There was no explanation of the murder. Not a weapon lay in sight and there were no screams heard before the death. Even the security camera footage proved to be fruitless. Seconds surrounding the murder were missing, never saved to the database. Something was wrong.

The Avengers Compound was in immediate lockdown. It was crucial that the body was removed from the room and identified so that family could be contacted, if any. There needed to be a proper explanation, one that saved face. The Avengers were not responsible, but to the outside world, it would seem that way.

Agent Boldt had brought in a team from S.W.O.R.D. to sanitize the room and aid in the determination of what went wrong. S.W.O.R.D. was known for remaining inconspicuous, but had recently allowed itself to delve into matters involving the Avengers. Layton Boldt was the link between the two: an agent for the Avengers and an overseer at S.W.O.R.D. Because of Hope's sudden death, this gave rise to the suspicion that the killer was not earthly. S.W.O.R.D. was the perfect solution in taking the weight of this matter. They were a cover for the Avengers, a cover to help them remain "Earth's Mightiest Heroes".

"So much for making this easier..." Layten voiced his thoughts aloud, watching as the crew around him took pictures of the room, scanned the walls and mapped out the blood on the floor. Evidence would be saved before all was cleaned up. The only thing that had changed was the removal of Hope's body.

"What made Captain Rogers call us in again?"

Layten took a step back so as not to get in the way of another picture that was being taken of some blood splatter on the wall, looking over at who had spoken: Ellie, one of the youngest crew members there but the foreman in the forensic study that would take place. She held a tablet and observed the scene.

"He wanted S.W.O.R.D. involved to best explain this incident." Layten said. "They've been in messes with aliens and magic before, I think all of the Avengers want to be cognizant of the possibility of it happening again."

Ellie typed something on her tablet. "Pass it off to us and the mess is on us. The government's on our side."

"Precisely. And we can classify this as an extraterrestrial study if we find evidence suggesting it. Not to undermine the tragedy, but this works best for both teams."

"I would think so." Ellie paused. "I'll have a team come in and do an energy scan of the room. I'll get confirmation from Captain Rogers but I want to see if any magic was in use." She knew of the missing camera footage.

Layten turned to face her, ushering the both of them to the door knowing the crew would begin to clean the room soon. "I won't be surprised if we find any. There's no other explanation for this murder other than the Avengers being suspects, which is highly unlikely. Plus, we have the rest of the camera footage to prove them innocent. All that went missing was in that room."

Ellie nodded, walking beside Layten down the halls. She sorted files that were being sent to her tablet. "These will have to do."

Layten lifted an eyebrow at her slight mumbling. "What, are you disappointed?"

"No, but I can tell that none of us even know what to collect from this case. So far what I'm getting is already what I've seen in person."

"Ellie, we can't disregard anything. Those files will be useful to go back to during your research. I know this is only your first time leading a case like this but they gave you a pretty tough one to start with. Anything collected is priceless at this point."

Ellie subconsciously held herself higher at the mention of her lack of experience. Regardless of her feelings, Layten was right. She was young, and despite working and pushing herself up to this position, it was far more than anticipated.

"I'll wait for the energy scans," she replied. "Those ought to be promising."

The two walked in silence across the compound and up the stairs, making their way to Layten's office before any more information was relayed. Ellie had her eyes glued to her tablet and kept an eye on the agent from her peripheral. Admittedly, she was selfish in caring about the expansion of her own reputation over helping the Avengers. This first mission as leader over the forensics would do so much for her career. It would change everything.

"Looks like they'll begin sanitizing the room," she said. "We don't need any other scans for now. I'll forward these to you."

"Please do." Layten stopped to swipe a key card and entered his office, Ellie following.

The room was cold and smelled of fresh balsam. If Ellie had goosebumps, she would have had them crawling over her skin from the shift in temperature.

"I heard that Thor will be away from the Avengers for an extended period of time," Layten said. He opened a laptop so that Ellie could share her files. "Seems that he is also searching for something unearthly. Something about the Infinity Fractals."

Ellie seemed surprised. "They told you this? Are you in that rank?'

"Stark trusts me too much. Or he doesn't know how to keep his mouth shut. I assume the latter." He typed, paused, and then typed again. "AirDrop those when you're ready."

Ellie nodded and tapped a finger on the screen of her tablet. "Any reason why Thor wants to go?"

"It pertains to the outbursts caused by their newest recruit." A hint of a smile played on his lips. "Their answer may very well be a piece of ours."

"You think it is also related to the case?"

"Well, I'll do what I can to see if it is. Makes our job easier, you know?"

Ellie shrugged. "Leave some of those inquiries to me. I'm supposed to be leading this thing."

"Yes, I know. I am just the tie to the Avengers." He accepted the downloaded files and closed the laptop. "On a serious note, S.W.O.R.D. always knew the earth could not avoid the habitation of other creatures, but to let the common human know would be catastrophic. I am seeing the signs beginning to take place. Earth cannot avoid being one of the Nine Realms. It is part of its nature."

"But preserving the peace is what we're trained to do at S.W.O.R.D."

"Precisely."

Ellie's eyes seemed to gloss, but she chuckled it off. Her gaze wavered and she tried to push away her sudden rush of thoughts. Layten noticed her shift immediately.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

Her eyes met his again with a softer gaze. She managed to smile. "You speak to me as if I'm a human like you, but you forget I'm not one."

...

"I don't know how to say this nicely," Tony began when he confronted Thor later that hour, "but the day your brother arrived, everything went haywire."

Thor held his composure, although saving the reputation of his brother was a natural response for now. At the same time, he had grace knowing that a stranger's sudden death in their presence was leaving everyone unsettled. "I was with my brother during that time and can assure you that he had nothing to do with the killing."

Tony knew that, but even with Thor's sincerity, he couldn't push away the convictions. "Something's just been off. Even with Jennica and her fractals... we know too little about this."

"I agree. Both my brother and Jennica feel just as shaken over this incident and purely because there is a lack of explanation. I see this as a warning."

Tony stiffened. "What kind of warning?"

"I am not sure, but something to either prepare us or distract us. Loki has been speculating for a time that Jennica is being sought after for her fractals. The Stones are not just—"

"Thor." Tony's voice dropped as if ready to surrender. "This is beyond what we were ready to handle. We may be 'Earth's Mightiest Heroes' but we can't do that if we're attracting danger to earth. You need to take Loki and Jennica somewhere else while we get this straightened out, and I know Steve would agree with me."

Deep down, Thor had seen this coming. Having barely any leads or assuring knowledge, he had put everyone in harm's way. "We do have an idea on where more of the Fractals could be. That's as far as we have gotten, but in regards to anyone else who might be after them, or who would have killed the woman, I have no answers for you."

"This is why I suggest we separate to fight our opposing battles. If we end up intertwining them, it may become a bigger catastrophe than we want." Just as Thor was nodding and beginning to turn away, Tony added, "I... don't want to do this. You know that."

Thor looked back. "I know it isn't out of malice. You're deciding what is right for your team and for earth."

"You're still a part of our team." Tony tried to smile. "We just can't help you with this mission. Not here on earth... and not while a murder just happened on our base."

Thor was able to smile. It wasn't cheerful, just reassuring. "I wish you all luck."

Tony watched as the thunderer left him behind, departing in the direction where Loki and Jennica were being kept. He knew they would leave immediately and would probably not say another goodbye. They were still the same team, the Avengers; but something was coming and the darkness approached from two different worlds. They needed to split, Tony tried to convince himself. Thor taking Loki and Jennica away would be the right call. It would only be for a short while. S.W.O.R.D. would get to the bottom of the murder and Thor would continue his Fractal search. It would all fall into place. Surely nothing could get worse...