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.

Matthew knew leaving the shelter was a bad idea. It was dangerous, even hidden away deep in the forest. No one ever knew what Ultron was planning, or where he and his robots could be searching. But he couldn't help himself. Being the youngest out of their small group, he always felt....looked down upon? He wasn't as strong as the others. Or skilled. He could barely even shoot this bow and arrow, and even half the time then he missed. Going out on his own, into the fray, it made him feel brave, because it was something the other never dared to do if they could help it. He walked along, being quiet and avoiding making any loud sounds as he went, exploring the extensive forest. It was often he got to go out, so while he was out he figured he might as well enjoy it.

But, it seemed his somewhat peaceful hike was going to be interrupted. As he walked along, he looked up to see something strange. A bright blue light in the sky. He didn't know what it was. but his instincts told him to not find out. He was still young, If whatever caused that blue light was dangerous, there was no way he could take it on his own. He watched the light in the distance wide eyed, unsure what to do and as he watched it, and then something seemed to come from the light and fall to the ground before the swirling blue light int he sky disappeared all together. Something was here.

Quickly turning, he dashed round and over trees, rocks and logs, heading back toward their hideout.

...

Claira was extremely worried over the younger boy. Matthew was always seeming to get himself into trouble. Despite the warnings all of them always gave him about being safe and staying indoors, he always disobeyed and did it anyway. But then again, who could blame him? The shelter they lived in was small and there wasn't much to do. That and he was the son of an Avenger. That always added up to wanting adventure and hating be cooped up places. They all hated that. But it was to keep them safe and the older ones knew that. Matthew hadn't quite grasped that concept yet. She sat cross legged on the floor, looking at the others. Though she was youngest besides Matthew himself, she tended to take a least some what of a leadership role when Bruce was involved. If Bruce had stayed gone, she would have taken herself and a couple of the others to go search while the others stayed to wait for Bruce and fill him in. But now that the older man, who was often a father figure to all of them, was home, it was his role to tell them what to do.

Bruce opened his mouth to speak on what they should do, but before a single word left his mouth, someone threw the door open and a breathless Matthew came running in.

Standing up, Terra looked at the boy, “Matthew? What is wrong?”

The wrong boy took a moment to try and catch his breath before pointing outside, “T...There.....was a light. It was really bright.....something fell from it and into the forest! I...I don't know what it was. I didn't get close enough to see.” He quickly went over to his older sister hugging her tightly.

In hearing this, Bruce stood up. You all stay here. I'm going to investigate what this light is.”

“You can't go alone.” Claira said, standing up, “At least take some of us with you.”

Bruce considered this for a moment, but then shook his head, “No. Too dangerous. You all stay here. I'll be back soon.” Then he was off. But it seemed Claira wasn't going to follow orders, which was nothing rare for her. She tended to be independent and gave orders. Not follow them. She went to the corner, grabbing a few things, such as a canteen and small knife, before heading to the door.

Terra stepped forward, “Claira, where are you going?”

The younger girl looked at her, “I'm going to find out what that light was.”

“But Bruce told us to stay here!”

“And when did we start listening to him when he tells us to stay here?” She asked raising an eyebrow.

Terra groaned, “I can't believe I'm doing this.” She went to the corner, where she picked up her sword. It was a sword she had since she was a babe, living with her father on Asgard. It had similar abilities to that of her father's hammer, including that n one could pick it up besides herself. She had been able to carry it since she had been able to walk, “Wait up Claira! I'm not about to let you go alone!”

“Hey, I want to come too!” Matthew said, eager to join his friends.

Bruce felt the Hulk stirring even more. Telling the children to stay behind was for the best. Ultron would never stop hunting them. Never. So this was a disturbing revelation. At least Matthew was safe back at the cabin. Natalie would have never forgiven Bruce if it had been any other way. Also the fact that the boy was safe enabled him to keep the Hulk safely inside. For the moment. The blue light had faded long ago, but Matthew's tracks were far too easy to follow. He would mention it when he got back. Being tracked was not something they could afford. When Matthew's trail ended Bruce more or less had to guess which way he had to go. In this, he trusted the Hulk in order to lead him. The Hulk rarely walked away from danger.

---

Odin watched Bruce close the door behind him. His sister practically vibrated next to him. She had always looked more like his father, Thor. Odin looked more like his mother, Jane, according to Bruce. He really didn't remember what either of his parents looked like anymore. The more he tried to remember them the less clear their faces became until they were gone altogether, But he never lost the memory of them. And the drive to do right by them. Something his sister also had. Though Terra was more combat skilled than him. A fact that bothered him. He was the older brother, yet he couldn't take care of Terra. No, it was usually the other way around.

So when Claira decided to go out, not surprising, and everyone agreed to join, so did Odin. Natalie got her guns. Howard looked longingly at the suit of armor he inherited from his father and weighed the risks. It was obvious when he decided to leave it behind. But Howard was far from helpless. He had little gizmos what he used to fight when the armor was more of a liability. One such "gizmo" he had given to Odin. A lightning rod, Howard had laughed as he passed it to the Asguardian. Because of his father. The rod extended and could be electrified. It was useful. Incredibly so.

Hey, I want to come too! Matthew exclaimed as everyone grabbed their stuff.

"No." Natalie's voice was sharp as she wheeled upon her brother. "No." She repeated softer. "I lost you once tonight I can't let it happen again."

Odin knew how she felt. Every time they went out they risked death, but to sit and do nothing? Well, Claira just proved that they couldn't and wouldn't. They were their parent's children.