Author's Note:

Hey everyone! Here's the next chapter for Earth's Mightiest Huntsmen. And we're getting closer and closer to the end of the first arc. But before we continue, let's answer some reviews.

Noire12: Agreed. With their Semblances, RWBY characters don't need new powers. As I said, the only thing that might happen is something to do with symbiotes, but even in the highly unlikely event I go down that road, it won't be for a long, long time. But yes, their weapons will need to be upgraded and modified since Dust doesn't work here. As for what Spider-Man will teach Ruby about Earth, well, you'll see some of that here, but given that there's a lot to learn, much of it will be off page, as a lot of it doesn't pertain much to the plot.

TheOkWriter: At the time of this story, Peter is in his twenties, so he's out of school and not a teenager.

Martiz S.G.: Glad you're liking the story so far! Obviously, this one pales in comparison to Hunters of Justice, especially since that story has a whole team working on it to make it well refined and amazing, while this one just has me. But I do hope that the story continues to gain interest, especially from those wanting to see more of a Marvel Comics inspired story rather than an MCU based one. While I respect the hell out of the MCU for doing what they did, when it came down to it, basing this story off of an amalgamation of elements from the comics and my personal favorite Marvel cartoons (most notably Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes) gave me more freedom to do whatever I wanted and bring whoever I wanted into the story. Of course, this does require more research on my part to make sure I've got details down, but I'm completely fine with that.

mathewcastaneda: Sadly, Spider-Cop will not be featured here.

Thank you all for your continued support. Now let's get back to the story.

Hydra Island

"They're coming."

"Of course they're coming," Zemo acknowledged, sitting on his throne. "Everything we've done is to ensure that they find their way here."

"I hope you know what you're doing, Zemo," Crossbones warned. "Our superhuman resources got depleted when Laser and Fixer got caught in the attack on the mansion. We're lucky Reaper escaped."

"They were mere pawns in the game," Zemo told him. "A simple means to encourage Captain America to bring his Avengers here to be defeated. For when they arrive, we will be ready for them."

"You'd better be right, Zemo," Crossbones told him. "Dead men can't pay me what they owe me."

"You will be paid in full once the Avengers are dead," Zemo snapped.

"And the Avengers will be," a new voice spoke, "now that we have Adhesive X." Loud mechanical footsteps echoed from the other end of the massive room. Soon, a large orange and purple mech entered the light. The thing might have looked like a mech suit if not for the massive screen in the robot's chest, which displayed a sinister looking face.

"Arnim Zola," Zemo greeted him. "I trust things are going well?"

Zola smiled. "The full Adhesive X formula is far more fascinating than we ever could have hoped. We could field an entire army with weapons powered by it."

"But I trust your main work with the formula is complete?"

"Of course." Something bigger shifted behind Zola in the darkness, making a low growling sound. All that could be made out in the shadows was a pair of white eyes and a terrifyingly toothy smile. "When the Avengers arrive to apprehend us and retrieve Adhesive X, we shall have a surprise waiting for them."

Zemo himself smiled under his mask. "Perfect."

Avengers Mansion

"Yeah…I don't know," Ruby admitted.

"Hey, relax," Spider-Man told her. "This is the best way to travel in style around New York."

"It just looks…"

"Unsafe? Dangerous?" Spider-Man chuckled. "Don't worry—no one's ever gotten hurt like this."

Ruby hesitated, but wrapped her arms around Spider-Man. He fired twin web lines against a pair of streetlights. "Hold on tight," he warned as he pulled back on the lines.

"Wait—" Ruby started, but any words she had left instantly left her as Spider-Man launched himself into air. For a brief moment, Ruby hung weightless, her legs dangling behind her as she clung to the hero. Despite herself, she let out a scream.

Then Spider-Man launched another web line onto another nearby building and swung on it, repeating the action again and again; when he maxed out the momentum on one line, he launched another one.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Ruby screamed as Spider-Man swung low, barely above the line of incoming traffic that was taking up the entire street. She clung to him even tighter, not daring to let go.

"Relax!" Spider-Man yelled to her as he swung. "On Earth, things like this are a form of entertainment!"

"This is entertainment?!" Ruby cried.

"Yeah! At amusement parks! Though there, people are in safety carts!"

"Bird! Bird!" Ruby warned as a flock of birds came flying at them. Spider-Man swung hard on his current web line, flinging himself and Ruby higher into the air before swinging on another line.

To Ruby's surprise as she held onto Spider-Man, the more they were swinging, the more she was enjoying it. The wind blowing in her face, her cloak flapping behind her, the thrill of her life dangling on by a single strand of webbing and an overly strong young man—all of it was invigorating. She had some experience with flying before, with her Semblance, but it wasn't anything like this. On Remnant, it was to fight the Grimm. Here, this was just for fun.

Spider-Man swung around a street corner. This time, instead of screaming in fear, Ruby let out a scream fueled by pure adrenaline, followed by a laugh. "See?!" Spider-Man told her. "Isn't this fun?!"

Ruby let out another laugh in response. Spider-Man swung up one last time, landing on a nearby rooftop. Ruby instantly let go, dropping to her knees and panting. "That…was incredible," she decided with a grin.

Spider-Man bowed. "Thank you for flying Spider Airlines," he quipped.

Ruby snickered. Spider-Man, obviously grinning under his mask, sat down at the edge of the roof. A second later, Ruby joined him.

"Yep…there's no better way to travel quickly around New York," Spider-Man declared. "And you get a spectacular view at the same time. My girlfriend really loves doing this."

Ruby turned his head to him. "You have a girlfriend?"

"Of course I have a girlfriend."

"And…she knows about…all this?"

"Well—yeah. I had to tell her eventually."

"But no one else knows who you really are?"

"It's better that way," Spider-Man told her, looking out over the rooftops and at the towering skyscrapers. "Heroes like Cap and Iron Man, they're legends. Villains come after them or their families, they get taken down fast. Most don't even try anymore. But me…I'm just a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. The villains I face—they want me dead so much that they're willing to do anything to get to me—including targeting the ones I love. If they ever found out who I really am, my girlfriend, my aunt, my best friends…they'd all be in danger."

"That's a lot of weight to carry on your shoulders," Ruby noted.

"I guess so," Spider-Man admitted. "And sometimes things get tough. Seriously tough. I mean, I probably have some of the worst luck on the planet."

"How do you get through it?"

Spider-Man leaned back slightly. "Well, my Uncle Ben told me once that with great power comes great responsibility. It basically means that, well…we've been given these powers for a reason. It's our job to use them responsibly, or people will get hurt."

"I…guess I never thought about it that way," Ruby admitted. "I mean…everyone on Remnant has an Aura to protect themselves. But the Grimm…they just kept coming and coming. It's the duty of huntsmen and huntresses to protect humanity from them…but if we mess up, people die. People always got hurt by the Grim." She hung her head slightly. "Including my mom."

Spider-Man looked at her. "I…didn't realize you lost someone. I'm sorry."

"There's no way you could've known, Spider-Man."

"Hey, call me Spidey if you want. Most people do."

"Oh. Okay."

"And believe me…I've lost people too." Spider-Man stood up and helped Ruby to her feet. "But hey, we don't have to talk about these sad things. We're supposed to be having a good time enjoying Manhattan at its finest."

"Yeah!" Ruby agreed, her cheerful demeanor returning. "What's up first?!"

Spider-Man pointed in the direction of what appeared to be a hamburger joint. "Lunch."

Half an hour later, Ruby was happily munching on a perfectly cooked burger. "You were right," she said. "These are delicious."

"It's like I keep saying," Spider-Man told her. "5 Guys has the best burgers in New York."

"Well, I haven't tried any other burger in New York, but so far, I think you're right."

"Would you mind telling Hawkeye that? He thinks that In-N-Out Burger is better. He's crazy."

As the two walked down the crowded sidewalk, Spider-Man would often stop to high five people, who usually gave him congratulations and thanks for helping them out one way or another. "You seem pretty popular," Ruby commented.

"I pride myself off of the 'friendly neighborhood Spider-Man' branding," Spider-Man explained. "Though not everyone seems to like it."

"What do you mean? You're one of the nicest people I've ever met."

"Well, some people just seem to think I'm a villain no matter how many crazed supervillains I punch in the face." They passed a newspaper stand and Spider-Man grabbed one of the newspapers. "Take a look."

Ruby glanced at the headline. "Spider-Menace Ruins Parade?"

"Yep. That's J. Jonah Jameson for you. His articles in the Daily Bugle are always about how I'm a menace to New York."

"But those are lies," Ruby pointed out. "Why doesn't he get shut down?"

"Because he's the one who runs the Daily Bugle. It's his company, so pretty much what he says goes."

"Why not do something about it?"

Spider-Man shrugged. "It's not really worth the fight. Besides—I like letting my actions speak for themselves. Kind of like you, from what I heard."

"Me?" Ruby asked.

"You didn't have to chase down Grim Reaper like that. But you did. You've clearly got the heart of a hero. You're willing to put yourself at risk even though you still don't know much about Earth and the villains that we have to deal with."

Ruby blushed slightly. "You really think I could be a hero?"

"Why not? It's what you've been training to be all your life, hasn't it? I think you can do it. Maybe not as a full-fledged Avenger, but maybe you could be a reserve member, like I am."

Ruby stopped walking. "Wait—you're not a real Avenger?"

"By choice," Spider-Man admitted. "They've come to me a few times with full membership. But honestly…I like working the streets. The Avengers—they really thrive on saving the world from the big bads, like Hydra and the Kree. Me?" He gestured around the sidewalk and the street. "I work best being here, keeping a positive face for people. Don't get me wrong—if I get a chance to help them, I'm there. But being here, in New York, ready to help people that need help at a moment's notice—that's where I feel the strongest. That's where I'm at my best."

"Well…I think I'd feel a lot stronger if I knew where my friends were," Ruby admitted.

Spider-Man patted her shoulder. "If they're as strong as you are, I'm sure they're fine."

Ruby smiled at the hero's words. "Thanks, Spidey."

"Come on." Spider-Man gently grabbed Ruby's hand. "Time to give you the best view of the city."

Avengers Quinjet—En Route to Hydra Island

"As you all know, Hydra Island is an artificial island built to be the headquarters of Hydra," Steve explained to the Avengers over a holo-map of the island. "As such, it's going to be heavily defended with traps, defense systems, and, of course, Hydra soldiers."

"With Zemo drawing us to him, we can expect that they will be waiting for us," T'Challa warned.

"That's exactly why we've got support," Steve explained. "We contacted Fury. He's moving a Helicarrier into position to launch multiple S.H.I.E.L.D. strike teams to help secure the island. We're not going to let Hydra escape this time."

"Of course, Hydra Island's going to have a defense network to ward off any high scale air attack," Tony added. "Which is why one of our top priorities is to disable the defense grid."

"Right," Steve confirmed. "Once the defense grid is down, we can contact Fury and bring in S.H.I.E.L.D. to finish them off. But beyond that, we have two other primary objectives: destroy Adhesive X and apprehend Baron Zemo, along with any other Hydra soldiers there."

"You can bet that Crossbones and Grim Reaper will be there," Tony went on. "And it's safe to say that we can also expect Arnim Zola there as well, along with whatever monstrosity he's cooked up with Adhesive X."

"That's a lot to do in a short amount of time, Cap," Clint warned.

"I know, Hawkeye," Steve told him. "That's why we'll be splitting up into three teams." He looked around the Quinjet. "Tony, you, Vision, and Hank will target the defense grid. Janet, you take Clint and Nat and secure the lab. Destroy anything pertaining to Adhesive X you find. T'Challa, you and I will head straight for Zemo."

"Director Fury will not be happy that we're destroying Adhesive X, especially with all the work S.H.I.E.L.D. has put into it," Vision warned.

"In the long run, he'll understand that it's for the greater good," Steve replied. "Fury's not stupid. He knows that it's better to destroy the stuff if we can rather than let it fall into Zemo's hands."

"How long until we reach Snakeheads Incorporated?" Clint asked.

"ETA 54 minutes," Natasha reported from the Quinjet's cockpit.

"Stand ready, Avengers," Steve concluded. "We do this right, and we'll have Zemo back in his special cell in the Raft by the end of the day."

New York City

"All right, open your eyes."

Ruby opened her eyes, finding herself on the edge of a giant skyscraper. "Woah!" she cried out, wobbling slightly on the edge.

"Easy," Spider-Man told her, steadying her. "It's a very long drop."

"That's not helping!"

"Just—take a look." Spider-Man pointed forward. Ruby followed his finger, her silver eyes widening. She could see rows upon rows of buildings stretching for miles.

"Woah," she said again. "You can see the entire city from up here."

"Practically," Spider-Man agreed. "You should see the view when the sun's rising. Or setting. And hopefully not when running from pumpkin bombs."

"From what?"

"Never mind. Anyway, I brought you up here so I can point out some of the best places in New York from a distance—and tell you more about some of the heroes that live on Earth."

"Like who?"

"Well, see that building over there?"

Ruby squinted her eyes to see a smaller skyscraper in the distance. Notably, this building had a large "4" printed on its side. "Yeah?"

"That's the Baxter Building, home of the Fantastic 4. A lot of people consider them the first superhero team. Their leader is the smartest man on the planet—Reed Richards."

"Why aren't they Avengers?"

"Because they kind of do their own thing," Spider-Man explained. "Plus, they got their own villains to fight. Puppet Master, Wizard, Mole Man—and, of course, Doctor Doom. Maybe you'll get to meet them someday. Reed might be a little bit of a know-it-all, but he's a nice guy."

"And over there," he continued, pointing to another skyscraper with the word "Stark" printed on it, "is Stark Tower. That's where Iron Man runs his company. All the latest innovations in technology come out of there—along with a whole lot of new Iron Man suits."

"Wow."

"Yeah, no kidding. Oh, and over there," he added, pointing to a much smaller building that looked like a house of some kind. "That is the Sanctum Santorum, home of Doctor Strange."

"What's he a doctor of?" Ruby asked.

"Oh, you know. Magic, sorcery, defending Earth from mystical threats."

Ruby snickered. "Right. Magic."

"Yep. Magic."

Ruby stopped laughing. "You're not joking."

"Do they not have magic on Remnant?"

"Well, we have stories about magic," Ruby explained. "But they're just stories. There's no actual proof of magic."

"Well, here, magic is a very real thing. And Doctor Strange—he's the Sorcerer Supreme. There's no one better at magic than him."

Ruby looked back out over the city. "How many heroes actually live on Earth?"

"Honestly? I've lost count," Spider-Man admitted. "It's not like there's a superhero convention where everyone gets together. But there's a lot of teams out there. None that are as big and well known as the Avengers, but there's still a lot of them."

"Like who?"

Spider-Man began counting on his fingers. "Well, there's the Fantastic 4, the X-Men, the Defenders, Alpha Flight—"

"Okay, yeah, that's a lot," Ruby interrupted.

"Yep. Earth has no shortage of superheroes," Spider-Man went on. "Of course, that means that there's always going to be about 500 supervillains around to try to kill us, but we'll call that an occupational hazard."

Ruby chuckled slightly. "Are you always this positive and upbeat?"

"Well, it fits into the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man branding I keep telling you about."

Ruby smiled at that as her eyes fell upon, in the distance, Avengers Mansion. She couldn't make out the damage to the building from here, but she knew it wasn't good. "Why did Hydra attack the mansion?" she suddenly asked.

Spider-Man tilted his head. "Because they're raging fascist lunatics that want to conquer the world?"

"But why now?" Ruby wondered. "Steve said that they were going after them to take down something called Adhesive X, but I don't know what that means. Was it something that the Avengers had, and that Grim Reaper guy just managed to take it before I could get to him?"

Spider-Man rubbed his chin. "I'll admit, I don't know much about Adhesive X, so I can't say for sure…but I think I know someone that does."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Come on." He helped Ruby stand up. "We're going back to the mansion. There's someone you should meet."

Avengers Quinjet—En route to Hydra Island

"Hydra Island is coming up on radar," Natasha warned over the Quinjet's intercom. "We must be close enough to break through their jammers."

"Great. We can probably expect some missiles heading our way any second now," Clint commented.

"Do you always have to be so negative?" Tony asked him.

"No. I just know that's how these missions go. We make a plan, we fly to take out the bad guys, we got shot out of the sky, we almost all die, and then we rally to save the day."

"Wha—not all our missions are like that, Hawkeye!"

"Incoming missiles!" Natasha shouted as the Quinjet sped up and rolled. "Brace yourselves!"

Tony glared at Clint. "This doesn't prove anything."

Boom! The Quinjet rocked with an explosion as a missile exploded next to hit. "Hold on, Avengers!" Steve shouted. "We're going in!"

Avengers Mansion

"What are we even doing back here?" Ruby asked as they arrived back at Avengers Mansion, slipping in through the still broken front door. "I thought you were supposed to be showing me everything Earth has to offer and teach me in the ways of Earth culture."

Spider-Man let out a laugh. "That's going to take multiple days, weeks, and maybe even months before you learn everything you need to know. Besides, you wanted to learn more about Adhesive X. There's only one person that can tell us more. And if we do learn more, we might be able to help them out somehow."

"But the only other person here is Jarvis," Ruby pointed out. "Why would he know anything about this?"

"Oh no, we're not talking to Jarvis," Spider-Man told her as he led her into the elevator and down to the lower levels of the mansion. "We're talking to F.R.I.D.A.Y."

"Who's that?"

The elevator doors dinged up, and the two began to walk towards the war room. "Well, you had robots on Remnant, right?" Spider-Man asked.

"Um…yeah…"

"F.R.I.D.A.Y.'s sort of like a robot. She's an artificial intelligence that helps Iron Man out."

"An artificial intelligence? Like…Ultron?" Ruby's hands shook slightly as she spoke.

"Sort of, except she's not a psychopath." The two entered the War Room. "F.R.I.D.A.Y.?" Spider-Man asked. "You there?"

All the monitors began to glow. "Hello, Spider-Man," a female voice spoke, seemingly from everywhere. "How may I assist you and Miss Rose today?"

"What can you tell us about Adhesive X and the Avengers mission to get it today?"

"Accessing historical records." After a few seconds, multiple different files began appearing on the monitors. "Adhesive X was a Hydra experiment during World War II, headed by Baron Heinrich Zemo. It is known as the strongest adhesive known to man, unbreakable once it bonds between two surfaces. The formula was taken by the Allied Powers after Captain America led a raid on the Hydra lab where Zemo was experimenting with it. Since then, S.H.I.E.L.D. has been studying and experimenting with Adhesive X, attempting to create a counter to it. No counter was ever produced. As for Zemo, his legacy would be passed on to the current Baron Zemo; his son, Helmut. Most recently, Zemo sent the Hydra mercenary Crossbones to raid a S.H.I.E.L.D. lab that was working on Adhesive X. The Avengers have used this information to launch their own attack on Hydra Island, the base of operations for Hydra."

"So that's where they're going," Ruby realized. "But—they don't have a way to counter Adhesive X, do they?"

"No," F.R.I.D.A.Y. answered. "And the Avengers are well aware that this is a trap. Yet they have no choice. Baron Zemo and his Hydra forces must be stopped, and Adhesive X must be destroyed."

"How are they going to do that?" Ruby wondered. "And if they get hit with any of that stuff—"

"Take it easy, Ruby," Spider-Man interrupted. "Cap's always got a plan. He'll get them out of any sticky situation. In this case, literally."

"But…what if he can't?"

"Well, it's not like we can do anything to help," Spider-Man pointed out. "Like F.R.I.D.A.Y. said, there's no way to counteract Adhesive X."

"What, you guys don't have an expert on glue?" Ruby asked, almost jokingly.

Spider-Man stopped. "Hmm…an expert on glue…" He turned back to the monitors. "F.R.I.D.A.Y., can you bring up the current inmate roster of the Vault? Subsection: supervillain."

"One moment please." Names and images began flashing on the screen. Ruby only caught brief glimpses of some of them. Whirlwind. Whiplash. Blizzard. Until finally, the screen stopped on one name.

"I thought so," Spider-Man said. "Here's our glue expert."

"Who is that?" Ruby asked.

"Peter Petruski," Spider-Man explained. "Aka, the Trapster. If anyone knows how to make a counter to Adhesive X, it's him. F.R.I.D.A.Y., contact S.H.I.E.L.D. and tell them to bring Trapster to the Helicarrier—and that we'll be heading there as well."

"We?" Ruby asked.

"Need I remind you, Spider-Man, that Director Fury does not like surprises—especially when it comes to moving supervillains to the Helicarrier," F.R.I.D.A.Y. warned.

"Then tell him that Trapster can solve the Adhesive X problem," Spider-Man told her.

"But you don't know if he can."

Spider-Man crossed his arms. "Boy, you really are stubborn for a computer. Just tell Fury that this is the Amazing Spider-Man's brilliant plan to save the day."

"I'm not sure that will help things."

"F.R.I.D.A.Y.," Spider-Man warned.

"Very well, sir. Alerting Director Fury now."

"And while she's doing that," Spider-Man told Ruby, "We're going to the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier."

"What's a Helicarrier?" Ruby asked.

"A flying boat with a lot of cool bad guy stopping guns."

"Can I at least get Crescent Rose first?"

Spider-Man nodded. "I'll meet you in the hangar." He started moving for the door, but then stopped. "…you don't know where the hangar is yet, do you."

Ruby shook her head.

"I will also point out the fact that you are not certified to fly a Quinjet, Spider-Man," F.R.I.D.A.Y. spoke up.

"Hey, I've flown a Quinjet before!" Spider-Man protested.

"You've crashed one before."

"That doesn't prove anything!"

"Um, guys?" Ruby spoke up. "Bad guys in need of stopping?"

Spider-Man threw his hands up. "You're right. We gotta get moving."

Hydra Island

The Quinjet shook from another explosion. "We can't take much more of this!" Natasha warned.

"Alright. Then we'll have to bail," Steve decided, getting up and walking to the end of the Quinjet, hitting the button that would lower the ramp.

"Great. Another death defying drop into hostile territory," Clint commented, getting up as well, along with the rest of the Avengers.

"Fly in as low as you can, Widow," Steve ordered. "Then hit the autopilot and bail."

"Copy," Natasha said.

"Let's move out, Avengers!" Steve ran down the ramp once the Quinjet was low enough and leaped off, rolling on the ground before landing on his feet, raising his shield to instantly block the hail of bullets that came from the first squad of Hydra soldiers. This squad was taken down seconds later thanks to a missile from Tony and an explosive arrow from Clint. The rest of the Avengers soon landed around Steve, with Natasha arriving last as the Quinjet flew overhead, only to be blown to pieces moments later.

"You have your assignments," Steve told everyone. "Let's get it done, Avengers." The team then split up, with Steve heading off alone with T'Challa.

Hydra Island had been built to resemble a real island, only without any trees and very little cover. So it wasn't long before the two heroes were met with their first challenge: a squad of Hydra soldiers being backed up by a tank.

The soldiers instantly began shooting at the two. Steve raised his shield in defense as he found cover being a pile of wreckage, while T'Challa simply leaped at them, his vibranium suit protecting him from harm. As he engaged the soldiers with a flurry of kicks and punches, the tank zeroed in on Steve and fired a shot. The hero ran out from behind his cover as it hit it, blowing it to pieces. He kept running as fast as he could while the soldiers that weren't attacking T'Challa began to shoot at him.

He threw the shield at the soldiers, hitting one in the face before the shield bounced back to him. Catching it, he used it to deflect more bullets as he continued to run straight for the tank, which was frantically trying to line up another shot.

He leaped onto the tank and placed his shield against the front of the barrel just as it was about to fire. The shell exploded within the tank barrel, causing the entire vehicle to begin to smoke and catch fire. Steve leaped off the tank as the Hydra soldiers within climbed out in terror just before the tank exploded.

Steve looked over just as T'Challa finished off the last soldier of the squad with a kick to the back of the head. "Truly a disappointing showing," he mused. "Zemo must be keeping his more elite soldiers closer to him."

"Agreed," Steve said. "That's what Zemo does. He wants us to get to him so he can defeat me personally." He readjusted the shield on his arm. "Let's keep moving."

S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier—En route to Hydra Island

Ruby could barely contain her excitement upon seeing the size and scope of the Helicarrier. "That thing's bigger than the ships from Atlas!" she exclaimed.

"Just wait until you see the inside," Spider-Man told her. "Assuming we get there in the next century."

"We are traveling at the appropriate speed for landing on the Helicarrier," F.R.I.D.A.Y. insisted.

Spider-Man slumped back in his seat. "This is the last time we let an AI drive."

The Quinjet landed in one of the lower hangars on the Helicarrier. When the ramp opened, the man that had visited the mansion the night before was there, and he didn't look too happy.

"Hey, Nick!" Spider-Man said, coming down the ramp. "Did you get my message?"

"You'd better have a damn good reason for this, web head," Fury warned.

"Woah, chill out, Fury," Spider-Man told him. "I think I just solved your Adhesive X problem."

"By consulting with a known criminal? Forgive me if I'm a little skeptical."

"Did you bring old Petey here?"

"No," Fury told him. "There was no time to clear a prisoner transfer and get him up here. But if you really want to talk to him, we've set up a video comm link in the lab for you to talk. Agent Quartermain is already there to handle any deals he tries to make if he should try to make them. That's assuming he actually knows something."

"I owe you one, Nick," Spider-Man told him.

"And yet, you brought someone here without any security clearance." Fury turned his one-eyed gaze on Ruby. She awkwardly waved to him with a nervous chuckle.

"She's with me," Spider-Man replied. "I can vouch for her."

Fury stared the two of them down. "She's your responsibility, Spider-Man," he warned, turning around and walking away. "If she screws up, it's on you."

"Yep, that's Nick Fury for you," Spider-Man commented as he began to lead Ruby out of the hangar and down narrow corridors, passing by more S.H.I.E.L.D. agents along the way.

"He seems really serious," Ruby noted.

"He kind of has to be. He's the leader of the largest spy organization in the world. If there's anything going on in the world, chances are he knows about it. That doesn't leave much for leisure."

Ruby had to admit that made sense as the two entered a lab that looked similar to the one that Tony had back at Avengers Mansion, albeit a little less high tech. A blonde S.H.I.E.L.D. agent was waiting for them. "Welcome back to the Helicarrier, Spider-Man," he greeted them.

"Clay! Good to see you!" Spider-Man said back. "Fury said you can patch us through to the Vault?"

"We're bringing it up right now. Do you really think he's got what we're looking for?"

"Never underestimate a villain's ability to have exactly what you're looking for," Spider-Man replied. "I'll be the first to admit that Trapster's not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but if there's anyone that might know how to find a counter for Adhesive X, it's him."

Quartermain nodded. "If you say so. We're bringing the feed online now."

The screen on the other end of the room flickered to life, revealing a bald man with a slight goatee in an orange jumpsuit sitting at table. He whipped his head up to face the camera, his eyes narrowing as he apparently a camera feed on the other end. "Spider-Man!" he growled.

"Hey, Paste Pot Pete," Spider-Man said back. "Did you miss me?"

"That's not my name! My name is Trapster now!"

"But Paste Pot Pete has such a nice ring to it."

"What do you want?!"

Spider-Man chuckled slightly at riling Trapster up. "You know your way around glue, Petey. Any chance you've heard of something called Adhesive X?"

"Adhesive X?" Trapster scoffed. "Of course I've heard of it!"

"Do you know how to counter it?"

"Do you take me for a fool? Of course I know! It's a very simple formula."

"Great. Why don't you go ahead and tell us how to make it then?"

"Why the hell would I do anything to help you? You're the one that locked me up in here!"

"Technically, I just caught you. S.H.I.E.L.D. locked you up there."

"Bah! It doesn't matter! I'm not helping you do—"

"S.H.I.E.L.D. is ready to offer you amnesty if you agree to help," Quartermain interjected. "Provided, of course, you have information that's of any value to S.H.I.E.L.D."

Trapster leaned back in his chair. "Alright. Let me out of this dump, and I'll give you the formula."

"Uh uh uh," Spider-Man told him. "First you give us the formula."

"How do I know you'll keep your end of the bargain?"

"Come on, Petey, you and I both know that I'm more trustworthy to hold up a deal than you are."

"Stop calling me Petey!" Trapster snapped.

"This offer's not going to be on the table long, Petruski," Quartermain warned. "And it's your only chance of getting out of the Vault within the next ten years. Take it or leave it."

Trapster scowled, seeming to weigh his options. "Fine!" he finally shouted. "You got a deal."

Quartermain put a finger to his ear. "He's taking the deal. Get Agents Fitz and Simmons down to the lab ASAP."

As the conversation continued, Ruby found herself wandering around the lab. Unlike Tony's lab, which was disorganized and filled with random pieces of equipment, this lab was completely spotless. All the lab tables were clean. There was nothing out of place.

She stopped at one of the tables, curiously opening one of the drawers. Inside, she found several cartridges of what appeared to be some sort of ammo. Notably, it was glowing. She picked up a cartridge, taking a closer look at it.

"Careful, kid," Quartermain warned. "That's some of our specialized stun ammo."

Ruby turned back to the agent. "Stun ammo?"

"For when we need to take prisoners. It packs the same punch as one of Iron Man's repulsor blasts and can incapacitate most suspects almost instantly."

Ruby stared at the ammo clip in her hand. "Where are the tools?" she asked.

"Beg pardon?"

"Where are the tools?"

"What are you thinking, Ruby?" Spider-Man asked.

Ruby took Crescent Rose from her back and placed it on the table. "If we're going to go after these Hydra guys…I'm going to need some upgrades."

Hydra Island

"My sensors indicate that the main power generator for the defense grid is close," Tony reported as he punched a Hydra soldier into a wall.

"Confirmed," Vision agreed, going intangible to let a few missiles pass through him harmlessly and destroy a Hydra defense turret.

Hank returned to normal size after knocking another enemy soldier out. "The defenses aren't as big as I expected this close to the defense grid."

"Did you just say that this was easy, Hank?" Tony asked. "You never say that anything is easy!"

"Why not?" Hank asked.

The ground began to shake as several platforms began to rise all around the trio. Each platform not only had several squads of Hydra soldiers, but also several large mechs. In seconds, the heroes were surrounded by them.

"That's why," Tony told Hank.

In a deeper part of the island, Janet flew ahead of Clint and Natasha, shooting down Hydra soldiers left and right with her bio-stings. "How much further until we reach the lab?" she called back.

"It should be—oof—just down the hall," Clint grunted as he took a punch to the stomach from a Hydra soldier. He grabbed another arrow from his quiver and stabbed it into the soldier, electrocuting the poor man. Next to him, Natasha was matching a burly Hydra soldier blow for blow, until she was able to grab his arm, swing herself up to his shoulders, and bash him in the face, flipping off him and landing gracefully on the ground.

"Good," Janet said. Then she asked, "Does anyone actually have a plan to take care of Adhesive X when we get there?"

"Sure," Clint answered. "A couple of incendiary arrows should do the trick."

"And if it doesn't?" Natasha asked.

Clint shrugged. "Then we'll just take the stuff, wait around until Thor gets back, and have him throw it all into the sun."

"Here it is!" Janet called as they reached a sealed, metal door marked "LAB."

"Allow me." Clint aimed an explosive arrow at the doors and fired, blowing a hole right through the door. The three heroes ran (or, in Wasp's case, flew) through the hole, seeing a tall, menacing figure standing in the shadows in front of them.

"You! Freeze!" Clint ordered, pulling the string back on his bow.

"Ah, Avengers. Welcome to my lab." The figure stepped forward, revealing himself to the Avengers.

"Arnim Zola," said Janet, "Are you going to surrender, or do we have to beat you up first?"

"I think not," Zola answered, the face on the screen that made up his torso stretching into a grin. "You are all about to have problems of your own."

Something flashed out of the corner of Natasha's eyes. "Scatter!" she yelled. The Avengers dove to the side as something large and goopy crashed into the spot where the three of them had just been standing. The thing turned its gaze on the Avengers and roared.

"I think you are all well acquainted with Doughboy," Zola introduced his creation.

"What, your goopy 2nd grade science project?" Clint asked. "You know we've taken down dozens of these things before, right?"

"Right!" Janet agreed, flying towards Doughboy, firing her stingers at it and causing its flesh to ripple from the tiny impacts. "All your creations have the same weakness to my bio-stings, so this should be over in—"

Doughboy lunged at her. Janet, having no time to dodge, was caught on its skin, where she stuck fast. "Hey!" she yelled, struggling to get out. "I can't move!"

"As you can see, I have improved on the Doughboy design," Zola explained. "This particular version is not only comprised of the previous bio-matter, but is also made up of Adhesive X."

Clint and Natasha slowly started to back away as Doughboy approached them, Janet still struggling to pull herself free from the substance. "And now," Zola continued. "It will be the end of you Avengers once and for all."

Zemo stood in his throne room, facing away from the doors when they burst open. A Hydra soldier flew in, landing in a heap on the ground.

"It's over Zemo!" Captain America yelled as he entered with Black Panther. "Surrender."

"Surrender?" Zemo slowly turned around, aiming a gun filled with Adhesive X in it directly at the two heroes. "Oh no, my dear Captain. This battle is far from over. And the outcome will be…your demise.

The showdown begins next chapter, which should bring an end to the Hydra Arc! Epic battles! Potentially deadly duels! More Spider-Man quips! It's all coming next chapter!

I know the chapter probably seems a little rushed in places, and perhaps a little slow with the early scenes with Spider-Man and Ruby. But those scenes were mainly for the two to develop as friends and start to show Ruby around New York, beginning her transition into learning about the culture. There probably won't be too many more full scenes of her or other characters learning Earth stuff, but there will be small moments throughout the story if random things they don't know about come up. Really, those scenes also mainly were to help reveal the existence of certain other characters and teams, many of which I do indeed have plans for.

But anywho, that's all from me. Until next time, this is Guest 1138, signing off.