Doctor-Patient Confidentiality


AN: You guys are AWESOME! The amount of e-mails/traffic on this story - alone - is beating out the volume on my Cherik stories!

Thanks to over the stars and mercuryfire for reviewing the second chapter (and to the people who alerted it or favorited it, of course)! The reviews were super sweet! To mercuryfire: it may be hard to visualize which is why I need to figure out how to upload an image cover just for this story. I have a picture of Cori with her newly colored left eye which may really help people get an idea of how it looks.

Introducing Hulk in this chapter, woo! Sort of, anyways. Darn, I spoiled it…

P.S: Thank you, over the stars. I was actually worried about her name coming off odd but I think having Coriander for a name is just unusual and pretty sweet.


Two: Fury and Fear

"That being said," Tony smiled brightly after his backup disc comment, "You need to get a shower. Unless your idea is warding people off by stinking, of course." He gave a small laugh. Cori frowned. She'd just broke down crying at the verdict that she would never be normal again, visually downloaded his computer, experienced crippling head pain, and endured a partial undressing for photographic reasons. Was he really adding the fact that she smelled onto all of that? She thought running her ass off while trying to escape a murderous alien and downloading a whole computer was a good reason to sweat (and therefore stink).

But she knew Tony, and knew what he was trying to do. When Cori was normal and they came to visit her during her shift, they would always banter playfully. Tony didn't particularly like surprises but he liked the witty sharpness she displayed because it belied her 'I'm not totally happy but I'm getting paid for corporate enslavement' appearance, Pepper revealed. Pepper liked Cori because she gave coffee and helped her reduce Tony's enormous ego before he floated off into the atmosphere. Keeping all of that in mind, Coriander knew Tony expected her to jab back.

Problem was, Cori's mind felt impossibly quiet. Her crying had effectively snuffed any thoughts in her. All of her energy had gone into processing Tony's grim find, abandoning any other brain function as a cold wave of realization crashed down, obliterating everything in her brain. She analyzed Tony, able to form responses by considering her opponent (or friend-opponent, in this case) and his habits. Tony Stark's usual company was Pepper Potts, his favorite drink was any type of alcohol, and he was always seen wearing a suit.

His favorite self-descriptions included 'genius', 'billionaire', 'playboy' and 'philanthropist'. Ah, and we have it…Grinned Cori as the idea popped into her head. She may stink for the moment but Tony's embarrassment would linger for days like the scent of rotten fish in the sun. "Well, I wouldn't have had such a time downloading your lab computer if you eased up on the porn." Coriander crossed her arms over her chest, flashing confident, close-lipped smile that thinned her lips together as she raised her head victoriously. Point and match: Coriander.

Tony wasn't expecting that. Most women who'd just bawled their eyes out and received news that they weren't normal anymore tended not to joke. They would rather sulk, eat ice cream, and do whatever the hell depressed women do. And yet, Coriander just made a reference to porn. We spend too much time with this kid. She knows me, lamented Tony as he stroked the hair on his chin in contemplation, trying to throw something together to save his pride,

I need a drink, Tony decided as Bruce snickered, disguising it as a cough, about the time emergency lights came on. It would take JARVIS a while to successfully restart the computers and main lighting because of the unprompted shutdown. A drink would buy Tony time to think; he could pretend to drink it and draw something together. Coriander looked sweet and naive but she had a dangerously sharp tongue to match that piercing wit. She had to have something to make up for her lack of commonsense and history of being intensely sheltered.

"Hey," Tony held his hands up, stepping away from her teasing. "You should be thanking me," Said Stark, "I just saved you a lot of money in subscriptions and broadened your virgin views in one take."

Coriander flushed, brain sputtering like a half-drowned person resurfacing. Damn Stark! That blew up in her face; she wasn't sure why she expected any different. The papers loved to point out Tony's history in trading off women but failed to acknowledge all of that had decreased substantially since Pepper. Of course he was used to stuff like that!

Bruce grinned, highly amused by this whole thing. He'd warmed up to Stark faster than the others because he appealed to Banner's level of intelligence, but he was still human and enjoyed watching Tony have a rare, squirming moment. Steve would love the moments of surprise, hesitation, and pouting leading up to his response. Coriander frowned childishly at Dr. Banner. Shouldn't he be on her side, technically, if he was documenting her like he would a patient?

"I'm going to get a shower," Coriander refused to drop her head in shame and defeat. She'd been defeated and embarrassed, no question, because Tony had revealed her virgin status, but she didn't have to show it. Didn't want to give him the satisfaction because then she'd make herself a Tony teasing magnet (worse than she already was, which couldn't be by much). Cori could keep her head raised and nose up in cool refusal until she left the lab.

"Wrong way, Squirt." Called Tony helpfully, voice shuddering with laughter while coming out of a mouth molded by a shit-eating grin. Cori pirouetted, leaning perfectly into the weight now focused on her upraised foot and extended toes, before walking to the right. New plan: keep your head raised until you get out of sight, Cori told herself as JARVIS took over directing her towards the nearest shower. She locked the door, peeling off her old-but-new sweaty clothes as JARVIS helpfully started the shower and programmed it for lukewarm water. Should she be amazed or concerned that Tony was lazy enough to wire JARVIS to start showers?

Was he really too busy to run his own shower? What could he possibly be doing? Never mind, I don't want to know, Cori wrinkled her nose as she stepped in and drew the curtain behind her. The ridiculously large shower was a nice ivory with polished wall tiles and depressions for sitting. It appeared to be half-spa, half-shower.

Girlish body washes and shampoos filled the many pockets, leaving Cori to wonder if Pepper was moving her stuff in or if these was just things were left behind from when she stayed late. Scrubbing her scalp with generous amounts of TRESemmé shampoo, Cori paused. This was Pepper's shampoo. Pepper's shampoo was in one of Tony's showers. Now the automatic shower starting made sense.

Suddenly she didn't want to be in the shower anymore. Cori scowled at her discovery, quickly rinsing her hair before applying a second coat to remove the grime incurred while running from Point Taken. The water stung her wound unmercifully but she couldn't very well avoid the water, not if she wanted to be clean. Her teeth were clenched so hard she would surely splinter them or try to bite her lip off to ease the pain. Evidence of tears was washed away by the downpour of lukewarm water.

Thankful Pepper stocked Nair, Cori applied it to her legs and underarms while massaging her scalp. Tony's diagnosis of eternal abnormality was a lot to take. If she didn't try to manage herself, absorb the information, she'd be an emotional wreck. Her chances of mood swings were already high, considering her period, and Cori thought that was double incentive to relax. She stepped away from the showerhead, taking comfort in the warm cocoon of steam hugging her, and indulged in silence.

She didn't know what to think, and probably never would, but right now wasn't the time to be bothered by that. Right now was shower time. Time to relax. Coriander washed off the Nair, making a note to buy Pepper a new removal sponge as she picked up a random body wash and set to scrubbing the sweaty smell from her body. Let's see Tony tease her now! If he did he'd be teasing Pepper's purchases so…ha! He was trapped!

Minutes after the conditioner settled she fluffed up her hair to erase it all. It left her hair looking windblown, tangled, and similar to Medusa while her hair was alive and lethal. Cori stole two towels, pausing – shamelessly nude – to stare in surprise at the pile of clothes waiting on her. Had Pepper bought her more? They didn't seem to be her style, noted Coriander as she unfolded a spaghetti strap tank top that seemed rather deep cut.

Seeing as how her clothes were dirty and Tony swore her apartment was gone, Coriander had to take the clothes. A pair of pants and shorts had been left behind under the fresh panties and bra (which she decided to forgo after realizing the tank top was designed with padded cups), and she could only assume that's because whoever left them wasn't sure if the pants would fit. They didn't, and she reluctantly pulled on the shorts. Coriander didn't necessarily have body issues – why would she with the amount of exercise dancing demanded? – but had been raised to dress conservatively. Dancing shorts and tops were understandable, as they minimized partners accidentally catching one another by excess fabric or getting tangled up, but she hardly ever wore them outside of the dance setting.

If she ever wore shorts and tank tops it was for a lazy day. A day when she was all alone. Coriander brushed her hair out with the nearby brush, admiring how glossy and flat the water made it. Why couldn't she be born with straight hair? It slimmed her baby-fat face nicely.

Cori hung the towels before opening the door. She jumped back. "Pepper!" Exclaimed the girl as she clutched her breast, very aware of how they pressed up against her chest in the top. The instinctive clutch seemed unnecessary because of the top; they were squeezed and lifted already. Pepper Potts smiled brightly, scooping Cori up in a bear hug.

"Tony told me what happened with the computer yesterday and oh—" Pepper trailed off, hands cupped so tightly around Cori's cheeks she was in danger of making the younger girl cross-eyed and blind at the pressure. "Oh honey, you're eye!" Mourned Pepper, clucking her tongue heartbrokenly.

"What's wrong with my-?" Cori leaned back on her left foot, poking her head into the steamy bathroom. The mirror was too fogged for her to see but she could wipe away the film and see for herself.

"No, no, no! We have to—" Started Pepper, attempting to grab Cori. A graceful dancer, Cori felt Pepper wrap her arms around her and prepared herself. Cori leaned out of them, bearing down on Pepper's arms as they shivered and began to fall. When Cori had enough space she raised one leg straight, mimicking the perfect lines her grandmother and mother spent so much time stressing, until she had enough room to simply send her weight towards that upward foot and perform a quiet flip. Pepper prepared for the inevitable, sensible, hysterical reaction by jamming all ten fingers nervously between her locked teeth.

"OH MY GOD!"

"Cori, no, no Cori, c'mere!" Pepper locked her legs and raised her shoulder as Coriander tried to run out of the bathroom. Coriander couldn't pass her and Pepper took those seconds of hesitation to wrap her arms around her. In a way, this was similar to the shock of a young girl getting her first period or that one stubborn monster zit found by glancing in the mirror when first waking up. As a young woman Pepper had experienced her fair share of shocking moments; she knew this one would pass. She also knew a friend would've been good for a majority of those instances.

"It's okay," Assured Pepper, petting her hair, "you'll be fine."

"FINE?" Yelled Cori in disbelief, "I'LL BE FINE? HAVE YOU SEEN MY EYE?"

"Yes, and it was a bit surprising but you're still you, Cori. I just didn't expect those lines to be that bright."

Cori hadn't seen the lines long – she couldn't bear to look at them – but knew Pepper's shock was appropriate. Those three lines were an obnoxious neon green that lit up her normally dark emerald eyes. She felt like a computer. A monster, a freak. "I'M A FREAK!" exclaimed Cori sadly, dropping her head to Pepper's shoulder hard enough to feel her forehead ache.

Yeah, that would bruise later.

"No, honey, you're not." Soothed Pepper.

"I HAVE GREEN ON MY FACE! THAT'S NOT NORMAL!" Pepper wanted to say, 'Oh, so you haven't talked to Bruce?' but figured that would come out eventually. According to Tony, Bruce didn't like to be thrown into awkward situations. It upped his stress levels and could be a minor trigger.

"Do you have an extra eye?" Asked Pepper as she pulled away from Coriander to rest her arms warmly on her shoulders.

"No."

"More than two arms?"

"No."

"Can your nose do anything other than smell, make snot, and close up during allergy season?"

"No."

"Then you're normal." Deduced Pepper.

There was a pause. Coriander was evaluating the verbal trap she'd walked into. The questions were stupid, and simple, but somehow they made her feel better. Pepper was right…she didn't have any extra limb as a result of the Chitauri bite; deformities could be worse. "And if you're that worried about it," Pepper rubbed her shoulders, "we can cover it with makeup." Maybe, considered the woman, but didn't dare say it.

She and Coriander had gone beyond barista and customer. Coriander was – outside of work – a good listener. Pepper often found her having 'girl time' with the younger woman and enjoying it, despite the age difference. Cori was logically and emotionally older than her real age, which Pepper liked. She also liked romantic comedies and was a 'hopeless romantic' supporter; being around someone who believed so passionately in unexpected, deep, profound, unusual love gave Pepper hopes about her and Tony.

They'd even made a little saying to cheer one another up. It was a way to embrace their unique names. "C'mon now," Jested Pepper, "Who's the Coriander to my Pepper?"

"Me," Mumbled Coriander after Pepper repeated herself a few times. That sealed her fate. Pepper knew if Coriander caved to the saying, did her part, that she'd be fine. The reply of 'Me' represented a willingness to recover and overcome.

"After you meet Director Fury we'll have a girls' night and laugh at people in movies," Offered Pepper with a smile. Coriander slowly smiled.

"Can we watch Titanic and make fun of Rose as she tries to wake Jack up on the door?" That was one of their favorite subjects. Rose was a well-to-do girl who metaphorically dipped her toe in the mysterious, alluring waters that was Jack. She clung to hope that Jack was alive as they both froze together, away from the wrecked Titanic, while trying fruitlessly to save him. When he sinks, what does she do? Finds a whistle and saves her own ass.

Okay, so maybe the plot wasn't that cut-and-dry or rude, but Pepper and Coriander liked to pretend that it was. Sometimes their frustrations were best taken out on movie characters who couldn't argue back and just took the digs. Rose came from a snooty noble family, and though she could've defended Jack once she reunited with her mother, she didn't. It was like Jack never existed, and no one knew he would since he was at the bottom of the ocean. Rose, therefore, was a bitch who developed self-guilt while approaching her deathbed.

Characters and scenes like that were the perfect way to ease their stress. Coriander was looking forward to booing Rose. "Of course," Laughed Pepper as they walked down the hall towards the lab. She took comfort in the rhythmic brush of Pepper's thumb over her good shoulder. The lab was now full of people, and Cori nearly yelped.

She didn't know whothese people were but knew she'd been surprised. Coriander didn't like surprises and Tony knew it. Said billionaire grinned shamelessly as he wiggled his fingers at her. "Sent Pepper to get you," Tony informed nonchalantly with a half-wink, "figured it'd get you here faster."

"It's good you found out," Coriander mustered her best serious face, feeling it fall to pieces before she even set her eyebrows. Her grin was already slipping through and she hoped it mimicked Tony's fearless, perverted one. "Pepper and I thought it wasn't right to hide from you anymore."

"Pepper and I thought we should tell you that we had sex in the shower you just used." Smiled Tony wolfishly. Coriander literally felt her eye twitch. I knew it! She frowned. "Oh wait," Tony amended, "that's just me." He chuckled softly and wiggled his eyebrows at an obviously embarrassed Pepper. A man with light brownish-red hair chuckled before being elbowed by a woman with short, curly red hair.

"And I thought I should tell you my name. Director Fury, and this is my coworker Agent Hill." Cut in the man at the center of the room. He looked especially out of place, wearing solid black in the pale room. Coriander thought the trench coat, zipped undershirt, and belted pants accented his seriousness. The eye patch helped, too. "You must be Ms. Henson. Stark says you're something to see," Noted Fury.

"It appears so," Added the woman next to him; she had pretty blue eyes, short brown hair, and a similar dark attire.

"Excuse me?" Pepper bristled. Agent Hill's cool tone was interpreted as something dry and disapproving. Her expressionless face didn't help Pepper determine whether Cori should be offended or not. Cori knew she was odd-looking now, and took Agent Hill's comment as the first chance to ignore unintentional jabs as she adjusted to herself. Pepper Potts was taking the comment with less grace.

It was partly because she'd just made the unintentional faux pas of hurting Cori's feelings. And, like Cori suspected in a drugged stupor at the hospital, because she was her unofficial test child. No one was going to hurt her feelings!

"She's unique, like the rest of the Avengers. There are no other eyes like hers in the world, ergo, she's something to see." Explained Agent Hill. Cori blinked, not having thought of it that way. She'd spent her time condemning her new eye, not thinking of how no one else would have it.

"She's not a spectacle," Snapped Pepper, rubbing Cori's arm in case she felt offended. One thing she'd come to learn about the girl was how well she could hide. Her emotional wall was fairly thick, and fairly strong. When damaged, the pain leaked into her green eyes, and it was the only real idea anyone would have that she was hurt; Coriander didn't like talking about her problems.

"You're certainly making yourself one," Spoke Agent Hill dryly, icily. She realized part of her job was putting up with irritating people but she was directly under Fury. His right-hand. This wouldn't have to be tolerated from someone who was merely an associate of the Avengers. For all intents and purposes, Pepper Potts was nothing but a bold-minded relation to Tony Stark; she had no superpower. Served no purpose to the safety of the world like the others in the room. "Trying to impress your boyfriend or get a pay raise from your boss?"

No one messes with her Pepper! She was the Pepper to her Coriander! And, at the very least, she owed Pepper something for talking her down from a potential sobbing spree. Her head pulsed with anger and irritation, quickening the more she thought about it. Well isn't Agent Hill just a confident bitch? Coriander curled her lips thinly, in the 'I'm not putting up with this shit' mood.

Devices detected on Agent Hill: iPhone, SHIELD headset.

Outside devices include: computers, centrifuge, three cell phones, and pad-locked specimen freezer.

Link to which device?

Cori paused. She really was like a computer, wasn't she? The girl never would've imagined being able to sense or interact with multiple pieces of technology, not after what happened earlier. It must've simply been her closeness and focus that targeted Tony's main computer.

Agent Hill's iPhone, thought Cori tentatively. It was infuriating to know she was the only one seeing these prompts. Surprisingly, the thought was enough for confirmation.

Import files or view files? The options appeared in the form of buttons, like they would on a normal computer. View, Instructed Cori. Downloading is what happened with Tony's computer and she didn't need another headache.

Link in progress…

What she could only assume was Agent Hill's sleek, slate-gray wallpaper appeared before her. It was annoying to have only her left eye for things like this. Cori could be thankful, at least, that all of the options were neatly aligned and thin enough for her to "see" with one eye. Contacts, Options, Messages, and Call History waited patiently in her line of vision. Open Messages, Cori watched a picture of an envelope depress, like it had been pushed, and open up into segmented lines of white displaying the most recent messages.

Beneath all of her messages was a separate folder marked Drafts. It had a bold one in parentheses. Something was in there. Open Drafts, Said Cori, learning how to navigate her misfortune for the better and for mischief.

Draft saved on June 3rd, 2012 at 7:35:49 PM. Message unsent.

To: Mr. Fury Nick

Would you maybe want to go get dinner? As work partners, of course. Figured you could use a break since the Avengers Initiative is taking a toll on you. Coulson said we found them all. It won't take much to bring them in. If it helps, I'll pay?

"I could ask you the same," Cori crossed her arms as she tried not to let sheer disdain and amusement ruin her impending clever burn. "It's a bit hard to have that dinner date when he's busy, isn't it?"

"How dare you!" Hissed Maria. "There's are consequences for slander, I'll have you know!" Warned Agent Hill.

"Does one of them include your embarrassment? You can write me off all you want but you never deleted that draft in your phone." Coriander leaned against the lab table indifferently, eyebrows creased and raised in an offer for Agent Hill to challenge her again.

"Agent Hill?" Director Fury looked to her with his good eye, hands behind his back in a nonchalant but waiting pose. "Has Ms. Henson broken into your phone?"

"I…" Agent Hill ruefully fished her phone from her pants pocket. Usually it needed a security code to be unlocked but when she turned it on, her Messages screen lay in wait. It was like she'd browsed her own messages and let her phone fall asleep! But…how? Coriander was across the room, and she'd had her phone locked!

Hesitantly, she showed it to her boss. Nick Fury gave a quick hum. Pepper grinned devilishly, trying not to show too many teeth in order to look contained.

"Like I said," Tony shrugged, "she appears to have brainwaves on level with technology."

"Impressive." Remarked Fury in what appeared to be the only tone he knew: monotonous. "That will come in handy." He moved slightly, revealing a previously unseen briefcase as he stooped to retrieve it. Laying in the black foam interior was a gun, a magazine of bullets, a taser, a grenade, mace, and a bluish-green floppy disk. Fury pulled the thin disc from its space and held it out towards Cori. "Can you tell me what's on this?" Questioned Fury as the room watched quietly.

Cori stared at it, trying not to let her eyes stray to Fury's visible one. She didn't like being put on the spot. Can I really do this?, Wondered Cori nervously. I've only done this once by accident and once by luck, or anger…whatever. It's not on…what do I do? She swallowed, focusing her attention on the disk. It was blue- green with a light silver square in the upper middle that hung above a larger, blank square in the center.

No help from the empty lines there!

Okay, Cori breathed, focus. She was detail-oriented and began to repeat the features of the disk in her head. The repetition and facts, coupled with her unwavering stare, caused her to go into something of a trance. Fury watched in mild amazement, refusing to give away anything with his face lest it break her concentration, as Cori's trio of lines shone a haunting neon green. In the same way that she could think and see Agent Hill's phone, she could see the network of circuits making the back of the floppy disk look computerized.

01000001 01110110 01100101 01101110 01100111 01100101 01110010 01110011 00100000 01001001 01101110 01101001 01110100 01101001 01100001 01110100 01101001 01110110 01100101 00100000 01010000 01101100 01100001 01101110 01110011 00101100 00100000 01010000 01110010 01101111 01110100 01101111 01100011 01101111 01101100 01110011 00101100 00100000 01100001 01101110 01100100 00100000 01001101 01100101 01101101 01100010 01100101 01110010 01110011 00101110

Processing…processing…

File transferred. File "Avengers Initiative: Plans, Protocols, and Members" decoded.

Strangely, Cori didn't feel any pain from that experience. Maybe it was because she'd unknowingly downloaded a computer versus a disk? She understood it, and it was translated into English, but what did it mean? Coriander didn't understand…

"Well?" Fury watched the glow die down to the softer version of the neon hue he'd seen earlier when she arrived.

"It's about the Avengers...something to do with plans, protocols, and members." Answered Cori. Fury smirked. She supposed that's as close as she'd get to a real smile from him. He seemed very reserved, the 'no-nonsense' type.

"That's impressive," Conceded Agent Hill with cherry fading from her cheeks as Fury tucked the disk back in the briefcase and shut it.

"It's an advantage," Agreed Fury. "Ms. Henson…welcome to the Avengers."

"I don't get a say in this, do I?" Cori felt dwarfed and unworthy at the invitation. She didn't really know what the Avengers was, but knew it was something for special, talented people if Tony was in it. He was Iron Man, for god sakes! And she was…she was Coriander Henson, the girl who'd been bitten by an alien.

"You get a say," Joked Fury, "you get to say 'yes'."

It sounded like a joke but he didn't look like he was joking. He stared at her expectantly, and Cori began to realize the situation before her. She was being propositioned by an extremely scary-looking man. One who was allegedly involved in government, according to the brief look she had into the document on the floppy disk. Asking for her to join this…"Avengers" thing was just a nicety, obviously.

"Yes, then…" Swallowed Coriander.

"Good. Welcome to the team, Ms. Henson. Is there anything you'd like to tell me about your newfound talent?" Inquired Fury.

"Why? I mean, I don't know a lot about it myself, but—"

"SHIELD needs it on file. It wouldn't do any good to send an agent where she can't function," Replied Fury. They were going to give her work as an agent, seriously? Coriander doubted she was fit to be an agent. Physically, maybe, because of the dancing but she had no beneficial talent!

"I, uh…it burns. My head, I mean. It hurts when I read really large stuff. Smaller stuff, like that disk, seem to only hurt a bit. Sort of like a shot in the arm," Shrugged Cori. She combed back her limp, damp hair nervously. Coriander could never keep still when she was nervous. Her hands always had to be moving. Popping sounds could be heard and Coriander took a moment to wonder if Stark had gotten bored enough to play a game on the outdated computer.

Stark, to her surprise, was tolerating the meeting with folded arms and half-interest. Bruce let out a groan, hinting that he was the perpetrator. His body strained in his clothes, popping noises increasing as the fabric gave way. He roared loudly, partly in distress, and people began to scatter. Cori's ears rang painfully as the shout echoed in the closed-off room.

Wasn't that the noise she'd heard outside of Point Taken? Tony pushed Pepper out of the door before anyone else had a chance to exit. A tall, large blond man sporting dark and heavy armor followed, dragging the light-haired man that laughed at Tony's joke earlier. The redhead with short curls led a shorter blonde man with nicely parted hair out, the two taking off in a different direction than Pepper and Tony. They were heading the way of the impossibly large blonde man.

Director Fury grabbed Cori's arm after ordering Agent Hill out, nearly ripping her off her feet. Where Bruce once stood was now a towering green man at least fifteen times the size of the largest blonde man in height and muscle mass, so Cori thought. His fists were bigger than anything Cori had ever seen, and the ground shook like an earthquake had hit as he struck them against the floor. Two impressive craters, big enough to rival the holes left at televised space debris crash sites, remained as he lifted those large fists. Bits of the lab floor fell from his clenched hands as he raised them slightly.

"Banner, you need to—" Fury sucked in a breath as the large green hand sailed forward and uprooted him. He'd seen the coming blow and let go of Cori's arm, glad he did so. Banner had punched him hard enough to wind him and tear the entrance door out of the frame. Winded, he slumped against the metal sliding door as pieces of the now-cracked wall fell around him.

"Holy shit!" Breathed Coriander. No wonder that Chitauri was out of it!

"Not Banner!" Roared the green creature as it planted its fists back into the floor. "Hulk!"

The ground shook a bit softer than last time as he replanted his fists, but it still knocked Coriander off balance. He growled, dropping his tall frame towards the ground. Coriander felt hypnotized by those angry, curious green eyes freezing her in place. His dark, short and curly hair gave her hope that Bruce was in there, too.

Somewhere.

This green creature calling himself "Hulk" had the same high cheekbones that gave way to a round face barely squared near the jaw. He looked to have Bruce's haircut, too. She'd been so distracted trying to find Bruce in the large, green face that his moving hand went unnoticed. Before Coriander could crawl away, or scream, the large green hand scooped her up and curled tightly into a fist. Five green fingers locked around her little body, squeezing hard enough to make her light headed, and Cori felt trapped.

He brought the green hand up towards his face, giving a quick, experimental squish as he did so. Coriander saw big, dark eyebrows drop towards those green eyes. Her heart galloped. That couldn't be good! Whatever he was, he mimicked human emotion perfectly. At the moment he copied rage. Intense rage.

"Puny god…"