Tried to keep Bruce's explanation as simple as possible, hope I did a good enough job.

Jay X

As If I Was Human

Chapter Nine - Bombshell

Carter was pacing angrily when Clint finally came to visit her. It had 48 hours since she had arrived at S.H.I.E.L.D. Central. Clint had gotten several debriefings, and even a scolding from Director Fury for his attitude, but had only just been granted clearance to see her.

Her "room", if it could be called that, wasn't much more than four walls and a narrow bed, with a small connecting bathroom. Carter thought of it more as a "cell". She was no longer handcuffed, but she wasn't allowed to leave. Four times day a woman in uniform, flanked by two security men, would deliver her food appropriate to whatever time of day it was. No windows, no books, no television, no way to pass the time and stay sane.

Clint was all Carter thought about. She had let him bring her here, all because of Curt the Writer. She had trusted Curt the Writer. He was always friendly, always smirking, always ordered the same lunch. Carter dreamed of Curt, and woke up to Clint. So when the man himself finally came to see her, she had had enough of him.

"Whoa!" He chuckled, his fast reflexes enabling him to catch the apple core lobbed at his head. "I thought you'd be happy to see me."

"Two days!" Carter yelled, throwing the leftover crusts from her toast at him. "I've been locked in here for two freaking days! And you're laughing? I could kill you!"

"Hey, hey," Clint hushed her, dropping the apple core and crusts back onto her dinner tray as he moved towards her. "I'm sorry, I've been trying to get clearance ever since we got here, it just takes time."

"Two days!" Carter repeated, dropping to the edge of her bed, arms crossed angrily over her chest. "You said I wouldn't be locked up, and I have…for two-"

"Two days, yeah, yeah," Clint cut her off, sitting down next to her. "I'm sorry, but Fury runs this joint, not me, I don't really get much of a say." Carter sighed, tilting her head back to stare at the ceiling.

"That report of yours," she began. "You told them I'm dangerous."

"You are," Clint replied. "You know you are."

"I'm not," Carter insisted, shaking her head as she turned to face him. "You sent men to attack me, to test me, if you hadn't done that…none of them would have died. You're the dangerous one."

"My report said you were only dangerous when provoked," Clint explained. "Fury's just…being cautious. And that-" Clint gestured to one of the walls, dents littering the surface where Carter had been punching it furiously. "-isn't helping."

"I'm angry," she stated, standing up abruptly. "And can you blame me? You lied to me! You pretended to be a normal guy just so you could spy on me!"

"It's just my job, Carter," Clint said wearily. "You can't take it personally."

"I'll take it however I like," she muttered, folding her arms again. The two fell silent for a moment before Carter spoke up again. "Why are you even here?"

"I wanted to see you," Clint replied with a shrug. "Make sure you're okay. Fury's expecting a visitor to arrive later today, something to do with you, he wanted me to assess your mood."

"And what have you assessed?"

"You're pissed off," Clint smirked. "And I guess you have a good reason, but you'll need to calm down when the doctor gets here."

Doctor. Carter froze. Doctor. Not a doctor.

"No," she mumbled, shaking her head, her hands flying up to cover her ears. "No, no doctors, not a doctor. I won't…I can't."

"Carter?" Clint asked, approaching her carefully. He glanced up at the security camera, giving a nod to Agent Hill on the other side. "Carter," he replied, returning his attention to her. "What's wrong?"

"No doctors," she said, her body beginning to tremble. She wrapped her arms around her torso, falling to her knees. "I don't want a doctor, I don't need a doctor. No, no, no."

The door flew open, two men with guns, and a man with a needle entering. Clint held up his hand to stop them in their tracks. Carter hadn't even noticed.

"Why?" He asked her, crouching down next to her. "Carter, tell me why you don't want to see the doctor."

"The… the tubes," she whispered, her eyes tearing. "The machines, sucking and pulling the life from me. I don't…I can't…Clint," she looked up at him, her fear making his heart pound painfully. "Don't let them. Please, don't let them."

"It's okay," he whispered, taking hold of her shoulders. "I won't let them." He didn't really know what he was promising, but he meant every word. "I swear, they won't hurt you." His heart jumped when Carter suddenly flung her arms around him, sobbing into his chest. He instinctively pulled her closer, holding her tight.

His face masking all the emotions bubbling under the surface, he beckoned the man with the needle closer, taking the needle from him and plunging it into Carter's neck. She gasped, trying to pull away.

"Clint-"

"It'll be alright," he said, still holding her close. "Just go to sleep. I'll take care of the doctor."

"Clint…" Carter's voice began to slur, her eyes falling shut as she slumped against him. With a heavy heart, Clint swung her into his arms, lifting her tiny frame easily. The three men left, seeing their prisoner out cold, and Clint carried her over to her bed, laying her down gently. He sighed, brushing her hair away from her face.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, so quiet the cameras couldn't hear him. "But you're dangerous, Carter. I don't think you realise just how dangerous." He rested his palm against her cheek, before turning to leave.

Agent Maria Hill was standing in the doorway, waiting for him.

"Agent Barton," she began, her face grim. "You didn't have authorisation to inform Miss Thomas about Doctor Banner's arrival. Director Fury requests your presence in his office."

"Whatever," Clint sighed, exiting Carter's cell, the door automatically sealing behind him. "Can't imagine it'll be any worse than what just happened."

"You did the right thing," Maria said, her face softening. "She needed to be tranquilised before she hurt someone."

"Maybe," Clint muttered. Maria placed a hand on his shoulder as he walked past, stilling him.

"Clint," she said quietly. "She'll…I'm sure she'll understand." Clint simply shrugged.

"Maybe," he repeated.

"What can you tell me about her?" Was Bruce's first question, once the compulsory greeting were over.

"First," Fury said. "What can you tell me about her father?"

The two were sitting in Fury's personal office, Bruce having just arrived at the compound with Natasha. Fury had seen him straight away, which alerted Bruce to the urgency of the situation. Fury was a man who kept lesser men waiting, but not today.

"It's…complicated," Bruce started, a nervous smile on his face.

"I'm a smart man, Dr Banner," Fury drawled. "I'm sure I can keep up."

"With Zack, her father, genetic alterations were made," Bruce began, trying to avoid the scientific jargon that would cause confusion. "It was another attempt at the Super Soldier programme, to begin with. Nanotechnology was substituted for gamma radiation, rewriting parts of the genetic code to enable…growth."

"What kind of growth?"

"Every kind. Muscle, intelligence, stamina, durability. All the traits needed in a Super Soldier. But for all the work put into him, Zack's body never showed any signs of change. Despite the readings, telling the team it had worked, his capacity never increased. He couldn't bench press any heavier, run any faster or heal any quicker. It didn't make sense. It was in his genetic code, but not his physical output."

"What happened to him?" Fury asked, leaning back in his chair as he took all this information in.

"One day he fled," Bruce shrugged. "It was thought he simply grew tired of the torture all these modifications caused, he had had enough. But looking back, the dates match, it must have been because he discovered his wife was pregnant."

"My thoughts exactly," Fury agreed. "Genetic mods would run in the family, wouldn't they?"

"Yes," Bruce nodded. "Though I have no idea to what extent."

"You knew Zack Thomas," Fury stated. "How?"

"I was an intern at the lab," Bruce explained. "Though the experiments were predetermined not to include any kind of gamma radiation, Zack's failure to show any developments made the team reconsider. With Captain America, it was a serum accelerated by gamma, perhaps Zack needed a similar push. I was assigned to him for a character study, it was important to test his mental health before exposing him to the radiation, but his escape came before the team had a chance to use it."

"Did you know him well?"

"A few weeks, but…well enough, I say," Bruce sighed. "All he wanted was to protect his wife. He was a good man, but in a lot of pain." Shaking his head at the memory, Bruce sighed again. "Now, his daughter, Carter," he said. "I want to meet her."

"Soon," Fury stated, rising from his seat. "First, Agent Barton will brief you on her. But be warned doctor, she isn't looking forward to meeting you."

"Does she know about me?" Bruce asked with a nervous grin.

"Not yet," Fury replied, leading Bruce from the room. "I figured I'd let you drop that particular bombshell."

"Oh," Bruce frowned. "Thanks."