Hey everyone, I've been on a roll this weekend. I just finished this chapter and I wasn't sure about it when I was writing it but I was hit with a sudden idea after driving past the airport and I think I pulled it off. Let me know what you think. Enjoy.

The next morning was pretty quiet. I got up went for a run like I always did but this time was different. I couldn't shake the feeling that I was being watched. I looked around the park and nothing really caught my attention. It wasn't until I saw a man sitting on a bench reading his newspaper that just so happened to lower it slightly to look in my direction that I realized I wasn't just being paranoid. There was another man on his cellphone that also kept looking over at me. Two so far. Ones an incidence, Twos a coincidence, now where's my pattern. I looked around and saw a blonde woman walking around pushing a stroller. That's the third time I'd seen her and each time we were moving in opposite directions. There's my pattern. Only question now is who do they work for?

I finished my jog like I always did and stopped by my favorite coffee shop. Normally I'd take it to go but this time I ordered a scone with my coffee and sat outside.

I took my phone out and called Dad.

"Not really a good time kid." He greeted.

"It never is, how's the consulting going?" I asked.

"Same as ever, averting global catastrophe, yada yada. How about you?"

"I'm good, just finished a jog, stopped by my favorite coffee shop and got a scone. I'm sitting outside people watching." I said hoping he caught the double meaning. Dad was quiet.

"Hey kid they're calling me, I'll text you in a bit." He said.

"Kay," I said ending the call.

Two minutes later I got a text back.

What's up?

I replied:

I'm being watched.

Dad replied:

It's SHIELD. Selvig's been taken. Think they might go after anyone with knowledge of his work. You happen to be one of them. They'll keep their distance.

Shit, Erik's been taken?

I reply back:

Keep me updated.

Dad replies back:

Will do.

Why do I have a feeling there's more to this than Dad's letting on? I really hope I'm wrong about this.

Hellicarrier- Third Person's POV

Steve was sitting at the table watching Howard's son and Doctor Banner banter about something that just flew over his head. It reminded him of all the times he walked into Howard's lab and found him and Nora talking about some equation or some Hydra weapon they were analyzing. The apple did not fall far from the tree. Tony was the spitting image of Howard and while Nora probably looked more like her mom than her dad there were some striking similarities. The look on their faces when they started talking about science. The smirk they'd get when they teased someone. God he missed her. It was hard to watch.

"Does Loki need any particular power source?" He finally managed to say.

"He would have to heat the Cube to 120-million Kelvin just to break through the Coulomb barrier." Doctor Banner answered.

"Unless Selvig has figured out how to stabilize the quantum tunneling effect." Tony added.

"Well, if he could do that, he could achieve heavy ion fusion at any reactor on the planet." Bruce said making Tony smile. Finally someone besides Nora to talk science with.

"Finally, someone who speaks English." Tony said joyfully walking over to Bruce.

"Is that what just happened?" Steve said confused.

"It's good to meet you, Dr Banner. Your work on antielectron collisions is unparalleled. And I'm a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous green rage-monster." Tony said shaking his hand.

"Thanks." Bruce said awkwardly.

"Dr Banner is only here to track the Cube. I was hoping you might join him." Fury said trying to get everyone back on track.

"I would start with that stick of his. It may be magical, but it works an awful lot like a HYDRA weapon." Steve pointed out.

"I don't know about that, but it is powered by the Cube. And I would like to know how Loki used it to turn two of the sharpest men I know into his personal flying monkeys." Fury said.

"Monkeys? I do not understand." Thor finally spoke up.

"I do. I understood that reference." Steve said rather abruptly recognizing a figure of speech from his time. Tony just looked at him like there was something wrong with him before shaking his head and turning his attention back to Doctor Banner.

"Shall we play, Doctor?" He said.

"This way, sir." Bruce said leading him to the lab.

As they were walking down the hallway, Tony's phone started ringing. He pulled it out of his pocket and saw it was Nora.

"I have to take this, meet you at the lab." Tony said.

Bruce was a bit surprised but nodded. Tony probably had company business to deal with.

Tony talked to his daughter and noticed she was trying to tell him something. He couldn't risk someone overhearing them so he texted her. She was being watched. He saw Coulson coming his way and decided to ask him.

"Coulson," He called out to him.

"Mr. Stark, Got lost?" Coulson answered.

"No, I just got a call from a certain nineteen year old astrophysicist saying she was being followed?" Tony said.

"Doctor Martell is under SHIELD surveillance as is Doctor Foster. We don't know what Loki needs but if Selvig can't give him what he wants he'll go looking for someone who can. Doctor Martell and Doctor Foster are the two people who Doctor Selvig has worked closest to. They're potential targets." Coulson explained.

"Thanks, I'll tell her to stop worrying." Tony said picking up his phone.

"You two are really close aren't you?" Coulson asked.

"She's a good kid." Tony answered before walking towards the lab. He texted Nora not to worry and then went to the lab to get to work.

Later that day- Boston- Nora's POV

The day flew by. I did everything I needed to do and I was ready to leave, the only thing left to do was tell Dad I was leaving. I didn't want to bother him while he was dealing with what he described as a global catastrophe. She had a day left. Her flight left tomorrow afternoon. She thought she had an extra day but as it turned out she got the dates mixed up. If it weren't for someone from the Medical corps calling to confirm it she would have missed her flight. She was all packed and ready to go. She ate dinner with a few classmates that were still in Boston and made it back home.

The apartment was too quiet and it didn't help that I knew I was being watched. I closed all the blinds in the apartment but that still didn't help so I decided to Skype Jess.

I got my laptop and set up the call. On the third ring she picked up with a very fussy Connor in her arms.

"Hey Nora." She greeted.

"Hey Jess, you okay?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'm great just…Ow." I heard her yell. Connor got his hands in jess' hair and pulled. "Connor no." Jess said. Connor just pouted.

"Someone's a fussy baby." I said and Connor giggled.

"Yeah, someone started teething and was up half the night crying." Jess said.

"Aww poor little guy." I said.

"Poor him, poor me!" Jess whined.

"Aw, I'm sorry. Do you have something for him?" I asked.

"I have teething gel but I don't know. Too many chemicals." She said.

"Why don't you try a teething ring? Put it in the freezer for a bit and then give it to him. It'll help. Or get a fresh fruit feeder and give Connor a bit of ice or fruit." I said.

"I've tried the teething ring but it didn't work. I sent Sam for a fresh fruit feeder but he still isn't back." Jess complained. At that moment Sam walked in.

"I got it." He said. "Hey Nora."

"Hi Sam." I said. Sam came over and gave Jess a kiss before taking Connor to the kitchen to give Jess a break.

"Ah, I can feel my arms again," She said.

"Connor's getting big." I said.

"You have no idea, he outgrows his clothes almost instantly. He wears things once and by the next time he can't squeeze into them." She says.

"You must love that another excuse to go shopping." I said.

"I would if his aunt Nora gave me a chance." She said teasing me. I am guilty of that. If I see something I think would look good on Connor, I buy it and have it shipped to Jess.

"I told you, if you want to buy him something put it on the shared shopping list and I'll have it sent to you. Same goes for you and Sam." I reminded her. The allowance Dad gave me along with my trust fund made my monthly allowance more that I could actually spend in two years. I used that to pay for school but now that I graduated it was just adding up.

"Nora we're not going to freeload off of you." She said.

"Its not freeloading if I'm offering." I said.

"We appreciate it, we also wanted to say you don't have to pay us for watching Axl, we love that mutt. He gets along great with Connor." She said.

"I'm paying you for his food and all other things for him. You know nail trimmings, teeth cleanings, any visits to the vet. How's he getting along with Sam? He's not big on guys." I said.

"Really?" Jess said surprised. "Watch this." She said picking up the laptop and going to the kitchen.

Connor was in his high chair and Sam was making himself a sandwich. Axl sat obediently at his side.

"You eat already buddy?" Sam asked. For a second I thought he was talking to Connor but Axl barked.

He kneeled down and pet Axl. Axl cuddled up to him and licked his cheek. "How about a piece of Jerky?" Sam said Axl barked and sat down and waited.

"Traitor." I said. "I'm glad he's getting along."

"You kidding, that dog is a godsend. He watched over Connor when he takes his afternoon nap. Cutest thing ever."

I smiled.

"So what about you? Your ready for tomorrow?" Jess said a bit sadly.

"Yeah, I'm all packed up and ready to go." I said with a small smile.

"Are you sure about this?" She said worried.

"Yeah, It's the best thing for me right now. I want to be a trauma surgeon and the front lines is the best place to learn." I said. "I get to finish faster and get to help people."

"Nora you're 19 and already have more degrees than everyone I know combined. You don't have to rush this. You can take some time off. Move to Texas work here." Jess said.

"You know it's not about that. I need to get away Jess. Everything thing reminds me of them. This'll be a good distraction." I said.

"It's also extremely dangerous." Jess pointed out.

"Jess this isn't my first time going to war. I survived being captured by Nazis I think I can handle modern day terrorists." I defended

"How did your Dad take the news?" Jess asked and I froze. "Nora, You did tell him right?"

"Well…" I started.

"Jesus fucking Christ Nora. You've had how many chances to tell him? What, were you just going to wait until you were over there to tell him or were you going to wait until the marshal showed up at his door?!" Jess cried out tears in her eyes.

"Jess don't cry…" I said.

"I'm not fucking crying. You don't understand because you're not a parent. Just imagine this was Connor." Jess said.

Just thinking about it made me cry. "Don't even kid about that." I said crying.

"Well that's how your dad's going to feel." Jess cried. "You can't leave me too Nora."

"Jess I'm only going to be gone six months, a year tops. You're not going to lose me." Jess just starts sobbing even more. "Jess what's going on sweetie."

"My mom has cancer." Jess finally says.

"What? Oh my gosh. Jess I'm so sorry." I said.

"It's terminal. She kept this a secret for months. It wasn't until we moved back a few weeks ago and I saw her that she finally told me." She said crying.

"I'm so so sorry." I said crying.

"I'm not ready Nora. I don't want to lose her." She sobbed.

"Sweetie I know this is hard. I never got to know my mom but when my Nana died it tore me apart. There isn't anything I can say that will make this better." I said.

"What am I supposed to do Nora?" Jess cried.

"Sweetie, there isn't anything you can do medically but you still have time with her. Make the most out of it. Talk to her. Let her hold her grandson. Ask her everything you've always wanted to ask her. Make her last days the happiest out of her entire life." I said.

"How did you do it?" She said.

"I'm used to losing everyone I love." I said. "I just remember everything she taught me and live my life the way I thought would make her proud. I'm not going to say it always works but it does push you in the right direction."

"I'm sorry, I made this all about me when you're the one that's leaving to a warzone tomorrow." Jess said wiping away her tears.

"Jess don't ever apologize for that. I want to hear about these things. We're in this together. Best friends Forever." I said.

"Sisters from other misters." She chuckled sadly.

"Exactly. If you need me give me a call and I'll hop on the first plane over. You know that." I said.

"I know. You're the best." She cried.

"No you're the best. You're my rock." I said.

"Only cause you're mine," She sniffled.

"Jess stop crying because if you don't I'll hop on the first plane over there." I said.

"Okay, Okay. I'll stop but promise me you'll call him." She said pretending to be serious.

"I promise I'll try."

"I guess I can accept that." She said. Just then there was a cry coming from the kitchen. "I got to go, one of my boys is crying and I'm not sure it's Connor. Call me when you land."

"I will, love you." I said.

"Love you sis." She said before ending the call.

I picked up my phone and dialed dad. It rang a few times before it sent me to voice mail.

"You've reached the Life Model Decoy of Tony Stark. Please leave a message and someone will get back to you… maybe." Dad's voice sounded. I hung up. Guess he was still busy. This just enforced my previous realization. As much as I might need my dad around the world needs him more. If I told him about Afghanistan he'd just try to talk me out of it. I can't be a burden for him anymore. Dad's better off without me. I got my phone and I turned it off. No going back now.

Hellicarier- Third Person POV-

As soon as Tony walked into the lab he got to work. He and Bruce worked diligently to analyze the scepter. It was nothing like either of them had ever seen before. They spent hours collecting readings and analyzing data along with going through Selvig's notes.

"The gamma readings are definitely consistent with Selvig's reports of the Tesseract. But it's going to take weeks to process." Bruce said.

"If we bypass their mainframe and direct route to the Homer cluster, we can clock this at around 600 teraflops." Tony said noting how tired the other scientist looked.

"Heh. All I packed was a toothbrush." Bruce said sadly. In reality he didn't have much to pack.

"You know, you should come by Stark Tower sometime. Top ten floors, all R&D. You'd love it. It's Candy Land." Tony said. It would be nice to have someone besides Nora who could keep up with him. Besides Nora was going to start her residency program soon and she probably wouldn't have a lot of free time. Speaking of which where did she say she was doing it?

"Thanks, but the last time I was in New York, I kind of broke Harlem." Bruce said sadly.

"Well, I promise a stress-free environment. No tension, no surprises." Tony said with a devious look in his eyes. He walked closer and closer to Bruce as he spoke before he shocked him.

"AW!" Bruce said surprised.

"Hey!" Steve said as he walked in.

"Nothing?" Tony said he was curious about the hulk. He had seen the footage on the news and what SHIELD had on his file. He had shocked Banner to test his control and he was surprised.

"Are you nuts?" Steve said angrily. Steve was everything Tony expected he'd be. His father talked about all the time. His whole life revolved around what Howard deemed his crowning achievement. His family meant nothing compared to what he had achieved with him.

"Jury's out. You really have got a lid on it, haven't you? What's your secret? Mellow jazz, bongo drums, huge bag of weed?" Tony ignored Steve and focused on Bruce. His control was surprising.

"Is everything a joke to you?" Steve said angrily. Howard had been sarcastic and joked around most of the time but when it really came down to it he could pull himself together. It's part of the reason he and Nora got along so great. He got her out of her shell, helped her have fun but when she needed it opened her eyes and made her snap out of whatever slump she was in. How did Nora turn out so great if this was her father?

"Funny things are." Tony retorted.

"Threatening the safety of everyone on this ship isn't funny. No offence, Doc." Steve said sternly but then realizing how that must've sounded to Bruce.

"It's all right, I wouldn't have come aboard if I couldn't handle pointy things." Bruce said awkwardly trying to dissolve the tension between the two. He could tell there was something else going on.

"You're tip-toeing, big man. You need to strut." Tony told him confidently walking around as if to emphasize his point. He grabbed a bag of blueberries.

"And you need to focus on the problem, Mr Stark." Steve said trying to get him to focus.

"Do you think I'm not? Why did Fury call us in? Why now? Why not before? What isn't he telling us? I can't do the equation unless I have all the variables." Tony said. Nothing about what Fury said about the Tesseract made sense.

"You think Fury's hiding something?" Steve said. Why would he hide information they may need.

"He's a spy. Captain, he's "the" spy. His secrets have secrets. It's bugging him, too. Isn't it?" Tony said looking toward Bruce.

"Uhhhh, I just want to finish my work here, and..." Bruce said trying to stay out of there argument.

"Doctor?" Steve said wanting to know what everyone saw that he had missed.

"'A warm light for all mankind.' Loki's jab at Fury about the Cube." Bruce said thinking back to Fury's conversation with Loki.

"I heard it." Steve said.

"I think that was meant for you." Bruce said looking over at Tony who offered him some blueberries. He took some before continuing. "Even if Barton didn't tell Loki about the tower, it was still all over the news."

"The Stark Tower? That big, ugly…" Steve said earning a glare from Tony before he eased up by saying, "building in New York?"

"It's powered by an arc reactor, a self-sustaining energy source. That building will run itself for, what, a year?" Bruce asked Tony.

"It's just the prototype. I'm kind of the only name in clean energy right now. That's what he's getting at." Tony clarified for Steve a bit smugly.

"So, why didn't S.H.I.E.L.D. Bring him in on the Tesseract project? What are they doing in the energy business in the first place?" Steve said confused and starting to see their point.

"I should probably look into that once my decryption programme finishes breaking into all of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s secure files." Tony said pulling out his phone.

"I'm sorry. Did you say.." Steve said shocked.

"Jarvis has been running it since I hit the bridge. In a few hours, I'll know every dirty secret S.H.I.E.L.D. Has ever tried to hide. Blueberry?" Tony said with a grin.

"Yet you're confused about why they didn't want you around." Steve said annoyed. 'The apple falls very far from the tree' he thought, 'Very far.'

"An intelligence organization that fears intelligence? Historically, not awesome." Tony retorted. 'And that's where Nora got that word from' Steve said.

"I think Loki's trying to wind us up. This is a man who means to start a war and if we don't stay focused, he'll succeed. We have orders. We should follow them." Steve said trying to push his newfound worries aside.

"Following's not really my style." Ton said typing something in.

"And you're all about style, aren't you?" Steve said getting frustrated.

"Of the people in this room, which one is, A, wearing a spangly outfit, and, B, not of use?" Tony said pushing his buttons.

"Steve, tell me none of this smells a little funky to you." Bruce said trying to act as mediator.

"Just find the Cube." Steve said as he marched out.

"That's the guy my dad never shut up about? I'm wondering if they shouldn't have kept him on ice." Tony said making Bruce finally figure out what the real underlying issue between the two was.

"The guy's not wrong about Loki. He does have the jump on us." Bruce pointed out.

"What he's got is an Acme dynamite kit. It's going to blow up in his face. And I'm going to be there when it does." Tony said smugly.

"Yeah. I'll read all about it." He said while messing with some of the readings.

"Or you'll be suiting up with the rest of us." Tony said walking up to him.

"You see, I don't get a suit of armor. I'm exposed. Like a nerve. It's a nightmare." Bruce said explaining what everyone's seemed to be curious about.

"You know, I've got a cluster of shrapnel trying every second to crawl its way into my heart. This stops it. This little circle of light, it's part of me now, not just armor. It's a terrible privilege." Tony said relating to how the scientist felt.

"But you can control it." Bruce said pointing out a major flaw in his argument.

"Because I learned how." Tony retorted.

"It's different." Bruce said.

"Hey," Tony said using one of the parenting habits he had picked up over the years. He moved the screen out of the way. "I read all about your accident. That much gamma exposure should have killed you."

"So you're saying that the Hulk... The other guy saved my life? That's nice. It's a nice sentiment. Saved it for what?" Bruce said not believing him.

"I guess we'll find out." Tony said with a smirk.

"You may not enjoy that." Bruce said getting a bit nervous just thinking about it.

"And you just might." Tony said with a smirk. He felt his phone vibrate and he pulled it out of his pocket. It was a missed call from Nora but no voicemail. He decided to call her back later.

The Next Day- Nora's POV-

I did the same thing I did every other day. I got dressed ran and did some yoga. I Skyped a bit with Jess to check in. I was a bit anxious. I don't know why but I had this annoying feeling something bad was going to happen. When it was finally time I got my suitcase and headed downstairs. I took a taxi to the airport and checked in. Everyone from the program was taking the same flight to Afghanistan. The program coordinator made us check in with her before we got in line to check our bags. Apparently we were flying in a commercial airplane the army had chartered for other troops being deployed and our program. Getting through security took about an hour because not only were there too many people the airport was also understaffed. As I started boarding the plane I found out where exactly in Afghanistan we were flying to, Kandahar. The anxiety was starting to kick in.

About an two hours into our flight there was an inflight announcement from one of the pilots.

"Ladies and Gentlemen we have just received word that New York City is under attack by extraterrestrial forces. We have received orders to not change our route under any circumstances. Please remain calm and if you need any assistance please call one of our friendly staff members who would be more than happy to assist you." The Pilot said before shutting off the speaker.

New York under attack? Everyone on the plane was shocked. Everyone was talking and those who had their phones or laptops tried logging in to the plane's wifi. The more experiences soldiers sat calmly in their seats. The other members of the medical corps were not as calm. I quickly got my tablet out and started looking for any news coverage online.

I found a video of a local new channel who'd broadcast had been interrupted by aliens shooting at their reporter and crew. I saw a video of dad flying around in the suit and shooting some flying worm. This couldn't be. I found another video of a green giant roaring loudly and a floating creature flying into a building. There was no mistaking it. It was Katya's dream. It had come to pass.

Then I found one last video there were civilians running on the streets with aliens going after them. The alien shot at them but before the blast could reach them they were shielded. Someone wearing a blue and red and white-stripped outfit got in the way and took out the aliens. He fought by throwing around a circular shield. If I didn't know any better I would have said that was Steve.

"Get to the subways, and head over to 39th street. The perimeter's been set up and you'll be safe there." He said.

Oh crap. He wasn't just a Captain America Imitator.

He was Captain America.

That was Steve Rogers.

Steve was alive.

Steve's alive!

And I'm on a plane heading to the most dangerous part of Afghanistan for anyone with the last name Stark. Oh Shit.