Everybody Loves Ana('s Help)

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"What do we have here?"

Ana sat on a small metal bench that over looked the quiet Red Hook pier, having her fruit smoothie and apple. She wore blue jeans and a grey hoodie with a leather jacket on top. It was just as cold in the early morning as it was last night when Danny and herself spent a lot of time trying to find the Golden Sands. She left his place around midnight, promising to catch up again this afternoon if she had time.

The pier Danny and the Yangshi Gongsi were discussing last night was the exact same one in front of her. She did some research when she got home and found that Rand Enterprises had purchased the Brooklyn pier not that far from the company. And here she was, doing some recon. Criminal syndicates were involved and if she was right, it also involved drugs and smuggling. Something she knew Danny wouldn't want apart of his company.

Currently, she wore her eye mask that enhanced her vision. It was in dire need of an upgrade but she couldn't exactly ask Tony to make her a new pair. She counted three large red shipping crates with the Rand logo on the side in white. Workers of the pier had unloaded them hours earlier and were just waiting outside the shack they called an office. They stood their while one of them talked into a phone. She got a closer look and suspected the Asian covered in tattoos didn't take care of shipping crates for a living.

Ana removed the eye mask and picked out her phone from her jacket pocket. She found Danny in her contacts and called him. Pressing the smart device to her ear, she continued watching as the man of interest finished his call.

"Hello?"

Ana quickly let out a yawn before replying. "Hey, Danny. Did you find anything out about the pier?"

"Oh, actually I got an address and a time. But before you ask, no, I don't want you getting involved in this." Danny stated firmly.

Ana clicked her tongue, "Too late. I'm already here."

"At the pier? You're at the pier? Alone?"

Ana rolled her eyes, slouching on the bench. "I thought it was clear. Whatever. So I've been here the last hour and guess what? Three shipments came in. And there are a few characters that stand out."

"Ana, if anyone sees you-"

"If anyone sees me and tries something funky, I'm gonna protect myself." Ana cut him off. She wondered why the hell he was so overprotective. "I'm more than capable of it."

"Just please come to the dojo. You remember where it is, right?"

Ana sighed. She didn't want to push. "Yeah, okay, fine. I'll be there in twenty."

Danny let out a heavy, relieved breath. "Thank you."

Ana made a few inaudible sounds before hanging up, setting the phone in her lap. She put her head in her hands and dragged them down her face. After checking on the pier again, seeing that the workers began leaving for lunch, she stood and made her way up to the streets to her motorcycle. She couldn't afford a new ride and had to stick with her old SHIELD issued transport.

Hopping on and starting it up, she travelled down the road heading to the Chikara Dojo Colleen owned downtown.

"What in the holy-"

Ana walked in through the door and gawked at Colleen who was across the room. She was waving her katana around, dangerously close to Danny face. Immediately, she strode forward and glanced at the dojo owner incredulously.

"Nice moves, but any closer and you're gonna give Danny a nasty scar." Ana said, dropping her motorcycle helmet on the mat behind her.

Colleen smiled, holding in a laugh. "Thanks for the compliment, and don't worry, I won't hurt that pretty face worth billions." She said, sheathing her katana.

Danny gave Ana a side hug, keeping his arm around her shoulders as he faced her. His pursed lips told her he wasn't happy. "You shouldn't be out alone when you're going after the Hand." He chided.

Ana rolled her eyes. Colleen quickly got out of there, sensing an upcoming argument between them. She turned on her heel and went in her room. Her head then poked out from the threshold slightly, watching.

Ana stepped back from Danny, crossing her arms. "I get that you're trying to be protective, but you have no idea what I've done and what I can do. I like to think I'm helpful person, and I always try my best to assist my friends. But I can't really do that if you're breathing down my neck and watching my every move like a hawk." She ranted, shooting Danny looks.

Danny was stubborn, especially when it came to his the safety of his friends. He stepped forward, causing Ana to back into the wooden beam in the middle of the room. "But the Hand are dangerous. They're not your average criminals, they're next level assassins who don't give a crap about anything or anyone. If they see you, they'll process you as a threat and send a thousands blades through your heart. You run, they'll find you. They're everywhere, Ana. Hiding in the darkness, camouflaging in the light. I just want you safe." He finished, finding that his hands gently grabbed ahold of her upper arms.

Ana felt the familiarity of the action and ignored the look in his eyes. She licked her dry lips and pushed Danny back with her forearm, gently.

"Just trust me." Ana shrugged. "Okay? If you really want me to stop, I will."

"I already do." Danny let a small smile slip, shoving his hands into his pant pockets. "And all I ask is that you don't go in blind. I know what they are, we can work to stop them. Together."

Just as Ana went to respond, her phone began to ring. She furrowed her eyebrows and grabbed her phone from her jacket pocket and answered the call.

"Hello?"

"I am outside your apartment door with Vision, Happy and Rhodey. And we got pizza from Joe's." Tony said. "Where you at, little lady?"

Ana chuckled, quickly pressing the phone to her chest to talk to Danny. "On second thought, you and Colleen should take this one tonight. I forgot I had plans."

Danny nodded in understanding. "Got it. I'll call you if anything comes up." He replied, embracing her.

Ana pulled back and picked up her helmet, sending Colleen a wave when she returned to the main room. The dojo owner returned it and stopped by Danny's side. She put the phone back to her ear, hearing Tony yell on the other end as she ran out the building.

"Did you just put me on hold?" Tony exclaimed.

"I had to say goodbye to my friends, Tone." Ana huffed, walking onto the street and approaching her motorcycle that was parked on the side.

"You have other friends?" Tony said as if it was a foreign concept.

"Ana has plenty of friends." Vision told Tony pointedly.

"I wouldn't blame her if she chose to hang with them instead of you, Tony." Rhodey chuckled on the other side of the call.

"The pizza's getting cold, guys." Happy added.

Ana thought they wouldn't notice if she hung up since they were speaking to each other. She laughed lightly and did just that, before riding uptown to her apartment.

"You wanna what?"

Ana gawked at Tony across from her at the dining table. Vision was on her left and Rhodey and Happy on her right and they all enjoyed pizza with drinks. Well all except Vision who doesn't eat, who sat and engaged in conversation instead. It was beginning to darken outside as the sun disappeared. The late lunch turned into a dinner and they decided to make it a movie night. Tony had just shared with the group that he was thinking of purchasing a business known to clean up after global disasters.

Tony munched on his slice of pizza and shrugged. "I want Stark Industries to join up with the federal government so we can recreate the Department of Damage Control." He said.

"I think it's a good idea." Happy agreed.

Rhodey was thinking on it, lifting the can of soda to his lips. "You sure about this?" He questioned.

"Jobs could be lost." Ana added, putting down her drink and crossing her arms on the table. "That always happens when companies take other companies under their wing. You're looking at angry men and women who are trying to make a living using your photo as target practise."

"By me taking it, and creating it as one of my own, I can make more jobs available. I can make sure it runs as smoothly as possible and hey, come on, I thought you guys would back me with this." Tony stated, shaking his head. "I mean think about it. When we're done kicking ass and saving the world, doesn't it make sense that one of the heroes who owns one of the biggest businesses in the world takes action and deploys a team to clean up the mess? Especially when we need any alien tech or materials that aren't from here to be taken care of and stored safely."

Vision nodded. "Yes it does."

Tony simply patted the android, gesturing him and Happy to Ana and Rhodey who were still doubtful on the idea. The two shared a sigh before dropping their arguments. They knew better than to tell Tony what to do and what to think.

Rhodey picked up the last slice of pepperoni. "Don't come running to Ana or me when you got a angry mob on your ass." He commented. Ana chuckled at that and clinked her can against his. She gulped the rest down and let out a breath.

Her eyes darted over the rest of the meat lovers pizza and she reached over and grabbed two large slices. Happy sighed, pulling back his hand that was reaching for the pizza. The men watched as she put one on top of the other and taking a huge bite into it. Ana didn't notice the stares until Vision cleared his throat subtly. She rolled her eyes and squared her shoulders.

"I got enhanced metabolism." Was her excuse.

"Shoulda got another box then." Tony mumbled to Happy.

Ana pointed at the fridge behind him. "Grab a tub of ice cream if you're hungry." She offered.

Happy got up, scraping his chair against the floor loudly and opened the fridge, scrunching his nose up at the emptiness. "All you got in here is ice cream and soda. Don't you ever get a case for the munchies?" He asked, pulling out the vanilla flavoured treat.

"There's a cafe and restaurant just across the road." She responded, thinking it was normal to eat there everyday. But in truth, she was too busy being a vigilante behind the governments back to buy groceries.

"You're gonna blow your money that way." Rhodey said, "And I'm sure your SHIELD earnings aren't that high. You should get a job."

Tony perked up. "Oh, come work with me!"

Happy squinted at Tony.

Ana shared a look with Vision. "Tony, Vis tells me you differ all of your business shenanigans to FRIDAY. She runs more of the company than you do, big guy, while you tinker with suits and what not."

Tony sent Vision a dry look, before spooning a heap of ice cream into his mouth that Happy offered. Rhodey curled his lip when some of it dropped on his shirt, shaking his head at his best friend. Vision handed him a napkin to which he took. "I need assistance. The last two helpers I had quit after what went down saying they couldn't handle it." Tony scoffed, "And FRIDAY is an excellent assistant, a bit sarcastic at times, but she's great. And I would really like it if you were my human assistant. You know, like telling me when to go to meetings and getting me coffee-"

Ana chuckled. "Don't your suits have alarm clocks?"

Tony widened his eyes. "Oh man, I didn't even think of that!"

The others only laughed while Tony scratched his cheek in puzzlement. How could I forget something as simple as an alarm clock?, he thought.

"And you've got Happy-"

"I'm his head of security." Happy stated pointedly.

Ana got up off her seat and circled around to Tony, patting his shoulder. "Thank you for the kind offer, Tone. I'll consider it."

Tony beamed up at her as Rhodey snagged the tub of ice cream from his hands.

"How was your visit to Rand?" Vision asked, turning his sweater covered torso Ana's direction.

Ana pouted her lips as she thought. "Uh, well I suppose. It was nice seeing an old friend and catching up." She answered.

"I'll be doing plenty of that next week." Rhodey interjected. "I'm visiting my old Air Force base in Washington."

At the subject of old friends fresh in Ana's head, she grinned at him. "Can I come? I have a friend who was stationed there who taught me how to pilot." She said.

Rhodey raised an eyebrow. "Really? Who?"

"Danvers. Carol Danvers. Know her?" Ana asked.

Rhodey hummed, shrugging a shoulder. "Name rings a bell but I don't know for sure. I guess we'll see."

Ana tapped the tabletop and smiled. "Great." She then moved the men to the lounge area and turned on the tv, letting them watch the basketball game while she cleaned up. She had moved to the kitchen to dispose of the pizza boxes and cans, squashing them with her bare hands so they all fit nicely in the trash can.

Happy stared at her, mouth agape.

Tony had his eyes on the tv as he lifted Happy's chin, closing his mouth. "Don't stare, she does that all the time." He told him.

Vision quickly flew her way with her buzzing phone in hand and gave it to her before returning to the sofa. She thanked him and answered the phone, resting against the kitchen counter.

"Yeah?"

"Ana, it's me, Stephen. I need your help."

"Drop it!"

Ana tried to wrestle an extremely dangerous weapon from the hands of Wong. He wanted to claim the object as his but she saw it first. They were supposed to travel to another dimension with Stephen to take care of a monster that suddenly woke up. She quickly hightailed it out of her apartment after making an excuse and put on her Mystic Arts suit when she arrived.

Wong glared at her. "You've never battled demons before. And you've certainly never wielded an axe this size."

"Yes, actually, I have. And I can handle anything." Ana bit back.

"Oh, look, Iron Man." Wong gasped, pointing outside the Anomaly Rue.

Ana quickly let go of the axe and turned to face the window, only to growl when she realised he was playing her. Wong didn't stop the smug look on his face when Ana rolled her eyes.

Stephen placed a hand on her shoulder, "Just use your Sword of Light. Wong gets the axe this time."

Ana nodded, "Fine."

"Now, let's see what all the fuss is about." Stephen said, gesturing to Wong to take them to the place. Soon enough, all three travelled through a portal, into a world both Stephen and Ana have never been before. It was a dark place, similar to an old and broken down mansion. There was light that came from the many cracks and holes in the roof, making it seem like it was the morning.

"Is that a Xycorax?"

The demon that Ana pointed to was ugly. It was probably around twenty feet tall — a green, slimy looking monster that had frog eyes, teeth like a wolf, and a large tongue. It had two arms and two legs, the arms sporting tentacles by the wrist that reached far passed the fingers. Tentacles also sprouted around its back, flipping back and forth as slime oozed off of it. The belly of it told them all it just swallowed a huge amount of food.

Ana cringed when she saw it.

It just reminded her how much more there was. In the multiverse. In the dimensions. In the galaxies. She was just an insignificant thing on a small planet. But at least she knew the tricks to defend herself against the unknown.

Wong went first, bringing the axe over his head and he jumped. He advanced on it, yelling as he brought the axe down, going for its head. The Xycorax let out a roar, grabbing Wong around the body with its hand, the tentacles wrapping themselves around his limbs. One of them tightened its grip around his wrist and Wong was forced to drop the axe. It dropped on the wooden floors with a loud clank.

Wong didn't look too happy and turned his head to face Stephen and Ana who stood there on the ground, dumbfounded.

"Well? Don't just stand there. Help me!"

Ana stood with Stephen, locking eyes. "Do something, Stephen."

"Can't you?" He questioned, shrugging.

Ana scoffed. She planted her hands on her hips. "I've never fought these things before, Doc."

Stephen mirrored her stance and tilted his head. "Me neither."

All the while, Wong was struggling in the grip of the amused demon. He threw his head back, yelling, "Move your assses!"

Ana and Stephen darted forward, putting away any doubts, and gave it their all to help their friend. Stephen created two energy blasts, shooting them at the Xycorax's eyes, trying to throw him off. It worked since the demon cried out, using both hands to cover his face and letting Wong go. Ana shot out her hands and created a quick base so it caught Wong before he could drop to the ground and on the axe. He safely got to his feet, collected the axe, and joined his fellow sorcerers.

"Now that's more like it." Wong commented, nodding his head in thanks.

Ana smiled, manifesting her Sword of Light in her hand. She twirled it around in her grip, while also spelling a mystic mandala on her other fist. Stephen had devised a plan in his head prior to his first attack and quickly voiced it when he saw the demon recover.

"Okay, Wong, you and I will keep it busy — we're the distraction — while Ana sneaks up from behind and buries that deep into his back." He pointed his yellow gloved finger at her sword, looking to each of them for agreement.

They nodded.

"Is this gonna take it down all the way?" Ana asked, before widening her eyes, a shiver going up her spine. "Drop!"

The demon shot out his hand, growling as its tentacles just missed their heads. He pulled his hands back, puffing out his chest before letting out another roar, curling his fingers by his sides.

Wong glanced at Ana. "Worth a shot."

With one final nod, three broke of into groups of one and two. Ana ran around as Stephen and Wong sent every type of mystical blast in the demon's direction. She cringed at the slimy tentacles that had a mind of their own, shooting out to try and grab her. She punched each of them away with her mandala, watching as they fell limp.

Stephen and Wong were once again stuck in the mass of the Xycorax's tentacles. Apparently, the demon saw them as food and his tongue darted out to grab a small taste. Wong and Stephen both wailed, disgusted when they were covered in its saliva.

Ana couldn't stop laughing.

"Hurry, Ana!"

Ana had a full blown smile on her face as she stepped up into the air using mandalas. She pushed her blade into the demon's back and his whole body shook, dropping the two men. It roar was deafening to their ears and Ana let go of her sword to cover her ears, standing on two mandalas in the air.

The exposed blade shone brightly, sending a flash of light throughout the mansion, and taking the demon's life. The Xycorax wavered on its feet, before falling on its side, the sword still in its back.

"Wow." Stephen breathed, uncovering his own ears.

Wong was shaking his head in disbelief as Ana descended to the ground, plucking her sword from the dead demon's back. "First demon kill. Not bad." He nodded.

Ana curtsied, "Thank you."