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~Previously~

Tony mock gasped in horror. "What? Cancel all plans you have tonight. Shawarma on me!" He left the cafeteria, beaming like an idiot.

Erika and Natasha shared a look.

"Do I have to?" Erika sighed.

"Just humor him for now." Natasha's face mirrored Erika's look of disgust.

~Present~

Sure enough, Tony took the Avengers (and Erika with Ryu) out to Shawarma that night.

Which brings us to the scene now.

Erika was holding up Ryu by his neck, pure fury in her eyes.

"Where. Is. My. Son?!"

~*~ Twenty minutes ago ~*~

"Mama, I gotta go to the bathroom!" Ryu whispered to Erika.

Erika nodded with a sigh. "Excuse us for a few minutes." She walked with Ryu to the restrooms in the back of the restaurant. She came back a few minutes later with Ryu. "So, what important discussion did I miss?"

Steve looked apalled at Clint. "The fact that Barton doesn't pay taxes."

Erika just raised a skeptic eyebrow. "Really? He managed to convince you that he doesn't pay taxes." She snickered. "Sure, why not?"

This conversation went on for a while until the subject of SHIELD was brought up.

"So, what important events in history has SHIDRA had a hand in?" Tony asked.

"First of all, it was mostly HYDRA, not ... whatever you just said. But there was the events of 9/11 that were put in motion by HYDRA that SHIELD was unable to stop ... and the assassination of John F. Kennedy. You remember that, Ryu?"

Ryu just stared at her blankly, as if he had no recollection of the event.

Things seemed to click in Erika's head. She picked up her phone and speed-dialed someone.

"Fury, it's Snow. We've got a Code Dragon."

"Dragon?" Fury asked.

Erika heaved a frustrated sigh. "Did you ever go through that file I left on your desk before SHIELD fell? The one labeled 'Ugrent'?"

Fury took a little bit to reply. "Oh. I used it as a coster that morning." He didn't seem too concerned.

"You've gotta be kidding me. Ryu's been kidnapped by HYDRA, it looks like. They attempted to replace him with a robot." Erika's hand snapped out to Ryu and picked him up. Her eyes were full of cold fury.

"So, I have one question for you." She hung up on Fury and set her phone down on the table.

"Where. Is. My. Son?!"

The Ryubot hung there limply, and Erika's hand crushed the head. She then dropped it, resulting in a metallic clang. "Well. Who's up for a rescue mission?" she asked as if nothing had happened.

Nobody bothered to talk or raise their hand.

"All right, then." Erika sighed, running a hand through her hair. "It would have been much more interesting if I had someone to share dirty little secrets to ..."

Tony's hand shot up. "Count me in!"

"Well, if he's going, someone has to keep him in line ..." Natasha sighed.

Clint pointed at Natasha. "She goes, I go."

"Well, it would be interesting to see how another Asgardian behaves when facing a foe." Vision nodded slowly.

Wanda nodded and Steve sighed. "All right, we'll come with you ..."

~*~*~*~

Less than an hour later, the quinjet was in the air, flying over the Atlantic ocean. Erika was busy on her laptop, which had some sort of map pulled up. There was a tiny white dot on the screen, close to the center.

"Okay. Stark, drop the altitude. We're nearing the location." Erika closed her laptop, stood up, and set it aside.

"Wait, why did you need us?" Steve asked.

"In case something goes wrong. Hold this." Erika shrugged off her jacket and threw it at the Super Soldier. "I'll be back." She opened the cargo door and jumped out of the quinjet.

"Uh, she does know that we're about a thousand feet above the water, right?" Tony asked, looking back. Noticing the lack of Asgardian support, he sighed. "Figures. She's crazy. Moreso than Loki."

Natasha almost smiled. "Just don't let her hear you say that. She seems to hate the Trickster."

Wanda looked confused. "Who's Loki?"

Steve sighed. "He's Thor's adopted little brother, once killed 80 people in two days because he wanted to rule the world."

"Yup. Now Thor says he's dead. Honestly, I don't believe it." Clint didn't seem like he was too concerned about the possibility. "The guy's known for tricking people. Who's to say he didn't stage his own death?"

"So that's where you were mind controlled." Wanda seemed to finally understand.

It was a couple minutes later that Erika came back into the jet. She was soaking wet and holding what looked like dog tags. Dropping the tags on the floor, she took her seat once again and crossed her legs and arms, bowing her head and closing her eyes in thought. A moment later, she opened them. "Okay, I did the math and such like that. The good news is that we're about half an hour away. The bad news is that I want my jacket back, Captain." She gave him a hard stare.

Steve tossed the article of clothing back to the Asgardian, who just rolled her eyes. "Would you care to explain why you're the only one of us who's sitting on their jacket and soaking wet?"

Erika wrung out her hair, causing a puddle to form on the floor. "I'm fixing the latter problem right now. Do I honestly look like I just came from a dive deep into the ocean?"

"No." Steve had to admit that her clothes and hair were completely dry by now.

"How did you do that?" Vision asked.

"Asgardian magic." Erika looked almost bored.

The rest of the ride passed in silence. Until Erika stood up and went to Tony in the pilot's seat. "We're approaching their hideout. You see that clearing?"

Tony looked at the grassy area the woman was pointing to. "Yeah."

"Their hideout is underground. Just get as close as you can to there and I'll handle this."

"Then why did you even ask us to come?!" Tony demanded.

Erika rolled her eyes with an exasperated sigh. "In case something goes wrong. Ryu's never accessed his dragon form after being a human for so long, and I doubt it's going to be a walk in the park. The last time a dragon returned to their true form ..." She trailed off with a nervous laugh. "But that's just a bad case scenario."

"Then what's the worst case?" James asked.

Erika yawned before she replied. "Hydra wins and kills me and Ryu, then comes after you." She faced the hatch again. "If I'm not back in ten minutes, get out of here as fast as you possibly can. And that's a direct order. Disobey and I can make Wanda's little trick seem like a tickle."

~*~*~*~

Finding out where Ryu was? Not a problem for Erika.

Getting to where her adopted son was? Now, that was the challenge.

Well, I can do the stealth approach, the conquerer approach, or the pissed-off mama approach. I think I'll go with ... Erika was hiding in the shadows of the trees, watching the entrance carefully.

She darted out from the cover of the trees. It wasn't too hard to guess which approach she went with. The unconscious (and deceseased) bodies of the Hydra agents unfortunate enough to cross paths with her was the telltale sign.

Erika dropped another Hydra agent, not bothering to glance back. She knew she would meet no resistance from behind. The bright walls betrayed the dark things the opposing side did. Their goal with Ryu made Erika furious.

It didn't take a genius to figure out what they wanted to do with the child. They would use him as an experiment, taking samples of his dragon blood and trying to create horrible monsters from it. That would likely be before they brainwash him into a killing machine.

Like Bucky Barnes, Steve's friend.

The very thought made Erika furious. She took this malefic aura with her as she stormed through the hallways, taking numerous turns deeper into the base. Soon, she encountered a steel door guarded by two burly-looking agents. Knowing her son was just behind the door, she did what any rationally pissed off mother would do.

"Hello. I believe you have my son. I'd like him back, if you don't mind." Erika's voice was dripping with a venomous threat.

The guard on her left scoffed while the right nodded. The left guard came rushing forward, his bald head glistening in the light. Erika dodged his punch, grabbed his arm, and turned him around using his momentum. He crashed into his buddy with enough force to knock them both to the ground.

Erika sighed. "Aw, and I was hoping we could do this the easy way. Without any more deaths." She punched the bald guy in the face, knocking him out. His partner had fallen unconscious from the blow to the head as he fell to the floor. "Tch. Midgardians never have enough fight in them."

Turning her attention back to the steel door in front of her, Erika tapped it a couple of times. "Okay, so it's not too thick. Which means it should come down with enough force.

She kicked it down resulting in a clanging noise that made the unconscious guards stir.

"Mama!" Ryu cried.

Erika felt something sharp against her neck, before a roar filled her ears. She fell to the ground, unable to process what had just happened. Shock ... I'm going ... into shock ...

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~Previously~

Tony mock gasped in horror. "What? Cancel all plans you have tonight. Shawarma on me!" He left the cafeteria, beaming like an idiot.

Erika and Natasha shared a look.

"Do I have to?" Erika sighed.

"Just humor him for now." Natasha's face mirrored Erika's look of disgust.

~Present~

Sure enough, Tony took the Avengers (and Erika with Ryu) out to Shawarma that night.

Which brings us to the scene now.

Erika was holding up Ryu by his neck, pure fury in her eyes.

"Where. Is. My. Son?!"

~*~ Twenty minutes ago ~*~

"Mama, I gotta go to the bathroom!" Ryu whispered to Erika.

Erika nodded with a sigh. "Excuse us for a few minutes." She walked with Ryu to the restrooms in the back of the restaurant. She came back a few minutes later with Ryu. "So, what important discussion did I miss?"

Steve looked apalled at Clint. "The fact that Barton doesn't pay taxes."

Erika just raised a skeptic eyebrow. "Really? He managed to convince you that he doesn't pay taxes." She snickered. "Sure, why not?"

This conversation went on for a while until the subject of SHIELD was brought up.

"So, what important events in history has SHIDRA had a hand in?" Tony asked.

"First of all, it was mostly HYDRA, not ... whatever you just said. But there was the events of 9/11 that were put in motion by HYDRA that SHIELD was unable to stop ... and the assassination of John F. Kennedy. You remember that, Ryu?"

Ryu just stared at her blankly, as if he had no recollection of the event.

Things seemed to click in Erika's head. She picked up her phone and speed-dialed someone.

"Fury, it's Snow. We've got a Code Dragon."

"Dragon?" Fury asked.

Erika heaved a frustrated sigh. "Did you ever go through that file I left on your desk before SHIELD fell? The one labeled 'Ugrent'?"

Fury took a little bit to reply. "Oh. I used it as a coster that morning." He didn't seem too concerned.

"You've gotta be kidding me. Ryu's been kidnapped by HYDRA, it looks like. They attempted to replace him with a robot." Erika's hand snapped out to Ryu and picked him up. Her eyes were full of cold fury.

"So, I have one question for you." She hung up on Fury and set her phone down on the table.

"Where. Is. My. Son?!"

The Ryubot hung there limply, and Erika's hand crushed the head. She then dropped it, resulting in a metallic clang. "Well. Who's up for a rescue mission?" she asked as if nothing had happened.

Nobody bothered to talk or raise their hand.

"All right, then." Erika sighed, running a hand through her hair. "It would have been much more interesting if I had someone to share dirty little secrets to ..."

Tony's hand shot up. "Count me in!"

"Well, if he's going, someone has to keep him in line ..." Natasha sighed.

Clint pointed at Natasha. "She goes, I go."

"Well, it would be interesting to see how another Asgardian behaves when facing a foe." Vision nodded slowly.

Wanda nodded and Steve sighed. "All right, we'll come with you ..."

~*~*~*~

Less than an hour later, the quinjet was in the air, flying over the Atlantic ocean. Erika was busy on her laptop, which had some sort of map pulled up. There was a tiny white dot on the screen, close to the center.

"Okay. Stark, drop the altitude. We're nearing the location." Erika closed her laptop, stood up, and set it aside.

"Wait, why did you need us?" Steve asked.

"In case something goes wrong. Hold this." Erika shrugged off her jacket and threw it at the Super Soldier. "I'll be back." She opened the cargo door and jumped out of the quinjet.

"Uh, she does know that we're about a thousand feet above the water, right?" Tony asked, looking back. Noticing the lack of Asgardian support, he sighed. "Figures. She's crazy. Moreso than Loki."

Natasha almost smiled. "Just don't let her hear you say that. She seems to hate the Trickster."

Wanda looked confused. "Who's Loki?"

Steve sighed. "He's Thor's adopted little brother, once killed 80 people in two days because he wanted to rule the world."

"Yup. Now Thor says he's dead. Honestly, I don't believe it." Clint didn't seem like he was too concerned about the possibility. "The guy's known for tricking people. Who's to say he didn't stage his own death?"

"So that's where you were mind controlled." Wanda seemed to finally understand.

It was a couple minutes later that Erika came back into the jet. She was soaking wet and holding what looked like dog tags. Dropping the tags on the floor, she took her seat once again and crossed her legs and arms, bowing her head and closing her eyes in thought. A moment later, she opened them. "Okay, I did the math and such like that. The good news is that we're about half an hour away. The bad news is that I want my jacket back, Captain." She gave him a hard stare.

Steve tossed the article of clothing back to the Asgardian, who just rolled her eyes. "Would you care to explain why you're the only one of us who's sitting on their jacket and soaking wet?"

Erika wrung out her hair, causing a puddle to form on the floor. "I'm fixing the latter problem right now. Do I honestly look like I just came from a dive deep into the ocean?"

"No." Steve had to admit that her clothes and hair were completely dry by now.

"How did you do that?" Vision asked.

"Asgardian magic." Erika looked almost bored.

The rest of the ride passed in silence. Until Erika stood up and went to Tony in the pilot's seat. "We're approaching their hideout. You see that clearing?"

Tony looked at the grassy area the woman was pointing to. "Yeah."

"Their hideout is underground. Just get as close as you can to there and I'll handle this."

"Then why did you even ask us to come?!" Tony demanded.

Erika rolled her eyes with an exasperated sigh. "In case something goes wrong. Ryu's never accessed his dragon form after being a human for so long, and I doubt it's going to be a walk in the park. The last time a dragon returned to their true form ..." She trailed off with a nervous laugh. "But that's just a bad case scenario."

"Then what's the worst case?" James asked.

Erika yawned before she replied. "Hydra wins and kills me and Ryu, then comes after you." She faced the hatch again. "If I'm not back in ten minutes, get out of here as fast as you possibly can. And that's a direct order. Disobey and I can make Wanda's little trick seem like a tickle."

~*~*~*~

Finding out where Ryu was? Not a problem for Erika.

Getting to where her adopted son was? Now, that was the challenge.

Well, I can do the stealth approach, the conquerer approach, or the pissed-off mama approach. I think I'll go with ... Erika was hiding in the shadows of the trees, watching the entrance carefully.

She darted out from the cover of the trees. It wasn't too hard to guess which approach she went with. The unconscious (and deceseased) bodies of the Hydra agents unfortunate enough to cross paths with her was the telltale sign.

Erika dropped another Hydra agent, not bothering to glance back. She knew she would meet no resistance from behind. The bright walls betrayed the dark things the opposing side did. Their goal with Ryu made Erika furious.

It didn't take a genius to figure out what they wanted to do with the child. They would use him as an experiment, taking samples of his dragon blood and trying to create horrible monsters from it. That would likely be before they brainwash him into a killing machine.

Like Bucky Barnes, Steve's friend.

The very thought made Erika furious. She took this malefic aura with her as she stormed through the hallways, taking numerous turns deeper into the base. Soon, she encountered a steel door guarded by two burly-looking agents. Knowing her son was just behind the door, she did what any rationally pissed off mother would do.

"Hello. I believe you have my son. I'd like him back, if you don't mind." Erika's voice was dripping with a venomous threat.

The guard on her left scoffed while the right nodded. The left guard came rushing forward, his bald head glistening in the light. Erika dodged his punch, grabbed his arm, and turned him around using his momentum. He crashed into his buddy with enough force to knock them both to the ground.

Erika sighed. "Aw, and I was hoping we could do this the easy way. Without any more deaths." She punched the bald guy in the face, knocking him out. His partner had fallen unconscious from the blow to the head as he fell to the floor. "Tch. Midgardians never have enough fight in them."

Turning her attention back to the steel door in front of her, Erika tapped it a couple of times. "Okay, so it's not too thick. Which means it should come down with enough force.

She kicked it down resulting in a clanging noise that made the unconscious guards stir.

"Mama!" Ryu cried.

Erika felt something sharp against her neck, before a roar filled her ears. She fell to the ground, unable to process what had just happened. Shock ... I'm going ... into shock ...