Banner shrugged off his jacket and draped it over a dilapidated chair. The sun was setting outside, not that you could tell from the inside. Here it was already dark. There were no windows in the small building. (Probably closer to a shed.) There were three rooms. One small "living room", a kitchen, and a bedroom. For the seven people it was small and crowded. In fact it would have been crowded with two. However it was safe. There were no electronics, apart from what Howard had with him, which was the Iron Man suit. That was propped in the corner of the living room. It blended in well for the most part. If anyone broke in the protocols would initiate and it'd take care of whatever threats the Hulk couldn't.
The six children under Bruce's care were in the back bedroom. The eldest was the daughter of Natasha and Barton. Her name was Natalie, a nickname of her mother's. Natalie's full name was Natalie Romana Barton. Sometimes she went by Nat, other times she went by Roma. It was like her accents, they varied month by month. At least she never took to talking to them in different languages. He had helped her pick up where her parents left off. When it came to parents Natalie had the most stars in her eyes. She was one of the few who truly remembered her parents. And she also remembered how they died.
Ultron. Hank Pymm, a super scientist like Tony Stark, had created a robot to help mankind. Instead it had enslaved it. It had rebelled and killed all of Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Well, all but one. So far the Hulk was still indestructible. Even Wolverine couldn't boast as much. It was both a blessing and a curse. When he had awoken as Banner he knew that all his friends were dead. So he had run, like he always did. But he didn't run away, not then. No, he ran back to New York and grabbed the children of his friends. Natalie had seen the news before the world went to hell and grabbed everyone and hid. She was good like that, a mother hen. Even though she was seven. It still amazed Bruce sometimes. It was the only reason why they all survived because the Avenger's Tower sure didn't.
Bruce stretched a little in the confined space. The children in the next room were still talking in low sounds. Even though they were in the middle of a forest they still had to hide. Banner hefted the canvas bag he was carrying. In it was dinner, freshly caught. They'd cook it a low lying stove that was smokeless. The man moved to the kitchen feeling his years. He was forty nine this year. And he was beginning to wonder if Ultron was playing with them. A waiting game. Because while he was indestructible he wasn't immortal. One day age would catch up to him. The only hope he had was that the children would be able to take care of themselves by that point. He knew they'd be the ones to take on Ultron, but after raising them for these twelve years he wished they could go on hiding forever. But they wouldn't and neither could he.
He deposited the food into the oven and got it going. He heard one of the children come up behind him. It had been tasking for Banner in the early days to keep control of the Hulk whenever he got too angry. And the kids did push his buttons, even if most of the time they didn't mean it. Now he was the epitome of self control. Even if it was going to be tested in a few moments.
"Yes Nat?" Bruce asked not even looking up. He knew from experience that Natalie would try to sneak up on him. However when he caught her all she'd do was smile.
"We have a problem." Her somber voice stopped Bruce in his tracks. He turned slowly to the young woman behind him. She was wearing camouflage she had picked up on one of their runs. The pants were too big, the shirt was torn, but it was good enough for them. When he didn't respond quick enough she continued. "We can't find Matt." Her voice broke on the last word. Nat loved her little brother more than anything else in the world. He was her anchor.
"When?" Bruce nearly croaked out.
Nat shook her head. "No one remembers seeing him for the past hour." She looked a little lost. "But no one heard him leave. Howard even checked the armor next to the door and there was no recordings of him leaving." She rubbed her hands over her face. "We were just about to check outside when you came back."
Bruce almost mimicked Natalie's gesture. He could feel the Hulk stirring, but he shoved him down. "Alright. Alright." He looked down at the oven. Looks like dinner would wait. He closed the door and stepped into the living room past Natalie. By this time everyone had gathered around. Everyone looked worried. From Howard to Terra and Odin. And they were all looking at him.
The six children under Bruce's care were in the back bedroom. The eldest was the daughter of Natasha and Barton. Her name was Natalie, a nickname of her mother's. Natalie's full name was Natalie Romana Barton. Sometimes she went by Nat, other times she went by Roma. It was like her accents, they varied month by month. At least she never took to talking to them in different languages. He had helped her pick up where her parents left off. When it came to parents Natalie had the most stars in her eyes. She was one of the few who truly remembered her parents. And she also remembered how they died.
Ultron. Hank Pymm, a super scientist like Tony Stark, had created a robot to help mankind. Instead it had enslaved it. It had rebelled and killed all of Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Well, all but one. So far the Hulk was still indestructible. Even Wolverine couldn't boast as much. It was both a blessing and a curse. When he had awoken as Banner he knew that all his friends were dead. So he had run, like he always did. But he didn't run away, not then. No, he ran back to New York and grabbed the children of his friends. Natalie had seen the news before the world went to hell and grabbed everyone and hid. She was good like that, a mother hen. Even though she was seven. It still amazed Bruce sometimes. It was the only reason why they all survived because the Avenger's Tower sure didn't.
Bruce stretched a little in the confined space. The children in the next room were still talking in low sounds. Even though they were in the middle of a forest they still had to hide. Banner hefted the canvas bag he was carrying. In it was dinner, freshly caught. They'd cook it a low lying stove that was smokeless. The man moved to the kitchen feeling his years. He was forty nine this year. And he was beginning to wonder if Ultron was playing with them. A waiting game. Because while he was indestructible he wasn't immortal. One day age would catch up to him. The only hope he had was that the children would be able to take care of themselves by that point. He knew they'd be the ones to take on Ultron, but after raising them for these twelve years he wished they could go on hiding forever. But they wouldn't and neither could he.
He deposited the food into the oven and got it going. He heard one of the children come up behind him. It had been tasking for Banner in the early days to keep control of the Hulk whenever he got too angry. And the kids did push his buttons, even if most of the time they didn't mean it. Now he was the epitome of self control. Even if it was going to be tested in a few moments.
"Yes Nat?" Bruce asked not even looking up. He knew from experience that Natalie would try to sneak up on him. However when he caught her all she'd do was smile.
"We have a problem." Her somber voice stopped Bruce in his tracks. He turned slowly to the young woman behind him. She was wearing camouflage she had picked up on one of their runs. The pants were too big, the shirt was torn, but it was good enough for them. When he didn't respond quick enough she continued. "We can't find Matt." Her voice broke on the last word. Nat loved her little brother more than anything else in the world. He was her anchor.
"When?" Bruce nearly croaked out.
Nat shook her head. "No one remembers seeing him for the past hour." She looked a little lost. "But no one heard him leave. Howard even checked the armor next to the door and there was no recordings of him leaving." She rubbed her hands over her face. "We were just about to check outside when you came back."
Bruce almost mimicked Natalie's gesture. He could feel the Hulk stirring, but he shoved him down. "Alright. Alright." He looked down at the oven. Looks like dinner would wait. He closed the door and stepped into the living room past Natalie. By this time everyone had gathered around. Everyone looked worried. From Howard to Terra and Odin. And they were all looking at him.
