"Renesme?" Ashley whispered out tenderly, unsure if she'd be able to hear her through the glass. The girl said nothing. "Ren, I'm here to help. My name's Ashley…I'm Christie's sister." Renesme's eyes grew wide and she fell on all fours, before crawling across polished floor until she was directly opposite Ashley. She pressed her hot forehead against cool glass and her shaky breath fogged it up.

"You're….C-Christie's s-s-sister?" she finally spluttered out. Ashley gave a single nod. "Describe her to me!"

"Um…she has silvery whitish hair, slimmer than me, arguably prettier than me, heart of ice, can be a bitch," Ashley mumbled back, ticking each point off her fingers. Renesme felt the smallest of smiles crawl onto her lips - that was Christie, alright. "S.H.I.E.L.D sent me to save you."

"Oh, thank the gods," Renesme breathed out shakily, her eyes now welling up with tears of relief. "I-I got t-t-taken and they s-said they'd release me to into the w-w-water with w-weights on my feet if I didn't disclose the S.H.I.E.L.D s-subsection codes."

"What?" Ashley blinked in horror. "Nah, these people are barbaric." Renesme nodded hurriedly.

"They are, especially as they knew I'd n-never attempt to escape b-because I have a fear of drowning," Renesme admitted, scrubbing her freckled face free from tears.

"How do they know that? Did you tell them?" Ashley frowned whilst her eyes darted to and fro to find an exit point.

"I fell in love with someone and he betrayed me. He told them how to wear me down," Renesme spat out venomously.

Ashley's lips formed into a perfect 'o' as she realised who she was talking about.

"Derek?" she guessed lightly - but the mere mention of his name did more than cause Renesme to bite down on her jaw in resentment.

"You called?" came his voice from somewhere amongst the darkened hallways. Renesme's eyes grew wide in realisation and Ashley winced.

"Wait, Renesm-" she attempted to stop her from making a scene - but it was too late.

"YOU!" Renesme screamed as she violently pounded her fist against the glass. Ashley gasped and shook her head with wide eyes. She briefly glanced over her shoulder to see if Derek had heard - and of course he had. He practically skidded across the floor to them, revealing himself for the first time to the woman he loved since being captured. Renesme allowed her tears run freely once she set her eyes on him. She took a deeply unstable breath before screeching the words, "I HATE YOU I HATE YOU I HATE YOU!" as she thumped the glass with all her might.

"You know if she were out, you'd be dead, right?" Ashley murmured, crossing her arms as she stood back and watched the redhead lose her mind, her slim limbs flailing and her dark eyes wild with rage.

"I did say it's my fault she's in there," Derek responded stiffly.

"Yes Derek, so I've gathered-" Ashley began sarcastically - but then, to their horror, something unpredictable happened. Renesme's Asgardian strength had officially shown itself; the repeated force from her hand had produced a small crack in the glass.

"Um, S.H.I.E.L.D agent? Yeah you gotta get her out of there NOW!" Derek shouted at Ashley, right before the piercing sound of a shrill alarm suddenly sliced through the air. Renesme stopped hollering and her eyes began to dart around in panic.

"Why? What's going on?" Ashley blurted out.

"She's triggered the prison!" Derek exclaimed back over the deafening wail, before running to either length of the room to try and a button to stop it.

"What happens when she-"

"A-Ashley?" came a frightened whimper from inside the cell. Both Ashley and Derek snapped their head in Renesme's direction, their faces falling once they saw. The prison cell had turned itself into a water tank, rapidly filling up with gushing sea water from various vents in the floor, walls and ceilings - and it was already up to her calves. "They said that if I try and break the glass, it'll fill up and I'll drown…I-I don't want to drown!" Renesme started to sob out of pure fear.

"Renesme, please don't panic, hun. I'm gonna get you out-" Ashley began to console her - but to no avail.

"I can't die like this, I can't die like this, I can't die like this!" Renesme wept.

"You're not gonna die," Ashley insisted a little firmer. But the water was rising, and Ashley's panic levels were rising - too much was happening.

"But even if you do get me out, we're still surrounded by water-" Renesme shouted as the levels started to reach her knees.

"RENESME, LISTEN! Panicking in water is the worst thing you can do," Ashley snapped irritably, slamming her hand onto the glass the emphasise her point. But, just her luck, it just made it worse. Before she knew it, the small crack started to spread - meaning that water started to gush out of every crevasse possible, soaking the floor outside the tank too. Derek went pale as a sheet as the seawater sloshed around his feet and Ashley turned to him expectantly. "Derek, what the f*ck is going on?"

"No. This entire base is gonna go under," he mumbled back, glancing back at Renesme who was shaking her head at him tearfully, "Ren's tank had a trigger, the trigger is meant to fill the tank up - but you and Ren broke the glass-" Ashley felt the anxiety begin to build up in her chest.

"So…"

"So the tank will keep filling and eventually so will this entire base - they didn't include water escape system because they're idiots," Derek responded hollowly. Renesme let out another scream of desperation and suddenly, something within Ashley snapped. Renesme's scream reminded her of another scream, and that other scream that was all her fault.

But not this time. She had to make a difference.

Taking a deep breath, Ashley pressed her palms against the centre of the largest crack in the glass and concentrated with all her might. She remembered seeing an advert for a windscreen replacement company, and they'd shown what turns small cracks into big ones. One of those factors was dramatic change in temperature. So, she envisioned fireballs shooting out of her palms and like clockwork, out they came. The heated aggravated cracks immediately started to spread at speed.

"Ren, listen to me! The heat from my hands is gonna blow this whole thing really fast, okay? You're gonna come out with the water, but don't worry - I'm gonna grab you and you're gonna hold onto me as tight as you possibly can!" Ashley warned her with comforting eyes, feeling the glass begin to vibrate a little under her hands as the cracks continued to spread across the width of the tank. Renesme gave a worried but trusting nod as the water began to submerge her shoulders.

"Um guys, the agents are trying to-" Derek began to announce, but before he could continue, the glass wall had suddenly shattered from the pressure. Large quantities of water came gushing out, carrying Renesme out with it, but Ashley speedily reached out and yanked her towards her body, causing Renesme to cling onto Ashley's torso like the Velcro monkey, legs wrapped around her waist and all. Ashley wasn't much bigger than her, but she managed to stagger her weight.

"Agent?" came Louis' voice ringing in her ear, "We're picking up on a lot of heat signals near you right now, what the hell is going on?" Ashley attempted to respond, but the water from the tank was still gushing out and the already soaked Renesme was starting to feel heavy.

To make things worse, then came the harsh clanging of that metal door bursting open, and a number of armed HYDRA agents rushed in. One of them grabbed Derek and another triggered an alarm to alert the rest of the bunker, whilst the remaining charged straight for Ashley with their guns poised. But the water that was starting to surround them made each step laboured - to the point where they'd have to start swimming if they wanted to get any closer. Ashley's heart began to thump. There was no other way out, and now Renesme was now feeling extremely heavy. The commotion around them was overwhelming her - a mix of shouts, alarm sirens, gushing of water, the slow loss of air…

"Forget the prisoner! This entire place is gonna be under in less than two minutes!" one agent shouted to the others, "The comms room is already flushed out, we gotta evacuate before the water pressure wedges us in."

"Ashley?" Renesme whispered in horror, overhearing his words.

Suddenly, Ashley had an idea. The same way she got underwater was going to have to be the same way out.

"Ren, look at me," Ashley told her loudly over the bustling panic of agents evacuating. Renesme blinked at her. "We're gonna let this place sink."

"With us still inside?" Renesme hissed.

"Yes, but we'll be fine, trust me," Ashley assured her gently, feeling the water begin to rise to her upper chest. It was getting quicker by the second, but Renesme still didn't look convinced. "Ren, I need you not to panic! If you do, it could ruin everything, so take a deep breath and shut your eyes. I promise, you'll be fine." Renesme gulped and gave her a reluctant nod. She already trusted Christie with her life, and if this girl was her blood relative then that was good enough. Ashley shot her one last sweet smile before taking a deep breath and submerging them both under the water filling the bunker. Renesme held her breath and squeezed her eyes as the cold sea water swirled around them. It was petrifying, her worst fear was coming alive and there was nothing she could do to stop it. Every passing second was longer than the last, her chest was starting to contract, she had to take a breath, open her eyes, do something.

But then the sound that registered her ears shook her out of the state.

"Ren? Breathe." Renesme cracked an eye open apprehensively, almost expecting to be in Valhalla. But, to her imminent surprise, she was in a bubble - still underwater and still attached to Ashley. The sights around her were surreal. There were sunken agents floating around them, their lifeless eyes still staring at them both in shock, mouths parted where they must've tried to take their final gasp of air. Ashley began to direct the air bubble back into the cell that once held Renesme in the first place, forcing them both upwards into a wide ceiling vent.

"How…on earth…are you…?"

"It's a long story, just hold on," Ashley muttered back still concentrating. "Hopefully, this'll open-" The click of the vent lock interrupted her, revealing a hatch big enough for her to push their bubble through. Ren breathed out a hefty sigh of relief once they were out of the sunken bunker and back into the darkness of the sea. Of course Ashley kept them in the bubble, still unsure of what waited for them above the surface of the water, whilst Renesme was just thanking her lucky stars. "Louis? I need a pick up!" Ashley hissed.

"Reading you loud and clear Agent, transport is on its way," Louis assured her with what Ashley could tell was a relieved grin. "Make your way to shore and we'll have someone pick you up."

"Copy that," Ashley sighed before turning to the apprehensive Renesme again, "Ren, we're gonna come out of the bubble above the water now, okay? The air pressure is gonna change significantly which could shock your system."

"Fine," Renesme nodded quickly. "Can…the bubble not last outside of water?" Ashley fluttered her long eyelashes at her and cocked her head to the side.

"No, beloved. We're only in a bubble because…well the air came from…no, the answer is no," she decided to cut off that train of thought, causing Renesme to nod and shoot her an embarrassed apologetic smile.

Tony ran his tongue over his bottom lip as he watched JARVIS run through S.H.I.E.L.D's encrypted databases. That evening was a pleasant one for him, Bruce and Pepper. Ashley's carbonara had gone down a treat with a few glasses of white wine and some lounging beside the fireplace. Then Pepper decided to take a bath, leaving both Tony and Bruce to slip into the lab to complete some 'research', armed with their refilled glasses and box of caramel chocolate nibbles that Rhodes had dropped off.

And by 'research', it was actually trying to find out as much information on Ashley as possible. Fury's words had really gotten the better of Tony, and he felt like it was his duty to snoop around. Meanwhile Bruce was sat across the desk from him, actually doing work. He didn't approve of Tony's rebellious ways on the best of days. "Correct me if I'm wrong, Tone - but I'm pretty sure Pepper said not to do this?" he reminded his friend with a knowing wince.

"Oh come on! When have you ever known me to follow the rules?" Tony scoffed back as he continued to flick through the files.

"Tony…" Banner released a lengthy sigh and chucked his head back.

"Bruce, are you telling me you haven't once wondered what the new glory child has on S.H.I.E.L.D, that Fury was this eager to get her out on the field?" Tony blinked across at him. "And yes, I am aware that rhymed." Bruce rolled his eyes and slipped off his glasses.

"Curious or not, I'm sure the regular way to find out would be to…oh, I don't know…ask her?"

"Now where's the fun in that?" Tony frowned as he nibbled on the tip of his pen. Suddenly, the floating holographic database started flashing, causing both Tony and Bruce to skid across the tiled floor to see what it had found.

Tony briefly blinked at Bruce's sudden eagerness. "Hey! Mr Ethical, what're you doing over here?"

"Well, I-I just…" Bruce's cheeks flushed slightly.

"Eh, I won't tell if you don't," Tony slapped his shoulder and gave him a smug grin before going back to it. "Alrighttt…Ashley…huh? She's not even on here! Well, not under her name at least, they've probably got a target tag on her or something."

"Wow. That means she's seriously important," Bruce chewed on the inside of his cheek, folding his arms. "If it's a target tag, they've obviously been tracking her down for a while. I remember when I was a target tag once - that's back when I was important-"

"Yeaaaah but why?" Tony murmured to himself. "What is with this chick?"

"Tone, she does kinda have the power to produce tornadoes outta her fingertips? My guess is that she's a huge potential threat so they've been keeping an eye her, as I'm sure have many other government organisations across the globe," Bruce pointed out before reaching for his wine glass again.

"Ya, I don't doubt it, we're all potential threats - yet if I scroll on S.H.I.E.L.D's database, guaranteed you'd be the second 'B' I come across - not a damn target tag. As you said - those were the days," Tony shot back, shaking his head in disappointment.

"'Second B'?" Bruce scoffed.

"Um, ya? After Ben from Communications? You know him - great guy," Tony waved off his confusion.

"I…whatever - look, Tony, why don't you search the missions database instead? See if there are any recorded for tonight, then see who was in trouble. Maybe we know whoever that is?" Bruce suggested tiredly. Tony's eyes lit up and he clicked his fingers.

"THIS is why you're my righthand man," he hummed, selecting the missions folder and scrolling down to today's date. His head jerked back ever so slightly at the results. "Huh. There's only one mission going on tonight." Bruce glanced up as Tony projected a duplicate of the screen and flew it across the room for Bruce. A picture of Renesme popped up on the screen with a little paragraph detailing who had her, and how long she'd been kidnapped for.

"A kidnapping?" Bruce frowned. "They called Ashley in for a kidnapping?"

"From the looks of it, this wasn't just any kidnapping," Tony frowned as he continued to read the mission brief. "This was a freakin' underwater kidnapping."

"That's…kinda awesome," Bruce chuckled to himself, shaking his head. "Who did they kidnap?"

"Somebody called Renesme…ya recognise her?" Tony blinked, tapping Renesme's picture to expand her profile.

"Weirdly enough, yeah…but I couldn't tell ya where from. I can't place her face," Bruce hummed back, spinning the picture around playfully. "What's on her file info?"

"Uhhh…first name Renesme, last name Arron…dot…tir? Arrondottir? Might be Swedish, don't know - she was born…oho! Bingo! You'll never guess where!" Tony scoffed proudly.

"Where?"

"Asgard, Bruce! The girl is from Asgard," Tony exclaimed excitedly. Bruce's lips parted slightly in surprise.

"What, you think Thor brought her down with him at some point?" he suggested with a wrinkle of his nose.

"After going on and on about that Jane chick from New Mexico? No - she's cute, but his heart is with another," Tony mocked bac.. He continued to read her fact file intently. "Known allies - Delilah Moordottir - they love that 'dottir' thing…and…oh, dude, this is the jackpot - Christie Darmer."

Bruce almost choked on the wine, consequently having snorting it straight up his nose.

"Huh? Ashley's Christie's friend?!" he spluttered out.

"Even better Brucey boy! Remember what Fury said?" Tony smirked cheekily with his eyes sparkling, "Ashley is Christie's sister."

...

Renesme lay on the shore as she and Ashley waited for S.H.I.E.L.D to pick them up, staring up at the pitch black sky with nothing but the haunting glow of the sunken bunker from the ocean floor. Ashley sat cross legged next to her, facing the water. Her heart was still racing from adrenaline earlier, and her body felt incredibly weak. They'd had both made it out completely unscathed and didn't fight once, but the entire mission had still taken a lot of energy out of her. They sat together in silence, with just the gentle sound of the waves lapping against the shore accompanying them. "Sorry for my stupid question earlier," Renesme suddenly spoke up, causing Ashley to look at her with her dark brows furrowed.

"Huh?" she frowned.

"Remember, my question about a bubble not being able to exist out of water? I just thought back to it and I feel…stupid," Renesme blushed. She was still staring up at the stars scattered in the sky above them, but Ashley could tell that she was desperately trying not to meet her eyes out of sheer embarrassment.

"It's fine. Bubbles can exist out of water," Ashley smirked slightly, tearing her eyes away from her again. There was a small silence; but this time it was more of a comfortable one. Then, a thought popped into Renesme's mind.

"Ashley, c-can I ask you a question?"

"Sure thing," Ashley yawned back tiredly, running her fingers through her sodden locks.

"What kind of child was An- Christie?" Renesme sniffed, sitting up straight and drawing her knees to her chest as well. Ashley chewed on her bottom lip and picked up a handful of sand, rubbing it against her fingertips as she considered her answer. She really had to think about this, because nobody had ever asked before.

Nobody had really cared enough to do so.

"She…she was a quiet kid," Ashley finally responded. Renesme stayed quiet, wanting her to elaborate in her own time. "She didn't have many friends, didn't smile much, didn't care for people but not in a mean way…that was just the energy she gave because that's the energy she got, I guess." Renesme smiled to herself, not overly surprised.

"Yes, I can see that being her. She…she never told us how she became an assassin…it's always interested me."

"Oh," Ashley let out an amused, tinkering laugh, "no, I couldn't tell you either. Not because I don't want to, but because I genuinely don't know. Christie and I didn't walk that path of life together."

"What does that mean?" Renesme sniffed with a frown.

"We grew up in two different countries," Ashley broke it down in simpler terms, still focussing on the sand. "We were pretty close at the start but…then we kinda drifted away. I was sent to New York, she stayed in London."

"Oh, I get it," Renesme nodded back. Then it was Ashley's turn to ask a question, something that had been on her mind since she'd seen Christie in Manhattan. It was a risk but she decided to go for it anyway.

"So…when you guys were in Asg-" But before she could go on, the sudden yet familiar sound of a jet came from somewhere in the night sky above.

S.H.I.E.L.D had finally arrived.

...

sorry this one was so christie heavy! just thought it was important to solidify the connection aha! more avenger-based chapters from here on out!