The Helicarrier was a hell of a lot more impressive up close than in the models I'd seen. As the jet began its approach, I pressed my hands to the cold glass like an eager child to get a closer look. The Helicarrier was gray in color, with two stacked carrier decks with 5 or 6 aircraft vehicles on them, a hull number of 64 and four large, circular engines. My eyes drifted away from the Helicarrier and stared at the wisps of clouds that flew past us as the jet slowly landed on the runaway. A group of people emerged from below and some men wearing bright orange vests slowly guided the plane forward as it slowed down.

For the first time in weeks, I felt every limb in my body relax, my breathing slow, and my mind was clear. A lazy smile touched my lips. I was safe now.

I yawned to pop my ears and then removed my seatbelt, stretching leisurely. For the first time in a long time, I had a good sleep and some proper food that eased the ache in my stomach. I still felt a little sore, and my arm was still bruised from Loki's rough grip.

The door to the jet opened automatically and I stumbled, nearly falling down the stairs, but I managed to catch myself. I raised my eyes to look at my audience, and it was if I'd arrived at Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S. all over again. Director Fury, Maria Hill, and Kat were waiting for me. Ever the Southern belle, Kat was wiping her eyes with a handkerchief. I smiled tightly at her; did she have to pull the handkerchief? Who even carries those around?

"Oh, Miss Elle," she sobbed, rushing forward without a moment's hesitation. "I thought you dead." I grunted when she wrapped her arms around my midriff and squeezed.

"Uh, I'm okay, Kat," I said awkwardly, with a stiff pat on her shoulder. Kat stepped back, still smiling through her tears. I forced a smile for her.

"Agent Pedagia," Hill greeted me, stepping forward with Fury at her heel. "Good to see you alive and well." I shook her hand weakly, glancing at Fury, whose face was stoic as ever.

I cleared my throat awkwardly. "Sir."

"Pedagia," he responded coolly. "A welcome surprise."

You don't sound surprised, I thought dully, looking away from his dark eye immediately. Or pleased.

Maria cleared her throat awkwardly, and I raised my eyes to look at her. "Come with me, Pedagia, we'll get you out of that suit and into a hot shower." A kind smile touched her lips and she motioned for me to follow her. Fury gave a slight inclination of his head as I followed his assistant across the runaway and into the ship.

I returned to the command center of the Helicarrier a few hours later, wearing a freshly laundered suit, carrying a new sidearm, a new I.D. card, and a white bandage cloth around my wrist, ordered by Dr. Banner. Hill asked him to come to the infirmary on-board to examine my bruises. He whistled with disbelief when he got a look at the bruises, perfectly aligned in a row.

Dr. Banner was a nice guy. For someone who had the capacity to tear New York to pieces, he was very quiet and reserved. While he filled a bottle of pain medication, he explained to me that he was working on locating the Tesseract as a favor to Fury. Shyly, he offered to show me his lab once I had fully recovered and was debriefed. I gladly accepted, even though I didn't really know what he studied.

The command center was both similar and different to the one at headquarters and the former complex; there were raised platforms above the computer stations so Fury could monitor the situation from anywhere, and there was a raised platform at the front of the command center with six monitors encircling the stage. Rather than a large monitor, a large window provided anytime access to the view outside. I had to admit that it was beautiful. For the most part, I spent my days holed up in front of my computer or in my house, so I never traveled that much. Today, it was a cloudless day, with not a cloud in sight. Maria told me she was pleased that the weather was cooperating, because it meant that in the case of an attack, we would be able to see the enemy rather than peering through covers of clouds.

Technicians were busy typing away at their computers, others using face recognition software that I barely remembered while I stood on the high platform, observing my new surroundings. Behind me was a large circular table with 10 chairs.

"...not necessarily. Yikes, what'd he do, break your arm?" came Tony Stark's voice from behind. I turned to face him and he eyed the white sling that held my left arm. "I haven't seen the man, but I heard he's a stick." Agent Coulson, who was with him, cracked a grim smile.

Tony Stark certainly didn't give a shit about hiding the fact that he was rich; he strutted towards me, oozing confidence, dressed in a black suit that was probably three times my paycheck. His hair was perfectly coiffed to look wind-blown.

Intelligent brown eyes were waiting for me when I finished my observation. "Pleased?" he asked me, a teasing grin on his lips. "I can't help it, either."

I smiled a little, feeling at ease, and I stuck out my hand. "Um...thank you for sending that jet. I really appreciated it."

He shook it once. "Yeah, so what happened there?" Stark asked, crossing his arms and taking a stance. "In the middle of West Virginia? Weren't you in...New York, or something?"

Rude, rude, rude.

"Mr. Stark-" Coulson began, smiling with patience at the billionaire, who turned on him in exasperation. "We would rather have her debriefed than play 20 questions with you."

"But it's one of my favorite games," Stark said with wide eyed innocence. "Did you have a childhood, Coulson? I played that all the time."

Coulson shook his head and looked at me. "Welcome back, Agent Pedagia."

I pursed my lips in response to his greeting. "I'm an agent, now? Since when? I'm a computer technician."

"When you single-handedly killed someone who could have been a threat to S.H.I.E.L.D. and escaped from an assailant who killed 80 people in three days. It's not as important as disarming a time bomb and saving hundreds of lives, but we'll take what we can get."

"Um...thank you, I guess." Agent Pedagia. Doesn't sound too bad. I never had any particular desire to become a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, but I figured that I may as well go along with it.

"Spunky for a...what, five foot four...skinny thing? Yeah. I'd say five foot four. Are you five foot four?" Stark pointed at my frame with a calculating gaze.

"I'm five foot four," I muttered, thoroughly embarrassed by the attention.

"Agent Pedagia, if you'll come with me, we'd love to have you thoroughly debriefed," Coulson said, stepping to the side and motioning to a hallway. Smiling politely at Tony, I shifted past him and followed Coulson.

"Don't let him piss you off!" Stark called from behind. "He's good at that!"