, blue as the Caspian Sea, met her green eyes. "Jesus, Natasha, I don't know what you're trying to say, but if this is another one of your games-"

She shook her head. She felt raw and open, and hated it, and hated even more that he could so easily drop her emotional walls. "No. No more games. No more anything. It's just me, and how you broke through my years of conditioning, something nobody else has been able to do. This is Natasha Romanov."

I let out a breath, and chuckled. "You're pretty nice to a former enemy."

She bit her lip. "You aren't my enemy. You never were. You and I got too deep, too fast. In just a week, you changed me. And this time, I'm not going to put lead into you."

I glanced at her full crimson lips. "What are you trying to say?"

"Oh, for the love of God, you're really thick. No wonder you've never had a woman."

"Now, hold your horses-" I was stopped when she went to kiss me, but we were cut short by Steve's radio call for a ride, and we doubled back, exchanging looks that promised more later.

Our craft landed in a clearing in a German forest, and I whistled at the damage done by the three man, who looked like they'd had a good scrap. "Holy shit, what a mess."

The enormous man joined the other two heroes as they boarded the craft, frog-marching Loki between them. I looked at the huge man, who looked like a Viking through and through. "Are you really Thor?"

He nodded. "I am. Thor, son of Odin. I know much about you, son of-" he began, as his hand dwarfed mine as his shook mine.

"He's not my father anymore," I said firmly. "He burned that bridge. It's an honor to meet...well, a god."

He smiled. "We are not deities. We just live a good while longer. Your prowess is a common subject in the halls of Asgard."

I didn't know what to say about that, so I nodded.

As soon as we got Loki to the Heli-carrier, we all met at a conference table. "Really grows on you, doesn't he?" Banner asked with a slight smile.

I paced back and forth. "He was way too easy to bring in. I guarantee he's got a plan of some kind. Fucker's got 'schemer' written all over him."

Rogers nodded in agreement. "He's dragging this out, but there's no need for that language, soldier. Thor, what's his play?"

Thor looked uncomfortable, facing away with his arms folded. "He has an army called the Chitauri. They're not of Asgard, nor of any world known. He means to lead them against your people. They will win him the Earth, in return, I suspect, for the Tesseract."

Rogers wasn't amused. "An army. From outer space."

Banner fidgeted. "So he's building another portal. That's what he needs Erik Selvig for."

"Selvig?" Thor straightened.

"He's an Astrophysicist."

"He's a friend."

Natasha spoke up. "Loki has him under some kind of spell, along with one of ours."

I followed her. "This slimy bastard's the lynchpin of all this. What if we cut off the head of the viper before it bites? I have one solution: put two in the head, one in the chest."

Banner shook his head. "I don't think we should be focusing on Loki. His brain is like a bag of cats: you can smell crazy on him."

I snorted. "I've seen crazy fuckers, and blow their brains out. He's not crazy, Doc, he's driven. He's dangerous as long as he sucks air."

Thor glowered at me. "Have care how you speak. Loki is beyond reason, but he is of Asgard. You will not harm him, for he is my brother."

Natasha spoke again, giving the God of Thunder a dry look. "He killed eighty people in two days."

"...He's adopted?"

"If it bleeds, it can die. And I've killed better," I said to Thor, who fixed me with a hard stare. "If you harm a hair on his head, you will regret it."

I felt the beginning of a serious rage. "Tell you what, why don't you and I discuss this in a more open place? We could settle-"

Rogers spoke quickly, as Thor's eyes flashed with challenge, a smile spreading across his face. "August, that's enough. We need to know more, and we can't get anything without Loki. Stand down, soldier."

I stiffened on reflex. "Yes, sir."

Thor spoke as I sat down. "I like this one. The blood of the Northmen flows through him."

I smiled back. "Whenever your ready, I'm game."

I turned to Steve. "So, if it's information we need, we'll need to talk to him. Luckily, I can help with that as well."

Tony, having just entered the room, raised an eyebrow. "You want to pick at his mind? A bit risky, considering your last interaction with him, Frosted Cornflakes. No hard feelings, Point Break, you've got a mean swing," he said, tapping Thor's arm as he passed by him.

"We need Iridium, it's a stabilizing agent. Or the whole thing will collapse without the shield, like it did at SHIELD. Also, it means that the portal can open as wide, and can stay as wide as Loki wants it to," He said, meandering to the screens near the table.

He looked down at them, and grimaced. "Raise the mizzenmast. Jib the topsails. That man is playing Galaga!" He accused one of the many agents at their computers, who was doing just that. "Thought we wouldn't notice it, but we did."

He then covered one of his eyes. "How does Fury even see these?"

"He turns," Agent Maria offered drily. She was pretty cute, seemed smart, and ready to rock and roll, but she couldn't hold a candle to Nat.

"Sounds exhausting," Tony muttered.

While Rogers seemed completely lost, I was losing my patience. "I think you've had enough attention for one day, so can you get to the point?"

He ignored me. "The rest of the raw materials, Agent Barton can get his hands on pretty quickly," he said, playing around with one of the screens while as he went on about Astrophysics (everything I had skipped over on the dossier, finding it too much for me to handle), placing something under the desk before moving for Banner as the team joined in on the talk.

My patience wore out as Stark shook Banner's hand, and Rogers voiced his confusion. "It's good to meet you, Dr. Banner. Your work in on antielectron collisions is unparrelled, and I'm also a huge fan of the way you lose control, and turn into an enormous raging green monster."

I snuck out of the room before I could hear Banner's reply.

I had a god's mind to fuck with.

It's easy to find directions if you ask people in the right way, I thought, as the elevator and myself zoomed up to the floor where Loki's impressive holding cell, a circular dome of unbreakable glass and steel that had controls to make things uncomfortable for him. I had a feeling, looking over our roster, who it was really for.

I exited the elevator, and walked stealthily to the control apparatus. He had been facing away until I cleared my throat. "The moniker of 'Tiger' suits you. There are not many who can sneak up on me."

I snorted. "You can lick my balls later. Now, you're going to answer my questions. We can do this the easy way, or the hard way."

He moved to the glass, smiling leisurely. "Bluff all you want. You know full well that pain accomplishes nothing as far as interrogation goes."

I met his gaze. "Pain's not on the menu, son of a Frost Giant. I know all about the legends of my ancestors, so I have some insight on your pasty ass."

He let out a derisive laugh, but I saw his left eye twitch when I had mentioned his lineage. Gotcha, bitch. "And look how far the Northmen have fallen. They spread throughout the world, ruled kingdoms, and now they are a shadow of their former selves."

I smiled, mentally thanking Tiloh for teaching me how to interrogate and read body language. "Just like you've been a shadow of Thor."

His lips peeled back in a snarl. "You know nothing of me, or that blundering oaf."

I grinned. "Then how do I know you had Thor in Freya's dress so that the guy who stole his hammer would give it back to him out of lust for her?"

His eyes glinted with amusement. "I underestimated you. It will not happen again."

"I'm guessing that glow stick of a scepter ain't just for show."

"Although your feeble mind is too slow to grasp this, it is not. The stone at its core, that blue orb, controls the minds of all your pathetic kind. You will be a puppet of mine just like Barton."

I heard a noise overhead, and saw a camera move to me. I gave it a wave before turning back to him. "Good to know. I got to hand it to you, grease-stain, you know how to play with heads. You had Baldur killed with an arrow made from mistletoe, shot by Baldur's own brother."

He sat down on a bench, but not before giving a mocking bow. "That pretty fool was arrogant, and all the creatures of the world wept for him, except one of my people."

I grimaced, just as mocking. "But you got yours. You got chained to a rock out of one of your kid's entrails, and a serpent was placed above your head so that it dripped venom on you. That must've really stung. How did you get free?"

He shrugged regally. "I have my tricks. Did you know your people were testing the Tesseract to make weapons of terrible destruction?"

I shrugged in return. "Not surprised. And to be honest, if it means taking care of some butt-munchers who kill and rape innocent people, then they don't deserve to live. People today are too weak when it comes to people like you. Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, Saddamn Hussein, Ben Laden, Al Baghdadi? And that's not even counting child molesters, serial killers, and unrepentant cockroaches."

He rose to come to the glass again. "And if I was to tell you that I could do all of what you desire without spilling a drop of innocent blood? Imagine a universe without those you justly condemn, without insects like your father, or those you still fight against? I can give that to you."

I snorted. "Says the guy with an army of ETs at his command."

He shrugged. "I can send them away. Just think about it, soldier: a world of peace and justice, where you could live without fear or the pain that haunts you every night."

My mind was at war.

What if that could happen?

No, he's a liar and a monster.

I felt tempted like never before. "And what do you want?"

He waved a hand at his feet. "Bend the knee. Become my second in command. Barton is a tool, but you are different. Wiser, and more ruthless. But you and Barton, like all of your kind, are born to serve. Bend the knee as you bent your mind to your father."

I moved away from the controls to stand in front of him, and made to lower myself, but came back up with a snarl on my face. "You almost had me, but people like you and that old man are on my shit list. There's nothing special about you, Loki Laufeysson. Guys like you are why I fight: to stamp you the fuck out!"

His face twisted in hatred for a second, but then he sighed sadly. "As always, Cedric August, you are too slow. Too slow to stop that girl's life, or the lives of Baghdadi's servants."

I flinched as his fists slammed against the glass, his face seething and sadistic. "And you will be too slow to stop Barton from killing your precious sisters. I will make him kill and violate them in all the ways you have ever feared, and when they're done screaming, I'll have him force-feed them to you before he buries you in your own blood!"

Images of my horrific past filled my mind, and before I knew it, I was staggering into the elevator, his sick laughter cutting off as the doors closed behind me.

Sweat covered me, a pain in my stomach robbed me of my breath, and my legs gave out as I slumped to the floor.

I vomited on the pristine steel, chills making me shake like trees in Tornado Alley.

When the door opened, I dragged myself out just as the uncaring doors closed behind me, but I fell to the floor, unable to breath.

All I could see was the horrors he described to me, and moans of terror were all I could manage, my vision flashing before my eyes.

And then my strength returned as voices both familiar and strangely alien sounded nearby, and hands fastened around me as I lurched to my feet.

Snarls of fury blasted free of my lungs, sounding almost demonic and inhuman in their guttural nature as I swung wildly about.

"Cedric? Cedric! Calm down!"

"He's having a panic attack, Steve."

"Somebody has to snap Tigger out of this!"

Red hair flashed in, and a fist collided with my left temple.

I woke in a small room, lying on my back. It was dimly lit, and a familiar voice sounded nearby as my head throbbed. "Welcome back."

I turned to see Natasha nearby, and I remembered what had happened. "Fuck."

She smiled slightly. "Yeah. Panic attacks are a bitch."

I made to rise, and could only lean my back against the wall as I found my wrists fastened to the bed by straps. "I guess I deserve them," I said, nodding to the straps.

She released my hands. "The truth hurts. You got some information, but not the stuff Fury wanted to hear. Of course, it didn't help that you exposed his plans for WMDs."

"I'm not sorry for that, but I am sorry for being a fucking idiot for thinking I could compare mental dick-sizes with that monster. I'm going to fucking kill him, Nat. I'm going to be the last thing that lunatic sees as I play with his fucking guts."

She shook her head. "That won't happen. I wish it would, but we need Barton and the Tesseract, and then you'd have to get past Thor."

I met her eyes. "I know about you and Barton. I read both your files. You're a great team. I wish I had the kind of friendship you two have."

She took my hands in hers. "I know. But after I put a bullet in you, I couldn't contact you."

"Your bosses-"

"And I couldn't have spoken to you anyway. You were a friend, my first in a long time. That red on my ledger caused me to defect, and I tried to mirror the friendship that I had with you with Barton, but I couldn't."

I nodded. "I'll help you get him out."

She smiled. "I know. Did you mean what you said to Loki, about those WMDs?"

I nodded again. "Every word."

To my horror, I felt a lump rise to in my throat, and tears of guilt in my eyes. "He got to me, Nat. I was tempted. I almost gave into that fuck. If I had-"

She took my face in her hands, her eyes stern. "Ced, shut up. You didn't give in. If I hear another goddamned pity party from you, I'll break your nose."

I nodded. "Yes Ma'am. I got the feeling that I'm confined to quarters."

She smiled. "You're smarter than you look."

"Fury's feeling salty."

"Saltier than the Dead Sea."

"Did you come to polish me off?"

She frowned. "I would've put one in your head while you slept if I wanted to kill you. No, I'm getting you out of here."

"But I thought you said-"

"Fury doesn't control me," she said, undoing my wrists before handing me my weapons. "Let's go."

When we came to where the rest were, they were in a lab, and deep in argument.

"I was wrong, Director. The world hadn't changed a bit," Steve was saying to Fury.

"Did you know about this?" Banner asked Nat as we entered.

"You want to think about removing yourself from this environment, Doctor?"

He laughed dryly. "I was in Calcutta. I was pretty removed."

I stepped forward. "Doc, Loki's getting into your head, just like he did me."

"You should be in-" Fury started, but I cut him off. "Shut the fuck up."

Banner ignored Fury, turning to me, agitated. "You don't seem too averse to using weapons of mass destruction to-"

I cut him off, moving to his side. "You've never had your boots on the ground, or been in the Middle East to see reality fucking you up the ass. The monsters I came up against have no humanity in them, and the Middle East will never get any better unless we start going ham on them. But now we've got even more to deal with, thanks to him," I said, pointing at Thor.

"Me?" He asked defensively.

"Well, somebody let Loki free from his torture over Baldur. Who was it, you or Odin?"

Thor frowned. "My people want nothing but peace for your planet."

I snorted. "Fuck that. Last year, you came, and an entire town was leveled. As much as Fury is an asshole for keeping this scenario from us, he's right: we need that firepower more than ever, especially with your fucking brother bringing in a goddamned army from space!"

Thor stepped forward. "Fury's work with the Tesseract is what drew him to it, and his allies. It is a signal to all the realms of the universe that the Earth is ready for a higher form of war."

"You forced our hand," Fury argued.

"A nuclear deterrent," Tony said dryly. "Because that always calms everything right down."

"Remind me again how you made your fortune, Stark?"

Steve moved in. "I'm sure if he made more weapons Stark would be neck deep in-"

Tony interrupted. "Hold on, why is this about me?"

As they got into a spat of their own, other spats broke out until Thor ended it. "You speak of control, yet you court chaos."

"That's his MO, isn't it?" Banner asked through gritted teeth. "What are we, a team? No, no, no, we're a chemical mixture that makes chaos. We're a time-bomb."

"Banner," I said calmly. "I think it's best if you went to another room."

Banner pointed a finger at Fury. "How? He rented my room."

Fury raised his hands. "The cell was just to-"

I cut him off. "Imprison, and possibly kill him? What are you, the SCP?"

Tony smirked at me. "Why shouldn't the guy let off a little steam?"

I fixed him with a glare. "Fuck yourself, you spaz, you know damn well why. For once in your life, shut up."

He stepped up to me, speaking through gritted teeth. "Now I'm starting to want you to make me."

I matched him. "All you are is a metal Barbie-doll. Without that, you're a-"

"Genius, billionare, playboy, philanthropist."

I shook my head. "You forgot narcissist. There's nothing heroic about you. I read your file, buttmunch. You're only in it for yourself."

Steve joined in, speaking to Tony. "Cedric's worth ten of you. He's always the guy to make the sacrifice play, to lay down on the wire, and let the other guy crawl over him."

Tony sneered. "I'd rather just cut the wire."

Steve and I exchanged a look of derision, and I winked before speaking. "How very selfless of you, Stark. You know, you aren't some Hajji, but you ain't a soldier."

Suddenly, he was in my face. "A soldier, like you? You're a mental case, August, a poster boy for PTSD. Everything you ever worked for was to make Daddy love you."

I was about to smash his face in, but Nat pulled me back as Steve took over. "Put on the suit, let's go a few rounds."

"I'm not afraid to hit an old man."

"Put on the suit!"

Thor laughed. "You people are so petty. And tiny."

Fury spoke up. "Agent Romanoff, would you please escort Captain Cedric to an adjacent room?"

Banner snorted. "Where? You rented my room."

"The cell was just in case-"

Banner interrupted, seething. "In case you needed to kill me, but you can't. I know! I tried!"

All conversation ceased as he continued. "I got low. I didn't see an end so I put a bullet in my mouth, and the other guy spit it out. So I moved on, I focused on helping other people. I was good, until you dragged me back into this freak show. You put everyone here at risk. You wanna know my secret, Agent Romanoff? You wanna know how I stay calm?" He asked, turning to Nat.

All stiffened when we saw what was now in his hand. "Doctor Banner, put down the scepter," Rogers said.

Suddenly, the computer chimed, and phones started going off. My heart froze, having enough horrible experiences with IEDs and other explosives to recognize the tell-tale signs.

"Everybody hit the deck!" I shouted, grabbing Nat and Banner, the closest to me.

And then everything seemed to explode.

When I woke up, it was to Nat slapping me across the face. We seemed to be in a wrecked room, but not the one we had just - I realized that I was pinned under something, and Banner was beside us, moaning, his fists clenching as he writhed against something inside him.

Oh, fuck.

"Still in one piece?" I asked Banner, feeling fear freeze my spine.

He didn't answer, and I pushed at Nat as she worked to free me. "Nat, get out of here. NOW!"

She looked into my eyes, and kissed me on the lips, a quick but passionate kiss, before she turned and ran out of sight.

I fought against the debris holding me down, speaking to Banner as calmly as I could without making my voice as scared as I felt inside. "Hey, Doc. Let's take a deep breath. This is all part of Loki's plan, including my own shit," I said, waving off two men who came to investigate, as Bruce began to grunt like a monster.

I was so very fucked.

"I'm going to get your ass away from Fury. I just need you to stay calm."

"STAY CALM!" When Bruce spoke, his voice was a roar, and when he turned to me, his fearful brown eyes were turning to lime-green. His limbs splayed out, and his clothes ripped from a body turning both green and morphing into a muscled beast the height of a Draft Horse.

Fuck.

Shit fuck.

I wrenched free as he stood, using a cooling vent as a crutch, which crumpled under his massive strength.

And for the first time in my life, I ran from a battle with terror in my heart.

I didn't get far, running up stairs, and weaving through catwalks and the underbelly of the ship before the face of the Hulk was screaming into mine.

I snarled in defiance. Fuck running. If I was going to die, I was going to do it fighting. I drew my gun, and fired into his face point-blank.

To my horror, the bullets bounced off him with a metallic sound, and I groaned. "You've got to be fucking kidding me-" I was cut off when the behemoth swatted me like a mosquito, sending me flying into an a pile of loose metal rods.

Stunned, I lay flat the Hulk loomed over me. "Puny soldier," the grating baritone of the beast sounded, and then a blur slammed into it, sending it and the Hulk smashed through an adjacent wall.

"Fuck my life," I grunted, before I heard two people fighting a short distance away on a catwalk above me. I headed up a nearby flight of stairs to find Natasha grappling with Clint Barton, the mind-controlled SHIELD Agent.

I sprinted forward just as Barton got the upper hand, a knife going for Nat's throat, and shoulder-barged him. His head crashed into a guard rail, and he looked up at us. "Natasha?"

She responded by knocking him out before turning to me, rage in her green eyes. "Can't you ever stop being such a self-sacrificing moron?!"

I let out a tired sigh. "Can't we talk about this later?"

She shoved me back a step. "You asshole! You were going to leave me to tell your sisters how you were so goddamn suicidal and selfless that you got yourself killed over me!" She hissed.

"I didn't have time to think about it," I said, wincing from the stinging pain as I picked Barton up into a fire-man's carry. "You can bitch at me when I get this fucker somewhere where he won't try to kill us when he wakes up."

We didn't talk until we found a nearby room after a few minutes of sullen tension, which happened to be the very room she had put me in.

After we had strapped him to the bed, she pushed my back against the wall, one forearm at my throat, the other pulling out her sidearm.

"Maybe I should shoot you in the head this time, and put you out of your misery. God, you're a pain in my ass," she breathed into my face.

"Yeah, wouldn't want to have my red on your precious ledger. And you put one in my ass, so if anything, you're a pain in mine!"

"Shut up, or I'll-"

"You'll what?"

Suddenly, our bodies came together, our lips crashing and melding together as our tongues fought for dominance.

Her pistol dropped to the floor with a clatter as she kissed me with a smothering urgency that came from years of anger and sexual tension.

When we parted for air, I grinned as I found myself on the floor with her lithe legs straddling me. "Fuck, Nat, we need a bed for this, don't you think?"

A coy smile curved her lips. "If your file is anything to go by, I wouldn't be surprised if you liked it rough. It's a crime that you haven't been with a girl," she said, hands moving behind my back to where my fastenings of my uniform were.

I smiled hungrily, hands settling around her buxom, willowy frame. "So what are you going to do about it?"

She leaned down to breath into my ear. "I read up on animal totems after I read your file, and apparently those with Tigers are very good in bed. And well, seeing that I've got your red on my ledger..." she finished by giving me a kiss full of desire, deep and hard.

By the time she and I were done, we were bruised and replete, and the room was a mess.

Thank fuck Barton didn't wake up until after we were dressed.

He did so in a daze, and Nat spoke his name as he struggled against his restraints. "You're going to be alright."

He let out a laugh. "You know that? Is that what you know?" He asked, glancing at me.

She did as well, and tilted her chin to the door.

I left the room without protest, and moved to the room with the conference table, finding Fury, Steve, and Tony there, Maria standing sadly in the background.

Tony sat in shock, and Steve pulled out a chair for me as Fury threw blood-stained Captain America cards on the table. "These were in Phil Coulson's jacket. I guess he never did get you to sign them," he said to Steve, who sat in grim silence.

It didn't take long for me to realize what had happened to Coulson. "Loki. Where is he?" I growled.

"Gone, along with Thor and Banner," Fury told me. "We're dead in the air up here. Communications, the Cube-"

"Banner," Steve breathed, looking at the cards.

"I got nothing for you. Lost my one good eye. Maybe I had that coming."

I shook my head. "Our mission is still active. This was Loki's plan: set off Banner. Now we need to hunt him down."

Fury paced. "I can't help you with that, as I said. Yes, we were going to build an arsenal with the Tesseract. I never put all my chips on that number, so I planned something even riskier. There was an idea, Stark knows this, called the Avengers Initiative. The idea was to bring together a group of remarkable people, see if they could become something more. See if they could work together when we needed them to to fight the battles we never could."

He looked at Stark as he leaned his elbows on the table. "Phil Coulson died believing in that idea. In heroes," he finished, looking at Steve and myself.

Suddenly, Tony stood up, and left the room.

"Well," Fury continued, "It's an old-fashioned notion."

There was a pause before Steve walked out, seeming to head after Tony, leaving me sitting under Fury's gaze.

"We're up shit's creek, but we've still got a chance," I offered.

"There's a reason why I wanted you to be part of this, besides your skill set."

I snorted. "I'm not dancing on your strings, Director. I should be with my girls, not-"

He cut me off. "Fort Bragg was going to retire you. That Wakanda mission was your last. An honorary discharge with a possible Medal of Honor. It would've been a shame to see you shelved."

I felt shocked, and then so very tired. "I know why. I avoided mental health checks for PTSD by staying overseas."

Fury rounded the table, and sat next to me. "Oh, they knew. They just wanted to avoid a scene. I wanted you here because of your personality. You have a record of selflessness and conscientiousness towards your fellow soldiers and civilians that rivals Captain America. Despite your spotty mental health record, I needed that to-"

I cut him off. "Be your poster boy? Fucking hell, Director, you have Rogers for that. He doesn't have the baggage."

Fury shook his head. "I wasn't finished. You also have a brutal ruthlessness and ferocious rage that even Natasha doesn't have. You don't care what you have to do to get the job done, unlike Rogers. I didn't just bring you here to be part of the Avengers Initiative. I brought you to lead the Avengers Initiative."

I was about to answer when Tony and Steve walked back into the room, and pulled me aside to tell me where Loki was, and what he was planning.

I rose to hurry back to the room, finding Barton on his feet. "Ready to kick some ass?"

He nodded grimly, and held out his hand. "Clint Barton."

I took it, and shook. "Cedric August. Let's go."

As the three of us joined the rest as we made our way to the shuttles, I looked at Steve. "We've been given the green light for this, right?"

He smiled slightly. "Would you care?"

"Fuck, no."

He grimaced. "When all this is over, we need to talk about your language."

"Okay, Youtube."

"What's Youtube?"

I was stopped from replying when we entered one of the vessels, finding a soldier who looked barely out of Basic, who objected to our arrival.

Steve stopped him. "Son...just don't."

When we got to New York, a beam of light cut through the atmosphere of the planet to let in the alien army while Tony was trying to take out as many of them as he could.

We dropped onto an overpass, and were instantly beset by ETs. I took my sword, and cut one in half, ducking to avoid a bolt from one of their projectile weapons as I beheaded another. My allies were kicking absolute ass around me, and I winced as another bolt singed my cheek as it passed by.

"That's how you it, bitch? Fine!" I snarled, sheathing my sword, and bringing out my gun to blast three away. I turned to get more, only to have them lit the fuck up by bolts of lightening as Thor landed awkwardly in front of me.

"Nice of you to drop in," I said, helping him up. He grinned, and clapped me on the shoulder before turning serious again as I questioned him. "What's the situation upstairs?"

"The power surrounding the cube is impenetrable."

Tony's voice sounded in my ear as he zoomed close. "Thor's right, we need to deal with these guys," he said, bogeys on his tail.

"How do we do this?" Nat asked.

"As a unit," I said, with Rogers nodding in agreement. "Lone Wolfing this isn't an option."

Thor nodded. "I have unfinished business with Loki."

"Yeah? Get in line," Barton suggested.

"Cut the chatter," I said. "Loki wants us dead just as much as we want him stopped, so he's going to throw everything at us to keep ET from turning on his ass."

"Get Stark up top-" Steve was cut off by the arrival of Banner via motorcycle.

"Well, this all seems horrible," he said by way of greeting, dismounting to walk over to us.

"You haven't been to Syria," I said to him.

"I'm sorry-"

"Don't bother. Pain is a good teacher," I said reassuringly, with Natasha adding in. "No, we could use a little worse."

"Stark, we got him," Steve said over his mic.

"Banner? Well, he'd better suit up. I'm bringing the party to you," he said, coming into view with a massive alien on his tail that looked like armored whale with massive teeth.

I let out a sigh. "Oh, fuck me," while a worried Nat stated how she didn't see this as a party.

I looked at Banner. "Uh, Doc, You aren't in your happy place, right?"

He smiled grimly at me, as he stepped towards the charging behemoth. "Well, that's my secret, Captain. I'm always angry," he said, before morphing into Hulk and smashing the thing's face into the ground, with Stark finishing the job with a rocket before it could squash us.

I loaded my weapon as the rest of the team stood in a circle, facing pissed off ETs, as even more aliens flooded into Earth. "Well, let's saddle up, people."

"Call it, Captain," Stark said crisply. I waited for Steve to take charge for a few seconds, and realized that they were weren't waiting for Captain America...they were waiting on me.

"Steve, you're the-"

He cut me off. "You heard Tony, and I agree with him. What's the plan?"

Deeply touched and honored, I took a breath, paced a bit, and took command. "This is where the fun begins. Until we can take out that portal out of commission, our Sit-Rep is that there's aliens trying to do what the Hajjis couldn't at 9-11."

I pointed to a roof that had the clearest sight of the city that I could see. "Barton, I need eyes on that roof. Report all maneuvers and keep an eye out for our slimy friend. Stark, you got the air and the perimeter. Anything three blocks out, you fuck them off, or fuck them up."

Barton looked at Stark. "Wanna give me a lift?"

"Better clench up, Legolas," Tony said, grabbing hold of the world's best archer before they zoomed away.

I turned to Thor. "Thunder God, concentrate your firepower on the portal. I want those bastards to regret coming into our planet before they touch the ground. Light them the fuck up."

Thor grinned, and spun his hammer before taking off himself.

I turned to Rogers and Nat. "We'll stay on the ground. Captain, you're my second-in-command. Nat, I can't wait to see how we kick ass together, but don't shoot me in the ass unless you have to. And Hulk?"

The green giant whirled on me with a grunt. I tried to find something clever to say, but ended up gesturing in every direction with a sweep of my arms. "Smash 'em."

He grinned before leaping away to cause havoc.

So we fought as the enemies poured in. We got split up, with Rogers concentrating on commanding the NYPD to make a perimeter and getting civvies to safety.

I wasted my ammo before Nat and I grabbed separate hovercrafts, with a mulligan from Steve's shield, when Loki joined the battle. I winced as the slimy bastard and his ET bogeys started to attack us from behind. "Barton, finish fucking them the fuck off!"

"Language!"

"Shut up, Steve!"

"I got him," The chuckling archer said over the mic, but Loki caught his arrow, smirking before the arrow exploded, sending him crashing onto the top of Stark's tower as Nat ditched her craft with a beautiful flip, and engaged the machinery holding the portal open as I dismounted near Loki.

My blood chilled when Stark announced a nuke coming in, but I had to concentrate on the God of Mischief, who was just standing up.

"Look at all this shit you caused," I roared at him, drawing my sword. "Is this how you wanted to start ruling the goddamned world? There won't be anything left thanks to your fucking ego!" I had the sudden realization that Loki reminded me of the worst of my father, and that made me even more pissed off.

"It's too late to stop it," Loki said, suddenly looking tired and defeated.

"You fucking coward!" I screamed. "Don't have the balls to clean up your own mess? It's always me who did it for people like you and my fucking father!"

I ducked as a red blur flashed by me, and I turned to look. My jaw dropped when I saw Stark actually holding the nuke as he skimmed his own tower on the way up towards the opening in our atmosphere.

I had got it wrong: Tony was a goddamned hero.

A flash of green in front of me alerted me, and I grasped the shaft of the scepter that was now a spear with one hand as it came for my chest, the other grabbing at anything, which happened to be the Tesseract.

I froze, expecting my mind to be lost. Instead, pain lit my entire body on fire, my hand becoming one with the Cube.

Pain, agony beyond words, beyond even thought, sent me to my knees. I screamed in pure fucking agony, and I wished, for the first time in my life, that I had never been a soldier.

A blue light flashed, and Loki was sent flying back into the room adjacent to the balcony. I remained on my knees, something surging through me until I felt full to the brim with raw power.

But my hand was a mess, barely recognizable.

I looked up to see Tony Stark's unmoving body and suit coming down with terminal velocity, and I keyed the comm as I cradled my burned hand, which hurt like a motherfucker. "Guys, he's not slowing down. Somebody-" I stopped when a snarling Loki came running towards me, murder in his eyes. "Oh, for fuck's sake."

And then Hulk was there, slamming Loki back into the room. I went to see Loki screeching about how he was better than everyone, and he would not be bullied by a dull creature. Hulk proceeded to grab Loki, and bash him like whack-a-mole into the ground, leaving to catch Stark's falling form with a mutter of 'puny god.'

I came to Loki, whose breath was knocked out, judging by the moaning he was making. "Sucks, don't it?"

He was done. I could tell by the look in his eyes.

I drew my sword when he made to move. "Don't even think about it."

I keyed my comm. "I have Loki. Everything is Oskar-Mike here. Is Stark okay?"

It was Tony who answered. "I'm down for the count, but okay. What the hell does Oscar-Mike mean?"

I smiled in relief. "I'll tell you later. Good to hear you're okay, Tin Man. I'd get here ASAP, guys. I don't know what this creeper's got up his sleeve. My hand touched the Tesseract, and I might need a new one."

Steve's voice came back. "Copy that. Try not to stab him."

Tony spoke again. "Rogers just made a joke. The world really is coming to an end."

"Shut up, Tony."

Clint's laughter came over the combs, while Natasha muttered something in Russian.

I laughed as well, needing it. New York was in ruins, and probably thousands dead, but at least the aliens were gone. "Kids, play nice."

"Yes, Dad," Tony replied, as I stepped on Loki to keep him still.

"Don't make me send me to your room without supper," I said. "I will ground your ass without remorse."

"Oh, what are you going to do? Give me a spanking?"

I laughed until I almost cried.

Once they arrived, Thor gagged a chatty Loki, and we went down to the lobby by elevator, while Hulk had to take the stairs.

Things got tense when some dickwad named Pierce demanded Loki while the scepter was taken by other agents. Thor got testy, but a potential jurisdiction fight was averted when a pissed off Hulk chased them away.

"I could hug you right now, big guy," I said, making him grin and tap me lightly on the back.

"It's Shwarma time," Stark cheered.

But I couldn't join them, having only one hand.

And I knew where to go to take care of it.

The next day, at Central Park, Thor bade us goodbye before he, his brother, and the cube vanished in a flash of light. I still had only my Tiger suit, and my mangled hand wrapped in bandages, while the rest had street clothes.

I looked at Nat. "Hey, I'm headed back to Wakanda. Want to join me?"

She considered it, and shrugged. "Why not?"

Stark spoke up. "You two fucked, didn't you?"

Steve blushed. "Tony, for God's sake!"

"We did. I'm surprised nobody heard us," Nat said matter-of-factly. "For a greenhorn, he was pretty damn good."

"I had a good partner," I said.

"Just as long as this doesn't become a soap-opera. Before the Tiger and the Spider do a Tarzan and Jane, we have a debriefing with Fury in an hour."

Steve didn't move to his motorcycle fast enough, but not before Nat got a parting shot in. "Clint, a three-way is always an option," she said, a smirk on her face.

Steve stopped short, closed his eyes for a brief moment, than continued to his cycle.

"You're evil. And no," Clint told her. "Hell no."

"Not enough drugs or booze for that, Nat," I added. "No offense, Clint."

"None taken. At fucking all," he said, as he made his way towards his car, while I joined Nat in hers as Tony went to his.

On our drive, Nat looked at me. "You know, usually my relationships are a one-time thing."

I raised an eyebrow after downing a fresh dose of pain killers. "What does that makes us?"

"Who do you want me to be?"

"I want you as yourself. A friend, a friend with benefits, I don't care. I'll take whatever you can give me. Just as long as you're in my life."

She hummed, paused, and then spoke. "I'll try."

I looked over at her. "Did I ask too much?"

She glanced at me. "I'm not used to being me."

I grimaced. "I get that, believe it or not. Dad controlled my every decision, my every choice. When I think about it, I've only ever been happiest around my girls."

"I wish I had that backdrop," she breathed.

I smiled at her. "Now you can. I think you and the girls will get along like two peas in a pod."

She let out a soft laugh. "You know, despite your shitty past and your ruthless approach to leading, you're very much like Rogers."

I nodded. "People with tigers have their claws, but their fur is just as strong for people they love."

She hissed out a breath. "Careful how you saw that. One would think you meant it."

I looked at her. "I think, with time, we might get there. We have chemistry-"

"I can't have kids."

I had nothing to say as she continued shakily. "A little graduation gift from the Red Room. It's effective."

I laid my unburned hand on her nearest shoulder. "Oh, Nat, I'm so sorry. But it's going to take more than that to throw me out of the saddle. I'm sure the girls can be sort of like our kids."

She let out a shaky breath. "And if we end up on opposite sides one day?"

I shrugged. "I will never take the shot. My other ass cheek is still available."

She fought for composure. "I hate that you can compromise me. You always could, damn you," she growled.

"I know. It's a love/hate thing," I chuckled.

She snorted, and drove with one hand for the rest of the trip, the other gripping mine tight.

When we got to the meeting spot, it just happened to be Stark's tower, the 'Stark' logo now changed to an 'A' at the top of the balcony. Stark was already there with Fury as we came into a conference room with a large table.

Fury looked at us from the head of the table. "Firstly, good work. But hundreds are dead, the world now knows we are not alone in the universe, and there are some people, including politicians, who don't look on you as saviors. The opposite is true, but there are powerful people who are calling for the regulation of people people with superpowers. I just wanted to warn you about that."

I let out a long breath as the list of names of the dead came onto the view-screen. So many families and lives destroyed. "I can't blame anybody for feeling that way. If necessary, I'll take full responsibility."

Fury nodded. "Spoken like a leader."

"About that-"

Steve spoke up. "Cedric, you're in charge, whether you like it or not. I'm sorry, but that's the way things are going to be."

I took in a breath, and let it out. It was then that I assumed the mantle of leader. "Okay. There's also this," I said, raising my burned hand. "Sneaky came at me with the scepter, probably planning to turn me into one of his goons. I held him back, and this hand became fused with the Tesseract."

Fury narrowed his eyes. "Elaborate."

I shuddered. "It hurt bad, everywhere. But I also felt something powering me up. I haven't felt anything since."

Fury nodded. "I should run a few tests, but you won't come quietly, will you?"

I shook my head. "Keeping me from my sisters, and getting a new hand, wouldn't be beneficial to anybody."

Fury nodded again, looking less than pleased. "Let me know if anything comes up. Anyone else?"

Stark spoke up. He seemed off, and he looked like he hadn't slept. "I'm making this our home base. It's better than a flying death trap. Damn sure got more room as well. I've also got a new guy who wants to join: James Rhodey. He's overseas, but he's good for it. Genius from MIT, former Air Force Pilot, now aerospace engineer."

Fury looked at me. "Your call. Anyone else?"

Silence greeted him, but I couldn't stop myself. "I want the name of the fucking butt-muncher who ordered the nuke."

Fury sent me a sharp look. "I don't know. It was somebody from the Council, and they're ghosts."

I stood then. "They will be ghosts after I'm done with them."

Fury nodded. "And I'd help you. But I simply don't know who they are."

"Can you try finding out?" But I already had one in mind. Alexander Pierce.

"I'll do my best."

I shook my head. "I'm not taking orders from anyone. I may report to you, but this is my team. Fuck anyone else."

He smiled grimly. "That's why you're here. Anything else? No? Then enjoy your break, people."

I came to Tony as the others dispersed to get their things. I wasn't surprised to find him tinkering in a basement lab, having to use JARVIS to find the damn guy.

"What are you working on?"

He glanced at me. "Our pirate captain was right. We're outgunned as all hell."

I leaned against an adjacent wall. "Sleeping sucks right now?"

He paused, then continued working.

"Tony, I was an insomniac by choice while I was on duty. Ripped Fuel helped, although the crash sucked balls. I wish there was something to make you sleep without dreaming."

He grunted, feigning disinterest. "I can't blame you for that. But I'm okay."

"There's no shame in-"

"Don't you have a jungle to slink back to?"

"I just wanted you to know that if you need anything, I want to be the first to help."

"Good to know, Team Leaderness."

I sighed, knowing now that I wasn't going to get through to him. "I just wanted you to know that you were right about me. I'm a basket case with severe Daddy issues."

He stopped working, and turned fully to me. "Which is why you're the head honcho when it comes to fighting and keeping the Fuzz off of our backs. We need a madman in charge of a bunch of superheroes. Our Star Spangled Boy Scout can handle the press and the public."

I smiled, moving up next to him. "And I was dead wrong about you. Not even yours truly would've had the balls to save the day."

He smiled in return. "Don't sell yourself short, Life of Pi. But I appreciate the reach-around."

I laughed. "My offer still stands. If you find yourself Sleepless in Seattle, you call my ass."

"Cool, I have my own pet tiger." He reached out, and squeezed my shoulder. "Thanks, really."

"Anytime, anywhere. Take care of yourself, Barbie Doll."

"You too, Frosted Flakes."

Before I could find Natasha, Steve pulled me aside. "I just wanted to say how proud I am that you're in command, and how well you handled New York."

I grimaced. "Hundreds are people are dead. I'm in over my head."

He put a hand on my shoulder. "That's on Loki, not you. You did the best you could."

I nodded, swallowing. "Thanks for that, Steve. Listen, while I'm away, you're in the driver's seat. Keep an eye on Pierce, and-"

He interrupted me gently. "Cedric, I'll take care of everything. Get out of here, and enjoy yourself."

I smiled. "I tried to model my military career after you, but I'm not half as decent."

"You didn't need to-"

"You were more of a role model than my Dad was, maybe even more of a father!" I breathed out.

He grasped my shoulder, and squeezed. "I'm glad I could help, but you are your own man. I'll be with you when you need anything. See you soon, Pal."

"You too." Before I could stop myself, I hugged him, and he hugged back.

I needed the rest, and I trusted Steve to hold the line.

When I came to Nat, she was leaning casually against the car. "Ready to go."

I nodded. "Let's go home."