Later that day, I'm just strolling around the carrier. Fury gave me the rest of the day off, which he knows will start to drive me insane. Instead of subjecting myself to this form of torture all day, I find Natasha in her room, typing furiously at the computer screen. Still searching for Clint, independently it seems.

"Sienna, leave the room." She says without turning around. I stay planted, crossing my arms over my chest. The clicking of her fingers on the keyboard stops, followed by a reluctant sigh.

"You need to rest." I chide her, walking over to sit on the bed, "Besides, I've tried too. Clint knows how to go under the radar as well as you."

She stops for a minute, not bothering to look up at me, "I know him. I should be able to find him."

"We don't know him," I respond, trying to let my tone soften the harsher truth, "At least who he is right now. Stark and Banner will find the cube, that'll lead us to him."

"Do you really believe that?" She finally turns to me, tone clipped, "Barton would think of that. He'd know we'd search endlessly for him. He'll use that to his advantage."

"So what are you doing right now?" My head tilts toward the screen, Natasha keeping her fac placid as I do my best to reassure her, something neither of us is used too, "Once we find the cube it will be that much easier. No matter want he does. Once we find it, I'm almost betting they'll find a way to break the spell."

"How do we know the spell isn't permanent?"

That possibility makes me quiet for a moment. Clint, same body but never him again?

"We can't afford to think like that." I state, knowing it's I lie as soon as I say it, "We get him back, we work from there."

"Sienna, don't be naive. We have to think like that, the possibilities. For all we know, tomorrow we could suffer an alien invasion. We have to lay all are cards on the table."

I am being naive, thinking everything will go back to normal once we find the cube. It could even go more wrong once we do have it.

Natasha's form sags forward, revealing to me just how tired she really is, "I don't want it to be that way. I want to believe we'll find the cube, get Clint back, then everything will go back to normal. But this is reality. Some many things can and will go wrong. We've learned we aren't the only people out there anymore. We're human. That thing in the cage isn't."

I look at Nat. I believe she is like an onion. You peel off a layer only to find another one. In the years I've known her, I've seen so many sides of her. Here is another one, a young woman who is expecting the worst because she knows it's true, and is afraid of it, but will face it anyway. I like her this way, because I believe this was a part of who she was years ago, before I met murderer Black Widow. In this part of herself, she's the strongest human on earth.

I let my gaze go down to the floor, digesting what she had said. It was true, we weren't alone anymore, "Then what part do we play in this universe? We're minor children compared to the things we've seen."

She shrugs before regaining a more confident posture, "I was scary as a child. We'll give them a run for there money."

She manages a smile out of me. I see hers to, pearly and beautiful, but curved into a smirk that feels real and organic. I've only seen Nat's true smile on certain occasion. It's one of her best qualities.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'm starting to resent Fury more. The man wasn't even decent enough to give me a low-level job that I was over-qualified for. Instead, I'd earned myself no work at all. The longer that persisted, the more torturous it became.

What else was here for me to do? Nothing, because prior my impulsiveness is now costing me. My jaw works, going up to the next level that happens to be right near the lab. A little eavesdropping to see how Stark and Banner's work on the cube is going wouldn't hurt anybody, especially if them working their science-y magic gets us closer to finding Barton.

I keep my stride leisurely as I pass the work space, stopping at the sound of heated voices. Fighting. That seems counterproductive.

"I think Loki's trying to wind us up. This is a man who means to start a war, and if don't stay focused, he'll succeed. We have orders, we should follow them."

Rogers?

"Following is not really my style."

Definitively Stark.

"And you're all about style, aren't you?" Rogers presses, earning a lengthy silence that gives away the fact the captain hit a nerve.

"Of the people in this room, which one is; A.) wearing a spangly outfit, and B.) not of use?" Stark continues, more vigor behind his words that hints Roger's statement did bother him.

"Steve, tell me none of this smells a little funky to you?" Banner adds, entering the conversation. Something 'funky'? The three men are suspicious, which was bound to happen. Problem would only arise if they did anything about it.

I peer in through a window, keeping the majority of myself concealed from their view. Stark pops a blueberry from a bag into his mouth. I see Rogers face knit into a scowl, "Just find the cube."

He walks out of the lab, and I act as if I'm just passing by, stepping past him.

"Sorry." He mutters carelessly, then keeps his pace by turning left. I let myself wait another moment, curiosity getting the best of me while I listen intently to the remaining two's conversation.

"That's the guy my dad never shut up about? Wondering if they shouldn't have kept him on ice." Stark states, obviously annoyed. Taste of his own medicine.

"The guy's not wrong about Loki," Banner adds, going back to his work, "He does have the jump on us."

"What he's got is an ACME dynamite kit. It's gonna blow up in his face, and I'm gonna be there when it does."

Banner keeps tapping on a screen, an amused sigh reaching my ears, "And I'll read all about it."

"Uh-huh. Or you'll be suiting up like the rest of us."

Banner's face is expressionless, "Ah, see, I don't get a suit of armor. I'm exposed, like a nerve. It's a nightmare."

"You know, I've got a cluster of shrapnel, trying every second to crawl its way into my heart," Stark points at the mini arc reactor his chest, seemingly trying to console his new friend, "This stops it. This little circle of light. It's part of me now, not just armor. It's a... terrible privilege."

Banner head drops, "But you can control it."

"Because I learned how."

Bromance moment.

"It's different, " Banner tries to read the computer screen, ending the conversation, but Stark slides the data aside with his finger so the two can see face-to-face.

"Hey, I've read all about your accident. That much gamma exposure should have killed you."

"So you're saying that the Hulk... the that the other guy, saved my life. That's nice. It's a nice sentiment. Saved it for what?"

Thick silence ends the conversation abruptly. I should keeping going, but I haven't procured the information I want, besides being further updated on Rogers and Stark's rivalry and the furthering of a friendship. Neither give me any idea of how the work on the Tesseract is coming. So I let myself in, knowing me setting foot in the lab is enough for Fury to suspend me from active duty longer. I brush that thought off. I simply want how the hunt for my possessed best friend is coming, "How's your work coming on the cube?"

Both men suddenly become aware of my presence in the room, slightly surprised. Perfect.

"There's my favorite SHIELD agent," Stark's tone is sarcastic as usual, and he offers a tired smirk that let's me know he's not happy I'm prying.

Dr. Banner adjusts his glasses, wiping his face with the back of his hand while actually answering my question, "We should get confirmation of it's whereabouts in the next few hours."

Not what I want to hear, but true none the less. Now to know what the conversation with the Captain was about, but I doubt I will find exact details about it from these two. Yet, their replies might be enough, "Just ran into a rather pissed Captain America. You guys have anything to do with that?"

Stark doesn't give me the luxury of his full attention, half-ignoring me by checking the screens, "Is really that your business?"

The words are somewhat hostile. They talked about SHIELD for sure, and one of their agents snooping around is not what he wants. I test his patience anyway, "I'm a spy. It's my profession to know everyone's business."

"Which is why we won't tell you." He taunts, shooting me an annoyed expression whilst sliding his fingers over a screen.

I simply shrug my shoulders, my work done here. I exit wordlessly, thinking over what knowledge I've gained. They're suspicious of SHIELD. My mind goes to Phase Two, yet no one knows about that, supposedly. That answer could be enough to provoke Rogers, considering his history. My final conclusion is to keep my eyes on the candidates for the Intiative.

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So, how are you liking Sienna so far?

Oh, one thing, this book will be kinda on the shorter side because if the way Joss Whedon wrote it. He meant it to be an movie, so he wrote if that way. I'm writing it as a a book, so I cannot do it the same way he did.

I try not to make the action scenes to long, nor the peace. You will see some action in the next few chapters, cross my heart. But action will only be a few chapters, then peace a few, then action etc. Ya get my drift? Okay, love you guys!