A/N

Sorry for the short chapter you guys, I did the best I could. By the way this book has more reviews than the prequel with almost half the chapters. Thank you so much!

Chapter 15

"Are you sure this is where he was? Because all I am seeing right now are mountains, mountains, more mountains, and a very big lake that is covered in enough salt to douse four Thor-sized popcorn buckets."

"First off, what else did you expect from SaltLake City? Secondly, yes I am too sure, because Jarvis did the tests and nobody calls him a liar." my dad replies in a not-quite-focused yet sassy tone, telling me he's probably scanning our serene, Loki-free landscape for any sign of the God, all the while focused enough to be sarcastically diva enough to defend the A.I.

I huff and roll my eyes, shooting higher to get a better visual on the blue and red specks that are Cap and Thor.

"Is anyone getting anything, anything at all? I am bored and I had better things to do at home."

"Beta, quit whining, we-"

"We might have something! Does someone have a visual on us?" Cap's excited shout interrupting Natasha's berating tone makes me perk up and zoom in on the blue speck.

"Captain, this is Beta. I have a visual, what do you see?"

"A green orb of some sort, hovering over a black char circle…"

I wince at the telltale sign of Loki. "Alright Cap, go on."

"It has glowing green tendrils pulsing with light…guys, you had better come and see this."

"Aye, aye, Captain!"

The comms crackle silent as I dive towards the mountain face where Cap and his companion, Thor, are settled.

My boots touch down as I see Hawkeye tuck and roll from who-knows-where, Widow by his side. I can feel the heat from my dad's thrusters and the wind displacement behind me as he too lands.

"Cap, what do ya have?" I ask as I become within talking distance of our leader.

"See for yourself. The tendrils see to be leading….um…" Cap spins, eyes following the glowing lines. "That way, I think."

The corners of my lips twitch downwards as I flip up my face plate to get better look at the orb looking thing.

The ball itself is an odd mixture between emerald and mint green, emitting a soft jade light over the nearby rock face. The ball is hovering about three feet above a black circle of burnt mountain about three feet in diameter. The tendrils are a dark emerald green at the base, where they meet with the circle, but they lighten to a soft mint color as they snake their way through the mountains, heading mainly northeast.

"Guys, Jarvis doesn't even know what this is. If Jarvis has no clue-"

"-then this is bad, and can only mean one thing, really." I cut my dad's slightly panicked tone off. I take a deep breath as I push back the shadowy memories associated with this particular topic. "But we need to focus right now and do what we do best, save the world." I finished with another glance at my dad, who seems slightly calmer but no less tense.

The Captain nods and sighs as he looks at the orb. "Right, game plan, okay…Beta, you speed ahead and follow the lines. Do not engage, should you happen to see Loki, but radio back instead. Iron Man, Thor, follow her at a slightly slower pace, try and fan out for any more signs of…this." Cap waves his had vaguely at the orb. "Hawkeye, Widow, get back to the jet as soon as possible, I will follow you. We need to tell Banner to stay in the jet until further notice and be ready to be wheels up in a moment's notice."

Everyone nods as Thor, my dad, and I prepare for takeoff. Clint, Natasha and Steve start to scramble back down the mountain towards where the jet awaits. I nod and smile at the glance Clint gives me over his shoulder, giving him a thumbs up as I flip my face plate back down and power up my boosters.

I lift off with my dad speaking on the holoscreen. "Right, just track them and get a feel for their speed before you blast off into the wild blue yonder. Thor and I will trail you, I am on your left while he's on your right. Got it?"

"Got it."

"Good. Stay safe."

"You too."

The comms die down as I start steadily after the tendrils. I speed up and then slow down again, adjusting my speed until my speedometer says I'm clocking about ninety five and keeping up with the tendrils.

I swerve, roll, and backpedal to avoid boulder, birds, and trees. I squeeze myself through some pretty tight spaces, darting through at the speed of sound and then thankful to still be in one piece. I can barely hear the roar of thrusters some ways behind me, telling me that my dad has managed to stay on my trail, yet is quite a bit behind me.

I dive to avoid an arch before shooting up the side of a cliff. What I see makes me freeze and my eyes widen.

Around a thousand – Jarvis says so – booted, beefy soldiers stand at attention before me, each with a snarling, drooling, semi-sized mechanical wolf beside them. Their bright blue eyes stare attentively at something I can't quite see on the horizon, but I have a guess as to what – or who – it is.

"Guys, we have a bit of a problem."

"What do you mean? The last time you said that, you were stuck inside Big Ben. Oh, please do not be stuck inside another national monument where you have to throw your suit at something…"

"What? No, dad, no monuments, my suit is still on."

"Then what is it, sparrow?" Clint cuts in, equal parts concerned and impatient.

"Avengers, you might want to assemble, because I kind of sort of might have found…um…"

"Found what, for Pete's sake Beta?!"

"I found an army…Loki's army."