Steve and I were walking up the many stairs the central building had before we finally got to the rocky corridor I recognized from the movie. I usually didn't get winded, but after all those stairs, and with a small parasite sucking the life outta me, I was breathing a bit heavily.

"We're locked down out here." Natasha said through the comms. I felt a tiny bit of relief knowing that they were safe. For now, at least.

"Then get to Banner. Time for a lullaby." Cap told her and held his hand up to the comm in his ear

"On it." Nat replied after a second of silence.

"Be careful." I told her.

"Banner won't hurt me." Nat said in a slightly shaky voice.

"Banner isn't Banner right now, he's Hulk. I'm not saying that Hulk would hurt you, because I don't think he would. He likes you, but, still, be careful." I told her. It was only the second time we'd tried the lullaby.

"I will, stop worrying." Nat half laughed.

Steve and I walked the halls of the building and took out a few HYDRA soldiers along the way. We finally came to a doorway that was guarded by a soldier dressed in black.

"You want to do the honors, or should I?" Steve asked in a hushed voice.

"By all means..." I smirked and gestured to the guard. Steve rolled his eyes playfully before running up to the guard and body checking him with his shield. I followed and, as soon as we walked through the doorway, a figure topped the stairs in front of us. He clearly wasn't looking where he was going, but the sound of the guards unconscious body hitting the floor made a sound loud enough to get his attention.

"Baron Strucker." Cap said and lowered his shield. "HYDRA's number one thug." Steve continued and walked around Strucker to block him from running down the stairs again.

"Technically, I'm a thug for S.H.I.E.L.D." Strucker's accented voice corrected.

"Well, then technically you're unemployed." Steve said and stepped closer to him, challenging him.

"And, technically, I don't care." I added. Strucker gave me a quick glance before turning back to the closest threat, Steve.

"Where's Loki's scepter?" Steve asked him.

"Tony's got it." I answered for Strucker. "Or he will in about three minutes."

Strucker turned to me with wide eyes.

"Guess that just leaves the people you've been illegally experimenting on." Steve said. "How many are there?"

As Steve talked, I watched Wanda try to sneak up on him from the back entrance. This corridor really had too many entrances.

I teleported behind Wanda and tapped her on the shoulder. She jumped and turned to me, but I caught her hands before she could blast me away.

"I just want to talk, Wanda." I told her as she struggled.

She managed to get one of her hands free enough to blast me back with her energy. I hit the wall and fell to the floor just as Wanda turned and threw Steve down the stairs with swirling red magic.

"I guess that's a no." I grunted and stood up. Wanda quickly ran out of the room and I wasn't going to follow her. I knew she was heading for Tony next. She would show him his greatest fear that led him to create Ultron. I wished I could completely stop the creation of Ultron, but it was a huge part of Tony's development, and he desperately needed to learn that he couldn't protect the world from everything.

"Sammee, you ok?" Steve asked as he came up the stairs.

"I'm fine." I brushed off.

"The second enhanced is in the field. Do not engage." Steve said into the comms before looking at Strucker.

"You'll have to be faster than-"

A gunshot rang out as I took out my 9mm and shot Strucker in the thigh. His scream cut through before I pistol whipped him into unconsciousness.

"Was that really necessary?" Steve asked me.

"He pissed me off." I shrugged and holstered my gun.

"We got Strucker." Steve let the others know.

"Ya, I got...something bigger." Tony responded. "Got eyes on the prize." He said a moment later. "You were definitely compensating with the staff, Reindeer games."

"Trust me," Loki said, annoyed. "I wasn't compensating for anything."

"I can attest to that." I told them. I heard a few laughs as Tony huffed. I could basically hear his dramatic eye roll through the comm.

"I definitely didn't-" Tony started to say before he trailed off suddenly.

My heart hammered in my chest as guilt racked my bones. I could still picture the hallucination that Wanda would show him.

"Miss," L.I.V. said, startling me. "Your energy levels are dropping." She informed me.

I looked at the energy bar that was at the side of my vision and saw that the bar was about half full.

"I'll be fine, L.I.V., we're pretty much done here anyway." I sighed. I definitely felt the exhaustion, but I always felt tired lately.

"Kitten, are you heading back?" Loki asked.

"Ya, as soon as one of Tony's Iron legion robots comes to get Strucker." I told him. "And don't call me Kitten when we're working." I laughed.

"I will call you what I wish." Loki responded.

"Sammee, I can wait with Strucker. You go on back to the jet." Steve suggested. I looked at Strucker's still unconscious body before looking at Steve.

"You sure? I don't mind waiting with you." I told him before I yawned. I quickly turned my head and covered my mouth.

"Ya," Steve laughed. "I'm sure. You've done enough today. Go back to the jet."

"Alright," I sighed. "Thanks."

By the time I made it back to the jet I was ready to face plant the ground I was so tired.

"Wow, you look..." Nat started when she saw me. She was still making sure all of the HYDRA soldiers were cooperating with the Iron Legion.

"Shut it!" I warned her.

"Kay, sorry." She told me and put her hands up in surrender. I looked back over to the jet and saw Loki make his way off the ramp and to me.

His arms went around me and his head fell to the crook of my neck. He took a deep breath before speaking.

"I hate these missions." He told me, which wasn't exactly true. He loved the mischief these missions caused. What he hated was not being able to protect me. He knew I could handle myself, but it was still nerve racking for both of us. But I didn't correct him, I just laughed and let my tired body relax into him.

"I'm 100% going to fall asleep on you on the way home." I warned.

"That's perfectly fine with me, Kitten."