The streets of the Undercity lay in chaos.

Windows of the storefronts were smashed and scattered among overturned carriages whose horses and passengers had fled while their screaming skulls had been crushed to pieces under the feet and hooves of the stampedes. Bodies of spiders were left in heaps along the roads while their victims slumped against walls and damaged crates. Market stalls were reduced to ruins surrounded by the rubble of their stone counterparts. Water and blood mixed, rolling through the gaps between the cobblestones of the road and filling in the holes of the missing stones.

Among the now quiet destruction, resting under the concoction of melted ice and diluted blood was a single broken silver link of a necklace. Though it wasn't the only broken link that lay strewn across the road. A clear path was made from the broken pieces of the broken link chain necklace, leading towards the edge of the road where the longest part of the chain had been discarded -attached to the chain was a black wooden cross that sat between two cobblestones, resting on its side.

"My, my, that was quite the display." An elderly male voice said as a black leather boot appeared next to the small cross. A set of three links crunched under the weight of the man's foot. "Your new found half-human pet is going to be a bit of a challenge, but I see why you took an interest in him, even if you didn't realise it at the time."

A flicker of light caught their attention causing them to turn and look for the source, a sheet of slowly darkening white hair falling over their shoulder as the did. A grin pulled up the corner of their lips that were slowly losing their age as brown eyes that were turning red landed upon a small golden orb that was darting about in the air.

"Now then, seen as you've assessed my forces," He said, his voice sounding much younger, as the black wooden cross slowly started to burn away like a burning ember from the bottom up, "It only seems fair that I assess the rest of yours, in full." He turned and left, heading back up the street from whence he came, following the golden orb as it flew away while the cross disappeared into thin air along with its chain.

It was as if he was looking at the sky of another world; a bright silver moon was dominating the sky illuminating a ring of silver dusted smoky purple and grey clouds. No stars filled the sky, the moonlight being too bright for them to twinkle and shine. The very same light reflected in the windowpanes of the buildings that stood around him, dominating the horizon around him in heavy black outlines. Only individual edges and window frames were a slight shade lighter having curves or cut into the building itself.

He would never have noticed these buildings if they hadn't crept into sight at the corner of his eye, causing him to look at them. He didn't believe that they were there when he first found himself looking up, though he had felt so bewitched by the natural beauty above that he might just never have noticed. These imposing silhouettes seemed impossible to miss. Now that he had seen them they appeared to demand his attention, and he felt dread start to creep in slowly. Quiet whispers caught his attention, drawing his gaze down between two buildings before him where the white light of the moon glistened on the ground. Lines broke the moon's distorted reflection, cutting it up into rough rectangular shapes.

No matter the amount of dread he was feeling, his curiosity got the best of him; as it seemed to be doing a lot of as of late. He started heading towards the reflection, taking only one step before stopping as he realised that he wasn't wearing any shoes; his feet were completely bare. Only now could he feel the cold of the stones nipping at the soles of his feet, he could feel every smooth surface and rough edge, every indent in the stone. He looked down, finding himself dressed in a purple shirt that was loosely tucked into a park of light brown pants. He wiggled his toes, seeing them move slightly in the dark. He found it odd how it seemed darker down on the ground while everything above his ankles he could see almost as well as if he were stood outside on a clouding day.

Now the whispers got louder, sounding like the echoes of people shouting and cheering. He looked back up at the reflection of the moon, and this time he moved forward; he wasn't going to let anything stop him this time. The echoes got louder the closer he got to it, and a set of stairs protruded from the building on his right, almost as if it were reaching out to him, trying to block his way.

He rounded the corner and stopped dead.

The courtyard he just entered wasn't empty but crowded with people. The darkness was lifting causing him to look up once again. The moon was no longer silver but in fact, gold, brightening as if it were the sun just starting to wake. The clouds were getting darker, growing angry as if influenced by the crowd of people in front of him who suddenly gave a great cheer, their shouts getting louder pulling his eyes back down from the heavens above.

A large black cross had appeared, towering over the crowd as the silhouettes of the buildings around the courtyard got lighter. His eyes landed on it, and he was suddenly overwhelmed with the feeling that it was looking back at him as if it were the abyss from Nietzsche's 'Beyond Good and Evil', and it was holding his gaze. The shouting continued, but he could hear more whispers, this time, he could understand them;

"Our Lord, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy Kingdom come,"

A choir of voices whispering the words to the Lord's Prayer, echoing groups of each other. He couldn't draw his eyes away from it, not even when he saw six guards step up in front of it, almost blocking it from view, while the crowd threw items at their backs -many of which he guessed were vegetables.

"Thy will be done on Earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive our debts,"

He could just see a figure that was lighter than the others being held against the cross by four of the guards while the other two moved around the cross, binding the figure to it tightly.

"As we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,"

"Una," He whispered as realisation slowly dawned, the name slipping from between his lips. He started to head towards the cross, hoping to get a better look at the figure. He wanted to be sure that it was, in fact, the witch he had been searching. He wanted to see what she looked like.

"For thine is the Kingdom, and the power and the glory, forever,"

The guards moved away at last, while he continued to struggle to push his way through the crowd, revealing the figure and the cross bound together with black ropes and on display. Their head was bowed allowing uneven cut dark, dirty hair to cover their face forcing him to push himself harder to get to them, shouting their name as loud as he could over the cheers of the crowd, demanding for her to burn.

"Amen."

The cross suddenly burst into flames, consuming the figure.

Bruce jolted awake. He sat bolt upright as screaming echoed in his head. A tap on the centre of his chest caused him to jump. His heart racing, his breathing ragged, he looked down at his chest. He had to unbutton the shirt he had on to find it.

"What?" He whispered, a frown filling his face as his fingers picked it up. The little black cross on the silver link chain that Alba had put around his neck was there, right where she had left it.

That's when his mind raced back to the events back in the Undercity, back to the spiders and angels fighting, back to people panicking, back to Alba crying out in pain as she fell to the floor. He could feel the other guy raise his head slightly at this thought. His heart started pounding, and his free hand clenched into a fist at the memory of the giant humanoid wolf creature attacking him while the half-spider half-woman attacked Alba.

"Alba!" He looked around the room quickly, searching for her but she was nowhere to be found. Instead, he found himself in the room that S.H.I.E.L.D. H.Q. in Edinburgh had provided him for his stay that he had hardly used before ending up on the Isle. This realisation brought the memory of being lead out of the Buchanan Sisters' Mausoleum and to a black car by Tony who was saying something to him that he couldn't remember. Though he could remember Alba being lead out behind him by Thor with her hands in cuffs behind her back and the muzzle that he remembered being used on Loki was now on her.

Anger. That's what he felt starting to course through his veins. He couldn't believe the memory. He didn't want to believe it, that they would arrest Alba. She had done nothing wrong. She couldn't have.

"Whoa!" Tony's voice suddenly shouted in shock. It snapped Bruce out of the rage-inducing memory making him realise that he had stormed over to the room door and wrenched it open, scaring Tony who had just been about to knock on the door. "Deep breaths, Bruce! Deep breaths!"

"Where is she?" Bruce nearly growled, trying to hold back his anger before the Other Guy broke free and had a rampage, "Where is she, Tony!"

"Who, Alba?" Tony asked with his hands now raised in the air, hands open with his palms facing Bruce in surrender.

"Tony!" He growled in reply.

"Alright, just let me get my phone out and show you where she is," Tony said before tentatively reaching for his phone with one hand. Bruce felt himself calm slightly as Tony pulled out his phone and started talking to JARVIS, asking him to bring up the camera feed of Alba. "There she is, take a look." Tony turned his phone around so that Bruce could see the screen.

The first thing Bruce noticed was that Alba was sat on her heels while kneeling on the floor with her hands together in her lap with her wrists still in cuffs and her head bowed. Some of her hair had fallen over her shoulder but not enough to cover her face allowing him to see her eyes focused on the floor just above her knees. They looked empty and lifeless, unlike how they had been before when he had been with her. A woman he had never met suddenly moved to stand in front of her, her back to the camera and blocked Alba from view.

"Where-?"

"She's with Steve and Lady Sif in a holding cell." Tony said before quickly adding, "For everyone's safety."

"Everyone's safety?" He asked, almost laughing, "Tony, she's the gentlest and most harmless person I've met."

"No Bruce," Tony said, his sentence fading away as he looked at Bruce, concern filling his eyes.

"Tony?" He asked, unsure of what was going on.

"It's nothing." Tony said snapping out of the thoughts in his head, "Hey, here's an idea; why don't you get dressed and come see the others? We've all been worried about you. Thor worried so much that he brought some of his buddies to help out."

"Umm... Yes!" Bruce said, trying to digest what was happening with Tony, "Oh god, I'm sorry. I should have thought of the team while I was gone, I mean you all must have all thought that Alba had kidnapped me."

Tony watched as Bruce returned to his room, closing the door behind him and leaving Tony alone with his thoughts. While Bruce searched his room for some clothes, Tony quickly worked away on his phone to give JARVIS some silent orders before Bruce had the chance to return. When Bruce did finally return from his room, he was wearing a long-sleeved grey top and a pair of dark blue sweatpants -it was the most that he had ever looked like he was going to do some form of exercise in his adult life.

The two friends walked down the hall, heading for the lab where Bruce expected everyone to be waiting. Tony remained silent the entire way, making Bruce feel uncomfortable, to say the least, but the two just kept going.

"Brother Banner!" Thor shouted loudly, breaking the silence suddenly with his booming and happy voice as Bruce and Tony walked into the lab, "You're awake, and it seems that you are in good health after your stay with the witch!"

"Alba," Bruce said almost sheepishly.

"I'm sorry?" Thor asked.

"Her name's Alba," Bruce said, this time with a little more confidence.

"Is that what she told you?" Natasha's voice asked from the computer that Bruce had been using before the charity ball incident. Bruce could hear her fingers hitting the keys on the keyboard as she typed up something on the computer causing him to look at her fingers dancing across the keyboard. He also noticed that the desk was somewhat neater than how he had last left it.

"I think she had more tact than; 'I'm a murderous raving witch from the 1700's, how do you do?'" Tony remarked while walking over to her while Bruce had to bite back a new flash of anger over the comment, "JARVIS, can you shut down, just for a bit?"

"Of course, Sir." JARVIS said kicking into life along with the projector, "And may I also welcome you back, Doctor."

"Thanks, JARVIS," Bruce said as Natasha frowned at Tony.

"We need to talk," He whispered to her, "About Bruce."

She nodded slightly before looking over at Bruce who had begun to wring his hands slightly. She wondered what was wrong to cause Tony's newest streak of worry about the anxious physicist causing her to follow Tony out of the lab while he told the other two that he and Natasha would be back soon.

"What's with the hush-hush?" She asked after Tony had closed the door behind them.

"I think Bruce is under some sort of spell." He said quickly. Natasha only looked at him with a frown on her face, gauging his expression before finally speaking again.

"What kind of spell?" She asked.

"Something like Stockholm," He stated, "When I went to check on him he had pulled the door open, nearly taking the thing off its hinges! And the look of anger, I've only seen that look on the Big Guy. Then, the moment I showed him Alba, it was like a complete 1-80 -he calmed right down, asked where she was and then got dressed as if it never happened."

"You showed him Alba, and he calmed down?" Natasha asked.

"Just like that!" Tony said with a snap of his fingers. Natasha stepped back up to the door, looking through the window back at Bruce who was stood listening to Thor, clearly holding back the anger that seemed to be boiling under his skin.

"You said it's like Stockholm?" She asked.

"Yeah, kinda like it." Tony replied, "I mean, he calms when you show him the video of her in the cell, and he'll correct you if you say 'the witch', he tells you it's Alba."

"And that's it?"

"Well for now. I don't want to give him any information on her until I know that he can handle the truth about her, he's been with her and her act for over a month."

"That's why you asked JARVIS to shut down." She took a moment to think before replying to him with some answer on what to do, "We talk to Sif, see what she says. I get the feeling she's had experience with this sort of thing, but until then, we keep Bruce in the dark. No information about what we found, not a mention of Chaos, don't even tell him where Alba is. We play along with it until we know exactly what is going on and how to battle it."

"May I make a suggestion?" JARVIS' voice said suddenly from Tony's pocket causing the tech billionaire to pull out his phone, "Perhaps start by asking Doctor Banner about what he knows, that way we know what we can tell him. He might even be able to tell us something that we don't know about Miss Wallace."

"We might find out where Bruce was kept," Tony said. Natasha cut him off, sensing what he was going to say next.

"Doesn't mean that where he was kept would lead us to those other beings." She said, "What were they calling them back in that city?"

"Let's ask Bruce!" Tony said suddenly, heading for the door.

"Stark!" Natasha said in warning.

"Hey JARVIS, record this," Tony said before re-entering the lab, "Bruce, settle something for Nat and I. What was the creature in the fountain referred to?"

"Creature?" Bruce asked turning to look.

"Yeah, the big thing with the upper half of its body a human's and the lower was a spider's body," Tony said.

"The Night Walker?" Thor asked.

"You know about Night Walkers?" Bruce asked, looking between Thor and Tony.

"Yes," Thor replied, "I found out about them through Loki's research. How did you discover them, Banner?"

"Alba," He replied, "She told me about them." Then a thought hit him that he hadn't had a chance to think about. "She said that the Darkness controls and contorts a witch or wizard who turns to it, for its uses, but I never expected... That!"

"What did you expect?" Natasha asked.

"I don't know," Bruce replied honestly, "I think that I was picturing something like Loki, with his madness. No offence Thor."

"It's fine," Thor said quickly with a slight smile, "Loki was unfortunately driven mad before you had met him, it is only fair to say."

"Uh huh!" Tony said before turning on Bruce, "Say, Bruce, did Alba ever tell you anything else? Like any major 'Night Walker' players, perhaps?"

"Major players?" Bruce asked, "You mean like the Devil's Servant?"

"Spidra mentioned that name," Natasha stated.

"I'm not surprised," Bruce commented, "He was meant to be the biggest 'player' about three centuries ago, caused a lot of problems, but he disappeared after one of his most trusted members of his forces turned against him. Now he's back."

"How do you know he's back?" Tony asked.

"He was the one, who blew up the charity ball, which Alba saved me from. The extreme drop from that firestorm to ice storm gave me hypothermia which Alba nursed me back to health from."

"And where was it that she nursed you back to health?" Tony eagerly asked.

Bruce noticed Tony's eagerness causing him to realise where this line of questioning was going; they were digging for information on Alba. She apparently hadn't said a word since she had arrived which surprised Bruce but his next words surprised him even more.

"I don't know." He stated, "It must have been a castle though as it was made of stone and had lots of rooms, spacious too."

"You got to walk around freely?" Natasha asked causing Bruce to nod, "So you'd know if anyone else was there, correct?"

"Yeah, but no-one else was there." He replied, "Just Alba and I, not a visitor or even food delivery. She grew most of it herself."

"So, you never went outside?" Tony asked.

"Only for the garden," Bruce said, "It had a tall stone wall all around it."

"So how did you get from there to Glass-go?" Thor asked.

"Glasgow." Bruce corrected, "She used magic, teleportation magic, which was the same as getting there."

The other three looked at each other, Thor only looking at Tony and Natasha because they had stopped asking questions to exchange glances between themselves. Bruce could easily see from their questioning it had confirmed what they had already thought, and he knew it wasn't good for him or Alba. He stood and just waited for them to ask their next question, even though he didn't think they needed any more answers to prove their theory.

"Thor," Natasha said suddenly, "Would you get Lady Sif for us? Tell her it's urgent." She looked at Thor who just frowned at her for a moment before realising she had said 'urgent'.

"Of course." He said, getting up from the desk that he had been sitting.

"I'll join you," Bruce said, trying to join Thor in leaving the lab.

"No Bruce," Natasha said, "Stay here please." It was evident the same thought had occurred to Natasha's mind that Bruce had -he wanted to find Alba. He stopped at her words, and so had Thor whose frown got deeper. "Thor, go!"

The Norse God looked the situation over, hoping to figure out what everyone else in the lab had already done. He saw Natasha giving him a stern look as if to make him leave faster, Tony watching Bruce with a stony expression, as if he wanted to be wrong, and then Bruce himself who had his fists clenched at his sides and a glare upon his features.

"Perhaps I should-" He started.

"Go!" Natasha snapped causing the god to catch on that there was something wrong finally. He nodded before leaving, aiming to be back quickly before anything happened in his absence.

"Bruce," Tony said, pulling a chair out from under a desk, "Why don't you take a seat, have a cup of tea or something?" Though Tony was trying to sound calm and balanced, Bruce noticed the worry and anger. He was trying too hard to hide his real emotions, but Bruce had to ignore it, for the sake of keeping the Other Guy at bay.

He nodded, letting his fists relax before turning to face the two.

"So, I guess you're thinking Stockholm?" He asked.

Their faces gave him his answer.

It wasn't long before Thor returned with Lady Sif in tow, both were greeted by Tony who quickly took them out of the lab to explain the situation which in Bruce's mind was getting worse by the minute. He had waited the entire time patiently, his right hand subconsciously fiddling with the silver chain of your necklace until Lady Sif appeared in front of him.

"Doctor Banner," She said politely, "I am Lady Sif of Asgard. May I join you?"

"Sure," He said causing her to bow her head slightly to him before pulling out a chair for herself and joined him. He quickly glanced around the lab, finding Natasha and Tony no longer there while Thor stood in the background watching both him and Lady Sif.

"Doctor, if it is alright with you," Lady Sif said, drawing his attention back to her, "I would like to talk with you about your time with the witch- Alba."

"I don't know what else I can tell you that I haven't already told Tony and Natasha." He replied with a sigh, "But I'll try."

"Well, how about starting with what you feel comfortable with telling me?" Sif suggested, "Any point that you chose, or one that sticks out more in your memory. Perhaps maybe even what you remember first after the 'ball'?" Bruce watched her for a second before sitting forward slightly.

"Alba's not talking to you, is she?" He asked.

"No, she isn't talking." Sif admitted, "Not to anyone it seems."

"And you won't let me talk to her." He stated, running his hand back through his hair. Sif watched him, knowing that Bruce understood the situation. She knew that going around the issue rather than going directly to the point -like Tony and Natasha had done- wasn't going to work with him.

"I won't lie, Doctor." She said at last, "We are all worried about you and about the amount of time around- Alba."

"What aren't you telling me?" He asked, "You keep stopping right before saying Alba's name?"

"I am trying to speak with you, in a way you find comfortable." She replied, "I don't find it easy and have to remind myself of the name you use to refer to her."

"What would you call Alba when you're speaking comfortably, for yourself?"

"I'd call her 'the witch'. That's what she is, and she has committed a crime-"

"Yes, she took me from the ball, but she saved my life."

"She still committed a crime within your laws; I believe you refer to it as kidnap." Bruce stopped as he realised that he had hit a wall with Sif's truth, forcing his hand to go back and accept it. He smiled slightly as he remembered his first day on the Isle and the loud discussion between Alba, Markus and Rona. "What is it?"

"Alba mentioned it, said that you might jump to that conclusion, but she had no way of getting in contact with you."

"But she could move physically from one place to another with magic, why did she not do that once more to let your comrades know where you were?"

"Because she was a prisoner there. Even though she lived there, I could tell it was a prison that grew into a home. No front doors to allow her in and out, a garden with an incredibly high wall, no windows, outdated furniture, no electricity and no way to contact the outside world."

"Well, there must have been a jailer."

"Not that I saw, then again I never saw or heard anyone else until we went to Glasgow."

"Why did she take you with her?"

"She didn't want to leave me behind, plus I wanted to go with her."

"May I ask why?"

"We were looking into the events that have been happening, together. Though, I didn't know about it until-" He stopped for a second to think about what he was going to say, "The ram she has for breeding sheep to eat and keep the grass neat, escaped and created a hole in the door of her study. When I found the hole in the door, which had been locked the entire time I had been there, Alba had no idea about it."

"And you discovered something?"

Bruce paused quickly, once again trying to think of what to say. He didn't know what information he could give, or what he could trust them with even though Tony was his friend.

"Doctor?" Sif asked, this time sounding more restrained.

"Alba told me about the Devil's Servant, said that he quickly raised to power 300 years ago and he had a group of devoted followers." Bruce told her, "She also said that the Devil's Servant disappeared after one of his most devoted -a woman people call Una- betrayed him for unknown reasons. He tried to kill her then, but something went wrong, and she survived, but no-one knows how. Only the Brotherhood knows where she is, but they won't tell anyone because she's the only one who stands a chance of defeating the Devil's Servant."

"So, you went to Glasgow to find her?"

"In a way. We went to Glasgow to get to the Undercity where the Oracle is, to try to find Una, as well as hear the prediction he made relating to her and the Devil's Servant. We heard it, along with another prediction but nothing definitive about Una herself."

"Nothing at all?"

"No, just that if she fails to defeat him then the world will be destroyed."

"So, finding Una is of the utmost importance to you and Alba?"

"Yeah, it was until the chaos in the Undercity happened. Then it became necessary to Alba to protect me and get us out of there."

"Us? Do you mean you, Rona and her friend?"

"Rona?" He asked, forgetting that they already knew that she had been with the two of them having, in fact, lead them right to the both of them. Though Bruce wasn't angry about it, he knew that Natasha had ways of going unnoticed and was able to plant a tracker on the most skilled and observant agent -except for Fury. "Yeah, she was with us, but I thought that you had sent her to find Alba."

"You're a terrible liar, Bruce," Natasha said, watching both Bruce and Lady Sif through the window into the lab that was behind Bruce.

"What gave that away?" Tony asked, looking worriedly into the lab, "Do you believe this story about that woman? The one who can beat this Devil's Servant guy? I mean the only proof we have of her existence is Bruce's word and that story he had."

Natasha looked at him for a moment, thinking of her answer as carefully.

"Chaos left the safety of her lair to find her, even took Bruce with her both of which are huge risks for nothing." She said, "Then the story Bruce has, foretold Una's return. All this, this just confirms it."

"Okay, so let's say that Una is a real person who's still up and kicking at the grand old age of 300 plus." Tony said as he thought of a theory, "So, the Devil's Servant is searching for Una, along with his merry band of evil Witches. They can't find her, so they create a high-profile attack to draw her out, only they get S.H.E.I.L.D. on their backs instead. Chaos already has Rona as an inside man in S.H.E.I.L.D., so it becomes her job to keep an eye on how the investigation is going while feeding all our findings to them hoping that we have something that'll lead them to Una, who we aren't looking for until Bruce and JARVIS find that prediction.

"Rona knows that we already know about Father Douglas being a leading figure in the Witch Trials, so she organises a meeting. Markus, who's also working for the Devil's Servant, skips town the day of the meeting because he knows Father Douglas can't work a computer to save his life and won't be able to give us the information we're asking for. Neither of them ever expecting Father Douglas to put aside his narcissism and invite us to the Charity Ball Markus is helping to plan to give us the information.

"Markus tells Chaos about the invites, and she makes a plan to stop us getting any further forward by taking Bruce which, with a select few words and a well thought out story, will help her locate Una faster. The Devil's Servant goes with her to give her the opportunity to take Bruce from under our noses and without a fight. Chaos heals Bruce from the effects inadvertently caused by the second attack, which puts her more in Bruce's favour and makes him feel the need to repay her which he tries to do by trying to help her find Una.

"They manage to track her down to the Undercity, during which time Rona has returned to S.H.E.I.L.D. and tries to slow down our efforts to find Bruce while Markus returns to Saint Andrew's to wait for his next task. Then, while trying to keep Bruce duped, they organise to meet up in Glasgow to get to the Undercity under the pretext of finding Una which helps keeps Bruce by Chaos' side the entire time-"

"But how do you explain the attack on Chaos?" Natasha asked, "Spidra proclaimed her loyalty to the Devil's Servant in the Undercity before trying to kill Chaos."

"She was sent by the Devil's Servant to kill Chaos?" Tony replied, his mind trying to grasp at what he believed to be the truth.

"But why?" Natasha asked.

"I don't know!" Tony stated finally giving in, "Maybe it was because we were close to finding Bruce and the Devil's Servant wanted to cut off all loose ends or-"

"Or?"

"Or they found Una. They managed to draw her out by the second attack, and they had, in fact, found her but Bruce was kept in the dark about it to kill not only him but Chaos and Rona off easier by hiding their deaths in with the massacre on the streets."

"Tony, did you just hear yourself?"

"What?"

"You said that the attack was designed to kill Bruce, Chaos and Rona."

"Yeah,"

"The only reason the Devil's Servant would have for killing Rona as well would be because we were so close to finding them because we knew Rona was an inside man."

Tony stood silent for a moment as his brain processed what Natasha had just stated. He couldn't believe that he hadn't realised it for himself sooner, that the Devil's Servant knew that they were getting close to finding Bruce and Chaos because they had figured out that Rona was working with them.

"Bruce and Chaos both lived." He murmured as another thought came to mind, "Nat, both Bruce and Chaos survived the attack."

She only frowned at him in reply.

"Nat, if the Devil's Servant knew we were onto Rona then he'll know that Bruce and Chaos both survived the attack meaning-"

"He's going to try again!" Natasha stated as she realised before turning and ran down the corridor, "I'll tell Rachel to triple security!"

"JARVIS!" Tony said pulling out his phone again, "Hack into the cameras of this building and all buildings within a fifty-block radius, keep an eye out for any suspicious activity and any faces that appear three times or more -epically if they appear within an hour of the first appearance."

"Of course, Sir," JARVIS said before starting his hack as Tony turned to look back through the window into the lab.

"Don't worry, Bruce." He said, "We've got your back this time."

"How about we talk about you?" Sif asked, seeing Bruce starting to get defensive and closed off to her. She wanted him to feel comfortable and able to speak to her without feeling like he was being interrogated. "How did you feel during your stay with Alba?"

"I was alright," Bruce said frowning at her question, "Other than being ill from the hypothermia."

"Did you not feel trapped or enclosed by those imposing walls?" She asked.

"No," He replied as he leant back in his chair, "Alba was comforting about the whole thing."

"Really?" Sif asked, "How so?"

"Other than being there to look after me," He said, "She took me to the garden once I was well enough to step outside and showed me the library that she had for when I wasn't well enough."

"Did you read any of the books she had access to?"

"A few." He frowned as he remembered one book in particular, "She had this one old book sat in a display case, called 'Brotherhood Records - Night Walkers'."

"Did Alba let you read it?"

"Let me?"

"You said that the book resided in a display case so surely it was either; rather old and delicate or rather valuable."

"Yes, of course. Alba was happy for me to read it, though she did have to explain what a Night Walker was."

"Did you discover anything of interest in the book?"

"Just that Loki might not be the first magically endowed manic to walk the Earth -or attempt to take it over and rule over us."

Sif smiled sadly at the comment, looking down at her lap as she did. "It is the same everywhere, for every kingdom. Someone thinks that they are doing the right thing, but it is not right for everyone." She looked back up at him only to see him sat looking away to the ground just past her on her right. He seemed to be sat there thinking to himself with his left hand having come to rest at the back of his neck after having run back through his hair, making it more of a mess.

He hadn't realised that Sif was watching him, his mind thinking back to another memory -one he thought best not to share with the others just yet. The thought of the book brought it back to him; the feeling of old paper in his hands while being in the great hall of Alba's home late one night with the taste of cold tea in his mouth. He could remember there being complete silence in the whole castle, except, for the sound of his bare feet on the stone and how peaceful it had all been as he prepared to go to bed.

"NO! PLEASE NO!"

Alba's screams made his heart race, making him feel like he was running up the stairs to her room once again. His body jolted as the Other Guy raised his head, remembering the attack on the Undercity where Bruce heard Alba scream in pain once again.

He heard something smash, causing him to snap out of the memories. He looked over to the source of the sound, only to find that he had knocked over someone's glass of water with his left elbow, which was now damp. Thor caught his eye, making him look over his shoulder to find the God of Thunder standing at the ready.

"Doctor," Sif said suddenly, frowning at him she seen a little gleam of light from under the collar of his shirt. He turned back around to face her. "What do you have around your neck?"

He hesitated at the question before pulling the chain out from under his shirt. Sif's eyes locked onto the black wooden cross as it swung around on its chain while Bruce looked away from her.

"What is it?" Thor asked, stepping towards the two.

"A cross on a chain," Bruce answered.

"A talisman." Sif corrected, "Alba gave it to you?"

"Yes." He replied before adding, "She gave it to me in the Undercity, for extra protection."

"Protection?" Thor asked, "Protection from what?" Sif looked up at the golden-haired god with a glare, warning him to keep quiet during her questioning of Bruce -who was no longer paying either of them any attention.

"Find me."

The words Alba had said while holding both her hand and his to the cross, giving him a way to find her if the two of them got separated. He needed to find her, but he knew none of his friends would help him if they thought that he had Stockholm syndrome. He was on his own.

"Doctor Banner," Sif emphasised making him look back at her, "I must insist that you remove Alba's talisman."

"What?" He asked, frowning at her.

"You are no longer in danger, Doctor." Sif replied after taking a breath to return to the neutral questioner she had been just before, "The Talisman has done its job of protecting you from harm, it's just a trinket now."

"You think Alba is controlling my mind through this." He stated causing Thor to ready himself for the Hulk to make an appearance. Lady Sif also braced herself for an attack before replying.

"If that is what you think I am thinking," She said, "Then there will be no harm in removing it for a day at the least, just as a test. Your friend, Stark, tells me that your job is similar to that of some of our scholars; you think of an idea, a theory even, and you do tests to see if this theory is right. Try that here. Remove the talisman and test the theory."

"Come on Bruce." Tony murmured to himself, holding a hand over his mouth as he watched the event unfold and spiral almost out of control with a stony expression. "Just take it off, Bruce." He was half-tempted to set off the alarm to get everyone to evacuate the building, just in case, the Hulk did break free -which he seemed to be on the edge of from the moment Bruce had woken up. The Not-So-Friendly Green Giant appeared to be closer to the surface than ever.

It was turning into a tense moment for everyone. Thor, Tony and Sif were all waiting for the worst-case scenario with baited breath. They did not want him to appear, but it seemed to be the more likely possibility.

Then Bruce moved.

Thor sprang forward while Sif jumped to her feet, the chair she had been sitting it glided across the room and clattered to a halt against the wall of the lab. Tony dived for the alarm, fearing the worst, while Bruce sat as still as possible with his hands raised slightly. He waited calmly for them to register that it was, in fact, him and not the Hulk that had moved, he had only reached up to undo the clasp of the necklace.

"Apologies," Sif said after a moment longer in silence while Thor relaxed and Tony breathed out a sigh of relief. Bruce slowly continued to reach for the clasp, trying not to make them all jump again.

"I'm not the one who should be getting the apology." He said causing Sif to look down at him as he removed the necklace before placing it down on the lab table next to him.

"I'm sorry, I do not understand," Sif said as he stood up, but he left her without an answer as he started going through the cupboards, searching through each of them in turn until he found what he was looking for -a first aid kit.

"Brother Banner," Thor said, "What are you doing?"

Bruce paused for a moment, looking up at Thor slightly before turning back to what he was doing. "I'm going to get Steve to take a look at Alba's arm. I remember her getting hurt while protecting me, just before- Before the Other Guy got free."

"Doctor," Sif began, "You know that-"

"That you can't allow me to see her." Bruce stated, "I know-"

"I'll have someone take a look at her." Tony said while stepping back into the lab causing Bruce to stop and look at him, "You've not eaten yet, Bruce. I heard they've still got breakfast cooking in the canteen."

Bruce sighed in reply before nodding as he started to feel his empty stomach's complaints.

"Go, eat," Sif said, "I shall return to the good captain and inform him that a healer will be tending to Alba." Bruce watched from the corner of his eye as she carefully picked up the cross, trying to sneak it away without notice, before she strode towards the door and left.

Bruce followed her out of the lab and into the corridor. He was unable to follow her further as Tony was quick on his heels and joined him.

"Come on, let's get some food," Tony said, putting his arm around Bruce to lead him away from the lab and away from following Lady Sif.

Steve stood with his back against the wall next to the one-way mirror, watching Alba. He had been keeping an eye on her since her 'arrest' in the Undercity, listening to every question and comment Sif threw at her. He never heard an answer from her, though. He never saw her respond at all, not even a change of her heart rate on the monitors that she had been connected to. It was just the repetitively slow, low heart rate over and over again.

It drove Sif mad, not being able to get an answer or response out of Alba, and it made Tony more confident of her guilt. Yet for Steve, it was completely different. He found the change in her character from when he met her, calling for Bruce in worry while trying to get to him, to this silent and unmoving figure rather startling, to be rather telling. He wondered if she had been trained to resist interrogation techniques, both old and new, just like the spies were. Or if she had closed herself off, for fear of prosecution because of what she was.

"Doctor Banner speaks highly of you." Lady Sif said, storming into the room. Even though she had thrown the door open, Alba didn't even flinch, unlike Steve who had become accustomed to the silence in the room. "In fact, he seems rather fond of you."

Silence.

"We know that you took Doctor Banner, but we do not know where!" She continued forcefully, after stopping right in front of Alba, "Where did you keep him prisoner?"

Alba didn't even blink.

"Doctor Banner stated that you were looking into the events that were taking place." She continued, "We know that Rona MacDonald was passing you information on the events. Explain your reasons as to why you were looking into the recent developments happening in your homeland."

No change in your heartbeat.

Steve knew Alba wasn't going to break, not this way at least. He didn't even know if she could break. He was starting to think that he needed to find a way of opening her up, but there didn't seem to be any way that would work; she remained completely cut off at kindness, Lady Sif's hard line of questioning, even the delivery of food went unnoticed by her.

"I found this with Doctor Banner," Sif said, kneeling down in front Alba before holding something in front of her face.

"Sif?" Steve asked while moving to try and see what it was that she had in her hand, "What is it?"

"Her talisman," Sif said, observing Alba's face as the chain hung from her fingers, "It was around his neck."

"What?" Steve asked causing Sif to stand back up.

"He claims it was for protection," Sif whispered to him while holding the cross in her hand out to him. He picked it up and looked at it, wondering how something so small and mundane could be used for protection. Yet, as he held his hand to the back of the cross, he could feel something powerful coming from it.

It made him glance at Alba, just in time to see relief fading quickly from her face.

It had been a quiet walk from the lab to the cafeteria, making the hustle and bustle of the noisy room even louder. The long line for food and drink was growing ever larger rather than going down, leading Bruce to think that there were still people coming into work for the day. The smell of fried food and coffee filled the air while the sounds of knives and forks were lost in the chatter.

"You go get something to eat." Tony told him, spotting a head of short red hair stood above all the others in the room as the two stood in line for food, "I've already eaten." He picked up a cup of coffee, which he had managed to charm his way into getting, before quickly walking off while shouting Natasha's name.

"What you want, pal?" The male voice of one of the servers asked Bruce as he stood watching Tony quickly join Natasha. He expected that Tony was giving her an update on him, about what Sif managed to get him talking about and the cross.

"I'll umm..." He turned around to look at the food on offer. As he did, he noticed another person stood further down in the queue -Logan. It gave Bruce an idea, but he had to be fast, he needed to get to Logan before Tony or Natasha told him about their Stockholm syndrome theory. "I'll just take some toast, and some fruit."

"Sure," The server shrugged before grabbing a plate. Bruce turned back to look at where Logan was in the queue, only to find the young scientist was finished collecting his food and was leaving the queue.

"A talisman?" Natasha asked as she sat down across from Tony.

"That's what Sif said," Tony said before swigging some of his coffee. He grimaced at the cup before placing it down on the table. "JARVIS is researching them now."

"What have you got some far, JARVIS?" She asked causing Tony to pull his phone out and place it on the table.

"According to Wikipedia and many witch sites," JARVIS said, as his research appeared on the screen, "A talisman is an object that is believed to contain magical properties, both good and bad. The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, a magical order active in the late-19th and early 20th centuries, stated that a talisman is a 'magical figure charged with the force which it is intended to represent' and that construction of a talisman should be taken with care."

"So, they're not something you create on the spot," Tony said.

"Are there any defining features of a talisman?" Natasha asked, "Like a symbol on them or the shape to them?"

"According to my search results so far," JARVIS said, "There is usually inscriptions or jewels on the talisman that mean something to the creator. Typically, they're made with runes or gemstones that hold particular powers, such as Amethyst and a few carefully selected runes for-"

"Protection." Tony said, "Bruce stated that Alba gave him the talisman for protection. But, I didn't see anything on it. Just a plain cross carved out of black wood."

"Nothing microscopic?" Logan asked suddenly from Tony's right causing Tony to jump slightly while Natasha sniggered, "No gemstone dust or plant fibres?"

"I've not had a chance to look at it in detail just yet." Tony grumbled into his cup before realising something that Logan had said, "But what do you mean by plant fibres?"

"Well, my great-granny was a rather superstitious lady," Logan stated while sitting down next to Tony, "As most old Highlanders are. Did you know that some Highlanders-?"

"Logan," Natasha said, trying to bring the young man back to the point.

"Sorry," Logan said, "Well, she had this superstition where she would give us all a milk thistle to wear while staying with her; to ward off bad spirits and fairy-folk magic."

"So, the thistle was... A shield?" Tony asked.

"Yeah," Logan said, "She had this great big book of old wives' tales. Even gave me an iron coin to keep the fairies at bay." He reached into his jeans pocket. "Look, I still have it to this day." He held up a piece of iron that was about the same size as a farthing.

"Too bad it doesn't work against witches," Natasha muttered.

"Well, that's why she gave us the thistle," Logan stated, "It was supposed to protect the wearer from minor magic, like the pranks a fairy would pull on a young child or a witch's charm to use people for their own ends. At least, that's how the stories go..."

"Anyway, I'm going to take a closer look at the cross later," Tony said as Logan trained off, having just looked up in time to see Bruce leave the line, "Nice idea about the plant fibres, though, Logan. I'll keep that in mind."

"Huh?" Logan asked, turning to look around at Tony again, "Yeah... Cool! Hey, umm..." He turned to Natasha as he tried to organise his thoughts while Bruce walked over to the three of them. "Is there any... Any news about Rona? Like where she is? Or-?"

"Hey Bruce," Tony said as the scientist arrived at the table, "Have a seat. Just, don't drink the coffee."

"No, nothing yet." Natasha said as Bruce sat down next to her, "Just a precaution."

"Oh, right..." Logan sounded disheartened before suddenly perking up slightly, "Of course, a security precaution. Can't be too careful with magical beings out there..." Natasha heard voice falter once again causing her to feel sorry for him, knowing that he liked Rona.

"How are you, Doctor Banner?" Logan asked, changing the subject.

"I'm alright," Bruce replied, "Ready to work."

"Why don't you take it easy for a few days." Tony said more than asked, "I mean you were in a fight only yesterday."

"I-I can't Tony." Bruce said, "I have to do something. Plus, I was going to ask if Logan could help me put together what I remember from my time with Alba, seen as you and Nat are busy."

"I can be not busy," Tony replied.

"So can I." Natasha said, "I can do a cognitive interview with you to help you remember."

"Uhh... Thanks but no." He said, "You two focus on trying to find whatever you're looking for; whether that's the Devil's Servant or even Una. Logan can help me with putting a few things together that might or might not help the search, and I can stay out of your way and be kept out of whatever you don't want to tell me just yet."

Natasha and Tony looked at each other quickly, trying not to give an answer just yet.

"I'm afraid I can't allow you access to any work involving Miss Wallace, Doctor Banner." JARVIS said suddenly causing the four around the table to look at the phone in the middle, "but I can allow Mr MacMillan, as a sort of mediator, access to selected records."

"I'd be happy to help!" Logan pitched in, "I mean, I'm not doing much good at the moment. JARVIS is amazing at doing my job for me anyway." His statement seemed to be the deciding vote as they two shrugged at each other before looking at Bruce and Logan.

"Alright," Tony said, "But all the files that you need access to need to be cleared by Nat and me before Logan gets them for you."

"That's fine," Bruce said, "I only need access to the original files, mainly. If I need anything else, I'll ask you for them before asking Logan to get them for me."

"Good," Tony said, "JARVIS, give Logan authorisation."

"Already done," JARVIS said.

"You have JARVIS making executive decisions now?" Natasha joked.

"He'll have Nick's job in a year." Tony stated, "Just you wait and see. SHEILD will run like a finely tuned engine."

"And Tony will have access to all the secrets." Bruce chipped in before turning to Logan, "I'm happy to eat this in the lab if you're happy to start now."

"Sure thing!" Logan replied before packing up his stuff and getting up with Bruce, who paused for a moment before speaking again.

"JARVIS," He said, "Can you search for thermal satellite images of the weather for the day of the explosion at Edinburgh Castle for me?"

"May I inquire as to why?" JARVIS asked.

"Something Alba showed me," Bruce said.

"I will acquire them for you." JARVIS said, "Would you like them printed out?"

"Please," Bruce said before turning and leaving with Logan.

"You think he's telling the truth?" Tony asked Natasha as they sat and watched the two.

"I'm not sure." Natasha said, "He's willing to help, so let's see where it takes us. Oh, I'm going to call Markus and ask him into 'help' us with a few things."

"Good idea," Tony replied.

It was a quiet walk from the cafeteria to the ground floor for Bruce and Logan. Bruce didn't exactly know how to start the conversation about needing Logan's help to get the information he needed, while there seemed to be something on Logan's mind that was eating away at him.

"Logan-" Bruce started.

"You were with Rona, right?" Logan cut him off, stopping dead in the corridor, "In that city under Glasgow."

"The Undercity," Bruce said, "And yes, she-"

"How was she?" Logan asked.

"She was alright when I last saw her." Bruce said frowning, "But she was fighting her way through an army of Araneae Giganteum."

This time Logan frowned.

"Araneae, the Latin name for Spiders after the tale of a woman who wove a tapestry causing a Greek Goddess to turn her into a Spider." He said, "Giganteum, the Latin word for giant." He suddenly became giddy at the thought. "Giant Spiders, like Happy Potter giant or Skyrim giant?"

Bruce just frowned, "I'd say as big as a horse, some might have actually been bigger."

"Awesome." Logan said before realising something, "Wait, Rona had to fight her way through an army of that meaning that you did too."

"I had Alba-"

"Is Rona... You know, a witch?" Bruce had to take a moment to think, but before he could answer the question, Logan spoke again. "I mean, I overheard the Warriors Three saying that she was and how she was working with Alba."

"How do you feel about it?" Bruce asked after a moment.

Logan shrugged.

"She wouldn't have told you." Bruce said, trying to comfort the young man in front of him, "Even Alba had difficulty in telling me she was a witch and she had teleported me to safety. It's not because they don't trust us, it's just because of perspective and stereotypes."

"I can see their point." Logan said, "I mean, the Witch Hunts and trials back in the dark ages wouldn't have made life very easy for witches back then, and the idea of witches in Harry Potter has a mixed reception too so..."

"Rona's not a bad person." Bruce said, "She cares about battling the Devil's Servant and going back to University to study more magic." Logan smiled at the idea for a moment before it disappeared again.

"But she was with you and Alba." He said, "She knew where you were and didn't tell anyone. Everyone thinks that because Rona is involved with Alba, who Mr Stark says kidnapped you, that Rona's some sort of bad person."

"Then help me clear their names." Bruce said seeing an opening, "Alba and Rona are good people. Alba never kidnapped me, she saved my life and protected me. She raised Rona to do the same, allowing her to stop me losing control. They're under the protection of the Brotherhood who is also hiding a woman called Una from the real enemy, a man who goes by the title of the Devil's Servant. Help me repay them by helping clear their names when everyone else thinks they're monsters."

Logan stood and thought about it for a moment before looking around them both.

"Alright," He said, "What do you need me to do?"

"I need to get as much information, that Tony has collected, as possible," Bruce said as the two started their walk to the lab again, "So I can find out who he thinks Alba is or what he has on her."

"And I now have access." Logan stated, "So you need me to sneak the information that you can't get, to you."

"As long as you're happy about helping me with this." Bruce pressed, "There are risks."

"If it proves that Alba and Rona are on our side," Logan said, "Then it's a risk I'm willing to take."

"Thank you," Bruce said, feeling relief at having someone on his side.

"The only problem is," Logan said, "That I can't just give you all the information at once. It will need to be bits and pieces at a time."

"That I can live with." He replied, "Just try and get things that Tony got his hands on first and work your way to the newest stuff he has. We need to see it from Tony's point of view to understand how he got to the conclusion he has now."

"Good point." Logan said, "Are you sure this will prove their innocence?"

"I'm confident." Bruce said, "But I'm open to surprises all the same. Just because I'm not expecting a curveball doesn't mean I won't get one."

"Banner!" The new voice stopped the two in their tracks and caused them both to look up.

"Hey, Steve," Bruce replied, putting on a small smile as he saw the super soldier walking briskly towards him and Logan.

"Good to see you up and about," Steve said as he reached the two scientists. He clapped Bruce on the shoulder, minding being gentler than usual. "Hi, Logan."

"Hi Captain," Logan said before turning to Bruce, "I'll meet you in the lab. Want me to set anything up for you?"

"Uh, yeah." Bruce replied, "JARVIS is printing those thermal satellite images for me, would you be able to lay them out on a table?"

"Sure!" Logan chirped before nodding to Steve and walking off.

"Back to work already?" Steve asked with a slight frown, causing Bruce to nod, "I didn't know they had given you a clean bill of health so quickly."

"They haven't, not exactly." Bruce stated, "I just need something to keep myself busy, so I'm going to put together a few things that Alba and I had found."

"You and Alba worked together on a few things?" Steve asked.

"I'd have thought Sif would have told you that when she got back from questioning me in the lab," Bruce stated honestly.

"No, she didn't," Steve said, "I was watching Alba until Sif stormed in and let me go for some food." He looked at Bruce, expecting a reaction from him, but Bruce tried to remain impassive about it. He didn't want to give Tony or Sif any more ideas about Alba having warped his mind and had control of him.

"If you don't mind, Steve-" Bruce started, but Steve cut him off.

"Bruce," he said, "Look, I'm not going to lie. Alba's not talking to us, not even to defend herself or argue the point that she saved you and not kidnapped you." Bruce only looked up at Steve, not knowing what to say. Steve apparently hadn't been told Tony's theory. "We just- I just need to find a way to open her up, get her to tell us her side of the story. You got any ideas?"

"No," Bruce said, "I spent time with her but not enough to know much about her, not even her age. She kept it all to herself. The stone walls of the castle weren't the only ones there."

"Do you think they've been there awhile?"

"For at least a hundred years."

Steve looked disheartened at the thought as he put his hands in his pockets causing Bruce to wonder if the super soldier felt sorry for Alba or understood something he'd seen in her on some level.

"How has she been sleeping?" Bruce asked, knowing he was taking a chance. It caused Steve to frown at him. It made him worry, wondering if Steve had been fishing for information in a way Tony, Natasha and Sif knew they couldn't get before. "I mean, I noticed that she spent more time in the chapel than in bed when I was with her." He knew he was twisting the truth slightly, but he needed to know if Steve had experienced one of Alba's episodes of night terrors, without giving anything away.

"She's not actually slept." Steve admitted, "Unless she's learnt to sleep with her eyes open and not move a muscle."

Bruce shrugged, trying hard not to show his surprise at Alba's lack of sleep and screaming in terror.

"Look, I've got to-" Bruce started.

"Oh yeah," Steve said, "Of course. I've got to get some food before heading back to watch Alba."

"Thanks, Steve," Bruce said quickly before hastily heading off for the lab.

Markus ran down the corridor at St. Andrews. The sound of his phone ringing echoed loudly down the old hall from his new office -Father Douglas' old office. He burst into the room and quickly covered the space between the door and desk, dropping his papers as he went.

"Hello?" He asked breathlessly.

"Hello, is Markus there?" A female voice asked on the other end.

"Speaking." He answered, "How can I help? Miss?"

"Romanoff." She replied, "I'm helping Mr Stark through the file that you sent us, and we've come across a few things that we think that you could assist us with."

"Sure, if you could send me a list of what you need help with-"

"We'd rather have you come in and help us directly."

"Right, okay." He faltered, trying to think of an answer to give her. He had a feeling that something was off as Natasha spoke to him but he wrote it off as being the unknown feeling he had from the day before. It felt like he'd missed a step and he didn't understand why he had this feeling. "I think I have a class this afternoon so I'll see if I can get someone to cover for me-"

"Can you organise cover for an extra day or two?" She asked, "We'd like to have your expertise around, just in case we have any more questions."

"I can try," He replied, "But I am only a phone call or e-mail-"

"We'd rather keep this in-house."

Now he knew something was off. Her stern tone and finality told him something was very wrong. He wondered if he should try to get in contact with his sister, but he knew that any attempt to reach her would take too long.

"I'll speak to my boss here at the University and find out what I can do." He replied at last, "I can either call you back or let Rona know the outcome."

"Rona's currently not in at the moment. She's taken a few days off."

"Alright, well if you give me some time I'll be able to sort something out for you."

"Of course. Call this number back and ask for Jarvis."

"Jarvis?"

"Yes, Jarvis. He'll direct your call to me."

"Alright. Well, hopefully, I'll have a plan for the next two days for you when I call you back."

He quickly gave her his goodbyes and hung up. He didn't know what was going on, but he knew a group of people who would know what to do -the Elders. He was going to have to tell them about the call and let them handle the situation as best as they could.

"Hello," He said after picking the phone back up and dialling the number he needed, "Can I speak to Michael, please? Can you mention that it's important, for me? Thanks."

He waited a moment for the person on the other end of the phone to get Michael for him.

"Markus?" The voice of Michael murmured, "How may I be of assistance?"

"Michael, I think a situation has arisen within our S.H.E.I.L.D. problem," Markus replied.

It had taken a while for Bruce and Logan to get their hands on what they needed from Tony and Natasha, but once they did, they photocopied each and every piece. The two got their hands on another room, their own work was beginning to interfere with Tony's after a few hours. Possible contamination of results Natasha called it, which Bruce quickly agreed with to get Tony and Natasha out of his way. The new room proved to be more than useful for Bruce and Logan, the longest wall quickly became their mind map of evidence.

Thor and Steve regularly took turns checking in on the two to see how they were doing. Only ever knocking on the door as they entered and asked if the two needed anything before leaving. Bruce half expected it to be Lady Sif and Natasha sneaking in and out of the room every few hours, rather than Steve and Thor.

"It might be easier switching Thor and the Captain around," Logan had suggested on the third check-in. Thor had come in and asked about their findings so far before being pulled away by Volstagg. "I mean they're both incredibly strong guys, who can resist most effects of magic. They'll be able to survive through any attack that Alba may or may not throw at them."

Bruce knew Logan was playing along with the idea of a non-bias team member so that the others didn't figure out their plan, but it didn't make hearing the opinions of his teammates any easier. He knew he was going to have to listen to it until he proved them wrong -a thought that caused Bruce to check a locked drawer where the two were hiding a small pile of the evidence that Logan had already snuck out of Tony's files. Both he and Logan had to keep it hidden from the others until Bruce could sneak it away to his room and study it.

"Thanks for today, Logan," Bruce said when the end of the workday began to roll around. Logan looked up over his shoulder at Bruce with a small frown of confusion on his face.

"Umm... Sure!" He said, "But don't you want to continue? I mean, I can easily stay late-"

"No, I better take it easy." Bruce stated quickly, "Nat and Tony will be all over me if I work late tonight." He looked at Logan while tapping on the desk, directly above the locked drawer. It took a moment, but realisation soon sunk in for Logan.

"Oh yeah," He said, "Sorry, I kinda got carried away with this. It's interesting stuff."

"Yes," Bruce replied, "But we're only just scratching the surface at the moment. We've tracked where the Devil's Servant has been and filled in a few blanks about what happened and how things are linked together."

"I still can't believe that the Devil's Servant managed to 'ghost' the whole way back to the UK." Logan commented, "Surely that took a lot out of him."

"Maybe it works differently when he's in that form." Bruce suggested, "But anyway, we'll be able to discuss it at length tomorrow. Thanks for your help."

"No problem!" Logan chirped as he finished with the mind map, "Do you mind if I write down some questions for JARVIS tomorrow?"

"Not at all." Bruce replied while unlocking the draw, "I've got a list started for the stuff we need him to research and give you access to so we can add your questions to it." He pulled out the small pile of information and put it into a folder to hide it from those who might recognise the papers.

"I might do some researching into that 'ghosting' technique." Logan said as the two headed for the door, "It seems to be a powerful technique but also a very dark side of magic kind of technique."

"Considering who used it, I agree with you." Bruce said, "If you're going to look into the Ghosting Technique then if you're up to it, have a look at how he got his body back."

"Yeah... I've got a theory about that." Logan said.

"I look forward to hearing it." Bruce replied before parting ways with Logan, "See you tomorrow, Logan."

He thought that he heard Logan speaking to him as he left, assuming that Logan had also said goodbye before disappearing off. Now Bruce was free to quickly disappear to his room and study that which Tony had gathered to see Tony's beliefs through his eyes. He half knew what to expect with the way Tony had already been behaving, but he didn't understand entirely how Tony got to that conclusion. He also secretly hoped that Tony had uncovered something about either Alba or Una that he didn't know yet.

He dashed into his room and locked the door. He released the breath he had been holding in as relief swept over him. He'd made it without running into anyone on the way. He scanned his room, looking for a place to work as the floor didn't exactly look inviting and hard to clear if anyone came knocking. His eyes landed on the bed. It may have been a single man bed, but he didn't need a lot of space to work in -otherwise, he'd create a mess too big to tidy up at short notice. He also noted that he could easily hide the files under the mattress at short notice and until he found a more permanent hiding place for them.

"Okay Tony," He said while crossing over to his bed, "What did you discover?" He placed the file down on the bed and opened it. Sat on the top was a picture of the aftermath of the ball with an artist's impression of what Bruce guessed was what Tony saw. He hadn't realised just how much damage had been done to the hall, having been put to sleep by Rona and saved by Alba. He noticed that Rona was nowhere to be seen, not even her lilac haired other form could be seen in the picture -leading Bruce to believe that either Tony didn't see her or Alba had told Rona to go.

He laid the picture out on the bed at the top so he could see it clearly before putting Tony's account out under it. He described everything, in such vivid detail that Bruce was surprised at places. He knew Tony had an eye for detail but only thought it was in things that Tony was interested in; such as cars, his suits, his robots, experiments, and women. He was surprised that Tony had overheard Rona and Markus' conversation, Bruce himself hadn't even heard them or even noticed the reactions between them, Alba and Father Douglas.

The part the Bruce didn't expect was towards that end.

"Chaos? No! There is no way I would be so lucky! Lady Luck doesn't just hands me this!"

Logan pulled his keys from his bag as he crossed the distance between him and his car. He had to walk a good ten minutes to be able to park up for work every day in a covered car park for his father's pride and joy -a dark royal blue Ford Mk2 Zodiac Lowline. Logan thought that Tony would be jealous of his father's handy work and dedication, as he unlocked the beauty of a car.

He put his bag in the back seat before getting in. He hadn't even put the key in the ignition when someone pulled open the passenger side door and climbed in.

"Whoa!" Logan said, "What're you-?"

"Logan, drive," Rona said as she pulled down the hood of her black jacket.

"Alright." Logan said while starting the car, "But you've got a lot of explaining to do."

"You know," Steve said while checking his watch, "The canteen will be shutting down soon. Do you want me to get you anything before it does?"

He looked back at Alba. She still hadn't moved or even spoken to anyone. All of the food that had brought to her had gone untouched, and he knew he had to throw it out, but he still felt as though he should ask. He didn't agree to Lady Sif's harsh treatment of Alba; demanding she talk, threatening things he knew he wouldn't agree to, making comments she'd hoped would get a rise out of her.

Yet, Alba still said and did nothing.

He couldn't begin to imagine what could have happened to Alba in her past for her to have built a hideaway so deep inside of herself that she wouldn't register what was going on around her, not even on a subconscious level. Everything just staying the very same as it had been the second before.

"You've not eaten anything since yesterday, that's what I'm hoping at least. I can get you something; I don't know, toast? I'm sure they can make it up for you."

Nothing.

"At least have a drink of water, to help keep your strength up."

Again, nothing.

He sighed. He was running out of ideas. He knew that he needed her to at least drink some water, but he also knew that to achieve that he'd need her to open up. If he had to, he would stop Sif's questioning or even let Bruce in to get her to open up, but he knew Tony and the others wouldn't allow it.

"Tony says you're against us. He says that you can't be trusted but Banner, he seems to trust you. Are you really against us? Or is it just because of what we think about witches?" He paused for a moment as if waiting for Alba to reply even though he knew it wouldn't come, "I don't believe him, Tony that is."

He frowned as the words almost fell out of his mouth. It was as if his own words hadn't registered in his own mind before they left his mouth, but they felt true as if they were his own. He had heard all that Sif had said to Alba and what Tony had told him about what he 'found' about her, seen Bruce and tried to gauge his feelings about the situation without prying too deep. He'd overheard about Bruce working on recreating the work that she'd shared with him, and now Steve felt like he had all the evidence laid out in front of him.

He was now casting his vote, to none other than Alba herself.

"I don't believe everything he's saying. Some of the things he's said feel like he's twisting the facts to suit his truth, one that I don't entirely agree with. It was a witch hunt from the start, now that I think about it. Tony appointed himself the judge, Lady Sif and Natasha became the prosecutors while the rest of us watched from the sidelines in the juror's box.

"But Banner trusted you and the Hulk protected you, that's not something that any of us can overlook. The others are saying that you have Banner under some sort of spell, that he's under your control and that's why he trusts you and why the Hulk came to your aid, but I've seen how they react to mind-control and it's not pretty. Banner can't sense it but the Hulk, somehow, can and that's how I know it's not magic that makes him defend you.

"Maybe it is Stockholm, just as Tony claims it to be. You did keep Banner with you for four weeks, somewhere we couldn't find him, and he couldn't contact us. Somewhere that Rona knew about and how to communicate with you there, but she didn't tell us, meaning she was working with you and you didn't want to be found. That makes you look suspicious, but is the reason that Tony gave us the real reason behind you hiding? Maybe, there's another reason. Banner said that where the two of you were was like a prison, no doors leading outside and no windows, just a large back garden with a very high wall. It makes you wonder who or what that was meant to keep in or, perhaps, keep out."

Beepbeep!

He quickly looked up at the monitor where Alba's vitals were showing, swearing that he'd heard the regular beeping of her heartbeat change. He looked at the line representing her heartbeat to make sure that he didn't hear things as the beeping had returned to the steady beeping. But from the information displayed on the monitor, nothing had changed causing him to frown.

'Chaos.'

He knew what it meant as a word -disorder, mayhem, bedlam, and more words all meaning trouble of the highest level- but he knew that the Devil's Servant didn't mean it as a word, he said it as a name. There was no doubt about it. He was naming someone, someone he had been looking for.

"Una," Bruce whispered before smiling.