"Bruce, come look at this."

Dr. Banner moved his face away from the microscope and towards Tony's workstation at the seriousness in the genius's voice. Tony stood in front of several holographic screens, eyes flickering from panel to panel. Major news stations, newspaper articles, and government files cluttered the display. One particular headline caught Bruce's eye.

Vigilante Files Disappear Overnight: All Information Regarding Spider-Man Is Deleted from Internet.

Bruce sucked in a breath.

"Oh my."

"Yeah. From what JARVIS has gathered, someone removed all information in the span of three hours."

"How is that even possible? Not even you could do that."

Tony glared. "I haven't done it yet. That doesn't mean I can't."

"But who else could do it?"

"Who knows. A friend of Spider-Man, some selfish mercenary that gets the big bucks, or maybe even Spider-Man himself. The hacker couldn't be traced." He dramatically paused. "Yet. JARVIS will have the source of the hack by tomorrow morning."

"And you'll have these forms signed for the board by tonight." Pepper Potts entered the lab with a determined look on her features, a tower of papers, folders, and multiple technological devices stacked upon her arms. Tony huffed at the sight of it.

"Now? We've got Avengers official business to complete." He waved his hand in the direction of the multiple holographic screens. Pepper spared them only half a glance before talking to JARVIS.

"JARVIS, be a dear and turn off all of Tony's screens until he's through with the paperwork."

"Yes, Ms. Potts."

"Hey, I'm trying to do work!" Tony protested.

Pepper shoved a piece of paper into his hands.

"Sit down, and this will take ten minutes tops."

Bruce inwardly chuckled. When he'd first begun to stay with Tony in Avengers Tower, Pepper and Tony's bantering had intimidated him. Now, it was rather amusing to watch. So far, Pepper was the only person that was able to actually get Tony to do what he needed to do. Seeing the confident billionaire put into his place was a show very few people had the privilege to watch.

"Why don't you sign the forms? You know what my signature looks like."

"Because I might, on a whim, decide to draw up a document that gives your money, possessions, and inventions over to me."

"You wouldn't do that," Tony grumbled.

"I would and I will, if you don't sign these documents. Now, the press wants a tour of your house in Miam-"

"Go ahead." Tony waved his hand dismissively. "More publicity for me, right?"

"Okay, writing that down as a yes, but exclusives only. Next, the board wants to buy out a portion of Oscorp, a special wing for genetic scientists, and convert them to our own."

"Yes. They've been runner-up for ages in the biology division of Stark Industries. I wouldn't mind a bit more space between us…"

"Good. Sign here," Pepper said with a satisfied smirk. She liked it when she could accomplish work. "That's settled. Alright, we've got a request for a recommendation for a night-time chaperone for the Young Minds Internship program, which starts Friday. Any ideas?"

"Bruce could do it."

"What?" Dr. Banner took a shocked step back, the Hulk growling viciously at the sudden rush of surprise. "No. I can't."

"Sure you can." Tony had that glint in his eye, one that usually meant trouble for all parties involved.

"Tony…" Pepper chided.

"They want a qualified, relatively popular scientist. Your works in gamma radiation are unparalleled. And you're already holding several workshops with the participants. Why not be nighttime chaperone? You get a comfortable room only half the size of your current one and chats with young, aspiring minds obsessed with science. What could go wrong?"

"No, Tony," Bruce ground out. "What could go wrong? Somebody could startle me, or I might get hurt and… the Other Guy would decide to visit. Me babysitting teenagers with high IQ's? No."

"Woah, woah Green Bean. Calm down there. You're turning colours.

Bruce hadn't even noticed the monster trying to sneak out of the cracks in his mental cage. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he took a deep breath.

"That is a very bad idea. I don't think-"

"Actually, I'm inclined to agree with Tony." Both men looked at Pepper, surprised. Tony whistled.

"Are there pigs flying around outside? Pepper just agreed with me."

She ignored him.

"Getting used to social interaction would be good for you, Bruce. Tony's lawyers cleared up blame against the Hulk months ago. The only thing stopping you from continuing your work as a scientist is your own nervousness."

"I..."

Bruce had to admit, they had a point. After the Chitauri attack , the Hulk had been slightly more cooperative. Tony had also cleared up all the legal messes the Hulk had gotten into. Now, only if the Other Guy made an appearance could any being legally pursue or try to imprison him.

Besides, he enjoyed working with young people, which was why he had signed up for the conference in the first place.

"Ah…" He pinched the bridge of his nose again. "I guess…"

"Great," Tony enthusiastically crowed. "Next."

"That's it." Pepper smiled sweetly. "I expect you to eat tonight."

"Yeah, yeah. Bruce over here has me covered."

Just then, JARVIS spoke up.

"Sir, Ms. Romanoff and Mr. Barton just arrived. They expect you and Dr. Banner down in the conference room in fifteen minutes."

"Good. We can discuss the latest development in the Spider-Man case. Let me go get a martini."

Tony strode out of the room, Pepper following close behind. Bruce slowly sank into a chair, his fingers massaging his temples ferociously.

He wasn't sure what he had just agreed to, but it would probably only be more trouble.


Bruce and Tony stood silently in the private elevator, AC/DC playing faintly in the background. Tony had a thoughtful look on his face as he sipped his martini, while Bruce just looked stressed. Both made no effort at conversation, though their friendship was firm enough that small talk wasn't necessary.

The elevator dinged politely and both men stepped out, walking in the direction of the conference hall.

As soon as they entered, the silence disappeared. Clint and Steve were quarrelling over something, while Natasha made conversation with a recently returned Thor, whose booming voice overwhelmed the others

"Clint, there is nothing wrong with a prank, but during a mission, your focus should be on your job, not silly string."

"Lighten up, old man! I was having-" Clint's voice was drowned out by an echoing laugh from Thor.

"I see why you remain single, Lady Natasha. It is unfortunate the men of your world have so little wit."

"It's like a party in here," Tony whispered at Bruce. "I should have brought more martinis."

The mental image of five tipsy Avengers somehow managed to make Bruce look even more stressed.

Steve, noticing their entrance, walked to the front of the conference table.

"Alright, everybody sit down. We're not here for casual conversation."

Gradually, everyone made their way to their seats.

"First of all, I need someone to fill in Thor on everything that's happened since he left."

"Yeah, where were you, Point Break? A little thunder-power wouldn't have been amiss." Tony took another sip of his beverage, one eyebrow raising at the Asgardian.

'I apologise for my absence, my friends. There was an outbreak of a dangerous sickness on Asgard, and the All-Father needed my assistance in subduing some of its victims."

"A sickness caused people to start fighting?" The billionaire looked curious.

"Aye. It is a dangerous disease that plays with the minds of its victims, and spreads, causing all members to plot the death and destruction of everything. It appeared that some of the more powerful Asgardian Warriors had spread the disease to other realms, but no virus was found among them."

Thor's face had taken on a serious tone, but didn't stay that way for long. "So tell me, O friends, about your interaction with the Man of Spiders!"

"It didn't go as planned," Steve said tersely. "He was stronger than we expected."

Thor nodded gravely. "Underestimating an enemy's strength is a deadly mistake. I'll admit, I am surprised the mortal evaded capture. He looks deceptively weak."

Steve unconsciously rubbed a bruise on his shoulder.

"His strength matched mine."

"It is unfortunate that the Man of Spiders is not a member of team."

"He would be a valuable asset," Natasha said.

There were murmurs of agreement from all around the table.

"JARVIS, can you start up the video feed from our first fight to help catch up Thor over here?"

"Yes sir."

The feed started up, showing four different POV's, all in various positions around Avengers Tower.

"Skip to the interesting part, JARVIS."

The camera fast-forwarded, bringing them to when Spider-Man had first stepped out of the shadows. The team had watched the feed multiple times over the last month and a half, but they analyzed it with the same amount of intensity, frowns on their faces.

Thor for once, was quiet. His eyes switched from one screen to another, watching as Spider-Man blinded Natasha and Tony, then later as he fought Steve. As the footage came to an end, Thor pursed his lips.

"His heart is that of a warrior's. I do not understand why we pursue him endlessly. Do you not see the desperation in his actions and his voice? He fights like a man with little to lose, but that little is everything to him."

"I agree with you Thor," Captain Rogers spoke up. "But our priority is the safety of humanity. Should Spider-Man's motives ever change, it is concerning that he can beat four Avengers in a fight. SHIELD needs a way to bring him down if they have to."

"But that's then."

All heads swiveled in the direction of Bruce. The man swallowed nervously, but continued.

"Right now, Spider-Man is helping people. It isn't fair that we are imprisoning him for something that might happen."

"It's not fair, Bruce," Natasha said calmly. "But it's protecting people. And we're not imprisoning him. We just want to know who he is. Nobody has any idea where Spider-Man came from, why he does what he does, or how he got his abilities in the first place. Spider-Man seems very intent on keeping his identity a secret, and that's concerning to an intelligence agency like SHIELD."

Inwardly, Bruce knew that. But it didn't make it right. Spider-Man should be treated like a hero, not a criminal.

Tony, eager to be involved in the conversation, spoke up.

"There's also his most recent move. Clint, Natasha? Heard about it in the news?"

"We were in Liberia, Africa for a week," Clint chimed in. "We haven't even showered.

Tony wrinkled his nose.

"That explains a lot, actually. Okay JARVIS, bring up the latest on the vigilante's internet disappearance."

The table began emitting a blue light. A holographic display rose up, information covering the display. Eyebrows rose and foreheads creased at the information.

"Spider-Man must have been attempting to destroy any information we may have had on him," Steve noted.

"Yeah, I mean I would too if I had a bunch of powerful super-beings on my tail. That's not the concerning part. The concerning part is somebody has the power to delete tons of terabytes of information from the internet. Somebody Spider-Man knows. The little bugger has powerful allies."

"It could be Spider-Man himself," Clint pointed out.

"Unlikely," Natasha responded. "He'd have to be as smart as Tony. There's a high chance any adult with that amount of smarts would be on SHIELD's watchlist."

Thor had been watching the participants of the conversation with confusion.

"I do not understand. What is this 'internet' Spider-Man has removed himself from?"

Tony looked exasperated.

"Gramps, you get this one. I have no idea how to explain WiFi to somebody who doesn't understand the concept of a phone."

Captain Rogers sighed, but begun to explain.

"It's basically a way of sharing information, knowledge, and communication in general with other people. The videos and articles in front of us were gathered from the internet. It's confusing, but useful."

"Ah." Thor nodded in understanding.

"Like the library database every Asgardian has access to. I have read many a record off of it."

"That's the idea," Tony said with a grin. "But Spider-Man erased every trace of himself off of it. The internet is so unorganized, that's technically impossible."

"So not only are we dealing with a super-human that can evade four Avengers in a fight," Clint said. "We're also dealing with some kind of super-hacker that can erase entire subjects from the internet."

"In about four hours," Tony added.

Clint grinned.

"This is my kind of mission."

"We have to catch him first," Natasha pointed out. "Every time we try to approach him, Spider-Man slips away."

An idea came to Bruce's mind.

"Tony's suit may have something to do with it. Steve, you said you can hear it from miles away."

Steve rose an eyebrow.

"That makes a lot of sense. Next time he appears, we'll send Clint and Natasha to occupy him, and the rest can follow."

Natasha spoke up.

"One last thing, Tony. Did Spider-Man erase the information we've gathered on him so far?"

"Thankfully, no. I keep important files like that on a private system, separate from all systems connected to the internet. Whoever this hacker was couldn't get information on private hard drives."

"Good. Everybody be on alert for the next Spider-Man sighting. SHIELD wants a mission report, so Clint and I need to go."

The two spies rose from their seat and exited the room.

"I should be heading out as well," Steve said as he pushed the swivel chair under the table. "I'm meeting with a few friends later today."

That left Thor, Bruce and Tony.

"Thor, you gonna stay with us? Bruce and I would love the company."

"I think I shall. Thank you for offering me my own quarters in your tower, Stark's son."

Tony chuckled.

"I'm glad to offer. JARVIS, take Thor to his floor, and send up some chefs. I get the feeling he'll be hungry."

Thor let out a loud laugh.

"You know me well, my friend. I shall go feast."

The billionaire looked towards Bruce.

"Now, don't you have some packing to do?"

Dr. Banner groaned.

"I'd almost succeeded at forgetting."

He followed Thor out. Tony gave one last glance at the screens, before letting out a sigh.

"JARVIS, shut down the conference room and prepare me another martini. I have the feeling I'm going to need it."


Okay, so I had to decide between posting a new chapter now and letting our A.I scene wait, or putting this on hold until Tuesday and then adding something with Peter. Sorry, but the former decision was chosen.

Thank you to the INCREDIBLE amount of reviews, favorites and follows! It made my day/week/month/year/rest of my life:) Please continue with the support, and the next chapter will be up soon!