Rated T

(I don't claim ownership to the Avengers or Severus Snape)

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Chapter Four: Up in the Air

It was called a 'quinjet'. Severus had never cared for flying vehicles much after a disastrous episode involving brooms during a Slytherin-Gryffindor Quidditch match in his fourth year. Suffice it to say, it was years before he got on a broom again. He preferred to fly under his own power if possible. He simply didn't trust flimsy machinery or enchanted objects to carry him far distances. If Bruce noticed that he was stiffer than normal and kept glaring at everyone as if they were suspects in a murder case, he didn't comment. Severus sat as still as a statue in his seat throughout the entire flight, ignoring Bruce's attempts to make conversation. The red-haired woman, (their captor, as Severus thought of her) did not answer most of Bruce's questions, calmly insisting that he would be briefed when they 'arrived'. Wherever that was.

Severus refused to look out the windows, hating to admit that he was afraid the view would cause him enough vertigo to make him thoroughly humiliate himself. He fought the queasiness in his gut and firmly told himself that he was not airsick. He could fly through the air like a bird, for Merlin's sake! He could still ride a broom as well, though that wasn't one of the most enjoyable things in the world, in his opinion. He'd never gotten airsick before … but he'd never ridden a muggle flying machine before. He had taken a portkey to America, though he had been toying with the idea of taking an airplane. Since beginning his travels twelve years ago, he had ridden in trucks, cars, boats, and rafts; but never in an airplane, and certainly never in a 'quinjet'.

The aircraft suddenly banked and Severus closed his eyes, fighting a wave of vertigo. He heard Natasha Romanoff murmur something into the communication device in her collar, and the quinjet seemed to hover in place before gently setting down. Severus' stomach swooped uncomfortably and he took a deep breath, realizing that he had broken out in a cold sweat. His hands were trembling minutely as he managed to unbuckle his seat restraints and he knew Bruce was watching him in concern.

"Don't. Say. A. Word," Severus hissed, barely loud enough to be heard under the rumble of the engine and the echoing shouts and calls from just outside.

"I hate flying too," Bruce mumbled back.

"It isn't flying I hate," Severus whispered fiercely. "It is the machines doing the flying."

He stood up, taking another fortifying breath. Now that the floor under his feet was stable, his equilibrium was returning. Dressed in a black, button-down shirt and black jeans, with a black coat over it, he knew he looked rather odd. But Bruce was currently wearing something far worse: plain wrinkled jeans and a purple shirt of a ghastly shade under a simple coat of nondescript color. Despite Severus' greasy hair and the scowl on his newly shaven face, he looked more like the physicist half of their duo. The back of the quinjet opened, and the red-haired woman led them down the ramp into a noisy, busy cargo bay. Bruce was tense and nervous, he could tell by the way he clutched his bag and looked around at all the strangers. Severus stayed beside Bruce and watched him closely, while being careful not to appear as if he was keeping an eagle-eye on the nervous Dr. Banner.

Natasha Romanoff greeted two men who met them just off the ramp as if they had been waiting for them, though they appeared to have just arrived as well. The slim, brown-haired man who greeted the woman was middle-aged, though he was one of the lucky individuals who appeared younger than they truly were. His business-like suit seemed perfectly ordinary, but the easy way he walked and the observant glint in his intelligent gaze told Severus that he likely had weapons and technology stashed under his innocent-looking coat. The man with him was a well-muscled blond with an interested expression on his face. He carried a bag over one shoulder, was dressed in ordinary clothes for a muggle man of this day and age, and he moved like a soldier, with the self-assured rhythm of an active man.

They exchanged pleasantries and the blond stranger reached out to shake Bruce's hand and smiled, seeming glad to meet him. But when he turned to greet Severus, the wizard gave him and his hand a withering glare and swept past him, following Bruce, who was following the red-haired woman and the man in the suit. Nonplussed, the young man fell into step beside them.

"So you're the wrinkle, eh?" the blond man asked with a friendly smile.

Severus glanced at him with just the right amount of contempt. "Do you not have somewhere else to be?" he demanded coldly. The muggle surroundings, machines and metal and military-style people everywhere … it was all making him feel trapped.

"Not really," the man shrugged, readjusting his bag's strap. "I only just got here myself. Did we get introduced? I'm Captain Steve Rogers."

"Dr. Salazar Slytherin," Severus replied without looking at him, or the friendly hand extended once again in his direction.

The Captain gave up and dropped his hand. "Doctor? Of what?"

"Medicine, chemistry, et cetera." Severus glanced at Captain Rogers again, wondering what to make of him. He seemed unflappably casual and friendly, but there was keen intelligence in his blue eyes and casual manner that told him this Captain Rogers was sizing him up on his own. It wasn't likely that this 'Captain' was a spy; he wasn't subtle enough. But he was definitely someone to keep an eye on, regardless.

The young man nodded thoughtfully. "Interesting," he murmured. "So, why did you tag along?"

Severus greeted that question with the contempt it deserved. "I am only here to prevent a tragedy," he replied firmly, and refused to speak further. Severus busied himself memorizing the route they took from the hangar to the laboratory that had been set up for Bruce to begin tracking the Tesseract, while Severus still had yet to be told what exactly it was. He hoped he wouldn't be that bored, watching the physicist work and watching for potential triggers to the Hulk.

They passed through a security scan on their brief walk, and Severus was silently relieved that his bag didn't trigger any alarms. Apparently, undetectable extension charms were just that: undetectable. When they reached the laboratory area, he could glance through glass walls along the hallway into the separate areas set up for different research.

The lab provided for Bruce's work was filled with technology and computers of various sorts. Even though Severus didn't know very much about muggle technological advances, even he could tell that this laboratory was filled with the most state-of-the-art equipment the government had. On the main desk were engraved the letters SHIELD. Absently, Severus wondered what the letters stood for. On some of the computers he could read: STARK Industries. Again, he wondered what the acronym meant. Stealth Tracking And Redistribution of Knowledge floated through his mind, and he recalled lazy summer days spent with Lily, creating acronyms out of the names of schoolmates or acquaintances. Captain Rogers and Natasha Romanoff went off together, leaving Bruce and Severus to observe their new workplace with the suited man staying behind, watching them with a patient smile on his face.

"Well, here we are," Bruce sighed, dumping his bag behind a desk and slumping over to peer at the narrow computer screen. "This sure is fancy," he added in a mutter.

"I'm sure you'll want to get right to work," the man in the suit announced cheerfully, though not overly so. "I can answer any questions you have."

"You do not expect us to sleep in here, do you?" Severus interrupted, glancing around the sterile computer lab in distaste. The machines were rather quiet, but the hum of the various electronics would keep him awake simply by being unfamiliar.

"I think I'll be too busy to sleep much anyway," Bruce commented absently. He poked a stubby finger at the screen and blinked in surprise when it responded. "It's all touch screens, huh?" he murmured to himself.

"So, is there anything you need before we jump right into the equipment?" the suited man asked in a friendly manner.

"Yes, there is," Severus snapped before Bruce could open his mouth. "You expect us to sleep here with the machines?"

"Oh, that; of course," the man smiled apologetically. Severus felt a sudden desire to take points or give detention to wipe that asinine smile off his face. Not that taking points would do anything here, and he had no authority over this young-looking man who was probably older than he looked. "I'm sorry; I can show you to your room if you'd like. It isn't far from the labs."

"Labs?" Bruce perked up. "There's more than one?"

"Of course," their 'guide' beamed. "This is the computer lab, but we've got others in this area. Not that I expect you'll be allowed in there without clearance. You were only pulled in to track gamma rays anyway."

"Our room?" Severus interrupted, feeling utterly annoyed by this man's upbeat manner.

With another (genuine) smile, the friendly man led them out of the lab and up the corridor to another sliding door. Beyond the door were some other doors without glass in them, and they were all numbered. Halfway down the hallway, the man stopped and tapped a keypad beside the door.

"You can change the code to whatever you want," he informed them. "Just hold one and zero for five seconds until this screen flashes, and then enter your five digit security code. For now, it's 12345."

"Easy to remember," Bruce mumbled as the door slid open, disappearing into the wall. Severus stepped in first and glanced around the Spartan quarters. A metal bunk-bed and a small shower and toilet in a recessed alcove without a door were against one wall, a bench was running the length of the other wall, and there was a set of two recessed shelves and four drawers in the far wall. Severus stuffed his bag into one of the shelves and Bruce took the other with his own bag, and they glanced at each other briefly before deciding to return to the lab rather than waste time unpacking and freshening up. The faster they found the tesseract, the faster they could get off this artificial fortress, which was making both of them more uneasy by the minute.

Their suited guide was still waiting by the door with that perpetual smile on his face. Severus scowled murderously at him, but he didn't even blink. "Fury would like you both to join us on the bridge when you've gotten settled," he informed them cheerfully. "It's easy to get lost on this thing, so whenever you're ready …"

"I should like to reset this security code before we go," Severus interrupted. His glare clearly indicated that he would like to do so without the other man standing there smiling.

"Of course," the man smiled apologetically. "I'll wait in the main corridor, alright?"

"He's far too friendly," Bruce commented, voicing Severus' opinion exactly. "But I guess they picked him for that alone. What do you think?"

"I think everyone in this place is mad," Severus muttered dismissively. "Let's find their precious toy as soon as possible so we can go back to the important work."

Bruce nodded and turned to the keypad beside the door. "Any code in particular you've got in mind?"

Severus frowned. His birthday came to mind, (10960) but that was absolutely ridiculous. "Set something we will both remember," he replied in a low tone. "It is likely our hosts can override anything we put regardless."

"You're probably right about that," Bruce sighed. He stepped up to the keypad and entered the month and year they'd first met: April, 2008. It had been autumn when Bruce first came to that village, but south of the equator, what they had thought of as summer and winter months when they lived in the northern hemisphere had been thrown out the window, metaphorically speaking. Three months after they met, in the dead of Africa's winter, Severus had seen the Other Guy for the first time.

"Okay, guess we'd better go see what Coulson wants," Bruce mumbled once the keypad accepted their new code: 42008.

"Coulson," Severus repeated, wondering how he'd missed that in the introductions.

"You were distracted with Rogers," Bruce smiled nervously at him. "He's Phil Coulson, Agent of SHIELD."

"Like Romanoff."

"Yep."

Severus and Bruce left and joined Coulson out in the corridor. He'd been talking to someone in a low voice, but since there was no one around, he likely had a communications device hidden on his person somewhere.

"Ready?" Phil Coulson asked needlessly. Bruce mumbled something and Severus shot the Agent a look of contempt, and Coulson, completely unbothered, led them through the metal hallways to a large door that opened into a large space filled with sunlight and computer stations and people hurrying around, doing their work.

Severus melted against the wall and folded his arms to observe, while Bruce timidly stepped up to the railing of the walkway, noting all the exits and nervously reaching up to try and smooth down his rumpled hair. They saw Captain Rogers standing not far away at another railing, watching everything with undisguised awe on his face, and the red-haired Natasha Romanoff was down closer to the other people. Coulson drifted away from the two of them and approached a bald, dark-skinned man in a long black coat in the middle of the bridge. The man turned and his one good eye fell right on Severus. His other eye was covered with a black leather patch which gave him the look of a dangerous pirate. Severus returned his impressive glare with one of his own, infused with all of the contempt and sneering dislike he could muster.

So this is Fury, he concluded with some amusement. If he were a Legilimens, I might be worried. Since he knew that the man was a muggle, he returned Fury's glare quite openly, but he said nothing.

Fury eventually turned to the red-haired woman and seemed to be chewing her out for dragging someone else into their operations. Severus could have rolled his eyes, but he resisted. It wasn't as if they could have stopped him from joining them anyway. If worst came to worst, he could have made Bruce angry enough to unleash the Green One so they could make their escape. He would not allow anyone to use Bruce or his beast against his will, even if they were a fancy secret government agency.

"I sure hope this isn't a submarine," Bruce suddenly spoke from beside him. "You don't think it is, do you?"

Severus glanced at him and fought the urge to shrug. As a child, he had utilized that method of expression just as most teenagers did. Instead he arched an eyebrow at the other man. "Is that a rhetorical question?" he demanded in a low voice.

"I'm just saying," Bruce said with a nervous smile. "Putting me in a pressurized underwater container probably isn't the smartest thing to do."

Severus paused to think through the ramifications of the Green Troll punching a breach through a wall if they were underwater. "… Probably not," he murmured back. "But who said these people are all that intelligent? Dragging a potential disaster aboard their own vessel is their folly, not ours."

Bruce smiled at the joke, though he looked anxious, and returned his attention to the bustling crew members and their flashing computer screens.

"You are claustrophobic?" Severus suddenly asked sharply. How could he not have known that about Bruce after two years?

"… A bit," Bruce said quietly. "Closed in spaces just make me nervous … like being locked up."

"Relax," Severus said sharply. "Run through your breathing exercises. Quiet that overactive brain of yours. This vessel is so large you may not even notice how sealed off it is."

Bruce gave him a grateful, (if nervous) smile, and they both watched with detached interest as Fury issued orders to the crew like the captain of a sailing vessel of old. The blue ocean outside the clear panoramic walls stretched on forever, and Severus knew it would be near impossible to guess where exactly on the earth they currently sat. But he supposed he could always apparate out of here should he need to. Shaking himself out of planning escape routes, he straightened up in surprise as the ship started to lift from the water. Slowly, like a great leviathan taking to the skies, the monstrous muggle fortress began to fly. And then, with an odd shimmer like a disillusionment charm, the outer deck that they could see simply vanished. Severus could still tell everything was there, but some cloaking technology was making it near-invisible. Captain Rogers certainly looked impressed, and crossed the bridge to slap something into Fury's hand. Judging from the smirk on the dark-skinned man's face as he pocketed whatever it was he'd just received, Severus could have sworn there had been some sort of bet between the two which Fury just won.

Now that they were in the air, Severus supposed that the excitement was over. The crew members were settling down with the air of routine, the red-head and the blond Captain held a quick conference with Fury before heading off elsewhere, and the one-eyed man in the long coat made his way up to Bruce and Severus, followed by Coulson who threw Bruce an apologetic, but friendly, smile. Honestly, all that man's smiling was going to crack his face open, Severus thought sourly.

"Don't you have gamma rays to track, Dr. Banner?" Fury demanded, glaring his one-eyed glare at Bruce.

With a hasty glance at Severus, Bruce murmured his apologies and fled the bridge, leaving the two of them alone. Fury glared at Severus for several more silent seconds and Severus held his glare with one of his own, though not quite as hostile as before. He could tell that now, the glare which the head of SHIELD was directing at him was not an angry one. He was being probed; sized up. Severus had endured such a scrutiny many times before, though not usually with such an impressive glare. He was sure this man could rival his own scowling expertise.

"I think we oughtta have a little chat, wouldn't you say, Mr. Slytherin?"

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Fury's office wasn't exactly like any office Severus had ever seen, either in the magical world or in the muggle world. There were no windows and the light was rather odd. There were plenty of computers, and another, extremely secure door, led to another room inside the office. Fury strode in and gestured at one of the two chairs inside the office before sitting in his own seat behind the computer desk. Severus remained standing in between the two chairs and clasped his hands behind his back. It would not do for him to show belligerence or rebelliousness in this interview, despite how much he longed to cross his arms before him in self-defense. Putting his hands behind his back demonstrated a certain amount of deference and openness that Severus decidedly did not feel, but would be wise to project.

"Perhaps you'd like to have a seat, Mr. Slytherin?" Fury asked in a deceptively calm voice, steepling his hands before his face and watching him like a one-eyed hawk.

"I would prefer to stand for now," Severus answered calmly, completely unbothered by the other man's obvious suspicion. "And it is Doctor Slytherin."

"So you say," Fury retorted, arching a dark eyebrow. "But I would much prefer it if you sit … Doctor Slytherin."

Severus knew an order when he heard one. Suppressing his irritation, he inclined his head deferentially and sat in the chair on his right, acting for all the world like an innocent, unsuspecting victim.

"Wonderful," Fury drawled, leaning back in his chair and fixing Severus with a steely glare. "Now, I guess we'd best get right down to business."

"If you believe that is best," Severus replied neutrally. "Shall I call you Mr. Fury?"

"Director Fury, if you please."

Severus merely arched an eyebrow and minutely tilted his head in acknowledgement. Director Fury fixed him with that gimlet stare again, holding it for several seconds before he spoke.

"I'm afraid I've run into a bit of a problem, Doctor," the Director of SHIELD announced. "Maybe you can help me out." He reached out and tapped his computer screen a few times before abruptly flipping the screen around. Severus frowned at the sight of his own face glaring back at him. He recognized the photo on the screen as one he'd had taken a few months before the end of the war when applying for a muggle passport. Had he ever finished the application? He was sure he didn't currently have a British passport. What he did have was an empty passport case in his bag that he simply bewitched border agents into seeing as his own.

"I see it," Severus finally replied after scanning the information contained there, including his old address in Cokeworth. "What is your point? Besides showing off the fact that you've already uncovered my true name, that is?"

"Well, we here at SHIELD get mighty curious when somebody gives us a fake name. Makes us think they've got something to hide, you see."

The wizard sneered. "Perhaps I merely wanted to see how long it took you to find out who I really was."

Fury snorted disbelievingly. "Some sort of test, you mean?"

"You could say that," Severus replied with a hint of sarcasm.

"Fine," the Director shrugged, reaching out to tap a few more things on the screen. Severus wasn't sure what he was supposed to see, being so unfamiliar with muggle travel regulations, but it soon became obvious that his passport did not show any indication that he had ever used it outside of England. "So, you mind explaining how you ended up in Africa, then India, without using your passport, young man?"

Severus scowled at the 'young man' jibe, which was hardly fair. Fury didn't look more than ten years older than he was. But despite the fact that he was about fifty years old, wizards aged so much slower than muggles that Severus still looked much as he had at thirty. He had no idea how to explain his travels or the reason for them, so he turned to a different tactic. Deflection.

"I do not believe I am under arrest, Director. I hardly see how my travel methods are your business."

"Right," Fury smirked and spun the screen back around while he swiped at it furiously. "I'm just curious, you might say. Checking out whatever seems fishy. It's my job to iron out potential wrinkles."

"Why so suspicious?" Severus asked, slightly mocking. "I have done nothing wrong."

"Not yet," Fury retorted, gazing piercingly at the man across from him. "Funny how I don't think you're tellin' the whole truth. Who are you, really, Severus Snape? You're no doctor, however much you think you deserve the title."

"I have the schooling and experience to show for it, even if I do not officially have degrees. Ask Dr. Banner."

"See, that's just the thing, Mr. Snape," Fury said sternly. "I can't go ask Dr. Banner 'cause it's obvious you're real cozy with him. What's the story there? After he dropped off the map, we've kept an eye on him, and then you show up outta nowhere and you're all best buddies now. Care to explain?"

"I see now," Severus said softly, a derisive smile twitching his lips. "You are afraid that I can somehow control Banner's alter ego. What power do you think I have over a creature like that? The Green One does not understand blackmail, and I am not physically a match for him. So what makes you think I can control him?"

"You claimed as much to Natasha Romanoff in Calcutta," Fury accused. "You refused to be left behind, claiming 'the Green One needed you'. Now what's that about? I think I have the right to be suspicious of anybody that claims to have any sort of control over the Hulk, positive or negative, wouldn't you agree?"

Severus scowled and fought his rising temper. "Do you fear that I will order 'The Hulk' to destroy your precious flying machine?"

"In a manner of speakin'."

"That is ridiculous on multiple levels. On the one hand, causing this 'Hulk' to destroy the flying vessel I happen to be on would be suicide. Additionally, Bruce and I have been … friends, for two years now. He has explained to me his reluctance to bond with his alter ego. I would not consciously aggravate the … 'Other Fellow' unless it was a life and death situation."

"And who decides what counts as 'life an' death'? You?" the Director demanded, pressing his hands on the desk. "Do you see now why having you close to Banner makes me so nervous?"

"And why do you think Banner is so comfortable around me?" Severus rejoined. "I am certain you know enough about him to see that he would mistrust anyone determined to use him in any capacity."

One brown eye seemed to measure him up before Fury slowly nodded. "A good point," he replied slowly, thoughtfully. "But I'm afraid I'm going to need something more reassuring than good faith, you understand. I'm running a top secret organization here, and I can't afford idiots."

"Do I seem like an idiot to you, Director Fury?"

"No, you don't. And that's what makes me uneasy, Mr. Snape … And I don't do well with folks that make me uneasy, you see."

"There is nothing I can say or do to convince you of my good faith, and you know this. So why bother with the theatrics?"

"You don't belong here, Mr. Snape," Fury said coldly, bluntly. "And I'll be damned if I let this ship go down because I didn't see the rat right in front of me."

Severus stared coolly at the man before him. He was being threatened. But it wasn't anything new to Severus Snape. In fact, Fury's attempts at intimidating him were almost laughable. "You do not frighten me, Director," Severus sneered softly, missing his old silky tones more than ever. At any rate, speaking softly helped to cut down on the rasp in his throat. "I have dealt with far more powerful men than you," Severus went on in the same quiet tone. "You will not keep me away from Bruce Banner, and I will remain with him for as long as he needs me." He stood and straightened his coat with one decisive jerk. "If that is all, I will be returning to Dr. Banner's laboratory now. It was … enlightening, speaking with you, Director Fury. I assume you know where to find me if you wish to continue the discussion."

With that, he turned and left, half expecting Fury to lock the door or call guards. But instead, he heard soft chuckles from behind as he left the office, and the genuine amusement in the man's voice made him far more nervous than anything else the Director could have done.

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"So what did you think?"

Natasha Romanoff stepped into the office from where she had been watching the interview from an adjoining room. "He's not a threat to the mission … for now," she replied dismissively as she stood before the Director's desk. "But you already knew that."

Fury nodded, all traces of amusement gone from his stern face. He folded his hands and tapped his thumbs thoughtfully together. "He seems like all kinds of trouble regardless," he mused, staring at the scowling face of Severus Snape on his computer screen. "I trust you're still running recognition software on him?"

"Through all known databases," the red-haired agent affirmed. "He's too good at this to be anyone that ordinary." She gestured derisively at the information on the screen. Severus Snape, citizen of the United Kingdom, lifelong resident of Cokeworth, England, never got into trouble with law enforcement or neighbors … And had apparently been unemployed all his life since losing a job at a pub when he was sixteen. It was all too clean … and too empty.

"I'd agree with you, there," Nick Fury murmured, swiping the screen and scowling at the mostly empty page. "What else did you get on him?"

"He is neither intimidated nor worried by you," Natasha announced. "He has strong feelings concerning Bruce Banner, and I believe it is safe to assume he was being truthful concerning his allegiance, and alleged friendship, with Dr. Banner. But he does not particularly care about collateral damage if he is forced to make a choice between releasing the Hulk and staying alive. He's not an essentially cruel man, but he's got the air of someone who makes life and death decisions with as much emotional involvement as a rock."

"A soldier of some sort, then?" Fury suggested.

"No, a spy," the agent corrected. "He is too good at controlling himself and his reactions, allowing you to think that you have him figured out. Inwardly, he was laughing at your intimidation tactics. He was being truthful about having faced more dangerous men."

"I thought so," Director Fury smiled grimly. "Just so we're all agreed; keep an eye on him and keep him away from Banner for now, would you? Heaven help us all if you're wrong and he's some sort of infiltrating agent or somethin'."

Natasha Romanoff inclined her head silently before gracefully stepping out of the office. Director Fury gazed moodily at his computer screen for a few more minutes before he shut it off and marched out of the office as well. He had other things to do, other responsibilities to take care of. He could trust the Black Widow to keep an eye on Mr. Snape until they had more intel. If their recognition software turned up anything else in their incredibly thorough database, they might have something else to go on. Everything about the guy screamed 'enemy agent'. But it could be that the guy just had a suspiciously bad-guy-like appearance and was really as innocent as he appeared on paper.

But he doubted it. In Nick Fury's personal experience, nobody in this world was who they appeared to be.

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Severus Snape made his way back up the wide corridor from the bridge, glad that he had memorized the route. He knew that Fury had only pulled him in for an interview to observe him, throw questions and accusations at him, and see how he reacted. He wondered if he had alleviated those suspicions or added to them. A truly skilled person would have been able to see his tactics and how cool he was under pressure and might draw their own conclusions. He didn't doubt that Fury was skilled enough, even with just one eye, to read him in a way that even a skilled Legilimens could not. He cursed under his breath and wondered if he should have pretended to be less competent … but would that have raised red flags as well? This was confusing. He did not leave the life of a double agent behind so that he could be thrust into the same role all over again. But what else was he supposed to do? All he wanted to do was to keep these SHIELD people from finding out about the wizarding world and keep Bruce from destroying things or hurting people if he ended up losing it. He absently patted his coat pocket where he had left one bottle of calming draught. He had never actually tested it on the Green Troll, so who knew if it would even work, or how long it would take. Even if he dumped the whole bottle on the creature, who knew if it would calm him enough to allow Bruce to resurface? He suddenly cursed himself. All those months after Bruce learned he was a wizard, he could have revealed his skills as a Legilimens to examine the doctor's mind. But he simply didn't think of it after the fact. It was a thought that had come up almost two years ago and had never been revisited.

Severus sighed and kept walking. He was passing another laboratory when he heard the unmistakable, though muffled, sounds of harsh muggle music and someone attempting to sing along. It only caught his ear because as he had heard that particular song before somewhere, and loathe as he was to admit it, he rather liked that style of music. Dumbledore had loved folk music and orchestral compositions in equal measures and had attempted to share his interest with all of his staff members … but Severus would have died before admitting that he actually preferred muggle rock and heavy metal to the dulcet tones of harp and fiddle.

Before he even realized what he was doing, he was curiously approaching the room from which the music seemed to be emanating. Through the glass wall, he could see a man working while warbling along with the lyrics. Though, to be fair, he looked like he was simply scooting around the room on a chair with wheels, messing with things at different stations around the laboratory as the mood took him. A blue model of the Tesseract thing was floating above one table alongside two computer screens full of data that made Severus' head spin. Some sort of robotic hand or gauntlet was lying on another table in pieces. A mess of wires, tiny circuit boards, and a soldering iron lay scattered on another table, along with a cell phone spilling half its insides around the area. The man on the swivel chair seemed to be simultaneously examining the data on the Tesseract, tinkering with a robot's appendage, and rewiring something in the cellular phone, all while listening to and yelling along with whatever the muggles in the song were yelling. Severus forgot about the automatic doors, and when he was close enough, the door whispered open, nearly making the wizard's heart jump out of his chest when he heard just how much the glass had been muffling the sound of the clashing music.

The man in the lab spun around in his swivel chair, greeting him with a sardonic grin that was almost a smirk. "Hey, Igor, I think you've got the wrong lab," the man yelled over the music, his smirk widening. "The morgue's a few levels down."

Severus narrowed his eyes at the rude man, but to his surprise, the stranger wasn't even fazed by his impressive scowl. If anything, he grinned wider. The stranger's hair was dark and tousled, and his unshaven face had a carefully tailored look to it as if he didn't shave certain parts of his face on purpose, just to get the roguish, devil-may-care look. His jeans were fashionably tight, his sneakers were untied, and his black T-shirt proudly bore an emblem for a rock band called Black Sabbath. He was about Severus' own age, but his sloppy appearance, the mischievous glint in his dark eyes, his teasing smirk, and the way he slouched in the chair while zipping around from project to project like a hummingbird completely put Severus off from desiring any sort of communication with this muggle.

"Excuse me," Severus sneered, loud enough to be heard over the crashing beat. "I do believe I took a wrong turn. I'll be going."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, don't go anywhere!" the man cried out cheerfully. "JARVIS, turn the music down a few notches, would you? There's a pal."

The music volume immediately lessened by about seventy percent, to such a degree that Severus could now conceivably enter the room without destroying his hearing, but he did not. He scowled at the strange muggle, who was so unlike the brisk professionals he'd met so far on this vessel, the way he would study an interesting new species of insect. Who was this sloppy technician, and why did he act as if he owned this place?

"I was just kidding about the morgue, Igor," the man announced with a grin. "You just couldn't resist the music I bet. Ever heard anything like it?"

"Black Sabbath," Severus replied automatically, guessing correctly by the way the man's eyes lit up. "I have heard the song before and simply did not expect to hear it in this place."

"Whoo, fancy accent you got there," the stranger whistled, giving him a keenly curious look. "So, Mr. Double-Oh-Seven, where'd ol' Nick Fury dig you up? Bristol? Or are you a SHIELD agent? I mean, you've got the Fury-scowl and the pirate jacket down pat."

Severus scowled all the more and turned to leave. He wasn't going to stand here and be interrogated and insulted by this idiot when Bruce was probably wondering where he was. "I'll be going," Severus retorted stiffly.

"Aw, c'mon, don't be such a spoilsport," the man cajoled, jumping off his chair and hopping over to him with the expression of a puppy on his ridiculous face. "I never saw you at the briefing earlier, so I'm just curious, man."

"Go satisfy your curiosity elsewhere," Severus growled. "I have my own work to do. Good day." He spun on his heel, making his overcoat swirl around his legs, and marched off at a furious pace, cursing himself and his morbid curiosity for stumbling on such a lion's den. He had a bad feeling that he would never be rid of the irritating imbecile now.

"Yeah, nice to meet you too, sunshine!" the man hollered after him. "Maybe next time we can go out for coffee! Or tea, or whatever it is you Brits do instead!"

Gritting his teeth, Severus decided he didn't like the meddling idiot and his loud music, never mind that he had actually liked it. Black Sabbath, huh? Maybe one of those computer things in Bruce's lab had access to some music if he got too bored.

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Severus wasn't really surprised when SHIELD wouldn't let him near Bruce while he was working. Dr. Banner, glasses on and fingers tapping away at a keyboard, was so absorbed in his work that he didn't notice Severus' confrontation with the guard at the glass door. He took it as an invitation to wander around, when nothing he said and no amount of impressive scowling or glaring was going to make the security guard budge. He returned to his and Bruce's quarters, fetched a few things from his bag to stow in his cavernous pockets, and set out on his journey of exploration. At the very least, he might learn something about advanced muggle technology while he was at it, and then he would have something to talk to Bruce about other than his painful past, which Bruce kept insisting on bringing up at the worst possible times.

Severus was not surprised when he discovered he had a tail. It was the red-haired woman. After several rounds of the upper decks, including two stops by the bridge, he realized that he was seeing her everywhere. She was really very good, he'd give her that. But her hair was a dead giveaway.

She wasn't the only red-head on the vessel, by far. But she was the only woman in leather combat gear with short hair the way Lily had it cut that one summer when they were both fifteen, right before the year that destroyed everything. Their fifth year, OWLs, rising tensions between Slytherin and Gryffindor, and the vicious increase in the Marauders' torment, had made it an already stressful year. But the Death Eaters started recruiting that year, and he and Lily must have had a dozen fights already by the time he called her a … that name. He winced, though his face didn't do anything more than twitch, and turned a corner he had turned three times already. He already knew that this corridor would take him to the cafeteria, and if he turned off to the left, he would be headed to the hangar where their quinjet had landed.

He was attempting to see how far he could go without someone telling him to return to his designated area, or something to that extent. Prowling was something he did well, and with his dark clothes and especially the overcoat, he guessed he blended in well enough that the rookies he passed actually stiffened when he approached. He did smirk slightly, feeling vindicated that his glaring scowls hadn't actually lost their power. They simply didn't affect people like Fury, or Bruce, or the annoying man who liked Black Sabbath. He passed the cafeteria, which was filled with a good many people taking lunch, and saw the red-haired woman again. She was leaning against the wall, very pointedly not looking in his direction. Severus stopped and glared at her before slowly moving off. He knew she saw him. Any moment now, she would either keep tailing him, (if she was an idiot) or she would abandon her charade and come talk to him. His instincts were correct in that she followed him a few minutes later.

"You are trailing me," Severus announced without turning to look at her. "I was not aware that Fury assigned me a shadow."

"You're an unknown," the woman replied matter-of-factly, completely unbothered by the fact that she'd been caught spying. "Wouldn't you want to keep an eye on a potential danger if it happened to be in your territory?"

"I was not complaining," Severus replied coolly. "I was complimenting you. I did not notice you until my second round. You're very good at what you do."

Natasha Romanoff smiled without mirth. "Flattery won't get you anywhere, Mr. Snape. I was asked to keep an eye on you, so that's what I'm doing. I don't care what you say or what anyone says about you: I don't trust you, and neither does Fury."

"Fury trusts no one," Severus quipped. "But he is the type of suspicious, paranoid individual I am used to dealing with. His lack of trust means nothing to me."

"It should," the woman said gravely. "SHIELD barely answers to anyone. You could be locked up for a very long time if Fury suspects you of anything suspicious."

"I'm terrified," Severus drawled with an amused smirk. As if any muggle prison could hold him for long. He could do wandless unlocking spells without much of a problem, and given enough time, he could gather the magic and concentration necessary to perform almost any spell he wanted.

"So, want to talk?" Natasha suddenly asked, the look on her face clearly expressing her doubt of his cooperation.

"Is this a more comfortable interrogation?" Severus guessed.

"You're not a prisoner."

"Yet."

Natasha Romanoff inclined her head in acknowledgement of his point. "I'm not threatening you, Mr. Snape," she said soothingly. "A man's past is his own. Fury has a right to be suspicious of anyone who gives a false name, but I'm sure you have a good reason."

She was good at this, Severus thought absently. Her words were authoritative, sympathetic, and understanding; and she would undoubtedly get further than Director Fury had with him. Even his non-answers and silences would give her information.

"Who trained you?" Severus asked casually, expertly deflecting her probe. "You're quite good at this … interrogation business."

The young woman darted an incredulous glare at him. "Are you analyzing my conversational skills?"

"I analyze all potential threats," Severus coolly replied. They stopped in an empty corridor that ran along the uppermost deck of the flying vessel. Along one wall was a narrow strip of window that followed the length of the corridor and allowed them to see the blue sky and some strips of cloud outside.

"Wise of you," Natasha graciously complimented him, also stopping and turning to face him.

"So who trained you?" Severus repeated.

"Their names would mean nothing to you," the woman replied with a tightness in her face that spoke of rising emotion.

"Try me."

"Fine; but only if you tell me who trained you," Natasha threw back.

"Ah, the old question game," Severus smirked. "Very well; I'll play. But you first."

"I don't think so," the female spy smirked back, folding her arms across her chest. "I was here first, so you answer my question first."

Severus wanted to chuckle. She was good-naturedly going along with him, but he wondered how far he could drag this out. "I asked before you did, and besides, I am a gentleman. Ladies first."

Natasha graciously inclined her head, once again conceding his point. "I was trained as a spy by the Russian KGB," she replied. "There were many different agents who I trained under, but most of them I knew only by their code names. I was one of several girls inducted into their program, code-named Black Widow."

"Like the deadly spider," Severus mused. She was right; he had no idea what she was talking about. But he could imagine what she was describing. "A fitting name for a group of deadly female assassins," he added. "As only female black widows are dangerous."

"Well, I answered your question," the red-haired woman said with a hint of impatience. "So where did you learn to analyze spies and deflect interrogations?"

"I was partially trained by the Headmaster of the school I graduated from, and everything else I learned 'on the fly', as the Americans say."

"Where did you graduate?"

Severus fought the urge to smirk as he answered blandly, "A private school in Scotland. You wouldn't know it."

"Try me," Natasha smirked.

"Hogwarts."

The young woman arched an eyebrow at that.

"I told you that you would not know it," Severus said, giving into the impulse to give her a superior smirk. "Now, another question? You may ask first this time, if you wish."

"Hold it," Natasha interrupted. "That wasn't your school's real name. Either that … or this Hogwarts school isn't real."

"Of course it is real," Severus smirked. "I attended for seven years and taught there for twenty."

"…You're lying."

"Ah, I thought you were better at reading people, Ms. Romanoff," Severus smirked condescendingly. "You know I am telling you the truth."

"A truth, perhaps," Natasha corrected, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Does it matter?"

The red-haired woman held his gaze for several more seconds before she spoke again, not allowing her eyes to leave his. "Fine, here's my question: why are you here?"

"I wanted to take a walk and then you started stalking me, and we ended up here," Severus replied facetiously, despite knowing that she wasn't talking about the corridor.

"Oh, I think you know what I mean," the woman murmured, stepping closer and parting her ruby-red lips.

Severus took a defensive step back, scowling at her in confusion. He felt rather off balance, taken off-guard by how suddenly her voice had turned sultry and seductive, and even her body language had changed. He realized now, very uncomfortably, that there was no way he could match her in this battle. She was purposefully crowding him, using her body and her tone of voice as weapons to throw him off-balance and confuse him. He felt his face warming slightly and he stepped back again, confused and angry with himself for being so easily affected by a woman's presence.

"Why are you here, Severus?" Natasha repeated in a whisper, now so close her crossed arms were brushing his. He could smell her when she stood this close. She smelled like the oils and metal of a firearm, and treated leather, but there was a soft scent like strawberries underneath that could only be her shampoo. Surely a woman like her wouldn't use perfume, would she? He couldn't deny that the way she said his name made his skin prickle all over.

"Why are you crowding me?" Severus hissed through clenched teeth.

"Are you going to answer me?" Natasha asked. Her tone was innocent enough, and her lifted eyebrow could have given her face a teasing expression … but he grew more uncomfortable and attempted to shift to the side. But her arms shot out and she pressed her hands to the wall on either side of Severus, trapping him.

Severus shut his eyes briefly to shut out her face and attempt to restore his equilibrium. But it didn't work. Her expression was burned into his retinas: shrewd and sharp, and her gray-green eyes were probing his with an intensity that simply shouldn't be natural. He fought the feeling of panic rising in his chest and struggled to find out why he was reacting like this. Could it be that he was simply nervous because a beautiful woman was flirting with him? Girls had never exactly flirted with him before. Bellatrix used to sometimes like to toy with him just to make him angry, but that was really it. Even Amycus Carrow had never bothered him; she was too busy terrorizing children. He knew he was simply unattractive. Women just didn't flirt with him, period.

"Get. Back," Severus hissed, opening his eyes and glaring furiously at her. He tried to disguise how his limbs had begun to tremble as he battled his magic to keep it from bubbling up to his defense. He could not afford to allow SHIELD to see his abilities.

To his relief, Natasha stepped back and dropped her arms back to her sides.

"You were lucky this time, Ms. Romanoff," Severus snarled, his voice more hoarse than usual. "Do not crowd me again … unless you wish to defend yourself."

Natasha gave him a blank look before quirking her head slightly to the side in acknowledgement. Severus immediately turned and started walking up the empty corridor again, needing activity to steady his adrenaline fueled muscles. He was completely unsurprised when Natasha Romanoff followed at his elbow.

"So, why are you here?" the red-haired agent asked quietly after a minute or two of silence.

Severus glared at her briefly before returning his gaze directly ahead. The more he dragged this out, the more suspicious she would get. He knew that. But he didn't really know how to explain his reasoning. It would have been more logical to say his good-byes to Bruce Banner in Calcutta and disappear. Hanging around a shape-shifting superhero wasn't the best way to stay anonymous, and he knew it. But something was prompting him to stay near the man. He wouldn't call it friendship, exactly … but maybe other people might.

"I am here for Bruce, and no other reason," Severus finally answered in a quiet, but dangerous, tone. "Dr. Banner is not SHIELD's property to be used and employed as they see fit. I will not allow anyone to keep him captive or use him for their own ends."

Natasha Romanoff huffed disbelievingly. "You expect me to believe you're here, wandering around a top secret government vessel, just because of friendship?"

"Do you have a better answer?"

"I don't know, you tell me," the woman answered quietly. "That's the problem, Snape. You're more of a mystery the more I talk to you."

"Then stop talking to me," Severus sneered.

"Not that simple," the red-haired agent chuckled sardonically. "I have my orders."

"Ah," Severus nodded, just as sarcastically. "Tricky things; orders. Were you ordered to talk to me, or stalk me? Or both?"

"I was ordered to keep an eye on you, and find out what I can about who you really are and what your plans are."

"Plans," Severus repeated, resisting the urge to snort with sarcastic laughter. "You say that as if I were some criminal mastermind. Tell me, do I strike you as a criminal?"

"Anyone can be a criminal," Natasha retorted. "But you're right. You seem … off. For a criminal, I mean. What was that back there? You almost had a panic attack with me so close."

"I am not used to being crowded," Severus replied through gritted teeth. "I am a defensive and private person."

"Mm-hmm, so when's the last time a pretty girl flirted with you?"

Severus did not dignify her teasing question with an answer. He stepped out of the familiar corridor and took a turn that he knew would lead to the hangar.

"Seriously, did you have a bad experience with a scarlet woman, or what?" Natasha demanded teasingly.

"It is none of your damned business," Severus snarled, truly angry now. "Ask me one more time, and I will forego my status as a gentleman and you will find yourself fighting for your life."

The woman took his advice and stopped talking, but he could feel her gaze, heavy with speculation, crackling on the back of his head.

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Hope you enjoyed this. About three chapters just flew off my fingers this past long weekend. That last scene between Black Widow and Snape just came off the top of my head. I never planned for it! I also didn't exactly plan for Iron Man and Snape to meet so soon, but it was just too perfect an opportunity. I have a very hard time writing Tony-Snark, although his lines of dialogue are some of my favorites in the Avenger movies. He's got a juvenile way of mocking and analyzing just about everything in the universe that's really difficult for me to capture organically. I hope I did alright here. And yes, he's calling Snape 'James Bond'. Picture Snape in a Fury-style long-coat and of course his perpetual scowl, and I thought he just fits right in with SHIELD and secret agents. ;)

Let me know what you think, and thank you for your favorites, reviews, and enthusiasm!