Robert was in his apartment reviewing the results of the latest Avenger's mission. Overall, he wasn't thrilled with the results; they needed to communicate better, especially Tony and Steve. He was rubbing his face when the TV in the room turned on. Robert looked to the ceiling. "Jarvis, please tell me that you did that."
"Yes, Agent Hall. I came across something on the fox news channel that I think you should be made aware of," Jarvis stated.
Robert turned his focus to the screen and began watching what appeared to be a news conference. At the center of the podium, a red-faced Army General was spewing words at the crowd. Robert listened half heartedly until he heard a reporter ask, "General Ross, the Hulk is a hero. Why are you still hunting him?"
"A hero? A hero?!" Ross pounded his fist against the podium. "That murderous beast has killed numerous soldiers and civilians! I will not rest until that monster is captured or dead, mark my words."
"Jarvis, are you there?" Robert asked.
"Yes, Agent Hall."
"Please, get me everything and anything on the relationship between General Ross and Dr. Banner now," Robert asked.
"Right away, Agent Hall. Thank you for taking this matter seriously."
"Don't the other Avengers take it seriously as well?" Robert inquired.
"Only Dr. Banner does. Everyone else thinks Ross is - and I quote - an old windbag, a washed up loser, not a threat, and a giant asshole," Jarvis replied.
"Well, most of those I would agree with, but he is a threat, and I want to make sure Dr. Banner is protected. Please get me the White House, Jarvis, and it would be really nice if you could get a hold of the Oval Office, if you can," Robert requested.
"Are you challenging me, Agent Hall?" Jarvis inquired.
"A little. You know what they say: the fastest way to solve a problem is to go straight to the top. Especially when it comes to the matter of protecting family," Robert said as he stared at the TV screen displaying the history between Dr. Banner and General Ross.
The phone began to ring, and Robert heard the phone being picked up. He heard a man's voice, presumably the president, judging from the fact that it matched with the numerous speeches Robert had heard the man give. He was reasonably impressed with Jarvis' ability.
"Hello. Whom am I speaking to?"
'Damn, Jarvis is good,' Robert thought, then he spoke. "Mr. President, this is Agent Hall."
The president's voice took on a warm and more familiar tone. "Agent Hall, hello. I wanted to thank you and the Avengers for stopping that terrorist plot, and I'm glad that you are healthy now. How may I help you?"
"Mr. President, I wanted to ask you for help in protecting an Avenger - Dr. Banner."
The president gave a knowing sigh, taking a moment to answer. "General Ross is at it again, isn't he? He has strong public support and the Joint Chiefs help him out, too."
"I am aware of that, but I am sure we both agree that if this jackass would leave Bruce alone, there would be no Hulk problems," Robert said, voice tense.
"I would agree, yes, but my hands are tied."
Hall grimaced. He'd expected a response like that, but he was sure there was still something the man could do. "If you think that the Avengers will sit back quietly while one of their family members is threatened, it will have very grave consequences for anyone involved."
"Agent Hall, should that be taken as a threat?"
"Threats are for cowards. I prefer to 100% fuck shit up. These consequences will only come around if you get in the way, are involved, or don't do anything about it."
The president hummed once, as if in thought. "You've got balls. What did you have in mind?"
Robert used his best 'negotiations' voice, and continued. "If you will allow me access to certain resources, I think I can end this."
"What did you have in mind?"
Hall: "I need the NYPD, SWAT, FBI, Secret Service, and SEALS."
The president was silent for a moment, taking that in, and then replied. "Wow, okay, Agent Hall. I hope you know what you're doing, but you have my say-so. Someone will call you later today to let you know when you can start."
Robert smiled in victory. "Thank you, Mr. President. I'm sure once this is done, you will be getting that autograph."
"Yes, that would be wonderful. Have a good day, Agent Hall."
"Yes, and the same to you, Mr. President."
Later that day, Robert was eating lunch with the rest of the team, discussing what to do for the night. Robert's phone went off and scared the hell out of Thor, since he was really focused on his sandwich. Robert answered his phone, laughing at Thor's reaction.
"Hall here... Really good... Good… Alright, that's good to know… Yes, thank you... Good bye." Robert ended the call.
He didn't even need to look up to know that the team was staring at him. "What, I can't answer my phone?" Robert asked, giving them all the innocent eyes.
"Yes, but now that you answered with such a defensive attitude, you are going to tell us," Natasha demanded.
Bruce was in the room, which could end up going very badly if Robert brought up an old wound like Ross. Robert sat back and considered his options. "Did anyone else catch the news conference today?" he asked, and judging the blank stares on their faces, they hadn't. "Okay, that's a no, then. Jarvis, please replay it."
As General Ross's conference played on the TV, almost instantly, you could see Bruce getting upset, which made Tony draw him in closer. Finally, Bruce broke, practically spitting. "That bastard! He is never going to leave me alone, is he? He'll hunt me down to the ends of the earth. God-damnit, I have to leave and hide again," he said bitterly, a miserable expression slipping across his face.
"No, no, no, you're staying. Bruce," Tony said, trying to get Bruce to look at him. "Buddy. Hey." He shook Bruce by the shoulder, as if to shake him out of his mood and to get him to stop staring blankly at the table. "You're safe here. We'll protect you. I'll protect you," Tony promised, trying to calm him down. Suddenly, he looked up at the ceiling in utter betrayal. "Jarvis, why the fuck did you not tell me about this?"
"Sir, I tried to, for half an hour, but you would not let me finish my sentence or answer me. None of the other team members were available to tell, except for Agent Hall, who, after I told him, asked for the entire history between General Ross and Dr. Banner. Then, he asked me to connect him to the President. He told the President off, saying that he had better offer assistance, or otherwise there would be, and I quote, 'very grave consequences for anyone involved.' When the President asked Hall if he was threatening him, Hall's response was, 'Threats are for cowards. I prefer to 100% fuck shit up.' Then, he told the President what he wanted done, and the President agreed," Jarvis said.
The whole team looked at Robert. None of them in their wildest dreams thought that Hall would tell the President of United States to basically back the fuck off, or there would be hell to pay.
Tony looked at Robert. "I am actually very impressed. So, what was the call about?" Robert had surprised him so much that he actually respected what he'd done.
"First off, Bruce," Robert came closer to him and held his hand. "You don't leave this tower for any reason. I'll be damned if anyone's gonna' threaten or try to hurt my family. I have some things to take care of, and then I will go over the plan with everyone."
"You think you can just scare this guy away, but you can't. You don't know Ross. He's obsessed, he won't back down, and he will kill anyone who gets in his way," Bruce said as everyone was trying to comfort him.
"I know that, but he doesn't know me, and I'm sure as fuck that he does not know how fierce we are when keeping our family safe. Last time I checked, there were two deadly assassins, two demigods, an over-protective billionaire, a soldier who knows how to kick ass, a CEO that can handle Tony Stark, and a watchful A.I. that have all grown quite fond of you," Robert said, while looking at the everyone. "Agreed?"
"Agreed!" everyone said. Bruce seemed to calm down a little.
"I'm going to go into town to meet some people. You stay here with the team. I'll contact you as soon as I know something." With that, he headed towards the elevator.
"Robert, if you don't mind, may I come with?" Steve asked.
"Sure, why not? Maybe you can help my case a little," Robert agreed.
They went down the elevator and left the tower. They got into one of Tony's cars and drove down the streets of New York.
"So, where are we going(,) and who are we meeting? Steve asked.
"Oh, nobody really that special. We are going to the Federal Reserve building, and we'll be meeting the Commissioner of the NYPD, Vice Admiral of the Navy, Acting Director of the A.T.F., the Deputy Director of the F.B.I., and the Deputy Chief of Secret Service. That's all. No biggie." As he turned his head to face Steve, he saw that his mouth was open.
"How? Why? Is that- Is that possible?" Steve was flabbergasted. 'How the heck could he get that big of an audience?'
They pulled into the parking garage of the Federal Reserve. They walked into the building and up a couple of floors. They came to a conference room, and when Robert opened the door, there in front of them were some of the most powerful people in the government.
After a few minutes of very formal introductions, Robert came to the point. "Gentlemen, I thank you for coming on extremely short notice for a grave problem. Two words: Ross and Banner. Now, Dr. Banner has proven himself as one of the greatest geniuses of our time. It is a grave disservice to our society and an injustice that Dr. Banner has not been able to work because he is being hunted like an animal. Actually, no, worse than an animal, because there are laws that protect animals."
"Now, wait a minute. The Hulk has killed a lot of soldiers, civilians, and has caused millions of dollars of damage," the Director of the A.T.F. said.
"The Navy has lost some jets and soldiers as well," the Admiral stated.
"I understand that, but here is the thing. Banner has gone into hiding several times to avoid confrontations like that. He didn't want to be captured or forced into his 'green' form, but Ross wouldn't back off. If General Ross had just left Banner alone, all of those deaths wouldn't have happened, with Captain America as my witness," Robert replied. "General Ross was in charge of the project that created the Hulk, and yet, he is the one that does not have to answer for it. He's also the one who facilitated the Abomination, which caused even more damage and deaths, and on top of it, the Hulk saved humanity from the Abomination's wrath."
Steve cut in at that point to back Robert up. "Agent Hall is right. I've been living with Dr. Banner for five months, and he is the nicest, most honest, gentle soul I've ever met, and he has an incredibly brilliant mind," Steve stated. He was very protective of his team, and he knew what Robert was trying to do. "It is an injustice that Dr. Banner has to live in fear of a man that has disgraced the uniform the way Ross has. Eisenhower, Grant, Patton, Lee, Jackson, and many brilliant generals that have worn the uniform: would they have found Ross' cause worthy? I doubt that very much."
"Agent Hall," the Director from the FBI said. "I know of no warrant that exists for Dr. Banner, and he is not enlisted into the military, correct?"
"That is correct. Dr. Banner is a civilian," Steve replied.
"I just got off the phone with the President. He asks that we help you in whatever you need," the gentleman from the Secret Service said.
"Do you have a plan?" asked the Admiral.
Robert had a big smile on his face. "A plan? Of course I have a plan, and it's to make Ross look like the biggest idiot on TV."
"ARE YOU FUCKING INSANE?!" Tony bellowed.
"What? I thought it was a good plan, if you would let me finish explaining it to you," Robert said. "Steve, Clint, and Natasha liked it too."
"You want General Ross to kidnap Bruce!" Tony yelled. "That's a shitty plan! I'm not letting you idiots go through with this! That is it, okay? I'm not letting you guys do this! Ross can't have Bruce, that is the worst idea possible! That's what we're trying to avoid."
"Well, I was about to explain before you just went off the deep end there. Breathe and let me finish," Robert replied, staying calm even though Tony's face was so red from stress. "Are you willing to let me finish?"
"Robert, I thought you were intelligent, but you are a stupid, idiotic, moron!" Tony yelled.
"Alright, this is getting nowhere. Jarvis, ask them to come in."
"Right away, Agent Hall," Jarvis answered.
"I don't understand how you think this can wo…" Tony stopped talking and moving as two Bruce Banners entered the room. You could just see 'what the fuck' cross his facial expression.
Thor, believe it or not, was the first person to figure it out. "HA! Ingenious, Agent Hall. My brother would be an excellent choice."
"I must admit, you giant oaf, I thought you would be the last person to figure it out," Loki said as he transformed back into himself.
"Now, are you willing to listen to the rest of the plan, Mr. Attention of a Fruit Fly?" Robert asked Tony, who just sat back down and nodded. "Okay, here's the plan. Banner, you're going to hold a press conference and basically tell Ross, 'Fuck you. Here I am, bitch. Come and get me.' Ross will go nuts and attack the tower, and he will get Banner, or Loki-Banner. So, when he goes to leave, we're going to have the media there. At some point, Ross is going to make a speech or something, and at that point, Loki will shapeshift into a little old lady or something. Ross will look like a total fucking idiot, because Banner will be with us on the other side of the street, surrounded by our backup forces. From there, I'll have a very special surprise for Ross that will guarantee that he will never bother Bruce again."
"Okay, I'm liking your plan more than I initially did, but how can you ensure that Ross will come when you want him to?" Tony replied.
"That's easy. We're going to increase the bait and drive him crazy."
"How are you going to do that?"
"Simple: throw more blood in the water," said the unknown voice that had just entered the room.
Everyone snapped their heads to see where the voice had come from. In unison, everyone's jaws, except Loki and Thor's, hit the floor.
Bruce almost started crying. "Betty."