Yep, I'm literally the worst. I can't believe it's taken me this long to update and it be this short a chapter. I am so sorry. There are no excuses. I've been plotting out where I might take this story next so I needed some major brainstorming time. I hope you like this chapter and I hope that it won't take me this long to update again. As usual, I only own Charlotte. This chapter is also entirely third person, just like the last one. Let me know what you think!

It had been four days since Charlotte's attack on S.H.I.E.L.D. and they had yet to recover. Most of the agents active that day had been sent to the hospital… and the ones who weren't, were now in body bags. Everyone had been watching the surveillance videos over and over. Charlotte and Clint took down everyone that stood between them and their way out. Maria Hill had received an arrow from Clint to the stomach and a bullet to the shoulder from Charlotte (that had clearly been meant for her heart). Charlotte was wielding the scepter wildly, using it to kill or hypnotize with no rhyme or reason. There were several people that she seemed to bypass without even seeing (but no one has heard from them since).

The most chilling part to the footage happened as Charlotte shot a man point-blank, saying, "Don't you wish you'd been nicer to me?"

The week they were given was half over and no one was closer to any answers. Everyone was at least somewhat freaking out but most weren't openly showing it. Bucky paced, Loki made sarcastic comments, and everyone argued.

"There's got to be a way to jolt them out of this," said Natasha. "Can the scepter reverse its effects? Can we do something? What happened to those other agents that Clint tranqed and Steve shot?"

"Well, as you can imagine, S.H.I.E.L.D. Medical is in completely over its head," replied Fury, "but I did just hear back from them. They all had to be restrained, regardless of whether they were shot, stabbed, or tranqed. But the ones who had been unconscious are just now getting back to normal. They're fine. No blue eyes, no homicidal tendencies, and no memory of what was going on and how they got there."

"That's good news, right?" said Steve. "Knock them unconscious."

"It's not that simple and it's no guarantee. We've got to think about where Charlotte is getting her orders."

"That's not important! What we need to do right now is make sure that Charlotte, Clint, and all the other agents get out of this no worse for the wear. We can worry about everything else later."

"Can we?" asked Fury. "I know we've all pored over these security tapes relentlessly the past few days but have you noticed a pattern? Sometimes Charlotte kills them, sometimes she uses the scepter on them, but sometimes, she completely looks them over. Why?"

"Um, have you noticed that her eyes are zombified?" asked Tony. "Maybe there's no pattern. Maybe she just knew they meant her no harm and they wouldn't be useful brainwashed. She's acting mechanically, not emotionally, so she's not thinking."

"No, it's instinctive," said Bruce. "So instinctively, why wouldn't you want every able-bodied person you could get? Who cares if they're not powerhouses like Natasha? The desk agents were the first ones taken. Why pass over anyone… unless they're already on your side?"

"That's my fear, Dr. Banner," said Fury.

"Are you saying there are people working for S.H.I.E.L.D. who want to work for Thanos willingly?" asked Steve.

"There has to be," Natasha said. "Someone had to have been using the spear on agents from the beginning. I just find it hard to believe that some alien is on Earth manipulating all of these people around us and we've yet to come into contact with him."

"You won't come into contact with him," Loki interjected, finally speaking. "Thanos can control everything from a remote location. He doesn't need to be in the same realm, let alone in the same city."

"What business does he have with Earth?" Thor asked.

"He doesn't. I am the one who brought his attention here. I am the one who demanded Earth and Asgard. He just wanted my help and I failed him."

"Help for what? What does he want? The tesseract?" Steve questioned. Loki contemplated not telling them anything. This was bigger than Earth.

"Yes, he longs for the tesseract, which is why he offered me the army for taking Earth, but he would only help me seize Asgard if I allowed him into Odin's treasure room. He wants the Infinity Gauntlet. That is all I know."

"What the hell is an Infinity Gauntlet? What is Odin's treasure room?" Tony demanded.

"The tesseract was once the jewel of my father's treasure room," Thor said. "Now it is the Infinity Gauntlet."

"Is it similar in power to the cube?" Bruce replied.

"There are many dark jewels in the Nine Realms, called Infinity Stones. The Gauntlet allows their power to be harnessed when all six are in possession. As far as I'm aware, that has only happened once. The tesseract is a gem. He wants to start the collection."

"And here I was thinking that this week couldn't get worse," Fury groaned.

"I'm guessing having all six gems would make Thanos unstoppable?" Steve said. Thor and Loki only nodded.

"And you didn't even think about that when you teamed up with him?" Tony asked of Loki.

"Frankly, I didn't care what he wanted. I know now that was foolish," Loki replied.

"He wants to kill you because you didn't succeed in taking Earth and thus, you didn't get him the cube or the Gauntlet," Bruce said. "It's been practically a year. Why has he only started to care now? You were imprisoned in Asgard. If he wanted to launch an attack and gain something in the process, he could have done it while you were still in Asgard."

"Asgard would be too much for him," Thor responded cockily.

"It also has not faced an open attack in a very long time. He would rather have had someone like me come through and clear the way for him," Loki told them.

"Let's deal with the alien stuff later," Natasha said. "We need to deal with getting Clint and Charlotte back. Is there any way we could buy time? Try to find their base of operations and extract them with no one the wiser? If Loki is to be believed and Thanos isn't even on the planet, this could work."

"I just don't get it," Bruce said, thinking aloud. "If he wants Loki dead, wants to kill Charlotte in front of him, why isn't he here?"

"Charlotte didn't mention a timeline for when any of this would happen," Fury interjected. "We have to keep that in mind. At some point in the future, he wants them dead but we're seeing how he's utilizing Charlotte. Who's to say these threats aren't idle and he just wants Loki to launch another attack on Earth, this time with Charlotte at his side? We don't know what this guy is planning. All we know is what he wants; the cosmic cube, the Infinity Gauntlet, Loki, and Bucky."

"What does he want with Bucky?" Steve asked. "That makes no sense. Bucky has no experience with any of this. He's barely been involved."

"The human allies," Natasha said. "If we're to understand that there are members of S.H.I.E.L.D. who are shifting allegiances, we need to think of what they would gain from this fight."

"Okay," Fury replied, "Loki thinks Thanos wanted him to make way for him in Asgard and probably on Earth. What if he's using the same plan now? He'll let his allies here wreak havoc on the people most likely to stand up to him. Once he has Loki, he'll either go on and kill Charlotte or continue to use her as leverage, keeping Loki on his side. That's when he can go and collect the other gems, when he has another person capable of moving between realms fluidly." Everyone looked between each other, understanding just how logical that conclusion was. "Look, there's a lot that none of you, other than Natasha, could possibly understand about Bucky and what he is capable of. He has held back every time he has come into confrontation with any of you. There is much that someone with the right temperament could gain from wiping him and starting him over. When he was an assassin, S.H.I.E.L.D. never found him, wasn't even aware of his name. If he were to go back to that, we would all be in a lot of trouble."

"But he would still be killable, right?" Tony asked.

"That's out of the question," Steve said. Bucky wasn't even present. The idea of returning to what he once was had him completely on edge. He wouldn't discuss it openly.

"I'm serious. If one of you guys can give me an absolutely mindblowing reason for keeping Bucky and Loki then maybe I'll listen. Until then, I still think handing them over is best thing to do. We've confirmed in this meeting that they wouldn't even be killed! We have no reason to protect Loki. He could turn on us at any time because Charlotte was the glue holding this all together. Bucky, I mean, come on. When we get Charlotte back and I tell her we lost Bucky, she'll hug my neck and tell me thank you. The only people who would be upset are Steve and Thor. Charlotte, maybe, but she won't remember anything so if we explain it the right way, she'll agree."

"No," everyone replied at once.

"Believe it or not, Loki is under our protection," Fury said. "Thor and Charlotte created an alliance that I apparently can't break. And whatever you think of Bucky, I wouldn't wish what happened to him on my worst enemy. He also happens to be an agent here, which puts him under my jurisdiction, not yours."

"Do you honestly have a better idea?" Tony asked.

"For now, let's focus on getting Charlotte and Clint back. I'll worry about the other agents and aliens later. If we get them, that's a victory."

Unfortunately, there was no way for them to do as Natasha suggested and find their base of operations. Charlotte and Clint had covered their tracks effectively and they made no appearances in public. The only thing to be done was to wait and prepare. There was no telling what lengths Charlotte would go to in order to get what she wanted so everyone did their best to be ready. New York Headquarters was already heavily damaged so they waited for her there.

Bruce stayed at Stark Tower just in case unleashing the Hulk was part of Charlotte's plan. Everyone else was at headquarters after evacuating the remaining agents, ready for her. Loki's powers were still heavily muted, thanks to Charlotte's efforts, so he wouldn't be as helpful in a fight as he normally is.

"Knocking everyone unconscious is the best bet we have," Fury told them. "Do whatever it takes. If you hurt them to take them down, they'll thank you for it later. Confuse them, take that scepter, and knock them the hell out."

Charlotte and Clint arrived exactly a week later, tearing doors off hinges and quickly evaluating the situation. Loki would not be given up without a fight, neither would Bucky.

"Time's up!" Charlotte yelled entering the atrium, flanked by Clint and a multitude of other brainwashed agents. She saw the group of them ahead, the remaining Avengers (except Banner) along with Loki and Bucky. "Hand him over or I will kill one of you now."

"Let's see you try," Tony replied. Charlotte and Clint both looked worse than they had previously. Bruises and cuts colored their faces and their exposed arms. Charlotte was bleeding through her dark shirt.

"I'll take care of Charlotte, if you want," Bucky whispered to Steve. It wasn't said maliciously but there was a hint in his tone that suggested he thought Steve wouldn't be able to do it.

"Thank you," he replied.

"Clint," Charlotte said, stepping behind him. Her hand was tight on the scepter. "This is your last chance."

Clint drew an arrow and fired in a matter of seconds. It missed its intended target when Thor deflected it with Mjolnir. Charlotte pushed Clint aside and jerked the staff. Thor deflected that too.

"Retrieve Loki, at whatever cost," she ordered to her men.

"Get Charlotte and Clint. Do whatever it takes," Steve told them.

"I shall get the scepter," Thor said, swinging his hammer in his hand. Charlotte was looking at him as though she wanted to lay him out.

Clint fired off another arrow, this one finding a mark above the Avengers. It exploded and forced them forward. Charlotte moved toward Thor at a fast pace. She only went for him because she was positive that Thor would hesitate before actually hitting her with Mjolnir. She underestimated him.

The spear clutched in both hands, Charlotte pushed it above her to block the blow from Thor. It hit the scepter, sparking, and she sank to her knees beneath him, arms quivering beneath the weight. She yelled and in the next second, an arrow hit Thor in his thigh. He gasped. It was tri-headed and had a jagged body. Mjolnir fell from his grip and hit the ground beside him. Charlotte flinched at the wave of power that floated off of it.

"The only thing worse than an arrow going in is an arrow coming out," she muttered. "Believe me, I know." She let go of the spear with one hand and broke the stem of the arrow, leaving the head fully submerged. Nothing would make Thor stop for long. He was just far too powerful.

"Charlotte, do not make me hurt you," he replied, wrapping a hand around the scepter and pulling it upwards. It dragged her to her feet.

"You won't lay a hand on me." Two hands gripping the spear she yanked it out of Thor's grip. It was only because he let her.

"You're wrong." She grimaced in response.

Charlotte hit Thor with the scepter, smacking his head to side, and that was all it took. He grabbed it again and threw her across the room. She landed on her stomach in the middle of a scuffle between Bucky and a brainwashed agent. She watched as Bucky knocked the agent unconscious with one hit. She covered the back of her head with her hands as she heard gunfire and then she was dragged off the ground, Bucky's metal hand around her throat.

"Who wants me, Charlotte?" he demanded. She gasped, hands scraping his wrist, and shook her head. He slammed her against the ground, her head bouncing off the tile. But it wasn't hard enough to knock her out.

"Now!" she screamed, even though her voice was raspy. An arrow pierced Bucky's right shoulder and he fell over her. "It's nothing personal, Barnes," she said, scrambling out from beneath him. She pushed him over so that he was facing upwards and drew a small knife. She slit open his shirt and broke the tail off of the arrow in his shoulder.

"Is he good?" an agent asked behind her.

"He's great," she responded, resting a hand against the nape of Bucky's neck. A steady pulse. Good. "Take him to Pierce."

A group of her agents retrieved him and then she was on her own. Loki was the concern now. She looked around. Thor was getting rid of her agents fast. Steve was near Loki, both of them massacring the agents under the influence of the scepter. Natasha was now taking on Clint and he was losing. Without Clint and without the scepter, Charlotte was hopelessly outgunned. She needed to go for Loki now. The good news was that he was close to Steve. Maybe she had overestimated Thor's care for her but there was no denying that Steve wouldn't gravely injure her. He may not even touch her at all.

Steve looked around wildly, trying to find Bucky. Loki cut an agent down with a long blade, not caring whether he killed them or just gravely injured them. When he went to bring it down on another, he heard the clang of metal and saw what had blocked the blow. A knife the length of his forearm was bearing up against his own and was held by Charlotte. His force lessened and she swung the blade to rest at his neck.

"You do not wish to kill me, Charlotte," he said. She pressed the blade against his throat, drawing blood.

"Drop your knife!" she demanded. It clattered to the ground.

"There are ways to fight against this," he told her, "and you can do it."

"You know as well as I do that's impossible," Charlotte replied before yelling, "Clint!" When nothing happened, she quickly looked over her shoulder for him. He was laying on the ground unconscious, in front of Natasha. Her knife suddenly felt light and then, she was on the floor. She scrambled toward her long blade, now laying a distance away from her. A hand wrapped around her ankle and pulled her backward. It was Loki. He tried to hold her down but she kneed him and moved away from him.

"So be it," Loki muttered, picking up the knife he dropped. He caught up to Charlotte, who was clearly becoming too weak to fight, and pushed her onto her back with a slight kick. Then he brought the blade down into her hip, effectively keeping her to the floor. Charlotte let loose a bloodcurdling scream before trying to pull it out, slitting open the palms of her hands. "I don't think so," he said before straddling her and wrapping his hands around her throat. She gasped, realizing he was trying to pass her out. Charlotte pushed at his neck and chin, blood smearing across his pale skin. Finally, she balled her hand into a fist and hit him in the cheek. It wasn't much but he loosened his grip.

It didn't matter because he had backup. Steve was suddenly by her side, a hand against her throat. She tried to look pitiful but it wasn't working. "Where's Bucky?" he asked. Loki shifted atop her and she managed to hold a small throwing knife.

"Gone," she choked out, her voice raspy.

"What do you want with him? Where did you make them take him?" He leaned close, just close enough, and Charlotte shifted. The knife through her hip tore through more skin and she tried to bring her blade down to Steve's neck but Loki grabbed her wrist and twisted it so forcefully that her small knife clattered to the floor. He held both of her arms down now. "Charlotte, tell me where you took Bucky!"

She shook her head. "Too late. Gone," she whispered.

In the next instant, Steve pushed Loki off of Charlotte so that he could straddle her himself. She smiled for a second before he took hold of her shoulders and slammed her against the ground so hard that her sight went black.