Disclaimer: Sadly, I own nothing related to Marvel, either the comics, movies, TV shows, etc. All of that belongs to the Disney Corporation (though I might try kidnapping Captain America and Hawkeye some day, just for fun).

AN: Okay, to write the story from here on out, I'm going to have to use my memories of the film, as well as trailers and movie snippets I find on YouTube. I'm also going to change a few things a bit, given that Adena is in the story, so it might work out for the best (probably). Enjoy the chapter, and please don't forget to review!

Chapter 5: Idols, Heroes and Villains All Around:

Apparently, our ride out to the 'secret base of operations for saving the world' was a long one. Go figure.

Needless to say, I was glad that I'd brought the tablet, and so was Cap, because it meant we wouldn't be bored out of our minds. We even managed to finish a history documentary on music in the 1950's that I'd previously downloaded, which he found interesting. There was no Internet on the aircraft, so after the documentary, I put the tablet away to preserve the battery, and instead brought out a small book to read.

I was a couple pages in before I realized that Cap was trying to read over my shoulder. More amused than annoyed, I teased, "Bored already?"

He blinked, cheeks turning red as he sat back. "Sorry. I guess I should have thought ahead and brought something for myself. I really didn't think that this would be a long flight."

Wow, was he good at making me feel guilty! I bit back a sigh and tucked my book away. "Okay, how about I quiz you on what you've learned? Or we could play a game, if you want, to pass the time?"

Agent Coulson winced. "Please don't; it reminds me of road trips I took as a kid. Besides, we're nearly there, so don't worry."

I shrugged, but still kept my stuff put away. Instead, I leaned back against the seat, my eyes turning towards the windows up front. I could see nothing but sky and sea, which made me think that we must be headed out to an aircraft carrier or some huge navy-type ship in the middle of the ocean. I felt my stomach twitch –boats and I did not go together.

Madly grabbing for my handbag, I pulled out my little medicine bottle and tipped out a motion-sickness pill. I found the small bottle of water I kept there, and downed both of them fast. Agent Coulson gave me an odd look, but Cap looked amused.

"I get seasick," I retorted, putting the bottles away. "Believe me; you do not want me being sick all over whatever ship you're putting us on!"

Cap actually snickered, but tried to hide it as I glared at him. "I'm going to ignore you now," I told him, turning away from him a little while pulling out my book again. He sniffled a little, so I could tell he was still trying not to laugh. I ignored him, and instead got back to my book.

As I read, Cap began to get incredibly bored. From out of nowhere, Agent Coulson produced a government issue, high-tech, clear tablet that was way better than my own. As Coulson pulled up a few files of information, I tried to listen in on their conversation, without looking as though I were listening in.

"…so, Dr. Banner was trying to recreate the circumstances that made me what I am?" Cap asked as he looked at the information before him.

Coulson nodded. "You were the world's first superhero," he said, trying to mask the admiration in his voice. "We've been trying a long time to formulate the serum that was given to you, with little to no success. When he isn't a big green monster, he's like Stephen Hawking."

Cap must have given the Agent a blank look, because he explained, "Um, a really smart person."

After a few minutes, Agent Coulson cleared his throat. "Sir, I wanted you to know that it's great meeting you, officially," he stuttered, sounding, oddly enough, like a fan would when meeting their idol. "I sort of met you. I mean, I watched you, while you were sleeping."

That got my attention. Glancing over at Cap, I couldn't help it; I burst out laughing, the awkward look on his face almost causing me to drop my book as I doubled over. In the end, I had to wipe away tears as Agent Coulson realized how his words sounded.

"I mean, I was present while you were unconscious…from the ice," he said as Cap got up to look out the front window. Like an eager puppy, Coulson followed suit. "You know, it's a huge honor, having you onboard."

Swallowing the rest of my laughter, I put my book away. This was far more fun!

"Well, I hope I'm the right man for the job," Cap softly replied, staring off into nothing, a sad look on his face.

"Oh, you are," Agent Coulson put in. "Absolutely." He paused for a second before continuing. "We've made some, um, modifications to the uniform." I watched in amusement as a look of pride and excitement swept over his face. "I had a little 'design input'."

Surprised, Cap looked over at him. "The uniform?" he asked in disbelief. "Aren't the Stars and Stripes a little…old-fashioned?"

Now it was Coulson's turn to give a sad smile. "With everything that's happening, with everything that's about to come to light…people might just need a little 'old-fashioned'."

Cap didn't look convinced as he returned to his seat. From the way he hung his head, I could tell that he was beginning to doubt himself, and needed a bit of a confidence boost. Leaning over, I nudged him with my elbow.

"He's right, you know," I softly told him. "Sometimes, we need a bit of the good old Stars and Stripes to make us feel patriotic. Americans love their country, but sometimes it gets buried deep under all of the pressures we feel from daily life. We need you, Captain America, to bring it back out, especially during dark times. We need to see someone wearing our national symbols to give us strength and determination, to make us want to fight for what we believe in, rather than let someone take it away from us."

For a moment, he didn't say anything, didn't even look up. When he did, it was at me, and he had a tiny smile on his face. "You are one interesting girl, Adena. Did you know that?"

I blushed and jabbed him with my elbow again. "Nah, just a patriotic one. You know; God Bless America, and all that."

He chuckled as a voice crackled over the radio, interrupting us. A stream of orders came over the airwaves, and through the crackling static, I managed to make out a few tidbits: apparently we were cleared for landing, as was another aircraft.

Curious as to who else was going to join the "party," I made sure that all my stuff was tucked away, and strapped myself in.

Landing on solid ground was one thing; landing on an aircraft carrier was something else! In fact, the jolt from our setting down practically gave me whiplash, and as I stepped off onto the tarmac, I briefly considered suing SHIELD for damages. Then again, I didn't want to give Director Fury an excuse to shoot me, so I decided to let it go.

Once Cap had helped me onto the ship's deck, I noticed Agent Romanoff heading our way, a slightly ruffled man standing a short distance behind her. She looked a lot different this time around, in black pants and a black jacket over a red top. I could see that she was "packing heat," but didn't say anything. Instead, I smiled and went over to her, trying to ignore the sensation of the sea under my feet.

"Agent Romanoff," I said, reaching out to take her hand. "It's good to see a familiar face."

She returned my smile and handshake. "You can call me Natasha. And it's good to see you, too, Miss Philips. I'm sorry we didn't get to chat more during our first encounter, but I always try to keep a safe distance from people in my line of work."

I waved her words aside. "Oh, I totally get it. Don't worry about it. And call me Adena."

Natasha glanced over my shoulder. "Coulson, they want you inside." Looking over at him, I saw him nod before giving me one last smile as he left. Natasha then turned her attention towards Cap. "So, did he ask you to sign his trading cards yet?"

Cap looked amused and puzzled. "Trading cards?"

Natasha nodded. "He's a great admirer of yours. Apparently they're in near-mint condition. He's very proud of them."

Trying not to laugh, I looked over at the other man and casually asked, "So, who's this?"

"Dr. Bruce Banner," the man replied, sticking out a hand to shake mine and Cap's.

"Adena Philips," I said, wondering how this quiet, nice guy could turn into a giant rage monster. "This is Steve Rogers."

The boat must have hit a wave, because I felt the vessel shift under my feet. Almost immediately, I sensed my age-old nemesis, seasickness, rise up in my stomach, and felt myself go pale. The others looked at me with worried expressions on their faces, so I forced myself to put on a brave face and a weak smile.

"Sorry," I apologized. "It's just that the sea and I don't go together very well."

Natasha nodded in understanding. "You might want to get inside," she said, smiling a little. "It's going to get a little hard to breathe soon."

Cap and Dr. Banner exchanged glances as the ship began to shake, the sound of moving machinery filling the air. "Is this a submarine?" Cap asked, genuinely curious.

Dr. Banner looked slightly amused. "Really? They want me in a contained, submersible container?"

I was nearly thrown off my feet as the vessel shifted again. "What the hell?" I asked as Cap reached out to steady me.

Smirking, Natasha jerked her head towards the edge. Curious in spite of myself, I grabbed hold of Cap's arm (which was very solidly built) and let him lead me to look over it, Dr. Banner coming up beside me. My eyes almost popped out of my head as the water dipped, churned, frothed and crashed, the ship clanking and grinding as it did something to cause the water's alarming movements. And then it happened.

"No freaking way!" I yelled as two huge propellers lifted up out of the water. From the noise coming from the other side, there were two other ones there as well. This wasn't a ship; it was a giant hovercraft!

"No freaking way!" I couldn't help yelling again as Cap dragged me back from the edge, a look of excitement and awe on his face.

I didn't have time to say anything more, because at that point, I was dragged inside by two guys and a female super-spy.

I'll give this ship credit for two things: first, getting me up and over the ocean, which hated me; and second, making me so hyped up over this craft's awesomeness that I completely forgot about being seasick.

Inside, the place almost had me falling over in amazement at how cool and hi-tech it was. I was no computer nut, but even I began to want some of the systems being used by the dozens of agents around me.

"This is so cool," I whispered, my eyes trying to look everywhere at once. Beside me, Cap was looking very impressed, too, and often stopped to see what was happening on the monitors.

A hand gently rested on my shoulder, causing me to turn. It was Natasha Romanoff, and with her was a male agent in black. "Sorry, Adena, but would you please follow this agent to your quarters? The Captain is needed on some top-secret business. I'll send him by when he's done."

Needless to say, I was disappointed, but I still agreed to go…after one quick question. "Um, Natasha? Aren't people going to notice a giant hovercraft like this overhead? I mean, it's not exactly subtle."

The male agent smiled. "They won't see us, not with the technology we've got onboard."

I gaped at him. "You guys have a cloaking device?" Cap poked my shoulder, getting my attention. Turning, I saw that he looked confused. "A cloaking device makes something invisible to the eye," I explained to him. "I'd only read about it in sci-fi books; I didn't think it existed yet."

The male agent cleared his throat and motioned for me to follow him. "Miss Philips?"

"I guess I'll see you later," I told Cap, who nodded. He didn't seem happy about my leaving, but he let me go without causing a scene.

Holding tight to my belongings, I followed my escort deep into the craft.

My 'quarters' were comfortable enough, though they were rather stark. But given that this place ran with near military-grade precision and uniform, it was no wonder the rooms were so generic.

On the plus side, I had a comfy bed at my disposal, as well as my own mini-fridge, mini-freezer, and microwave. There was even a hot beverage maker that I could use to make hot tea or cocoa, which were stored in a small group of cabinets around the little kitchenette area. There were plugs for me to charge my tablet with, and a couple lamps, chairs and tables. On a wall opposite the bed was a large, clear screen/monitor/television where I could watch…whatever they had to watch on this thing.

A connecting door led to my own tiny bathroom, with a small shower, sink and toilet, as well as all the necessities in a mirror cabinet above the sink. That was good, since I'd forgotten to bring my bathing and tooth cleaning tools along with me.

I was given a keycard by the agent (who wouldn't give me his name), and told that, per Director Fury's orders, it would get me into most of the areas onboard, except for the super-high clearance areas. This, I tucked into my jeans' pocket while the agent explained that I was welcome to sit here and amuse myself, or I could go explore the hallways and familiarize myself with the ship.

Since there was no way I was going to sit around and do nothing, I decided to go exploring.

If my brother knew what I was experiencing, he'd have wet himself in excitement while turning green with envy. Top-secret government agency hovercraft with the best technology in the world = total awesomeness.

The inside of an invisible, flying, secret government aircraft was as cool as anything I'd ever seen. Armed with the keycard provided oh-so-kindly by Director Fury, I gave myself my own tour of the place. Occasionally, I had to bother an occasional agent or two for directions, but given that this was an airship, I could only stay lost for so long.

Sadly, I wasn't allowed to see much, since I was still 'technically' a civilian, but I did manage to find Dr. Banner's lab, which was as cool as the rest of the ship. Since Cap was still meeting with other people (probably Director Fury), I decided to hang around with the doctor and listen to him talk about how he'd become what he was.

"I just wanted to find a way to make humankind less susceptible to gamma radiation," he said, his voice tinged with a touch of sadness and despair. "Instead, I got a lot more than I bargained for."

My heart went out to the pour guy. He had only wanted to help his fellow man, and was now having to watch himself, so that he didn't turn into a huge, green rage-monster that could level a city in a day. As he sat, looking at one of the clear computer screens, I put a hand on his arm, saying nothing for a while. I think he just needed a listening ear, and a friend, so I decided to give that to him.

When he saw how sad he'd made me, Dr. Banner gave me a small smile. "Sorry, I didn't mean to upset you," he apologized. "Let me tell you about my travels around the world instead, hm?"

I gave him a genuine, interested smile. "I'd like that, Dr. Banner."

"Call me Bruce," he said, before launching into a story about his adventures in South America.

Bruce was just beginning to talk about Canada when there was a knock on the metal door panel. "Adena?" called a voice from the door.

Turning, I felt my jaw drop. "Wow," I breathed in awe, my knees going slightly weak. Thank goodness I was sitting, because I would definitely have needed a chair at the sight of the man that stood there.

It was Captain America. Dressed in full gear, his form-fitting uniform on and his shield strapped across his back, it was my idol. He even had his mask on!

As he awkwardly cleared his throat, Cap's equally awkward smile snapped me back to reality. "Adena, it's still me," he said pointedly.

Blinking away the dreamy look that was probably in my eyes, I smiled back at him. "Oh, I know," I assured him. "It's just cool seeing you like this. You can't really blame a girl for going all gooey-eyed when seeing her idol."

Then it really hit me. "You're going out on a mission, aren't you?" I asked, my stomach sinking to my feet. At his nod, I had to swallow hard. "You'll be careful, won't you? Because I'll be very disappointed in you if you die."

Cap chuckled and came to put a hand on my shoulder. "I'll be careful. Agent Romanoff will be with me, so I'll have backup."

Oh, well, at least he'd have help. "Okay, but either way, don't do anything stupid," I firmly told him. "I've worked too hard educating you for you to die on me now!"

This time both he and Bruce laughed. Rather than taking the bait, I asked, "Where are you heading?"

"Germany," Cap replied, surprising me.

I stared at him. "Why there?"

He shifted his shield a little. "Loki has put on an appearance there. Director Fury wants me to go retrieve him, to get him to tell us where the Cube is."

That didn't sound so hard, but then, I should know better than to assume that –from what I saw on the news and in movies, missions always seemed easy on paper, but once it was time to carry them out, things tended to get messy.

"Remember to watch your back," I told him. "I'll have your next lesson for you when you get back, so you'd better be there."

A flash of emotion shone in Cap's eyes, but when he blinked, it was gone. "I promise to come back," he whispered.

I could almost see the thoughts in his head. The last time he'd gone out on a mission, he ended up missing seventy years of history, with all of his friends and loved ones passing away. I'd be very surprised if he wasn't having even miniscule second thoughts right now.

The sound of footsteps on the metal flooring drew our attention to the doorway. Natasha stood there, clad in a tight catsuit. Thinking of my own body, I almost died of envy right then and there. She must have seen the look on my face, because she winked at me.

"Time to go, Captain," she said. "We've got business to take care of."

Acting on impulse, I reached out and gave Cap a hug around the waist, since I couldn't reach his neck without standing on my tiptoes. He was surprised at my sudden show of affection, but managed to return it, hugging me around the waist with one arm in a brief squeeze.

"Be careful," I reminded him, tilting my head back as I pulled away.

He nodded. "Go and have fun talking with Dr. Banner. I'll be back before you know it."

That still didn't stop me from worrying, even as I watched him vanish down the hallway. A gentle hand on my arm drew my attention back to Bruce, who invited me to play with the scientific equipment as a distraction.

Unable to resist the urge to tinker with government property, I sat down and began exploring the many gadgets strewn around the countertops. The back of my mind still stayed focused on Cap, though.

AN: Review?