A/N: I am mainly doing this because a) I want to b) I've never written an AU or a chapter story I was proud of and wasn't just a collection of one-shots c) I feel there is just not enough teenage Tony out there d) I've searched and searched and sometimes if you want something bad enough you have to do it yourself.

Basically this is mostly for me and the fact that I want this story to exist, but I'll still try to do a good job. Also, please be warned, I've never written AU before so this may be sketchy. So, if you see any plot holes let me know, or you know just ignore it . . . Also, if anyone wants to Beta, I would love you forever.

SOME THINGS YOU MAY WANT TO KNOW

This is all happening before the events of Avengers but the movie will probably be referenced all the same. I haven't decided if I will include the movie yet, that was just planning way too far ahead.

I'm still working out parts of the timeline here, but I do intend to explain it eventually.

The Avengers team is already assembled despite this happening before the movie.

Tony will most likely seem a bit out of character at first, just give it time. He's pretty much a kid here and kinda messed up and scared. Again, any noted mistakes please alert me to them.

Also, I know nothing about computers or hacking. Sorry.

Disclaimer: I'm skeptical of even claiming this story, much less the franchise.

S.H.I.E.L.D. had great security. The best, actually. The agents working to secure the organizations activities, classified information, and general secretive things that go along with running a secret organization, were brilliant, hand-picked, severely trained, top-of-the-line personnel. S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nick Fury and his right hand woman, Agent Hill would accept no less. Generally speaking the Director had faith (if spies really had such things) that S.H.I.E.L.D. was well protected from such blasé things as leaks or hacking.

Except, as of 0800 that morning, S.H.I.E.L.D was indeed, being hacked.

And quite thoroughly, at that.

Hill was pretty sure if she didn't murder the entire technical department Fury's head exploding would.

"How is this happening?" Hill asked for what felt like the hundredth time.

"I don't know, ma'am," Harris repeated harshly, "I've enacted every security protocol we have and some we don't, but whoever's doing this just blasts through all of it," Harris never looked up from his monitor, "Right now the best we can do is limit the damage." He glanced at Hill with an apologetic expression.

Hill closed her eyes a moment, blocking out the frenzy around her, "And what exactly will that damage be?"

"I won't know for sure until I get this under control and out of the system. But I can tell they seem to be targeting information from R&D and weapons manufacturing."

Hill's eyes snapped open, "Is there any way to track this person at least?" She had to give some good news to Fury, no matter how trivial. A location would at least give them an edge on the hacker.

"I've got someone on it. They've taken a lot of precautions though. Whoever this is was well prepared."

Hill sighed and snapped, "Stop them. Now." Harris only acknowledged her with a nod as Hill swept out of the lab, dodging frantic Techs, to find Fury and report what was happening.

Oh, joy

"I think we both know what they're after, sir," Hill said as she finished explaining the situation to Fury. As far as she knew Harris and his tech team were finally managing to hold off the infiltration in the system and actually making some progress controlling the hacker.

"There's no way anyone but S.H.I.E.L.D. could know we have the Tesseract in our custody," Fury stood from behind his desk to the door, "And there's no way to be sure that's what they're after." Fury began to head down to Harris's lab, no doubt wanting to see this fiasco himself.

"Rumors spread, sir, and you know as well as I do that people have been shot for far less," Hill quickened her pace to walk along-side the Director, "Besides even if they were just attempting to get even the slightest glimpse of what we have on file, there's plenty of information to send them looking for it. The Tesseract has been the center of most of our research for months now."

Fury only glanced at her with his one good eye and sped up.

By the time they reached Harris's only slightly calmer lab, Agent Coulson had made it down. How he knew everything that was happening in S.H.I.E.L.D. at any given time would forever be a mystery to Hill, but she was more than often grateful for it.

Foregoing greeting Coulson, Fury instead barked for Harris, "Tell me you are getting this under control."

Harris looked up, finally, from his screen, "We are, sir," he seemed relieved that he was able to answer the affirmative, "But it was a close thing," Harris looked troubled again, "Frankly, Director, I don't think this was the hack we should be worried about."

Fury moved closer to the monitors lining the walls, "Explain."

"It was an exploratory hack, sir," Harris said quickly, "Feeling out our system, if you will. They didn't even look through anything direly important. It's like they just gave us a hard poke and then ran once we started poking back."

"Fits the pattern," Coulson spoke up suddenly.

Fury, Hill, and Harris all turned to the agent as Coulson held out a file for the Director.

"Now what?" Fury groused as he took the folder, flipping it open.

"Basically," Coulson began carefully, "We are not the first organization this has happened to. FBI, CIA, and few dozen others have been through the same treatment. Short probing at first, then the actual hack. These other agencies were slow in reporting these security breaches, however, because they don't have our early alert systems. So far, it doesn't seem like anything catastrophic has been seen or taken but we definitely have a serial hacker on our hands here. However, the good news seems to be that this is the first time this hacker has been deliberately confronted. It looks like they bit off more than they could chew with S.H.I.E.L.D," Coulson pointedly ignored Harris's smug expression, "Of course that doesn't mean they won't be better prepared the second time around." Harris's face fell a bit at that.

"Well, when can we expect the second hack?" Hill asked, reading over Fury's shoulder.

"Depends, I think," Coulson turned back to Harris and the screens, "On the hacker's assessment of our security and their plan of attack."

At this Harris huffed, "We blocked his progress this time and we can do it again. Plus we'll be prepared as well," he turned to one of the younger techs who immediately passed Harris some printed pages. "We have an approximate location. They're here in New York but so far we can only get you so close."

Fury took the proffered papers and scanned them, "This would have us covering over fifty miles. Can you narrow this down at all?"

Harris looked mildly insulted Fury even asked, "I'll do what I can, sir."

"Good," Fury passed the papers off to Hill who turned to continue discussing them with Harris, "Coulson," Fury began walking out of the room, Agent Coulson in tow, "I want you on field duty for this one. I want this taken care of with as little pain as possible."

"Yes, sir. I'd like to take Agent Barton as well."

"Fine. But be discreet, I'm not sure I want the entire team knowing about this just yet," Fury paused at Coulson's small, amused huff.

"Sorry, sir, but I doubt even I could keep anything from the Avengers for very long," Coulson said without a hint of sympathy.

"Just get to it, Agent," Fury groused and stalked away, "I want whoever this is in an interrogation room ready to be threatened in the next twenty-four hours."

"Understood, Director," Coulson mumbled and went to find Barton. He couldn't quite explain it but the Agent had a bad feeling about this whole mess.

A/N: I feel like this is a thousand times longer than any prologue should be, but that's what I'm gonna call it. Hopefully, we'll see Tony in the next chapter, I haven't decided yet.

Again first AU, so please be gentle but I would love some criticism of the constructive type.