Chapter 4

Tracey chewed her cheek and pushed her glasses a bit further up her nose as she grabbed another section of hair. She was currently in the living room on the top floor of the tower sitting on the floor. Her legs were crossed and in front of her was Thor. He had a big smile on his face as the hacker played with his hair. There were a few ribbons and clips in his hair that she had found in a junk drawer from her bedroom. The god of thunder found it amusing that she was putting the hair accessories in his hair. He was also pleased that he could make his friend happy by letting her braid his hair. It also helped out with keeping his hair out of his face. It was a win-win situation!

"We braiding Thor's hair then?" Natasha asked as she walked up to the pair. A smirk was on her face as she examined the number of braids and ribbons. "Looking good, touch guy."

"Thank you, Natasha!" Thor said, smiling brightly. "Tracey had told me she was bored and asked if she could braid my hair. Care to join?"

"You know me too well, Thor," Tasha laughed. She sat down next to Tracey, who had scooted over making room for the spy, and grabbed a few pieces of hair. "So, Trace, anything new on the robo bug case?" she asked the hacker as she began braiding the blond man's hair.

"Nothing new so far. Although," Tracey said, pausing as she stared off into space. Natasha looked at her expectantly, waiting patiently for her teammate to continue. Tracey chewed her cheek, nodding. "There are two men missing now. One was reported two days ago. The other was reported last week just after Grayson O'Neil's bank robbery."

"Do you think it has to do with the case? You did say that the first man was missing as well," Thor put in.

"He's got a point," Nat said, putting a clip in the god's hair. "Who were they this time?"

Tracey frowned, chewing her cheek. "The first man's name is Ryan Carter. He's an accountant. The second is Clark Mars. He's a journalist for a small magazine. They have wives and kids…"

Reading up on the new missing men was hard on the blonde woman. Just hearing that a missing man has a family worrying about him broke her heart. Images of her and Barry playing with their dad as kids and him and their mom smiling and laughing together flashed through her mind. She knew what those families were going through. Just the agonizing pain of wondering where their husband and dad were gnawing at them was one of the most painful things to have. Wondering if they were alright and if they would come back home safe killed.

"Tracey?"

The blonde woman looked up to see Natasha staring at her. She gave the red head a small smile, trying to divert the attention from her. One of the few things she hated was having unwanted attention on her. But it was Natasha. She could see through everyone's walls.

"I know what you're thinking," the spy said. She placed a hand on her friend's hand. "Wherever those men are and whatever happened to them isn't your fault. It's the person who's causing all this mess." She gave the hacker a hard look as she squeezed her hand. She could already guess what else the blonde woman was thinking. "What happened to your dad isn't your fault either. He wouldn't want you to be sad about him all the time. You're strong. I know you know he wouldn't want you to be like this. You're strong, Tracey. Don't worry."

Tracey nodded, smiling lightly at her. "Thanks…"

Natasha opened her mouth to say something but the two females and god turned their heads around when they heard someone behind them.

"You're braiding Thor's hair?" Bucky asked, cocking a brow at them. "Bored I take it?"

"Yep," Natasha said, popping the P as she went back to braiding.

"Hey you told me to braid Thor's hair. So don't come complaining to me," Tracey teased, sticking her tongue out at him.

"Not all of us can have hair for braiding, Bucky," Thor said, grinning at the soldier mockingly.

Bucky laughed, shaking his head. "Touché." He turned to Natasha and Tracey and raised a brow at them again. He watched as Tracey turned back to the blond Avenger in front of her and fixed her glasses on her nose. He smirked and sat on the couch behind her so she was sitting between his legs. He reached down and ran his fingers through her hair before taking a few sections of it. He flipped and turned the pieces over one after the other, being careful that her hair didn't get caught in his metal hand's plates.

Tracey tried to turn her head to look at him, quirking a brow in question, when he grabbed her hair. But Bucky gently moved her head to keep it facing straight as he made work of her hair. Eventually Tracey's eyes fluttered shut as he played with her hair. A smile was on her face as she leaned back against his legs. She snuggled herself between his knees and shins before she finally sat still as Bucky continued his work.

Natasha chuckled as she watched the two. Thor smiled at them, but was quickly made to look forward as Natasha continued her work with his hair. She turned to the couple next to her, a smile on her face.

"Since when can you braid hair?" she asked the dark haired man.

The super soldier laughed lightly, running his hand through his girlfriend's hair as he grabbed another section on the other side of her head. "I did have a little sister growing up. I had to learn a few girly things just so I could play with Rebecca whenever my mom was too busy."

Natasha laughed. "Well that's good. You can carry those skills over if you have a little girl."

The assassin smirked when she saw Bucky's eyes widen and his face grow red. The hacker in front of him cried out when he stumbled over the pieces of hair in his hand and yanked on them. He quickly apologized, but his face was still covered in shock. The red haired woman grinned as she watched the super soldier collect himself.

"Right," Bucky said, clearing his throat when his voice cracked.

Tracey giggled lightly at her boyfriend's reaction, but gave a small glare at the female Avenger, who only continued to grin. "What about your end of the search, Bucky?" she asked, turning her head to the soldier. Hopefully this would direct the subject away to a less awkward one.

"Nothing so far," he answered, finishing the second braid. He grabbed the first one and a clip, connecting the two together in the back. "Steve and I have looked in every possible area, but we haven't found the men. Barry, Sam, and Clint haven't found anything either."

"Hmm…" Tracey hummed, chewing her cheek again.

"Well that's not helpful," Natasha said bluntly. She stood up, patting Thor on the shoulder, letting him know she was done. She walked over to the arm chair next to the couch and plopped down in it. "The guy doing this must be farther away than we thought or he's good at playing hide and seek."

"More like hide and never be found," Bucky grumbled.

"Don't worry," Tracey said, looking up at Natasha and patting Bucky's knee. "We'll find them and the person causing all of this mess. The Avengers have never failed before. And even if they have, they always pull through in the end," she said, a warm smile on her face.

"You make an excellent point, Tracey," Thor said with a big smile.

"It's a good thing you're a part of the team, Trace," Natasha said, smiling at the other female. "We could definitely use your pep talks whenever something goes wrong."

"That's what I'm here for," the blonde woman said with a wink. She giggled when she felt Bucky kiss the top of her head.

"Natasha," Thor said, looking at the red head as he tugged on a ribbon. "Do you mind if I take the ribbons and clips out?"

"Not at all," Nat laughed. "I wasn't expecting you to keep them in all day."

Thor smiled at the woman before he began undoing the bows and clips. The room was quiet again as the four went about their own things after the conversation died down. Natasha was currently flipping through a magazine from the coffee table while Thor was undoing a few of the many braids in his hair, and Bucky finished off the last braid in Tracey's hair. The hacker was now resting her head against the super soldier's knees as he had grabbed today's newspaper off the coffee table as well. It was quiet and peaceful. But like life with the Avengers, nothing peaceful lasted for long. Especially when Sam came bolting from the elevator.

"Where's Bruce?" he exclaimed, looking from one Avenger in the living room to the other. He looked frantic.

"He's down in the lab with Tony," Thor answered. "What's wrong, Sam?"

"It's Barry."

Tracey froze as she was staring at the dark skinned Avenger. Her eyes widened and her heart skipped a beat as it fell to her stomach. She didn't even feel Bucky's hand on her shoulder or hear the other three sitting around her calling her name. Her eyes were on Sam as she opened and closed her mouth. It finally fell open, staying like that as she continued to stare.

"Wh-where's Barry?" she whispered.

"He was attacked by another super soldier," Sam explained hurriedly.

The hacker's breathing became shaky as she listened to Sam. "Wh-where is Barry?" she repeated.

"Trace," Bucky said, squeezing her shoulder.

She ignored him. She couldn't even hear him or anyone else, but Sam. "Sam, where is Barry?"

"He's here," Clint said as he came off the elevator, practically carrying said Madison twin on his shoulders.

Tracey jumped up and ran to her brother, taking his other arm and putting it over her shoulders as she helped Clint carry him to the couch. The hacker looked down at her brother once he was comfortably laid down. His breathing was regular, but he looked unconscious and blood and bruises covered his face. Tracey quickly went to the kitchen where she wet a rag. Coming back to Barry she brushed his hair from his forehead before she gently washed the blood off his face.

"Did he take the soldier on by himself?" Natasha asked, staring incredulously at the new Avenger.

"Sounds like something Barry would do," Tracey murmured as she continued to treat her twin's wounds. "JARVIS, can you contact Bruce to come up here?"

"Already done, Miss Madison. Doctor Banner is on his way now," the AI announced.

"Thank you, JARVIS," Bucky said as he sat down next to his girlfriend. He placed a hand on her back. "He's fine, Tracey. He's alive," he soothed.

"I know…" she said quietly. She turned to Sam and Clint, who looked equally beaten up, but nowhere near as bad as Barry. They must have gotten out before anything really bad happened, she thought. She wiped some blood from her brother's forehead before turning back to the archer and flyer. "What happened to the super soldier?"

"He was arrested. Acted the same way Tony, Tasha, and Bucky described the first guy," Clint said, dropping his bow and quiver on the floor. He walked over to an arm chair and flopped down on it, resting his head on the back. "He didn't remember anything. Might as well have been a high schooler after summer vacation."

"Ha ha," Natasha said, rolling her eyes as she sat down on the arm of the chair. "Which guy was it?" she asked, running her hand through her boyfriend's hair.

"I think it was Clark Mars," Sam said, taking a seat in the other arm chair.

Bucky's brow furrowed as he came back to Tracey with a new rag. "If he forgot everything that should mean the bug is off his neck," he stated.

"It is," Barry spoke out in a strained voice.

"Barry!" Tracey exclaimed, wrapping her arms around her brother's neck. "Sorry," she said, backing off when he cried out in pain.

The male twin looked at the rest of the Avengers with his usual grin. "I got it," he said, holding out his hand to show a black metal bug resting in him palm.

"What? How did you- When did you-" Clint stuttered, staring at the ex-S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. "Dude, when did you get that?"

"During the fight," Barry answered, wincing as he slowly sat up. "I saw it while I was avoiding a blow from him. That guy has a mean left hook!" he exclaimed, rubbing his head as Tracey took the bug from his outstretched hand.

She turned it over and over in her hands. It was as big as her index finger in length and a little wider than her thumb in width. It wasn't that big! Her brow furrowed as she examined the intricate design of the metal pieces and how they connected with each other. She was no expert on machinery and robotics, but after seeing Tony's and Justin Hammer's designs for the Iron Man suits she could spot differences in designs. This design for instance was completely different making hers and Tony's predictions correct. It was someone they've never dealt with before.

"This thing makes those men into super soldiers?" she mused out loud. "It's so tiny though."

"We have seen just as strange things in our time as a team," Thor said, staring down at the bug as well.

"Thor's got a point," Natasha said, crossing her arms and leaning back against the back of the chair. "But what we need to do is figure out who's making these bugs."

"Tasha's right," Clint said, getting up and heading to the kitchen. He came back and handed Barry and ice pack. "You're gonna need to give that to Tony to look at," he said to Tracey, pointing to the bug in her hand. "He's the robo expert."

"Right," Tracey said, standing up. She placed a hand on Barry's knee. "Do you need me to get anything from your room?"

"If you could grab my DS that would be swell," the male twin grinned.

Tracey rolled her eyes. "Why am I not surprised? Do I even need to ask?" she said, walking away and throwing her hands in the air as a small smile grew on her lips. She was grateful that her brother was doing just fine after his encounter with the super soldier.

ooOOoo

"Tony!" Tracey called out as she entered the lab. She looked around, her brow furrowing. She had passed Bruce on the way down to the lab and he had told her that Tony was working in the lab. But where in the lab was he working? She didn't see him anywhere.

Her head perked up and her eyes shifted to the far corner of the room. That was the corner where Tony had created a smaller room for more private experiments for him or Bruce to use if they didn't want anyone to see what they were doing. She rolled her eyes and made her way over. Getting closer she could make out the music to an AC DC song playing loudly as always. Just the way Tony liked to work.

She opened the door slightly and poked her head in. "Tony!" she yelled over the music.

The scientist Avenger jumped and quickly threw a sheet over whatever he was working on that was spread across the table in front of him. He shut the music off and glared at Tracey. "Jesus, Mona Lisa. Give a guy a warning. And you know you're not supposed to be back here," he said, folding his arms.

Tracey gave him a look and shook her head. "Sorry, but I think this is more important than what you're working on." She held out her hand, showing off the robo bug. This caught the billionaire's attention. "Barry somehow got it off the super soldier during an attack."

"Shit," Tony mumbled under his breath. He took the bug in his hand and pulled it closer to his face. "Yeah, this is something I've never seen before," he said, shaking his head as he turned the bug over in his hand. "This is a new design as well. This is someone we've never seen before…"

Tracey's brow furrowed as she looked at the scientist worried. "What do we do now? What can you do to figure out who the person is?"

Tony rubbed his chin in thought, nodding his head as he led Tracey out of the room and into the main area of the lab. "Well…I'm going to need you to look around. See if you can find anything on some scientist. Maybe you'll find some looney or another. For now I'm not sure. I'll tear this little guy apart and see what I can learn about the making of it." He set the bug down on his work table among his multitude of tools and robotic parts. "How's Barry?"

The blonde hacker sighed. "Well he's a bit beaten. Actually a lot beaten up. But he's being his dorky self as usual so I don't think he's that hurt…or he's trying to hide how much pain he's in…" she said, running a hand through her hair. "He's Barry," she said with a small smile.

The billionaire nodded and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Just take a break and go see him, Tracey," he said, squeezing her shoulder. "Make sure he's actually okay."

Tracey smiled up at the man she and Barry had known for years. "Thanks, Tony," she said, giving him a quick hug. "Don't overwork yourself," she said as she headed towards the door.

"Look who's talking, Boris!" he laughed. He smiled as he watched her leave before turning back to his work table. He stared down at the robo bug and sighed. "Okay, let's see what you've got little guy."

I am so so so so so SORRY! I can't believe it's taken me this long to update! Life has been hectic. First there was finals week so I had to take a break from writing, then there was the news about my grandma so that was hard on me, then I had work all throughout break. Not to mention I've been having major writers block for this. There's an idea I have forming for possibly the next chapter. But the thing is I need to catch up on a TV series to get the idea flowing. I have also been looking for inspiration to get back into writing. I got some now (obviously) but I need a bit more. I think if I just have a huge Marvel movie (and TV series, I need to catch up on Agents of SHIELD) I'll get a bit more of my muse back.

Again I'm sorry for the long wait. Life has gotten in the way and important things had come up. Thank you for the wait and I hope you like this chapter. Plus it's a longer chapter than the last three! Woo! Improvement!

If you'd like to ask the Avengers, Madison twins, and anyone else in the tower any questions, feel free to leave a message on my tumblr. If you have a prompt for Life at the Tower and Life at the Tower AUs, feel free to leave a message on my tumblr, PM me here, or leave it in a review.

Thank you guys for all the love, reviews, favorites, and follows! They mean the world to me and I'm still questioning why any of you are reading these stories. I honestly don't think I'm that great of a writer compared to so many others. But thank you guys so so much!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!