(AN: Hello out there! I usually write and will continue to write House MD fanfiction but the recent Avengers movie got me thinking. I don't have a specific end result in mind for this other than I know it's not finished yet. Hope you all like it!)
The light bulb flickered on and off for a few moments before it finally stayed on. His hand fell from the light switch to his pocket to put his keys away. Eyes surveyed the small room – it was everything he had asked them for. Remote location, multiple generators for electricity, advanced security and an abundance of laboratory equipment. The recent success in New York could be short lived, life had no guarantees and Bruce Banner knew that better than anyone. Somewhere in his mind, he knew that it would only be a matter of time before they contacted him again.
What he was and more specifically, what he could be – were not meant to be on any sort of team. Dysfunctional or not, the lack of control was dangerous and certainly not suited for guarding or saving the world. Bruce Banner was a reasonable man he knew that every reaction and result could be traced back to an inciting incident. The tide had turned in New York when they had worked together but would they always be on the same page? No guarantees, Bruce.
SHIELD was kind enough to oblige his request of remaining in the United States, it worked better for everyone involved. The doctor found himself in a remote swamp in Louisiana, a place filled with enough wildlife and pitfalls to discourage anyone from wandering up to his humble abode. The days passed quickly, a weekly conference call here and there but they mostly kept their promise and left him alone. Cut off from the world was the best place for him – for both of them to be.
It was raining steadily the morning he heard the knock on the door. A quick check of the security monitors confirmed what he suspected - it was time for a checkup. The face he saw on the monitor was familiar and for a moment he lost himself in trying to recall her name as he stumbled to the door – fumbling with the flannel shirt buttons all the way there. When he pulled the door open, he raised his free hand to make a last second attempt at appearing put together, swiping at his hair to pat it down into place.
"You should come inside - this region is home to any number of micro organisms that could wreak havoc on your immune system, especially with that rain."
When she stepped inside without a word, he took the opportunity to continue trying to recall her name. Always in that suit, always near or talking to Fury and almost always with that look of all business on her face. Isolation had got the better of him and while he knew she was here merely to check on him it was still an annoyance he could do without. Research, especially the way he did research – required him to be on his own and not to be bothered, so her presence was not welcomed.
"So do you need to see anything in specific, Agent?"
The look she gave him in reply told him everything he needed to know about her presence here. She didn't want to be here anymore than he wanted her here. When she moved to sit in front of his computer he took it as her way of telling him to back off and that request was easy to fulfill. Wandering over to the makeshift kitchen, he slid a plastic jug of water over to the waiting kettle, pouring it in as he watched her typing over her shoulders.
"So they make you show up in the rain and check my computer? Do they let you talk or have coffee or is that forbidden?"
She spun around in the chair after placing the USB drive from her pocket into his computer. When she walked towards him she made sure to stop and give him plenty of space. Taking a step back so he could lean against the cabinets, hands moved up so his palms faced her. Perhaps trying to joke with a SHIELD agent who had been sent to the middle of nowhere to check on your computer wasn't the brightest idea he'd ever had. On the other hand, he could finally remember the face and he nodded with the growing realization his mind wasn't failing him.
"I couldn't help but notice they sent you out here pretty randomly, Agent Hill. Let me guess – global threat that needs to be neutralized and you're here to tell me that SHIELD is asking for another favor. That sound about right?"
He hadn't expected her to speak in fact by that point he was almost convinced that she was sent here and directed to show no emotion or signs of being a human. When she finally did speak, it caught him completely off guard. SHIELD was an organization like most other military organizations that he'd come to loathe. Government organizations were all based on order, rank and file and had very little to do with actual ability beyond the ability to follow orders.
"I received a directive at 0500 hours instructing me to visit your location and obtain any relevant data you had amassed in regards to your … condition. I know you want to be left alone, Doctor Banner and when I am done – you'll have your privacy back."
It surprised him just how satisfied she looked with her little speech. Like any other situation where he'd ever interacted with someone from SHIELD – they were all programmed to function within a set of guidelines. She likely had an answer for every question he could ask her which was why he didn't see the point in furthering the conversation. Turning his attention back to his coffee, he retrieved a mostly clean spoon from the sink and stirred the contents of the mug slowly.
The entire time since she'd spoken had been spent analyzing and considering what she'd said. Why would SHIELD want information about him again? Was their lease on his little shack costing them too much? Something else was going on, something else that they obviously weren't sure he would be okay with. Deciding it was best to play along with their charade, he hastily cleaned out another mug, filling it with the remainder of the coffee and setting it down next to her, nearly slamming it into place as he leaned down.
"If Fury wants something from me, he'd be better off telling me. I don't like it when you people try to put something over on me. "
For all of the strength and fury that the Hulk represented, Bruce Banner was nothing like him. Even when he tried to sound intimidating to the female agent, he was only rewarded with a smile as she obviously didn't feel intimidated. Maybe he could – maybe he should show her why she needed to wipe that smile off of her face. Maybe they needed a reminder of what exactly he was capable of and why they needed to keep him happy – not the other way around.
"Director Fury is looking into expanding your operation here and developing other locations for you to be housed at. There is reason to believe other organizations have the intention of contacting you and he wants to ensure that you are pleased with your current surroundings."
Pleased with his current surroundings – how did they possibly expect him to be pleased with his current surroundings? The middle of a swamp was hardly the setting he wanted for the rest of his life. Still, it was the most honesty he'd got out of anyone associated with SHIELD in a long time. Why not see what she'd tell him? If nothing else, he'd get some decent information from her.
"You don't want to look in those folders, Agent Hill. I keep all the best stuff encrypted on the external drive."
The look on her face if only for that moment showed that she was dropping the whole façade they always had to keep up. For a moment, they were going to pretend like he couldn't turn into this huge green monster that could tear her apart in seconds. The idea that she'd actually just treat him like a human being even if only for a moment was something he had missed for some time. The next words she spoke however were most unexpected.
"Three sugars … I don't suppose you have cream?"