SARCASM | t.stark [o.h]

two.

CHAPTER TWO.
GOLDEN BOY.

ALEXIOS ARRIVED ON THE helicarrier a day later with Nick Fury. She was the first of the chosen few to accept, so she was the first to arrive. She hated it, really. Alexios had no clue if the others were to accept, and she knew that she could not take on Loki by herself, even with her powers.

It caused some nerves. It caused Alexios to have her arms crossed as she paced around the control center of the helicarrier. Nick Fury and Maria Hill watched her carefully, and she knew that, to make sure she didn't snap and burst into flames. Though, she even doubted that would happen.

Alexios could hear agents chattering around, and yelling out to their superiors. She just didn't focus on what was being said, she couldn't care. At this moment, all she wanted to hear was that the team was here and that there was a team at all.

She ran her fingers through her blonde hair, gently tugging at the roots. She groaned, before exhaling and slightly calming her own nerves.

"Let's vanish!" Nick announced loudly, catching the attention of Alexios. He waved his hand, motioning her to come to him. She nodded, jogging over to him and following him up the platform. "Gentlemen," Nick spoke, approaching the two men.

Steve Rogers and Dr. Bruce Banner looked around the large area. Steve looked surprised and fascinated by everything around him.

Alexios couldn't help the smirk that came to her lips as Steve reached into his pocket and pulled out a leather wallet. He went through whatever bills he had, plucking a ten from the stash and handing it over to Nick. Nick just simply looked at the ten dollar bill in his hand, then glanced at Steve, tucking it into one of his pockets.

"Knew it," Alexios muttered, smirking at Captain Rogers as he passed. She looked back to Nick, shaking her head. "He dresses like my grandfather did before he died."

After staring for a moment too long, she scurried away and back to Nick, who was talking to Dr. Banner. He extended his hand for Bruce to shake.

"Doctor, thank you for coming." Nick greeted. Bruce looked at him, then down at his hand before shaking it.

He nodded, "Thanks for asking nicely." His gaze seemed to be everywhere around the room. "So, uh, how long am I staying?"

"Once we get our hands on the Tesseract, you're in the wind." Nick replied.

Bruce looked at Alexios, wondering who she was and why she here. She sighed, holding out her hand. "I'm Alexios, but call me Alex."

Bruce shook her hand and nodded, turning away slightly. He walked past the two of them, leaning against the steel railing. "Alex," Bruce acknowledged, then looked to Nick. "Where are you on that?"

Nick pointed over to agent Phil Coulson. He was a great man, a man that Nick Fury could trust more than anyone.

Bruce and Alexios looked at Phil, making the blonde smile fondly at the older man.

"We're sweeping every wirelessly accessible camera on the planet," Phil answered, crossing his arms and looked up at the group of three. "Cell phones, laptops . . . If it's connected to a satellite, it's eyes and ears for us."

Natasha looked up, kneeling beside a computer and pulling up information on one of their own, Clint Barton. "That's still not gonna find them in time." She stated.

Alexios looked back to Banner, hearing his voice again. She felt small with all these people here, here for a reason. She wasn't so sure why Nick wanted her here.

"You have to narrow down your field," Banner stated, catching the attention of Nick. "How many spectrometers do you have access too?"

Nick crossed his arms, "How many are there?"

"Call every lab you know," Banner replied quickly. "Tell them to put the spectrometers on the roof and calibrate them for gamma rays. I'll rough out a tracking algorithm, basic cluster recognition." He explained, shrugging off his jacket. Alexios quirked a brow as she watched him wad it up into a ball in his arms. "At least we could rule out a few places. Do you have somewhere for me to work?"

Nick nodded, then looked at Natasha. He cocked his head to the side, motioning for to come as well. "Agent Romanoff, could you show Dr. Banner to his laboratory, please?"

Alexios stepped off the platform, passing Romanoff. She went straight to Steve Rogers. A simple smile was on the woman's lips as she stood in front of the hero.

She extended her hand, waiting to shake his. "I'm Alexios. I didn't get to introduce myself the other day."

"Ma'am," Steve Rogers nodded, gently shaking the blonde's hand. "It's a pleasure, and nice to put a name to the face."

Alexios crossed her arms and bit down on her bottom lip. At least the nerves of being alone were gone, but now she had the nerves of meeting her childhood hero. She refused to let it show through, however.

She shook her head after earning a puzzled expression from the soldier. "It's amazing, really. Steve Rogers, America's Golden boy of the forties. My grandfather always told me stories of you."

Steve nodded, shrugging off his own jacket. Alexios' eyes wandered down to his biceps, that once again seemed tight in his shirt. It was processing in her brain that this was real, America's Golden Boy wasn't just a story told to her as a child. And boy, was he attractive.

He turned, facing the giant window and crossing his arms. Steve glanced down to Alexios. "So, why are you here?" He asked.

Alexios shrugged, "In case I'm needed for something." She shook her head, "I'm no hero, just a cursed girl."

Her statement made Steve raise his eyebrows at her in question, but decided not to press the issue. Instead, he glanced to his left as he noticed another presence next to him.

"Captain Rogers, Alexios." Coulson nodded. Alexios leaned forward, smiling slightly and waving at the man. Phil then looked at Steve. "Could I possibly get you to sign my trading cards? I mean— if it's not too much trouble."

"No. No, it's fine." Steve quickly said, gazing at the man for a moment before something else grabbed his attention.

"It's a vintage set," Coulson stated proudly, a smile on his lips. "It took me a couple years to collect them all. Near Mint. Slight foxing around the edges, but . . ."

Coulson was quickly cut off by another agent at a computer. He turned around, facing the three. "We've got a hit," Sitwell stated.

Alexios was ready for the mission, and to take down this pathetic god. She couldn't wait for him to unleash what he wasn't expecting.