"God, this is the best cheeseburger I've ever had!" Bella said between mouthfuls of her bites of the sandwich meal. Stuck in the laboratory with Tony and Bruce almost felt as if the three hadn't left, as if it had only been yesterday that they were first meeting one another in order to fight off the Asgardian, Loki. "Want a bite?" She held half of her food to Bruce on her side with a mouthful stuck in her sunken cheeks.
"No, you look like you're enjoying that enough." He smiled looking down at the monitor next to her and tapping away at the coordinates on the piece of paper she had handed to him earlier. "To start off, how did you find the gems overseas anyways?"
Bella smirked, "Not easily I'll tell you that… somehow I managed to make my way with what little I had. Funny, you think SHIELD would have given me their fanciest technology to find the rocks. But nope! They gave me the worse possible equipment to deal with. That's mainly why it took so damn long." She threw the last piece of the burger in her mouth and chewed silently as Tony strutted across the lab. "How has the R&D department been? Did you get my cards? I could only send five, I'm sorry."
Bruce smiled looking up from the screen. His smile could have made Isabella melt in that moment, "I got every single one and everything back at Stark Tower is amazing. Honestly, I was convinced myself that I had died. But there was only one thing that told me the perfect life I thought I was granted wasn't because I had died."
"Oh really?" Bella smiled ignoring the taunting look on Tony's face. "What's that?"
"You weren't in it."
As if words could kill, Bella felt her knees give away as she realized just how much she hurt Bruce. Lucky for her, she had been leaning on a table. "I-I'm so sorry…" She muttered looking down at her SHIELD issued boots, "I just-"
"Awww, it's that just the sweetest thing you've ever heard Rhodey?" Tony gawked from the side while patting his friend.
"Shut up, TONY!" Bella threw her napkin the hamburger had been wrapped in at him hitting the man dead on. "Are you sure the R&D department was as awesome as you said?" She pointed to the billionaire while continuing her stare at Bruce. Both he and Rhodey chuckled.
"Yes, it was…and it will be even better when you can come visit after you leave SHIELD."
Bella sighed with a dreamy smile, "You're telling me." An annoying ringing tone on one of the monitors broke the conversation and pulled the archeologist towards it. "Hm… this is interesting?" She tapped a few of the buttons on the screen contemplating her theories.
"What's wrong?" Bruce questioned over her shoulder from behind. She turned to him and the others shaking her head downwards, "I thought the gem would be in China next…but from these readings they seem to be coming from India?"
"So how do you detect the gems in the first place?" Rhodes asked.
"Well, each of the gems emits an abnormal wave frequency that is easy to detect, but it's hard to distinguish them among other objects throughout the globe. By working with Bruce to try to find the Tesseract ten months back, I learned how to track gamma signatures- the same slight pulse the gems give off. With the two combined I can locate the gems within due time." She smirked to the said doctor and her newfound boyfriend for the moment and then began to tap away at the digital screen. "But this signature is different? I can't tell if it is the gem or something else? The gamma signature is the same but the high wave isn't…that's strange. Any ideas?"
Bruce's smile faded after his mention and then began to turn back to the screen as Bella scooted to the side. "I can send out another tracking algorithm for the specific calculations of the other gems… that is if you know what exactly it is?"
The Agent sighed hopelessly, "I really don't remember… the Gamma signature was only a slight percentage compared to the wave frequency."
"Well, it's just too bad that you don't have a gem to compare too…" Rhodes crossed his arms over his polished army uniform.
"You just won't let that go will you?" Bella turned from her screen to glare at the man. "I did not receive a package! I'm not a traitor and neither is my father!" A defensive huff escaped from her lips as she turned around stubbornly to continue on with her work.
A warm hand patted her shoulder shortly after. "Don't let him bother you, Sweet Cakes, that's just what Rhodey is used to doing." Tony smiled and then began to tap at the monitor Bella had first gone to. "Besides the algorithm Green is working on what other contraptions should we be working on?"
Bella smiled to Tony genuinely and then looked at the other screen to the side of where Bruce worked, "If Bruce tracks the algorithm correctly, which I'm positive he will, then we can do nothing but wait. That's basically why I went away for so long, to track the gems took longer than trying to actually find them."
"And you didn't even have the other ones Zemo had." Rhodey added in causing Bella to roll her eyes while admitting her defeat with a small head nod. "Trust me, the fact he had two of them is killing me, slowly. How the hell did he find them without me figuring it out?"
"Even more so, it seems that Fury is continuing to hide information from us." Bruce pointed out tapping at the screen and then pulling his finger away as the monitor chimed. "Done, the signal is in."
The surprised archeologist smiled in disbelief at the man, "Wha-? Where have you been all my life? Why the heck weren't you with me, it would have taken no time to track down those gems!"
"Heh, sorry." The scientist's smile had been filled with modesty but it was one that could make any girl melt. "But really, do you think the story he told us down on the deck is the truth?"
"Probably not." She frowned looking to Stark. "Got anything this time to figure out his master plans?"
The billionaire genius smiled, "Just you wait Sweet Cakes. But actually, I think we should leave the two of you alone for the moment." He looked to Rhodes and then back to the woman, "You guys can catch up and whatever it is you crazy kids did in Malibu, bye now! Try not to be too mischievous!" Pushing his friend out of the sliding glass door, Tony chuckled as he left the two lovebirds in the lab gawking at the situation. It wasn't until about ten seconds later did the two awkwardly glance at one another.
Bella broke the tension with a light-hearted chuckle. "I'm sorry… I just kinda blanked out at that!"
Banner nodded, "Same." He took a step forward removing his glasses from his face and placing them in his SHIELD issued black shirt pocket, "I missed you." His voice was low to keep in the honesty in his statement.
With one swift movement, Bella wrapped one arm around his waist while the other caressed the back of his neck near his hairline. "I missed you even more…I just…I had to leave…I'm so sorry, Bruce."
His lips grazed Bella's own as if asking for her permission by the uncertainty of his kiss. She returned the favor by pulling her head towards his a bit forceful and uneasy at first but then calmed in the next couple moments. Parting her lips, her curious tongue caressed his tender lips causing Bruce to moan deep and softly in his chest.
His arms wrapped around her waist and shoulders bringing her even closer and further into his waist. Loving the feeling of the cotton button-up shirt, Bella's hands made their way to the top of his shoulders down half of his chest and then back up again. Even though Bruce was not nearly as muscular as his other form she actually preferred his body style more than any of the other Avenger men on board the ship.
As her hands made their way up the back of his neck and tangled into his curly hair, Bella arched her back causing her neck and head to pull back slightly. Feeling this sensation and already knowing the reason why, Bruce pulled his lips back forcing a small smack of the two lips separating. "Isabella…" He whispered as she kept her eyes relaxed in the closed position. "Bella?"
Opening her eyes slightly, the 27 year-old woman smiled childishly, "Bruce?"
He smiled briefly before looking around the open windowed laboratory and then nuzzling his head on the side of her neck with her hair blocking his face. "What gem did your father give you?" He whispered, "I only know it was a gem because the computer located it first. So which one is it?"
Scared someone would hear even with no one in the room, Bella wrapped her elbows around his neck while her hands made their way to the top of his head twisting further into his hair.
"The reality gem." She breathless spoke.
"What does it do?" He questioned just as quietly as she.
Bella wiggled closer towards Bruce, after pausing slightly as she glanced around the room quickly, "The holder can alter the reality to whatever they wish. It can be very dangerous, if in the wrong hands. In my hands, I will not let anything take control."
Bruce must have agreed to her intentions in keeping the gem and not allowing anyone but him to know about her possession of the item. After she finished he kissed her lips and pulled away once again, "I love you." His calloused fingers rubbed the side of her hip in a calming and soothing matter in order to reassure the woman of his protectiveness over her.
"And I love you too."
"And I love it if you two would stop smooching and figure out where the hell the last gem is so I can get the hell out of his hell-hole!"
The two pulled away in a frightened jump looking toward the source of the voice. It was none other than the 'bright and charming' Logan Howlett, AKA Wolverine. The mutant rolled his eyes and then exited the room walking down the hallway and continuing on with his business.
"I guess he has a point, but still…I am not a fan of that guy." She shrugged backing away from the scientist's position.
"Well don't hate on him too much…without him I don't think the other guy-"
"You mean Hulk?" Bella interrupted.
Bruce hesitated for a moment with a nod, "Yes…Hulk, could not have taken on Blonsky alone."
She recalled when Logan helped her escape from Emil's monstrous form in South America not too long ago. In fact, without him pulling her out of her distressed and panicked state of mind, she might not have been lucky to escape Abomination.
"True but still…" She scrunched her nose in disgust, "I don't like him." Her comment gained a light chuckle from the Doctor as he moved towards the monitor he had been working on. "How do you know Blonsky anyway, and why can he Hulk out too?" She questioned.
This comment grew into a worried sigh after an extended moment of contemplating with the right words to say. The only noise that could be heard was the slight hum of the ship. "Great…maybe I should have thought about that before I asked." She contemplated kicking her brain into a pile of mush in her head.
"After living in Brazil for who know how many years, Betty's father found me after a careless mistake on my part…" Bruce spoke up. "Blonsky was called in specifically to hunt me down by General Ross…"
Bella knew about Ross and Betty from the SHIELD files. Back before she even met Bruce, she inspected his file realizing how complicated Bruce and Betty's relationship had been… after all, the whole reason Bruce became the Hulk was done for experimentation underneath the General.
"From there, he was treated with the same dosage I had given myself of the recreational Super Solider Serum I had developed. At the time of our second battle, he was declared a success."
"So Blonsky was, at one point, just like Captain?" She questioned.
"Not exactly. The formula Rogers was given was difficult, to near impossible, to reproduce. My version included similar attributes as Steve but not all of them." He paused allowing the woman to take in all the information. With a frown Bella nodded for him to continue, "After the third time he attempted to capture me, Betty and I were in New York with a professor. I had messaged this man, "Mr. Blue" for years about my condition but it wasn't until I met up with Betty did I get to meet Dr. Sterns in person. When Emil attacked the college, we had attempted to rid Hulk from my body but as you well know that didn't happen." He turned to Bella as she forced a smile only wanting him to continue.
"Instead, the formula Dr. Sterns implemented me with only causes Hulk to reveal himself when I will or if I loose control of my temper…both of which you have experienced. Well, Blonsky thought I had gotten rid of Hulk completely and this angered him to an immense temper. In a rage, he forced Sterns to give him the same dosage as me causing the form of 'Hulk' he is today."
This story was almost more than enough information than Isabella would have expected. "So the cause of the Super Solider Serum plus the stuff Sterns infected Blonsky with…caused that ugly thing?" She crossed her arms confused. Bruce only smiled. "Call me crazy but Hulk is a looker compared to that Abomination."
"So what does that make me?" Bruce joked gaining a well-needed laugh and light-hearted moment from the two. Instead of answering, Bella gave her answer by kissing him tenderly. "I like that." He nodded and then began to tap on the screen. "From the looks of the system, it will be just an hour or two to locate the last gem."
"My hero!" Bella laughed walking pass Bruce towards the white desk in the middle of the room. Looking down at the objects placed on the table her mind seemed to focus on the details of Banner's story rather than the objects. As he came up behind her, an arm placed gently on her shoulder breaking her out of the thick concentration she had.
"So I will-"
"Where's Betty now?" Bruce had begun to talk until Bella sharply cut him off because her thoughts had been focused more or less to the other woman in the scientist's life.
Bruce had been completely caught off-guard from her question and hesitated a moment too long for the psychology under-grad to know he meaning behind his hesitation. "Bruce…" She frowned. "Listen if Betty is still-"
"No." His answer was curt and caused the amber-haired agent to nod. "She's back home. Married, I believe… it doesn't matter. Ross would never have it."
As good as that answer sounded in his head, Bruce cringed at how badly it made Isabella seem. He knew she already concluded this fact, but he insisted to correct his mistake instead, "And I love you."
Bella nodded turning her attention back on the equipment while attempting to hide her female emotional instincts. It was common for women to be jealous of one another so easily, but never did Agent Marcone believe she would be one of these women. Then again, Isabella had only been in two relationships in the past never really understanding first-hand the jealous female competition.
Just when she was about to speak up another guest entered the room. "Agent Marcone?" The couple turned to the voice looking into the smirk of Agent Coulson.
"Coulson?" Bruce questioned looking to Bella and then back to the Agent that was supposedly killed by Loki. "But-?"
"Sorry Dr. Banner, but it's probably best you don't know." He answered taking two steps forwards.
"Not surprising considering Fury doesn't reveal many secrets anyways…" The female SHIELD agent muttered crossing her arms. With the roll of Phil's eyes she knew her comment crossed the line. "Sorry…but you know its true."
Looking back to the doctor and then to the Agent, Coulson regained his smile, "How's the search going?"
"It'll take about an hour or so, but the tracking system is detecting any algorithm with the equivalent energy analysis of the gems Bella found previously."
Bella nodded after Bruce's statement, "Once the gem is found, I was going to scout out the topography of the area to figure out the most efficient way to retrieve the item. Just like I've done for the others."
"Excellent." Coulson continued his subtle smile throughout the conversation. "Well on that note, I am here to say that your new uniform is ready Agent Marcone."
Bella crossed her eyebrows and frowned looking to Bruce, "Uniform? What new uniform?" Her SHIELD graded outfit was simple enough and also held all of her gadgets in the pockets…so why did she need a new uniform?
"Come with me." Coulson waved with his head faintly for her to follow. "Doctor Banner we will leave you to your work." Brushing her long and brittle amber hair the Agent shrugged giving Bruce a quick peck on his stubbly cheek before walking towards Agent Coulson. "Don't worry Agent you won't be gone for too long."
Bella smiled to her colleague as the two walked out of the room side by side. When they passed the windows of the lab she couldn't help to pass up the opportunity to blow Bruce a kiss in a joking fan-girl matter.
"Agent Marcone?" Coulson was a bit taken back to the attitude of the woman. Never had he seen her act this way before. "Sorry!" Bella laughed as her and Phil's shoes clicked against the steel floor, "I guess I just have a little bit of separation issues…since you know I haven't seen Bruce, or rather anyone related to SHIELD for over ten months."
"Well besides T'Challa."
Bella sneered, "Without me, SHIELD wouldn't even know T'Challa or Wakanda for that matter."
"Try again." Coulson shook. "Captain America's shield is made from vibranium." Agent Marcone had to double take not knowing Steve had one of the rarest metals on the planet. "Even in the forties SHIELD had some contact with the Wakandans but it was kept under wraps with Wakandan law and whatnot. Of course, you being one of the only non-Wakandan being able to visit the country you understand the laws."
That comment tugged at a tender spot in Bella's mind. However, being the patient and professional agent she managed to push the comment out of the part of her brain that captured rage. "So why exactly am I getting a new uniform?" The two turned down the corner into a room locked by a DNA scan from both finger and eye testing. Coulson opened the door and waved Bella in first.
"The fact is now you are a member of SHIELD under a new Alias." Coulson pressed a switch on the side lighting up the dark room. On the far wall in the back stood a dummy dressed in a black and green leather costume. "Your new uniform."
With widened eyes, Bella jumped towards the costume examining it from head to toe. The suit as a whole was black but had dark green tasteful accents throughout. Around the neck and shoulders of the uniform had the green color as well as a green belt underneath her chest and around the waist. The fingerless gloves attached to the suit which were also green as well and stopped to about the elbows of the arms.
As all standard SHIELD uniform, the emblem of the eagle had been placed on both sides of her arms plus an added feature of two gun belts instead of the usual one. With one on both sides of her thighs gained a well-respected smile from the weapons-loving Agent. Looking down to the bottom, she noticed the standard SHIELD boots were added but in green to pull off the whole look.
"So, what do you think?" Coulson questioned after she took a step back from her examination.
Twisting a strand of her hair in her finger Isabella couldn't help but nod with her lips pursued out. "I think, this is the coolest suit I've ever seen. Just two questions."
"Shoot."
"One: does it fit?"
Coulson nodded, "We have your size on record but the uniform was being put through the finalizing touches when you arrived on the ship an hour ago."
"Cooly." Bella crossed her arms still with the smirk on her lips. "Second…What's my new alias? You did say I was going to be given a new name right?"
Phil walked over to the side of the uniform pulling out a monitor from the side. "It's not final, but considering the new powers you possess, Director Fury has given you this name."
Looking down at the digital monitor, Bella recognized the format of the profile sheet as her fellow Avenger members. Her SHILED profile picture was on the left of the monitor and the information about her on the side. Down at the bottom listed the guns and standard weapons she used as well as the training and permits she gained to handle her weapons. However, this profile had been updated with her new information and thus had declared that she was infected with gamma poisoning. At first, she was confused to how Fury came to this conclusion but read in her information the specific details of how it happened. "Barton. He probably told them everything. Damnit."
Before this new profile, underneath her picture it stated her name as Isabella Marcone and underneath the alias it stated Agent Marcone.
Now, the alias declared her as: Gamma Gal.
"Coulson, what the hell?" Bella frowned with a scrunched face. "I'm not some punk teenage girl running around the streets with Gamma loaded in me! Why the hell did Fury give me this stupid name?"
"Like I said," Coulson must have seen this fight coming. "It is ultimately up to your liking Agent."
Not knowing a good name Bella continued to stare at her colleague, "How long do I have before the others see this and taunt the living hell out of me?"
Coulson smiled and shook his head, "You can change it whenever, but I would advise you to do so soon."
Nodding, the woman bit the inside of her lip still not content on a replacement name. She wanted something cool. Something that would make others respect her but also something that would make sense to her condition. "I'll get back to you on the name change, but for now I've got to put this baby on!"
