The Bird

After the boys had, finally, stopped fighting, we were finally able to get to our destination.

I had been promptly pulled away from Captain Rogers, Loki and Thor, who I was introduced to as Loki's brother.

My dad had removed his Iron Man armor and was now standing with his arms crossed, staring at me.

"Skye, I am so disappointed in you."

I scoffed. "Disappointed? You don't even know the meaning got that word. No one's ever been disappointed in you. But you know what? People have been disappointed in me since the day I was born. I'm not a genius, I'm not a social butterfly, I'm nothing like you and you know what? People are disappointed by that. But if anyone should be disappointed, it should be me."

"Don't you speak to me like that, Skye!"

"Stop treating me like a little kid! I'm almost 18, dad. I'm old enough to start making my own decisions."

"Wait- You're only, like, 16. You can't possibly be almost 18!"

"This is why I'm disappointed." I shook my head. "You're turning into your old self again."

I started walking away but he grabbed my arm.

"Don't you walk away from me."

"My birthday was almost seven months ago. Happy took me to dinner, Pepper sent her present, I even got a card from Agent Coulson. But not even a phone call from my own father."

The door opened and Agent Coulson appeared. "Sorry to interrupt, but I've got to show you to your rooms."

"We're not done here." My father said.

"No. We're finished." I turned and walked towards Agent Coulson. "Agent Coulson, always nice to see you."

"You too, Miss Stark. Though I much prefer these circumstances than the first."

"I never got to thank you for the birthday card. It's always nice to be remembered."

We stopped in front of two doors.

"Mr. Stark," He pointed to one. "We had an agent retrieve your items from Stuttgart, Miss Stark."

"Thank you, Agent Coulson."

"Please, call me Phil."

I smiled before closing the door to change my clothes. I was glad to get out of my dress and high heels. I changed into a long-sleeved v-neck shirt, jeans and converse, pulling my hair out of the bun I'd had it in, letting it fall around my shoulders.

I left my room to find my dad talking to Agent Coulson about Oregon. We began walking as they talked...well, my dad doing most of the talking as usual. I stayed a few steps behind them, trying to memorize my way around the labyrinth of hallways. We were getting closer to voices and as we turned the corner, I could see the back of Natasha's head and Thor standing by a table.

"Iridium...what do they need the iridium for?"

"It's a stabilizing agent." My dad said, breaking into their conversation. "I'm just saying, pick a weekend. I'll fly you to Portland. Keep love alive." I followed Agent Coulson, trying to keep to the background as much as possible as my dad kept talking. "It means the portal wont' collapse on itself like it did at SHIELD." My dad walked by Thor. "No hard feelings Point Break. You've got a mean swing." He slapped Thor's massive bicep. "Also, it means the portal can open as wide and stay open as long as Loki wants. Raise the mizzenmast. Jib the topsails." I groaned, almost face palming. He would say something embarrassing. "That man is playing Galaga. Thought we wouldn't note, but we did." My dad covered his eye, looking at the screens in front of him. "How does Fury even see these?"

"He turns." The female agent standing to the side said.

"Sounds exhausting. The rest of the raw materials, Agent Barton can get his hands on pretty easily. The only major component he still needs is a powerhouse of high-energy density. Something to kickstart the cube."

"When did you become an expert in thermonuclear astrophysics?" The female agent asked.

"Last night. The packet. Selvig's notes, the extraction theory papers? Am I the only one who did the reading?"

"Does Loki need any particular power source?" Captain Rogers asked, interrupting my dad.

"He would have to heat the cube to 120 million Kelvin just to break through the Coulomb barrier." The man who had been pacing by me said.

"Unless Selvig has figured out how to stabilize the quantum tunneling effect."

"Well if he could od that he could achieve heavy ion fusion at any reactor on the planet."

"Finally someone who speaks English." My dad said, walking over to the man.

"Is that what just happened?" Captain Rogers asked. A grin lifted the side of my mouth. That's how I felt sometimes.

"It's good to meet you, Dr. Banner. Your work on anti-electron collision is unparalleled." Did my dad just compliment someone? "And I'm a huge fan of how you loose control and turn into an enormous green rage-monster." Spoke too soon.

"Thanks."

"Dr. Banner is only here to track the cube. I was hoping you might join him." Director Fury said, walking into the room.

"I could start with that stick of his, It may be magical, but it works an awful lot like a HYDRA weapon."

"I don't know about that, but it is powered by the cube. And I would like to know how Loki used it to turn two of the sharpest men I know into his personal flying monkeys."

"Monkey's? I do not understand." Thor said.

"I do." Captain Rogers said. A full blown smile had grown on my face now. "I understood that reference." He was getting cuter and cuter by the second.

"Shall we play, Doctor?" My dad asked.

"This way, sir." My dad and Dr. Banner left the room. I had half a mind to follow when I thought better of it. I began wandering around the hellicarrier when I came to a set of doors I knew I probably should have avoided, but I couldn't help myself.

The door slid open with a hiss, revealing a circular cage with glass all around it, like you would find in a zoo, and inside was Loki. I walked down the stairs, being as silent as possible, but I knew he knew I was there, even with his back turned.

"I was wondering when they would send you." His voice was like silk, sending shivers down my spine. He turned to face me. "like a sacrificial lamb being placed on my alter."

"They didn't send me. I came myself because I want to know why I dreamt of you non-stop over the past year."

He chuckled, walking towards the glass separating us. "It was not I who chose to invade your dreams, it was you who reached out to me. I'd never felt a midguardian so powerful before. I tried to reach you completely but you kept shutting me out. You have no control. You're like a baby bird with no one to teach it how to fly. I can teach you that and so much more. I can show you things you've never imagined." I hadn't realized I had been getting closer and closer to him. I was right in front of the glass now, looking up at him. He was right against the glass, his hand level with my head. I wanted to reach out and place my hand on the glass.

I had opened my mouth to answer, though what I was going to say, I didn't know at that moment, when the door hissed open and we were interrupted.

"Miss Stark, I'm going to have to ask you to exit the room." Two agents came in.

I backed away from the cell, afraid to break eye contact with Loki. He was the predator and I was the prey and he knew that too.

"Remember what I said, little bird."

His voice echoed in my head as I made my way to the lab. I didn't feel safe anywhere else. I felt like Loki was watching me, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. The snake slithering towards the mouse in the grass. The spider creeping up on the fly caught in its web.