Marvel: Hunter

Tony was incredibly fast. It didn't take him long to travel from Manhattan to Queens. Considering little Spider-Man's own speed, Tony soon spotted him running along the bridge.

"Kid, someone told me to come pick you up."

Without giving him a chance to react, Tony swooped down, grabbed Spider-Man by both arms, and shot upward, launching them both into the sky with a burst of repulsor energy.

"Whoa! So high! This is awesome! Way better than bungee jumping!"

Though caught off guard at first, Spider-Man was quickly distracted by the thrill of the altitude. The fierce wind whipped past his face, the city stretched far below, and the people fleeing in the streets looked like ants.

The adrenaline had him grinning.

But the kid's over-the-top excitement made Tony wonder if he was a bit unhinged. If Blaine hadn't pointed him out, Tony might've never noticed the kid—and his costume was, frankly, awful.

Seconds later, Tony returned to where Blaine and the Avengers were gathered, setting the young hero down gently beside them.

Spider-Man landed, glanced around, and then finally seemed to realize who was in front of him.

Iron Man in red-and-gold armor, Captain America with his star-spangled shield and uniform, a man with a bow, a woman with a gun—everyone looked incredible.

"Oh my gosh, Mr. Stark—Iron Man! I'm your biggest fan! Can you sign my suit? Just right here on the chest!"

"Oh man, I was just flying with Iron Man! No one's gonna believe this!"

"Captain America! Wow, it's really you! Those muscles are actually real?!"

"And this big green guy—holy crap! I've never seen a monster that massive. Is he on our side? Because if not, I'm in trouble!"

"Oh my God! This is insane—aliens, Iron Man, Cap, two insanely badass agents—it's all happening in one day!"

Little Spider-Man was buzzing with excitement. As a motor-mouth, he could go toe-to-toe with Tony when it came to fast-talking. He blurted out a flurry of thoughts in just seconds.

As a high schooler with newly discovered powers, his biggest idol was naturally Iron Man—followed by Captain America, who'd been promoted as a national hero for years.

It didn't matter how familiar someone was with them; seeing the Avengers in person for the first time would excite anyone.

But the kid's energy was way over the top.

"Sorry, kid, but that suit's too ugly. I can't put my autograph on that," Tony waved him off. "And yeah, the big green guy's on our side, so don't try to hit him."

"Ugly? I think it looks pretty good." Spider-Man tugged at his outfit and added proudly, "I designed it myself."

"Oh, right," he continued, suddenly turning to Hawkeye. "You've got the bow! Are you the guy I saw on the rooftop earlier? I didn't expect you to fly—sorry about that. I should've brought snacks or something…"

"Stop!" Barton snapped, unable to take any more of the rapid-fire commentary. If this kid kept going, he might start talking through the alien invasion.

"The guy you're actually looking for is over there," he said, pointing to Blaine nearby.

"Ah. My bad…"

The others stared at Spider-Man like he was a complete weirdo. They seriously doubted Blaine's earlier claim—that this kid could take on three Captain Americas.

Suddenly, a ferocious Chitauri warrior dropped from the sky, aiming straight at Spider-Man.

"Watch out!" the others shouted, and Tony raised his palm, ready to fire a repulsor blast.

But Spider-Man yelled first: "Alien scum, get wrecked!"

He launched himself forward with a leap of more than ten meters, mimicking Superman's flight pose. In a flash, he threw a devastating punch.

The impact obliterated the unfortunate Chitauri soldier. Using the remaining momentum, Spider-Man clung to a nearby wall, scaled it in a few quick bounds, and flipped back beside them.

Meanwhile, high above—

Loki, standing on a Chitauri hovercraft, looked down with disdain. "Send them all."

With Loki's command, several massive Chitauri leviathans floating in orbit let out deep, whale-like roars and swayed their enormous bodies. They surged through the wormhole into Earth's atmosphere, moving like sea creatures gliding through space.

"B—" Natasha shouted, but was quickly cut off by the chaos unfolding around them.

"Orders, Captain?" Tony asked, knowing full well that Steve was the better strategist. Tony might be arrogant, but he wasn't a fool.

"JARVIS, listen up."

Steve looked from the young Spider-Man to the descending steel leviathans and made a snap decision.

"Before we shut down the portal, we need to contain the invasion."

He began assigning roles without hesitation.

"Barton, take the rooftop. Track their movements and predict landing zones."

"Stark, hold the perimeter. Anything that approaches these three blocks—repel it or incinerate it."

"Thor, get to the portal. Hold them back. Use the lightning. Burn every last one of them."

Then, Steve turned to face the three most unpredictable assets: Blaine, Spider-Man, and the Hulk.

"…"

Pointing to Hulk, Steve gave a firm nod. "Hulk. SMASH!"

Hulk grinned menacingly and roared as he leaped forward, smashing a Chitauri warrior with a single, brutal punch.

"Whoa! I didn't think the big green guy was that strong!" Spider-Man clutched his chest in astonishment.

"You," Steve said, addressing Spider-Man, "you'll fight both on the ground and mid-air. Keep the battlefield contained at street level."

"And you—Bounty Hunter," he added, turning to Blaine, "since we paid you, I expect you to get the job done."

"As for Natasha and me…" he paused, then continued, "we'll also be fighting on the ground, covering civilians and reinforcing wherever needed."

"Understood?"

Everyone nodded. Steve's clear and precise orders gave them all a sense of confidence. It was the best plan they had.

"Stark, can I hitch a ride?" Barton asked, turning to Tony.

"Of course. Just don't fall."

Tony nodded and grabbed Barton, rocketing into the sky.

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