Chapter 4
Steve stared at the news station displayed on one of Tony’s monstrous flatscreens. It featured various clips of Spiderman in action, stopping muggings, catching speeding cars, and rescuing several people from a burning home.
However, something about the vigilante's actions were different. Usually, he tended to do more fanfare, waving to spectators, adding unnecessary and extravagant flips to his movements, and hanging around a scene to make sure everything was under control before leaving. But now, as soon as what he set out to do was complete, he streaked off into the concrete jungle surrounding him.
What had caused this change in behavior?
One of the key differences between the Avengers and Spiderman was the scale of their responsibilities. It was natural that he focused more on helping the little guy, socializing more with individuals rather than with New York as a whole like the Avengers did. So why the sudden shift?
He’d have to discuss it with the team, see if they had any insights on Spiderman's actions. They hadn’t seen or spoken to him in nearly a week, and not for a lack of trying. The current difficulty confirmed that he had just been playing with the Avengers before. If Spiderman really wanted to stay away from them he could. He had a strange way of knowing whenever someone was watching or looking for him. It made tailing him impossible for anyone on Steve’s team, trained spies or not. Spiderman seemed to disappear into thin air in the blink of an eye.
It was infuriating for some members of the team.
But to be honest, Steve didn’t care too much about catching Spiderman, especially not after meeting him in person. As a leader Steve took great importance in being able to assess people as thoroughly as possible, including underlying intentions. And when he met Spiderman the only intentions he could perceive were good.
Whenever the team was assigned a mission Steve did his due diligence and immediately researched as much as he could about the specifics. He needed to have confidence in his knowledge before directing his team. He understood the impact each decision had on the lives of the people in New York so minimizing mistakes was his top priority.
Of course, he was curious who Spiderman was, and even debated inviting him to join the team, or at least for some type of training. Without a doubt, he was very powerful but his technique was…unconventional. With even a bit of training, Spiderman could become terrifyingly effective. But, judging by the way he tirelessly avoided interactions with them, Steve doubted Spiderman would even consider it. Steve couldn’t really blame him. If he was being harassed and hunted down, even for ‘good’ reasons, he wouldn’t be inclined towards civility either. That didn’t mean Steve wouldn’t try.
However, Spiderman’s recent behavior was much more erratic compared to the past. His efficiency had grown quite a bit but the criminals he was apprehending were left severely injured more often than not.
That was making Fury paranoid. Considering Fury’s current opinion of Spiderman being overwhelmingly negative, convincing him of the idea would be a miracle.
He had requested a meeting with the Captain and would be here soon. Waiting for the man in the designated conference room, Steve ran through his argument again. He needed to have his facts straight before speaking to the man. Fury, while an excellent strategist and decisive leader, had stubborn tendencies. It was difficult to go over options that were not thought of by himself, but if Steve had a fully flushed out idea and plan Fury tended to lend more of an ear than usual.
Steve thought it was finally time to argue Spiderman’s case to Fury.
Spiderman was not a threat.
Steve understood the value information held, especially to someone as paranoid as Fury, however, tracking down Spiderman was a waste of everyone's time. Time much better spent on active threats.
“Rogers.” Fury greeted Steve abruptly, snapping him out of his contemplation.
Muscles tightening to attention unconsciously, Steve replies,“Sir, thank you for meeti-”
“Obviously, you have made no progress in obtaining any information on Spiderman. Explain.” Fury interrupted sharply.
Right to it then. Steve thought with only a little bitterness.
“Despite our consistent efforts and diverse approaches, Spiderman has managed to avoid being apprehended. Undoubtedly, he is a skilled hero both in combat and evasion techniques and, Sir, if I may, I believe shifting the team’s focus to recruitment would be far more beneficial than capture.”
With that Fury just stared like he had imagined what Steve had said. Despite the confidence Steve had in himself and what he was proposing, Fury’s reaction was disheartening.
With a disbelieving scoff, Fury countered, “Considering Spiderman’s recent behavior, do you really think it's a good idea to have him be a part of the Avengers Initiative? An enhanced and aggressive individual with unknown motives who answers to no one, including the law? Does the fact that he continuously avoids the Avengers not raise any red flags to you Rogers? I would hope the team leader I advocated for after Germany would have better judgment than this.”
“Our continued harassment is most likely one of the reasons for the aggressive shift in behavior. Constantly being treated like a criminal tends to bring out the worst in people, and if his worst is being a bit rougher with rapists, I think we have more important things to worry about. If we approached him with an opportunity to become an equal, to have a system of support, I think something good can come out of this mission. If you are dissatisfied with my leadership skills based on my aversion to hunting down other heroes, we may need to reassess the motivations of the Initiative all together.” Steve argues.
Fury was intimidating and smart, but Steve was stubborn. His belief in the best of people until proven otherwise was what has kept him reliable and honest. And the worst thing Spiderman had done was nothing compared to the sins of him and his teammates, let alone the man sitting in front of him demanding for the capture and implied torture of someone just trying to help.
A deep rooted sigh escaped Fury. “Listen Rogers, whether or not Spiderman is ‘helping’ is neither of our concern. What matters is that an untrained, unknown, and possibly unstable mutant is running around playing judge, jury, and close to the executioner. If he keeps this up, someone is going to die, and you can’t help him if that happens.”
Another sigh, “I trust you and the team to handle this situation and keep it from getting out of hand. If you can’t detain him, I will be forced to ask someone far less sympathetic as you. I don't want Spiderman to get hurt, but I can’t stop it if it's necessary.”
Oh.
“Let me try it my way before anyone more dangerous gets involved. I know Spiderman wants to help, let us help him too,” Steve reasoned.
“One more chance, Steve.” Fury conceded. "If you can’t bring him in, willingly or otherwise, in the next two days, I have other options at my disposal.”
Steve turned to leave the room, saying “Understood, Sir” before the door echoed closed behind him.