Calcutta, India.
Xander watched the dark haired man followed the native Indian girl to the isolated house at the edges of the city. Xander shook her head, if she had told Bruce once she had told him a hundred times. Never take anything at face value. Sometimes Xander wondered just what went on in the good doctors head? Goddess knows he should know that by now.
Xander crept closer to the house she could make out the shadows of men surrounding it. Shadowy type men with weapons following Bruce Banner was never a good combination it always led to…property damage.
On the edge of the wind Xander could hear…
"…Should have got paid up front, Banner." Come from the scientist sardonically. Bruce had a wonderfully dry and understated sort of sense of humor at times.
Xander frowned, there were at least ten to fifteen men inching towards the house. Not exactly an army but close enough to make a platoon. It made her wonder just who sent them. No, one should come after Dr. Bruce Banner with anything less than a total army. Xander moved through the darkness pulling her battle-axe from the harness she wore on her back but she left the blade protectors on it. She didn't want to kill anyone but Xander wouldn't let these people hurt Bruce. Uncle Phil would be so disappointed in her if she did.
Xander hit the nearest black clad man in the back of his head with her axe. In the low light of the moon she could make out the S.H.I.E.L.D. emblem on his shoulder. That was odd. Normally didn't want you to know who they were or why they were there what with it being a covert-agency and all.
'I really need to check in with Uncle Phil more…' Xander thought as she took out the next three agents in the same manner as the first man. Xander could see the silhouette of a woman though the curtain covered window. Xander could hear her say, "You know, for a man who's suppose to avoid stress…you sure picked a hell of a place to settle."
Xander grabbed the next Shield agent this one was actually trying to sneak up on her. That was cute. She slammed him into a nearby tree. When she heard Bruce's response to the woman, "Avoiding stress isn't the secret."
'No, shit.' Xander thought, punching out the next agent a female this time that came too close to the house. As Xander slid closer she could hear the amused smirk in Banner's voice when he said, "You brought me to the edge of the city, smart. I…uhh, assume you have the whole place surrounded?" The bastard sounded like he was trying not to laugh Bruce knew Xander was out here and knew what she would be doing. He was mean like that.
"Just you and me…"said the woman.
Xander peaked into the window as saw the woman had bright Willow-quse hair and moved like a slayer. 'Liar, lair…' Xander thought as she ties up the next agent she knocked out. 'Bored now…' Really, Phil had said all agents went through a hell of a training course. Phil went on and on about it. Xander hoped Clint was in the trees somewhere he would be the only challenge she'd get it looked like.
"So, who are you?" Was Bruce's next question? Xander frowned at the tone of voice he used.
'Is he flirting with her?' Xander wondered?
"Natasha Romanoff."
The last five agents raised their weapons and inched closer to the house.
'Not going to happen.' Xander thought.
"You here to kill me, Miss Romanoff? Because that's just not going to work for us." Banner said softly.
For a moment Romanoff wonder why he used the word 'us' but dismissed it. The man had what was the worst case of multiply personality disorder in the history of ever. She shook her head, "I'm here on the behalf of SHIELD."
"SHIELD? How did they find me?" the doctor walked around the room looking at the different things in it.
"We never lost you." Romanoff heard rumors about an agent that was assigned to Banner but that's all they could be not even SHIELD would want someone as close as the rumor said they were to the doctor. "We've kept our distance. Even helped keep other interested parties…like a certain General off your scent."
Banner frowned, "Why?"
"Nick Fury seems to trust you. Now you need to come in."
"What if I say no."
Romanoff gave a small smile, "Then I'll persuade you."
"…And what if the Other Guy says no?"
Romanoff shrugged pulling her shawl more tightly around her shoulders, "You've been more than a year without an incident. I don't think you want to break that streak."
Banner paused in front of an old-fashion baby bassinet. With a sad smile he gave it a small push with a finger and watched as is swung back and forth before glancing up at the redheaded agent, "We don't always get what we want…"
Romanoff slowly walked up to the table between them and opened the laptop sitting on it she brought up some files then turned the computer to face Banner. Intrigued he came closer to the table, which Banner could tell made the woman ever so slightly uncomfortable but be ignored her and looked over the files.
"What is that?"
"This is the Tesseract. It has the potential to wipe out the planet."
"What does Fury want me to do? Swallow it?"
"It's been taken. They Tesseract omits a gamma signature that's too weak for us to trace. We want you to help us find it. There is no one who knows gamma radiation better than you. If there was, that's who I'd find." Romanoff told Banner plainly.
"So, Fury's not after the monster?" Banner's disbelief of that was obvious. There wasn't any secret agency or government that didn't want the monster.
"Not that he's told me."
Banner looked down and muttered, "Wants me in a cage…"
Romanoff looked confused at this change in the doctor's otherwise clam demeanor, "No one is going to put you in a…"
Banner slammed his hands down on the table narrowly missing the laptop, "Stop lying!"
At the show of temper Romanoff pulled her gun and pointed at Banner. He inhaled in surprise at how quickly the female agent moved. "I'm sorry…" He said slowly breathing out to clam himself, "That was just mean of me. I just wanted to see what you'd do. Why don't we do this the easy way? I'm a big fan of the easy way." He had put his hands up to show how Romanoff had all the power in this situation, " Where you don't use that so the Other Guy doesn't make a mess and no one ends up dead? Okay…Natasha?"
The Agent looked into Banner's eyes for a long moment before, "Stand down, we're good." Romanoff said into her earpiece, her gun steady on Banner. She wondered why he was smiling so soon after the out burst of temper he shown. Suddenly there was a crash and the black clad body of a Shield agent came flying through the open door.
'And here the night had been going so well.' Natasha thought.
"Just you and me, huh?" Banner asked amusement obvious. Natasha rolled her eyes at him. When a girl between seventeen and eighteen walked through the door saying, "Doc, unless it's a potential global catastrophe," she stopped and leaned against the doorway. "I think we should just cut our losses and go."
The girl, Natasha thought, looked like some one took a hyena's skin and placed on her, the girl's hair started black at the root to chin then turned to a light brown with black spots through out the braid the girl had it in. The skin exposed by the black tank top she wore, was covered in fur in the same shades of color as her hair, though lighter it was almost a blonde-brown in color. At her fingertips were sharp, black claws. Her dark jeans and boots were made in so they could be fought in easily. It was the girl's eyes that were the most attention grabbing, they glowed green in a way that would remind you of how a predator's eyes would.
"I try to avoid those, you know." Banner told the girl, who growled at him in response. Causing Romanoff to notice the fangs that protruded slightly over the girl's lower lip. "You took care of our friends outside, I presume?"
The girl blinked and Natasha tried not to let her amazement show when the fur morphed completely away to tanned skin and dark brown almost black hair, normal human brown eyes and the fangs vanished as well. Could the girl be a mutant?
"Yes, you know I'm never bored around you. We get to meet so many interesting people. I'm Xander Harris, by the way. And you?" the last was aimed at the red haired woman.
"Natasha Romanoff, Agent of Shield." Banner murmured to Xander causing her sighed heavily at him.
"Did you just take out all the agents out there?" Romanoff asked trying to keep the glee out of her voice. It was so rare to meet another woman who didn't mind showing just what she could do and it would explain why Banner seemed less than stressed. He had back up.
"Seems so."
Romanoff frowned, "Did you kill them?"
"I don't kill humans if I can help it."
The answer wasn't as comforting to Romanoff as it should have been. What was there to kill besides humans? Demons? She wondered on that for a second before shaking the thought away.
"Are you done here, Doc?" Xander asked Banner.
Banner shook his head.
"Come on! Doc! People like them want to put you in a cage." Xander didn't bother to hide the rage in her voice. There had been to many close calls in the last few months for Xander to be comfortable with SHIELD's sudden appearance on the scene. She had been sure she had another year before Phil was ready for Banner to come work for SWORD.
"Weren't you telling me last week I have to start trusting…"
"Oh, now you choose to listen to me!"
"Xander they need help. My help. It's the right thing to do."
Xander sighed and shook head, 'By the Gods save me from heroes!' "So when do we leave."
"She's not going!" Romanoff was almost shocked at the idea, lowering her gun. The breach of protocol alone would give Coulson an ulcer.
Banner looked thoughtful, "Mmm, then I'm not going."
Natasha nodded…wait…what? "What?"
"This as been fun and all but the Doc as spoken. See you around, Red. Or hopefully not." Xander said pushing off the doorway.
Romanoff couldn't let Banner leave and this girl had taken out all the agents sent with Natasha, she really didn't have a choice, did she? "You explain why she's there to Director Fury."
Banner nodded.
"Damn it, Bruce! Don't you have any sense?" Xander complained as she walked over to him.
The smile Banner give Xander was a fond one Romanoff thought as he said, "Come on. You've been complaining about the weather here..."
"When this comes to bite you on the ass I get to say 'I told you so', right?"
Banner nodded at Xander.
"Good, that leaves one thing." Xander said. Natasha sucked in a breath when Xander reached out and hit Banner on the side of the head. " 'That was mean? I just wanted to see what you would do?' Really, Big Guy do I have to explain what you do and don't say when some one is holding a guy on you?"
"It's not like it would hurt me." Banner muttered.
"That's not the point!" Xander hissed.
Banner then asked what the point was and Xander processed to explain that Banner was a moron.
'Why couldn't it have just been me and Banner?' Natasha wondered as she followed the bickering pair out of the house. But she knew things were about to get really interesting…