Frostbite

Two

Once the jet landed on the ship, we made our way down the ramp to where Natasha Romanoff was waiting for us. Nat was an inch or so shorter than me and had bold, short red hair. She was very lean and didn't age normally either, so we looked around the same age. She was dressed casually, which was surprising.

"Hey Natasha!" I greeted with a small smile. She barely smiled back at me, a hint of distress reaching her eyes.

"Agent Romanoff. This is Captain Rogers," Coulson introduced the two. Steve nodded in her direction politely.

"They need you on the bridge," she informed Coulson. He gave a quick smile and salute, walking off. I shook my head at his retreating back.

"There was quite the buzz around here, finding you in the ice. I thought Coulson was gonna swoon. Did he ask you to sign his Captain America trading cards yet?" Natasha asked Rogers. He looked up at us briefly confused.

"Trading cards?" he questioned, either not understanding, or not believing what she was saying.

"They're a vintage set. He's so proud," I chimed in.

Steve looked over his shoulder, recognition dawning on his face. He walked over to a medium built man with dark hair that seemed to be graying at the roots. The man seemed to be wandering around, lost. It must've been Dr. Banner. I attempted to follow, but Nat grabbed ahold of my arm to stop me.

"Clint's gone," she informed me gravely. That's why she was on edge. I could only stare at her incredulously. Why hadn't Coulson mentioned this? One of our own was taken, and it wasn't a priority?

The familiar tingling started to work its way into my limbs. I stepped back out of Natasha's grip and when my boot hit the ground, a sheet of ice crept out. Nat didn't look surprised and calmly waited for me to regroup myself. I took several deep breaths, trying to do just that.

I bent down to the ice and placed my palm on top of it, concentrating. The ice quickly faded away, leaving no trace of what I had done. I struggled to control my powers a lot of the time.

"We'll get him back Nat," I tried to reassure her after straightening up. I sounded like I was trying to convince myself more than her, but she flashed a grateful smile.

Rogers and Banner strolled over to us. I introduced myself to Dr. Banner, and we exchanged a few words before Nat informed us that we might want to head inside. The helicarrier started to shake, preparing to lift into the sky.

"Is this a submarine?" Rogers asked impressed.

"Really? They want me in a submerged pressurized metal container?" Banner asked, his facing lifting in amusement. They both made their way over to the edge of the ship and peered over. They gazed in awe as the ship started to rise out of the water.

"Oh, no. This is much worse," Banner smirked back at us, causing me to choke on my laughter. With that, we walked toward the middle of the craft to go inside where the director was waiting.

There was a flurry of agents everywhere when we entered the bridge. Director Fury was ordering Agent Maria Hill to activate camouflage mode as we approached. The reflective mirrors slowly turned out, causing the helicarrier to turn invisible. Fury turned and approached us, taking something from Rogers as he passed, slipping it into his jacket.

Nick Fury was a tall, dark man who always wore the same long, black trench coat. He had an eye patch covering where his left eye should have been. Several scars snaked out from under the patch, hinting at what had happened. I had never dared to ask. Fury nodded to Natasha and me while extending his hand out to Dr. Banner.

"Thank you for coming Doctor," he greeted him.

"Thanks for asking nicely. How long am I staying?" Banner asked hesitantly.