I love to kick it up a notch
Cause I'm evil and bad to the bone
Looks like Junior is all grown up
And I'm having a blast
Blowing s**t up

~Kick It Up A Notch (Reprise), Team Starkid (Starship)

CREDITS:

Writer: Me…

Beta Reader: JustImagine21

Moral Support: Beth, Grace, Isabel, Ianthe and Sooty the cat

Thanks for reading it: Susy, Beth, JustImagine21, Grace, Isabel

Thanks to Joss Whedon and co for making the Avengers possible!

No S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents were harmed in the making of this fanfiction!

(Except Laura…)

(And Coulson….)

A/N Look out for the SEQUEL called 'When Bullets Meet Their Mark" out soon!

Her eyes opened wearily, her legs feeling stiff, numb and heavy. She felt her hair sifting beneath her head, as she moved it slowly, trying to figure out where she was. As her vision cleared, she noticed that she was restrained to the bed she lay in.

The room was pure white, like a hospital, with security cameras in every corner; monitoring her, she supposed. Her ears pricked up to the sound of faint footsteps approaching the door on the far side of the room. The handle turned, and in walked a tall man with short black hair that was gelled back. He wore all black, with a faint red logo at the top of his shirt. She was too far away to figure out what the logo showed, but she didn't need to look; she knew this man.

"Ward." She spat, trying to get a better look at him.

"Agent Stark; I'm glad you're awake. We've missed you." Laura glared at him, and her eyes flitted to what he was holding; a large, rectangular, silver briefcase, big enough to easily hold Clint's bow, full size, plus arrows.

"What's in the box Ward?" She asked, eyeing it suspiciously.

Ward looked down at the case and chuckled. He walked over to a small table, set the case down and opened it.

Laura strained to look, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ward pull out a long, thin, curved object with a glowing orb at the end…

Loki's sceptre.

For the first time, Laura strained against her bonds, knowing what was coming, and that she couldn't do anything to stop him doing it.

"I'm going to ask you a question, Agent Stark, and I'm only going to ask it a few times before I kill you. Who are you loyal to? SHIELD or Hydra?" Even with all her fear, Laura frowned.

"SHIELD… I'm loyal to SHIELD." Ward shook his head and approached her, sceptre in hand; the orb started to glow, and Ward tapped the tip of the sceptre against her chest… her back arched involuntarily, as her mind started to clear. Laura fought against it, thinking of Steve, Tony and Coulson; filling her mind with their smiles, laughs, and Steve's kiss. Ward pulled the sceptre away from her.

"Now I'm going to ask you again. Who are you loyal to?" Laura grimaced, and forced herself to look at Ward.

"SHIELD. You won't change my-" Ward cut her off by pressing the tip back against her chest. Laura's mind started to clear again, and she felt a new hatred enter her. She strained to push it out, focusing on Steve again, and she pushed the Hydra hatred back out of her, beads of sweat appearing on her forehead. The tip was once again taken away from her chest.

"Again. Who are you loyal to?" Asked Ward through gritted teeth. Laura took a deep breath, trying to regulate her breathing.

"I am loyal to SHIELD… to Agent Coulson, to Steve… to my dad." She said, trying to appear strong, even though she was silently terrified that the sceptre might actually work. The tip was pressed against her chest once more. This time it was worse than ever. The hatred was back, and it took over everything; Steve, Tony and everyone who she was ever friends with. Her eyes glossed over, and the sceptre was retracted from her chest.

"Who are you loyal to, Agent Stark?"

"I am loyal to Hydra, Agent Ward."