If Nick Fury had any idea the amount of trouble Hope would turn out to be, he may have decided to leave that convoy of trucks alone—he wouldn't have because he still had enough of a heart not to leave a girl, of unattainable age, to the mercy of Hydra.

She wasn't as placid like Coulson was, didn't have the quietness of Barton and couldn't lie as easily as Romanoff but when in a fight she was brutal and had enough grim determination to keep fighting against all odds that Fury had to admire.

She didn't have the loyalty to SHIELD like Hill did, her loyalty was to the few agents that bothered to get to know her and crack her angry-shell—like Coulson, Barton, Romanoff and Rogers—and the mutants of Xavier's. Fury wasn't concerned with her betraying them for he had agreed as long as she fought for SHIELD than he would keep an eye on Xavier's and keep the major threats away—something she knew he didn't have to offer her as she was basically owed by SHIELD.

She had an honesty about her that was unique amongst SHIELD agents and yet she could lie without blinking and bullshit her way through things—like being among the group that found Thor—and was horribly blunt that he was sure she could have actually hurt his agents' feelings if she actually tried.

She wasn't the most skilled fighter around, but she was fast and brutal with strong hits that he knew could do a lot more damage than the broken bones she had dealt other agents—Fury knew she was stronger than Rogers, though how strong he didn't know as she had learnt to keep things close to her chest.

She had a hatred of Hydra that made Fury both trust her with his mission to one day destroy them and wary of having her involved as he could see her going off the rails at the men that had done experiments on her—something he wasn't sure if he wanted to happen or not yet.

There was a childish side—that could be very large and annoying—to her that he was surprised had survived all the shit she had been through.

Fury both trusted her and didn't, and he knew that she felt the same about him.

Somehow Fury wasn't surprised to seeing Hope lying flat on her back as she played with her DS while Rogers repeatedly punched a reinforced punching-bag further away in the very old-style gym.

The Captain had been big team-building things such as training together, sparring together, eating together and other such things that made Hope complain horribly when he first insisted on them but always ended up doing because Rogers cheated by using his big blue eyes on her—her own words, not his.

"Warning, warning, Captain Fun-Kill has entered, I repeat, Captain Fun-Kill has entered," Hope did a very poor attempt at a robot voice and his eyebrow twitched slightly—he should have never let Stark be alone with her as since they made their friendship Hope had been extra annoying.

Rogers steadied his bag and looked at him with the respect of a soldier while Hope didn't even glance away from her screen as her DS played the annoyingly cheerful background music of one of her Pokémon games that she almost constantly played.

Fury didn't even snap at her to pay attention as she had an uncanny ability to listen while she appeared to be ignoring everything and Rogers would inform her of anything important with the patience of a saint if she did end up missing anything.

So Fury just explained briefly what was happening and was turning away when Hope spoke up.

"Where's Clint?" she asked almost off-handily but Fury wasn't fooled.

"Compromised," he informed her and watched as a scowl plastered itself on her pixie-face.

"I'm going to hit that Fucker,"

Fury decided not to ask if she meant Loki or Barton and left.

"Dr Banner,"

Part of him wanted to jump as he was unused to being called anything but Doctor and he had learnt to never like it when a soldier called out to him—even if that soldier was Captain America—and another part flared in annoyance as he took in the perfect super-soldier that would always happen because of his mistake that led to the other guy.

"Oh hey," he twisted with his hands slightly. "They told me that you would be here."

The other guy only gave a bit of vague curiosity at that back of his mind as his only warning.

"BOO!" A girl's voice shouted behind him making Steve look like he wanted to hit himself in the face and Natasha to warily smirk as she watched him.

Bruce's first impression of the woman that simply introduced herself as Hope? She was either very brave or very stupid, he had decided before he had even turned to take in her petite frame and saw her duo-coloured eyes looking up at him almost innocently as she held a sticker-covered DS in her tiny hands—he wasn't fooled.

She didn't wear a uniform like everyone else, like Steve she was dressed almost casually though her casual was very different to the casual of a 40s man. She wore two different coloured vests—one white and one black—that showed of all of her silver arm and skinny dark faded jeans low on her hips with her feet stuffed into flat boots.

Simple silver rings decorated the slim fingers of her right hand and her dark hair had been pulled back into a ponytail that showed off the three stud piercings in each of her lobes.

She peered up at him curiously.

"Not even a hint of green?" she sounded strangely disappointed as she voiced that and for some odd reason Bruce relaxed slightly. "Respect for your control."

"Hope," Steve sighed resignedly as he pulled her over to his side making her look tinier against the tall form of Captain America. "I'm sorry, I would like to say she wasn't always like this but I would be lying."

Hope just smiled at him from beside Steve, there wasn't a hint of shame on her face.

"Okay," he answered almost awkwardly.

"Hope, suit up," Steve called as he was leaving.

"What?" she asked absently as she attempted to act like didn't hear what was going on.

"You're going to Germany," Fury stated in his deep voice.

"But—" she was cut off as Steve plucked her out of her seat and threw her over his shoulder making all the air leave her in a gush—it was something that he had only recently adopted to doing to Hope when she decided to play the difficult card. "I don't want to go to Germany!"

Steve ignored her as he marched out of the bridge.

"Steve!"

"Still think it was a stupid idea for teaming them up?" Fury asked Hill and smirked as she rolled her eyes.

"I don't know why I'm here," Hope complained to Natasha making her smirk as they flew the Quinjet—she didn't like flying at all, didn't like to be the one behind the controllers and hated that Steve and Tasha decided that they didn't need another agent as her co-pilot. "You know I hate flying, heights and other such crap."

"We're helping you get over such fear," Tasha said.

"Bullshit," she snorted. "You just like to watch me sweat in fear."

"Maybe a little," Tasha admitted easily.

"I hate you both," she declared, hearing Steve's chuckle echo in her ear-piece.

"Love you too Hope," Natasha countered.

The egos of men would be the downfall of the world and be one of the reasons that the Avengers could crash and burn.

Tony couldn't stand Steve because of Howard Stark, Steve couldn't stand Tony for the same reason and Thor was too busy attempting to bring Loki back to whatever senses he had and back home to care that he had basically started a mini-war.

At the moment I hated Natasha as she had mentioned how I knew both Thor and Tony and would probably stop their little fight, and I hated Steve for strapping me to his chest like a child and jumping out of the Quinjet—I screamed like a little girl as we fell.

Than Steve had the nerve to tell me to stay back as he decided on the fall that he could handle it himself. The bastard.

"Guys, you know this forest is most likely protected right?" Hope asked in the silent staring match between the three men with the egos the size of countries were having.

"Hope!" Thor cheered as he absently rubbed some dirt off his cheek and walking towards her with wide arms. "How's my tiny yellow mouse counterpart?"

Steve shot a look to Tony and mouthed 'tiny yellow mouse counterpart?' making Tony smirk before he mouthed back 'pokémon' and was surprised with the look of understanding that passed over the Capsicle's face, though he shouldn't have been since he obviously friends with Hope—her pokémon obsession was kind of worrying.

"Kicking ass," she said as she let him pull her into his muscular arms—well she didn't really have a choice in the matter but she liked to delude herself sometimes. "Like you just were."

"I didn't know you knew these men," Thor said with one arm still wrapped firmly around her shoulders.

"Yeah, they're friends," she told him with a smile to the staring Tony and Steve—they were almost gaping at them. "So are we going to stop fighting and start working together, boys?"

She grinned at the noises of affirmative each of the towering men made—what power a petite woman had over a towering soldier, bulky god and cocky billionaire.

"Good, so who's getting the prisoner that you all left alone when you had your pissing-contest?"

She didn't bother joining the others at the brig as she had a warning to give a certain trickster god.

"Alien," she greeted blithely as came to a stop in front of his glass cage.

"I'm a God," Loki sneered at her, green eyes almost completely shadowed by brilliant blue.

"You come from outer space, so sorry to break it to you luv, but you're an alien," she smiled at him.

"What can I do for the woman forsaken by Death?" Loki asked, obviously trying to get under her skin.

"Really?" she gave him a look that she was sure made his eyebrow twitch. "That's pitiful."

"So was your form under the might of the Destroyer," he sneered—again.

"Yawn," she waved her hand in front of her face. "Sorry, your wit is so over-powering that I think I'm about to fall asleep."

"What do you want?" he finally asked with frustration.

"I'm here to give you a warning," she told him.

"You're threatening me?" he looked amused.

"Nope, I'm warning you," she let her smile sharpen. "If Fury's little team crashes-and-burns like you hope and everyone with a brain thinks, I just want you to know that I'll still wade into whatever battleground you chose, beat the shit out of whatever freaky alien army you bring and put a bullet through your head."

"How heroic,"

"It's not heroism, it's all about survival really," she shrugged easily. "Better the master you know after all."

"You're their attack-dog than?"

"You could say that," she agreed easily. "When I do put that bullet through your head, I'll be smiling by the way."

"You'd die before you'd reach me," he stated rather foolishly making her laugh.

"I'm forsaken by Death remember? I'm more immortal than you are."

"Professor? Can you hear me? Professor Xavier! Can you bloody hear me?"

"Loud and clear, Hope."

"Keep everyone away from New York, perhaps even in the bunkers?"

"Loki?"

"Yeah. Don't let Clarice, James, Logan or any of the others come help me. I'll be fine."

"I'll be watching and I give no promises, Hope."

"Fair enough."

She perched herself on one of the tables in the lab that Tony and Bruce had claimed and smiled at Tony as he walked over.

She could feel Bruce's curious gaze on them as Tony started messing with her left arm and barely grimaced as her arm clicked out its metal socket.

"How's the nerves?" Tony asked idly as he carefully set the arm down before twirling and heading to one of the black box-cases that he hadn't opened yet.

"Sore," she answered easily as she watched Tony's clever hands unclip the case and lifted the lid to reveal a brand new shiny silver arm.

"You know, the timing and specs of this arm makes me kind of suspicious," Tony turned to her with a smirk. "Like you knew this would happen."

"You think I'm working with Loki?" she raised her eyebrows at him.

"Nope," he denied easily. "We all saw your little show-down with him, you don't like him or respect him so you wouldn't follow him at all. But I think you know a lot more than you ever let on."

She grunted as he near-shoved her new arm in place and her nerves burned briefly as they attached themselves to the new arm.

"And if I do?" she challenged as Tony tinkered to make sure it was firmly in place and would work for her.

"Then I would ask you why you are keeping silent," Tony looked at her with serious dark eyes.

"Perhaps I believe I'll make things worse if I speak up, perhaps I believe it would arrogant of me to knew how to make things better," she answered equally serious, keeping her tone as low as Tony's so Bruce couldn't hear—he was pretending to be busy searching for the cube despite the fact he kept glancing at them with curiosity clear on his face.

"What if you make things worse by not speaking up?" Tony asked. "What if you damn us by keeping your silence?"

"I'm not going to let anyone I care about die, Tony," she stated fiercely.

"And what about the innocent civilians?" he challenged. "I know you care little for people that aren't people you care for or trust."

"Isn't that why you're the heroes?" she cocked her head to the side as she idly clenched her left hand. "I'm only here to make sure you guys survive, you care about the civilians and I care about you guys, that's the only reason I've been assigned to this little team."

He stared at her for a moment, hard and unblinking, before looking down at her left arm and pointed to a near-invisible silver button in the middle of her forearm.

"Press there and you'll get your blade arm," he pressed it and they watched as two blades clicked off from her forearm and joined together over her hand to form one sharp blade. "The vials are stored in a freeze-pocket here."

He tapped the inner part of her bicep.

"It's not over is it?" he asked quietly with a resigned air.

"You knew it wasn't the moment you confronted me, Tony," she stated simply making him nod.

"Stark! Banner!" Fury's stern voice snapped them out of their little staring contest. "What the hell are you doing? You're meant to be searching for the cube?"

And Hope kept her mouth shut as slowly the others crowded the room and voices were raised with harsh words spoken.

She braced herself and closed her eyes as Bruce moved to look at the screen tracking the cube and was one of the few that didn't go flying as the carrier shuddered.

So it beginnings, she thought and while Steve and Tony raced off to save the ship and Fury ran to the brig, Hope went to find Coulson.

"Phil!"

Both Loki and Coulson looked up at that shout to see Hope standing there, blood dripping from the blade that was somehow part of her left arm and bullet holes in her tops.

"Fucker," she growled dangerously, duo-coloured eyes narrowed on Loki and Coulson almost smiled at how easily the petite girl could shroud herself in a dangerous air, and decided to make good on her distraction and blasted Loki through the wall.

"Huh, so that's what it does," he near-wheezed as blood fell from his mouth and suddenly Hope was crouched beside him, a scowl on her pixie-like face as she fiddled with her left arm.

"You idiot," she hissed at him, worry and slightly panic swarming in her eyes as part of her arm came off with a hiss of cool air and a number of small metal/glass vials with needles already attached clattered on to the metal-grid floor.

She ignored the cool air coming from her left arm and she ripped his shirt open.

"I liked this shirt," he complained lightly, vision doubling and blacking out at the edges.

"You have a dozen just like this one," she countered as she pulled the plastic casing off the needle of one of the vials before stabbing it down next to his wound, she did that with the other five.

"What?" he asked as he blinked down at his bare chest at the metal/glass vials well something thick and red made its way into his body.

"My blood, non-toxic of course," she smiled at him, moving him so he was resting against her and not the uncomfortable metal wall. "I gave Tony a few pints when he was dying to help him fight back the poison and he had some left over that he gave me."

Awkwardly she fiddled the panelling back in place on her arm to stop the cool air from escaping, before reaching up with to her ear-piece.

"I need medics in the containment room, Coulson is down, I repeat Coulson is down, I need medics."

His lips twitched slight as his head lulled onto her shoulder. She almost sounded like a true agent than.

He was tired and Hope had him, she would make sure he survived this he knew so he let himself drift off.

Coulson would have died and been brought back in a horrible painfully way. I spared him that. My blood healed most, if not all, of the damaged caused by Loki and the medics hardly had to do anything.

He would be out of it for a few days though, his body unused to the major healing that it did in such a short amount of time and thus he was tired out.

But the main point was that Coulson lived, the first SHIELD agent that was kind to me and had kept a watch over me. The first SHIELD agent to genuinely care for me and the first agent I actually trusted.

Now all we had to do was kick Loki's ass, defeat an alien army and close a giant black hole/wormhole thing. Simple, huh?