Rated T: Possibly disturbing epilogue involving kidnapping and evidence of violence

Okay, here we are: the final chapter. I am SO thrilled to have finished my first multi-chapter fic on this site and I am completely overwhelmed by your enthusiasm, encouragement, reviews, follows, favorites, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera! Thank you all for your dedication and for reading, and I hope you enjoy this last chapter and epilogue. Fair warning, I leave you with not one, but TWO killer cliffhangers at the end here, but rest assured I am already working on the sequel and it's got me hooked.

Please enjoy!

A~HP~V~HP~E~HP~N~HP~G~HP~E~HP~R~HP~S

Chapter Twelve: Open the Bifrost

Severus opened his eyes when the harsh lights of the hospital changed to the strange blend of dark and artificial lights of the pre-dawn outdoors. The air smelled like rain and pollution, a peculiar blend, and he could see the red tail-lights of a vehicle gleaming off the sides of Rogers' and Barton's faces. His stretcher was tilted suddenly, and then he was inside the vehicle and he was quite sure the contraption was shorter somehow, because he couldn't see any way the thing could have fit otherwise. Having never been in an ambulance, he was surprised at how roomy it was in here. With a sigh, he resigned himself to lying here, since there was no way he was going to just throw his blanket off and hop down while he was still wearing literally nothing but his flimsy hospital gown. He was grateful for the rescue, of course. But he was still sinking into a bad mood because of all the other annoyances.

"Any problems on your end, Tasha?" Barton asked while Rogers pulled the van's doors shut.

"None whatsoever," a familiar female voice answered.

Severus turned and saw her, dressed in black leather as usual, smirking slightly at him. Her brilliant red hair wasn't curly anymore, but instead looked more natural with just a bit of a wave to it, and it was long enough to brush her shoulders. Her gray-green eyes bored into his with unnerving intensity.

"Hello, stranger," she greeted him, her smirk turning into more of a real smile. "Long time, no see."

Severus swallowed, suddenly angry at himself for thinking of Lily's teasing about … him and her. Seriously, that girl needed to stop thinking she could find him a perfect match. Even in death, she couldn't quit trying to set him up. She'd been like that in school too; well-meaning gesture it might be, but it was irritating and he was oppositional. Besides, he was going to be leaving the planet for a year or two, possibly longer, until his manhunt died down and somebody assumed he was dead again.

"How long have you been awake?" Natasha asked as the van lurched and they started to move. Severus looked up, but the window in the door was almost completely black. Well really, he thought in annoyance, if they were going to totally black out the window, what was the point of even having one?

"Not long," Severus replied, his voice rasping in his throat and sending him into a coughing fit. 'Medic' Barton helped him sit up while Rogers gave him a bottle of water, which he was ridiculously grateful for. Barton took his wrist and slid a knife under the bracelet there, neatly snipping it off him. Again, he threw the Archer a grateful look.

"He woke up just as we were sneaking in," the Captain explained.

"Hey, we brought your bag from the quinjet," Barton suddenly announced, bending over and pulling said bag out from under a seat. He dropped it in Snape's lap and grinned at the look on the wizard's face. "Seriously, how do you fit so much stuff in a teeny little bag like that? And some of the stuff in there …"

"I'm surprised you didn't set off any alarms in the helicarrier," Rogers finished. "You've got a firearm in there for Pete's sake."

"It is called an undetectable extension charm for a reason," Severus replied tersely. "Do turn yourselves around, will you?"

His three companions obeyed without a fuss, to his surprise, and Rogers even closed his eyes for good measure. Natasha and Barton leaned their heads together and whispered to each other in Russian. Severus quickly found some clothes, (though they were dusty from the long coat he'd dropped on top of them) and dressed himself, glad to be out of that flimsy, scratchy hospital shift. With the cast on his arm, it was somewhat awkward, but he found he could move well enough with it on and the break in his forearm didn't even hurt all that much. He announced that he was finished, and he was now sitting on the edge of his stretcher-bed. It felt nice to be clothed again, even if he was forced to wear a pair of Bruce's flimsy sandals since his boots had disappeared. The van slammed to a stop suddenly and both Natasha and Barton burst out in a flurry of swearing that made Rogers go slightly red, even though most of the expletives weren't even in English. Severus wanted to snicker, suddenly wondering how the Captain would react to 'Merlin's balls' or some other wizarding oath.

"Damn it, Bruce! Warn us next time!" Barton yelled.

"Where'd you learn how to drive?" Natasha demanded.

Severus perked up at hearing the muffled apology from, presumably, the driver's cabin. He couldn't see the driver from where he sat, but it sounded as if Dr. Banner was here as well. Another voice was offering unhelpful commentary, and Severus rolled his eyes as he recognized the voice. He would be civil, of course, because they were rescuing him, but he still didn't like Tony Stark much. Granted, he was less annoying than he could be, and he was friendly rather than an arrogant bully, so those were points in his favor.

"Dr. Banner would have made a better medic than the Hawkeye," Severus pointed out randomly.

"He wanted to drive," Natasha sighed in a way that told him she thought Banner was being ridiculous, which was nothing new to the wizard. "He thought the Other Guy might come out if he was too close to you while we do this. The less emotionally attached he is to a job, the better."

"And what do you mean, 'he'd have made a better medic'?" Barton complained. "I'm the spy and master of disguise here!"

"And he has had medical training," Severus pointed out. Though he didn't really want to say the real reason he'd even randomly said it. He would only have time for a quick farewell to Bruce now, and it felt unfair. He'd been asleep for a week and the last time he spoke to the doctor, he had told him to get angry. He felt guilty about it, especially recalling the Sierra Leone incident.

"I've got medical training!" Barton protested loudly.

"Military emergency first aid isn't the same," Severus retorted drily.

"We've got a few minutes until we get to the rendezvous point," Rogers suddenly interrupted before the indignant Barton could make a come-back. "Snape, could you … I don't know, explain, maybe? Bruce told us some, but …"

"We just want to know the truth," Natasha supplied. "Did you fake your death?"

"And why'd you do it?" Barton cut in. "And what'd you do to make your wizard pals want to put you in an inhumane jail for life?"

Severus glared at them in silence for several seconds as he considered what to say. He finally supposed it didn't much matter, since they were already helping him escape. What would they do if they heard he was a Death Eater and a murderer? Dump him on the side of the road? Turn him over to SHIELD?

"I was a follower of a psychopath," Severus finally said.

"Bruce said he was a Dark Lord or something," Rogers said helpfully.

"I defected to the other side in 1980, about two and a half years after I first started following him," Severus went on. "Until 1997, I was a double agent and spy, working to bring about his downfall and eventual death. Unfortunately for me, my Master decided to off me before his own final battle, still thinking I was loyal to him."

"What for?" Natasha interrupted.

"There was a legendary wand, the Elder Wand, which the Dark Lord had come into possession of. Since I had … killed, its former owner, he assumed that I had the wand's allegiance. So he wanted to kill me in order to change its allegiance. I do not believe the wand was ever mine, however, since I merely killed the former owner when he was already without his wand. I did not disarm him, which is the only requirement to win a wand's loyalty in our world."

"But you weren't about to tell the psycho that," Natasha finished with remarkable clarity.

"My godson," Severus muttered reluctantly, refusing to look up at her. "He was … only a child; a foolish child with an idiotic father who pledged his family to the Dark Lord and doomed his son. I believe my godson was the wand's true master, but no, I wasn't about to say so. Thus … the Dark Lord attempted to kill me, but he didn't even disarm me either. Sometimes he could be remarkably dunderheaded."

"So you survived his attempt to murder you," Rogers cut in. "Was that an accident? Or did you plan for it?"

Severus hesitated and drummed his fingers on his knees. "Well … I never expected to be killed for such a trivial reason. I anticipated torture and a hideous death when my true loyalty was found out. But I had made plans, inadvertently, for the actual death I was given. The giant serpent he ordered to bite me failed to kill me on account of my paranoia. I had been taking anti-venin potions and some other things that allowed me to stay alive in the event of being bitten, simply because the Dark Lord's snake made me nervous. I passed out, woke up hours later well enough to walk, transfigured a bit of my own blood and flesh into a copy of my corpse, dressed it in my clothes, and took a portkey back to my own home where I slowly recovered over the next few weeks. I attended my own funeral to say good-bye, actually."

"Wow," Barton said appreciatively.

"Impressive," Natasha agreed, giving him a searching look.

"What's a portkey?" Rogers asked blankly.

Severus snorted an almost-laugh and shook his head. "A portkey is a magical traveling spell attached to a nondescript object. In my case, a silver chain I always wore around my neck. When activated with a password, it instantaneously transports anyone touching it to the predetermined location."

"I want one!" Barton immediately clamored.

"I bet they don't work without magic," Natasha reproved her partner.

Severus did chuckle this time. Barton's enthusiasm about the magical world made him seem almost like a kid. Absently, Severus remembered how excited Lily was to learn all about magic and the wonders of a world he had grown up knowing about. "Natasha is correct," the wizard said. "Portkeys do not work on muggles unless a wizard or witch is also there." The van suddenly lurched as it turned and good-natured bickering broke out in the front about whether this road was the correct one to take.

Rogers suddenly laughed and then covered his mouth in embarrassment. "Sorry," the Captain grinned behind his hand. "It's just … Muggle is a funny word."

"It means non-magical," Severus explained. "And I believe the term is exclusive to Britain and its colonies. I have heard that Americans call muggles No-Maj's instead. In Canada they're called Ordinaries or Normals."

"I prefer Ordinary," Barton commented, leaning back and putting up his boots on Severus' stretcher. "'Cause I'm not 'normal' by any stretch of the word."

"None of us are," Rogers said quietly.

"So you committed some crimes in the name of the winning side," Natasha interrupted, suddenly yanking them back on topic. "Including murder?"

Severus swallowed against the sudden lump in his throat and the rush of unpleasant memories that nearly swallow him whole. His lips incant the dreaded curse, a green flash, the old man is falling … grabbing Draco's shoulder and fleeing, fighting the urge to stop and vomit or curl up in a hole somewhere … "Yes," the wizard growled between his teeth.

"You didn't want to do it, but you were following orders?" Natasha pressed.

"He ordered me to kill him, yes," Severus muttered, clenching his fists in his lap. He glared at her, hating the calm iciness of her face, a mask he couldn't penetrate. "Why must I speak of it?"

"So later, if we have to, we can give statements about what you said," Natasha replied as if it was obvious.

Severus made a sneering face. "I do not know how it is in America, but Magical Britain's courts would never accept the testimony of a muggle; even if she were one of 'Earth's Mightiest Heroes'."

"I like that," Barton declared, adjusting his sunglasses. "Earth's Mightiest Heroes … would I get my own comic books?"

"Forget comic books," Natasha snorted with a smirk. "I want action figures, if anything."

Rogers was blushing red as a beet and Severus looked at him curiously before remembering the trading cards depicting the Captain as a cartoonish figure. Were there action figures and comic books featuring these 'Avengers' already? If so, he was all the more glad to be leaving it behind for awhile. Who in the universe would want an action figure of greasy ol' Professor Snape? Much less comic books. Ugh.

The van lurched again and turned carefully before they rolled to a stop.

"We're here, kids!" Stark's overly cheerful voice came from the front. "Everybody out, and no getting lost!"

Severus rolled his eyes at the man's annoying attempts at being funny. He silently picked up his bag and slipped off the stretcher as Rogers opened the back of the van and hopped out. Natasha and Barton gracefully stepped out on their own, but Severus was still embarrassingly shaky and Rogers took his arm and helped him down. The wizard impatiently shook him off, the annoying Captain just grinned at him, and Severus glanced around, wondering where they were. It was dark, he could smell the smog of the city mixed with plant life and fresh-cut grass. The ground under his feet was not asphalt, but fitted paving stones. A decorative balustrade formed a border of the bridge they were standing on, the glow of the van's parking lights combined with the moonlight gave them enough to see by, and Severus Snape wondered how on earth he was getting to Asgard from here. He didn't even see Thor.

"Well, looks like we're early," Barton commented, adjusting the collar of his borrowed medic's outfit.

"We've got time," Rogers said mildly, checking his wristwatch. "It isn't even 4:30 yet."

"The moon is up late," Natasha commented, peering up at the half-moon in the dark sky. Severus had often noticed the moon still out during the day according to the phases of its orbit, and paid no mind to the banter that followed. Stark and Banner were still up by the front of the van, with Stark on his cellular phone, communicating with someone named Erik about the Tesseract. The wizard shuddered slightly and tried not to think of the blue cube that had started all of his troubles. He really wished he'd never seen the blasted thing.

Severus suddenly wondered how these Avengers were going to sell their innocence to SHIELD after kidnapping him, possibly stealing the glowing blue thing from their organization, and drugging their operatives. How would they be able to defend themselves if they were accused? Fury in particular seemed like the kind of man who would jump to a correct conclusion and hold onto it like a niffler with a gold nugget even if he had no proof. In any case, the one-eyed pirate would just be suspicious of them on principle since they had fought together.

"I hate for you to go to all this trouble for me," Severus suddenly grumbled, despite knowing it couldn't be helped.

"Sev," Natasha suddenly said, nearly making his heart stop as he glared at her for daring to shorten his name like that. "Stop fussing, will you? We want to do it. And Thor seemed to be thinking about taking you to Asgard in the first place, okay? Something about Loki owing a life debt, was it?"

"And what is the problem with me simply calling him when I need a bodyguard?" Severus demanded, trying to ignore how odd it felt when other people called him that nickname. 'Sev' was a name formerly only used by Lily, and later Bruce, when referring to him. Not even Albus had ever been so familiar. It was strange … but not unpleasant.

"Loki's not all that welcome on Earth, obviously," Barton explained, taking off his sunglasses and tucking them in his pocket as they walked to the railing. He glanced down and realized they were overlooking a pond in an enormous park. Was this the place called Central Park in New York City? He had heard of it, but had obviously never seen it. Now, he was seeing it under a half-moon and the glare of city lights.

"But Earth is perfectly happy to let Loki go back home after the damage he caused?" Severus demanded. "Or do they believe that he was not acting under his own will? I am aware that I was out for a week, but surely he defended himself?"

"I don't really know," Captain Rogers sighed. "We told them about the Mind Stone having control of Loki's brain, and Thor's been adamant about it too … but I'm not sure how much they believe."

"Maybe they just want him out of our hair," Barton suggested. "I know I'll sleep better once he's out of here."

"I visited Loki a few times," Rogers said quietly. "He seemed ... depressed."

"So would you be," Severus muttered. "If you'd spent the last year being tortured almost to insanity by extra-terrestrials."

Rogers winced, Barton looked away, and Natasha looked stony.

"Hey, Rogers!" Stark suddenly shouted. "Get your star-spangled arse over here, Erik wants a word!" Natasha followed Captain Rogers, (who sighed in a long-suffering fashion) and Severus was left alone beside the van with Clint Barton.

The man started to talk again, picking up where he'd left off. "I don't know how much trouble he'll be in once they get back to Asgard," he said quietly. "I didn't get the details, but I think that guy has some stuff to answer for. Now, don't get me wrong, I know it was horrible for him to be possessed like that … but I don't want to see him again." Barton shuddered. "So when they show up, I'll just say my good-byes here."

Severus turned to face the archer. "Thank you for aiding in my rescue," he said a bit stiffly. Thanking people had never been easy for him.

"No problem," Barton nodded and stuck out his hand, which Severus shook rather awkwardly. "I was really glad to return the favor, you know."

The wizard shifted uncomfortably. "I did not free you expecting to be repaid," he said gruffly.

"I know that," the SHIELD archer smiled. "But thanks to you, I've got three weeks of paid leave and I get to go spend time doing things I've neglected over the past few months."

"You will spend time with your family?"

Barton looked a little surprised, but then he cracked a smile. "Oh, right; you were in my head. Well, I guess I should tell you … they're not exactly common knowledge, so keep them under wraps, if you would."

"I only saw a daughter," Severus explained a bit apologetically.

"Well, I've got two kids," Barton grinned proudly. "Cooper and Lila. Laura and I, we were trying for number three, and I kinda hope we can have another one before it's too late. I don't see enough of 'em, really. Maybe you could come and visit sometime. We've got a guest room and everything for when Tasha visits."

"I do not know if such a thing would be practical," Severus said slowly. "I truly hate children. And I am a hunted man. I would bring danger upon your family."

"Well, no hard feelings if you don't," Barton chuckled, clapping him on the shoulder. "And come on, man; nobody hates kids but bad guys."

"I was a 'bad guy' for many years," Severus sneered, turning away from the archer. "Trust me; I hate children. They're unpredictable, loud, messy, mischievous, and they never sit still. They do not listen, they poke their noses into things that are not their business, and they never shut up."

Barton was laughing by now, and he shoved Severus' arm good-naturedly. "Yeah, kids are all that. But they're so much more, Snape. They're curious and lovable, they show you what's really important and force to rethink so many things about your own life and past, and their innocence is just … refreshing, especially with the things I see in my line of work. Seeing a kid you helped create doing something amazing like learning to read or build a Lego castle … It's the best feeling in the world."

"Ah, you are not speaking of children, Mr. Barton," Severus smirked. "You are speaking of Fatherhood."

"And you weren't talking about children either," the archer snorted. "You were talking about your old students, am I right?"

Severus looked at him as if he had taken leave of his senses. "Boarding school students are children."

"Yeah, maybe," Barton guffawed. "But my kids are homeschooled, so they're different."

"If you say so," Severus sighed, dropping the discussion before the man could start waxing poetic about marking his brats' homework. He really might start screaming if Barton dared to do that. Severus suddenly glanced up and noticed two figures standing by the stone railing in the moonlight who definitely were not there before. Between them, they held the glowing blue cube that had caused all the trouble. It wasn't shining as brightly as before, but it cast a nice glow on the faces of the two Asgardians and glinted off their decorative clothing.

The rest of the Avengers finished their planning and came over to Barton and Severus. Stark and Natasha looked rather smug, Rogers looked conflicted, and Bruce was smiling with relief.

"Nice to see you finally up, Sev," Bruce said quietly, but his eyes shone with relief. "You feel alright?"

"Tolerable," Severus replied shortly.

The two men silently clasped one another's hands, neither liking emotional displays. Then Severus suddenly remembered that he had stuffed Bruce's bag into his magical one. He turned the satchel in his arms around and reached in, but he couldn't find it.

"I apologize, Banner, I seem to have misplaced your satchel," Severus muttered, feeling awkward.

"I got my things already," Bruce assured him. "That bag of yours is incredible."

"Too bad you won't be around for that talk I said we'd have," Stark lamented from beside him. "JARVIS couldn't get any reliable data out of your fight with Reindeer Games."

Severus glanced at the billionaire in baffled confusion. Talk? Jarvis? Reindeer games?

"Pay no attention to him," Natasha told him. She folded her arms and smirked sideways at Stark. "He's just upset that there's been a whole world he doesn't even know anything about."

Bruce laughed at the wounded look on Stark's face. "And now you're leaving and he can't pick your brain or experiment with your magic," the doctor chuckled.

"Thank heavens," Severus said drily.

"Well, I guess this is good-bye," Rogers sighed quietly.

"I suppose it is," Severus muttered. He felt strangely uncomfortable. Was this really 'good-bye'? He had never truly felt this way before. He couldn't possibly miss these people, after only knowing them for a few hours at most. Well, he had known Bruce for two years now, so it made sense that he'd feel a tug at leaving him behind. The thought of leaving this very planet in only a few moments was suddenly very real and almost … frightening.

"Take care, Snape," Barton said quietly. The archer just nodded at him since they'd already shaken hands. "Come back when you can, but don't hurry, yeah?"

"Be safe," Natasha murmured. She shuffled her feet and seemed to be trying to make up her mind about something. "If you can drop us a note or something, that'd be great … but don't make it a priority."

"Have fun, without us," Stark said with a very good pout. "I'm sure you'll find lots to do in the fairy-viking-land."

Natasha rolled her eyes. "Tony Stark, you are such a child," she huffed.

"You're no fun," Stark grumbled. He stuck out his hand and when Severus clasped it, he gave one firm jerk and dropped it. "Seriously, though; don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"Don't do anything he would do either," Natasha threw in with an exasperated glare at the playboy.

"Don't even ask," Bruce warned the wizard, throwing his own annoyed glare at the unapologetically grinning billionaire.

"I …" Severus hesitated and then squared his shoulders. To hell with his awkward emotions; if he didn't say it now, he'd never get the nerve to say it. "I wish you well, Avengers," he murmured. "I thank you for all you've done … and I hope to return soon."

Rogers nodded and smiled. Bruce pressed his lips together and looked solemn. Stark smirked as if it was obvious that Snape would be grateful. Barton's mouth twitched into a secretive little smile. Natasha looked up at the moon as if she hadn't heard, but she had a little smile on her face too.

"We'll miss you, Severus," Captain Rogers said gruffly. He suddenly stepped forward and enveloped the wizard in a firm hug. Severus wasn't a hugging person at all, so he stood stiff and awkward while the soldier hugged him like a brother. When Rogers stepped back after a firm clap to the shoulder that left his bones rattling, Banner darted in and hugged him quickly, and Severus knew his face was burning like a tomato. He glared at Stark, who was grinning cheekily at him, just daring him to try it ... but to his relief, Tony didn't seem like a hugger either, so he didn't step in. Barton clapped him on the back, (though not as hard as Rogers had Natasha shook his hand, and Severus turned to face the two Asgardians waiting for him.

"You have awoken!" Thor announced cheerfully, though slightly less loudly than he usually would. "I feared you would be unconscious still."

"Well, I am not," Severus replied shortly, ready to shake off his embarrassment at being hugged farewell by half the Avengers. He walked up to them, followed by Bruce and Rogers. Stark, Barton, and Natasha stayed by the van, watching.

Loki's green eyes were latched onto Severus, but he didn't, or couldn't, say anything. He wore a metal guard over his mouth and his hands were connected to a collar around his neck by a couple of thin chains. Severus winced inwardly at the (probably useless) display of bondage, but there was nothing he could say or do to make anything better, so he pretended he hadn't seen the chains and muzzle (no easy feat) and merely held Loki's gaze for a few seconds in greeting.

"You feel well, Mage Snape?" Thor was asking with concern. Loki rolled his eyes and Severus glanced over at the thunder-god. "You are strong enough for this?"

"I don't need to be carried," Severus protested stiffly. "But I know not how we will travel, so you must explain it to me."

"Of course, Mage Snape!" the blond god beamed. He indicated the glowing cube he and his adopted brother held between them. "You must hold the Tesseract's handle from Loki's end, since your hands are much smaller than mine."

"Simply call me Severus," the wizard said tersely, adjusting his bag's strap on his shoulder and flexing his stiff fingers on the hand with a cast. "Hearing 'Mage Snape' over and over will soon drive me mad."

"As you wish, Severus," Thor shrugged cheerfully. "Since the Bifrost was destroyed, getting back to Asgard would be somewhat difficult. But the Space Stone ought to take us there without much trouble. Are you ready?"

Severus stepped close to Loki and glanced sideways at him, a look that was returned with a sardonic lift of the Asgardian's eyebrows. It was a surprise to the wizard that he was only slightly shorter than the god of mischief. Severus managed to squeeze his hand onto the handle, which was a tight fit with Loki forced by his bonds to keep his hands together. Loki's hands were ice-cold, and he stiffened slightly with Severus standing so close.

"Did I introduce myself yet?" the wizard drily asked the dark-haired Asgardian beside him. "I am Severus Snape."

Loki made a soft noise behind his muzzle that sounded like a grunt or a huff of acknowledgement, or maybe it was 'I know already'. But Severus disliked having other people introduce him, especially if he wasn't even awake to do so. He preferred to introduce himself, and he didn't much care if it was late.

"Ready?" Thor asked seriously, his blue eyes flicking briefly from Severus to Loki.

The wizard had one last glimpse of the Avengers standing by silently to see him off, before the world was swallowed up in a blue haze and a surge of weirdly familiar power rushed through him. It was too much, too soon, and he couldn't even scream as pain raced up his arm and across his nerves and pounded agonizingly against the raw internal wound where his magic had been utterly spent. His eyes caught a brief glimpse of gold and white as the blue Tesseract cloud vanished before he fell back into the dark night of his mind.

Severus fell in a faint and was unconscious even before Loki's bound hands caught him.

A~HP~V~HP~E~HP~N~HP~G~HP~E~HP~R~HP~S

~Epilogue~

"What do you mean 'he's gone'?"

Alexander Pierce controlled his anger, but his voice still came out icy and enraged. Silverman sat at the table in his large office, as calmly furious as Pierce, if not more, but he didn't speak or move much. He left the matter to Pierce, especially since Fury was the one who was currently in trouble. Nicholas J. Fury stood in the office, also upset, but not quite as angry. After all, the Director of SHIELD didn't know how many plans had suddenly fallen apart thanks to the Houdini that Severus Snape had managed to pull.

Who was there to blame, really? Snape apparently woke up and was ready. He overpowered the medics, caused an electrical surge that rendered nearly all the security measures in the hospital useless for a few crucial minutes, and overpowered the two guards and the driver waiting for him. How he did it without a wand was anybody's guess, and where he was now, nobody knew.

"I mean, he's gone," Fury said, his voice surprisingly mild considering they'd just lost a high-priority target. "Snape flew the coop, vanished, escaped, got away … whatever you want to call it. He's gone. What else am I supposed to say?"

"He shouldn't have been able to," Pierce seethed, though he kept his voice calm. "I thought you chose competent Agents for the job?"

Fury snorted and shook his head. "Competent don't mean squat next to somebody that can throw concrete blocks with nothing but his mind."

"Magic is not a matter of the mind," Ben Silverman suddenly spoke up. "But I believe Director Fury has a point, Secretary Pierce," he turned his silver eyes accusingly on his boss. Pierce was, for a second, too surprised by the open defiance to reply. Naturally, Fury was oblivious.

"Guess we shoulda sent some of your guys after all," Fury shrugged at Silverman. "But how were we to know he'd wake up right in time?"

"I just want to know how he did it," Pierce gritted out. "Investigate on your end, Fury, and Silverman, I want you to make finding Severus Snape a priority. Get your most-trusted Aurors on the job, you hear me? We cannot let a known criminal like him run wild out there. You be sure you talk to those Avengers of yours," he added with a meaningful scowl at Fury. "I'm not ruling them out completely. The WSC has a point, you know. We can't control them."

Murmuring agreement, Silverman and Fury took their leave, closing the door behind them.

The minute they were surely out of hearing range, Pierce growled in rage and swept all the items on his desk to the floor. Pens, a paperweight, his name sign, a desk blotter, and an expensive computer tablet clattered and crashed, but did nothing to alleviate the anger burning in the Secretary's chest. He had been so close. If only they had moved the timetable up a few hours … or a day, at least. If only he hadn't trusted Fury's agents not to bungle it. If only, if only. It didn't matter now.

Snape was gone and likely nobody would find him, now that he thought the magical governments of Britain and America were after him. He would go to ground, hide his magic, and never be found again except by pure luck. It was really too bad. Alexander Pierce had looked forward to breaking a wizard of such legendary ability.

Sighing, Pierce bent to collect the mess he had made. He was picking up the pieces of his broken paperweight when a small phone in his pocket began buzzing softly. Without a second thought, Pierce activated the privacy protocol in the office (Protocol Magic) and pulled out the untraceable phone. He thumbed it on, answered the call, and found himself looking at the familiarly masked face of the Asset. The goggles which the Asset usually wore were missing and a nasty gash in the pale forehead had bled down the cheek. The last mission the Asset had been given was likely complete, since the weapon would not contact its handlers otherwise.

"Mission report," Pierce demanded crisply, feeling gratified that somebody was doing their job at least.

At the crisp order, the Asset stiffened imperceptibly. His dark eyes above the black mask, half hidden behind long brown hair, grew even more blank and distant. A metal arm winked in the dim light of the facility the Asset stood in, while he waited to be retrieved. There was a great deal of blood staining the dark clothing on the Asset's thigh and chest and the silvery, star-marked arm was dented and scratched. It would need another 'adjustment' when the weapon returned to the Vault. But since the Asset was still standing, the damage report was probably superficial and could wait until the weapon was back in containment.

"The Asset has completed mission 1270-5A," the weapon recited mechanically in a muffled voice. "Status: successful. The Asset has captured target. Awaiting further orders."

"Excellent," Pierce murmured, though not to the Asset. One did not talk to a weapon, after all. "Target's status?"

The Asset actually hesitated. Pierce narrowed his eyes and readied his tongue to recite the Russian words that would drag the weapon's stubborn brain back on track. But the hesitation proved to be, not rebellion, but uncertainty. The Asset bent down and scooped up the target from the floor, holding it up so the view-screen could see its condition.

The captured target, a small skinny boy about nine years old with messy black hair, was bound, blindfolded, and gagged as per the Asset's orders. His pajamas were slightly torn and splattered with blood, and the child's muffled noises were desperate and terrified. He was thrashing and fighting, despite his bound hands and ankles and the gag stuffed in his mouth. Pierce had to smile in admiration. This child was exactly what he had envisioned. It would be glorious to break him down to his raw components.

"I see nothing wrong with the target, Soldier," Pierce said mildly. The boy didn't appear hurt, and even though he was wriggling like mad, the Asset was being careful not to injure him. With a metal arm and enhanced strength, the Asset had to be gentle. Already, Pierce had impressed on the blank weapon what the consequences would be if the target was harmed in any way. So far, it looked like the Asset had followed its orders. The blood on the child's clothing could easily be traced to the Asset's own injuries.

"The target will not cooperate," the Asset replied in a strained voice. The weapon was struggling to hold the wriggling boy until it was finally forced to put the squirming, whimpering target back down on the floor. "The Asset was ordered to feed and water the target and keep it quiet," the weapon said in a monotone. "The Asset was ordered not to harm the target and to eliminate all witnesses."

"Yes, and?" Pierce barked impatiently.

"The Asset has failed to keep the target in prime condition because the target will not be quiet and still if unbound. The Asset cannot discipline the target because the Asset was forbidden to harm the target. The Asset was unable to eliminate all witnesses because the Asset was damaged and an unknown bodyguard prevented their extermination."

"Damage report?" Pierce sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. Honestly, things couldn't get any worse, could they? How was it possible for everything to fall apart right when everything was nearly ready?

"The Asset sustained some damage from enhanced female at the site:" the Asset recited. "Bruising and a concussion; superficial gashes and bleeding. Current efficiency is at sixty-three percent."

"And the female?" Pierce barked.

"The Asset attempted to eliminate her, but she shielded herself and was merely gravely injured. She escaped with three children due to their bodyguard's actions. No other witnesses were spotted."

"They escaped?" Alexander Pierce snarled furiously. This wasn't good. The child was a high-profile target and the Asset had specific orders to leave no witnesses! "You failed in your mission, Soldier," Pierce said coldly. "I recall that your exact orders were to eliminate all witnesses! You will be disciplined when you return to base, is that clear?"

The Asset trembled visibly and a flash of something like fear flickered in the dark eyes, before the shaggy brown head barely tilted in acknowledgement of the order. "Affirmative, Sir," the Asset murmured.

Pierce suppressed the urge to rub at the migraine beginning to pound in his head. "Retrieval will be in two hours," he informed the Asset, and prepared to sign off. But he was waiting for confirmation. When no answer was forthcoming, he scowled at the screen, wondering if he was going to have to pull a few more agents into retrieval to beat some sense into the fool.

The Asset was hesitating, eyes flicking down to the child presumably still on the floor. "Sir," the Asset said softly, deviating from its computer-like script. "Permission to water and rest the target? The area is abandoned. There is no one to hear if the target makes a sound."

Pierce narrowed his eyes in annoyance. And this was why they needed Assets like Snape would have been; unemotional soldiers who could stand at attention beside a shivering brat without starting to have troublesome things like 'compassion' and 'worry'. This one was always malfunctioning. Why wasn't anything going right today?

"Permission denied, Soldier," Pierce said in a cold tone. "The Asset will stand at attention and make certain the target is standing as well when the retrieval team arrives. Recalibration will be necessary when the Asset returns. Are these instructions understood?"

Again, the Asset shivered slightly and a sick look swam into the dark eyes before the weapon straightened and nodded. "Orders received, sir," the Asset replied through gritted teeth.

"They better be," Pierce grumbled.

He immediately shut off the phone's camera and sent a brief message to the recall team to be sure to discipline the Asset thoroughly when it was returned to the Vault. He was beginning to tire of having to do this after every other mission. But they had to be consistent unless they wanted their weapon to start seriously malfunctioning again. The last time that happened … well, he just didn't want a repeat. A rogue Asset was nothing to sneeze at.

With a sigh, Pierce sat at his computer and activated the holoscreen, turning his attention to the thousand and one other things that occupied his mind as the top dog of SHIELD and one of Hydra's many heads. On SHIELD's radar, Project Insight was nearing completion. On Hydra's, Project Miracle was in the preliminary stages already, with twenty-two volunteers already, as of this morning. The Summer Soldier program was ready to begin, and thanks to the Asset, they had their long-awaited First Soldier. After careful research and some well-done stalking, the perfect child was found, his home scoped, and a plan of kidnapping arranged. Hydra agents in England had helped, and likely the fact that they had a vendetta against the child's parents influenced their choice, but it mattered not.

This boy was the hope of Hydra's newest program; an army that would bring the world to its knees. Who could have guessed that the fall of nations would begin with a mere child?

The world would finally bow before true power and Pierce smiled.

Hail Hydra.

A~HP~V~HP~E~HP~N~HP~G~HP~E~HP~R~HP~S

And there we go. All finished. It was a nasty double-punch of cliffhangers, but personally, cliffhangers motivate me to keep on going. If it weren't for cliffhangers, I'd get bored with my own writing! I'll have the next story ready to start posting in a week or two, as I'm already addicted to the new storyline that picks up literally right here. I won't be doing Dark World (and Snape) anytime soon, because Winter Soldier is screaming at me now, DEMANDING to be written. It won't have Snape in it, (Except by mentions since he's in Asgard) but it will be great regardless. I bet you've guessed who our poor little Summer Soldier is, and kudos to the one who reviews first with a correct guess ;)

I'm still toying with the idea of starting a new fic for the sequel or just continuing to post here. Honestly, it would be personally satisfying to hit that little 'Complete' tab on this story and start a fresh new one with a brand new description and everything, but it would also be really convenient to just dive in with this story already up and doing so well and everything ...

I will decide eventually, and I'll post an extra chapter in Avenge to alert all my followers if I decide to start a whole new document.

Again, a huge THANK YOU to everybody who followed me on this fun adventure, thank you for steering me back on track, thank you for telling me what you liked and what you didn't, and thank you for giving me ideas to play with and possibilities to explore! This has truly been a great experience and I look forward to continuing my journeys in this universe!