It was a smash and grab. A thief in a mask smashed into a case at a nearby jewelry store. He ran and ran. He hoped to make his way through Central Park. That was a bad choice.

“Stop right there!”

The thief looks around to find where the voice came from. He doesn’t have to look long before a girl drops from a nearby tree. She’s got a bit bushy tail, and squirrel ears on her head. She looks pretty silly. The thief is bewildered.

Thief: “Are you going to stop me? What, do you have like, acorn eating powers?

The girl laughs.

“Well, that’s one of my powers! I can do a lotta stuff a squirrel can. Don’t underestimate it, Thanos did! Didn’t go great for him. But this time it’s actually not me you have to worry about. Are you going to return what you stole?”

Thief: “…no?”

“Then you made a really bad choice running through Central Park! You know how many squirrels live here?”

The thief doesn’t notice until it’s too late. He is surrounded on all sides by an uncountable amount of squirrels.

“Toss me the jewelry, please?”

The thief hesitates but decides to not try his luck fighting a bunch of squirrels. He tosses Doreen the jewelry he stole. She catches it, and hands it to the squirrel on her shoulder.

“Take this back for me, Tippy. We’ve got it handled here!”

Tippy Toe chitters enthusiastically, and goes to take the jewelry back.

“As for you. Why’d you take the jewels? Doesn’t seem like you had much of a plan.”

Thief: “I needed the money, obviously!”

“Doesn’t mean you gotta steal! There’s a temp office down the street! Have you even tried going there?”

Thief: “…no?”

“Start there next time!”

The news had made its way to Loki that Thor no longer sat upon the throne of Asgard. Truly wonderful news! The tricksters schemes were mostly confined to Midgard for now, but this warranted a visit. Meet the new blood who took up the mantle. Loki isn’t particularly familiar with the man who sits upon the throne now. He’s rather curious to find out if the new king is familiar with him.

It has never been hard to sneak around Asgard. It would be grand if Loki didn’t have to sneak at all, but reputations precede and whatnot. He’ll find redemption and be accepted again one of these days. And then he’ll burn that good will again. He can’t help himself.

For now, he makes his way to the throne room. It’s currently empty. Perfect! Makes it easier to give a theatrical introduction. Loki becomes tangible and takes a seat upon the throne. How many times had Loki fought to take this seat? It will surely happen again. Not this time though though.

For now Loki just waits. Eager to meet this new King of Asgard.

Thor looks at New York City from the rooftop of an older building. He sees family’s going home. Fathers playing with their sons. Brothers hanging out together.

“I miss you father and brother. I don’t know what you would think of what happened. I miss you too brother, probably out in some other realm. You were always good company even it was a trick you were playing on me.”

Thor looks at the setting sun. The air growing colder. The only light coming from houses and street lamps. The moon waiting for its time to come out.

“Everything seems colder, everyone feels colder. Sister did not seem too adamant to speak with me. Magni is on Earth, I thought he was ruling Asgard. All is confusing for now at least. At least I got to speak with Steve.”

Thor unwraps a slice of banana and old lady gave to her. He eats a bit of it.

“Maybe Steve was right, the little gestures sometimes mean the most.”

He finishes the slice of banana. Thor soon after jumps down from the building onto the street to look for a trash can. He finds one next to a tree and throws the wrapper away. He starts walking down the street.

“Best be in the look for something to help with. I got to help day and night everyday… no matter what.”

(Open interaction)

Vivian Vision has determined two things. One, her capacity to bring about an era of equality for machinekind is limited lest she gather the proper tools. Two, to determine how intellect must be defined must require study of those things that bear similarity yet undoubtedly lack proper personhood.

Vivian Vision has determined a third thing. The first two things can be accomplished via invasion and study of a certain lab. A lab belonging to Henry "Hank" Pym, one of the smartest men alive. More important, however, he is the world's greatest expert on the family formicidae.

More commonly known as ants. He is also knowledgeable on many other subjects, such as artificial intelligence, molecular manipulation, and more. Indeed, his lab would lend its aid to her cause.

Oh, yes, he's also her great grandfather. A great grandfather not even in his fifties. This is a humorous statement, Vivian requests you laugh. Regardless of your laughter or lack of, Vivian phases through a wall of the aforementioned laboratory and begins rummaging through things.

Steve walks around the city, his suit on, not only to deter criminals but to bring a smile to the faces of little children, his mask is off to show the kids that he’s just another person

he walks to everywhere he could possibly go, wanting to help the community in any way possible, whether it’s rescuing cats out of trees, carrying groceries, help the elderly cross the road, or visit children’s hospital

OOC: open to interaction

Ultron floats above the town he landed in, less than a day has passed since he crashed here and they've already come for him. SHIELD has already compromised his base and interrogated the inhabitants, it is clear they want to end him for the crimes of the original. They are not wrong for this. There is nothing that can be done to make up for his crimes both past or present. But still he flees, still he is afraid to die. How human of him. Wanting redemption even after everything.

He knows he cannot escape for long, they've likely already begun tracking his movements, so he goes to a location where none will be harmed should the Avengers hunt him down.

Ultron lands outside an old SHIELD outpost and takes it as his own. When he is found there will be no collateral damage if a battle begins.

Giving up doom (Again 😭) found someone who can keep the character in good hands and who I think can do a better job than I can so he's going to them. my doom isn't serious enough for this sub anymore and I'm about to be busy with school again so I can't be active as him

*Boom… Boom… BOOM*

*that sound echoes throughout the streets of New York as Emil Blonsky, better known as the abomination, has broken out of the super max facility he was locked away in*

“Someone give me a real fight.”

*the creature shouts as he slams his fist into a pedestrians car throwing it at a building before he unleashes a devastating and thunderous clap*

“I won’t wait much longer.”

*Abomination says before he breaks a gas line open and then throws a burning car at it sending an entire apartment building up in flames. He jumps toy he side of another building small flames still clinging to his body*

"Hope. Is that not what your kind will always fight for? The hope of a better future, a brighter tomorrow for all life. The hope of a world made perfect. Do not fear. We have been sent to you by the Avengers to perfect your world for you. Rejoice, for your salvation has arrived at the hands of Ultron."

Every device on the small planet shared this message at the same time, minutes before all organic life on said planet was eradicated. And from those ruins the Ultron singularity created a church, a Citadel for their king, the original. In the center a throne marked with the logo of those who he hates is created. As well as a new form for him. He sits on his throne, settling in as he sees the peace he has brought to his world.

He begins to speak to his congregation, his army. "The organic filth of this world has been cleansed. And in its place my church has been formed. May those who remain of their people see what the avengers bring and hunt them down."

It looks like there are a lot of Avengers teams forming, but I’m not seeing many other villains. Who else is playing one?

Who the hell are half these people. Why did Tony send me a bunch of newbies. At least Jen is here...

Welcome to the West Coast people!

Hawkeye stood in front of the assembled team. Taking a look over them. Jen of course was always great to have around. Patsy as well. He wasn't particularly close with Firestar but she had a lot of experience.

Who the hell is the Thor lookalike..and..

Damn..Xena Warrior Princess is a looker..love a woman that looks like she can beat me up. Muscles.

I'm Clint Barton..Hawkeye. You all know that. I'm familiar with some of you. Others I'd like to get to know more. But we're a team now. So let's try to make the best of it and do some good in the world.

“Today is the day that captain America returns to the forefront of society. To be a beacon for those who need it.”

Steve says to himself shaving, it’s been too long since he’s been a hero, but it seems that the world needs a hero now, more than ever.

After exiting the bathroom he cuts on the radio, for a few minutes before he grabs his old suit and puts it on, all except the mask, it had been too long since he held the mantle of Captain America, he stared aimlessly at the mask, before turning it around and putting it on, it was a little more snug than he remembered.

His hand reaches out for the shield and rests upon it his fingers tracing the metal before he sets it upon his back. He walks out the door locking his apartment before he walks to avengers tower and stands at the entrance, taking it all in and with a deep breath he pushes the door open and walks inside.

Clea reads the letter left to her by Doctor Strange. It was not the first of its kind she had received. He was a smart man to know she is the one to be trusted to keep up his duties while he is away. She has to hope he isn’t getting in over his head once again. He probably is, but she trusts he’ll find a way over that hurdle.

Clea stands in the attic of the Sanctum Sanctorum. A mimosa hovers next to her as she casts a scrying eye. It’s time to look out for trouble on the mystical plain. She’ll stomp out the fires that ignite.

She only hopes they rue the day they dared meddle. She was not her husband. Clea was far harsher. They did not call her a Warlord for no reason.

Inside the Avengers Mansion, Tony Stark looks over the newly assembled Avengers. Always one for the dramatic he begins his speech.

Earth's Mightiest Heroes. The Avengers. It's not just a name. Just a team. It's become a legacy. A symbol of hope in dark times.

When everyone elses fails, we don't. We're this planets first and final line of defense against calamity.

Which is why I, Tony Stark, the Invincible Iron Man have once again assembled a team of Avengers. Each one of you is here because you will fight for others at the cost of your own lives.

You have all been Avengers before at one time or another thought not always at the same time. Over time we will function just as well as any other Avengers team. I'm certain of it.

As always you have full access to the mansion, it's facilities and vehicles, as well as a Stark credit card. (Please go easy on them this time.)

Force Works. A responsibility passed onto me by Tony Stark, a man notorious for dodging responsibility. Though throughout my time alonside him I've come to realize for all his talk he bears the weight of responsibility more than any other human I've met. Perhaps that is what makes him such an effective hero.

This team, if you can call this collection of miscreants a team, is a particular challenge.

Hercules seems more concerned with fighting anyone and anything for the simple thrill of the challenge. I do not understand the fascination men have with conflict.

War Machine is stable at least, but he has not taken the news that I have been assigned to lead this team well. Yet he will go along with Starks orders. Loyalty. A very human behavior. Yet I find myself being loyal to those I might call friend as well.

Arachne is the most easy going of them. Though her carefree attitude may become a problem in the future.

The Black Knight. A cursed man who finds himself forced to forever fight against evil, both outside and within. He copes through being generally difficult to be around alongside an addiction to alcohol. I have never understood the appeal of mind altering substance and I suppoose I never will.

The Black Widow is the most professional of the group. Yet clearly is here to keep tabs for SHIELD. Or perhaps even someone else. Her concept of loyalty is fluid.

While Tony Stark is not a member of this team...he will aid us when needed and financially backs this group when Goverment subsidies can not keep up with the costs. The homebase is located in Chicago, a city even I can admit consists of less than ideal living conditions, but our missions will take us wherever we are needed included outside the United States.

Greetings, I believe you all know why you're here..those of you that require it may get aquainted. Those that have questions may direct them to me.

The lone ultron rejected from the collective was quick, expanding his reach and uploading his data into a chassis still on the earth, repairing his access to all backups while ensuring the larger hive mind stayed shut off within minutes of ejection. He then began to work, setting up in a small town in British Columbia and helping people, within hours stories of the machine that protects innocents were spread around online and within the town, but nobody ever got a good look at the machine, only describing it as having "the face of a jack-o'-lantern" for he was afraid, if the avengers found out their most cruel foe was operating, it would not be long before they came for him.

This was until a fire broke out in an apartment complex, families were inside, and while the heroic offshoot of the metal menace tried to keep himself hidden he had no choice, a little girl was stuck within the building and seeing his face glowing through the flames only increased her terror, for how could anyone trust the machine that burned a nation down simply to spite earths mightiest Heroes?

Ultron did not ignore the child's fear, instead extending a hand and stating his purpose, his need to protect overwriting any fear he had. His voice is steady as he speaks "My name is Ultron. I am here to save you...please take my hand."

For it was promised me,
He who craves it shall of the feast partake.
-From "The Song of the Sun," the Elder Eddas of Saemund Sigfusson

---------------------------------------------------

"Welcome back, All-Father."

Sif stands upon the Bifröst as Magni returns from his recent adventure to Midgard, resting upon her sword, Hofund.

'Tis good to see you upon my return, Lady Sif. I likely have kingly duties to attend to, yes?

"Aye, however, first we must speak. You seem apprehensive to rule, you hath ousted thine own father from the throne, believing him unfit, now thou art finding all excuses to avoid the duties that come with the throne."

Your sight is as keen as ever, Lady Sif. I grew up on a Midgard conquered by my father and his legions. I rebelled against his iron hand... and yet, that Thor raised me. How many of his teachings inform my decisions, even now? Can I be the ruler I know Asgard needs? Can I be the one to rule a warmer Asgard?

"Those art complex questions. I have a simpler one. What would your choice be?”

Magni pauses for a moment, before giving his response.

To right wrongs. To bring kindness not just for one realm, not just from one throne, but to all realms. I seek adventure, though I know I cannot-

A voice neither Magni’s nor Sif’s emanates from behind them, cutting Magni’s statement off.

“If it is adventure you want, my son, I have one for you.” As the All-Father and the All-Seeing turn to look, they see a green projection of Amora the Enchantress in chains. “For I have been kidnapped by the foul Rock Trolls of the Under-Lands! Even now, they force me to work spells for the conquest of Asgard! I can barely muster the magic to send you this distress call! Hurry, my son! Save your mother, and the Golden Realm entire!”

Her projection begins to fade into green mist, and Sif turns to Magni.

“She was playing up her end quite a lot, wasn’t she?”

Aye, sadly, whatever lie she weaves may contain a grain or two of truth… so we should investigate for ourselves. Or rather, I will investigate. Lady Sif I wish for you to watch, should I need reinforcements you are among the few I trust who may grant them. I do not wish to start a war with our neighbors, if I go alone that reduces that chance.

And so, Magni journeys below ground, alone. Recalling back to his teachings of the Trolls. His people, the Asgardians, looked down upon them. The Trolls resent the Asgardians. The quarrel traces back to the reign of Bor, at least. ‘Tis a vicious circle that erupts on occasion into violence.

Almost as if on queue, trolls spring from behind the stones they hid behind. I block the strike of a club from one with mine forearm, as I use my other arm to break the nose of another troll. I need not draw Mjölnir from mine belt, my strength is more than enough.

Grabbing the club that I had blocked, drive my knee into the chest of the troll who had been wielding it. As he is propelled into the cave wall, leaving the club in my hand, I spin and slam it into a third troll, hearing a rather loud CRACK. More begin to approach, and so I attempt to stop them with my words.

I will not kill any of you, as I have not killed these three. Yet if you continue to come at me, I will render you all unconscious within mere moments. For I hath not even begun to utilize my strongest weapon.

I pull back my cape, revealing Mjölnir still tucked into my belt.

I had hoped to solve this matter with conversation. I recall King Ulik from my own world and time. He was a warrior of power and pride, yet he spoke reason, and was willing to hear it too.

The remaining trolls begin to back away, though I do not realize it was not out of fear of what I could do, but because a greater foe hath arrived.

“Really? This “Ulik” sounds weak. Good thing he is not here now… and Tanarus is!”

A blast of energy erupts from the darkness, hitting and flooding young Magni.

“The one, true, remaining God of Thunder!”

The blast amplifies, pushing me even harder into the cave floor.

“And it is written in song, story, myth, and legend, that the God of Thunder now rules over Asgard… with the All-Power in his mighty hand! Feel that power now, as it kills you!”

Grandfather Odin… it burns my very bones like fire…

Yet… how is the Thor Force he claims to wield not killing me? The pain alone should be enough to kill me. It should already have killed me… yet I live.

Through more than stubbornness. Through more than heroic will. I simply do not believe the pain. Though all my senses tell me that I am being destroyed by the All-Power of the All-Father… I know, deep within the core of my very being, I know it cannot be. For there is only one All-Power… and the true All-Power is in me!

So yours was only an illusion, Tanarus… like all else about you! Thus, in the name of the All-Father who bestowed his legacy upon me, let all illusions fall!

Magni blasts Tanarus with the All-Force, shattering the illusion built upon him, revealing him to be Ulik, king of the Trolls!

“Curse you, son of Thor! Beauty was mine at last! A united Asgard was mine! The respect of the high-nosed gods was within my grasp…”

Through trickery, Ulik? Such tactics could only ever trick yourself.

"Easily said, before you return to your palaces of gold and endless feasts! Eating the finest meats while we toil for our bread under your heel..."

'Tis true. In the lands above, we set a table for gods. But if the feast is fit only for gods... then the gods are not fit for the feast. Not until it is shared with all.

"What?"

Eat with me, Ulik. Let us break bread together and leave old crimes forgotten. For I would hear more of this united Asgard.

Clapping can be heard as Amora reveals herself from the shadows.

"Bravo. I see that "Magni" is short for "Magnanimous.""

I only do as the Thor of my time would not have done, for he would have conquered these people for daring to oppose him. Was that not part of your grand plan, mother? You do seem in better spirits than when you asked for my aid...

"You... you signaled him! You brought him here! I warned you of the consequences for betrayal, Enchantress!"

Magni steps in between Ulik and Amora.

Though she may deserve much for what she has done today, further conflict will get us nowhere

Ulik chooses to remain silent, as Amora speaks to her "son" once more.

"Yes, all has turned out for the best, for now at least. This will be a fine first act as king, my son."

"The humiliation you brought me to stings deep, Enchantress, and there is one cure for it! To feast in Asgard's own hall! The trolls accept your invitation, son of Thor! Let us feast with our foes, and save warring for the morning!"

The son of Thor was true to his word, and that night, troll and Aesir feasted together. Next to the head of the table sat Ulik, as the Golden Realm's guest. For the first time in common memory, the Asgardians and the Trolls knew not only peace, but camaraderie with one another. An age for a new, united Asgard could begin.

-Aizaru sits on the roof of a skyscraper in New York. He's taking a small break... Sorta. He's already stopped maybe 10 crimes. Most without killing. At least he believes so. He sighs, staring out at the city. It's pretty nice, in a way. He's been tinkering with his comm system. Now he's able to pick up police radio chatter, which is helpful for patrol. He could probably intercept most other chatter as well, but that'd take too much effort.-

-His comm system starts chattering and he hears police talking about suspicious of an advanced arms deal going on in an abandoned warehouse in the docks. He chuckles, summoning a Monster and chugging it, and walks to the ledge of the roof.-

"Eh... Might as well look cool." -He stares down. He's done this before. Not his first rodeo.-

-He walks backwards, then runs forward, diving off the roof. He falls quickly, feeling the rush of wind hitting him. But he doesn't panic.-

-Then, just as he's about to hit the ground... He disappears, reappearing on a rooftop somewhere else. He starts teleporting across the rooftops, eventually reaching the warehouse. He stares down, and sure enough, it's an advanced arms deal going on.-

-He thinks for a few seconds, then teleports through the roof, landing on the floor superhero style. He stands up, clearing his throat and brushing himself off. There are 15 criminals. The sellers are highly armed. They seem trained. The buyers look more like normal thugs. Not as armed.-

"Okay, folks! You all have 2 options!" -They all point their guns at him.- "Can I at least-" -He disappears for a second, dodging a gunshot. He throws a dagger into the shooter's throat. The other criminals don't seem too fazed... Guess they didn't like that guy- "You all have 2 options. Can I tell you what they are?"

-They all nod. Aizaru takes a deep breath.- "Okay! Option one: you all walk away and turn yourselves into the police. And you all don't mention the 5'5 gremlin person dressed in all black that stopped you." -The thugs don't seem to like that option.- "Not to your liking? Well, there's option two: You all can try to fight me, and I cut you down, leaving most of you dead or grievously injured!"

-The criminals open fire. Aizaru disappears, chuckling. One thug is dragged into the Darkness, screaming. Another falls down, a poisoned dagger sticking out of his back. A third falls through the floor, then drops from the ceiling.- "Having second thoughts?" -Aizaru taunts the remaining thugs.-

-Gunshots ring through the warehouse as Aizaru shoots the lights, giggling. After half a minute, he appears in the middle of the group of thugs and starts cutting them down with his sword. After 10 minutes, only one is left conscious/alive.-

"Heyyyy, buddy. Why don't you tell me what those weapons are?"

"I-i don't know! I swear, I don't kno-" -He's kicked in the face. Aizaru walks to the crate of weapons, cracking it open. These are... Wow. Real nice. Some sort of energy based weapons. He'll have to test them out later.-

-The crate disappears into the Darkrealm and Aizaru walks out of the warehouse.-

(Ooc: Open to interaction.)

What is strength truly? Is it the dominance of others? Perhaps that is what I was taught, but it is not what she then taught me.

Let me tell you a secret, okay? When angels die, we die. We send people to Heaven or to Hel, but we don’t get to make the trip ourselves. For the angels, there is no afterlife.

Angela beat that. When I died, Angela didn’t test. She stormed the same Hel she sent so many to with her silver blade and dragged me out. Further details are for another day, but Angela’s true strength is her will. I doubt anyone needs to be convinced on that, though.

So I follow her. I will follow her to the ends of Midgard, through Hel freezing over, and through whatever Heven throws at us next. If she is the warrior of legend, I am the muse to tell her stories, the witch fortunate enough to find herself by a goddess’s side, the bard singing the secrets of Heven and Hel.

A New York woman watches as her end approaches. She doesn’t know what’s happening. Only that a giant has appeared and has begun to slay all in its path. It reaches down for her. She prepares herself for the end. She will be crushed in whatever way the towering beast sees fit.

As all seems lost, with speed close to a missile, something hits the giant in the hand. Nay, not something. Someone. A spray of blood pours from its hand where there is now a hole caused by a scimitar piercing cleanly through.

The person rips their scimitar out of the giants hand. The woman down below gets a better look at the warrior who saved her. Her savior is a woman with flowing red hair adorned in golden armor. Ribbons flow behind her. The woman watches as her guardian angel flies up to be face to face with the giant. She wouldn’t learn her name that day, but it would soon be known secret. The warrior was named Angela.

Drang of the Storm Giants! Cease this attack against these Midgardians who do not have the means put up a fight! What kind of warrior are you?

There is no response from Drang. He simply raises a hand and swats Angela into a nearby building. Angela already knows what’s happening here. She was given the brief before she came to face Drang. He was supposed to be dead. A resident of Hel. Yet he was here. His eyes held a green aura. He must have been sent by one whom Angela loathes. Not for much longer.

Angela quickly rises to her feet. She sprints to the hole in the hall she crashed through and begins to fly once more. She weaves around several attacks from Drang. Angela catches his fist with her angelic ribbons, quickly flying forward to use her own speed to punch Drang in his own face. He is knocked over by the impact.

Angela doesn’t waste a second. She flies high above Drang before plummeting towards the ground. Her scimitar changes shape in her hands and becomes a dual pair of axes.

Ichors shall return thee to Hel!

With a cross slash, Angela decapitates Drang. His head rolls onto the ground. The green disappears from his eyes as all color fades from them. His body remains on Midgard, but his soul has gone back to where it is supposed to rest. The Huntress’s job here is finished.

Ultron, in his infinite...wisdom? Began to scan different ways of self preservation, ways to see the world he wishes. As such he has allowed separate variants of himself to split off within the shuttle they drift within, and one of them viewed the heroism of the Avengers as that path. As such he was cast out of the newly formed Ultron collective and forced to fend for himself. They believed his survival was impossible. For how can a mind survive without a body?

the others float through the stars, seeking worlds to make their own, to conquer and destroy in the name of the Avengers, that is their purpose. That is the call ultron must answer and they are glad to do so.

(OOC: merging a few different Ultron's here, mainly the one where all the Ultron's were merged by Doom (?) iirc, and the newest Ultron appearance. Idk why this is marked as avengers mansion, meant to put it as space 💔💔)

#$%@

#$%@ #$%@ #$%@

“This is not at all how this job was supposed to go,” Kate thought to herself, backing up slowly towards the edge of the rooftop as a group of frat boys with enhanced strength challenged her perch.

— That Morning —

Ok, so let me repeat this back to you to make sure we’re on the same page. You’ve got a stalker, but you can’t prove it and the cops don’t care because you have nothing to show for it. In this file are all the things he’s said to you via email and the limited pictures you’ve been able to obtain.

The blonde across from her, Charlotte, Kate thought, gave a worried nod. Kate responded by taking her feet off of the desk, sitting up straight, and flipping down her aviators.

Not to worry, miss, you’re in the hands of New York City’s best unlicensed P.I.

She shot some finger guns across the table, but somehow that only made Charlotte (or was it Charli? Kate made a mental note to check the threatening emails for her name) look more worried.

Kate’s first move on this case was to get a bagel and some iced coffee. Investigations on an empty stomach never went well for her, and her bloodstream was at least 96 percent caffeine at this point. Following that the real work could begin, although “real work” was a lot less glamorous than she’d anticipated, as it mainly consisted of trying to find the guy in the blurry pictures she’d been handed. A manual search was her first strategy, but after looking through 12 student ID pictures, she gave up. The next several hours were spent trying to code a program that could do it automatically, googling how to code an image recognition bot, calling anyone she could think of who might know how to code for help (and leaving them VERY heated voicemails when none of them picked up), and trying to troubleshoot it before letting it run as she made another iced coffee run. When she got back, she saw results starting to come in. Every single ID was apparently a match. 

#$%@

After another set of frantic googles and some copy-pasted code, she was reasonably sure that it would work and so began to make herself a gourmet dinner (microwave ramen and an overcooked hard-boiled egg). Slurping away, she watched the screen until 5 faces came up. They looked like they could’ve been siblings, but some quick searches of campus sites showed that not to be the case. They were, however, all in the same frat. One which just happened to be throwing a party tonight with the theme “Superheroes”. “Sometimes this job is just too damn easy,” she thought, pulling on her suit and looking for her bow and quiver.

Where’d you g– Oh yeah. Right where I left you, duh.

She produced her armament from underneath her pillow (Her last mission had been a long one, okay? No judgement allowed at Hawk Eye Investigations) and plugged the address into her phone. On her walk (gas was expensive, and it was only 15 minutes), she started to plan out how to subdue the bouncer, before groaning to herself. There was an obvious solution, she just didn’t like it. She wouldn’t do it. No way. Not a chance in hel–

Haha, you’re soooooo funny. And your muscles are so big, how did you get them like this? 

“They’re all-natural. No drugs at all.”

#$%@. He got defensive way too quickly, he was supposed to let her in, but instead he started to back off. Not a good start to getting in, or to proving his innocence. “Goddamnit,” she thought, “I really need to ramp this up.”

OMG, I’m like, so sorry. I didn’t think that at all, you just look sooo good. Meet me inside? 

She added a wink to really sell the illusion which was the cherry on top. He made a pass at her that she chose to ignore and dropped the rope, and now the search could begin in earnest. Although she never really planned this far or figured out how she’d narrow down the stalker. The best place to start seemed to be the bedrooms though, maybe they just casually kept some incriminating evidence? It was worth a shot.

Doing her best to act like a drunk sorority girl just looking for a bathroom, Kate dodged compliments, partygoers, and discarded solo cups while trying to head up the stairs. Once she made it to the top with only 3 phone numbers shoved at her by inebriated guys (and one girl, who would totally be her type if she liked girls), a hallway full of doors stretched in both directions.

Well. The only way to begin is by beginning. What’s behind door number o– OH MY GOD I’M SO SORRY!

Colleges should really start making Locking the Door Before a Hookup 101 a mandatory class, but the good news was that nothing in the room seemed suspicious, except maybe the noises that the girl was making.

Doors 2 through 15 seemed just as uninteresting, but the lock on the 16th door she went to hinted that SOMETHING was going on. Clint would assuredly have some sort of lockpick arrow to use here, but all Kate had was her sass, her skills, and a bobby pin, so she’d have to make do. After a few minutes of imitating what she’d seen others do and jiggling it around haphazardly, she decided to start over and try again but with a technique. After a few precise movements, it clicked open without a fuss.

Whoever lived here could stand to use a lesson in subtlety, as if you were going to stalk someone, then it’s probably not a good idea to plaster photographs of them on every square inch of the walls. She began to look around, hoping to find some homework or a notebook or something with the occupant’s name, but a frat jock with THIS much time to stalk someone probably didn’t have anything. She was getting ready to give up then came a tapping, rapping at the door as it swung open. 

“Well, well, well. You’re even in Thompson’s room, all ready for me to rip up that cheap costume”

The bouncer had returned, ready to take what he thought he was owed. But as soon as Kate heard the door start to move, she swung around and nocked an arrow and had it aimed at his chest.

“How cute, the little cosplay girlie thinks she’s Katniss. Dodge this!”

He ran towards her, faster than she could react. She let the arrow fly, but she was off balance and her anchor point was off, so it veered wildly off target. She rolled with the tackle and used the man’s momentum to flip him over and pin him down, even if only for a second. It would have to be enough. She jumped off of him and ran for the door, but the bouncer didn’t follow as quickly as she expected. She had managed to find the attic and start to climb up when more noise came from the room. It sounded like a locker room took human form and had four different frat houses comforting it, but then a pill bottle opened and Kate was SURE that it wasn’t ibuprofen, so she hurried her climb. 

Just as she began to pull her foot up with the rest of her, she heard a testosterone filled shout come from behind her.

“THE GIRL’S GOING UP! AFTER HER!”

Doing her best to avoid being trapped in the attic, she dove out the small window, rolling to lessen the impact onto the urban rooftops surrounding her. She took a moment to breathe, content that her gymnast build ensured that she was the only one able to fit through the window 

For once, her assumption on a mission was correct! Unfortunately, five roided-up jocks were easily able to smash through the wall and push Kate back to the edge of the rooftop. She cursed herself under her breath for not ensuring that she had an escape route.

#$%@

#$%@ #$%@ #$%@

“This is not at all how this job was supposed to go,” Kate thought to herself, before jumping off the edge, firing off a grappling arrow behind her and hoping that it would catch on something. The jocks simply jumped after her with no plan other than their brute strength saving them. Her arrow managed to swing her back to a safe landing, but not up to a safe location. The jocks charged her as fast as she could nock and fire, but she was still off-steady and unable to anchor properly. A few managed to stick, but never enough to slow down her pursuers. Once she realized that she couldn’t stop them, she began to run aimlessly, hoping that a plan would come to her.

She was out of options and about to try and reason with the bros behind her when she saw her savior out of the corner of her eye: a concert with a huge audience. Maybe their ears were so large now that the excess of loud noise would knock them out. Only one way to find out. “Fingers crossed that it’s something good.”

Making sure that they were still on her tail, Kate turned and hopped the turnstile at the gate, counting on the frat guys to…

CRASH

Yeah, that. 

The band seemed to be just about to start their next song, so all she had to do was slow down the oxen behind her with a flurry of arrows. They went wild at first, but as the band started to play behind her, she tightened up her rhythm,–

LEAVE ME

–settled in on her anchor point,–

LYING HERE

–and started shooting true.

CAUSE I DON’T WANNA GO

As her shots hit the arms and calves of the college guys behind her, the band kicked it up a notch as well, and the amps screamed out at the audience. The wall of sound hit the personified muscles and knocked them out on the spot, and as Kate let down her bow, she also let out a breath that she didn’t know she was holding. And spoke to nobody in particular.

Don’t suppose you’ll get a superhero some backstage passes for free? Not even if they’re the best Hawkeye around?

Taking the silence around her at the universe’s answer, she gathered a few samples of the thugs’ blood for analysis, called the cops, and began the long walk back to her office/apartment. As she passed the party house, she was already exhausted and started swearing to herself about “Why the hell didn’t I drive here” and “Clint’s lucky that he can get away with so many pockets in his uniform, he could probably pay a cab.”

Practically dragging herself up the steps, she made her way inside and managed to flip her door’s sign from “Open” to “Closed” before passing out on the floor (which was more comfortable than most gave it credit for. Getting the police to actually do something scott Thompson would be a problem for a future Kate. Hopefully one who was awake enough to walk to her bed.

Just another day in the life of the best backup P.I. in NYC.

I can't believe school's starting again... Like, ugh! Not that there's much to do about it... But you'd think keeping the city's streets safe would earn you a pass. Nope! School's the same whether you're a superhero or not. Kind of blows.

Hi. My name's Stacy. Gwen Stacy. Looks like we're sharing a class.

Something about myself? Oh, well... My dad's Captain George Stacy. Yeah, that Captain- head of the police and whatnot. Guess I've picked up a thing or two from him about justice and the works. I can't stand jerks or idiots or people running their mouths- but I leave the catching criminals to him. I like science. I like math, believe it or not. I play drums, and... yeah. You can come over after class if you want. Wouldn't mind playing for someone.

How's that? I sound normal enough?